I downloaded the app and discovered that my childhood sweetheart's affection level had skyrocke

"You really don't like them? You really only see them as a friend?"

Mr. Ye maintained his gentle smile, and his tone sounded like a casual confirmation, but for some reason, when those eyes fell on him, Lin Zhou inexplicably felt as if he were being interrogated.

"Uh-huh!"

Ye Zhiyu nodded vigorously, even giving a thumbs up, her smile so bright it showed no sign of guilt. "That's right~ Zhouzi and I have a friendship that's as pure as it gets. If I really liked him, I would have slept with him long ago—cough cough, cough cough~"

Halfway through her sentence, Ye Zhiyu coughed twice, then quickly switched to a high-pitched, delicate voice.

"She's already dating Lin Zhou."

"..."

Did this guy almost say something outrageous just now?

That's about it.

Lin Zhou nodded reluctantly.

Their current relationship is probably that of childhood sweethearts who have absolutely no romantic feelings for each other, yet are also remarkably close.

At least that's what Lin Zhou thinks.

After listening, Mr. Ye did not ask any further questions, but the smile on his face remained unchanged from beginning to end.

But the atmosphere in the private room suddenly became quiet.

Ye Zhiyu and Lin Zhou exchanged a glance, and almost simultaneously saw the same emotion in each other's eyes.

Not right.

Something is very wrong.

very scary!

"Um, Uncle..."

"Daddy..."

The two spoke almost simultaneously, but Ye's father simply interlaced his fingers and gently rested his elbow on the table, "In that case—Xiao Xiaoyu can no longer stay overnight at Xiao Zhou's house, and you must maintain a normal distance between men and women when you are together."

Ye Zhiyu: "!"

The smile on her face froze instantly.

"Why?"

"Because you're just friends."

Ye's father spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and even gently explained for her, "Since they are just normal friends, then the communication between friends should not be so close. This is not a healthy way to get along."

"But……"

"You can try to think about it from a different perspective."

Mr. Ye's smile grew even more amiable. "If you had a boyfriend in the future, but he had a female friend he grew up with, someone he was very close to, who often stayed overnight at his house, how would you feel?"

"..."

Ye Zhiyu opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal for a long time.

"Similarly, what would your future boyfriend think if he knew you had a very close male best friend, buddy, and childhood sweetheart, and that you often stayed at his house?"

Although Ye's father was smiling the whole time, the invisible pressure he exerted grew stronger and stronger, causing cold sweat to break out on Lin Zhou and Ye Zhiyu's foreheads.

"Daddy..."

Ye Zhiyu tried to act coquettishly.

"I'm not kidding, baby."

Ye's father's voice remained gentle, but it left absolutely no room for negotiation.

"..."

Under the table, Ye Zhiyu quietly raised her toes and stomped hard on Lin Zhou's instep, then quickly gave him a look.

[Quickly think of a solution, Zhouzi!]

Lin Zhou endured the pain in his instep and returned the look with his eyes.

What can I do? He's your father!

[Aren't you usually quite smart?]

【At a time like this, it's no use having anyone come!】

The two quickly exchanged glances, and without coming up with any effective solutions, Ye Zhiyu could only look back at her father, forcing a smile.

"Daddy..."

"Okay, go ahead."

Actually...

Ye Zhiyu lowered her head, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands. As if finally mustering her courage, she spoke in that same sweet, delicate voice as before.

"I do have a little bit of a crush on Lin Zhou."

She cupped her face and said shyly.

Lin Zhou's hand holding the teacup trembled violently, and the tea in the cup almost spilled directly onto the table.

What on earth is this weird tone?

You didn't say that just now!

"Really?" Mr. Ye raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I like it, of course I like it."

Ye Zhiyu nodded quickly, but turned her face to the side, refusing to meet her father's gaze.

"Then why don't you look me in the eyes?"

"Oh dear, Daddy..."

Ye Zhiyu's voice was weak as she tried to maintain the demeanor of a shy young girl, "After all, I'm a girl too. Feelings are something that develops gradually, how can you explain it so clearly all at once?"

Ye's father looked at her quietly for a few seconds, probably knowing that continuing to ask would not yield any results, so he shifted his gaze to Lin Zhou beside him.

"Small boat".

"Here!" Lin Zhou straightened his back reflexively, his voice as loud as if he were answering the instructor during military training.

What are your thoughts on my daughter?

"What do you mean by 'thoughts'...?"

Do you like her?

Ye's father did not give him a chance to beat around the bush.

"like."

Lin Zhou answered without the slightest hesitation.

The private room fell silent for a moment.

Not only Ye's father, but even Ye Zhiyu was stunned for a moment, and her feet, which had been moving around under the table, stopped moving.

"Oh?"

For the first time, a hint of genuine surprise appeared on Ye's father's face. "Such a decisive answer?"

"Because that's simply the truth."

Lin Zhou briefly gathered his thoughts, "Xiao Yu does tend to do things her own way, sometimes without considering the consequences at all, and even got me into a car accident with her."

"Hey!" Ye Zhiyu's initial surge of emotion vanished in an instant.

"But she has also protected me many times since I was a child."

Lin Zhou ignored her protests, and his voice gradually became serious, "I used to be in very poor health, but I longed to go out... It was Xiaoyu who dragged me out of the house time and time again."

Lin Zhou rarely mentioned those things, and he himself had almost gotten used to Ye Zhiyu always being by his side.

But when he actually started to recall, he realized that this guy seemed to be present in many important moments of his life, starting from a long time ago.

"Although Little Fish is troublesome and has a strange temper, sometimes she does things that are completely incomprehensible..."

"But I really like her."

Lin Zhou looked at Ye Zhiyu, "And the little fish is also very cute, that's an objective fact."

"..."

Ye Zhiyu stared at him blankly, as if she hadn't expected Lin Zhou to say such a thing. Only after a few seconds did she slowly cross her arms.

"I never expected this, Zhouzi."

"What?"

"Although your eyes have never been exposed, you have eyes that are good at discovering beauty."

Ye Zhiyu nodded with satisfaction and relief, "I've always known I'm cute, but I never expected you to see me that way all the time."

The feeling of being moved just now was probably just an illusion.

Lin Zhou silently looked away.

Mr. Ye glanced at Lin Zhou, then at his own smug daughter.

"very good."

His smile softened again. "Since you both have feelings for each other, why don't you get engaged?"

"..."

"..."

Lin Zhou and Ye Zhiyu both fell silent.