Quick Transmigration: Let Me Tell You, I'm a Social Anxiety Person

As her gaze swept across the line of text, Wen Ying immediately assumed that her relationship with Shen Zhu had been exposed.

The next second, Xiao Jiang's new message popped up.

It was a screenshot of a trending topic on Weibo, with the title bearing Shen Zhu's name, accusing him of participating in violent acts during high school. The boy who was coerced back then had been lying in the hospital for many years and had become a vegetable. Today, the doctor issued a critical condition notice.

The media released a video that was clearly filmed secretly in a hospital ward, and posted accusations below, demanding that Shen Zhu apologize for his actions and pay an equal price.

Wen Ying subconsciously turned her head to see Shen Zhu's reaction.

Shen Zhu glanced to the side, and Wen Ying couldn't guess whether he had seen the text on the screen. Just as she was about to speak, Shen Zhu's phone rang in his pocket.

"It's your agent on the phone." Shen Zhu glanced down at the caller ID, then turned to Wen Ying, his tone casual. "He's quite talkative, it might take a lot of time. Don't you have other things to do? You don't need to wait..."

Shen Zhu's expression remained normal, but Wen Ying felt a slight blockage in her heart, making her feel somewhat congested.

She interrupted him, saying, "I saw the trending topics on Weibo. I don't believe a single word they're saying. No one knows you better than me what kind of person you are."

Shen Zhu paused for a moment, then said, "I know..."

Wen Ying looked at the phone in his hand, its screen still lit up: "So, is it still necessary for you to keep your calls from me?"

"..." Shen Zhu smiled, raised his hand, wanting to touch Wen Ying's head, but when someone passed by, he lowered his hand again.

Shen Zhu said, "I just feel that I can handle this myself, and there's no need to drag you into it."

Wen Ying frowned: "But I don't think that what you call 'unnecessary' is actually good for me. No matter what happens, we should face it together."

Shen Zhu remained silent, gazing intently at her.

Wen Ying: "I trust you enough, Shen Zhu, but what about you? I want to know what you're thinking. Do you trust and rely on me enough? Last night you told me, 'Things are different now than before,' but where does this 'difference' come from? I've thought about it a lot, but I can't find any valid proof to support that statement. Have I really entered your heart? And... do you really understand me?"

She had never spoken so much to Shen Zhu before. Shen Zhu's expression went blank for a moment, and he only stiffly called out her name: "Wen Ying..."

He was overwhelmed by intense unease; the air in front of him seemed to have been sucked away in an instant, making it difficult to breathe.

The phone kept ringing impatiently, but Shen Zhu forgot to answer it, letting it slip from his ear and fall to the ground.

"Please stop talking, okay?" Shen Zhu reached out and gripped Wen Ying's fingers tightly, his voice carrying a barely perceptible plea, but Wen Ying felt that this wasn't what he was originally pleading for.

Shen Zhu stared at her intently, waiting for Wen Ying to nod in agreement and retract the words he dared not continue hearing. Then they could pretend nothing had happened, tacitly skip the night, and start afresh.

Wen Ying knew he was running away, running away from facing the problems between them, the insurmountable gap, just as he was running away from the possibility that Wen Ying would abandon him.

Wen Ying grasped his hand in return.

"I'm sorry, maybe it's because I've never given you courage in the past."

Wen Ying smiled at him as she spoke, but Shen Zhu couldn't bring himself to smile easily.

He became a puppet completely swayed by Wen Ying's emotions, only able to react after she finished speaking.

“I used to be very determined to be myself and tried my best to pursue the so-called meaning of ‘self’. I was so afraid of losing myself and worried that this fear would be seen through by others, so I pretended to be peaceful and calm, and played the role of an adult who would never run away from life in front of everyone.”

Shen Zhu's fingertips twitched slightly, and Wen Ying changed her gesture, holding his fingers.

"The only thing I regret over the years is that I didn't tell you sooner... No matter what happens in this world, I will always choose you and never give up on you."

Wen Ying let out a soft breath, "Perhaps it's a bit late to say this, but no matter how many years we've missed each other, no matter how many unspeakable secrets we still have, from now on, I never want to let go of your hand again."

Shen Zhu said, "It's not too late, it's never too late."

He lowered his eyes, his gaze almost tangible, locking onto Wen Ying. Once Wen Ying met his eyes, she could no longer escape.

Wen Ying paused for a moment: "Shen Zhu, I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Zhu suddenly lowered his head and kissed the corner of her lips.

Amidst the surrounding noise, Shen Zhu's lips pressed against hers with restraint, then parted just as quickly.

Wen Ying's heart swelled and pounded rapidly because of the brief kiss.

"I like you. I liked you when I was seventeen, and I still like you when I'm twenty-one." Shen Zhu's voice was also urgent, as if he had waited for too long and could not wait even a second longer.

His hands were intertwined with Wen Ying's, unwilling to separate for even a second. He continued in a trembling yet incredibly firm tone, "But Shen Zhu, at twenty-one, doesn't want to be one of the options in your life's multiple-choice questions anymore."

"Wen Ying, I just want to be the only answer in your life."

-

It was half an hour later when I called Shen Zhu's agent again.

The call was made using Wen Ying's phone. Shen Zhu's phone screen cracked completely when they were embracing passionately, the screen covered with spider web-like patterns, making it difficult to even enter the password.

Shen Zhu's agent was about to explode: "I called you no less than a hundred times! I thought you were being beaten up by the media at the airport, and I almost called the police to rescue you!"

Shen Zhu said, "They really should be given a warning."

He put the phone aside, turned on the speakerphone, and listened absentmindedly. Even after getting into the car, Wen Ying's clasped hand was still with him, and Shen Zhu slowly rubbed it against his knee.

Xiao Jiang witnessed all of this from the front row, his eyes wide as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight. He racked his brains but couldn't understand why Wen Ying, after participating in the program for a few days, had gone from being at odds with Shen Zhu to holding hands in harmony and friendship.

No, perhaps it shouldn't be described as "friendship".

Shen Zhu's eyes were practically overflowing with affection; he clearly had designs on Wen Ying.

Xiao Jiang felt a headache coming on. He thought of Lily's repeated admonitions and didn't know how to explain it to her.

The voice of Shen Zhu's agent continued to come through the loudspeaker: "You can't just let some media outlets get away with this. If you say a few nice words to them, they'll turn around and ride roughshod over you. This time, Gao Yan had a minor accident, and they dared to block the hospital entrance and take pictures, fabricating stories that he was about to die. What if one day he really..."

At this point, the agent paused, also feeling that it was inappropriate to discuss other people's life, death, and illness, but still finished speaking: "Those media outlets that are good at profiting from other people's suffering will drown you in their spittle. Think about it... After all, he has been lying motionless in bed for four years, with no signs of improvement whatsoever."

“I said what I needed to say four years ago,” Shen Zhu said calmly, “but they didn’t believe me.”

Wen Ying listened quietly, glancing at the person beside her. Shen Zhu's expression was indifferent, but he noticed her gaze and turned to give her a reassuring smile.

The joy after the confession had not yet dissipated. Shen Zhu and she held hands. The car was warm, but Wen Ying felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

Winter was too long, and the sudden snowfall almost buried the summer of four years ago. But some things were hidden in corners that were almost forgotten, taking root and growing, waiting to break through the soil.

The secret Shen Zhu never got to tell, the night he confessed his feelings to Wen Ying when he was seventeen and they brushed past each other, became a haunting ghost, its sharp claws tearing through the darkness and pointing at him.