I Can Still Salvage It

Shen Mian stood on the bridge for a long time and didn’t go to Pei Zhiyi’s side to enjoy the fireworks.

Lu Yue had already left, and now there were many couples on the Liuyi Bridge. Many people who couldn’t squeeze into the best viewing area chose to watch from the bridge.

Shen Mian hid behind those couples like a lonely ghost.

Just then, Pei Zhiyi sent him a message asking why he hadn’t come to watch the fireworks. He probably thought Shen Mian got lost and asked if he should pick him up.

Every word was thoughtful, it was Pei Zhiyi’s consistent style, always caring about everything concerning him.

But Shen Mian didn’t know how to reply.

He leaned on the railing, and his heart was beating rapidly in his chest.

He didn’t know how to face Pei Zhiyi.

He leaned on the railing, and because Liuyi Bridge was much higher than the viewing area, he could see Pei Zhiyi, but Pei Zhiyi couldn’t see him.

He stayed hidden in the darkness, silently watching Pei Zhiyi.

He whispered in his heart, “Brother, I really like you.”

I’ve tried my best to fight it, and I’ve been very careful. I’m afraid that liking you is just a temporary illusion.

But why did I become even sadder after figuring it out?

Right after Lu Yue left, 007’s voice echoed in his mind.

“Host Shen Mian’s current Heartbeat Points detected at 90. Does Host Shen Mian want to share his Heartbeat Points with Host Pei Zhiyi?”

007 rarely appeared lately and didn’t have many special tasks for them, so he was startled by the voice.

He had never heard 007 mention Heartbeat Points, but based on the literal meaning, he seemed to understand what it represented.

Still, he confirmed with 007 again, “What does Heartbeat Points mean?”

“Heartbeat Points represent your degree of affection for Host Pei Zhiyi. Anything above 70 is enough to start a romantic relationship, and 90 is considered high. You can choose to share your Heartbeat Points with Host Pei Zhiyi or refuse.”

“Please make a choice, Host Shen Mian, whether to share or not?”

For a moment, Shen Mian really wanted to choose “yes.”

Just lay everything out, expose himself completely, and let Pei Zhiyi figure it out.

After all, Pei Zhiyi was smart and outstanding, he would surely find a solution.

But in the end, Shen Mian just smiled and said, “I choose ‘no.'”

System 007 seemed a bit stuck, and after two seconds of silence, it said, “Understood.”

Shen Mian, not holding much hope, asked 007, “What is my brother’s current Heartbeat Point?”

Maybe it wouldn’t reach 70, but with how doting Pei Zhiyi was towards him, 50 points should be possible.

007 fell silent even more.

Shen Mian felt like its voice was squeezed through its teeth. “According to the Host Privacy Manual, this data involves host privacy and cannot be disclosed.”

Disappointed, Shen Mian said, “Oh,” but he wasn’t too surprised. The fact that 007 gave him the choice to share or not indicated that it was not public data.

Shen Mian looked up at the night sky again; the fireworks display was almost over. Although he and Pei Zhiyi weren’t standing together, they watched the same fireworks.

He took out his phone, and Pei Zhiyi had sent him many messages.

He read through them one by one, intending to reply to Pei Zhiyi. But, subconsciously, he looked up from his phone and noticed that Pei Zhiyi, who was quite far away from him under the bridge, had turned in his direction at some point.

Despite the distance between them, Shen Mian had forgotten to tell Pei Zhiyi that he was at Liuyi Bridge.

Yet, it seemed like Pei Zhiyi had some sort of telepathic connection and found his location.

Shen Mian almost dropped his phone into the river.

After finally steadying his phone, Pei Zhiyi had already moved from his original position.

Shen Mian’s phone rang again, another message from Pei Zhiyi with only two words: “Don’t move.”

Shen Mian obediently stood still.

Ten minutes later, he saw Pei Zhiyi approaching from the other end of the bridge. He was always eye-catching in the crowd, with broad shoulders, a slender waist, and long legs. His black overcoat made him look exceptionally handsome and mature beyond his age.

Shen Mian watched him approach step by step and remembered Liuyi Bridge’s nickname, “Lovers’ Bridge.”

Lu Yue had just confessed there, and now his crush was coming to the bridge as well.

As he was lost in thought, Pei Zhiyi had already reached him.

“Why didn’t you reply to my messages?” Pei Zhiyi asked.

Shen Mian’s hand in his pocket clenched: “I didn’t see them early enough. I was just about to reply when you showed up.”

