The Female Leads Truly Loves You - Chapter 205

Chapter 205: I’m still grateful that we met at an age when we can save each other
Sam didn’t head straight home; instead, he caught the nearest bus to a place that was becoming increasingly familiar to him.

Sophie’s apartment.

The reason for Sam’s visit was simple: Isabella had deliberately dropped an envelope on the floor at just the right moment for him to pick it up.

It wasn’t until he was on the bus that Sam opened the envelope. Inside wasn’t a letter or any strange piece of paper, but money… a quick count revealed it was close to 200 US dollars.

Moreover, the envelope was specifically marked as being for Sophie.

This puzzled Sam. He could guess at Isabella’s intentions—perhaps she thought that increasing his visits to Sophie might help smooth over their awkward relationship.

At this point, Sam couldn’t be bothered to criticize his meddlesome senior; that was just the kind of person she was, and there was no point in blaming her.

But this $200… was it a loan to Sophie, or a repayment? What reason did they have for a financial exchange?

It wasn’t clear.

However, now that the money was in his hands, Sam had no choice but to make the trip.

He was well acquainted with Sophie’s place by now. Before going upstairs, Sam took a special look at the location of her room—the lights were on. It was nearly evening, and without much sunlight, the lit room meant someone was inside.

So, as he ascended the stairs, he sent her a message.

Sam: [Are you home?]

To Sam’s surprise, the message went through normally; she hadn’t blocked him.

But it wasn’t until Sam stepped out of the elevator that he received a reply.

Sophie: [I’m not.]

Sam replied with a smile.

[I can see the lights on in your place.]

Sophie: [What are you doing downstairs?]

Sam: [I need to see you about something. Open the door, I’m almost there.]

Sophie: [Just say what you need to say. There’s no need to meet in person if it’s not necessary. I’m about to rest.]

Through the screen, Sam could almost picture her frowning face, probably guessing why he was being so mysterious.

Sam: [But this matter can’t be properly handled without meeting in person.]

Sophie: [Then we can talk about it when we see each other at school.]

Sam: [Oh, that’s a shame… I’ll give you this $200 when we’re at school then. Hopefully, I’ll remember, and hopefully, I won’t lose it.]

Sophie: […Have you come upstairs yet? I’ve opened the door.]

Sam approached the door, which was now ajar.

The moment he opened the door, he was nearly scared to death.

Because Sophie wasn’t in the room; she was standing right behind the door.

Her legs were straight, her skin flawless, and she wore a pair of fluffy pink bear slippers.

Sophie was wearing round-framed glasses perched on her nose, and her delicate face didn’t lose its charm because of them; instead, they added a unique cuteness.

Her ponytail wasn’t tight or deliberate, with some loose strands falling over her shoulders.

She noticed Sam’s gaze traveling from her feet upward and immediately frowned.

“Do you always start looking at people from their legs as a matter of courtesy?”

Sam looked up, responding frankly.

“My courtesy is to start looking from the most attractive part of a person.”

A slight blush crept onto Sophie’s indifferent cheeks.

“Pervert…”

After saying that, she reached out her hand to Sam. Her palm was equally beautiful, like a work of art made for playing the piano.

Sam placed his hand in hers, and Sophie paused, feeling the sudden warmth of Sam’s hand in her palm.

She looked up at Sam, who was also looking at her and even blinked, causing Sophie’s cheeks to turn even redder.

“Smack!”

She quickly slapped the back of Sam’s hand.

Sam immediately withdrew his hand.

“You win, continue.”

And then he placed it back.

Sophie looked at Sam irritably.

“Are you sick or something? What do you mean I win? What are you actually doing?”

Sam looked at her quizzically: “Aren’t you reaching out your hand to play the hand-slap game?”

“I’m not in the mood for your silly games! I meant for you to give me the money!”

Sophie wasn’t foolish; she knew Sam couldn’t possibly think they were playing a game. He was just deliberately teasing her.

Sam chuckled. “You’re just going to let me hand over the money like this?”

“What else?” Sophie retorted.

“I came all this way to bring you cash, and you’re not even going to offer me a cup of coffee?” Sam teased.

“No coffee!”

“Water’s fine.”

“No water either!”

Sam looked at her with a feigned expression of pity. “Well, I guess I’ll wait until you have some water before giving it to you then.”

“Fine, come in!” Sophie said with a hint of resignation, turning to walk into the living room.

