The Silent World And Him - Chapter 24

After a few classes, Puchen seemed to be staring at the blackboard but hadn’t absorbed a word. Her mind was filled with anxiety and insecurity, unsure of how to face Qin Yu.

During a break, she buried her face in her arms on the desk, escaping reality for a while. Finally, school was over. Today, the class was less eager to leave, with students glancing back at Puchen.

A boy questioned, “Didn’t Qin Yu just confess? Why does Puchen still seem upset?”

A girl whispered, “That’s the self-doubt of someone who’s been secretly in love. Don’t keep staring at her.”

Eventually, the classroom emptied, leaving only a few behind, and quiet returned. Puchen repeatedly arranged her books, holding her pencil case, hesitant about what to say to Qin Yu.

Qin Yu turned to her and asked, “Want to go to the cafeteria? If not, I’ll get you some bread.”

Puchen glanced at him, quickly looking away before she could see his face clearly, replying: “I’m not hungry.” After a pause, she typed: “You should go eat.”

Qin Yu said, “I’m not hungry either.” He gently tapped her diary, “Can I borrow it to read?”

Puchen desperately pressed her hands down, quickly put the item back in her bag, and zipped it up.

Qin Yu reassured her, “Don’t worry, I won’t look.”

There was a few seconds of silence between them.

Qin Yu asked her, “So, can you tell me when my name first appeared in your diary?”

Puchen glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and wrote a ‘1’ on her notebook.

The first day he transferred in.

Qin Yu suddenly laughed, amused at his own past jealousy. He had been jealous of Peng Jingyang for months, thinking she didn’t notice him. He thought, “Why did you keep talking about Peng Jingyang all the time? If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have misunderstood for so long.”

Puchen typed on her phone, and after a few minutes, finally wrote: [I wanted to talk to you, but I didn’t know what to say, and I was afraid you’d be annoyed, so I could only talk about Peng Jingyang.]

Qin Yu looked at her message, feeling a mix of emotions: “I’ll talk more in the future, I’ll come to you to talk.”

Puchen lowered her head, silently deleting the text from her phone.

Qin Yu explained, “I didn’t get home until after 10 last night.” So, she hadn’t seen him when she passed by his building multiple times.

After a few seconds of silence, he said, “I came to school early this morning because I wanted to see you.”

Puchen didn’t expect Qin Yu to be so direct, and for a moment, she didn’t know how to respond. Her ears turned red.

The awkwardness between them increased after breaking the ice about their feelings.

Puchen was worried: [What if the teachers find out?]

Qin Yu reassured her, “Don’t worry. Every class has some secret crushes. As long as I remain the top student, even if the teachers find out, they won’t trouble us. Don’t worry, I’ll keep my position as number one.”

Puchen: “…….”

Qin Yu took all the books out of his backpack and put them on the desk, asking her, “Do you want to go to the store with me?”

Puchen didn’t want to go anywhere. She didn’t want to become the center of attention by walking with him; she was afraid people would gossip about how he liked a girl who couldn’t speak.

She was overwhelmed with emotions and anxiety.

Qin Yu got up, “I’ll go buy lunch for you. Stay in the classroom and rest if you’re tired.” He slung his black backpack over one shoulder and left.

Puchen pretended to nap on her desk, her eyes half-closed, lost in thought. It was a good way to daydream or space out without anyone knowing.

On his way to the store, Qin Yu ran into Yin Hao and a few other boys from their class.

Yin Hao was grateful for Qin Yu’s help today. He thought Qin Yu’s public confession was to save Puchen’s face. “Thanks, Yu. I owe you one. I was really worried Puchen would break down. You know she’s been through different experiences than us.”

Qin Yu stopped, “I should be the one thanking you.”

Yin Hao was puzzled, “?”

Qin Yu: “I’ve liked Puchen all along. Do you think I would bring her water every day otherwise? If it weren’t for your commotion today, I wouldn’t have had the chance to confess.”

Yin Hao was stunned.

Qin Yu nodded towards the store and walked away.

Zhao Shu was also at the store. She wasn’t eating with Peng Jingyang today; instead, some girls from their class had pulled her aside for gossip, trying to get more information about Qin Yu and Puchen’s secret crush.

She said she didn’t know anything, and they didn’t believe her.

In fact, she didn’t know any earlier than they did.

Zhao Shu picked up a few chocolates for him, “Chenchen likes this brand.” She was curious, “Now that you both like each other, are you planning to date? If so, you owe me a treat.”

Qin Yu: “Since we both like each other, there’s no need to talk about dating. The school forbids early relationships, and Puchen and I will strictly follow that rule.”

Zhao Shu: “… What logic is that!”

Qin Yu picked out some other candies, saying, “It’s the logic of not making Puchen anxious. She’s afraid of early relationships being discovered by teachers and having her parents called in.”

He wouldn’t do things she was scared of.

Zhao Shu was baffled and didn’t fully understand.

She grabbed two bottles of water, paid, and left with Qin Yu.

At the teaching building, Zhao Shu waved, “I’m off to find Peng Jingyang, to give him a bottle of water.”

Qin Yu returned to the classroom, but Puchen wasn’t there.

He quickly put down his backpack, planning to look for her, and noticed her cup was missing from the desk.

Puchen had gone to the restroom to wash her face with cold water and tidied her hair. She then went to the tea room to fill her cup. She still couldn’t comfortably face the curious and scrutinizing looks from others, but it was a bit better than the morning.

Water droplets still clung to her eyelashes, sparkling like crystals.

She returned to the classroom, the droplets still there.

Qin Yu stared at her, confirming her eyes weren’t red, so she hadn’t been crying.

Puchen, worried he might misunderstand, wrote: [I didn’t cry. My mind was a bit foggy, so I washed my face.]

Qin Yu opened his bag, having bought six types of bread since he didn’t know which one she liked. He took them out one by one and asked her, “Which one do you like?”

Puchen glanced over, and before she could choose, Qin Yu picked the one with the prettiest packaging for her, “Do you like this one? The packaging is nice, but the bread might not be the best.”

Puchen: “……”

He had seen through her preference for appearances.

Qin Yu opened another bag, tried a small piece, and said, “This one tastes good.”

Puchen opened the one with the nice packaging. Qin Yu reached out, “Can I try a bit of your bread?”

Puchen gave him a small piece.

Qin Yu tasted it and found his bread was still better, though the packaging wasn’t as nice as Puchen’s.

He swapped the contents, putting the better-tasting bread into the prettier packaging.

After swapping, he said, “Is this okay now?”

Puchen felt a bit embarrassed and turned away from him.

“Puchen.”

He rarely called her by her full name so formally.

Puchen chewed her bread silently and looked at Qin Yu.

Qin Yu opened her water bottle and handed it to her, indicating she should drink some warm water. He asked, “Since we’ve known each other, have I ever broken a promise to you?”

Puchen thought seriously, even recalling that unreliable promise to score eighty on every subject, which he had fulfilled.

She shook her head: [No.]

Qin Yu looked into her eyes, “Then I’ll make you another promise. For the next two years, just focus on studying. I’ll tutor you in all subjects. Don’t worry about us losing touch when I study abroad. That won’t happen. No matter where I go for university or work, I won’t leave you behind.”