Xu Zhi hadn’t planned to reveal everything tonight.
It was just Qi Yaoyao’s comment, “This isn’t good,” that seemed to pop something, making her impulsively blurt it out.
But she couldn’t completely shatter the windowpane, either.
She could only start the conversation, indicating to the knowing Qi Yaoyao to stop feigning ignorance.
Qi Yaoyao waited for a while. Seeing that Xu Zhi wasn’t going to complete her sentence, she put her hands behind her back and slowly walked, step by step, towards Xu Zhi.
The neighborhood was old, and the streetlights weren’t very bright.
Compared to the ridiculously large, opulent villa garden where the Qi family lived, this place could almost be classified as a slum.
Yet, even in this kind of “slum,” the monthly rent was 1,500 yuan, and that was a discounted price secured through a personal connection.
The difference between the two girls was just as vast, separated by an astronomical chasm.
“Zhizhi, you want to…” Qi Yaoyao deliberately drew out the sound. Her eyes sparkled dynamically, gazing at Xu Zhi until the other girl slowly and uncomfortably looked away.
“Don’t hide~” Qi Yaoyao took another step closer to Xu Zhi, tilted her head, and leaned in to meet Xu Zhi’s averted gaze.
Xu Zhi, startled by the magnified beautiful face close to her, felt a lump in her throat and immediately took a step back.
Qi Yaoyao saw this and couldn’t help but chuckle, giggling. “What are you afraid of? I don’t bite.”
Her smile and expression were full of confidence.
Seeing Xu Zhi frozen, Qi Yaoyao leisurely walked around her in circles, her eyes full of scrutiny and appraisal.
The original question, “What kind of ‘friend’ do you want to be?” rolled across her tongue.
Qi Yaoyao swallowed it and substituted another question.
She countered Xu Zhi, “What do you think? Why would I be so good to you—sending you a bicycle, bringing you dinner, and taking you home when you were sick?”
Xu Zhi swallowed slightly. Before she could speak, she first grabbed Qi Yaoyao’s arm.
Qi Yaoyao stopped, widening her eyes in confusion to look at her. “Hmm?”
“Stop spinning. It makes me dizzy.”
“…”
Xu Zhi looked at Qi Yaoyao, pursed her lips, and said, “You said I’m not smart, so don’t test me. Just tell me directly, what is your purpose?”
“Fine.” Qi Yaoyao looked at her, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Well, of course, my purpose is to…”
The moment her eyes met Qi Yaoyao’s, Xu Zhi’s heart leaped fiercely, and she inexplicably had a bad feeling. She immediately interrupted, “Is it to help your friend take revenge on me?”
Qi Yaoyao didn’t react right away. “What?”
Xu Zhi said, “I didn’t give your friend my WeChat back then.”
“Oh… What does that matter! Julie is a flirt who falls for everyone; she forgot about you ages ago!” Qi Yaoyao said.
Xu Zhi pursed her lips. “Oh…”
Qi Yaoyao continued to look into Xu Zhi’s eyes, returning to the main topic. “So, my purpose is to have you be my…”
“I ruined your dress,” Xu Zhi suddenly said again.
“Huh?” Qi Yaoyao looked bewildered.
Xu Zhi: “I didn’t check the tag and accidentally washed it with water. Now it’s a bit shrunk and warped. It probably can’t be worn anymore.”
Given the young lady’s extravagant nature, it wasn’t “probably,” it was absolutely not going to be worn again.
Qi Yaoyao understood but was completely unconcerned. “Oh, that’s fine. It’s just a dress. My closet is already too full. If you return it, I’d have to worry about where to hang it.”
Xu Zhi had considered that Qi Yaoyao might not ask for compensation.
But hearing her say it relieved her.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to pay, but that dress was simply too expensive. She would have to tighten her belt and work extra shifts for a long time, even adding her next competition prize money, to pay it back.
If Qi Yaoyao didn’t care at all.
Then she didn’t need to put so much pressure on herself.
“Do you have anything else to say?” Qi Yaoyao, having learned from experience, asked Xu Zhi this time to prevent her from interrupting.
Xu Zhi thought for a moment and shook her head. “No.”
Qi Yaoyao nodded. “Alright. Then my purpose is for you to be my…”
“Let’s eat the bread instead.” Xu Zhi hastily shoved the pork floss bread, which she had somehow squashed and distorted beyond recognition, into Qi Yaoyao’s hand.
Qi Yaoyao looked down: “?”
