Taking a day off hadn’t raised any suspicion. On the way to school the next day, Jiang Shuyi even thoughtfully asked Lin Qingle if she was feeling better.
“My stomach just hurt a bit yesterday; it’s nothing serious. Don’t worry.”
Jiang Shuyi asked, “Did you get your period?”
“No.” Lin Qingle didn’t want to mention Xu Tingbai’s situation from last night, so she just said, “I think… I just ate something bad.”
“Well, you should be more careful from now on.”
“Mm.”
As they approached the school gate, a black car pulled up not far away, and a boy in a school uniform got out of the back seat.
“Yu Jiayou!”
Jiang Shuyi spotted him immediately and raised her hand in greeting when she saw her school’s heartthrob.
Yu Jiayou looked back, saw the two of them, and walked over. “Qingle, Class Rep, morning.”
“Morning,” Jiang Shuyi replied.
“Haven’t had breakfast yet?”
“Oh, we have,” Jiang Shuyi said, glancing at Lin Qingle and noticing the bun in her hand that she’d bought near her home. “Why haven’t you eaten yet?”
Lin Qingle had been preoccupied and had forgotten to eat as they walked.
“Oh… I forgot.” She glanced at the inspection team by the school entrance and said, “You two go ahead; I’ll eat and come in.”
Yu Jiayou checked his watch. “It’s still early, no rush. We’ll wait for you.”
Lin Qingle quickly shook her head. “No need, I’ll be quick.”
Jiang Shuyi insisted, “Oh, we’ll wait. Don’t dawdle; hurry up and eat.”
Since they insisted, Lin Qingle stopped arguing, opened the bag with the bun, and took a few bites.
The area near the school gate was bustling with students in matching uniforms, walking in groups of two or three.
Yu Jiayou was popular and striking, naturally drawing glances from passersby. Jiang Shuyi straightened her back, a cheerful smile on her face.
Lin Qingle, however, paid no attention to the glances coming her way. She absentmindedly ate her bun, thinking that she’d have no good excuse to skip evening study tonight.
“Qingle, where did you get that bun?” Yu Jiayou suddenly asked.
Lin Qingle, her mouth still full, looked up at him, cheeks puffed out and eyes wide with slight confusion. She looked so cute, it made people want to pinch her cheeks.
Yu Jiayou chuckled. “Watching you eat makes me hungry.”
Lin Qingle glanced at her bun.
“Hey, you’re spot on! Watching her eat is totally appetizing. I’ve even gained a few pounds eating with her lately,” Jiang Shuyi chimed in, laughing. “This bun’s from a little stall near my place. It’s alright. Want me to bring one for you tomorrow?”
Yu Jiayou smiled. “Sure, bring me the same one.”
“No problem. It’s a custard bun—Qingle’s favorite. She only ever eats custard buns.”
Lin Qingle: “…”
Finally, under the watchful gaze of the other two, Lin Qingle sped up and finished her bun.
The three of them entered the school together.
It was Thursday, and the last two classes in the afternoon were a chemistry quiz. Chemistry was one of Lin Qingle’s stronger subjects, so she handed in her paper thirty minutes early.
After school, wanting to save time, she hailed a taxi right away.
She was in a bit of a hurry today, so at the intersection of Yueqian Road, she quickly picked up some rice noodles from a street vendor before heading straight to Xu Tingbai’s house.
By now, she was very familiar with the route to Xu Tingbai’s home. She knocked twice on the door, and when no one came to answer, she used the key from the entryway to unlock it.
Upon entering, the room was dark.
“Who is it?” A voice came from the corner of the room.
Lin Qingle closed the door behind her. “It’s me.”
Xu Tingbai was sitting on a small sofa in the living room, hidden in the shadows.
When he heard her name, his brows furrowed—he’d forgotten to put the key away.
She couldn’t see him clearly, but she could sense the displeasure in his voice.
“No, evening study hasn’t started yet. I came over during the break,” Lin Qingle replied, walking over to the balcony and quickly pulling the curtains open.
The light poured in, illuminating the boy on the sofa who had been cloaked in darkness.
Feeling more comfortable now, Lin Qingle walked over and stood in front of him. She looked down at him, hesitated, and asked, “Xu Tingbai, could you… take off your shirt?”
The boy on the sofa stiffened. “What did you say?”
“I promised yesterday that I wouldn’t take off your clothes without asking, but could you… do it yourself?” Lin Qingle squatted down in front of him and whispered, “I just want to check.”
Her voice was calm and without any hidden meaning, but her words could hardly sound innocent to a boy on the verge of adulthood.
Xu Tingbai froze, his breathing growing heavier. “Lin Qingle, do you know how old you are?”
Lin Qingle replied, “But you need to lift your shirt, or else… how am I supposed to put medicine on your injuries?”
“No need; I can do it myself.”
“But you can’t see where you’re hurt—”
“I know where it hurts!”
Lin Qingle paused, then mumbled, “Who did this to you? Was it Zhang Yikun? Or someone else?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“If I see you like this again, I… I…” Lin Qingle hesitated, then firmly declared, “I’ll call the police. I’ll protect you in my own way.”
Protect…?
A little girl thinking she could protect anyone.
