When Will My Childhood Sweetheart Marry Me?-Chapter 84 - 0: Secret Base

There wasn’t a bookshelf here, nor was there a single book.

The setup almost perfectly mirrored the one in her home painting studio—except the natural lighting here was even better, with the easel placed before the balcony. The early morning sun spilled over, offering an ideal angle for still life painting.

Looking closely, there was the canvas, the paints, the brushes, the spotlights for painting at night, and the backing fabrics.

Every tool used for painting precisely matched her previous habits.

Jiang Shuyao was so shocked she couldn’t speak.

Her home studio had been locked up for over five months, and Pei Yan had only visited it once, as far as she remembered.

Just one glance, and he had achieved this.

Since when had he been planning all of this?

"If you like it, go inside and take a look," his low voice resonated in her ear. Jiang Shuyao jerked back to reality and turned to look at the young man beside her.

The girl’s eyes, glistening under the lights, were exceptionally bright, revealing an uncontrollable excitement between her brows and eyes.

"Don’t just stand there like a dolt; go in."

The corners of Pei Yan’s mouth curled into an indolent, mischievous smile. Before Shuyao could respond, he was already pushing her into the studio with a palm against the back of her head.

She sat in front of the easel, stunned, and looked up at him.

Pei Yan lowered his gaze to meet her eyes. "From now on, this is your secret base. You can come here to paint whenever you want."

Secret base...

Jiang Shuyao felt a tightness in her voice as she asked, "Is there a time limit?"

The preparatory exam for Yangjin was looming, and she urgently needed to pick up her brush again, to quickly regain her former touch in preparing for the first round of artwork.

But no matter what, she couldn’t let the temptation before her cloud her judgment.

Pei Yan found her overly rational demeanor annoying.

Looking away, he tossed out lightly, "Until I die—does that count as a time limit?"

She fell into thought upon hearing this.

Seconds later, she lifted her gaze and nodded earnestly, "That counts."

Pei Yan exploded on the spot.

"I’m going to live to a ripe old age; what kind of time limit is that, you silly girl?"

So there was no time limit.

Could this place always belong to her?

One month, half a year, or even until after the college entrance examination...

Jiang Shuyao hadn’t finished her thought when she heard a mocking laugh above her head, "Dream on. There’s no free lunch in this world. I have conditions."

"What conditions?" she asked.

Pei Yan, looking amused, retorted, "Would you agree to any condition?"

The girl nodded her head, her expression determined.

Then quickly realizing, she hastily added, "Except for that kind of thing."

His hands in his pockets, he leaned idly against the front of the balcony, watching her tenderly yet slyly, "Which kind?"

Her cheeks flushed red, avoiding his gaze, "You know very well what I mean."

Pei Yan would not let her off the hook so easily.

Looking down at the girl, he casually presented his demand, "Date me, or give me a kiss—your choice."

His eyes were dark, and his stern face bore no hint of jest.

Jiang Shuyao bit her lip, a natural blush spreading to her earlobes.

"Can we change it to something else? I really need this studio," she pleaded in a soft voice, lowering her stance considerably.

Tsk.

Poor thing.

He smiled mischievously, "If you don’t want to date me, then choose the latter."

"Hurry up, or I’m going to regret it."

"..."

On any normal day, faced with such a shameless demand, Jiang Shuyao would never have conceded.

But Pei Yan knew that tonight was different; she would not dare to refuse him lightly.

This girl had endured so much for her dreams over the years; with the opportunity so close, she would not give up.

Her rationality had tortured him enough, yet also tonight, after all his scheming to test her limits, it was just for that taste of sweetness.

Heh, he really was something.