Ning Rongrong, full of excitement, rushed over and gave Su Ming a big hug, followed by a kiss on his cheek.
"Su Ming, I finally did it! Thank you!" Ning Rongrong said, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Mastering Ling Bo Wei Bu was no less significant than evolving her Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. However, she hadn't expected that in her excitement, she would kiss him before Su Ming even found the celestial herb to evolve her martial soul.
Originally, Su Ming had just intended to help Ning Rongrong improve her self-defense and grow closer to her for the future evolution of her martial soul. But this—wasn't the affection level increasing a bit too fast? Still, with a beauty presenting such a benefit, why would he want to avoid it?
After the kiss, Ning Rongrong realized she had acted too impulsively. Why had she given away her first kiss so easily? She felt like she had lost her composure!
"Congratulations, Rongrong!" Su Ming said, pretending to stay calm.
This way, no one would feel awkward, though Rongrong's face was still beet red.
Ning Rongrong, noticing Su Ming's calm demeanor, felt puzzled. Su Ming liked her, right? Why wasn't he showing any reaction? But after a moment, she realized that Su Ming was probably trying not to embarrass her by acting nonchalant.
Shyly, she said, "Su Ming, you've helped me so much. How do you want me to repay you?"
Su Ming's first thought was: Why not just offer yourself to me?
But Su Ming knew that Rongrong's feelings weren't at that level yet. Her recent actions were probably just an expression of excitement from mastering Ling Bo Wei Bu. Still, a little teasing wouldn't hurt since they were good friends now, if not more.
"You've already repaid me," Su Ming said with a playful smile, pointing to his cheek.
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong's face turned even redder. Was Su Ming learning bad habits from Xiao Wu? Why was he teasing her like this?
Xiao Wu: Don't slander me!
"Actually, your movement wasn't slow just now," Su Ming said with a smirk, "but you shouldn't forget who taught you Ling Bo Wei Bu, and my strength is far greater than yours. I could've dodged your kiss, but I didn't."
Su Ming spoke bluntly, curious to see how Rongrong would react. He was prepared for the worst—maybe she would feel awkward—but he believed honesty was the best policy. He figured Rongrong, being smart, would eventually realize that he could've avoided her kiss but didn't, so he might as well admit it upfront.
To his surprise, Ning Rongrong didn't show any awkwardness. Instead, she smiled and said, "I knew you didn't dodge on purpose, but so what? I wanted to kiss you. I don't regret it!"
Su Ming was taken aback by her response. He cautiously asked, "Rongrong, you're not upset by what I said?"
Ning Rongrong shook her head with a smile. "Not at all. In fact, I'm glad you were honest with me. I appreciate that you're not pretending."
She then asked, "But if you thought I might be upset, why did you still say it?"
Her large, bright eyes stared at Su Ming, awaiting his response.
Su Ming shrugged, answering matter-of-factly, "Because even if I hadn't said anything, with your intelligence, once your excitement wore off, you'd figure out that I could've dodged the kiss. But why would I? You're a beautiful girl, and avoiding a kiss from a beauty brings bad luck!"
"I don't have many hobbies," Su Ming continued, "but I like pretty girls, especially those who aren't too violent. Of course, I won't force anyone, but I also won't reject anyone."
"And once a girl is with me, I'll treat her very well. I'll never let her suffer or feel wronged."
Su Ming wasn't sure if his confession was appropriate, but the moment felt right, so he decided to go with it. He waited to see how Ning Rongrong would react.
Suddenly, a thick white mist seemed to rise from Ning Rongrong's head, and her face turned as red as a tomato. Su Ming's words seemed to have hit the mark.
Ning Rongrong hadn't expected such a direct response. She had just been curious to hear Su Ming's thoughts on why he didn't dodge. Since she had access to Su Ming's diary, she already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from him.
However, she hadn't anticipated Su Ming's almost-confession. It felt like a half-confession to her. Simplifying his words, he was basically saying that she was beautiful, he liked her, and her personality was much better than her original, bratty self, so he was very fond of her now!
This realization flustered her even more. She stammered, "Su-Su Ming, don't you think it's a bit too early for us to be like this?"
Ning Rongrong did like Su Ming, but not to the extent of committing right away. Besides, Xiao Wu had just started her relationship with him, so even if she wanted to accept his feelings, now wasn't the right time.
Su Ming smiled and patted her head. "Rongrong, what are you thinking? Did you really think I was confessing to you? I was just answering your question honestly. Besides, I already have Xiao Wu, and I don't want to become a two-timer without letting you know."
"And let's be real—we've only known each other for a short time. I'm confident, but not enough to think you'd agree to a confession while I'm already with Xiao Wu."
Realizing she had misunderstood, Ning Rongrong was both embarrassed and frustrated with herself. Su Ming wasn't confessing—he was just answering her question! She mentally kicked herself for overreacting.
Still, she was happy that Su Ming was being open with her. Their relationship wasn't public knowledge yet, and him sharing that with her showed his sincerity.
A man of many emotions but true sincerity!