Sam closed the door and followed her footsteps inside. Sophie’s room hadn’t changed since his last visit, the air still carried a faint scent that was uniquely hers.

Sophie didn’t have the habit of using perfume, so Sam couldn’t describe the scent precisely. It was like a solitary flower blooming in a glacier that never melted.

Sam took a seat on the sofa, making himself at home with no sign of the self-awareness typical of a guest.

Sophie fetched a bottle of water from the fridge and placed it in front of Sam. “Drink.”

As Sam pulled out the envelope containing $200 from his backpack and placed it on the table, he then took the water and opened it to take a sip.

He watched as Sophie, looking somewhat nervous, picked up the envelope and glanced at him. “You checked it?”

Sam nodded. “Otherwise, how would I know it’s money?”

Sophie frowned slightly. “Finish your drink and then leave.”

But Sam showed no intention of leaving just yet, instead, he curiously observed her. “So, why is Isabella giving you money?”

Sophie sat on a separate sofa, skillfully grabbing a cushion and tucking her long legs beneath her. “Why are you asking about this? It’s my business.”

“Oh, so she lent it to you. Do you need money that badly?” Sam inquired.

Sophie turned her head away. “It’s none of your business.”

Familiar with her tone and attitude, Sam didn’t harbor much hope. He calmly pulled out his wallet, counted out another $100, and placed it on the table.

Sophie looked at him. “What do you mean by this?”

Sam spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “We’re classmates, after all, and you’ve said we’re friends too, right? Isn’t it normal to help out a friend in need?”

Sophie paused, then turned her face away as if in a huff. “I don’t want your money, and I can’t pay you back anytime soon. I don’t want to owe you anything.”

But it was clear from her tone that she had softened quite a bit.

Sam chuckled, “No rush to pay me back. I’m not exactly strapped for cash these days.”

Sophie suddenly remembered something and looked at Sam with a slightly awkward tone. “I almost forgot, you’re with the Heiress now. How could you be short of money? But I’d rather not borrow hers even more. Hmph.”

Sam nearly laughed out loud at her awkward expression but managed to hold it back before saying, “Relax, I haven’t spent a dime of her money so far. The cash isn’t from her; I earned it myself from a part-time job. So, your creditor is still me.”

Sophie looked at Sam curiously. “Why?”

Sam blinked. “No reason. I’m not with her for the money. If it were about money, we would have been together a long time ago, not just now. I’d like to think I have some dignity as a man in your eyes, right?”

Sophie really wanted to say, if you had any dignity as a man, why would you be with her? But she felt it would be too strange to voice that thought.

So she held back the comment, slightly lowered her head, and hugged the pillow again. “No need, $200 is just enough. I don’t need more money. Being in debt feels terrible.”

After getting to know a bit about her background, Sam understood the significance of her words.

She had grown up with a gambling-addicted father, and the phrase she must have heard most was about repaying debts. So, taking on debt was definitely something she would choose only under extreme reluctance.

Sam said with a tinge of regret, “It’s a bit disappointing. I was curious to know what it feels like to be your creditor. So, why do you need money?”

Sophie answered softly, “It’s nothing, just that my telescope broke.”

“The telescope… ah, the prize one?”

Back when they participated in a school-organized event, they had won the final prizes together; one was a small astronomical telescope, and the other was a badge. Now, the commemorative badge was still treasured at Sam’s house.

Sophie nodded with a hint of resignation, “I got up for some water that night and wasn’t paying attention. I bumped into it and couldn’t believe how fragile it was—it just broke…”

Sam looked at the girl, who seemed almost adorably miserly, and said, “The more precise the instrument, the more prone it is to problems… But if it’s broken, it’s broken. Just leave it be for now. Why the rush to fix it?”

“Why do you care…” she huffed softly.

After a moment’s thought, Sam looked at her incredulously. “You don’t use the telescope every single night, do you?”

As soon as he asked, Sophie’s head shot up, and Sam felt as if he could hear her heartbeat quicken.

The thrill of uncovering someone’s secret thoughts was just too amusing, especially with this girl. It was a feeling of full achievement and quite entertaining.

Caught red-handed, Sophie didn’t want to lie, so she shifted into a slight, annoyed embarrassment. “It’s a prize, after all. And what’s the point of having a telescope if you’re not going to use it! The night sky in Kuhang is so blurry, you can’t see anything clearly without a telescope…”

Her voice trailed off, becoming quieter, and she seemed to mutter a few more words that Sam couldn’t quite catch.

