He felt he had said too much, so Zhou Ye stopped talking and gestured for her to sit on the mat.
Qiao Ci didn't stand on ceremony and got up to sit on the cool mat.
Seeing the pure and beautiful girl obediently sitting where he had just been lying, Zhou Ye felt a slight awkwardness.
Zhou Ye didn't know what was going on with him. Ever since Qiao Ci woke up after falling into the water, his gaze had been involuntarily following her. He used to look at any woman the same way.
Qiao Ci said nothing, only looking at the shimmering river surface. Zhou Ye thought she was still contemplating suicide and awkwardly said, "Old people say there's nothing in life that death can't solve. You're still young, don't seek your own death."
Qiao Ci looked at him in confusion, "Is that how you use the phrase 'seek your own death'?"
Zhou Ye, slightly embarrassed, touched his nose and glared at her, "I haven't read much, anyway, as long as the meaning gets across, isn't that enough?"
"The meaning hasn't gotten across either..." the straightforward Qiao Ci dismantled him.
Zhou Ye glanced at her, not bothering to argue with someone who wanted to end it all.
"Actually, you don't need to care about what those gossips say. You'll be returning to the city after your rural assignment, and you won't be back here again." Zhou Ye, not wanting such a heavy atmosphere, spoke regardless of whether Qiao Ci was listening.
"Perhaps." If the cub were to stay, she might return to listen to those old ladies gossip.
"If you hear them talking about us again, I'll stop them," Zhou Ye continued, not understanding the meaning of her "perhaps."
"That's not necessary. Let them say what they want; we can just take it as entertainment," Qiao Ci replied, implying that he should mind his own business.
"But this will affect your reputation." Zhou Ye frowned, his eyebrows furrowed, not understanding the girl's train of thought.
"I'm not afraid." The beautiful girl looked at the river with a calm and fearless expression, as if a soul that feared nothing resided within her small body.
"Then what are you afraid of?" Zhou Ye suddenly felt a trace of curiosity towards the girl before him.
Qiao Ci's eyes, which had been on the river, turned back to him, looking directly at him as if to see into his soul, and said with utmost seriousness, "If I had to say one thing... it would be that I'm afraid I'll never see you again."
Zhou Ye: ...
What was this?
Why was she confessing to him?
He immediately felt uncomfortable all over and pointed at himself uncertainly, his words stammering, "Afraid, afraid you'll never see me again?"
Qiao Ci nodded, not at all shy, direct and bold.
This completely stumped Zhou Ye. He coughed twice to hide his embarrassment and the secret flicker of joy that surged within him.
"Don't joke with me. I don't handle jokes well," Zhou Ye said seriously after regaining some composure.
"I'm not joking. Ever since I woke up, when I see you, I want to live with you," Qiao Ci said, her small face even more serious than his.
The serious expression paired with her pure and beautiful face had a contrasting cuteness, which made Zhou Ye's heart itch, wanting to pinch her cheek.
But he restrained himself.
He told her very seriously, "I'm just a poor boy. I can't give you a wealthy life. You're a city girl, and you won't be able to endure hardship with me."
"It's okay, I have money," Qiao Ci said generously. The original owner of this world came from a wealthy family, and raising the cub was simple.
Zhou Ye's face flushed and paled. Looking at the girl's gentle eyes, he asked somewhat sheepishly, "Are you, are you serious?"
"Mhm!"
Seeing the girl nod without hesitation, her eyes not seeming to lie, Zhou Ye still felt a sense of dreaminess, "What exactly do you like about me?"
"I just like you. Is there even a need to pick a specific thing?" If she really had to pick something she disliked, Qiao Ci could actually say one or two things.
For example, he wasn't cute enough, and his personality wasn't endearing enough.
However, it was all okay; it wasn't like she couldn't accept him because he was handsome.
The little spoon suspected that if Zhou Ye wasn't good-looking, he might have been abandoned in this world.
But thankfully, his face was a saving grace!
Zhou Ye tried hard to remain calm, not revealing any hint of nervousness, unwilling to lose face in front of the girl who liked him.
He knew his appearance was very deceptive. Because of his looks, he had received confessions from girls before, but he had scared them all away with his terrible attitude. He genuinely believed women were troublesome creatures and wanted nothing to do with them.
Yet, when the girl in front of him said she liked him, he didn't want to be as rude as he had been to others. Instead, he wanted to accept her, even if people called him a toad lusting after swan meat.
Accustomed to being alone, he wanted to hold onto something for the first time.
"Mhm." After countless thoughts, he nodded heavily.
"Mhm?" Qiao Ci was a little puzzled. After such a long silence, what was he humming about?
"I accept your confession. Don't worry, I'll work hard. After finishing up here, I'll join the army, and I'll definitely make you an officer's wife!" He never belittled himself, and in matters of the heart, once he made a decision, he would be responsible to the end, without reservation.
Qiao Ci said she had money, and although Zhou Ye didn't know how much money her family had, he wouldn't take advantage of her just because he was poor.
How could a grown man live off his wife?
Absolutely not!
In the plot, he also joined the army and did well. Qiao Ci didn't hinder his development. "Okay, get the certificate when you have time. After the harvest is over, you can go."
"Get, get, get what certificate?" Zhou Ye was dumbfounded on the spot. Could it be what he thought it was?
Although for a moment he had indeed worried that Qiao Ci might be snatched away by other excellent men after he joined the army, he had never thought of getting a certificate to tie her down.
"What other certificate could it be? Relationships without the intention of marriage are just a sham. Of course, it's a marriage certificate~" Qiao Ci replied matter-of-factly.
"Can your parents agree?" Qiao Ci's words made Zhou Ye's heart flutter. How come she felt a little unreliable?
Wasn't her confession just playing a trick on him?
Qiao Ci pondered for a moment before replying, "These are not things you should worry about. Notify me when you have time, and we'll go get the certificate."
Zhou Ye's heart skipped a beat. He increasingly felt she was playing a trick on him. He tugged at his collar, his expression somewhat displeased, and his sword-like eyebrows furrowed, "I'll be free after I finish my work tomorrow. Do you dare to go?"
"Okay," Qiao Ci readily agreed.
The surprise came too suddenly. She hadn't expected the cub in this life to be so easily won over. She hadn't even exerted herself yet!
Seeing Qiao Ci's unperturbed expression, Zhou Ye told her to go back and rest early, preparing to see what tricks she would play tomorrow.
Before leaving, he asked the question that had been weighing on his mind all day, "Can I ask you one last question?"
"Mhm, ask."
"Why were you so fast at harvesting the rice?"
"... I can be even faster."