Chapter 79

Song An'an washed up and stood in front of the bathroom mirror.

She looked at her flushed face and gently touched her lips with her hand.

They had just...kissed, right?

The corners of Song An'an's mouth subconsciously turned up. She couldn't describe what she was feeling in that moment. He had kissed her so quickly that she barely had time to react.

If she had to put it into words...it was soft.

And a little hot.

Song An'an went to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of mineral water, sipping it slowly as if to calm the turmoil in her heart.

Everything that happened tonight was like a dream to her.

Song An'an paced excitedly around the living room several times before finally going to the cat bed and picking up the sleeping Ball Ball to rub him vigorously.

The little guy let out a few miserable meows, as if protesting his owner disturbing his sweet dreams.

-

After Pei Kuang got home, the first thing he did was send Song An'an a text on WeChat.

After a brief exchange, Song An'an said she was going to take a shower and told him to hurry up and wash up so he could rest early.

Pei Kuang was injured so he really shouldn't be showering, but after a day of planes and cars he definitely needed to wash off.

He took a quick shower in the bathroom avoiding his wounds, then went back to the bedroom and lay on the bed. Thinking about everything that happened tonight, he couldn't help smiling to himself.

He lay there for a good while without any trace of sleepiness. Finally he forced himself to get up and go out to the balcony.

Gazing at the peaceful night sky and breathing in the night air for a time, he still had a feeling that this was not real.

Pei Kuang thought for a moment before taking out his phone and sending a message to Luo Yi.

"Asleep?"

Luo Yi replied almost instantly: "No!!!"

With three big exclamation points, as if unable to fully express his feelings. He had just sent the message when his call came through.

Pei Kuang casually pressed the answer button.

"What exactly is the situation over there?" Luo Yi asked.

Pei Kuang thought for a moment before replying: "It went pretty smoothly."

Luo Yi excitedly exclaimed: "Does this mean she agreed to give you a chance?"

Pei Kuang was silent for a few seconds. "She agreed to be my girlfriend."

Luo Yi clearly hadn't processed this yet. "Wha-, she agreed already?"

Pei Kuang lightly hmm'd in affirmation.

"Fuck! Your intel was off man, didn't you say she didn't have any feelings for you that way!" Luo Yi said in astonishment.

Pei Kuang chuckled lowly with a hint of helplessness in his eyes. "She's just too soft-hearted. Seeing me like that, she probably really couldn't bear to reject me."

Luo Yi picked up on his implication. "What do you mean, you're thinking of letting go?"

Leaning lazily back in the recliner, Pei Kuang laughed and said, "I can't do that."

"Well there you go!" Luo Yi clicked his tongue, "If you ask me, you're overthinking. Little sister-in-law isn't stupid, she can tell if she likes someone or not. Even if she's soft-hearted, there's no way she'd agree to date you if she didn't have any feelings for you at all."

"Don't be silly, this is dating, not playing house."

Pei Kuang just laughed without responding.

It was true she probably had some positive feelings, but under normal circumstances it shouldn't have gone as far as agreeing to date him.

But so much had happened recently, from when she found out about his insomnia, to when his birth mother tried to destroy him online. Throughout it all, Pei Kuang noticed that Song An'an seemed to feel even more heartache for him than he did as the victim.

He was afraid she was temporarily unable to distinguish her own feelings, afraid she had mistaken sympathy for love.

But things had already progressed this far. Whether it was soft-heartedness or pity, he was unwilling to let go.

Luo Yi went on, "Alright, don't overthink it. Worst case scenario, like you said, so what? You've made up your mind anyway, so just treat the girl extra nice from now on. Feelings developing over time works too. No matter what, you've got the moral high ground now."

His words made sense to Pei Kuang. That was exactly what he planned to do.

Right, now he had the proper status.

Pei Kuang didn't respond, but Luo Yi kept talking. "Whew, now that you're good I can relax. Bro, I was so anxious all night, wanted to call you and ask how it was going but didn't want to interrupt your moment. Really, I've had so many relationships, never been this nervous before!"

"I'll treat you to a big meal later," Pei Kuang said with a low laugh.

Luo Yi: "Gotta be, all three meals!"

Pei Kuang laughed and agreed, "Alright, I'm good, hanging up now."

Luo Yi hurriedly stopped him, "No wait, you finally got this old house lit up, let's talk more!"

Pei Kuang: "No more, the girlfriend told me to sleep early, gotta listen."

Luo Yi: "......"

After hanging up, Pei Kuang went straight back to the bedroom. Lying in bed, he thought for a bit before sending Song An'an a WeChat message.

"Sweet dreams, good night."

Song An'an was lying in bed staring at the ceiling lost in thought when her phone buzzed. Seeing it was from Pei Kuang, she immediately sat up.

Reading the message, she couldn't help rolling around happily on the bed and replied: "Good night."

Pei Kuang thought she had already fallen asleep. "How come you're not asleep yet?"

Song An'an honestly replied: "Too excited, having a little trouble falling asleep."

Pei Kuang was stunned for a moment, looking at the message on the screen. He couldn't help laughing out loud.

His little girl was truly honest, her straightforwardness made it hard for him to handle.

Realizing she was a little embarrassed by what she sent, Song An'an quickly followed up: "What about you, how come you're not asleep yet?"

