Lin Qingle returned to school just in time. After three evening classes, her stomach hurt from hunger.
“The chemistry test today was so hard, and you even finished early! Did you really know how to do all of it?” Jiang Shuyi looked at her with a bit of frustration on their way home.
Lin Qingle shook her head. “There were a few questions I really couldn’t figure out.”
“But you still finished half an hour early.”
“I figured I wouldn’t get it no matter how long I thought, so I just didn’t bother.”
“You’re something else…”
They chatted as they walked, soon passing through the snack street on their way home.
Jiang Shuyi, who had been dieting for a while, couldn’t hold back. “Qingle, let’s grab a late-night snack before heading home.”
Lin Qingle’s allowance was limited, with a fixed daily budget for meals. Today, she’d already used it on a taxi and the dinner she’d brought for Xu Tingbai.
“I’ll skip the snack—I get too full and can’t sleep,” she said, resisting the tempting aromas from each stall and clutching her stomach as she quickened her pace.
“Hey, wait, I’m just grabbing some ice cream.”
Lin Qingle agreed, then quietly moved a few steps ahead, distancing herself from the smell of meat.
Jiang Shuyi returned shortly, holding two ice creams of different colors. “Here, pick one: blueberry or vanilla.”
“You’re eating ice cream this late?”
“We’re young; we can eat cold stuff at night. Pick one.”
“No, it’s okay… thanks, though.”
“Oh, come on, don’t be so polite. I bought them already. Here.”
Lin Qingle bit her lip, then pointed at the beige one.
Jiang Shuyi raised her eyebrows. “I knew you’d pick vanilla. You always go for that flavor.”
Lin Qingle took a small bite of the vanilla ice cream. The rich flavor melted on her tongue, bringing back memories of a boy from her childhood who would only eat vanilla. She remembered how he always chose vanilla.
A small smile curved her lips. She didn’t know why, but he’d influenced her taste, even to this day.
“Vanilla’s great. I really like it.”
“Hmm… alright, I’ll try it next time.”
The next day, Lin Qingle snuck out to visit Xu Tingbai during her evening break again.
But unlike yesterday, she couldn’t hand in her test early, so she had less time.
With her short break, she hurriedly bought some food and went to unlock his door. But today, she couldn’t find the hidden key.
She called his name from the doorway, but when he didn’t come to open it, she had no choice but to leave his dinner by the door and rush back to school.
Later, she didn’t know if Xu Tingbai had picked up the food. All she knew was that the “key” had been removed, and she felt a little disappointed.
The disappointment lingered for quite a while. Finally, on Sunday, she packed her bag right after lunch, ready to go see Xu Tingbai. She wanted to ask him, “Could you put the key back?” It wasn’t safe for him to be alone at home, and even if it wasn’t her, Aunt Jiang or someone else needed to be able to check in on him.
“Mom, I’m going to the library.”
Given how noisy their house could be with nearby people playing mahjong, her mom, Lin Yufen, had no objections to her studying at the library on weekends.
“Take an apple with you in case you get hungry.”
“Okay.”
Lin Yufen handed her an apple and put it into her backpack.
Lin Qingle glanced at the other large apples on the table and suddenly said, “Could I take another one?”
Lin Yufen gave her a curious look. “Are you sure you can finish it?”
Not good at lying, Lin Qingle averted her eyes, covering the flicker in them. “Yes… I’ve been getting hungry easily lately.”
“Alright, I’ll get you one more.”
Her bag felt a bit heavier.
The walk from her house to Xu Tingbai’s wasn’t too far—a brisk twenty minutes.
After greeting the rice noodle vendor at the alley entrance, she headed straight to Xu Tingbai’s place. Climbing the stairs to his apartment, she thought she’d probably end up knocking for quite a while again if she didn’t have the key…
But unexpectedly, before Lin Qingle could knock on the door, she ran into a girl standing outside Xu Tingbai’s door.
The girl was wearing a white dress, her long hair flowing over her shoulders, with big eyes and a high nose. She looked like the type of person Jiang Shuyi would definitely call a goddess.