She looked up at Xu Zhi. “Xu Zhizhi, what are you doing? You ask, yet you’re afraid to hear the answer. Do you already know what I’m going to say?”
Xu Zhi: “…”
Xu Zhi was silent for a long time, then suddenly looked at Qi Yaoyao, her gaze calm. She said, “I don’t like girls.”
“Oh. That’s okay~” Qi Yaoyao was not at all surprised. My mom didn’t like women before either, did she? she thought. She said, “We can start as friends. I’m so beautiful, smart, considerate, gentle, and rich. You’ll slowly change your mind.”
Xu Zhi disagreed, said sorry, and tried to take the bread back from Qi Yaoyao’s hand.
Qi Yaoyao quickly dodged, looking at her. “Why sorry? Do you already like someone?”
Xu Zhi: “No. But I just want to focus on studying and getting into a good university.”
“Don’t bother!” Qi Yaoyao ruthlessly exposed her. “Your grades aren’t good anyway. The college entrance exam is a battle, and you only got into No. 1 High School by sheer luck. Do you think getting into university relies on luck too? If you rely on luck, you might as well rely on me. If you don’t get in, I can still get my mother to send you to the university you want.”
Xu Zhi refused. “I don’t need that.”
“Don’t be so quick to refuse~” Qi Yaoyao raised her hand to eat the bread, looking at the weirdly squashed shape. She finally found an angle to bite and took a chunk. She then said to Xu Zhi, “How much is your integrity worth? As long as you obediently follow me, you won’t even have to live in this remote, dilapidated neighborhood anymore. I’ll buy you a large apartment right in the city center!”
After saying the big words, Qi Yaoyao immediately calculated her current allowance in her head. Yes, that’s right, she could afford it.
So Qi Yaoyao nodded, utterly certain, and looked at Xu Zhi. “So, what’s your answer?”
Xu Zhi didn’t change her stance. “I’m sorry. I genuinely don’t like girls.”
“You!!” Qi Yaoyao was furious, but the anger vanished in the next second. She said, “Your head isn’t clear right now. I can’t be bothered to argue with you. I’ll ask you again in a couple of days!”
Qi Yaoyao finished speaking, handed the confirmed-not-tasty bread back to Xu Zhi, and turned to leave.
But she stopped after only two steps.
She turned back and looked at Xu Zhi’s motionless figure. “You should have told me earlier that you don’t like seafood. I’ll order from a different place tomorrow. And you’re not allowed to eat the dinner sent by that little green tea colleague!”
Xu Zhi: “??”
Xu Zhi turned back and only saw Qi Yaoyao standing under the streetlight. She was beautiful, well-dressed, bright, and outstanding, capable of catching anyone’s eye. But her haughty demeanor made people feel she was just a spoiled, ignorant little princess in an ivory tower.
Xu Zhi suddenly asked, “Is there a reason?”
Qi Yaoyao: “What?”
Xu Zhi: “You want me to be with you. Is it to sponsor me, or to date me?”
Qi Yaoyao had initially planned to use these words to tease Xu Zhi, because Xu Zhi looked so flustered yet tried to act calm—it was too amusing.
But the teasing words were uttered by Xu Zhi instead.
That felt completely different.
The word “dating” was like a spark, shooting straight to Qi Yaoyao’s heart under Xu Zhi’s beautiful, composed gaze.
Qi Yaoyao immediately countered, “Does this young lady need a reason for what she does?”
Xu Zhi looked at her calmly. “Maybe not for other things, but this involves me, and I require one.”
“Fine…” Qi Yaoyao lightly stepped back to Xu Zhi, her deep, beautiful eyes gazing at her. Her words, however, were casual. “I want to see what it feels like to date a girl.”
Xu Zhi: “So you didn’t originally like girls either?”
Qi Yaoyao nodded, then shook her head. “I don’t know, you have to try it to know.”
“With your resources, couldn’t you find anyone to try it with?”
“With my resources, I naturally have to find someone beautiful, someone pleasing to the eye, someone I don’t totally dislike,” Qi Yaoyao said, raising an eyebrow, looking very arrogant as she faced Xu Zhi. “Now I’ve set my eyes on you. What do you say?”
Xu Zhi pursed her lip and said, “I don’t want to.”
Hearing those three words, Qi Yaoyao instantly felt a sharp, hot sting where the spark had hit her heart.
But she roughly suppressed the feeling, maintaining her pride. She let out a heavy snort, raised her eyebrows, and said, “You will agree. Don’t be so absolute.”