Xu Tingbai’s expression held a mocking smile, but his heart clenched painfully. It was a feeling both stifling and sour, almost unbearable.
“Go back to class. I don’t need you here.” He abruptly stood up and walked straight to his room.
As he walked away, Lin Qingle called after him, “Make sure to come out and eat something after you’ve applied the medicine. I left it on the dining table.”
Xu Tingbai didn’t respond, closing the door behind him.
Applying the medicine wasn’t difficult for Xu Tingbai. He was used to doing things in the dark, and he was used to getting hurt.
His wounds still hurt, and he applied some ointment casually, clutching his aching abdomen as he stood up.
It was quiet outside. As he stepped out of his room, he sensed that no one was around—Lin Qingle had left.
Good.
Xu Tingbai walked over to the dining table and found a plastic bag with a bowl of noodles inside.
He picked up the bag, intending to throw it away. But when he reached the trash can, he hesitated.
The noodles were a bit cold.
Just like a person’s heart—it could chill so easily.
He thought to himself that one day, she too would be like everyone else, disgusted with him and repulsed by him.
Just like today… She must have already started to feel frustrated with him, given she’d barely stayed for three minutes.
But this was for the best.
This was the outcome he wanted.
Just as this bitter thought crossed his mind, he suddenly heard the unexpected sound of the sliding door opening behind him—it was the balcony door!
Xu Tingbai froze, and before he could react, he heard a soft voice call out, “Xu Tingbai, there aren’t enough hangers outside. I can’t hang all the clothes…”
She… hadn’t left?
His heart tightened, and he turned around. “Why are you still here?”
Lin Qingle, standing on the balcony, replied curiously, “There’s still half an hour until evening study. I’m not in a rush.”
The thoughts swirling in his mind were suddenly shaken, leaving Xu Tingbai momentarily flustered.
“What clothes…? What are you doing?”
He couldn’t see, which made doing many tasks a hundred times harder than usual, and on top of that, he was injured now.
Lin Qingle genuinely felt sorry for him. But at her age, she didn’t know how to really help, so she did what she could—like applying medicine, bringing food, or hanging up his clothes.
They were small things, really just a matter of convenience for her.
But Xu Tingbai suddenly frowned, took a step forward, and, as if he could see her, pulled her inside.
A pile of clothes she’d been carrying almost slipped out of her arms.
“Who told you to do my laundry?”
“It’s fine, I had the time… Um, where are the hangers? I haven’t finished hanging them.”
Xu Tingbai grabbed the clothes from her arms. They’d just come out of the washing machine and were all bunched up, but as he pulled them from her, a T-shirt fell to the ground.
The rest of the clothes were in his hands, but as he sorted through them, he realized something wasn’t right. One item was a T-shirt, another was a pair of pants, and then there was a smaller item—his… underwear.
The air seemed to freeze.
Lin Qingle saw the black, four-cornered underwear he’d pulled out from between the clothes, and her eyes widened slightly. She hadn’t realized when she’d tossed everything into the washing machine that his underwear was mixed in. When she’d taken it out, it must have been tangled with the other clothes, so she hadn’t noticed.
Lin Qingle glanced at him cautiously. “Just give me the hangers, and I’ll go finish…”
Xu Tingbai’s face was cold, and his knuckles holding the underwear turned slightly white from the pressure. But if one looked closely, they’d notice his ears were faintly red.
Lin Qingle, too nervous to notice, continued, “I didn’t mean to… it’s not like I washed them by hand.”
“…”
“Xu Tingbai, are you angry?”
His expression was indeed tense. Lin Qingle glanced down at the underwear in his grip and said, apologetically, “Sorry… I didn’t know your underwear was mixed in. My mom always says clothes and underwear shouldn’t be washed together. It’s not hygienic… I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“……”
Xu Tingbai’s face darkened further.
Lin Qingle blinked and said, “I’ll be more careful next time… um, how about I just help you hang these up first?”
“No need!” Xu Tingbai stepped back abruptly, instinctively hiding the underwear behind his back. “I’ll hang them myself.”
“Oh…”
“What are you still standing there for? Get back to class!”
He was so fierce—it seemed he was really upset.
Feeling regretful over her carelessness, Lin Qingle could only concede. She slowly moved toward the door. “Alright, I’ll go now. Take care of yourself.”
Xu Tingbai stood with his back to her, saying nothing.
Lin Qingle stepped out.
Bang—
The sound of the door closing. She was gone.
Xu Tingbai clutched the T-shirt and underwear, standing frozen in place.
She’d touched his…
No… probably not.
But maybe she did, and just didn’t mention it…
His face alternated between red and green. Talking about how it’s unhygienic to wash them together—what was she even going on about? Was that really the main point here?
His mind was in a jumble, and only after a long silence did his tense expression start to soften slightly.
Finally, he went back inside, found two hangers, and made his way to the balcony, feeling his way to hang up the clothes.
The air around the balcony was filled with the familiar scent of laundry detergent. But today, within that familiar fragrance, there was another, subtler scent that somehow stirred him—a hint of jasmine, like the scent from a girl’s hair that he’d smelled before.
_______
Author’s Note: My girl not only touched me but even touched my pants.