Lin Qingle froze for a moment, standing still without approaching.
The girl’s face was a little flushed, and her gaze was both moist and defiant. She still had her hand on the doorknob, clearly just having come out of Xu Tingbai’s place. New chapters come out on g.com first.
As the girl turned her head and saw Lin Qingle, her expression instantly stiffened. After a few seconds of hesitation, she silently walked past Lin Qingle without saying a word.
As the girl passed by, Lin Qingle could smell her perfume. She didn’t know the brand, but it was sophisticated and elegant.
The girl hurried down the stairs, her footsteps quickly fading away.
Lin Qingle snapped back to her senses, pulling on the strap of her backpack.
She had never seen the girl before, but for some reason, she had a feeling she knew who she was.
Knock, knock—
After the girl left, Lin Qingle walked up and knocked on Xu Tingbai’s door.
This time, the door opened very quickly.
“What didn’t you take?” Xu Tingbai appeared behind the door, his face dark, and the words he spoke clearly weren’t aimed at her.
Lin Qingle glanced past him at the dining table, where a large box of fruit was displayed. It looked freshly cut, with a variety of fruits like oranges, cherries, and red grapes—many of which were so expensive that her family could never afford them.
Xu Tingbai said, “Speak.”
“Speak about what… Do you know who I am?”
Xu Tingbai froze for a moment. “Lin Qingle.”
“It’s me.” Lin Qingle felt more and more frustrated. Seizing the opportunity while he was still taken aback, she walked past him into his house. “Did you eat lunch?”
Xu Tingbai, realizing she had entered his house, frowned slightly. “I ate.”
Of course, with guests around, he must have eaten.
Lin Qingle looked at the box of fruit on the table. “Xu Tingbai, did you take the key?”
“Yes.”
“Could you put it back? What if something happens to you and I can’t get in?”
Xu Tingbai replied, “You don’t need to get in.”
“Why? Others can come in, but I can’t?” Lin Qingle’s voice unintentionally rose as she spoke. This was the first time she’d shown any irritation in front of him since they reunited.
Xu Tingbai didn’t know she had seen the girl leave his place. He only asked, “What are you here for today?”
Lin Qingle’s growing frustration gave her more courage, and her words came out a little recklessly.
“My house is too noisy. I want to do my homework here!”
Xu Tingbai froze for a moment, clearly puzzled. “Do homework?”
“…And to ask if your injury is better.”
Xu Tingbai’s face wasn’t looking great, but Lin Qingle wasn’t used to seeing him with a pleasant expression, so she didn’t care. Feeling pent-up, she sat down at the dining table, took out her papers and pens, and started working quietly.
The sound of papers rustling made Xu Tingbai frown as he walked toward her.
“Why do you have to do your homework here? Why not elsewhere?”
His tone was as sharp as usual. It was like he was trying to push her away, but Lin Qingle didn’t understand. Why could he accept others’ kindness but push her away?
“I want to do my homework here. I want to! What’s wrong with staying at your place? You used to like me coming over!” Lin Qingle’s face turned red, and her emotions flared. “And besides, I’ve washed your clothes and bought you medicine. Isn’t it okay for me to stay for a while?”
Her sudden outburst left Xu Tingbai momentarily stunned. He instinctively asked, “What did I say to you? Why are you shouting?”
“I… I’m shouting because I want to!”
Why do you let others get close, but always push me away? Why have you forgotten me when you’ve got other good friends?
“You…” Xu Tingbai was about to say something when his finger accidentally brushed against a bag. He reached out and felt it, frowning. “What’s this?”
Lin Qingle muttered, “It’s the fruit the girl who just left gave you. There’s a lot of delicious stuff. She didn’t tell you to leave it here…”
Before Lin Qingle could finish, Xu Tingbai picked up the fruit basket without a word, walked to the door, opened it, and then… threw it outside?
His movements were swift and fluid, and it made Lin Qingle’s frustration deflate like a popped balloon.
What is he doing?
Xu Tingbai returned with a neutral expression, seeming too lazy to argue with her anymore. “Do your homework if you want. Just don’t bother me.”