Her face grew redder, and she clutched the pillow tighter.

Sam smiled at Sophie. “So you love stargazing that much, to the point where you need to do it every night?”

“It’s not like that! It’s just annoying to see it broken there, especially when I think about how it’s something we…”

She stopped abruptly, her face flushing as she glanced at Sam, then quickly turned her head away.

Sam felt he knew what she was about to say. Her heart, which had settled, now felt like a broken pendulum that had started to swing again.

The ticking sound was very clear in her mind.

Outside, the twilight was drawing to a close.

The fiery remnants of the sun, the orange clouds, looked like an ocean of orange.

Sam didn’t know what to say, especially since his current relationship status made any comment seem awkward.

And the silence that fell between them was like a countdown, urging one of them to speak, lest the situation grow even more peculiar.

So…

“You’re not going back to…”

“It really is precious…”

Sam and Sophie spoke at the same time.

Then they looked at each other’s faces.

And they both saw a mix of surprise and embarrassment reflected in each other’s eyes.

Sophie turned her blushing face away.

Sam coughed awkwardly a couple of times.

Then he heard Sophie’s soft voice say, “You go first…”

Sophie’s rosy cheeks were a thousand times more beautiful than the sunset outside the window.

All insincere words have their reasons, but if you wait too long to speak, you forget why you held back in the first place.

Sam never wanted to leave any so-called regrets for tomorrow’s reflection.

He looked down at the water in his cup, rippling slightly.

“It’s nothing, I just wanted to say that it indeed is a rare and precious memory. But since it’s a prize for both of us, there’s no need for you to shoulder it alone.”

Sophie wrinkled her nose.

“What are you talking about… It was me who broke it, it has nothing to do with you.”

“If I had given you the badge, you wouldn’t have broken it.”

“Who wants the badge? Really, you!”

After blurting out this sentence, Sophie looked up at Sam, at the odd expression on his face.

“Ha ha ha ha…”

Sophie couldn’t help herself either.

“That joke wasn’t funny at all, but your face, really… pfft… ha ha ha ha.”

Sophie couldn’t hold back the laughter triggered by Sam’s strange expression.

The two of them laughed one after the other, seemingly warming the entire room.

Watching Sam trying to suppress his laughter, Sophie couldn’t help but stretch out her leg and give Sam’s leg a little kick with her toes.

“Why do you have to make me laugh?”

Sam stopped laughing.

“Isn’t it good to laugh? Why put on such a bitter and resentful face? This is much better.”

Sophie huffed softly and quickly withdrew her foot.

“Who’s being bitter and resentful? It’s all because of you.”

“Right, right, you’re right, it’s all my fault.”

“You don’t need to be so ingratiating. You should be concerned about Angel.”

Although Sophie’s words still carried a strange undertone, the atmosphere wasn’t as tense as it was at the beginning.

Sophie felt it odd how Sam always had this ability.

Even if she was very angry before, as soon as Sam appeared before her, said a few words, did a few things, it seemed like he could dissolve her anger.

It even made her feel… as if the original reason for her anger wasn’t that important, and that she was the one who had acted poorly.

Sam looked at Sophie.

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll both be members of the same club. Are you sure you can get along with her with that attitude?”

Sophie couldn’t help feeling a bit angry at the thought.

“Who says I want to get along with her? Telling me this is pointless; you might as well talk to her.”

“Do you think anyone in the world can reason with her?”

Sophie huffed.

“Anyway, she’s your girlfriend. If you want to prevent that kind of incident from happening again, you’re the only one who can make an effort. It has nothing to do with me.”

“You’re still involved,” Sam said.

Sophie looked at Sam with a cold laugh.

“Do you think there’s any chance of peace when she and I are together? I can’t stand her temper and attitude, and I don’t like to compromise. You should have noticed that she provokes me every time. Whatever attitude she takes with me, I’ll naturally respond in kind.”

Sam looked at Sophie with a sense of admiration.

“You really aren’t afraid at all, are you?”

Sophie glanced at Sam.

“What’s there to be afraid of? She might have a thousand ways to come at me, but she hasn’t made a move yet. Do you think I don’t know why? Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed. She just wants to play games with me. She believes that in this game, she doesn’t need any special tactics, that she can win just by relying on her own abilities or charm.”