“I need to go back. I don’t know the way. Walk me to the complex gate!”
Xu Zhi silently walked beside Qi Yaoyao to see her out.
Qi Yaoyao looked at her sideways.
Xu Zhi noticed her gaze but didn’t look back, one hand in her pocket, her thin lips slightly pressed together.
Qi Yaoyao muttered softly, “I was going to say that if you refused to walk me, I’d report you to the school…”
Her words were vague.
Xu Zhi didn’t hear clearly and looked at her.
Qi Yaoyao thought she had been heard. Meeting Xu Zhi’s gaze, she was full of confidence. “What’s wrong! Isn’t holding something over your head exactly what you do at a time like this? I’m telling you, Xu Scum, from now on, you must be proper. Don’t get too close to any other girl. Maintain your distance, especially from that conniving colleague of yours!”
Xu Zhi frowned. “Why? I haven’t agreed to anything you’ve said.”
Qi Yaoyao was very confident. “You will agree. To prevent me from bringing up all this old history later, you’d better obey me now~ Otherwise, you’ll regret it!”
Xu Zhi was speechless and felt a headache coming on. She escorted Qi Yaoyao to the complex gate and asked again, “Are you by yourself? Where is your bodyguard?”
“He’s following me, just hiding,” Qi Yaoyao finished, a light flowing through her eyes. She smiled and looked up conspiratorially at Xu Zhi. “I have a surprise for you, too. You’ll see it soon, in a couple of days~~”
Xu Zhi dared not look forward to her “surprise” and didn’t respond to the topic, only saying, “Drive carefully.”
“I know, I’ll text you when I get back!” With that, Qi Yaoyao turned around, waved in the dark direction, and called out, “Bring the car over!”
Soon, a tall bodyguard walked over.
Qi Yaoyao tossed the car keys to him, then turned back and waved at Xu Zhi. “Bye-bye~”
Xu Zhi sighed and didn’t say goodbye to her.
The bodyguard drove the car smoothly and steadily.
Qi Yaoyao sat in the back seat. Once the car left the complex road area, she immediately clenched her fist and cheered, “Yes!” then rolled around on the back seat, clutching her phone!
She never expected such an unexpected harvest tonight!!
She had originally been angry and upset because Xu Zhi hadn’t found time to talk to her, yet seemed to have time for a meal with that little green tea colleague.
Now, everything was fine. A blessing in disguise.
The confusion caused by her mother’s situation, which had plagued her for a day and a night, also cleared up.
She could just try it herself.
To see what it felt like to be with a girl.
Xu Zhi was a perfect test subject! She was tall, had a good figure, pale skin, beautiful features, and a pretty good temper.
She seemed a little slow, didn’t talk much, and looked easy to handle.
Qi Yaoyao was overjoyed!
She threw all the shock and confusion caused by “Mom likes women” to the back of her mind.
Now, she just wanted to urge her mother to quickly complete the transfer process for her!
She was increasingly looking forward to the shocked look on Xu Zhizhi’s face when she saw her wearing the same uniform and becoming her classmate at No. 1 High School~~
…
Xu Zhi had no idea what Qi Yaoyao was thinking.
She looked down at the unrecognizable bread in her hand, which had two small crescent-shaped indentations where Qi Yaoyao had bitten it.
“Sigh.” Headache.
Xu Zhi knew she shouldn’t have brought up that topic tonight. It was clearly not the right time to talk about it.
But could “I want to see what it feels like to date a girl” be a reason?
Could there be such a willful and absurd reason in this world?!
Thinking about how Qi Yaoyao’s “offensive” might intensify, Xu Zhi regretted prematurely breaking the ice. She was kicking herself!!
Back at home.
Xu Zhi had already eaten the bread, but she had eaten too much tonight. She had indigestion and couldn’t sleep.
She couldn’t focus on her test papers either.
Xu Zhi leaned on her hand, stressing. Looking at the English test paper with words flying everywhere, she thought one moment of Qi Yaoyao’s determined, smiling eyes, and the next of the skirt that fluttered up as she ran to the car, revealing a stretch of pale, white thigh.
It wasn’t even officially summer yet, and she was already wearing so little at night.
Wait.
This shouldn’t be what I’m concerned about.
Xu Zhi shook her head, forcing those strange thoughts away. She looked down at the test paper, but then threw down her pen and frowned, trying to figure out a countermeasure.
She couldn’t quit the bar.
