What Exactly Did Cornelia Say

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction."

This was a belief Cornelia held unshakably.

So when she tilted her head to glance at Su Cheng, who was fixated on his computer screen beside her, the corners of her lips curled into a blissful smile. Eventually, she turned her gaze back to her own screen and let out a delighted squeal: "We won again!"

Her monitor displayed the explosive demise of the enemy base, followed by two bold, triumphant characters: "VICTORY."

For her, this was the happiest moment of each day—her favorite person and her favorite game, a dual joy beyond words.

And this was her exclusive, irreplaceable slice of happiness.

What could someone like Li Guanqi possibly compare to this?

Every night, she and Su Cheng would play games together, trading playful jabs and reveling in the fun. A bookworm like Li Guanqi would never understand this kind of joy. And she got to experience it every... single... day!

Without fail!

As the saying goes, "The early bird catches the orange"—and the distance between her and Su Cheng was gradually closing. This feeling was absolutely incredible.

Their dynamic was effortlessly harmonious too. No matter what happened—whether she played poorly or faced snide remarks from others—Su Cheng would always be the first to comfort and encourage her, standing up for her whenever she felt wronged.

This feeling... was simply the best.

She could confidently say she was the luckiest girl in the world right now.

Take this moment, for instance. The moment a new match started, a teammate mocked her in the chat.

And sure enough, within a second, Su Cheng openly, unapologetically took her side—no questions asked.

She didn’t even have to say a word.

Su Cheng glanced at the chat, then turned to her with a gentle yet firm tone: "Ignore them. Just pretend they were barking at a dog."

Warmth flooded Cornelia’s chest, but she stubbornly turned her head away, feigning indifference. "Hmph, your concern is unnecessary. That level of trash talk is like scratching an itch through boots—doesn’t even faze me."

With that, she muted the offender and focused on the game as if nothing had happened.

Su Cheng couldn’t help but raise an impressed thumb. "Damn, you’re something else."

"Obviously," Cornelia snorted pridefully.

Much later…

After the match ended, Su Cheng leaned back in his chair and checked the time—nearly 10 p.m. "Let’s call it a night. It’s getting late."

If asked to comment on that opening quote, Su Cheng would agree wholeheartedly. After all, there was indeed love between him and Cornelia.

Just... the love of shared interests.

They both adored the same game—wasn’t that a form of love?

Cornelia didn’t respond. Instead, she packed up her laptop, stood, and prepared to head home.

But as she slung her bag over her shoulder, a thought struck her. She turned to Su Cheng and blindsided him with a question: "Do you remember what I gave you last time?"

Something had been nagging at Cornelia—where had Su Cheng’s gifts gone?

He’d received a mountain of presents for his birthday, yet his home showed no trace of any gifts. Hers had been large, with distinctive packaging, but there was nowhere it could’ve been stored. And it wasn’t just hers—despite the haul, his place was devoid of any birthday remnants.

This mystery had been eating at her.

Most importantly—

Where was the bow she’d gifted him?!

She’d started suspecting he’d thrown it away.

So tonight, she decided to test the waters.

Su Cheng froze, scrambling for an answer.

With no name attached, he had no clue which gift was Cornelia’s!

Realizing the gravity of the situation…

He opted to guess first. After all…

There was a chance he’d get it right.

Steeling himself, he began analyzing calmly, sorting through possibilities.

What would Cornelia give?

Alright, puzzle-solving mode activated. If he guessed wrong, he’d confess ignorance—maybe that’d soften the blow. Admitting outright would only upset her.

Because… as a high-quality man, making a girl sad was absolutely unacceptable!

Soon, a strategy formed.

"You tell me," Su Cheng deflected, channeling Ji Qingyi’s tactic as he stood to inspect his PC tower.

If Cornelia had gifted hardware, this move would speak volumes without words—effectively ending the conversation.

If not? No harm done. He was just doing routine maintenance.

But unfortunately, this gesture didn’t elicit the reaction Su Cheng had hoped for from Cornelia. Instead, she frowned and asked in confusion, "You really know?"

Well, it wasn’t computer accessories—that option was immediately ruled out.

Su Cheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief before smiling and replying with an air of certainty, "Of course I know. Even though it wasn’t signed, I recognized right away that it was from you."

"Really?" Cornelia raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

"Then tell me what it was," Cornelia pressed, her tone even carrying a hint of aggression.

Wait, this tone…

Su Cheng’s heart skipped a beat. Her tone sounded like she was certain he didn’t know—even with a trace of anger mixed in.

Why would she be angry?

Wasn’t this just a normal question?

In an instant, Su Cheng realized something was off.

He thought about how Cornelia was at his place every day. A gift from her was something she’d definitely care about.

So… had she not found the gift she’d given him?

If that were the case, could this whole exchange be explained by her actually wanting to ask where the gift had gone?

Yet, there were no signs of any frantic searching in the living room or bedroom. So why was she so sure?

There could only be one explanation. The gift she’d given was large—possibly even something that required regular maintenance—so it would logically be placed somewhere visible for easy access…

Based on her personality…

She’d first give something she liked herself, then consider whether he’d like it…

And it must have had special meaning,

because he knew she liked him.

Common points…

The clothes Li Guanqi had given him…

were custom-made.

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Su Cheng.

Because there really was another gift he’d been using effortlessly…

"Were you… trying to ask where I put the gift?"

Su Cheng suddenly spoke up, his expression calm, even with a faint smile playing on his lips.

Cornelia froze for a moment, a look of surprise crossing her face. "H-how did you know—"

But before she could finish, she immediately clamped her mouth shut.

