The air of awkwardness once again returned to the jail cell. Despite their close proximity with each other, the duo was separated by a wide gap. Noone knew what they were thinking as they sat silently in the cold, damp cell.
Fleeting Time’s thoughts were a jumbled mess. He felt like a complete failure. Why am I always ruining something that is good? Absalom had always made the art of pursuing a girl sounded very easy, but when it was time for him to finally make his move, things seemed to be so hard.
Are the hearts of girls made of different materials? The same thing that worked with a girl might not work on another one? I have been doing things according to Absalom! I’ve been romantic, and I’ve been treating her with gentleness, and I even tried to make her understand her own feelings. But why are they not working?
It was something that he simply could not comprehend.
Heh… The way into a girl’s hard is just like a dungeon with the highest difficulty setting. Nay, it might be even harder than that! Fleeting Time refused to give up. He was never one to give up. He pretended to not mind Ye Ci’s words, but was still stealing glances at her face.
Ye Ci was filled with guilt as she cast a sideway glance at Fleeting Time. Was I too harsh just now? That’s strange, I’ve never bothered with how people think and feel about me, but why am I caring so much for Fleeting Time?
And she was suddenly reminded of the terms of their agreement. If she was to reject Fleeting Time even after a year, he would leave the game for good. The agreement was made and was formally recognised by the system. This meant that even if Fleeting Time did not want to leave the game after getting rejected by her, the system would still enforce the terms of their agreement and force him out.
A year… Wasn’t that the time he disappeared from the game in my last life? Ye Ci had finally discovered the reason behind Fleeting Time’s disappearance. Will the same fate repeat itself in this life?
A wave of sadness washed over Ye Ci at that thought. They might not be close, and had always been nothing but enemies the moment they met, but the thought of Fleeting Time leaving the game still made her sad.
What is Fleeting Time to me? A target to be reached? Or height that I was not able to reach in my last life? Is that all I thought of him? Who knows, right?
Ye Ci find it harder and harder to think. She let out a sigh. Well, perhaps my brain power is not suited for this sort of thinking. Maybe I’m simply smarter when it comes to clearing dungeons or defeating the next BOSS, or even how to maximize my profits from some other guild.
“This is my first time.” Fleeting Time spoke up as Ye Ci was still deep in her own thoughts.
Having Fleeting Time speaking up first was nothing out of the ordinary. He had been doing so since they started serving out their sentence. But most of their conversations would always be ended by Ye Ci. The conversation this time, however, was different.
There were too many implications.
His first time? In what? Thought Ye Ci. Is he talking about that kiss? Ah.. I have never thought that it was his first time. Ye Ci stared at Fleeting Time’s lips. It was as if she had forgotten that she was also involved in the gossip.
Fleeting Time was beginning to grow uncomfortable under her stare. He let out a light cough, and a slight blush was starting to form on his face, but it was barely noticeable under the dim lighting in the cell.
He knew that his words would be seen in a different light by the girl.
But he no longer had anything to worry about. And he knew that he would never have a better chance in the future.
“You are the first person that I’m interested in. The first person that I’ve decided to woo, and the first person that I’ve kissed. You’re the first for me in so many ways.” Fleeting Time stared at Ye Ci. His voice was calm, but the slight tremble of his hands betrayed his emotions.
“What I said about the dungeon just now was just an example. You told me that you understood what I meant, but you did not.” he continued, “What I was trying to say was that wooing you is a first to me. And because it’s my first time, I do not know what to do. I do not know how to make you happy, and have ended up annoying you. But please… Don’t reject me because of that, because…”
“Because you’re the first girl that I’ve ever liked in my entire life.”
Fleeting Time spoke slowly but clearly. Or at least Ye Ci could hear him clearly and understand his words. And his words shocked her into silence.
He reminded her of Wandering Cloud from her last life. She could still remember how he started wooing her, how they dated, and his betrayal. It was all beautiful memories to Ye Ci, and she was happy. This happiness was what caused her downfall. It was a scar that has left its mark on her heart.
That scar has long since healed with the flow of time, but she no longer wanted to experience that pain again. It was the darkest part of her memory. She had never understood what she had lost from it, and she was able to gain from it. The only thing she could remember was being betrayed and tricked by his sweet words.
And Fleeting Time’s words reminded her of the relationship she shared with another person in her last life. It was the first time she was able to think of that relationship from an outsider’s perspective.
It was overly perfect. It was so perfect that it shouldn’t have existed in this world. And in the end, it was just a lie by Wandering Clouds that had made her blind with happiness.
Looking back, it was merely a ploy to win her over so that she could be of use to him.
He was never truly romantically involved with her.
A sudden realisation crossed Ye Ci’s mind. She let out a chuckle, and lowered her head to stare at her armor as a wave of sorrow washed over her. Heh, it seems that I have always been a fool when it comes to relationships. I could not even understand something so simple even upon death! It took me two lifetimes to figure something like this out.
Fleeting Time could not tell what was going on in Ye Ci’s mind. She was chuckling to herself, but it was not out of an intention to mock his words. It was out of sorrow.
“I know I have caused a lot of trouble and made you unhappy in the past. But I really am inexperienced in things like this. I thought that maybe, just maybe I could get your attention that way.” he let out a long sigh. “I know you’re thinking that I’m foolish and childish. I think so too. But I do not regret what I did. We are bound to do something idiotic in our life, but it is something that we have to go through. I am glad that you were the one who made me do it. We might not end up together in the end, but as long as the person is you, it is good.”
Ye Ci lifted her head slowly and gave Fleeting Time a strange look. She found herself filled with a weird feeling. It was a warm feeling, but it was also a sad one.
Her gaze had a calming effect on Fleeting Time. Things might not necessarily end in the way he expected it to be, but it felt good to be able to be able to talk to Gongzi You and make her understand how he really thought of her.
There are things that one must experience in life at least once.
