At school, sitting on a lounge chair, Shi Lezhi’s expression was clearly awful.
His face looked like he’d just swallowed a pile of crap.
Why was that girl totally fine after falling from so high?
At the very least, she should be in the hospital, right?
Shi Lezhi's original plan had been to go visit her at the hospital with Qin Xue, use the time to grow closer—little by little.
Now there was nothing he could do.
Unless… She really was a ghost or something?
Shi Lezhi crossed his legs and put his feet up on the table. Maybe it was this motion that caused the blood to rush from his legs to his rear—suddenly, he had a eureka moment.
“That’s right!”
“As long as the basic goal is achieved, what am I even worried about?”
Today, Qin Xue had already been willing to talk to him—and even said thank you. All he had to do next was check her schedule and wait at her classroom door to “bump into her.”
Make a bit of small talk, ask for a small favor or two, maybe get her to add him on WeChat or something. And then slowly, gradually...
He spread both hands out, miming holding something in the air, looking like he was savoring a delicious fantasy.
As he thought about it, a wicked grin spread across his face. He was convinced things were going pretty smoothly.
But right then, his phone on the table started ringing.
He picked it up without much thought.
“What is it?” Shi Lezhi’s tone was a little impatient—he was still lost in his daydream.
“Boss, Old Six is missing. We can’t find him anywhere,” the voice on the other end sounded anxious.
“What?” Shi Lezhi frowned, thinking: That shouldn’t be possible. There’s no way anyone discovered anything.
“Did you check the police station? If he got picked up, my dad can get him out. Don’t panic.”
“We checked... he’s not there.”
“What?!” Shi Lezhi shot up from the lounge chair in an instant, his voice now clearly much more panicked than before.
That bastard betrayed us?
...
...
“Xiaoyun, how’s the water temperature?”
“Mm... just right.” Su Yun sat on a small stool, her cheeks flushed red.
Behind her, Qin Xue was helping wash her hair.
To be honest, after being traumatized by that giant pair earlier, it took all the courage Su Yun had just to be sitting here.
Warm water soaked her hair, and the girl’s soft, slender fingers gently combed through her strands.
It tickled—but it felt good.
Also, just earlier, Su Yun had come to realize the real difference between a girl and a woman.
That Xia Rou girl—that’s a “girl.” Perfect for those hot-blooded, righteous college guys.
But Qin Xue? Way out of their league...
Cough cough, it’s not that I'm daydreaming, okay? I'm just worried about Qin Xue’s future.
She just didn’t know why, but when she thought about this stuff, her mood would sour.
She didn’t want to know what kind of man suited Qin Xue. If anything—
Someone like her!
“Xiaoyun, didn’t I ask before if you’ve ever been in a relationship?” Just as Su Yun was deep in her jumbled thoughts, a soft voice floated down from above her head.
“Mm-hmm, what about it?” she quickly replied.
“Then guess—have I ever dated anyone?”
“Eh?”
There was a charming hint of mystery in Qin Xue’s voice. Su Yun instantly felt: Ah... she probably has. She wanted to turn around but didn’t dare, worried about what she might see.
She forced herself to calm down and began to analyze.
If Qin Xue was the campus belle in college, then she must have been the class beauty—or even the school belle—back in earlier school days too.
In Su Yun’s memory, all the class beauties from her junior high and high school had dated before.
At that age, if you had a boyfriend or girlfriend, you were cool. You got attention, people surrounded you, and your vanity was totally satisfied.
On top of that, due to a lack of proper sex education, plus seating rules that didn’t allow boys and girls to sit together, both sides were filled with curiosity about the other. Just having a nice conversation could lead to trying out a relationship.
As for Su Yun, she was socially withdrawn in junior high, and in high school she focused on her studies. So she never dated.
But thinking about it—Qin Xue didn’t like studying, and she wasn’t introverted either.
...
In that instant, Su Yun felt like she had already found the answer. Her heart sank, like it was plummeting into her stomach.
“You have... right?” Su Yun’s voice was weak, trembling slightly.
She really hoped Qin Xue would deny it.
“Hmm? Then guess how many.” Qin Xue hesitated for a second, then said it in a light tone, like it was no big deal.
“Ugh.”
Hearing the confirmation she’d feared, Su Yun’s head drooped. She felt another wave of dizziness crash over her.
So Qin Xue really had dated... and not just once, probably.
Well, of course. If she wanted, she could have any number of boyfriends.
Now Su Yun’s mind was spinning with thoughts of what Qin Xue might’ve done with those guys.
Held hands? Hugged? Kissed? Or even...
“Why do you look so sad, Xiaoyun? Worried I’ve been tricked by someone?” Qin Xue asked softly.
“No...”
“Then I’ll tell you. The answer is zero. Never dated anyone. Heck, I didn’t even have friends as a kid.”
“Eh?! That’s great.” Su Yun’s head shot up, surprised—and beaming.
Zero! Nice!
In that moment, she felt like the happiest person alive.
“‘Great’?” Qin Xue looked a bit puzzled, but she didn’t press. She continued gently massaging Su Yun’s head.
But inside, she was thinking about something else—and struggling to find the words.
Do you like girls? Want to be my girlfriend?
No, too direct.
When they first met, she’d asked Su Yun to be her girlfriend, but that was more of a joke, and Su Yun probably hadn’t taken it seriously.
But now... it was different. This time, it was real.
While both of them were lost in thought, the bathing process quickly came to an end.
Wrapped in thin white towels, the two of them now sat across from each other in the bathtub.
“Hoo...” Su Yun finally relaxed a bit, exhaling a breath of hot steam.
Just now during the bath, she’d made sure to face away the whole time—just to avoid seeing anything “bad.”
Qin Xue’s figure was way more amazing—and way more real—than any of the girls she’d seen in those videos on her phone.
“Xiaoyun.”
“Mm? What now?” Su Yun blushed—she felt like her foot had just been stepped on.
Qin Xue didn’t answer right away. Instead, she gave a mysterious smile.
Maybe the water was too hot, but her cheeks were now flushed red too—making her look especially alluring.
“Do you like me?”
“?” Hearing the question, Su Yun’s eyes widened in an instant.
What did that mean??
Like... can a girl like another girl? Oh—maybe she means that close-best-friend kind of “like.”
“Besides being friends, is there anything else you’d want to do with me? Of course—bestie stuff doesn’t count,” Qin Xue added quickly, eliminating any ambiguous interpretations.
That only made Su Yun even more shocked.
A wild idea flashed through her mind.
Could it be... Qin Xue could tell I'm mentally struggling? Did she suspect I’m actually a “boy”?
Or did Qin Xue genuinely think girls could like girls?
Was this... was this a confession?
No way—Su Yun shook that thought away immediately. Impossible.
“Xiaoyun, what are you thinking about? You’ve been quiet for so long... is your answer ‘no’?” Qin Xue asked, seeing she still hadn’t answered. Her voice carried a trace of disappointment.
“Sis, sis.”
“Mom’s calling you. Should I hang up?” A girl’s voice broke the quiet atmosphere of the bathroom from outside the door.
“What? Hold on, I’ll be right out—pick up for me.”
As soon as Qin Xue heard her sister’s voice, she immediately stood up in a panic—totally forgetting about the risk of her towel slipping.
For the sake of her future life, she had to stay on good terms with her mother.
(End of Chapter)
This bold and italics text mean, Qin Xue’s thought.