Chapter 196: The Sudden Confession
Xu Youyou was momentarily stunned upon hearing those words. She had no idea what Lu Jingyao wanted to say to her, but she still cooperated and followed him to a secluded room in the backyard.
The room was tiny, only a few square meters in size. The cramped space reminded Xu Youyou of the small attic she had rented when she first moved to Hucheng.
There were a few pieces of cardboard scattered on the floor, and the only piece of furniture was a worn-out, dirty cabinet.
“Although this is just a storage room, it used to be my secret base,” Xu Youyou said.
She skillfully moved the old cabinet against the wall, revealing a small hole in the wall behind it.
Inside the hole was a rusted tin box, about the size of an adult’s palm. Xu Youyou casually opened it and found two lollipops inside. Her eyebrows raised in amusement.
“Looks like some other kid discovered this place and decided to hide their treasures here,” Xu Youyou chuckled.
Lu Jingyao immediately understood that this tin box was probably where Xu Youyou used to hide things in the past. After she left the orphanage, someone else must have continued using it as a hiding spot.
Xu Youyou showed no hesitation in taking the lollipops, seemingly unbothered by the idea of taking a child’s snack. She glanced at the expiration date, found that they were still good, and handed one to Lu Jingyao.
“Here, my treat,” she said generously, as if it were her own candy.
Lu Jingyao accepted it. It was an off-brand lollipop, but because it was given by Xu Youyou, he treated it like a treasure.
Xu Youyou placed the lollipop in her mouth and leaned against the wall lazily. “So, Mr. Lu, what did you want to talk to me about?”
Lu Jingyao had acted on impulse earlier. Now, looking into Xu Youyou’s eyes, he felt a little nervous. Even though he knew he might not get the answer he wanted, he was never one to back down from challenges.
“I like you,” Lu Jingyao said.
“Cough, cough, cough!” Xu Youyou choked violently on her lollipop.
Lu Jingyao reached out and gently patted her back, his lips curling into a smile. “Is my confession really that scary?”
Xu Youyou’s mouth was still filled with the cheap lollipop’s artificial sweetness. Her mind was a mess. She didn’t dare meet Lu Jingyao’s gaze, so she simply shook her head vigorously.
To her, Lu Jingyao had always been a cold, money-making machine. She had never imagined that someone like him could have such emotions.
Lu Jingyao didn’t push her for a response. Instead, he said, “My parents already know how I feel. I hope their actions haven’t made you uncomfortable.”
Xu Youyou shook her head. “Not at all.”
Although the Lu family’s intentions were obvious, they had never pressured her. In fact, they had even donated an enormous amount of money to the orphanage and helped her out of a difficult situation.
“You don’t have to give me an answer right away. I just felt that you deserved to know,” Lu Jingyao said, his expression softer than ever.
Xu Youyou found his words odd. It didn’t feel like a confession—it felt more like a police officer explaining a case to a victim’s family. But when she turned to look at him, she saw the warmth in his eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.
It was as if someone had gently plucked the strings of her heart.
Lu Jingyao continued, “I used to have many prejudices, but you are the only person who has made me realize my mistakes and change the way I see the world.”
Xu Youyou paused. He had apologized for this before, so she didn’t feel upset.
“You are an amazing person,” Lu Jingyao said. “If anything, I am the one who is not as good as others might think.”
He recalled the first time they met. He didn’t want to admit it, but he had been attracted to her from the very beginning.
At the auction, Xu Youyou had caught his attention immediately. It was as if she had been designed to match his aesthetic preferences perfectly.
Later, when she clashed with the Gu siblings, Lu Jingyao had originally intended to stay out of it. But in the end, he couldn’t help himself—his heart had already tilted in her direction, and he had lent her a hand.
When they were abroad, he had found her excitement over receiving gifts to be unrefined. He thought she should be more reserved, more composed—more like the version of her he had imagined in his mind.
But the more he got to know her, the more he realized he had been wrong.
Xu Youyou was not someone who existed to fit into his ideal image. She had her own thoughts, her own way of life. Even if she didn’t fit his expectations, his affection for her only grew stronger.
Love was unpredictable.
He hadn’t fallen for her because she fit his standards—he had fallen for her because she changed them.
Xu Youyou’s emotions were complicated. Lu Jingyao wasn’t the man of her dreams, but there was no denying that he was an outstanding partner.
His appearance, his family background, and his personal abilities were all top-tier.
As she looked into his gentle gaze, her heart suddenly started racing. She quickly turned away, unable to meet his eyes any longer.
Should she start dating?
Across both of her lives, she had always been single.
In her past life, she had poured all of her emotions into the Lu family. It wasn’t as if no one had confessed to her before, but after suffering so much in the Gu family, she had lost the courage to invest her heart in a relationship again.
To avoid getting hurt, she had chosen to run away.
“I… I really haven’t thought about this before,” Xu Youyou admitted.
She expected to see disappointment in his eyes.
But instead, Lu Jingyao’s gaze was filled with patience and understanding.
“There’s no rush. This is an important decision—you should take your time,” he said with a smile. “The fact that you didn’t reject me immediately already makes me very happy.”
Xu Youyou felt a wave of relief, but also a pang of guilt.
She had to admit that she did feel a slight attraction to Lu Jingyao. After all, she had made over ten billion from him.
He certainly had the power to win people over with money.
But was it really romantic love? She wasn’t sure.
“Wouldn’t you feel like I’m just leading you on?” Xu Youyou asked hesitantly.
Her adoptive mother had always raised her to have strong moral values, so the thought of leaving him hanging made her uneasy.
Lu Jingyao was no fool. He had seen enough men and women playing games with each other in his social circles. He chuckled.
“Why would I think that?” he said. “I like you, so I choose to trust you. If you say you need time to think, I believe that you genuinely need it. And this is a serious matter—it deserves careful thought.”
