Lin Qingle noticed Xu Tingbai’s little chewing motion, her eyes brightening. She quickly picked up another piece of apple and held it out to his mouth.
“Actually, it’s not bad, right? Hmm… have another piece.”
Xu Tingbai couldn’t see, but he could feel something pressing against his lips.
“I won’t eat it. If you want to eat it, you eat it yourself.”
Lin Qingle said, “But you need to supplement your nutrition. You’re a bit too thin, you should eat more.”
Her tone was like she was coaxing him.
Xu Tingbai furrowed his brows. “Do you think I’m a child?”
“Children are easier to feed than you…” Lin Qingle murmured.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing, nothing!” Lin Qingle quickly placed the plate with the cut apples in his hands. “Here, you eat it yourself, I’m going to do my homework!”
“…”
Eat it yourself… He really thought she was treating him like a child.
There were quite a few assignments for the weekend. After sitting back down, Lin Qingle kept working on her problems.
The house was small, and with the door left open, Xu Tingbai could sense the movements in the living room.
The sound of the pen gliding across the paper, the occasional rustling of pages, and the small frustrated sounds she made when she couldn’t think of an answer to a question.
He felt that because he couldn’t see, the sounds of the world were amplified many times. When he was outside, he often felt uneasy and irritated due to the surrounding noise. So, except for going to school, he rarely left the house.
When he was at home, the world was quiet—quiet to the point of being desolate, where he could only feel his own presence.
Xu Tingbai set the fruit plate down and heard the chair move slightly, the scraping sound of it dragging across the floor.
He furrowed his brows and reminded himself again that she was a little noisy.
He couldn’t let her stay here. He couldn’t… keep her here.
At dinner time, Lin Qingle returned home.
When she arrived, Lin Yufen had just finished making two dishes and called her to come eat.
“You’re having your midterms soon, right?” Lin Yufen asked.
“Mm, next week.”
“How’s the preparation? Are you keeping up with the lessons?”
Lin Yufen only completed elementary school, so the questions she could ask about Lin Qingle’s studies were surface-level ones like, “Are you keeping up?” or “Can you understand the lessons?” Lin Qingle couldn’t tell her about the struggles she faced, like understanding everything but still not being able to solve some problems.
“I think I’m doing okay.”
Lin Yufen put down her chopsticks, her tone becoming serious. “Then you should really review these next few days. You need to do well and get first place to show those people around us.”
“Mom, first place isn’t that easy…”
“That’s why you need to work hard,” Lin Yufen teased lightly. “All those people who used to laugh at us, now they act all friendly. Who knows what they say about us behind our backs… You see, we’re living just fine, but their own families are a mess, and yet they look down on us? It’s really laughable.”
Lin Qingle quietly took a bite of her food, trying to comfort her. “Mom, we just need to take care of ourselves, we don’t need to worry about others.”
“But I just want to prove that I can take good care of you. It doesn’t matter what kind of person your dad is! He’ll never affect the two of us!”
When her father was mentioned, Lin Qingle could still see the look of resentment on her mother’s face. She thought, Lin Yufen would probably always look like this whenever she brought him up.
She had gotten used to it, and didn’t find anything wrong with it.
Because she was the same way—whenever she thought about that soulless murderer, her heart twisted in agony, filled with hatred.
**
The midterms were also a class division exam. Lin Qingle and Jiang Shuyi were in different exam rooms. On the first day of the exam, after breakfast, they went their separate ways to find their classrooms.
“Qingle, which class are you in?” As she was heading upstairs, Lin Qingle ran into Yu Jiayou.
Lin Qingle stopped at the staircase landing. “I’m in Class 7.”
“How coincidental, I’m in Class 7 too. Let’s walk together.”
Yu Jiayou was familiar with Jiang Shuyi, and since Jiang Shuyi was the person she talked to most in class, she had gradually become familiar with Yu Jiayou as well.
The two walked up the stairs, chatting along the way.
“I spent all last night memorizing ancient poems. I don’t even know which ones will be on the test. I really don’t like memorizing this stuff,” Yu Jiayou said, a bit frustrated.
Lin Qingle replied, “I feel the same… Politics and history are not my strong points.” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“So you’re planning to choose science in the future, right?”
“Yeah, I’m probably more inclined towards science.”
Yu Jiayou smiled. “You’re really special. Most girls are better at liberal arts.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, look at the girls in our class, many of them—”
“Brother.”
