Chapter 295: This Was Absolutely Not A Confession. It Was A Forced Development!
“For some unknown reason, I just seem to develop more and more feelings for you. I want to place you under my wings and, ultimately, put your name on my family identification booklet.” Shen Zongyi said, “Zheng Yuntong, would you be willing to accept me? I know you dislike strong characters, and I do feel like I’m that kind of person. However, I won’t be difficult about it, it’s alright if you don’t accept me now, just allow me to pursue you until you could accept me.”
This meant that he would not give up whether she agreed or not.
Zheng Yuntong could not help but grin. She had been afraid that her behavior had been too unobvious in the past that he had given up because she seemed uninterested in him. However, it turned out that he never had such intentions.
Having said that, if he were to give up so easily, then he would not be the Shen Zongyi they all knew.
These three words were a true representation of his character: earnest and strong-willed.
It was a strange phenomenon for her. When Guan Zexi was the one who had acted like this, she was deeply disgusted. However, now that the other party was Shen Zongyi, she was actually happy about it. She did not find his insistence annoying at all.
“How do you feel? Do you like or dislike me, can you please give me a reply?” Shen Zongyi asked.
Zheng Yuntong had forgotten that they were standing on a big street where people were walking back and forth. Shen Zongyi was well aware of this, but could not care less.
A while ago, he noticed several of their colleagues were walking behind Zheng Yuntong, as well as a few people from the Public Relations Department. When they noticed the two of them, they looked quite surprised. Upon seeing that the distance between the two was so close and that they were holding hands, their jaws dropped.
Zheng Yuntong did not realize how close they were standing to each other and how intimate they appeared. Her lowered head could not mask the crimson shade of her cheeks that had by now spread to the top of her head. She looked to be the epitome of a young lady in love.
Therefore, Shen Zongyi was not that worried that she would reject him as he asked this.
Thus, he patiently waited for her answer.
“It’s not like I don’t like strong characters.” Zheng Yuntong finally replied. Her delicate and light voice could not be clearly made out because of the wind.
Shen Zongyi had to perk up his ears and focus all his attention on her to hear what she was saying.
Zheng Yuntong took a deep breath and coincidentally breathed in the wind. It was bitingly cold.
She mustered up her courage and raised her voice up a notch. “Guan Zexi was the type that gets unhappy if you were to reject him. So much so that he was even willing to hurt me. Of course he’s not my type. It’s different for you because you respect me. I’m not a very decisive person, and I require someone to help make decisions for me. For example, when I’m hesitating between choosing two goods when I go shopping, I need someone to pick the right thing for me.”
“So, what are you saying?” Shen Zongyi already knew Zheng Yuntong’s decision, yet he still asked with a smile.
“Do you need me to say it out?” Zheng Yuntong’s blushed. “Shen Zongyi, I… I like you very much. I couldn’t get close to you in the past due to fear of being overly affectionate, but, I didn’t dare to put any distance between us either for fear of you misunderstanding that I don’t have feelings for you. I’m scared of many things. I think a lot about personal gains and losses, and experience a lot of internal conflict, all because I like you. At noon today, I was quite reluctant to go for a meal with Guan Zexi, but I didn’t know how to refuse him.”
Shen Zongyi waited patiently for her to finish talking. Whenever he was with Zheng Yuntong, he barely spoke anyway. She, on the other hand, could not speak much either, probably due to her nerves. There were very few opportunities to hear her talk this much, so he cherished every second of it.
“When I was sitting in the restaurant, my mind was constantly thinking about you. When he confessed to me, the first thing that popped into my head was your image. Because of you, I can’t accept anyone else’s confession. It’s not just him, even if the most outstanding person in the world confessed their attraction to me, I wouldn’t accept them either. My heart just won’t flutter for them. Even though at the time I didn’t know that you do liked me, I rejected him because I already have someone in my heart.” Zheng Yuntong really pushed her limits to be able to say all this in a single breath.
She was a thick-skinned person, but she was able to confess her love in this way. Her face started to burn badly whilst her brain, as well as all four of her limbs, felt like they were no longer hers.
She could hear Shen Zongyi’s chuckle on the top of her head, which made her feel somewhat annoyed and embarrassed.
Who would laugh like this after listening to a confession?
Then, Shen Zongyi teasingly asked, “Are you planning to keep your head down this whole time? Don’t you want to look up and look at your boyfriend?”
