Chapter 14: The most failed confession in the world

Chen Xinya didn’t go to school.

After leaving the hotpot restaurant, she walked home alone but lingered in the neighborhood garden, finally sitting silently on a bench.

From the muggy afternoon, she sat through until dusk, when the aroma of cooking oil from someone’s kitchen wafted through the air.

It smelled good. Maybe better than her own cooking.

Would Meng Zhi like this flavor? Should she make braised eggplant for him tonight? The thought crept in.

But the next moment, she snapped back to reality. She wasn’t his wife anymore.

Not yet, at least.

Some habits were hard to break after years.

Sometimes, Chen Xinya felt addicted. Caring for Meng Zhi like a wife gave her a sense of purpose, a lifeline she craved instinctively.

Even if he didn’t need it.

Her phone buzzed after a while. She opened it to find a long message from the private detective.

“Name, address, birthday… all the ID stuff is here. Anything more comes at a higher price.”

“You know this is risky work. It ain’t cheap.”

Chen Xinya stared at “Feng Xiyao” without haggling, transferring the requested amount.

“OK, you’re a straightforward one. I’ll keep you updated on her movements for the next week.”

She closed her phone, lost in thought.

She wasn’t sure why she was doing this. Maybe she was just paranoid. Feng Xiyao was, after all, Meng Zhi’s nominal sister. It was normal for them to get to know each other before their parents’ marriage.

But Chen Xinya couldn’t shake the inexplicable unease.

That doll-like, charming girl stirred a stronger sense of threat than any woman who’d pursued Meng Zhi in their last life.

Am I overthinking it? As she wondered, a voice startled her. “Chen Xinya?”

She looked up, dazed. Meng Zhi, slightly breathless, eyed her curiously. “Why’re you here? Still didn’t go to class?”

“Yeah… I already skipped, so going back’s just for self-study.”

Noticing the sweat on him, as if he’d been exercising, she asked, “What about you? What’re you up to?”

“Jogging, working out.” Meng Zhi didn’t elaborate. Every rebirth, he’d exercise to boost his fitness.

“Where’s your sister?”

“Went home ages ago.”

“You haven’t eaten dinner, right?” Her eyes lit up, catching a spark of joy. “What do you want? I’ll cook.”

“Uh… I was gonna order takeout…”

“Why order out when I can cook?”

Meng Zhi gave her a pointed look.

Realizing her words sounded too intimate, Chen Xinya’s cheeks flushed, and she lowered her head shyly. “I-I mean, I’m cooking anyway. Making enough for two saves you from ordering.”

Meng Zhi paused, scratching his head. “Chen Xinya, aren’t you being a bit too clingy lately?”

“…Huh?”

She froze.

“I mean, we’re childhood friends, sure, but you’ve been acting weird. You’re being too nice.”

“I-I’m just worried you’re upset about your parents and not taking care of yourself—”

“Is that all?” Meng Zhi looked at her.

Her heart raced.

The last rays of dusk sank below the horizon, a sultry summer breeze stirring the unknown flowers in the garden.

The final item on her planner flashed in her mind like a compulsion.

She took a deep breath, clutching her hands tightly. Her dim eyes lifted slowly, carrying a faint, trembling hope.

“It’s not just that.”

“I like you.” She closed her eyes, exhausted from the effort of those words.

This wasn’t a romantic confession spot. The garden bloomed with late-season flowers, mixed with the stench of weeds and pet waste.

The faint smell of cooking oil made her stomach rumble, and the old buildings’ shadows stretched as the sun set.

If she could, Chen Xinya wanted a better moment to confess.

Maybe the night of the exam, inviting Meng Zhi to the beach. Confessing under a starry sky over the waves.

Or the day they got X University acceptance letters, watching the sunrise with beers, kissing his brow in the dawn light.

Or… so many other possibilities.

Anything better than this rushed, clumsy confession.

But she couldn’t hold back.

Just days ago, she was still his wife, at least in name. His eyes held only her.

Now, in this reborn world, she watched him grow close to another girl.

She feared she’d run out of time. Her greed overwhelmed her.

Confessing a day earlier might bring him back to looking only at her.

In their last life, he’d admitted he’d liked her for a long time too.

While others hadn’t yet, while he still held that youthful fondness for her.

Chen Xinya took another deep breath, her nose trembling, red with nerves.

“I’ve liked you… for a long time.”

She waited for his reply.

For that “I like you too.”

For him to pull her into his arms, like in their last life, holding her tightly, vowing to be together forever.

Forever.

…

“…Sorry.”

It was like the world’s lights went out.

Chen Xinya, dazed with disbelief, slowly looked up.

No trace of joy on Meng Zhi’s face.

Only bitterness, silence, and a hint of guilt.

“I’m… not thinking about that stuff right now.”

“I don’t dislike you, Chen Xinya,” he said, meeting her gaze earnestly.

“But I don’t think I like you that way either.”

“…I’m heading home.” With that, he turned and walked away.

Chen Xinya stood frozen.

Then she sank onto the bench, dazed.

Her body curled up, fingers frantically tugging at her hair.

As if trying to rip her head apart.