26: I like Xiao Feng!

"Are you okay? Why do you seem so strange?"

As she spoke, Zhang Qingning walked to the bedside and sat down next to Zheng Yiyun.

She reached out and touched Zheng Yiyun's forehead to check her temperature, feeling very puzzled:

"She doesn't have a fever, so why does she seem so nervous?"

Zheng Yiyun's body stiffened slightly, and she said, forcing herself to stay calm:

"I... I'm fine. I'm just a little tired and want to get to sleep early."

Her voice trembled slightly, and she didn't dare to look Zhang Qingning in the eye; her heart was pounding like a startled deer.

Zhang Qingning looked at Zheng Yiyun, her eyes full of suspicion:

"Are you hiding something from me? Why do I feel like you're not acting like yourself today?"

She stared intently at Zheng Yiyun's face, trying to find a crack in her expression.

So strange.

Thinking of this, a charming blush couldn't help but spread across Zhang Qingning's face.

Zheng Yiyun's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly waved her hands, saying:

"No, no, what could I possibly be hiding from you? You silly child, stop overthinking things."

She forced a smile onto her face, one that looked worse than crying.

She thought to herself: Qing Ning, Qing Ning, please stop asking. If you keep asking, I'm not going to be able to hold it together much longer.

Zhang Qingning didn't think much of it. She was dressed thinly, and the air conditioning in the room made her shiver involuntarily:

"The air conditioning is so cold, aren't you cold? You'll catch a cold later."

She hugged herself with her arms, her body trembling slightly.

"I... I'm not cold, it's hot. Yes, it's very hot!"

Zheng Yiyun stammered, then picked up the remote control from the side and turned up the temperature on the air conditioner.

Her mind was in a complete tangle. What should she do? If Qing Ning discovered anything unusual, it would be a disaster.

"Oh, alright. Take care of yourself, and make sure you don't catch a cold."

Zhang Qingning looked at Zheng Yiyun's flustered appearance, feeling even more puzzled.

"Mm-hmm, I know..."

Zheng Yiyun hurriedly changed the subject: "Qing Ning, it's so late, why aren't you sleeping? Is there something you need?"

She tried hard to make her voice sound calm, but her pounding heart betrayed her; she was too panicked.

"It's just, it's just—oh, I don't know how to say it..."

Zhang Qingning's face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head, looking shy.

"What is it?"

Zhang Qingning came back to her senses, looked at Zheng Yiyun, and felt a bit worried.

Zheng Yiyun forced a smile and changed the subject:

"It's nothing... Why don't you go back and think about it, and tell me tomorrow?"

Leave already!

She felt like she was going crazy!

Her brain had completely turned to mush; she had no ability to think, and her mind was a complete blank.

Zheng Yiyun felt as if a fire had been ignited inside her body, unceasingly scorching her willpower.

Just as she was about to reach her breaking point, Zhang Qingning's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"No, now that I'm here, I want to say it tonight..."

Zhang Qingning had indeed been successfully distracted.

"...Then tell me..."

Zheng Yiyun let out a long sigh of relief, and her whole body relaxed.

While feeling a sense of relief, Zheng Yiyun also felt an intensely strong, empty sensation, as if a huge piece of her heart was missing.

"It's just that, didn't I watch a movie with Xiao Feng tonight?"

Zhang Qingning bit her lip and gathered her courage to speak.

Her cheeks were crimson, and her eyes were filled with sweetness and shyness.

"Yes, what about Xiao Feng?"

Zheng Yiyun's heart rate suddenly accelerated, and she clenched her fists tightly.

"I've discovered that when I'm with Xiao Feng—whether it was playing together back in our student days, or tonight's date—as long as I'm with him, I feel so happy."

Zhang Qingning's face was as red as a ripe tomato, and her eyes sparkled with happiness.

She clasped her hands together unconsciously, as if recalling every little detail of the time spent with Jiang Feng.

"...I, is that so? You grew up together, as close as siblings, so... that's probably normal, right..."

Zheng Yiyun said this while forcing herself to remain calm, but her voice still trembled slightly.

Her heart was in turmoil; all sorts of emotions—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty—flooded her mind.

How could Qing Ning fall for Xiao Feng?

What should she do?

"Definitely not! Xiao Feng is different. He is better, gentler, more humorous, and more handsome than any other man in the world. Besides, just being with him, without doing anything at all, makes me very happy. It's definitely not as simple as just being like siblings!"

Zhang Qingning immediately refuted this excitedly, her fair hands waving in the air.

Hearing this, Zheng Yiyun felt a wave of panic in her heart.

She hadn't expected Zhang Qingning to say something like this suddenly, and for a moment, she didn't know how to respond.

Zheng Yiyun forced a smile and said:

"Qing Ning, you shouldn't rush into matters of the heart. You need to think it through carefully."

Her heart was a complex mix of emotions.

On one hand, she was worried that Qing Ning would be hurt; after all, Jiang Feng was a shy, timid boy, and she didn't know if he felt the same way about Qing Ning.

On the other hand, she felt that her own actions were unfair to Zhang Qingning.

If Qing Ning found out about her and Jiang Feng, how would she face her in the future?

"I like Xiao Feng, and I want to be with him. Xiao Feng might not have those feelings for me right now, but I will pursue him! I have confidence; I will definitely win Xiao Feng over, hehe."

Zhang Qingning said this full of confidence, her eyes filled with fighting spirit.

She could feel that even if Jiang Feng didn't say he liked her, he at least had a favorable impression of her!

The feeling had been even stronger just now while shopping and watching a movie with Jiang Feng...

As long as she invited Jiang Feng out to eat and hang out more often, their relationship would surely warm up quickly.

No one can take my Xiao Feng away!

Zheng Yiyun looked at Zhang Qingning's determined gaze, and her heart wavered.

She knew that Zhang Qingning was a stubborn child; once she set her mind on something, it was hard to change it.

She sighed and said:

"Qing Ning, Mom knows you like Jiang Feng, but matters of the heart take time. You still need to get to know each other better."

Zheng Yiyun thought to herself that she could only appease Zhang Qingning like this for now, and figure out a solution later.

She didn't even know how to handle her relationship with Jiang Feng right now... This made her feel incredibly distressed.

Disclaimer: The word count of the main text has not decreased, so this is not filler content...

Main female characters (to be continued):

Format: Identity, Name (Personality), Progress

1: Mother's best friend, Zheng Yiyun (gentle and virtuous), Secret tutoring

2: Childhood friend and older sister figure, Zhang Qingning (cold on the outside, warm on the inside), First kiss

3: Childhood friend and second older sister figure, Zhang Shuya (not yet appeared)

4: Enemy's wife, Bai Jie (not yet appeared)

5: Dark-skinned, hot personal trainer, Pan Sixuan (not yet appeared)

6: Twin-tailed girl, Zhang Jinyu (not yet appeared)

7: Young married woman who manages a bubble tea shop, Qin Yu (not yet appeared)