After Becoming a Spare Tire, I Got Together with My White Moonlight - Chapter 7

Qin Xiangxi said, “I don’t like you. Give up.”

Qin Xiangxi said, “Stop doing all these unnecessary things to bother me. I don’t want to see you again.”

In the original storyline, when Qin Xiangxi spoke these words, half of it was venting her emotions, and the other half was repeatedly emphasizing her deep, unwavering love for her “white moonlight.”

Yet, when the backup option came crawling back, offering her the things she liked, she would still silently accept them.

When she had a one-sided argument with her white moonlight and broke down emotionally, her first instinct was still to call the backup option and dump all her negativity on them.

Because deep down, she knew very well that only the backup option would cater to her every whim. Over time, being indulged had turned into an ingrained habit, something she took for granted.

Even after being reborn and realizing the benefits of the backup option, in the beginning, she still clung to delusions about her white moonlight responding to the backup’s affection while continuing to entangle herself with the white moonlight. It wasn’t until the white moonlight explicitly expressed disgust that she felt heartbroken, turning love into hatred and resolving to take revenge.

But in reality, Yan Guiqiu and Qin Xiangxi were “not close.”

Yan Guiqiu had her own circle of friends, and Qin Xiangxi belonged to a completely different group. If not for the sheer coincidence of being classmates and schoolmates for over a decade, they might have even forgotten each other’s names.

Yet despite their indifferent relationship and clashing personalities, fate seemed determined to throw them together in all sorts of “chance encounters.”

The more times Yan Guiqiu “saved the beauty,” the more widespread the rumors of her secret crush on Qin Xiangxi became to the point where even Qin Xiangxi herself started believing it.

But those so-called “feelings” were too vague, and Qin Xiangxi found them more unsettling than anything.

Imagine someone who usually never spoke to you, never indulged your temper, and never once openly confessed any affection yet always appeared out of nowhere to protect you in dangerous situations. What would you think?

Would you be so moved that you’d pledge yourself to them?

At the very least, Qin Xiangxi had absolutely no such thoughts.

She only felt unease, panic, and disgust emotions that eventually morphed into hostility and prejudice toward Yan Guiqiu.

Though Yan Guiqiu didn’t like running into her, she could still understand her feelings.

Before recalling the original plot, she had felt similarly except she was at least the one playing the hero, while Qin Xiangxi was purely a victim of the narrative’s manipulation.

By the time she remembered the storyline, Qin Xiangxi was already completely unwilling to sit down and have a proper conversation with her.

Yan Guiqiu wasn’t saintly enough to go out of her way to plan for someone she disliked, so she could only avoid her as much as possible.

As for those accusatory words, she chose not to dwell on them considering how unlucky the other party was.

And so, this became yet another piece of “evidence” for “Yan Guiqiu’s deep, unrequited love for Qin Xiangxi.”

Yan Guiqiu had long grown accustomed to these rumors.

If she couldn’t stop them, she might as well resign herself to them, if she didn’t care, they wouldn’t bother her.

But now, hearing Qin Xiangxi’s words misunderstanding and slandering her while passionately declaring her love for Jiang Xuehe, Yan Guiqiu felt an inexplicable irritation rise within her.

What was the point of putting on this show of devotion here?

She had been spouting words of love for years, yet when Jiang Xuehe was abroad, she hadn’t shown a shred of concern, let alone visited her.

If she had truly cared so much, someone like Jiang Xuehe, who valued sentiment wouldn’t have treated her like a stranger, not even bothering to check on her when she was hospitalized. She wasn’t even as attentive as she was toward Xia Yao.

Never mind, why should she argue with a naive little princess sheltered by her parents?

Reason told Yan Guiqiu not to engage with Qin Xiangxi, but watching her ramble on without any sign of calming down, she couldn’t help but curl her lips into a forced smile.

“Is that so? I also think Sister Xuehe is quite nice.”

Qin Xiangxi froze for a moment nthis was the first time she’d heard Yan Guiqiu actually agree with her. Stuttering slightly, she replied, “O-of course.”

Yan Guiqiu continued, “I’ve been giving it some serious thought lately, and I think she’d make a great wife beautiful, gentle, and talented. Who wouldn’t like her?”

Qin Xiangxi’s face flushed slightly.

Yan Guiqiu nodded in conclusion, her tone earnest as she declared, “So I’ve decided, I’m going to pursue her!”

Qin Xiangxi: …?

“Y-you, you!” Qin Xiangxi stammered for a long while without forming a complete sentence, unsure whether she was shocked or furious. She could only stare wide-eyed at Yan Guiqiu as if she’d seen a ghost.

Strangely, Yan Guiqiu felt a bit better. Ignoring Qin Xiangxi’s stunned expression, she put on a serious face and announced, “From now on, we’re rivals in love.”

Seeing Qin Xiangxi open her mouth to say something, Yan Guiqiu straightened her expression and added solemnly, “And please show some respect for the term ‘rival in love’ from now on!”

“…”

Qin Xiangxi’s face turned pale, then red, her mouth opening and closing, but in the end, no words came out.

Outside the door, in the hallway.

Xia Yaoxin felt the atmosphere was unbearably awkward.

