In addition, she also wanted to secretly kiss the slightly red and translucent spot behind his ear, and the fair skin of the back of his neck.

Bai Jiangxin’s eyelids trembled lightly. Clearly, she was only looking, letting her breath fall there, and hadn’t actually touched him, yet the patch of skin on the back of his neck had already begun to slowly turn red. It was as if she had already kissed him there, leaving behind a mark that belonged only to her.

【I’m so happy.】

She sighed in her heart.

【bjx, I will definitely remember this day forever.】

【Remember this day — the noon when I didn’t go to the cafeteria because of menstrual cramps, and you carried me to the infirmary.】

【When many, many years have passed, even if by then you’ve long since forgotten about me, when I think back on it, I’ll still feel that I was so happy back then.】

Because of the environment he grew up in, Bai Jiangxin had always felt that happiness was a very rare thing.

But from her mouth, he had already heard her exclaim “so happy” so many times that he couldn’t even count.

Today it didn’t rain. The teacher didn’t assign much homework. Even something as trivial as that, she seemed able to find something worth being happy about.

Even things he himself had never paid any attention to before — every accidental glance exchanged with her, every brush past each other, a simple “excuse me,” a simple “okay” — had all been deeply remembered by her, supporting her through one dull and exhausting day after another of her senior year, being happy again and again.

Even if it was an unrequited crush with no outcome, even if she had never been noticed by him, she still lived herself into the most optimistic version within her own one-person Peach Blossom Spring of secret love.

True feelings can change at any time, but at least in this very second, her true feelings were so sincere and intense that Bai Jiangxin had nowhere left to hide.

So it turned out that being secretly missed and liked like this by someone was also a very happy thing.

For the convenience of students, the school had arranged the infirmary to be very close. The distance from the classroom to the infirmary was very short.

The doctor on duty hadn’t gone to eat yet. Because it was a physiological period issue, it wasn’t convenient for Bai Jiangxin to stay any longer. After sending Xiang Di to the infirmary, he left.

Going upstairs alone was much easier than going downstairs carrying someone, but these few flights of stairs instead became longer.

Clearly, just now, when he was carrying her downstairs, Bai Jiangxin had, just like her, also felt for the first time that the road from the classroom to the infirmary was indeed too short.

So short that he had no idea how to ease the fierce heartbeat surging inside his chest.

So short that this tiny distance wasn’t enough to listen to her chattering inner voice. This time hadn’t even ended, yet he was already starting to anxiously think about when the next contact would be, and whether he would still have the patience to wait until that time.

So short that he felt he was truly finished.

─── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ───

Xiang Di slept very comfortably in the infirmary.

When she woke up, the world felt unreal. The infirmary was full of white, the smell of disinfectant was pungent, and the fluorescent light above her head was glaring, making it impossible to tell what time it was.

The person guarding her was Liang Qianqian, who was still holding the bread she had bought for her at the school shop at noon.

“Wow, you can really sleep.” Liang Qianqian said. “Do you know what time it is now?”

Xiang Di blinked in a daze. “What time?”

Liang Qianqian held up a hand. “Five thirty. In a little while, your bread can count as dinner.”

“Five thirty?!!” No wonder, when she woke up, she felt the whole world was unreal. Xiang Di suddenly sat up from the bed. “Then didn’t I skip an entire afternoon of classes?!”

Liang Qianqian comforted her. “Don’t worry. Ye Minjia already helped you ask for leave. Even though the homeroom teacher usually looks iron-faced and ruthless, he’s still very considerate toward us girls.”

Only then did Xiang Di let out a sigh of relief.

“How did you know I was in the infirmary?”

“Bai Jiangxin told me. I went back to the classroom after lunch and didn’t see you. Only he was there. He said your stomach hurt so badly you couldn’t take it anymore, so he sent you to the infirmary.”

At this point, Liang Qianqian’s tone turned probing. “…I heard people say that Bai Jiangxin carried you to the infirmary?”

Xiang Di hesitated, then nodded.

“Then you two have quite a good relationship, huh.” Liang Qianqian said. “When other girls in our class have menstrual cramps, I’ve never seen Bai Jiangxin carry anyone to the infirmary…”

Xiang Di pressed her lips together. Actually, at this moment, as long as she kept silent, Qianqian would probably think there was something between her and Bai Jiangxin.

But when she thought of how he had so decisively clarified things at noon, as if afraid of being misunderstood as having something with her, she felt that she still shouldn’t unilaterally manufacture rumors with him. It would bring him trouble.

So she said in a firm tone, “That was just me being lucky, I happened to run into him when he was coming back from eating. If it were another girl, he definitely would’ve helped too.”

Liang Qianqian gave a light “oh.”

Such a tough mouth.