Zheng Yuntong’s heartrate started to rapidly increase upon hearing this.
Boyfriend, what a strange word. Nevertheless, she could not help but be excited about it. She was no longer a single dog – she had a boyfriend now.
She started to feel a sense of belonging and reliance now, since Shen Zongyi was undoubtedly someone that could give her stability. Zheng Yuntong thought that no matter what, there was nothing she needed to worry about anymore.
If she were to chat with her friends in the future, she could proudly declare that her boyfriend was an outstanding man.
She could feel his breathing approaching, but she still did not dare to look up. Her gaze fell to the hand that he was holding on to, and she immediately reacted. It turned out that they had been holding hands this whole time at the side of a busy street.
Lunch hour gradually passed, and it was almost time to go back to work. Because of this, there were more and more people returning to the company after finishing their meals.
Just now, had they been seen by a lot of people?
Zheng Yuntong began to feel distressed. She was not planning to have a private romantic relationship or anything, it was just that she was quite ashamed that it had suddenly become so public.
Thinking about it now, she recalled that Shen Zongyi was also a very popular figure in the company. She had no idea if she would be subjected to any cruelty as a result of her colleagues being envious about their relationship.
Despite this, she also felt a bit vain. Such an outstanding guy had now become her boyfriend. Many of the company’s best female employees had been unsuccessful in the past, and it made her feel a little proud.
The more she thought about things, the wilder her imagination became. Shen Zongyi’s low and husky voice was suddenly heard from the top of her head, interrupting her train of thought, “If you keep your head down like this, I won’t be able to kiss you.”
Boom!
The scarlet shade of Zheng Yuntong’s cheeks immediately spread to her ears. She was even more reluctant to lift her head up now. “We’re… we’re in the middle of a busy street!”
Then, she heard Shen Zongyi’s chuckle above her head once more. She had no idea how close they were standing to each other because her head had been kept lowered this whole time. However, he was so close to her that she could feel the vibration from his laughter on her scalp. She thought that he must be very close as she could even feel his breath on her head.
It was nice being this intimate.
Shen Zongyi was indeed very close to her at this moment. If he moved even an inch forward, his thin lips would touch her forehead.
Shen Zongyi lowered his head slightly. He gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead and took her hand as they walked forward.
Zheng Yuntong had her head lowered the entire time. If she could, she would have buried her whole head inside her coat. She had not the slightest clue where he was taking her, and by the time she realized what was happening, they reached a drug store.
She was stunned, and by the time she lifted her head up, she saw Shen Zongyi talking to the shop assistant. “Can you please give me an ointment that treats bruises.”
When the shop assistant went to get the ointment, Shen Zongyi turned around and smiled. “You’re finally looking at me?”
Zheng Yuntong giggled like a child that had just gotten a candy. She had a contented expression on her face, and because he was holding onto one of her hands, she took the initiative to place the other one over the back of his hand. He had large hands, and she could clearly feel the bones underneath them.
She took a step closer to him and looked up to give Shen Zongyi a cajoling smile.
Shen Zongyi smiled back at her. He had not imagined that she would be this adorable when in love.
The shop assistant came back with the ointment. Then, Shen Zongyi paid for it and walked back to the company with the cream and Zheng Yuntong in his hands.
Shen Zongyi had no intention of letting her hand go the whole way back. He did not seem to mind at all if their colleagues noticed them.
Zheng Yuntong felt that the tacit understanding between the two was not enough, and it was better to have a candid conversation.
Hence, she proceeded to ask, “What do we do in the company?”
Shen Zongyi turned his head around and paused before saying, “What do you mean, what do we do?”
“Our relationship. Do you not mind making it public?” Zheng Yuntong asked, wondering if the question would make Shen Zongyi angry. She continued to explain, “I’m not very smart. I’m unclear about a lot of things, so I just wanted to ask you the question in a straightforward manner. You need to be direct with me about whatever you’re thinking. Is that alright?”
Shen Zongyi nodded. The sun was beaming down on him, dyeing his dark hair a brownish tint that also carried a warm yellow tone. His intimidating cold appearance was greatly reduced just by this subtle change.
She was not wearing gloves, but Shen Zongyi held onto her hand tightly. It felt warm, and she did not feel even the slightest bit cold.