Even through the closed door, the voices inside were crystal clear especially Yan Guiqiu’s resounding declaration, “I’m going to pursue her!”which sent a shiver down Xia Yaoxin’s spine.

Under the curious gazes of those around her, Xia Yaoxin once again regretted her decision. Out of all the things she could have done with her free time, why did she have to open her big mouth and insist on checking in on one of the protagonists of last night’s incident?

Jiang Xuehe naturally wouldn’t refuse her, accompanying her to greet Qin Xiangxi and, by the way, apologize to Yan Guiqiu for the misunderstanding.

Who could have guessed that before they even had a chance to knock, they’d be met with such a thunderbolt of a statement.

Only Yan Guiqiu could come up with such an excuse.

Xia Yaoxin didn’t believe a word of it. After all, they’d only met for the first time last night. Even if it was love at first sight, this was moving way too fast. Yan Guiqiu had never mentioned Jiang Xuehe before, and the same went for Jiang Xuehe.

Moreover, under the watchful eyes of everyone last night, there was no way any interaction beyond words and glances could have happened. There was simply no foundation for such feelings to skyrocket like this.

She figured it was just to shut Qin Xiangxi up.

Not just Yan Guiqiu after last night’s incident, Xia Yaoxin had also begun to suspect she might have misjudged the rumors. Hearing Qin Xiangxi’s words now, she couldn’t help but feel Yan Guiqiu had been wronged.

In the heat of the moment, acting impulsively to counter poison with poison wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

The only unfortunate accident was that the conversation had been overheard by the very person involved.

“It must just be a joke,” Xia Yaoxin said with an awkward laugh, quietly smoothing things over for the people inside before daring to sneak a glance at Jiang Xuehe’s expression.

As expected, there was no anger.

But what surprised Xia Yaoxin even more was that Jiang Xuehe seemed to be smiling.

Unlike the polite, impartial smile she usually reserved for guests, this one seemed genuinely amused, as if she found something truly funny.

It was a rare sight. Before Xia Yaoxin could dwell on it, Jiang Xuehe seemed to sense her awkwardness and unease. She turned and said softly, “Let’s go. I’ll walk you back.”

Xia Yaoxin instinctively glanced back there was no commotion inside before quickly turning to follow Jiang Xuehe.

Unaware of the comings and goings outside, Tan Xiangxi was cut off mid-sentence, leaving no room for further thought. Yan Guiqiu pressed the call button by the hospital bed, and soon a nurse arrived with paperwork to take Tan Xiangxi for her tests.

Despite her dissatisfaction with Tan Xiangxi’s attitude, Yan Guiqiu stayed until all the examinations were done, since the girl had no one else with her.

While waiting for the final report, Yan Guiqiu sat near the front desk. The nurse there, having watched her run around all morning, remarked, “You’re so good to your sister.”

Yan Guiqiu, borrowing pen and paper to jot something down, smiled and casually corrected her, “She’s not my sister, just a classmate. Her family won’t be here until evening.”

The nurse was even more impressed. “Classmates? You’re really kind.”

Yan Guiqiu smiled without responding, adding one last line to her list of medical expenses:

[Date] Courier service fee: 500 yuan/half-day.

By the time all the tests were finished, it was already past noon. Tan Xiangxi had regained some energy and could eat on her own. After making sure she was settled for a nap, Yan Guiqiu stuck the bill to the headboard and left.

Song Anchen had called twice. Yan Guiqiu finally answered as she walked downstairs.

“I’ll take a cab back later. Haven’t had lunch yet you cook? Just don’t blow up the kitchen; this is a rental, not our own place. Fine, I’ll grab something from the supermarket downstairs. Be there in about half an hour.”

Hanging up, she reached the hospital entrance. Before she could hail a taxi, someone called her name.

Turning, she saw Jiang Xuehe.

Parked nearby, Jiang Xuehe waved from behind the car window. Seeing Yan Guiqiu stop, she drove over.

“Need a ride?”

Yan Guiqiu glanced at the back seat empty. Xia Yaoxin must have already gone home.

“You’re still here, Xuehe-jie?”

“Just dropped Xia Yaoxin off. She needed to pack for her trip home. I had some free time, so I took a drive.”

And ended up at the hospital?

Yan Guiqiu raised an eyebrow but kept the question to herself. “Thanks,” she said, opening the passenger door. “I appreciate it.”

“No problem. It’s on the way.”

The hospital exit led to a three-way intersection. The light turned red, forcing the car to stop. Yan Guiqiu noticed Jiang Xuehe’s gaze lingering on her for the third time. She paused mid-motion, smoothing her hair.

“Is there something on me?” Yan Guiqiu asked.

“Your clothes,” Jiang Xuehe said after a brief hesitation. “I think Anchen has the same outfit.”

Yan Guiqiu blinked, looking down at herself.

Inside was her own white sweater her usual preference leaned towards light colors and monochrome tones. But the brightly colored coat adorned with a bunch of accessories on the outside was definitely not her style.

She had left in a hurry that morning, and with the cold outside, she had just grabbed a thick coat from the suitcase without much thought. Only now, looking back, did she realize it was probably Song Anchen’s.

Yan Guiqiu: “…”

This was bad.

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