He asked Pei Zhiyi with some curiosity, “Did you know I was here? Did 007 tell you?”

That was the most logical explanation he could think of.

Pei Zhiyi denied it, saying, “No, I suddenly felt like you might be behind me, so I looked up and saw you.”

In fact, there were still many people on the bridge with them. Although Shen Mian was standing at the edge, he was hidden within the crowd, not easy to spot.

However, Pei Zhiyi managed to find him at a glance.

Pei Zhiyi looked around and asked Shen Mian, “Do you still want to watch the fireworks? There will be another display tomorrow, and we can come back again.”

Shen Mian shook his head, “No need. It’s not that special. I’ve seen even grander displays before.

Since Shen Mian didn’t want to watch, they decided to walk back to the resort.

Below Liuyi Bridge was the Linxian River, another attraction in the scenic area. It wasn’t particularly impressive during the day, but at night, when thousands of river lanterns were lit, the lights created a dreamy and ethereal atmosphere, attracting many people to take photos nearby.

Shen Mian walked back with Pei Zhiyi along the Linxian River.

Pei Zhiyi felt that Shen Mian seemed to have something on his mind, as if he was carrying a burden between his eyebrows.

He asked, “Weren’t you with Mu Lingling and the others just now? Why are you alone now?”

Shen Mian hesitated for a moment before saying, “It wasn’t Mu Lingling who approached me. There was a girl who wanted to confess to me, and she asked Mu Lingling to bring me here.”

Pei Zhiyi suddenly stopped.

In an instant, his face showed a faint trace of gloom.

But Shen Mian didn’t notice.

He continued to lower his head, focused on the road, and said in a muffled voice, “But I turned her down.”

“Why did you reject her? Wasn’t she attractive?” Pei Zhiyi asked calmly, as if he were a true friend inquiring about the concerns of a close friend. However, besides himself, no one knew what thoughts were swirling in his mind.

Shen Mian kicked a small pebble on the road. The pebble made a soft thud as it fell into the river, creating ripples.

“She is beautiful,” Shen Mian’s voice was soft, “but I don’t like her.”

Pei Zhiyi keenly sensed something else from that sentence.

He understood Shen Mian too well, having focused all his attention on Shen Mian for over a decade.

Even though Shen Mian didn’t say anything, Pei Zhiyi seemed to understand another layer of meaning from his words.

His eyelashes dropped slightly as he casually asked, “Then, what kind of person do you like?”

Shen Mian suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He turned to look at Pei Zhiyi.

It seemed like he had never realized until today how handsome Pei Zhiyi was. No wonder he was always voted as the school’s most attractive guy.

Not only did he captivate the girls in school, even his childhood friend, who had grown up with him, couldn’t resist him.

In his heart, Shen Mian quietly answered, “It’s you, bro. The person I like is you.”

But he smiled at Pei Zhiyi and said, “I don’t like anyone.”

When he said this.

007 coughed loudly in both of their minds. An electronic cough was quite strange, like a computer malfunctioning.

“Congratulations to the host, Shen Mian, for completing the solo hidden mission. Score: 30, please check.”

That was the first time Shen Mian and Pei Zhiyi heard the words “hidden mission.”

Pei Zhiyi looked at Shen Mian strangely, “What mission did you complete?”

Shen Mian: “…”

He knew that it was probably related to his awakening feelings for Pei Zhiyi, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

He scratched his head and told Pei Zhiyi, “Brother, don’t ask, I don’t want to say. It’s too embarrassing.”

He was telling the truth.

Pei Zhiyi thought for a moment, thinking it might be another task similar to the cross-dressing one, though he was skeptical, he didn’t ask further.

When they arrived at the hotel, inside the elevator, Shen Mian tugged at Pei Zhiyi and asked softly, “Brother, what kind of person do you like?”

He had never thought about that question before; it seemed like no one would be suitable for Pei Zhiyi.

But he suddenly began to wonder about Pei Zhiyi’s preferences.

Pei Zhiyi replied with a question, “What do you think?”

Shen Mian pondered for a moment and said, “Probably someone mature and beautiful, just like you, intelligent, with their own thoughts.”

Thinking about it, Lu Yue seemed to fit that description.

Suddenly, Shen Mian became wary.

Pei Zhiyi, however, sneered, “Then, I should just like myself.”

As he watched the elevator’s floors change, when the doors opened, he whispered his true answer, “I like someone who is a bit clueless and clumsy. Soft-hearted, immature, someone who believes in me more than anyone else. But they’d better not be too clueless, not realizing that I like them.”