In a corner of the campus—a small bridge, flowing water, weeping willows, dappled shade, and a European-style long bench.
Gu Lingluo and Liu Xia sat on the bench. Students walked by in small groups on the opposite bank of the river.
Gu Lingluo rubbed her temples, a headache brewing. “What exactly do you want?”
Liu Xia placed her hands on her knees, back straight, sitting as primly and properly as an elementary school student.
“I don’t want anything. I just want you to tutor me in German.”
Mr. Seider had already spoken. She didn’t believe Patron Mom wouldn’t compromise!
“I’m asking about your real motive!”
She couldn’t see Patron Mom’s expression through the bandage, but she could tell from her tone that Patron Mom seemed… very unhappy.
Liu Xia stubbornly refused to admit the truth. “I genuinely just want you to teach me German!”
Gu Lingluo sneered. Did she think covering half her face could conceal her awful acting?
“Your makeup is quite good.”
“Makeup? What makeup?”
Liu Xia’s heart skipped a beat.
No way! Hao Yan’s technique was definitely at a master level. Even when she peered into the mirror, she couldn’t see any flaws. How did Gu Lingluo notice it from so far away?
This isn’t scientific!
She was definitely trying to trick her!
Deny everything!
“Heaven is my witness! I really have acute conjunctivitis! You might not have seen clearly from a distance, but that Xiao-something-or-other was right next to me. If I were really faking it, do you think she would have let me off?”
“That’s why I said your technique is good.”
“No! Can you please be reasonable?! Why would I pretend to be blind for no reason? And for several days? Do you know how much trouble it is not to be able to see anything? I have to beg someone just to follow me to the bathroom! Can you please stop judging a gentleman’s heart with the mind of a petty man?!”
“You’re genuinely not wearing makeup?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Fine!” A wet wipe was handed to her. “Then use this to wipe your eyes. Don’t worry, it’s a sterile wipe. It definitely won’t cause infection.”
“This… this isn’t very appropriate, is it? We’re outside, and there are people everywhere…”
“As long as you prove it’s definitely not makeup, I’ll tutor you every day after school from now on. We can even add extra sessions on Saturday and Sunday.”
This condition was too tempting!
But…
Liu Xia timidly asked, “And, what if it is makeup…?”
Gu Lingluo stood up. “Goodbye.”
Liu Xia immediately grabbed her.
“Don’t leave! The police station even offers leniency for confessions! You can’t be this heartless!”
“Heh!”
Liu Xia held onto her arm tightly and wouldn’t let go.
“All I want is to study hard, work hard, not drag you down, not let the teacher down, and strive fearlessly for the modernization of socialist society! The intention is good, no matter how you look at it! Just forgive my minor offenses, please, and tutor me! I’m begging you, Lingluo!”
Gu Lingluo frowned. “Are you that casual? Can you just throw around the word ‘begging’? Also, don’t speak so intimately. You and I are not close.”
Did she have to be so nitpicky?!
They say a great man can bend and stretch. What was wrong with a little woman like her saying the word ‘beg’?
And what did she mean by “You and I are not close”?
She was usually so stingy with words. Why didn’t she just say “We’re not close” to save a character? Was she that desperate to distance herself from her? Even her speech had to separate them with ‘you’ and ‘I’?
A breeze blew past, gently swaying the willow branches, and a few withered willow leaves drifted down, perfectly setting the mood.
Liu Xia’s heart was like those withered leaves abandoned by the willow tree, desolate and adrift.
“If it weren’t for keeping my promise to you, would I be like this? In the end, I paid back the money, suffered the consequences, and now I’m criticized by everyone.”
Gu Lingluo was almost amused out of anger. “For me?”
“Isn’t it for you?” This time, she didn’t need to act. Liu Xia was genuinely wronged, and her voice began to crack with tears. “You were the one who said I couldn’t open my eyes until you said ‘Okay.’ That’s why I wrapped this bandage on! Otherwise, how was I supposed to explain to the teacher why I wasn’t opening my eyes in class?”
This lie was so transparent that no normal person would believe it, yet this was the one time Liu Xia was truly being herself, and Gu Lingluo actually hesitated.
The choked sob was clearly genuine, absolutely not acting.
Could she really be so stupid that she wouldn’t open her eyes for days just because of one sentence from her?
No wonder the whole school gossiped that she was a flower vase with nothing but her looks. She truly was quite idiotic.
If she were acting like the usual rascal she was, it would be easier. But with her clinging so pitifully to her sleeve, Gu Lingluo found it difficult to say anything harsh.
Gu Lingluo sat back down. “Let go.”
“I won’t! You’ll run away the moment I let go. I can’t see, so I definitely won’t be able to catch you.”
“I won’t run. Let go.”
“You really won’t run?”
“You don’t trust me?”
Liu Xia desperately wanted to say she didn’t—the incident of her ditching her last time hadn’t been resolved yet!
But she didn’t dare.
“I trust you! Even if I don’t trust anyone else, I have to trust you! My faith in you is as solid as…”
“Enough. Skip the flattery. I only want to hear the truth.”