If it were another girl, Bai Jiangxin would probably directly call the school doctor over, or even, more exaggeratedly, call 120. In any case, he definitely wouldn’t personally carry a girl to the infirmary.

Before, she had thought Ye Minjia was talking nonsense. But now that she looked at it, that kid Ye Minjia might really have some talent for being a detective.

Since she wouldn’t admit it, Liang Qianqian could only change the topic. “Have you not been resting well lately? I’ve never seen you hurt this badly before.”

Xiang Di guiltily scratched her cheek and could only say, “…Maybe I’ve been studying too hard recently.”

Liang Qianqian sighed. “That’s true too. From morning to night it’s nothing but exams. Luckily, you slept the whole afternoon today. Our class had two exams back to back today! Two! I’m speechless. I came to school to read senior year, not to be a beast of burden, okay.”

“Next week there’s also the first mock exam. Might as well die.”

After saying that, Liang Qianqian flopped her head down beside the bed.

Xiang Di patted her head sympathetically. “It’s fine. We’ll get through it soon.”

Liang Qianqian lifted her head again, brushed aside her bangs, and said viciously, “No, this weekend is a break. I must properly relax.”

Xiang Di remembered that the few of them had already made plans for this weekend. Zhou Linxiao was treating, and they were going to go eat an all-you-can-eat feast together.

Just thinking about good food over the weekend instantly gave her energy. She lifted the blanket and prepared to get out of bed.

Liang Qianqian: “You’re not sleeping anymore?”

“Not sleeping. Going back to the classroom to continue fighting!”

─── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ───

After returning to the classroom, the dismissal bell for the last class of the afternoon happened to ring.

Xiang Di felt a bit guilty. It was the first time she had slept an entire afternoon and directly skipped a whole afternoon of classes.

Fortunately, everyone was focused on themselves, and no one really cared that she hadn’t come to class for an entire afternoon. Xiang Di accepted the concern and greetings from several girls she was on good terms with. Only after she clearly stated that she was fine did the girls feel relieved and go off to eat.

When she walked into the classroom, Wang Sichen was the first to see her and said with a grin, “Yo, our esteemed elder has finally come out of seclusion? Planning to unify the jianghu¹Jianghu (江湖): Literally “rivers and lakes.” A traditional Chinese term referring to the martial arts world or a semi-fictional society outside official authority, often associated with heroes, wanderers, sects, and personal codes of honor. In modern slang, it can be used humorously to mean “the world” or a social arena. now?”

Xiang Di replied with a mischievous smile, “Yeah, and the first one I’ll take in after coming out is you.”

Zhou Linxiao also hadn’t left yet and asked with concern, “Do you feel better now?”

Before Xiang Di could answer, Ye Minjia spoke first. “If you’re not better yet, I’m not helping you ask for leave anymore. You can go ask the homeroom teacher yourself.”

“Much better, much better. Thanks for the concern.” Xiang Di added specifically to Ye Minjia, “Thanks, class monitor, for helping me ask for leave. Otherwise I would’ve been told to call my parents.”

“Hey, don’t thank me.” Ye Minjia pointed at a certain someone. “Thank Bai Jiangxin. It was him who suggested I help you ask for leave.”

The next second, Xiang Di looked toward Bai Jiangxin.

No matter what, she should thank him.

She walked over to Wang Sichen’s desk. Wang Sichen very considerately made space for her.

“Um—”

Saying thank you to other people was as simple as eating and drinking. Why did saying thank you to him feel so awkward?

It was just saying thank you, not confessing. What are you being shy about, Xiang Di.

“…Thank you.”

Usually, at times like this, Bai Jiangxin would habitually reply with a “no problem,” and the matter would be over.

But today he didn’t. He raised his eyes, his dark gaze looking at her as he asked, “That’s it?”

Xiang Di froze.

Ye Minjia laughed in a flippant manner at the side. “Then what else? You want her to repay you with her body or something?”

Xiang Di’s face heated up.

Repay with her body?! She was willing!!

But even if she was willing ten thousand times over in her heart, on the surface she could only pretend to be shy and not say anything.

Bai Jiangxin shot Ye Minjia a sideways glance, signaling him to shut up, then shifted his gaze back to Xiang Di’s face.

Looking at her somewhat at-a-loss expression, his Adam’s apple moved.

“Treat me to a meal.”

Ye Minjia at the side was stunned.

This young master’s family has several Rolls-Royces, yet he’s asking a girl to treat him to a meal. Has he been possessed by a ghost? Doesn’t he have mysophobia? Doesn’t he never eat at the same table with other people?

Footnotes

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  Jianghu (江湖): Literally “rivers and lakes.” A traditional Chinese term referring to the martial arts world or a semi-fictional society outside official authority, often associated with heroes, wanderers, sects, and personal codes of honor. In modern slang, it can be used humorously to mean “the world” or a social arena.