Yu Jiayou’s words were interrupted. He turned to look behind him and saw a familiar person. “Dai Rong, you’re in this class too?”
“Yeah, I’m in Class 7. What about you?”
“I’m in Class 7 too.”
When Lin Qingle heard the name “Dai Rong” from Yu Jiayou, she turned around. Yan Dairong looked different from when she had been at Xu Tingbai’s door. That day, she had worn a white dress with long flowing hair. Today, just like Lin Qingle, she wore the school uniform with her long hair tied into a ponytail, youthful and upright.
When she turned around, Yan Dairong also saw her. The two’s gazes met, and they both knew where they had met before.
“Let me introduce you. This is Lin Qingle, from our class. Qingle, this is Yan Dairong, my cousin.”
Yan Dairong stopped in front of her. “Hello.”
She didn’t seem to have any intention of bringing up that day.
Lin Qingle slightly nodded. “Hello.”
“Brother, your classmate is so cute. I’ve never seen her before,” Yan Dairong said with a smile, her lips curving.
Sometimes, people compliment others as “cute” when they have nothing else to say, but Lin Qingle was different.
Yu Jiayou glanced at her. Lin Qingle had a delicate and cute look, with big eyes and fair skin, complemented by a straight fringe, like a doll in a display case—truly adorable.
“Ah… yeah.” Yu Jiayou looked away, cleared his throat, and said, “Qingle transferred here midway. You probably haven’t seen her before.”
Yan Dairong raised an eyebrow.
Yu Jiayou glanced at his watch. “It’s almost time, let’s not stand here. Let’s head to the classroom.”
“Alright.” Yan Dairong replied, “Oh, by the way, let’s have lunch together.”
Yu Jiayou said, “Sure.”
Yan Dairong hesitated for a moment and then said, “Then bring your classmate too, let’s all eat together.”
Lin Qingle started to refuse, but Yan Dairong was enthusiastic. “It’s fine, let’s eat together. We can also compare answers.”
As the three spoke, they entered the classroom. Yan Dairong didn’t give Lin Qingle a chance to refuse and immediately turned to find her seat.
Lin Qingle glanced at her back, paused for a moment, and decided not to refuse.
She felt that Yan Dairong and she might be similar kinds of people. Although Xu Tingbai had said they weren’t familiar with each other, it didn’t seem that way.
Maybe she was also doing this for Xu Tingbai’s sake.
After the Chinese exam, during lunch, the group went to a restaurant near the school.
Once seated, Lin Qingle sat next to Jiang Shuyi, and across from them were Yu Jiayou and Yan Dairong.
“Qingle, what do you like to eat? You can order first.” Yu Jiayou pushed the menu toward her.
Lin Qingle replied, “It’s fine, I can eat anything. You guys order.”
“Do you have any food preferences?”
“No.”
“Alright, then I’ll order some first.” Yu Jiayou took the menu back.
Yan Dairong rested her chin in her hand, teasing, “Brother, why don’t you ask me? You’re just asking Qingle.”
Lin Qingle was slightly stunned.
Yu Jiayou was also momentarily taken aback. He glanced at Yan Dairong, then smiled. “We’re familiar with each other, I know what you’ll eat. I’ll order first, and then you and the class monitor can order the rest.”
“Oh.”
“Dai Rong! Jiayou! What a coincidence, you guys are eating here too!” Just then, the door of the restaurant opened, and a very familiar, yet annoying voice came from behind.
Lin Qingle turned to see a familiar boy in school uniform sit down next to her.
“…”
Zhang Yikun casually poured himself a glass of lemon tea, took a sip, and then turned around, only to realize that Lin Qingle was sitting next to him.
“Hey you—” Zhang Yikun stared, surprised. “Oh my god, Dai Rong, how come… how come you’re all eating together?” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Yan Dairong scoffed at Zhang Yikun. “Do I need your permission to eat with anyone?”
“No, but weren’t you…” Zhang Yikun almost blurted out “rivals,” but quickly stopped himself. He would never admit that Yan Dairong liked Xu Tingbai.
“Fine, fine, whatever,” Zhang Yikun said, turning to look at Lin Qingle. “Hey, classmate, long time no see.”
Lin Qingle turned her head and ignored him.
Yu Jiayou, on the other hand, was displeased. “Go eat your own meal, why are you sitting here?”
