Chapter 23: Between Us
“Now you believe me, right?”
Pu Tong shrugged helplessly.
Believe him?
They believed him completely.
Everyone felt that simply hearing those few lines in person had already used up all the luck they would ever have in their lives.
What kind of divine love confessions were those?
"May there be years to look back upon, and may we grow old together with unwavering devotion."
Was there any confession more enduring than "I'll stay with you until we grow old together"? Waiting to meet you, waiting to stay with you, waiting to spend our lives together, waiting to grow old hand in hand.
"Though the ends of the earth have their limits, longing alone knows no end."
Even the ends of heaven and earth have boundaries, yet yearning has none. Just a few words, yet they contained the endless thoughts of someone deeply in love.
"The moon beneath the sea is the moon in the sky; the one before my eyes is the one within my heart."
The one you love stands right before you.
The one your heart belongs to is by your side. The greatest distance in the world isn't life and death—it's standing before you while you remain unaware that I love you.
"Because of that single glance from you, I've thought of you from dawn till dusk."
Just one look back, and a lifetime of longing begins.
What is love at first sight?
This is love at first sight.
That single glance—that single moment—was destiny.
This was true brilliance.
Would someone capable of writing words like these ever write an ordinary love letter?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
But... how did he come up with them?
Then everyone remembered.
Hadn't he also written a song worthy of being called a masterpiece?
The moment they thought of that, everything suddenly made sense.
He's simply overflowing with talent.
Well... in that case, nothing about him was surprising anymore.
Why bother trying to compare yourself to someone like that?
Just quietly admire him instead.
Ignoring everyone's dumbfounded expressions, Pu Tong calmly returned to his seat.
As if nothing had happened.
Still...
How had that letter suddenly fallen out?
He couldn't figure it out.
He distinctly remembered tossing it into the very back of his desk compartment. Had he accidentally dragged it out while taking out a book?
An unsolved mystery.
Sometimes, you never know why something buried in your desk suddenly decides to fall out.
The class bell rang, finally breaking the strange silence hanging over the classroom.
The students who had been watching the spectacle all returned to their seats, but the only thing left in their eyes was astonishment.
That was unbelievable...
At that moment, everyone reached the same conclusion:
No one understood how to write a love letter better than Pu Tong.
Several people were already secretly planning to ask him to ghostwrite one for them the next time they confessed.
"...You..."
Yu Wanwan opened her mouth, but after staring at Pu Tong's profile, she found herself unable to continue.
This whole mess...
She had caused it.
Yet once again, Pu Tong had been the one to bear the consequences.
She had originally thought something like this would be impossible to explain.
Instead...
He had forcefully cleared everything up in the most unbelievable way imaginable.
And in a way that left absolutely no room for anyone to argue.
The highest form of defending yourself wasn't repeatedly shouting,
"I didn't!"
"It wasn't me!"
It was calmly proving that you were operating on an entirely different level.
I'm already in the stratosphere... and you're trying to pin a fifth-floor problem on me?
"...What's wrong with me?" Pu Tong asked.
"You're amazing!"
Yu Wanwan gave him a thumbs-up, genuine admiration written all over her face.
An actress, after all.
Acting was her profession.
"I didn't expect you'd actually compliment me."
Pu Tong laughed.
"I just casually said a few lines. I've got plenty more where those came from."
"...Huh?"
Plenty more?
Yu Wanwan wasn't particularly knowledgeable about classical poetry, but if lines of this caliber were something he had in abundance...
That was terrifying.
If he casually picked one out someday to confess to someone...
How could anyone possibly reject him?
Then...
Who would he say those words to?
"Ahem...
Yu Wanwan coughed awkwardly, her expression growing slightly unnatural.
The entire classroom remained unusually quiet throughout the lesson.
The atmosphere became so strange that even the history teacher began wondering whether something was wrong with his lecture, repeatedly checking his teaching slides.
Aside from Pu Tong, practically nobody was paying attention.
Everyone was still savoring those poetic confessions in their minds.
Pu Tong suddenly remembered an absurd theory he'd once heard.
Studying isn't only about making yourself stronger.
Sometimes it's about weakening your opponents.
Ridiculous.
If others were strong, let them be strong.
Like a gentle breeze brushing across the mountains.
There was no need to concern himself with anyone else.
Staying focused on improving himself—that was the true essence of learning.
Horrified by the twisted direction his thoughts had taken, Pu Tong decided to cleanse his soul by solving a few more math problems.
"Are you free later?" Yu Wanwan suddenly asked.
"No."
"I need to study."
"..."
This guy was impossible.
"You can tell me. What's the matter?"
Pu Tong capped his pen and answered seriously.
She looked unusually earnest.
It must be something important.
"I... have something to tell you."
"It's about... that love letter."
Her voice became much quieter, whether out of guilt or because she didn't want anyone else to hear.
"Sure."
Pu Tong immediately understood.
She must have accidentally taken the letter out while borrowing his chemistry textbook.
"Then during extracurricular period."
"The usual place."