"The bowstring needs regular maintenance, so I left it in the archery club," Su Cheng explained nonchalantly.

"Ohhh!" Cornelia’s face lit up with realization.

Then she smacked her forehead, looking utterly exasperated. "Ugh! How could I forget that?!"

"What did you think?" Su Cheng asked lightly.

"What do you mean, what did I think?!"

Cornelia just snorted, her face flushing with embarrassment as she grabbed her bag and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Su Cheng quickly called out, "Wait!"

"What?!" Cornelia paused mid-step.

"I really love the gift. Thank you."

Su Cheng walked up to her, his face filled with genuine gratitude, then added, "It’s seriously amazing!"

Hearing this, Cornelia’s expression grew even more bashful. Though she was practically bursting with happiness inside—so much so that she momentarily fidgeted—she quickly masked it.

The next second, she lifted her chin, turned away, and left behind a tsundere remark: "Ugh, that’s so corny! Stop it. It’s just some random little thing I picked out. No big deal."

Watching Cornelia skip away cheerfully, Su Cheng couldn’t help but chuckle. Then, as usual, he followed behind her. After all, he wasn’t about to let her walk home alone at night—he had to see her safely back before he could relax.

Nighttime.

Moonlight draped over the earth.

Cornelia’s cute white-stockinged legs tapped against the stairs with each step, producing a crisp, rhythmic sound—almost like playing a melody.

It was clear she was in high spirits.

Su Cheng trailed behind, his gaze lingering on her slender figure, his fondness completely unconcealed. As he admired her, he sighed inwardly.

Cornelia, of course, knew Su Cheng was following her. That’s why she deliberately skipped the elevator and took the stairs instead, pausing on each landing to wait for him.

Once she heard his footsteps approaching, she’d happily continue her descent.

Third floor, second floor, first floor…

Soon, the two of them stepped out of the apartment building, one after the other.

"Wait up, I’ve got something to tell you," Su Cheng suddenly called out.

"Why are you still following me? I’ve told you a million times—stop treating me like a kid. I can get home by myself!"

Cornelia turned around, waving a tiny fist at him in protest, her expression displeased.

Then, seeing Su Cheng approach, she crossed her arms haughtily—though her lips were puffed up in a pout. In short, she was in full adorable mode, waiting for his response.

"Actually… I didn’t know at first that you gave me a bow."

Su Cheng stopped there, his eyes fixed on Cornelia.

"Huh?"

Cornelia blinked in confusion, not immediately grasping his meaning. But she quickly pieced it together and frowned. "Then how did you know I gave you a bow?"

"I guessed. And I was right."

Su Cheng shrugged, as if stating the obvious.

"You guessed?!"

Cornelia grew even more puzzled—how was this possible?

She simply couldn’t wrap her head around how Su Cheng had guessed all those gifts correctly!

"Are you messing with me again?" Cornelia pouted, her face scrunched in disdain. "This is way too exaggerated. How could anyone guess all those presents right on the first try?"

"Well, I pieced together a few clues, and then I just guessed right."

Su Cheng nodded again, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Then why are you telling me now?" Cornelia only grew more confused, her expression brimming with irritation. "What’s the point of this besides making me annoyed?!"

"There is one. Pretending at first had its meaning, and now confessing has its own meaning too."

Su Cheng shook his head lightly, his gaze softening as he spoke slowly, word by word: "At first, I wanted to meet your expectations. But now, this is my sincerest gesture. Thank you for the gifts—I really like them, and I treasure them. What I want to tell you is… I love the bow you gave me. Thank you."

Cornelia froze, staring at the man before her, who was so earnest it bordered on awkward. To an outsider, it might seem overly sentimental, but to her, there wasn’t a hint of discomfort—just a warmth that felt almost like happiness.

"W-well, actually…"

Cornelia tried to voice her feelings, but her tsundere nature wouldn’t let her speak her mind.

Her emotions surged uncontrollably, spilling over until she could no longer hold them back. So she just stood there, staring at Su Cheng without a word, her beautiful blue eyes gradually reddening at the rims.

In the end, her tsundere energy won out.

Unable to handle it any longer, she turned and bolted, running away while muttering, "That’s so embarrassing—how can you even say things like that?" She even covered her ears for good measure.

"Hey, don’t trip!"

Watching Cornelia sprint farther away, Su Cheng quickly gave chase.

She ran, and he followed.

After a short distance, he caught up to her.

Her eyes were still red, but she hastily wiped them and shot him a deliberately annoyed glare, her face full of displeasure.

"I wasn’t crying!" Cornelia insisted.

"Huh? You were crying?" Su Cheng played along.

Hearing this, Cornelia nearly rolled her eyes but held back, then said, "Alright, we’re home."

She stopped at the entrance of the villa district, pointing toward the gate as she spoke to Su Cheng.

"Yeah, go on inside. I said some weird things today—don’t mind them."

Before he could finish, Cornelia cut him off: "It wasn’t weird at all…"

But she didn’t finish her sentence either, turning instead to jog toward the gate. Just as she reached it, she suddenly stopped, her back still to him, and called out: "Su Cheng!"

"Huh?"

Su Cheng blinked in confusion.

The next second, Cornelia glanced back but didn’t make a sound—instead, she silently mouthed something at him.

But the distance was too great, and Su Cheng couldn’t make it out. Scratching his head, he shouted, "Did you leave your voice at my place?"

"I said you’re a huge idiot! So stupid!"

Cornelia’s furious voice carried back to him before she stomped her foot, grumbled under her breath, and dashed into the villa district.

"Wait, no system notification popped up…"

"Was she really just insulting me?"

"Or does this format not count?!"