Chapter 98: Her feelings toward Yan Yichen were almost unnervingly unfamiliar.

Yiran Meng turned back, looking at Yan Yichen with puzzled eyes, as if he had something to say but held it back.

"Hm?"

After a brief hesitation, Yan Yichen curved his lips into a faint smile and finally said, "Good night."

Yiran Meng was slightly stunned. Looking into his eyes, she could see the darkness in them, and sensed that he clearly had more he wanted to say, but did not.

"Good night..."

Her lips lifted faintly in return, and she gave him a smile before turning away.

Watching her slender figure recede, Yan Yichen let out a long sigh.

—

After returning home, Yiran Meng remembered what Ke Sen had said at parting.

She picked up her phone and composed a message on WeChat.

"I've gotten home."

After a moment's hesitation, she sent it.

Yiran Meng sighed softly, set the phone on the dressing table, and began to remove the necklace from her neck.

Soon, the screen lit up. She picked up the phone again and saw a simple "okay" from Ke Sen.

Then another message came through.

"I'm sorry about tonight..."

Yiran Meng froze slightly, recalling that ambiguous scene, and her brows knit together.

After thinking for a while, she typed a reply.

"It's all right. I'm not angry."

Then, feeling it was still not quite right, she deleted it and wrote again: "It's all right... get some rest early."

She considered it for a moment, then tapped send.

Ke Sen replied quickly: "Okay. Good night."

Yiran Meng let out a long breath, her brows still furrowed as the events of the evening rose unbidden in her mind.

She had actually refused Ke Sen's affectionate gesture almost instinctively.

And in that moment, she had thought of Yan Yichen.

This left Yiran Meng bewildered, and she began to examine her own heart anew.

All along, she had believed that the one she liked was Ke Sen, so when he proposed to her, she did not refuse outright.

In truth, deep down, she was willing to accept him, willing to try being with him.

Although she had not known Ke Sen for long, she had followed him and his films for many years. Before she had ever truly met him, in her imagination he was the prince charming of her heart.

Whether he was ugly or handsome.

What she admired was his talent, his character, and his astonishing insight into the frailties of human nature.

After taking a beautiful hot bath, Yiran Meng changed into her nightclothes and lay down on the bed. It was already nearly midnight.

She tossed and turned for a long time, yet still could not sleep.

At some point outside the window, a fine, pattering rain had begun to fall. The soft tapping of raindrops sounded especially clear in the stillness of the deep night.

Yiran Meng turned back, looking at Yan Yichen with puzzled eyes, as if he had something to say but held it back.

"Hm?"

After a brief hesitation, Yan Yichen curved his lips into a faint smile and finally said, "Good night."

Yiran Meng was slightly stunned. Looking into his eyes, she could see the darkness in them, and sensed that he clearly had more he wanted to say, but did not.

"Good night..."

Her lips lifted faintly in return, and she gave him a smile before turning away.

Watching her slender figure recede, Yan Yichen let out a long sigh.

—

After returning home, Yiran Meng remembered what Ke Sen had said at parting.

She picked up her phone and composed a message on WeChat.

"I've gotten home."

After a moment's hesitation, she sent it.

Yiran Meng sighed softly, set the phone on the dressing table, and began to remove the necklace from her neck.

Soon, the screen lit up. She picked up the phone again and saw a simple "okay" from Ke Sen.

Then another message came through.

"I'm sorry about tonight..."

Yiran Meng froze slightly, recalling that ambiguous scene, and her brows knit together.

After thinking for a while, she typed a reply.

"It's all right. I'm not angry."

Then, feeling it was still not quite right, she deleted it and wrote again: "It's all right... get some rest early."

She considered it for a moment, then tapped send.

Ke Sen replied quickly: "Okay. Good night."

Yiran Meng let out a long breath, her brows still furrowed as the events of the evening rose unbidden in her mind.

She had actually refused Ke Sen's affectionate gesture almost instinctively.

And in that moment, she had thought of Yan Yichen.

This left Yiran Meng bewildered, and she began to examine her own heart anew.

All along, she had believed that the one she liked was Ke Sen, so when he proposed to her, she did not refuse outright.

In truth, deep down, she was willing to accept him, willing to try being with him.

Although she had not known Ke Sen for long, she had followed him and his films for many years. Before she had ever truly met him, in her imagination he was the prince charming of her heart.

Whether he was ugly or handsome.

What she admired was his talent, his character, and his astonishing insight into the frailties of human nature.

After taking a beautiful hot bath, Yiran Meng changed into her nightclothes and lay down on the bed. It was already nearly midnight.

She tossed and turned for a long time, yet still could not sleep.

At some point outside the window, a fine, pattering rain had begun to fall. The soft tapping of raindrops sounded especially clear in the stillness of the deep night.