Sam looked at her curiously.

“What game?”

“Of course, it’s about you… huh, playing dumb.”

Sophie had learned her lesson and didn’t want to be fooled by this guy again.

“I really don’t understand.”

Sam tried to look as sincere as possible.

But Sophie didn’t buy it at all. Holding a pillow, she said,

“Anyway, I’m someone who responds based on how others treat me. If she keeps up that attitude, I’ll continue with mine, regardless of whether it’s at school or in the club.”

Sophie appeared resolute, ready to fight to the end.

Sam felt somewhat helpless.

It seemed his future school life wouldn’t be peaceful either; he could imagine the club becoming one of the battlegrounds.

“Alright, there’s just no dealing with you two… So, after the comic convention ended, why did you get so angry? You even thought about quitting the club?”

Sam looked at her.

This time, Sophie didn’t shy away but met Sam’s gaze directly. Her voice was exceptionally soft, yet it carried her characteristic strength.

“There were some things I wanted to know at the time, but now it seems I’ve understood.”

Sam gave an honest response. “I don’t understand.”

Sophie put down the cushion, stood up, slipped on her slippers, and walked up to Sam. Even with glasses on, her close presence had an incredibly charming quality.

Sam looked up at her, like a devotee seeking guidance from a deity’s representative.

Sophie reached out as if to touch Sam’s upturned face. But in the end, she just lightly brushed his hair.

“Your haircut is ugly,” she said, then turned her face away.

The proximity was tempting, as if Sam could just reach out and encircle her waist.

Sam didn’t do so, instead, he smiled innocently, like a child without any guile.

“Can’t help it, I got the cheapest haircut. Don’t want to waste money on trivial things when I have this face, which is good enough.”

“No money, but you still say you’d give me money…”

“Because it’s for you, I’m willing to do it. I’m willing to give everything for you, even if it means starving.”

Sophie knew Sam was lying; after all, with Angel as his girlfriend, he wouldn’t starve no matter how broke he was.

But how should she put it?

Even though she knew it was a lie, some people can’t help but feel happy, willing to believe it’s true.

Sophie hated feeling this way; she bit her lower lip with her teeth.

“You should go home.”

“That’s true.”

Sam stood up, his silhouette pressing down like a different form of embrace.

Sophie didn’t retreat in fear or nervousness, even though her heart did skip a beat in the moment.

She looked up at Sam.

Sam, however, sighed as he looked around her room.

“Life never goes as one wishes, filled with surprises and complex relationships behind the scenes. But I’m still grateful that we met at an age when we can save each other.”

Her heart raced so fiercely that she couldn’t hear anything else, as she gazed at Sam, who seemed inexplicably profound at that moment.

“Are you talking about Angel… or me?”

Sam smiled brilliantly.

“Take a guess.”

“Get out!”

Sophie, annoyed, kicked at Sam.

Sam dodged and made his way to the door, with Sophie following as if to chase him out, ending their encounter in such an odd manner that was unique to them.

Opening the door, the cold breeze from outside brushed in, causing Sophie to instinctively shiver.

Sam looked at her and said with a smile.

“That’s it, no need to see me off any further.”

Sophie huffed.

“I’m not seeing you off; I’m just worried you won’t lock the door.”

“Am I that impolite?”

“You’re not just impolite, you don’t understand anything.”

Watching her still slightly angry, Sam smiled.

If only he really didn’t understand anything, but understanding these things is what allows one to survive in this world.

Sam nodded.

“Then… see you at school.”

Sophie rolled her eyes at him, her hand resting on the edge of the door. Seeing Sam still standing at the doorway looking at her, she seemed exasperated and said irritably.

“See you at school!”

“Bang.”

The door closed.

Sophie returned to the couch, the spot where Sam had sat still warm.

She picked up the cushion, took off the glasses she only wore at home, and buried her head in the pillow.

It seemed like she was muttering to herself.

Or perhaps venting to someone.

“Why make me guess all that nonsense, I don’t care!”

Sam quickly reached the ground floor, as the sky was almost dark.

But he couldn’t go home just yet; next door, at home, a new challenge awaited him.

Sam couldn’t help but think that one day, when he grows old, he might look back on his youth as if it were an epic battle?

Grand and magnificent.