Liu Xia looked utterly wronged. “I am telling the truth.”
“Why were you following me?”
This question, a direct hit to the heart of the matter, caught Liu Xia off guard.
“I… I… well…”
“Think carefully before you answer. Whether I tutor you or not depends entirely on whether you tell me the truth.”
Waaah~
The entire school knew she was following the new campus belle. How could Patron Mom not know?
How should she answer this difficult, deadly question?
Should she say directly: Because you will kill me eleven years from now, so I need to be your Ji-you to save my life?
Patron Mom would never believe it. Not only that, she’d probably think she was a Chuunibyou (eighth-grader syndrome patient), a lunatic with a hole in her head who had been kicked by a donkey! She would definitely abandon her immediately, without mercy!
No!
The truth absolutely couldn’t be told!
But if she lied, with Patron Mom’s ‘fiery eyes of truth,’ she might not be able to pull it off. What should she do?
Gu Lingluo asked patiently, “What’s wrong? Is that question so difficult to answer?”
Liu Xia nodded miserably.
“If that’s the case, forget it. Goodbye.”
Gu Lingluo made to leave, but Liu Xia, though sightless, was quick with her hands and immediately grabbed her arm again.
“Don’t! Don’t go! I’m not deliberately hiding it from you. I genuinely can’t say it out loud!” (Besides Hao Yan and Gai Gai, how many normal people would believe in rebirth in the real world?)
“Is it really that hard?”
“Yes.”
“Then let me ask a different question. Why did you try so hard to get into my group?”
How was that any different from the first question?
Liu Xia sniffled. “It’s for the same reason I was following you.”
“Then… why do you want me to tutor you?”
“To avoid dragging you down, of course!”
“Hmm…?” The drawn-out sound was a clear threat.
Liu Xia instantly snapped to attention and quickly added, “That’s one of the reasons! The other reason is… the same reason as those first two questions.”
Gu Lingluo sighed slightly. “So, you are approaching me for the exact same reason?”
Liu Xia nodded.
“Is this reason very embarrassing?”
She nodded again.
“I won’t ask the reason, then. What ultimate goal are you trying to achieve?”
“I want to be with you!”
“What?”
Is she hard of hearing at such a young age?
Liu Xia repeated herself. “I want to be with you! Preferably living together!” (That way, she could constantly monitor Patron Mom’s every move and nip any possibility of her own death in the bud!)
“You! Why are you so careless about the setting when you speak?!”
Liu Xia was confused.
The setting? Do you have to worry about the setting just to ask someone to be your Ji-you?
Gu Lingluo instinctively looked around. Fortunately, it was dinnertime, and there weren’t many people around, and no one seemed to have heard her shocking statement.
She really… likes her.
She had suspected her motives before, but she had never dared to confirm it. She didn’t expect it to be true.
In her ninety thousand years of life, she had encountered women who were interested in her, but none were as direct as Liu Xia. Moreover, women were usually thin-skinned; a few cold looks would discourage them from harassing her again. Only this source of trouble was shamelessly thick-skinned.
Gu Lingluo pressed a hand to her forehead in exasperation. “I will tutor you in German at most. Forget about anything else.”
“…”
Liu Xia teared up. Why is it so hard to get a Ji-you?
Fine. Regardless, she had made some progress. She could plan the rest later.
“So… when do we start? How about… today? You know my German is really terrible. 19 points was already me using all my might and practically pulling all my hair out to achieve…”
Seeing her about to launch into another long, rambling monologue, Gu Lingluo cut her off decisively. “Six o’clock, the library!”
With that, she stood up to leave. Liu Xia, though sightless, was quick with her hands and immediately grabbed her.
“Wait! You haven’t said ‘Okay’ to me yet!”
“Didn’t we just agree? Six o’clock, the library.”
“Not that ‘agree.’ I mean the word ‘Okay’!” (好, Hǎo)
Gu Lingluo frowned. “What’s the difference?”
Liu Xia pointed to the bandage on her face. “It’s the ‘Okay’ from the passcode! If you don’t say it, how can I open my eyes? And how can you tutor me?”
Gu Lingluo was speechless. She should never have treated her like a normal person!
“You can open your eyes now.”
Liu Xia was utterly serious. “Passcode error. Please re-enter.”
Gu Lingluo: “…”
“Then stay blind for the rest of your life!”
“Don’t do that!” Liu Xia cried piteously. “You made the rule yourself! How can you break your own rule? It’s just one word, one word! Is it really that hard?”
Gu Lingluo regretted everything. She could already foresee how difficult the path of tutoring would be.
She silently recited a purity mantra before forcing the single word “Okay” out.
“Oh my God! I finally heard that word! Can I open my eyes now?”
Gu Lingluo couldn’t be bothered to deal with her anymore. She pushed her hand away and turned to leave.
Liu Xia smiled sneakily behind her.
Heh!~
You’re still too green to contend with me!
Just wait. One day you’ll be crying and begging to be my good Ji-you~~!