55: So you've always known?

Bai Xinran stared at Yu Heng for several seconds before collapsing back into the sofa.

"I forgot you were in the group chat too." She covered her face with her hands. "So you've known all along?"

"Haha, you could say that." Yu Heng sat down beside her. "I could tell from the moment we met."

Bai Xinran squinted, clearly unconvinced. "Are you serious? How could you tell from just looking at me?"

"Actually, it's quite noticeable," Yu Heng grinned. "Even though you act all carefree, some of your reactions are very submissive."

"Like what?" Bai Xinran asked.

"Like when you're facing me," Yu Heng said with a laugh.

"Huh? What kind of reaction?" Bai Xinran was puzzled.

Yu Heng leaned forward, bracing his hand near her and closing the distance. Bai Xinran instinctively shrank back, her eyes darting away as she turned her head to the side.

"Like the reaction you're having right now," Yu Heng said playfully.

Bai Xinran stammered, "What's... what's wrong with this reaction?"

"A normal person would resist—they'd either dodge or push me away." Yu Heng reached out, hooked his finger under her chin, and straightened her head. "But you just turned your head away. It's simply a cowardice toward the unknown."

Bai Xinran still didn't dare look Yu Heng in the eye. She murmured, "That's it?"

"There's a lot more," Yu Heng sat back. "From the things you say in your stream and the Admiral group chat, I can tell you're actually very lonely. You've never lived far from home, and your parents are very open-minded—they don't care if you play games, they don't ask where you spend your allowance, and they don't pry into your social life. But in reality, your heart craves a place to vent. You want some excitement in your life, but you have nowhere to release it in reality. Your surroundings are so full of love and tolerance that every punch you throw just lands on cotton."

Bai Xinran froze on the sofa, remaining silent for a long time.

"You..." Bai Xinran finally spoke, her voice a bit raspy. "What gives you the right to say that?"

Yu Heng turned his head to look at her.

"Just observation," Yu Heng said in a relaxed tone. "Of course, that was the serious observation."

Bai Xinran bit her lip. "There's a non-serious one?"

Yu Heng chuckled and said, "Yeah. When you're streaming and interacting with the audience, you actually really enjoy that feeling of being led, don't you? You also love being able to reveal your true self without any reservations during your streams."

"Also," Yu Heng continued, "the night you were sick, I checked on you. Your reaction was actually quite abnormal. If it were a normal person, not only would I have been kicked out the moment I entered, but they certainly wouldn't have gotten dressed right in front of me."

"You're talking nonsense!" Bai Xinran snapped her head around. "I was delirious with fever!"

"That's part of it, I suppose," Yu Heng cocked an eyebrow. "But I think that was your most honest performance."

"So?" Bai Xinran turned away again, her voice muffled. "You figured it out. And then what? Do you want to laugh at me? Or do you think I'm easy to manipulate?"

"Why would I laugh at you? These are normal psychological and physical needs; there's no need to avoid the topic. At least, not in front of me, since I'm in the scene too." Yu Heng smiled and continued, "Besides, you don't have a Master right now, so you don't need to be loyal to anyone. It doesn't matter if I saw you."

"Ugh, stop reminding me about that!" Bai Xinran huffed, then asked with a hint of curiosity, "Then how long have you known about... this?"

Yu Heng thought for a moment. "Hmm... it's probably been seven or eight years?"

"Seven or eight years?!" Bai Xinran's eyes widened instantly. "Are you kidding me? How old are you even?"

Seeing her expression, Yu Heng couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Just kidding. If I'm being serious... maybe two years?"

In truth, it wasn't exactly a lie. If it was just about knowing the concept, he had indeed learned about it during the summer break of 2015.

Even the videos he had watched with Shen Yueling back then were about this theme.

Bai Xinran curled her lip. "That's still much longer than me. I only found out during the summer break."

"Summer break?" Yu Heng raised an eyebrow. "So you've only just found out. How did you discover it? Did you accidentally click on something while surfing the web?"

"Something like that..." Bai Xinran answered vaguely.

Yu Heng asked again, "So, have you practiced it yet?"

"Does doing it by myself count?" Bai Xinran asked.

Yu Heng laughed. "Of course that doesn't count!"

Bai Xinran pursed her lips. "Then no."

"That's good!" Yu Heng squinted at her. "You can learn from scratch."

"Huh?" Bai Xinran was stunned. "Learn what?"

Yu Heng looked at her and continued, "Haven't you thought about practicing?"

"I have..." Bai Xinran admitted honestly. "But this kind of thing is a matter of luck, isn't it? It's not that simple. The internet is a mixed bag—who knows if the person on the other side is a human or a ghost? I'm even more afraid to do it offline. What if I run into a pervert or a scammer?"

Yu Heng listened quietly until she finished, then whispered, "A matter of luck, huh..."

Bai Xinran nodded instinctively. "Yeah, so I just think about it..."

"Then right now," Yu Heng stared at her, "haven't you run into someone?"

"Boss, you..." She opened her mouth, her voice a bit dry. "What do you mean?"

"Literally." Yu Heng continued to watch her. "Don't you want to try?"

Did she? It seemed... she did, a little.

But with her boss?

This boss who usually teased her, only for her to suddenly discover he shared the same niche interest?

The information overload was a bit much for her to process.

"Boss, wait!" She practically bounced up. "This development is a bit too sudden! I need to think! I need time to think!"

After finishing her incoherent sentence, she turned and headed upstairs toward her room.

"I'm going to go stream first!" Leaving that behind, she slammed her door shut.

Sitting on the sofa, Yu Heng couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.

Such a big reaction?

He didn't actually want to push her too hard, but today's opportunity was indeed rare.

The secret was out, the identities were revealed, and the atmosphere was just right.

However, he had stopped at the right moment, giving her plenty of space to think and fret.

He leaned back onto the sofa and checked the time on his phone.

Qin Ya would probably be streaming for a while longer, and it would take Qin Lu some time to change and come pick her up. It would be at least an hour.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

Ning Yutong sent a message: "Yu Heng! It's tomorrow morning, right? What time should I come over?"

Only then did Yu Heng remember he had to film short videos for Ning Yutong tomorrow.

Tsk, everything was happening at once.

He typed back: "Around nine o'clock. Remember to bring your clothes—bring several outfits so we can film a few different versions."

Ning Yutong replied instantly: "Got it! I'm all ready! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ"

As for this girl, he actually didn't quite know how to handle her.

He didn't share a romantic past with her like he did with Shen Yueling, nor did she have niche hobbies like Bai Xinran.

He couldn't exactly tell her that he just wanted to enjoy romance without being in a committed relationship, could he?

She genuinely liked him. Although she hadn't confessed yet, it was plainly obvious.

Since his reincarnation, he had been neither proactive nor distant, but if this continued and she actually confessed one day, it would be a headache.

If he rejected her, they might not even be able to stay friends, just like in his previous life. But if he didn't reject her, he didn't want to be in a relationship.

He had to figure something out...