'So then, dragging me out of work in the middle of the night just to come here?'
Looking at the dark, somewhat desolate park before her, illuminated only by a few dim streetlights, Saionji Sekai said with clear displeasure.
Remembering how Chu Hui had barged into her workplace earlier, forcibly taking her away, and the understanding looks from her manager and coworkers, Saionji felt a surge of anger.
Chu Hui didn't answer. He looked Saionji Sekai up and down, his gaze lingering on her stomach and thighs for a moment before he smiled.'Sekai, how about helping me get a discount card for your restaurant? I think I'll be visiting often.'
'Pervert! No way!' Saionji Sekai spat out, subtly tugging at the hem of her skirt.
This outfit was her work uniform for the restaurant—a skirt that barely covered her bottom and a top that exposed her midriff, looking quite sexy.
Saionji Sekai usually wore this for work without a second thought, but for some reason, she felt uneasy wearing it in front of Chu Hui.
'You usually dress like this to flirt with customers and attract business, yet you're so stingy with your own deskmate. Sekai, you disappoint me.' Chu Hui wore an expression of disappointment.
'The customers at our restaurant are very polite. They're nothing like you.'
Saionji Sekai said disdainfully.
'Is that so? Then why does your manager make you wear this? Isn't it to attract customers? You can't be a prostitute and still expect to be praised for virtue.' Chu Hui mocked.
Saionji Sekai gritted her teeth in anger. Couldn't this guy stop irritating her every time? He made it sound like she was doing compensated dating. She wondered if her manager would be furious hearing this. But Saionji couldn't help thinking—was the uniform really too revealing? Maybe she should bring it up with her manager.
Saionji Sekai suddenly grew impatient. 'I'm going back!'
'Wait, Sekai...' Chu Hui grabbed her hand. 'About confessing to Katsura Kotonoha, I need your help.'
Saionji Sekai tried to shake off his hand but couldn't. She turned and looked at Chu Hui as if he were an idiot. 'What does your confession have to do with me?'
If he wanted to confess, he should just go tell Katsura Kotonoha. What use was she? Saionji Sekai was very annoyed.
'Because we're partners in this.' Chu Hui stated matter-of-factly. 'You help me pursue Katsura Kotonoha, so Ito Makoto doesn't get a chance. That's what we agreed on earlier. You're not going to deny it, are you?'
Saionji Sekai was taken aback. Looking at Chu Hui's serious face, she opened her mouth but finally just said helplessly, 'How do you want me to help you?'
'I want to practice first.' Chu Hui said.
'Practice? With who?' Saionji Sekai asked in surprise.
'With you, of course.' Chu Hui said earnestly. 'I've thought it through. The reason my confessions always failed back in China must be because I didn't have the right approach. So this time, I want to practice with you a few times first. If there's anything wrong, Sekai, you'll definitely be able to spot it.'
Saionji Sekai was stunned for a moment, then began waving her hands frantically, her face flushing red. 'No, absolutely not! Who practices confessing? That's disrespectful to the person you're confessing to! Besides, I... with you... Anyway, absolutely not!'
Chu Hui didn't catch a sentence in the middle. He said seriously, 'Mr. Lu Xun once said, a confession without prior practice isn't a confession—it's recklessness!'
'Did Lu Xun really say that?' Saionji Sekai looked utterly confused. She had heard of China's Lu Xun, a modern literary figure, but her knowledge of him was basically limited to having heard his name. She had no idea if he ever said such a thing.
'Of course he did. Mr. Lu Xun was human too. Naturally, he had women he secretly admired. And for a man who abandoned medicine for literature, a man of immense action, what's wrong with making thorough preparations before confessing to the woman he loves? What's wrong with that?'
Saionji Sekai nodded. She had heard that Mr. Lu Xun said studying medicine couldn't save China, so he turned to writing and became a great literary figure. Since he was such a man of action, it was possible he would practice confessing first.
But Saionji Sekai was very hesitant. She didn't mind Chu Hui practicing, but couldn't he find someone else to be the object? Practicing... it wouldn't involve kissing, would it? Ew! So embarrassing!
Saionji Sekai's face turned bright red as her thoughts ran wild.
'Pfft!' Chu Hui seemed to read her concerns and laughed mockingly. 'Hey, hey, are you thinking about something perverted? Don't be so filthy-minded. I'm just practicing confessing, not practicing anything else. Don't get the wrong idea.'
'Who... who would think about that stuff! I didn't!' Saionji Sekai said, her face full of embarrassment, then threatened, 'You said it yourself. I'm not one of those timid girls. If you dare try anything...'
"Got it, let's start quickly." He waved his hand impatiently.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?"
Saionji Sekai was very angry. Chu Hui's attitude was perfunctory; could it be that her words held no threat? No, she had to give him a stern warning.
But the next moment, Saionji Sekai's face turned red because Chu Hui suddenly brought his face very close, and a wave of hot breath washed over her. Sekai felt flustered.
Chu Hui gazed tenderly into Sekai's eyes; it was as if some kind of emotion was brewing within them.
"What are you doing, getting so close all of a sudden?"
Saionji Sekai hurriedly tilted her head back, avoiding Chu Hui's gaze.
"Sekai."
A magnetic voice sounded by her ear, and then a hand pressed against the back of her head, pulling her forward until their eyes met.
Looking at the tenderness in Chu Hui's eyes and his exceptionally focused expression, Saionji Sekai was suddenly stunned.
Chu Hui pulled Sekai close until they were face-to-face, then gathered his emotions and spoke gently: "Sekai, I... like you. Um... I really like you."
Then followed a long silence; it seemed as if even the air had frozen.
After a while, Sekai looked at Chu Hui with a strange expression and asked: "Is that it?"
Chu Hui nodded and took a step back, looking a bit awkward: "Why didn't you have any reaction?" It was so hurtful.
"Pfft!" Saionji Sekai froze for a moment, then covered her mouth and laughed, saying: "What kind of reaction do you want? Even elementary school students wouldn't use this confession routine anymore."
He was actually being looked down upon! Chu Hui felt a bit ashamed and angry: "Elementary school students know how to confess? Sekai, are you a fool?"
"Who told you elementary school students don't know how to confess?" Saionji Sekai said scornfully: "Someone confessed to me when I was in elementary school, and people in our class were even dating back then."
"I actually... lost to an elementary school student!" Chu Hui took a step back in disbelief.
"Fortunately, this is Japan. Kids in our China wouldn't be so precocious."
He comforted himself with this thought, and his mood improved. That's right, how could he be worse than an elementary school student? It must be the Japanese system; after all, loli culture is rampant in Japan.
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