Chapter 214: Chapter 214: This Time It’s My Turn
After he finished speaking, Li Juezhou’s hand resting on the motorbike unconsciously clenched.
His face appeared calm and composed, as if simply expressing his thoughts courageously was sufficient, and whether Sang Ning accepted them or not was unimportant.
Li Juezhou felt this way, yet he couldn’t control the thunderous beating of his heart.
He had already envisioned countless reactions from Sang Ning: a cold-faced rejection or a shy smile accompanied by a nod, indicating she also had feelings for him. The latter was merely his wishful thinking.
He had imagined every possible reaction—except for the one where Sang Ning earnestly began clapping her hands.
"You really have guts." After clapping, Sang Ning didn’t forget to give Li Juezhou a thumbs-up.
???
"You’re the first person to ever confess to me." Sang Ning looked at Li Juezhou with the gaze one would reserve for a valiant warrior.
In two lifetimes, no one had ever dared confess to her face.
"But you’re talking a little big here. Someday, your answer is bound to change." Sang Ning’s gaze held a teasing glint.
Li Juezhou wasn’t sure whether his confession had been accepted, so he immediately reaffirmed his intentions: "What I say will always hold true, including my feelings for you."
Sang Ning raised her chin, her lips curving into a confident smile. "No, someday your answer might change from ’I like you’ to ’I love you.’"
Li Juezhou: "..."
Why did it feel like he was the one being flirted with?
"So... does that mean you’ve accepted?" Li Juezhou’s eyes lit up, his delight evident.
"It’s just that I have enough confidence in my own charm, kid!" Sang Ning didn’t shy away from Li Juezhou’s gaze and met it directly.
Li Juezhou was almost driven mad by Sang Ning’s evasiveness and desperately wanted a direct answer: "Do you like me?"
Sang Ning withdrew her smile and shook her head. "I wouldn’t say I like you, but at least I don’t dislike you."
Li Juezhou wanted to see Sang Ning’s full face, so he boldly reached out to remove her helmet. The moment the helmet came off, Sang Ning smacked his arm hard.
But he didn’t feel any pain; instead, his smile grew even larger. "If you don’t dislike me, then can you give me a chance to be your boyfriend?"
Sang Ning rubbed her temples, weighing the pros and cons of dating. Love was a novel experience for her—it was something she hadn’t encountered in two lifetimes.
"I’ve never been in a relationship before, but I do know that being in one feels like a burden—it’s quite troublesome."
Recalling Wen Jiu’s description of the dating experience, Sang Ning simply shrugged it off. Isn’t being free and unencumbered better?
At this moment, Li Juezhou wanted to grasp Sang Ning’s shoulders and make her look at him seriously. His hands even started to lift but quickly dropped again.
"Then can you treat me as a temporary burden? If one day you find me annoying, you can toss me aside anytime—I won’t cling." Li Juezhou’s deep voice carried an alluring edge, tender and seductive, and if one listened closer, there was even a trace of spoiled vulnerability.
Sang Ning raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? You’d really be okay with just playing around irresponsibly?"
Li Juezhou: "..."
"Absolutely!" Li Juezhou replied bitterly and helplessly.
What he was truly thinking, however, was that he would never let Sang Ning have the option to "play around" with him.
Sang Ning laughed. A boyfriend delivered straight to her without any obligations? Why refuse such a sweet deal?
"Then please take on the role of my boyfriend seriously. Let me experience a different kind of life!" Sang Ning stared at Li Juezhou, her eyes sparkling.
Li Juezhou sensed trouble. Sang Ning’s gaze was like that of a hungry wolf eyeing a juicy piece of meat.
"One question—are you saying that as long as anyone confesses to you, regardless of who they are, you’d agree?" Li Juezhou voiced the doubt in his heart.
"Of course not." Sang Ning paused, then gave Li Juezhou a once-over. "At the very least, their looks need to pass the test. I don’t have a fetish for ugliness."
Li Juezhou’s heart finally settled. He silently thanked his parents for gifting him a good face—without it, he wouldn’t even qualify as Sang Ning’s "burden."
At the same time, he broke into a cold sweat. Did other people know how easy it was to become Sang Ning’s boyfriend?
But regardless, he had officially taken the first step.
Just as he was feeling pleased, Sang Ning caught him off guard: "Actually, forget it. I just remembered the company contract prohibits me from dating before 25. Breaking the rule means paying a fine, and I already owe the company enough money."
Sang Ning was only 20 now—there were still five years to go before she turned 25!
Li Juezhou felt on the verge of collapsing under Sang Ning’s antics. "How much do you owe? I’ll pay it for you!"
Sang Ning didn’t mean to offend him but couldn’t help reminding Li Juezhou to be realistic. "Kid, I hate to burst your bubble, but even if you worked as a bodyguard for five hundred years, you wouldn’t be able to pay off my debt."
Li Juezhou felt a profound sense of powerlessness. How could he explain to Sang Ning that he actually had far more money than she imagined?
But the timing wasn’t right. He feared that revealing his identity now would leave Sang Ning unwilling to take on even the burden of playing with him.
"You’re positioned as an actor, and actors can date. If you don’t believe me, go back and review the contract carefully—it’s definitely not such a bizarre rule," Li Juezhou guided patiently.
"Really?" Sang Ning hesitated. She had only heard her agent mention this casually.
"Wait, let me call my agent now to confirm it."
As Sang Ning reached for her phone, Li Juezhou caught her wrist.
"Sangsang, can you at least have dinner with me first before dealing with this?"
Li Juezhou felt truly exhausted. Right now, he was merely positioned as someone Sang Ning was "playing around with," and even being that was full of challenges.
He picked up Sang Ning’s helmet and gently placed it back on her head. He lowered the visor in front and tapped on her pink helmet, chuckling lightly. "Alright, this time, let me take you for a ride."
Recalling Li Juezhou’s leisurely driving earlier, Sang Ning was skeptical. "Are you sure it’s a ’ride’?"
Li Juezhou put on his helmet, wrapped an arm around Sang Ning’s waist, and with a swift motion pulled her onto the motorbike’s backseat in one seamless move.
"Definitely. Since you’ve already shown you like the rush, it’s time for me to show you my speed—it’ll only be faster than yours." Li Juezhou spoke with utmost confidence.
Sang Ning hadn’t even had time to process what had happened. What was with Li Juezhou’s absurdly strong arms?
Normally, she was the one picking people up like a helpless chick. Now, she was the one being picked up, and with just one hand!
"Sangsang, hold onto me tightly, or I’m afraid you’ll fly off in a moment." Li Juezhou clasped her hands from behind and pressed them against his waist.
With a sharp turn of the throttle, the immense inertia forced the unwilling hands behind him to cling tightly to his waist.