The two exchanged smiles.
For some reason, the phrase "the usual place" struck them both as unexpectedly funny.
After school activities.
The abandoned school building.
The setting sun dyed the sky crimson.
The two stood facing each other.
In Pu Tong's imagination...
One wore a soft scholar's cap and a purple dragon-embroidered robe, renowned across the martial world as the Exiled Immortal Sword Saint.
The other had her hair elegantly pinned up, dressed in flowing seven-layered violet robes—the legendary Fairy Ziying.
Their expressions shifted.
In an instant—
Both drew their swords.
Their figures crossed like flashes of lightning.
A heartbeat later...
One remained standing.
The other had already lost both head and body.
One move.
Victory and defeat had been decided.
...
Pu Tong shook his head, dismissing the ridiculous fantasy.
It was all because the sunset was too beautiful.
He simply couldn't stop his imagination from running wild.
Looking at Yu Wanwan, who remained unusually silent, he wasn't sure how to break the awkward atmosphere.
She had been the one who asked him to come.
Yet now that they were here...
She wasn't saying a word.
What should you do when someone invites you somewhere and then refuses to speak?
Asking online.
It's urgent.
Honestly...
A duel sounded easier.
That would've made for a legendary masterpiece.
"Hoo..."
Yu Wanwan took a deep breath.
It seemed she had finally gathered her courage.
"First..."
"I want to apologize."
"I got curious and secretly read your love letter."
"And when I tried to put it back, I accidentally dropped it, almost causing you a lot of trouble."
"It's alright."
"It was just a small matter."
Pu Tong genuinely didn't care much about that letter anymore.
After all...
Hadn't everything already been resolved?
Besides...
She hadn't done it on purpose.
"Please let me finish."
Her voice was gentle and steady.
"Maybe..."
"This matter is already over."
"Maybe I don't need to explain myself anymore."
"Even if I apologized..."
"You'd probably forgive me generously."
She paused before continuing.
"In so many stories..."
"When the heroine makes a mistake..."
"When she causes trouble for the hero..."
"Even if the consequences are serious..."
"The hero always forgives her."
"Do you know why?"
Pu Tong frowned.
His instincts told him...
The Yu Wanwan standing before him now felt different from her usual self.
"Because she's the heroine."
"Because she can leave everything to the hero."
"Because the hero will always clean up the mess for her."
"Because she only exists to serve the story."
"She's merely a tool created for the male lead's romance."
Yu Wanwan clasped her hands behind her back and lightly kicked a pebble at her feet.
Pu Tong's gaze followed the rolling stone into the distance.
"Then tell me..."
"In real life..."
"Between men and women..."
"Which happens more often?"
"Growing distant because of little misunderstandings..."
"Or living like in stories..."
"Where the man endlessly tolerates and forgives everything?"
Reality...
Didn't have an author's all-powerful hand guiding it.
Sometimes...
Even the smallest disagreement could end an entire relationship.
"...I..."
"The first one."
Yu Wanwan smiled softly.
"Right?"
"If two people want to stay together for a long time..."
"No matter how small the matter..."
"They both have to think about each other."
"If every time I made a mistake that affected you..."
"I brushed it off because it wasn't a big deal..."
"Wouldn't that just mean I didn't take you seriously at all?"
"So..."
"I still have to sincerely apologize."
"And I have to take responsibility."
She was so serious...
So serious that Pu Tong found it difficult to meet her eyes.
"Between us..."
"There doesn't need to be meaningless tolerance."
"Or concealment."
"You and I are two independent souls."
"No matter who we are now..."
"Or who we'll become in the future..."
"We should respect each other."
"Even over the smallest mistakes."
"I don't want you to quietly bear everything just to accommodate me."
"And I don't want to become one of those heroines who causes trouble, then leaves the hero to clean everything up alone."
"Because..."
"Between us..."
"We're equals."
Perhaps because she'd spoken for too long.
Or perhaps because she'd thought too deeply about everything.
After finishing, Yu Wanwan's cheeks were flushed, and she was breathing slightly faster.
Pu Tong looked at her blushing face.
Then...
He couldn't help laughing.
She really says things only an adorable idiot would say.
She's actually... pretty cute.
He sighed before gently patting her shoulder.
"You're right."
"You respected me enough to apologize."
"So I should respect you too."
"You made a mistake."
"So I have to punish you."
"...You're serious?"
"What else?"
"How about your punishment is solving ten math problems?"
"Your math is honestly terrible..."
"...Okay."
Math...
It's just naturally difficult, alright?
"But..."
Pu Tong smiled.
"I hope you'll always remember what you said today."
"You're not some heroine who exists for someone else's story."
"You're the one and only..."
"Yu Wanwan."
"...Mm!"
She nodded firmly, her eyes shining with determination.
After all...
Every relationship should be built upon mutual respect.
That...
Was a wonderful thing.
Watching Yu Wanwan sink into another bout of overthinking, Pu Tong gently flicked her forehead.
"We should head back."
"Class is about to start."
(End of Chapter)
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