The last class felt like pure torture for Su Yun, because someone kept turning around to look at her. That gaze held curiosity... and jealousy.
She had no idea why Qin Xue came to find her today.
Was it because her class ended too late, and it delayed her work? Was she here to hold her accountable?
......
Ding-ling-ling.
As the bell rang, it was time to end the school day. By now, the sky had already turned dark, and the hallway outside the window was pitch-black.
The students in the classroom rushed out eagerly.
Su Yun also wanted to sneak upstairs to the restroom and adjust her outfit.
So she grabbed her bag and was about to leave, but Zhang Deyi in front of her stopped her.
“Big Bro, got any plans tonight?”
“Huh?” Su Yun looked at him in confusion.
“Moving house. What else?”
“And after moving?”
“Move in and go to sleep.”
Why was he asking this?
“Ohhh, I get it now, Big Bro.” Zhang Deyi nodded as if enlightened, his gaze toward Su Yun filled with admiration.
Moving house... it must be so he can cuddle up with his soft and fragrant girlfriend tonight. What's even the point of asking?
Su Yun’s heart tensed up.
Because of what she had learned earlier, she was now extremely wary of Zhang Deyi. His boyish expression made her want to flee even faster.
Could this be the aftermath of being a simp dog for too long…?
Su Yun then slipped out of the classroom, wove through the crowd, and successfully snuck into the third-floor girls' restroom.
No one saw her—perfect change complete!
When she came back downstairs, she was surprised to see that Qin Xue really was standing by the front gate of the first floor waiting.
This science building had two small side doors and one large central door. Normally, most people used the big door.
She thought she’d be sitting somewhere waiting.
Qin Xue noticed Su Yun coming down the stairs, and the coldness in her eyes melted slightly, revealing a hint of warmth.
“Sister Xiaoyun, you made me wait a whole hour.” Qin Xue’s tone wasn’t exactly normal—her pitch went up and down, weirdly sarcastic.
“Sorry... I had class.” Su Yun stood in front of Qin Xue, lowering her head awkwardly.
Qin Xue saw that helpless and adorable look on her face and didn’t plan to say anything else.
While the two of them were talking, people kept walking past them, each casting curious glances their way.
“So... what did you want to talk to me about?” Su Yun felt all the stares, and her heart itched—she just wanted to escape.
Qin Xue used one hand to lift Su Yun’s chin, raising it so their eyes met, preventing her from dodging.
“Ah—what are you doing...” The white-haired girl clearly panicked.
“Can’t I find you for no reason? Didn’t you agree to be my girlfriend?” Qin Xue asked in a questioning tone, raising her voice slightly.
“?!” Su Yun’s pupils dilated at those words, and she started darting glances all around her.
People were watching.
Why is there even a girl pulling out her phone?
Hey! No filming!
“Hehe.” Qin Xue was clearly pleased with Su Yun’s adorable reaction and finally let go.
Any more teasing and this girl would probably run.
“I came to invite you to dinner.”
“Oh, okay...”
You should’ve said that earlier!
Su Yun, finally released, looked flustered and worn out as she followed Qin Xue to the cafeteria.
It was right during class change time, so the cafeteria was packed.
They had to wait a few minutes in line before getting their food and then found a quiet corner to sit down.
At first, they each ate their own food in silence, which made them stand out in the noisy cafeteria.
Su Yun had barely interacted with girls before. For the past ten-plus years, she had only focused on studying—like some kind of recluse. She was the complete opposite of those guys who could charm girls with just one line.
With nothing to talk about, all she could do was bury her head in her food.
“About yesterday... I’m sorry.” Qin Xue was eating her eggplant, hesitating for a long while before finally speaking.
“Yesterday?” Su Yun froze for a moment, then remembered what happened.
“Oh, no worries. You were in a bad mood, right? That’s understandable.”
“You’re not mad?” Qin Xue looked up at Su Yun. Her gaze showed not a trace of resentment.
