CHAPTER 393: CHAPTER 393: WHEN DID YOU START LIKING ME?

Yun Shifei was momentarily stunned by what she heard.

Then, anger welled up inside her.

She knew it—Cheng Lie definitely wouldn’t hit someone without reason.

That man was the one who drove a car and killed his mother back then!

If it were her, it would still feel too lenient—she’d want to pay him back in kind, even to the point of beating him to death.

After Cheng Lie finished speaking, he immediately felt the anger of the girl in his embrace. Her voice rang out: "Cheng Lie, what you did was absolutely right. If I were you, I’d have wanted to beat him to death too."

Of course, she could only think about it—ultimately, she still believed punishment should be handed off to the law.

But saying this to comfort Cheng Lie was a different matter. She didn’t want this incident to add to his emotional burden.

He had already lived a hard enough life. If his mother were still alive, even without the material foundation Cheng Guomin had provided, they surely would have lived happily. They wouldn’t have endured these long years filled with bullying and forced growth.

Cheng Lie held Yun Shifei even tighter.

In that moment, the hatred inside him softened and faded.

He shouldn’t live trapped by hatred. Those people deserved to pay the price, but vengeance shouldn’t dictate his own life.

If he couldn’t break free from the hate, ultimately, he’d still end up a loser.

He said softly, "Let’s go."

The person inside the house—Zhao Pan would deal with him.

Yun Shifei obediently let Cheng Lie take her hand and lead her away.

They returned to the city center. It was already dinner time by then, and Yun Shifei took Cheng Lie to a small restaurant near their school to eat.

After dinner, Yun Shifei asked Cheng Lie if he’d like to visit Xinhua Middle School.

A place filled with the memories of their high school days.

The school campus was usually closed, but the security guard recognized Yun Shifei and Cheng Lie. Even after all these years, their faces were unforgettable.

Moreover, Cheng Lie had donated money to the school not long ago, so the guard let them in.

After graduation, Yun Shifei hadn’t come back to school. Now, every blade of grass and tree carried a distinct familiarity.

This path led to the cafeteria. Once, she’d been in there squeezing with a crowd of students to get her meal.

This path led to the sports field. At this hour, there were still students playing basketball on the court.

There were students who stayed behind at school to clean, or to study. When they saw Yun Shifei and Cheng Lie, they couldn’t help but glance their way.

Students attending class at the school wore uniforms. Yun Shifei and Cheng Lie, not wearing uniforms, stood out in the crowd. What’s more, they were strikingly attractive.

This young man and woman, beautiful as if they’d walked out of a painting.

Among the crowd, a few girls cautiously gossiped with their companions.

"That girl looks a lot like Senior Yun Shifei."

Yun Shifei had only graduated a little over a year ago, so it wasn’t surprising that current students still recognized her.

Back then, Yun Shifei was an inspiring figure, often used by teachers as a positive example for new students at Xinhua.

Teachers told them, "Even if your starting point is low, as long as you are willing to work hard, you can definitely get into university."

Just like her—she had once been in the worst class, ranking at the bottom. Yet through years of hard work, she’d managed to get into Beijing.

So when students recognized her, Yun Shifei wasn’t surprised.

She even nodded and smiled politely at them.

The girls, bashful, smiled back and walked away.

Cheng Lie glanced at Yun Shifei. "You seem pretty famous."

Yun Shifei shook her head. "Just a coincidence."

Yun Shifei held Cheng Lie’s hand and led him to their old classroom, then took a stroll around the sports field. Under the curtain of night, the school was illuminated by scattered streetlights, carrying a quiet, serene atmosphere.

They arrived at the basketball court. Yun Shifei suddenly remembered something, turned to Cheng Lie, and smiled. "Back then, was it really you who set Yun Sisi up with Song Yang?"

Back then, Yun Sisi had always claimed it was Cheng Lie. Yet at that time, Cheng Lie had autism, and no one believed her.

Looking back now, though, it seemed it wasn’t impossible.

Cheng Lie didn’t deny it and nodded lightly.

"How did you manage that?" she asked, curiosity shining in her eyes.

"Hypnotism."

The moment the words left his mouth, he saw the girl’s eyes widen in disbelief.

"You can hypnotize people?"

Oh gosh! How incredible was that?

She’d only ever seen such things on TV—never expected it to exist in real life, much less that Cheng Lie could hypnotize Yun Sisi. It clearly proved he was skilled.

Cheng Lie hummed in affirmation and added, "So don’t ever lie to me. I can find out everything."

"I’m not scared—I don’t have anything to hide from you." But the moment she finished speaking, Yun Shifei felt a bit self-conscious.

She did seem to have quite a few secrets she was keeping from Cheng Lie.

Cheng Lie picked up on her awkward expression, realizing she was reminded of things she hadn’t told him.

For instance, the thing that had always weighed on him—the secret between her and Mu Chengzhu.

What kind of secret was it, exactly? He’d always wanted to know.

Yet at the same time, he respected Yun Shifei’s wishes. If she truly didn’t want to tell him, he wouldn’t force her.

If Zhao Pan knew Cheng Lie’s thoughts, he’d probably be scared to death.

The Cheng Lie he knew would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

Hypnotism would be considered tame—his other methods were far more ruthless and countless in number.

Yun Shifei, ashamed for a moment, noticed Cheng Lie wasn’t saying anything, so she decided to change the subject. "Xiao Lie, let me ask you—when did you start liking me?"

The girl lifted her small face to look at him.

At the edge of the basketball court, there were only two lamps, their distance far apart, and over here, there was barely a hint of light.

The thin beam of white light gave only a faint outline of their figures.

Cheng Lie stared at the girl in the dim light. Her eyes were like water, bright and clear, capable of softening even the hardest of hearts.

After a pause, he said, "A long time ago."

Now that they’d come this far—even the darkest, most shameful parts of his soul, she had accepted—he thought there was no need to keep secrets from her anymore.

Yun Shifei had always sensed that Cheng Lie had liked her for a long time.

But just how long?

"A long time ago? Did you already like me when you secretly helped me torment Yun Sisi?"

Cheng Lie nodded.

Probably. In truth, he couldn’t pinpoint exactly when he started liking her.

But from the beginning, his feelings for her had been different.

That day, when they were locked in a pitch-black room—she wanted to leave and even turned back to extend a hand to him, asking him to come out with her.

It was the first time in years someone had reached out to him without a trace of disdain.

Perhaps it was from then on that the icy wall around his heart began to crack.

Yun Shifei recalled many past events. "So, when you hugged me and kissed me before, those were deliberate?"