The corners of Pei Kuang's mouth curved up slightly. "Too happy, don't want to sleep yet."

Afraid that if he fell asleep, he would wake up and realize it was all a dream.

-

The next morning, Song An'an got up bright and early.

Although she had slept a little late last night, her spirits were exceptionally good this morning. This must be the oft-mentioned exhilaration of being in love.

She breezed through washing up and putting on light makeup, then spent a good while deciding what to wear before settling on a satisfactory outfit.

After getting ready, Song An'an didn't rush out the door but instead waited in the living room.

Last night, Pei Kuang had said he would come over to bring her breakfast.

Song An'an felt it was unnecessary for him to go through the trouble and wanted him to sleep in a bit more, but Pei Kuang insisted it was his right as her boyfriend and she couldn't deprive him of it.

Unable to dissuade him, she could only agree in the end.

Of course, being able to see Pei Kuang first thing in the morning made her very happy too.

Before long, the doorbell rang and Song An'an ran to open the door.

Pei Kuang was holding breakfast in his left hand and a huge bouquet of flowers in his right.

Song An'an was stunned for a moment, not quite processing it.

Pei Kuang smiled and held out the flowers to her. "I heard that dating starts with a bouquet."

Heard?

A thought flashed through Song An'an's mind but it went by too quickly for her to grasp it.

She took the flowers, still a bit confused as she asked: "Where did you get flowers so early in the morning? Are the flower shops open?" Pei Kuang smiled and explained: "I placed an online order last night before bed, they delivered this morning."

Song An'an oh'd and looked at the flowers in her arms, liking them more and more. She went to find a vase in the living room to keep them in.

Pei Kuang took out the breakfast and neatly arranged it on the table. "Come eat quickly so you're not late for work."

Song An'an trotted over and plopped down in front of the dining table, eyes curving happily. "You're the second guy to personally give me flowers, I really like it."

Pei Kuang raised a brow, helped stick a straw into her soy milk, and casually asked: "Oh? Who was the first?"

Song An'an took a sip of soy milk and picked up a steamed bun. "Lin Chuan. When we graduated elementary school, he came to my graduation ceremony and gave me this huge bouquet."

Pei Kuang was stunned for a moment. Lin Chuan? Oh, Song Linchuan.

"But after I started middle school, Lin Chuan entered the entertainment industry. He didn't want to expose his family so he never attended any of my graduations again." Song An'an said regretfully.

Pei Kuang gently assured: "It's okay. When you graduate this time, I'll be there to give you flowers."

Song An'an smiled and responded: "Great! Lin Chuan also said that when I graduate with my PhD, he'll come too. It'll be perfect with you two..."

She trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something. She looked up sharply at Pei Kuang.

"Do you think we should let Lin Chuan know about us?"

Pei Kuang asked: "When do you want to tell him?"

Song An'an thought for a moment. "Maybe later. I'm still not quite ready yet."

Pei Kuang nodded, "Okay, let's wait until he finishes filming this movie and comes back, then we'll see. Don't worry, I'm here. I'll talk to him."

In fact, he had been considering this matter last night, and was originally going to call Song Linchuan today.

But now it seemed better to wait until Linchuan came back and find a suitable chance to talk about it.

-

After breakfast, since Pei Kuang had just undergone surgery and couldn't drive, Song Anan took a taxi to the hospital herself.

When Song Anan arrived at the hospital and had just put on her white coat, Li Sirui walked in.

"Anan, you're finally back. Nothing happened at home, right?"

Song Anan shook her head, "No, don't worry."

Her reason for taking leave this time was a family matter, and Li Sirui still didn't know it was because of Pei Kuang. Now at the hospital, it wasn't convenient for her to explain much.

Li Sirui didn't ask further. They happened to need to do rounds with the attending doctor, so the two hurried off without chatting more.

After following the attending to complete rounds, Song Anan suddenly realized a problem.

She was with Pei Kuang now, so didn't that mean Li Sirui was heartbroken?!

She had been Pei Kuang's hardcore fan for so many years.

After that, Song Anan struggled all morning about what to do.

Due to Pei Kuang's profession, she knew from the start that their relationship had to be kept secret.

But Li Sirui was different. Although she was Pei Kuang's fan, she was also Song Anan's good friend. Song Anan really couldn't keep it from her.

At lunch, Song Anan sent Pei Kuang a message:

Song Anan: "Are you there? I want to discuss something with you."

Pei Kuang: "I'm here, what is it?"

Song Anan: "Do you still remember the friend who sent me home when I was drunk last time?"

Pei Kuang replied: "I remember, what's up?"

Song Anan thought for a moment, then said: "That is...can I tell her about us?"

Pei Kuang's reply came a bit slower this time, probably after half a minute: "Anan, we're dating proper, you can tell whoever you want, no need to ask my opinion. Also, appearing in your circle of friends as your boyfriend makes me very happy."

Song Anan was stunned for a moment, feeling a warmth in her heart: "But there's an issue, she's your fan. I think I made her heartbroken."

After the message was sent, she immediately followed with a crying emoji.

Pei Kuang was also surprised. He comforted: "It's alright, she's probably a career fan, not actually heartbroken."

Song Anan replied: "No! She's a wife fan!"

Pei Kuang: "......"