“I came alone, it’s such a coincidence that we ran into each other. Let’s eat together.” Zhang Yikun grabbed the menu and said, “No problem, right? We can’t have some people run into me and be so scared that they run off, right?”
Yu Jiayou furrowed his brows and glanced at Lin Qingle. He saw that she had only tilted her head, talking to Jiang Shuyi beside her, looking like she had no particular emotions.
Both Yu Jiayou and Yan Dairong knew how difficult Zhang Yikun could be, so seeing him not do anything too outrageous, they decided not to get into any more trouble with him. If he wanted to sit and eat, let him be.
Eventually, the four of them acted as if he were invisible. When the dishes arrived, everyone at the table started chatting about the topics of today’s Chinese exam, each contributing their thoughts, and Zhang Yikun, who was from a different grade, couldn’t get a word in.
However, Zhang Yikun clearly wasn’t someone who could be ignored. Seeing everyone deliberately disregard him, he took the opportunity to say, “Dairong, I heard you went to see Xu Tingbai the other day.”
“…”
The dining table fell silent immediately.
Yan Dairong, who had been smiling just moments ago, suddenly put her face down. “When did I go to see Xu Tingbai? Stop making up stories.”
“You don’t need to lie to me, I know it’s true,” Zhang Yikun snorted. “What did you go there for? Did that guy take something from you again?”
“Shut up.”
“Dairong, I don’t understand why you can’t see through him. What’s there to sympathize with that blind guy? Let me tell you, you gave him something, and he doesn’t even admit it in front of others. He’s an ingrate.”
Yan Dairong: “Zhang Yikun, I’m warning you! If you keep stalking me and prying into my business, I—”
“I’m not prying into your business, I just don’t trust you. I’m worried you’ll get fooled by that Xu Tingbai guy,” Zhang Yikun said. “Look at what his parents are doing, shady things that ruined their family. What good can he be?”
Yan Dairong: “…”
“I’m just looking out for you. You’re so excellent and kind, don’t let that blind guy bully you. You’re too kind, that’s why you let him do this. Let me tell you, you must not understand him.” Zhang Yikun leaned back with a disgusted look. “I don’t even know how many girls he’s tricked into giving him this and that just because of his face, it’s disgusting…”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
Before Zhang Yikun could finish, a cup of iced water suddenly splashed into his face, cold to the bone!
“Damn!” He jumped up from his chair in shock, wiping his face, staring in disbelief at Lin Qingle, who had splashed him. “You, you—”
Lin Qingle’s hand, still holding the cup, trembled slightly, but her expression showed no sign of retreating. “What? I’m warning you, stop talking nonsense!”
“…!”
Zhang Yikun was too stunned to speak, and both Yu Jiayou and Jiang Shuyi were dumbfounded.
For all this time, Lin Qingle had always given them the impression of being gentle and sweet. She never spoke loudly, let alone… dare to splash someone with water.
“You little girl! You’re brave!” Zhang Yikun’s face was drenched, and he was utterly embarrassed. How could he let it slide? He raised his hand to step forward. Yu Jiayou, recovering from the shock, immediately grabbed him.
“Let go of me!”
“Zhang Yikun! Don’t make trouble at school!” Yu Jiayou said firmly.
“I’m the one causing trouble? Are you blind? She splashed water on me!”
Yu Jiayou pressed his lips together, glancing at Lin Qingle.
Jiang Shuyi pulled Lin Qingle back a little. “You started by badmouthing others! It’s not Qingle’s fault!”
Zhang Yikun: “I didn’t say anything about her! I was talking about Xu Tingbai!”
“That makes it even worse!” Lin Qingle glared at him, speaking clearly, “You have no right to talk about him.”
“You—”
Lin Qingle swiftly grabbed her backpack. “I’m full, you all enjoy your meal.”
“Wait, wait, Qingle, I’ll walk with you.” Jiang Shuyi shot a glare at Zhang Yikun, quickly following her.
As they left the dining hall, Lin Qingle glanced back. Zhang Yikun was being held back by Yu Jiayou, and she couldn’t tell what they were arguing about.
Yan Dairong sat quietly at the table, staring at her with a neutral expression, coldly watching her.
Lin Qingle bit her lip and averted her gaze—
She realized her mistake. Yan Dairong was different from her.
She could tolerate Zhang Yikun talking badly about Xu Tingbai, but she couldn’t, not a single word.
Author’s Note: My dear brother Bai’s defense line is almost breaking, but don’t worry, don’t worry. :）