Chapter 52: I Only Desire the Moon That Comes Running to Me (Revised)

The unexpected visitor’s arrival shattered the quiet in the classroom and completely dispelled the ambiguous atmosphere between Qin Luo and Yao Yanyan.

Qin Luo stared intently at the person at the door, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions.

She was an extraordinarily beautiful girl, with long, smooth hair as black as graphite. Her side-parted bangs revealed a face so exquisitely delicate it took one’s breath away.

Pale and pure, every feature of hers was perfectly proportioned—the high bridge of her nose, the rosy lips, and the bright eyes all seemed like the finest works of art, flawless in every detail.

As his gaze drifted downward, beneath her fair, swan-like neck, her delicate figure was draped in a simple white dress. The narrow waist defined by the dress formed a breathtakingly elegant curve, and below, her legs were slender and straight, the shape astonishingly perfect, dazzling and captivating.

At a glance, she resembled a pristine snow lotus blooming atop the Tianshan Mountains—holy and proud, inspiring reverence without a trace of desire or defilement.

Yet, sadly, her eyes now blazed with volcanic fury, and her cold, stern expression seemed shrouded in frost.

The collision of fire and frost made her appear all the more compelling, but one could unmistakably sense the rage simmering within her.

“Yao Yanyan, Qin Luo, you... you...” Xu Ke glared furiously at both, her words choked by anger, unable to form a complete sentence. Her clenched fists trembled slightly as if her fury had overwhelmed her reason.

Qin Luo said nothing. He simply looked at Xu Ke with a hint of sudden realization.

He couldn’t recall how long it had been since he last saw Xu Ke. Since that day outside the girls’ dormitory, he hadn’t seen her even once.

Though Xu Ke had messaged him frequently these past days, asking him to accompany her to class or to buy milk tea, Qin Luo had only responded perfunctorily, never truly engaging or meeting her again.

Had only a little over ten days passed?

Qin Luo wasn’t sure. Seeing Xu Ke again strangely felt like a lifetime apart.

At that moment, Yao Yanyan stood up beside him, a playful smile on her face as she teased, “Why do you always come at the worst possible moment? Not early, not late, but right now—are you trying to ruin my plans on purpose?”

Her words successfully attracted all of Xu Ke’s hatred.

Xu Ke glared at her furiously, grinding her teeth as she demanded, “Yao Yanyan, what do you mean by this?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Yao Yanyan glanced at Qin Luo with a half-smile.

This only further provoked Xu Ke.

She clenched her teeth and turned to Qin Luo, shouting, “What do you mean? Do you really not like me anymore? Do you want to be with Yao Yanyan? Tell me!”

Qin Luo showed little reaction to Xu Ke’s accusations.

There was no panic of being “caught red-handed,” nor the awkwardness he once felt when facing an “ex-girlfriend” again.

He maintained a calm expression and replied in a flat tone, “Although this is the first time you’ve asked if I like you, you should have already received four answers to that question. So I won’t repeat myself.”

Xu Ke bit her lip, unable to respond to Qin Luo’s words. Though she had indeed received answers from her four roommates, what she most wanted was an answer from him.

Qin Luo continued, “As for whether I want to be with Yao Yanyan... I don’t know what your status is when asking this—are you my friend? My girlfriend? Or something else?”

Xu Ke was rendered speechless by his question. She stared into Qin Luo’s eyes, hoping to glimpse the warmth and affection she once always saw there.

But she failed. There was nothing she longed for—only calm, like a windless lake, still and suffocating.

A familiar but distant sense of awkwardness returned to her throat. She opened her mouth, forcing out a dry voice.

“I’m neither your friend nor your girlfriend, but... but you clearly liked me. You should have liked me!”

“If you like someone else now, then what was I to you? What was your affection during those three months of pursuit?”

“If you can just give up on me like that, then what meaning did all you did before have?”

Her voice grew sharper, louder, tinged with hysteria.

Yao Yanyan watched with interest at Xu Ke’s outburst, then looked to Qin Luo, as if curious how he would respond next.