With that, he went straight into his room.
Lin Qingle watched his retreating back in confusion. Why did he throw away the entire fruit basket? Aren’t they supposed to have a good relationship?
But Xu Tingbai clearly wasn’t going to explain, and with the door shut tight, Lin Qingle finally realized that she had just yelled at him quite loudly.
Her cheeks turned even redder, but she didn’t regret it. She thought, maybe sometimes she needed to be a little more assertive. When someone is sick and stubborn, you have to be even more stubborn to get them to listen. Read the latest chapters at novelping(.)com.
Like today—she had stayed at his house, so sometimes, being a little strong was necessary!
Lin Qingle encouraged herself silently and spread out her test papers, beginning to work on the questions.
The next two hours passed in quiet stillness, one in the living room, the other in the bedroom. Neither of them disturbed the other.
After finishing two test papers, Lin Qingle stood up and stretched her wrists and neck. She turned around and looked—Xu Tingbai’s door was still closed.
What is he doing in there? Isn’t he eating or drinking anything?
Lin Qingle remembered the apple in her bag and stood up again…
A few minutes later, Lin Qingle arrived at his room door and knocked.
The door opened, and Xu Tingbai stood behind it. His beautiful eyes were vacant as he spoke directly, “Finish your homework and go back.”
“Oh, but I haven’t finished yet.”
“…”
“I wanted to ask… the girl who came to your house, is her name Yan Dairong?” she asked.
Xu Tingbai: “Do you know her?”
“She’s a pretty famous girl at our school, because everyone says she’s really good-looking.” Lin Qingle murmured, “She really is quite pretty, and she smells so good…”
The last part Lin Qingle said to herself. When she passed by earlier, she thought the perfume the girl was wearing was very pleasant—a sweet, elegant scent that somehow made the person seem even more beautiful.
She thought, that perfume must be expensive.
Lin Qingle spoke softly, but Xu Tingbai had good hearing and still caught it.
Smells good?
He didn’t really care about the smell, but when she mentioned it, an unexpected scent flashed in his mind—the scent of jasmine. It was very faint.
“By the way, why did you throw away the things she gave you? Aren’t you two pretty close?”
Xu Tingbai was pulled back into his thoughts by her voice. His brows furrowed slightly, as if wondering why he was suddenly thinking about those things.
“…Pretty close? Who told you that?”
“I heard so… So, is it not true?”
Xu Tingbai didn’t want to talk about it, so he just said, “We’re not close.”
“Oh.”
Hiss… What’s going on? Why does she feel a bit happy?
“Do you throw away fruit from people you’re not close to… What about me?”
“What?”
Lin Qingle suddenly felt a little uneasy, but remembering her earlier thoughts—that with a stubborn and rebellious “patient,” she needed to be even more stubborn—she steeled herself and said boldly, “Xu Tingbai, open your mouth.”
Xu Tingbai didn’t understand what she was up to and refused to cooperate. “What are you trying to do this time… mm!”
Suddenly, something was shoved into his mouth!
Xu Tingbai was startled. Just as he was about to spit it out, a hand stretched over to cover his lips.
“Don’t spit it out! Don’t throw it away! We’re friends, we’re familiar with each other, you can eat the fruit I brought!”
The palm was pressed tightly against his lips, almost inseparable.
She acted so suddenly, and as a blind person, he had no way of avoiding it.
All he could do was awkwardly think, under the warmth of her palm, how could her hand be so small and soft, but still so strong.
“Is it sweet?” Lin Qingle loosened her grip slightly, her heart racing from her bold action.
Xu Tingbai immediately stepped back, his breath uneven, unsure whether it was out of anger or panic. “It’s not sweet!”
“It’s not sweet? I brought it from home for you, you know.”
The girl’s voice sounded a little low, clearly annoyed.
Xu Tingbai clenched his fist, looking as if he were about to explode, but his teeth, as if controlled by some unseen force, bit down.
Apple juice splashed all over his mouth—
It was actually sweet. Very sweet.
Author’s Note:
Today, still a case of saying one thing, but meaning another. — Bai.