When faced with trouble, evasion never solved the root problem.
Besides, she couldn’t outrun the temple. Qi Yaoyao knew she lived in this complex and attended No. 1 High School. If that young lady’s reckless willfulness flared up…
Her efforts over the past decade could all be ruined.
So… cooperate?
But how?
And once she cooperated, what if the highly curious young lady took advantage?
Or should she divert her attention…
Xu Zhi thought that the bar had many good-looking, humorous, and experienced young female customers. They often ordered a cocktail and sat quietly at the bar for the whole night.
But she couldn’t judge a book by its cover. Who could guarantee that those customers came from a respectable background, had no strange fetishes, and wouldn’t lead Qi Yaoyao into deeper trouble?
If she harmed Qi Yaoyao.
Her conscience wouldn’t be clear either.
Was it really going to come down to, “If I don’t go to hell, who will?”
Xu Zhi lay down in bed. Just as she was about to turn off the light, her phone vibrated.
YaoYao: [Zhizhi, I made it home safely~~]
Looking at the text, Xu Zhi felt complicated internally. A large part of her felt she had gotten stuck with an annoying, inescapable problem, but there was also a subtle, elusive feeling floating up.
It felt like a faint sense of subtle excitement, but also not.
Xu Zhi frowned and typed.
Xu Zhi: [Mmm.]
The moment that word was sent, the other side sent a selfie, posing cutely with a V-sign. Judging by her outfit, she had just taken it at the entrance to her bedroom.
YaoYao: [Photo] YaoYao: [Zhizhi, dream of me tonight~ Hee hee [Heart]]
Xu Zhi looked at Qi Yaoyao’s photo on the screen, seeing those beautiful, curved eyes that seemed to hide stars. She felt a sharp throb in her temples. Seeing the words, “dream of me tonight,” felt like some kind of terrifying sorcery spell!
She turned off the phone as if she’d been electrocuted, placed it on the bedside table, turned off the light, and pulled up the covers in one swift motion.
Absolutely must not dream of her!
However, things went contrary to her wishes.
The more you worry about something before sleeping, the more likely you are to dream about it.
Xu Zhi dreamed she was taking a shower, and Qi Yaoyao ran over, stepping through the water, to hug her, clamoring for kisses.
She was so flirtatious, her beautiful, deep eyes bewitching.
Xu Zhi, thinking I shouldn’t, tried to pull away.
But the development of the dream was not dictated by human will. She found herself lowering her head and then saying, “Don’t always try to charm me.”
“Why not? Don’t you like it?”
“When you act spoiled, I…”
“Hmm?”
It’s hard to refuse…
Xu Zhi didn’t know if her dream-self managed to say those four words, only remembering that Qi Yaoyao laughed triumphantly and happily, her soft, fragrant arms hooking around her neck.
…
Daylight broke.
Xu Zhi, with dark circles under her eyes, sat on her bed, questioning reality.
She scratched her head and sighed deeply.
Qi Yaoyao had said last night that she couldn’t escape her grasp.
Whether she could escape or not, Xu Zhi didn’t know, but she knew that the normal sleep quality she had fought so hard for was gone forever.
…
High school students about to take the college entrance exam are very ritualistic.
After arriving in class, Xu Zhi wrote inspirational, hard-working, striving motivational quotes on both sides of the blackboard, as usual. After writing, she put down the chalk and sat at her desk.
Hu Xiaohua had been staring at her eyes, demanding, “Class Monitor, did you stay up all night doing practice tests again?”
Xu Zhi: “No.”
Hu Xiaohua said, “But your current state looks exactly like you were drained of life force by a spirit, and as far as I know, the only thing that can drain you is…” She held up the ridiculous stack of test papers on the table. “These!”
Xu Zhi glanced at them and said, “It’s really not.”
Then she took out test papers from her bag.
Hu Xiaohua looked and instantly widened her eyes in surprise. “You…” She picked up the top few pages and quickly flipped through them. “Wow, you haven’t done them. Heavens, the sun must have risen in the west! Class Monitor, what were you doing last night?”
Xu Zhi: “Dealing with a ‘spirit.'”
Hu Xiaohua: “???”
Xu Zhi didn’t elaborate. She took back her papers, examined the questions, and started working.
The morning self-study classroom was filled with the sound of reading, a mix of classical Chinese texts and English vocabulary.
Xu Zhi sat upright, one hand holding down the paper, the other furiously writing.
When class ended, Hu Xiaohua gently nudged Xu Zhi’s shoulder.