But honestly, the fact that Su Yun had come to her place that morning had already answered the question.
Not only wasn’t she mad—she’d been worried. Completely unlike those other girls who would just sulk and wait for you to comfort them.
“Just kind of got scared...”
“Sorry. It won’t happen again.” Qin Xue said gently, reaching out to pat that soft little head of hers.
Dodge
“Uh.”
“No head pats.” Su Yun glared at her fiercely, a flash of red flickering in those dark eyes.
Hugs were okay. But no head pats.
“Alright, alright.” Qin Xue awkwardly pulled her left hand back and went on eating.
......
After dinner, Qin Xue dragged Su Yun to the sports field.
In the winter, by 6 PM it was already completely dark. But there were still a bunch of students practicing out on the track.
They were athletes getting ready for next Tuesday’s sports meet.
With people running laps all over the track, it wasn’t really a place to stroll, so the two of them found a higher step to sit on.
Nearby, the steps were also dotted with pairs of students—one boy and one girl—whispering to each other. Every now and then, the sweet sound of a girl’s playful voice could be heard.
Ugh...
For some reason, when Su Yun heard that, she froze a little.
When she’d come alone before, she hadn’t felt anything. But today, coming with Qin Xue, she found herself noticing it a lot more.
“Tonight, I’ll count star with you.” Qin Xue sat down and looked up at the sky.
Compared to more than ten years ago, the stars in the sky had nearly disappeared, their light smothered by a thick black haze.
Su Yun sat beside her.
“But like I said, I don’t look at the sky just to count stars...” she said, a little exasperated.
Counting stars—how childish. She’s not a kid.
“Because of some people, the stars disappeared. Humans are really scary.” Qin Xue didn’t respond to Su Yun and just kept speaking to herself.
But unlike casual small talk, her tone was laced with resentment.
“Maybe.” The topic suddenly shifted to humanity, and Su Yun wasn’t ready for it. She gave a vague reply.
“All they care about is money and profit,” Qin Xue continued.
“Mm.”
Qin Xue went on for quite a while after that. Su Yun just kept responding with little “mm”s.
Not because she didn’t care, but because she didn’t know what to say.
After chatting for nearly half an hour, Qin Xue paused and asked her a question.
She turned and faced Su Yun directly.
“How are your grades?”
“Not great.”
“Oh...” A flash of disappointment crossed Qin Xue’s face, but she quickly smiled warmly again.
“If one day I disappeared... Would you be sad?” Though she was smiling, Qin Xue’s voice trembled slightly.
“Huh? Of course I’d be sad. What are you planning?” Su Yun immediately sensed something was wrong and looked at her nervously.
Her eyes were wide with worry.
“Just kidding. Look at you, all freaked out—pfft.”
“Sister Xiaoyun, you’re so adorably dumb, it makes me wanna tease you forever.” Qin Xue laughed mockingly, covering her mouth like she was holding back laughter.
“I’m not dumb...” Su Yun was so annoyed she almost wanted to bite her.
Why did she always have to tease me?
Seeing that Qin Xue still had the mood to joke around, Su Yun relaxed a bit inside.
She thought maybe her family had set up some kind of matchmaking thing—like an arranged marriage—but for rich people who cared more about profit.
But apparently not.
“Sister Xiaoyun, I’m heading off now. I’ve got to go buy candy for Yuanyuan. If I’m late, she’ll cry.”
“Mm. Bye-bye.”
Under the dark night sky, she waved goodbye to Qin Xue.
That slender figure slowly faded into the distance across the field—until it was gone.
Tonight, she didn’t have chores to do, so just sitting here chatting with Qin Xue had been enough.
Qin Xue’s words always felt deep and hard to understand.
But Su Yun didn’t have time to think them through.
Because tonight, she still had to move, take a bath, and now that she was alone, she needed to quietly reflect on some things she hadn’t had time to consider before.
There was still a lot to do.
(End of Chapter)