“How ’bout you? Do you mind?” Shen Zongyi questioned her in return.
Zheng Yuntong shook her head. “I don’t mind. I’d be happy if we could make it public. I’m not clever, so I can’t hide things very well anyway. I’ll probably make a fool out of myself if I need to hide it, and people will be able to sense it if I’m lying. However, if it’s not convenient for you, I’ll do what suits you best.”
“There’s no inconvenience. If you don’t mind, I’ll be more than happy to be public about it. The company doesn’t restrict colleagues from dating each other. There may be a lot of trouble in the future after we make it public, but it’ll mostly be for personal reasons. Every move we make will be scrutinized, and arguments between couples are inevitable, so we could well become the subject of gossip by our colleagues behind our backs. Even so, I’ll be able to stand this, but what about you?” Shen Zongyi looked at Zheng Yuntong curiously.
Zheng Yuntong nodded vigorously and said in a firm tone, “I can handle it as well.”
“Then, the biggest obstacle is gone for now. Let the whole company know that we’re a pair so the others that previously had interests in us will know to give up. I want to treat you well and be able to see you outside of work. I want to help you out openly, and it’s only expected for one to help out their own girlfriend. We’re in love, so we have nothing to hide. Thus, let’s just be calm and undisturbed about it.” Shen Zongyi said.
“Alright.” Zheng Yuntong said in a pleased manner, then she looked down at his hands.
He had wrapped her hand with his, such that the back of his hands were taking the brunt of the cold wind. It became red from the cold, and the bones were even more distinct than usual. Therefore, Zheng Yuntong covered the back of his hand with hers, wrapping him with warmth.
Shen Zongyi noticed this but did not refuse her gesture. To be cared for by his girlfriend this way felt extraordinarily good.
As they entered the office building, people were walking by in the lobby. Some were the employees in the office building while others were colleagues from Lin Yi.
Even people from different companies often see each other on weekdays. Although they were not particularly familiar with one another, they probably knew who was who. Therefore, it was quite a shock when they spotted Shen Zongyi and Zheng Yuntong holding hands as they walked in. Zheng Yuntong was blushing red with a sweet expression on her face while Assistant Shen, who was always carrying a solemn expression on his face, also had a smile on the corners of his lip. Their romance was budding, so peach blossoms could be seen, and there seemed to be a light spring breeze around them. This was indeed a rare sight.
Everyone was quite surprised, and they could not hide their shock. Each and every one of them stared at the two as they walked through.
Shen Zongyi chuckled as he said in a warm tone. “No one would actually dare to chat with me, so I’ll probably be fine. You, however, may be under more pressure this afternoon.”
Zheng Yuntong’s head felt numb just thinking about it. She withered up as she nodded weakly. “I’ll survive.”
Shen Zongyi was amused by this. After recalling that she had gotten rid of Guan Zexi that afternoon, he started to laugh even more. He had laughed more today than he had the entire week before.
He lifted up another hand and rustled Zheng Yuntong’s hair with his warm palm. “If you can’t stand it, call me, and I’ll come to save you.”
The probability of Zheng Yuntong actually calling him was close to zero, but Shen Zongyi’s words made her feel more at ease. A sweetness creeped into her heart as she felt a sense of protection since there would now be someone to protect her at crucial times.
The two of them walked into the elevator where there were other people inside. This included two of their colleagues from the Public Relations Department.
Colleagues from the same departments were closer to each other, so they were not too shy of speaking to one another.
One of them opened their eyes in bewilderment and asked casually, “Assistant Shen, Yuntong, you two——”
Shen Zongyi did not shy away from the question and answered in a serious tone. “I confessed to Yun Tong at noon today, and she’s now my girlfriend.”
The two colleagues could not be more startled at the whole situation. They just stood there with their mouths hanging wide open.
They were thinking to themselves, ‘Is it okay for Assistant Shen to use this tone to announce such romantic and congratulatory matter? Did he use the same tone when he was confessing, and Zheng Yuntong was just too afraid to reject him?’
This was absolutely not a confession. It was a forced development!
They wanted to ask if Zheng Yuntong was actually willing to be in the relationship. However, they had no courage to do so as Shen Zongyi was present.
Shen Zongyi’s name in Chinese is 沈宗易. 沈, Shen for deep and immersive. 宗, Zong for someone authentic and goal-oriented. 易, Yi for amiable and easy.