Without being told, Xu Zhi slightly stood up, pulled her chair forward, and sat down.
She made enough space for Hu Xiaohua to walk out.
Hu Xiaohua took a long time in the restroom. When she returned, she was full of gossip and asked Xu Zhi, “Hey, hey, Zhizhi, is a transfer student coming to our class?”
Xu Zhi had finished three test papers during the morning study. Without lifting her head, she replied, “I don’t know.”
The girl in the front seat overheard and turned back, confused, to ask Hu Xiaohua, “Seriously? It’s this late—only two months until the college entrance exam—and someone is transferring? Did they commit some kind of offense?”
Someone else said, “Don’t be silly. Is our No. 1 High School a place for people who committed offenses to transfer to?”
“True.”
“But if someone transfers now, they definitely won’t be able to keep up with our review pace, right? And the difficulty of our test papers is completely different.”
“Maybe they just want to get a reputation boost at No. 1 High School, like a rich kid trying to get a guaranteed admission spot or something.”
“Ah?”
Hu Xiaohua thought that was highly possible. She lowered her voice and told them, “I overheard in the office just now that the student’s family is very rich, and the parent even offered to donate a library!”
“Oho,” the girl responded, then said disdainfully, “That’s definitely a rich brat then. It’s ridiculous. Coming here at this time to steal our resources! I’m leaving!”
Xu Zhi did not participate in the discussion at all. Those irrelevant pieces of information didn’t even register in her mind.
…
The morning classes finished. Just as Xu Zhi was about to go to the cafeteria for lunch, the class teacher called her away.
The conversation was about the competition she signed up for last week.
She had to go to a school in the neighboring city for the exam, which would last three days, requiring her to stay there for two nights.
Xu Zhi was used to it and agreed without objection.
Even though she was about to leave for the competition, Xu Zhi still went to the bar after school.
She still had two days, so there was enough time.
Xu Zhi put the competition book back in her bag, planning to ask the boss for time off later. She changed into her uniform and walked out of the staff lounge, just in time to see Zhao Chuchu walking down the stairs.
The two made eye contact.
Zhao Chuchu glanced at her, quickly withdrew her gaze, said nothing, and slightly stepped aside to let her pass.
They brushed past each other.
Xu Zhi felt something was abnormal, but didn’t think much of it until she walked to the bar counter and saw a familiar figure.
The headache that had been filled with competition and review questions instantly flared up.
“Zhizhi~” Qi Yaoyao was clearly in a very good mood today. She smiled sweetly and waved at Xu Zhi, then held up a paper takeout bag. “I brought food! Come, let’s eat together~”
Qi Yaoyao had received good news today: she would soon be taking the entrance test to No. 1 High School!
But to surprise Xu Zhi, she refrained from saying anything.
Xu Zhi walked up to the bartending station and said, “You eat by yourself. I’m not hungry at all.”
Qi Yaoyao opened the food container herself. “You have to eat dinner even if you’re not hungry. You can’t work on an empty stomach. No seafood tonight, I bought it from the Jiuyuan Chinese Restaurant~”
After saying this, she glanced in the direction Xu Zhi had just come from and lowered her voice. “Did you just run into that colleague of yours?”
Xu Zhi immediately connected this to Zhao Chuchu’s strange state and looked at Qi Yaoyao. “What did you say to her?”
“I told her that we are already dating,” Qi Yaoyao unwrapped a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Xu Zhi with a beaming smile. “Hurry and eat. It tastes best while hot~”
Xu Zhi sighed. “If you do this…”
Xu Zhi couldn’t bring herself to say harsh words.
She didn’t care about being “outed” herself; it probably wouldn’t affect her job at the bar much.
But Qi Yaoyao’s willful behavior, doing things entirely her own way, was frustrating.
Yet, she couldn’t say anything harsh. It was fine when they didn’t know each other, but after getting acquainted, the longer she looked into Qi Yaoyao’s eyes, the harder it was to say anything mean or cruel.
But she was resistant internally.
“What, are you going to scold me now?” Qi Yaoyao saw her complicated expression, wanting to speak but holding back. She put down the untouched chopsticks and said unhappily, “Just because I told her those things?”
Qi Yaoyao’s voice was a little loud, and people immediately stole glances at them.
Xu Zhi said, “You got the priority wrong.”
Qi Yaoyao’s eyes sparkled. She countered, “Are you saying that I should win you over first before telling others that we are dating?”