Yaxi opened her eyes to find Chen Ling already awake. His face was so close to hers, the morning light casting a glow on his flawless, pale skin. His dark lashes fluttered softly like a fan. He had been staring at her, likely awake for some time now. His hand rested gently on her cheek, and she realized she had been clutching his sleeve, as if forcing his hand to stay there.
Yaxi let go without a word, sitting up and stretching. It had been a long time since she had slept so well. Perhaps it was the warmth of Chen Ling cooking for her last night that lulled her into a false sense of comfort, erasing the anger she had felt when he questioned her financial situation. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined sharing a bed with Chen Ling.
As she glanced at his legs and got out of bed, she casually asked, "You're not going to school because of Xu Xiaoyi, are you?"
Chen Ling visibly flinched, avoiding her gaze. "No."
Yaxi saw right through him and pressed on, "If you don't want her to worry, it's better to let her see you and get it over with. If you can't bring yourself to do it, I can help. Besides, Lu Ziyang has been waiting for her for a long time. Don't drag it out—let them be together."
"You seem very concerned about Lu Ziyang," Chen Ling replied, surprisingly calm. "What do I need to say to make you believe that Xu Xiaoyi and I are really over?"
Over, over. He only ever said it with his mouth.
"Fine," Yaxi pushed further. "Then can you promise not to speak to Xu Xiaoyi ever again?"
"I can't," Chen Ling answered quickly. "I still—"
Yaxi forced a bright smile. "It's fine. See her if you want. But in two weeks, you have to go back to school, even if you have to use crutches."
Let Xu Xiaoyi see what you've become, let her reject you, and then you'll be completely mine.
Before Chen Ling could respond, she retreated to her room.
The sun was shining brightly today, and the students were like fish basking in the light, forming lively groups, vibrant and carefree. Even on their way to school, they laughed and played, mocking Yaxi, who walked alone with her head down, lacking youthful vitality.
The warning to "watch out" came too late. A bicycle brushed past her sharply, leaving only the fading "ding" ringing in her ears. Yaxi touched her burning cheek, feeling a trace of blood, and wearily lowered her head further, letting her black hair completely obscure her face.
No one around her could have missed the accident, yet no one approached her.
Or perhaps, no one cared that she had been hit. They turned a blind eye, effectively erasing her from their world.
She continued walking slowly, not looking ahead, but her ears were unusually sharp.
A group of girls up ahead were talking about Chen Ling—or rather, they were talking to Xu Xiaoyi about Chen Ling.
"Someone as big as him wouldn't just disappear out of nowhere. His family must have taken him abroad to avoid trouble."
"That's right, Xiaoyi, don't be sad anymore. If he's really fine but hasn't contacted you, then he's just a jerk. I think Lu Ziyang is better. He's not worth your tears."
"Thank you, you're so kind," Xu Xiaoyi's voice was still weary, far from the lively tone she used when bossing Yaxi around. "But things… well, things aren't that simple. I'm really worried about him."
Yaxi was walking uphill now. She couldn't help but glance up at Xu Xiaoyi.
Five or six girls surrounded her, shielding her. She was dressed warmly, but her wide pants only emphasized her frail figure. She was still the same—beloved by both girls and boys.
They reached the top of the slope, and the sunlight pierced into Yaxi's eyes.
Could she really erase someone like Xu Xiaoyi from Chen Ling's heart?
Xu Xiaoyi wouldn't truly reject him either.
Yaxi slowed her pace, putting some distance between herself and Xu Xiaoyi's group.
As she neared the school gate, she saw a tall figure wearing a green baseball cap leaning against the entrance. He had a black sling bag and an air of arrogance. Students around him were whispering because he was blocking the security desk, standing still and refusing to enter. Two security guards were pulling at his arms, trying to move him.
Yaxi only needed one glance to recognize Lu Ziyang.
The hood of his school jacket was already large enough, but he had to add a green cap to show off.
She thought to herself, Xu Xiaoyi really had it rough, being waited for by such a show-off early in the morning. It was a miracle she still cared about their childhood friendship and hadn't kicked Lu Ziyang to the curb.
Yaxi sighed inwardly and walked forward.
Just as she was about to pass through the gate, a long leg blocked her path.
Her heart sank.
She looked at the oversized AJ sneaker planted on the iron gate, then glanced back at the crowd of students waiting in line to enter, and finally looked up at the person blocking her.
Under the green cap were two big, pitiful eyes staring at her.
Damn, she had miscalculated. He wasn't waiting for Xu Xiaoyi—he was waiting for her.
Of course, it was her who was unlucky.
As she hesitated over how to shake him off and avoid entering the classroom with him, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.
"Yaxi, your face is hurt?" His voice was urgent, as if it were his own face that was injured. "You need to go to the infirmary!"
The infirmary again. Yesterday, in the infirmary, Lu Ziyang had scolded her, and she had impulsively stepped on him, only to return home unable to do anything to Chen Ling.
With that lesson in mind, Yaxi couldn't help but feel that the infirmary was a bad omen.
But before she knew it, she was being dragged toward the bamboo grove to the west.
"Lu Ziyang, let go!"
"Look at your face! Do you want a scar? Hurry up and disinfect it."
"It's not—"
"What do you mean, 'not'!?" Why was she still arguing with him at a time like this? Sure, he had been wrong yesterday, but he had… he had sacrificed himself, wasn't that enough?
"Look for yourself!" Yaxi pointed at the infirmary door. "It's still closed."
Lu Ziyang: …
"I don't care! You still need to disinfect it!"
Yaxi facepalmed. "Then tell me, how are we supposed to do that with the door closed?"
"Hmph, with my 180 IQ, this is nothing." Lu Ziyang puffed out his chest, his chin raised arrogantly, looking insufferably smug. "The lock on the east window of the clinic has been broken for ages. I sneak in there to sleep every week. Haha! You goody-two-shoes wouldn't know about that, would you?"
Yaxi gave a cold "Oh," then quickly moved behind him and snatched off his green cap. "Then let's go. We're going to be late for morning study."
"Hey, you ruined my outfit for the day!" Lu Ziyang took a moment to fix his hair in the reflection of the glass door before following her.
Yaxi was more agile than Lu Ziyang had expected. She opened the window, propped herself up with her arms, and flew inside.
Not to be outdone, Lu Ziyang performed a sideways spin and a one-armed flip in the air behind her.