Peach-Orange! – Chapter 405 – Xiaocheng, I Love You!

A small hand held firmly in her palm, her steps unwavering.

Su Tao almost half-dragged Chi Xiaocheng forward as she walked ahead of the girl, blocking the distant sunset.

Chi Xiaocheng was forced to follow in her shadow.

No one would think she was in a relatively disadvantaged position in the shade. Instead, it seemed the girl walking ahead was shielding her from wind and rain.

Her unstoppable momentum couldn’t even be hindered by the sun.

Dragged along, Chi Xiaocheng’s stumbling steps reflected her complicated emotions.

Both of them were hesitating, both making choices.

Clearly, Su Tao made her choice first.

Follow her, then board the Ferris wheel, and then….

How should she respond to the confession?

Chi Xiaocheng watched Su Tao stride forward step by step toward the Ferris wheel waiting area, her mixed feelings unchanged.

She didn’t really want to go to the Ferris wheel.

She didn’t really want to agree to Tao-Tao’s confession right now.

Maintaining their current relationship was fine. She could just keep waiting.

That was what she truly thought, so why couldn’t she stop?

Just grab Tao-Tao’s hand and refuse to go on the Ferris wheel.

Name any other ride: the carousel, roller coaster, bumper cars… anything. Just say she wanted to do those instead, stall for time until sunset, and then she wouldn’t have to go on the Ferris wheel with Tao-Tao.

That way, there’d be no confession.

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No need to decide whether to agree.

And no risk of being targeted by the world’s will again.

Taking step after step, Chi Xiaocheng kept her head down, her bangs covering half her eyes as she bit her lip. With every meter she walked, a rational voice in her heart told her not to go any further.

Ahead lay an abyss.

The countless terrible endings.

The start of another cycle.

Knowing all this, why couldn’t she just stop?

Chi Xiaocheng almost screamed at herself in her mind.

Stopping was such a simple thing!

So why couldn’t she do it?

Gazing at the distant sunset, Chi Xiaocheng’s eyes weren’t filled with confusion but with a longing that struggled against reason.

Hadn’t she waited hundreds of cycles for this day?

Whether in her heart or driven by her emotions, she yearned to say yes to Su Tao and stay together forever.

Emotion itself was a feeling that contradicted reason.

And hesitation was never fleeting.

Before Chi Xiaocheng could find a clear answer, she looked up and realized they were already at the foot of the Ferris wheel.

A dense crowd had gathered, though they didn’t seem to be lining up.

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The area around the ticket booth was completely surrounded.

Su Tao wanted to push through to see what was happening, but there were simply too many people.

She grew anxious and couldn’t help muttering to herself, “We won’t even get in line before sunset at this rate. There are way too many people.”

Even a VIP pass didn’t seem to help here.

Su Tao glanced at Chi Xiaocheng, who was staring at the ground, then asked a bystander, “Excuse me, what’s going on? Why is everyone crowded here instead of lining up for tickets?”

The bystander sighed. “Seems like the Ferris wheel broke down. It stopped half an hour ago and they’re still fixing it. I doubt it’ll be running today. Everyone’s just waiting to see if they can catch the last ride before sunset.”

Su Tao froze. “The Ferris wheel… is broken?”

So her confession was ruined?

Su Tao instinctively looked at Chi Xiaocheng, only to find the latter equally surprised as she stared at the bystander.

Her expression was unreadable. Was it disappointment or relief?

But it seemed even fate wasn’t on their side.

No elaborate planning was needed. Just being on that Ferris wheel would’ve made up for past regrets.

Chi Xiaocheng’s soft voice reached Su Tao’s ears. “Even if it gets fixed in time, we probably won’t make it into line. Maybe… we should do something else?”

Su Tao forced a smile. “That’s fine too, but I’m not really in the mood for rides. How about… just walking around?”

“Mm… dinner could work too.”

After all, eating here wouldn’t cost anything.

But neither of them was really thinking about the meal.

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As the old saying goes about certain relationships:

They might’ve been the closest of friends, even childhood sweethearts.

But once a confession happens, that pure, seamless bond slowly changes.

Both sides overthink, creating distance.

Just like the two of them now.

Su Tao stuffed her hands in her pockets, lost in thought as she walked a little too fast.

Chi Xiaocheng, with her short legs, had to speed up to keep pace.

She stared at the girl’s back, her own thoughts unclear.

Her gaze drifted to the Ferris wheel in the distance, its cabins climbing one by one, but all empty.

Suddenly, Su Tao stopped and looked to the side.

Chi Xiaocheng followed her gaze to a peach-colored restaurant where couples kept entering and exiting.

A couples’ restaurant.

Just the name alone carried a special meaning.

It seemed Tao-Tao hadn’t given up on her plan.

“Want to eat there?”

Chi Xiaocheng spoke softly, already understanding Su Tao’s thoughts and regrets.

If she couldn’t confess, then eating at a place like this might make up for it… a silent confession of sorts?

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But just as Chi Xiaocheng expected Su Tao to agree, the girl’s once-longing eyes suddenly hardened with resolve. “No!”

She grabbed Chi Xiaocheng’s hand. “Xiaocheng, come with me.”

“W-Wait! Where are we going? Slow down!”

“Just follow me first.”

As evening approached, most visitors were leaving the amusement park.

Yet Su Tao, defying the flow, pulled Chi Xiaocheng deeper inside.

They passed through lush paths until—

The view opened up.

Before them was a lake dyed crimson by the sunset, its gentle breeze carrying spring’s tenderness, refreshing the soul.

This secluded spot by the lake was empty in the fading light. Only Chi Xiaocheng and Su Tao stood there.

Then, facing the water, the girl suddenly let out a loud shout—

As if steeling herself.

Finally, she turned around with utter seriousness. “Xiaocheng!”

Her eyes were firm. “Even if… even if it’s not the Ferris wheel, even if the timing and atmosphere aren’t perfect… I still don’t want to give up this moment! I don’t want to wait any longer!”

Su Tao took a deep breath, shut her eyes tightly, and declared in a clear, ringing voice:

“Xiaocheng, I love you!”