Would he soften and bow his head, becoming Xu Ke’s devoted admirer again? Or would he remain cold and sever ties forever?

“Do you think everything I did before meant nothing?” Qin Luo asked.

“If you give up now, then everything before was meaningless!” Xu Ke retorted stubbornly. “If you really liked me, you should have kept pursuing me until I agreed, not just given up!”

“I see... so that’s what you think,” Qin Luo said softly, smiling gently and warmly.

It was a smile Xu Ke had known well, yet now it felt utterly unfamiliar.

Even Qin Luo’s ambiguous remark made her heart skip a beat.

A sudden panic stirred within her, a strange regret she wished she hadn’t spoken those words, and now she didn’t want to hear whatever came next.

But she wouldn’t turn and leave, and Qin Luo’s words inevitably reached her heart.

“To be honest, you are my first love,” he whispered, his tone tender enough to soothe any restless soul.

“In middle school, many classmates were already dating. I wondered then, when I fell in love, what would the girl I like be like?”

“About three months ago, I met her—she wore a simple white dress, so beautiful no one dared look directly. Many liked her, and I was just one of them.”

“Fortunately, because of her indifference, none of them lasted long. They weren’t like me—I persisted. No matter how cold she was, I believed one day she would feel something. After all... even if she was a block of ice, wouldn’t it eventually melt?”

“So I found ways to pursue her. I looked up her class schedule, often went to her class to keep her company, even if all I got was cold stares or being ignored, I savored it.”

“I knew she suffered from menstrual pain, so I learned how to make chicken soup, hoping to bring her warmth and care when she was unwell.”

“I knew she liked new cakes from the dessert shop, so I stood under the blazing sun for hours to get them for her.”

“I know it’s just my self-indulgence, but so what? I’m willing because I always believed she would one day turn back and notice me.”

Qin Luo smiled softly, his voice gentle.

He revealed his feelings without reservation, telling a sweet love story.

Yao Yanyan, a witness to this story, couldn’t help but recall all the big and small things Qin Luo had done over these months, feeling a pang of melancholy.

The same scenes replayed in Xu Ke’s mind, but their impact was far greater.

Her lips tightened as if she wanted to speak, but her throat felt like a rusted pipe—sharp words hammered inside, unable to escape, stabbing at her throat painfully.

“I... I...” she tried.

“But the truth is, not every sincere feeling is reciprocated. There really are unmelting blocks of ice in the world.”

Finally, she forced out these words, but Qin Luo cut her off before she could continue.

Xu Ke bit down harder, leaving visible teeth marks on her delicate lower lip, which turned a deep red, almost bleeding.

Qin Luo looked at her calmly; his smile faded. When he spoke again, his tone was still gentle but no longer soft.

“In your eyes, my failure to persist in liking and pursuing you means everything I did was meaningless.”

“But to me, that was my first expression of true feeling in life. Even if it went unanswered, it doesn’t change its purity and sincerity.”

“I never blamed you. Although I believed true feelings deserve kindness, love cannot be forced.”

He paused briefly, then smiled again.

“Those three months of devotion were my way of accounting for this love.”

“Choosing to give up now is my way of accounting to myself.”

“Goodbye.”

With that, Qin Luo stepped forward and slowly walked toward the classroom door.

Yao Yanyan’s eyes reflected his figure, her gaze more complicated and unsettled than ever.

She watched as Qin Luo reached Xu Ke, then deliberately passed her by without hesitation or pause.

In that instant, she saw Xu Ke’s body tremble noticeably.

“Don’t—don’t go...” Xu Ke whispered hoarsely, as if summoning all her strength.

Qin Luo heard but did not stop; he simply walked out of the classroom.

By the wall stood three girls of different heights, each striking in her own way.

Tang Yu fixed him with a complex, unwavering gaze, as if wanting to speak but holding back.

Chu Sijin held a bag of snacks, one hand inside but unable to bring anything out.

Chu Liunian, dressed in a Japanese school uniform, blinked at him with a smile, as if watching an intriguing drama unfold.

Qin Luo glanced at the three, nodded slightly in acknowledgment, and then turned away without looking back, striding off.