Criticizing Love - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

In all her years of clashing with Lin Deyuan, Lin Xi’s anger had always burned brighter and hotter with every conflict. She was like someone gripping a blade without a handle; while she stabbed others, she left herself bloodied and mangled.

But this time, the moment her impatient frustration flared up, it vanished. It disappeared incredibly fast.

Lin Xi held Gu Nianyin firmly by the lower back, her furrowed brows meeting Gu Nianyin’s eyes. The calm pond water, usually reflecting the sunlight with stillness, had been struck by a sudden disturbance, creating ripples that hid a startled expression.

The heavy breathing from the long run hadn’t yet subsided, and deep exhalations escaped her pale lips. The harder she tried to maintain her composure, the more she radiated a stubborn, fragile beauty that made one want to protect her. Her long hair, which had been loosely tied, was now messy from the wind of the run, with a few strands falling free.

As if sensing she was someone who could be trifled with, the wind blew wantonly. The stray hairs brushed against Lin Xi’s cheek with a feather-light touch. Lin Xi instinctively tried to dodge, but she was already enveloped by that scent.

It was that unknown floral fragrance again. It floated in the air so faintly it was almost imperceptible, yet Lin Xi could detect it perfectly.

After a moment of silence, the anger in Lin Xi’s throat subsided. It turned out that a person really could lose their temper in a single instant.

Lin Xi didn’t know what else to say, so she awkwardly agreed to Gu Nianyin’s earlier request. “Stand up straight first.”

“Okay,” Gu Nianyin nodded.

She seemed unaware of how weak she appeared in front of Lin Xi as she raised her hand to grip Lin Xi’s forearm. On the rubber track without the shade of trees, the afternoon sun beat down directly on them. There was no gap between their skin.

Gu Nianyin’s hand was still cool. As it brushed against the fine, low hairs on Lin Xi’s arm, it felt like a knot forming, suddenly sending a series of strange, mysterious sensations through her. It was a clear reminder to Lin Xi of exactly who she was helping, hitting her straight in the heart—faintly, yet unmistakably.

Lin Xi was stunned for a moment. It wasn’t until Gu Nianyin was standing steadily by holding her arm that Lin Xi finally retracted her hand from the girl’s waist. She then thrust one hand into her pocket and lectured Gu Nianyin coldly, “You’re a grown-up; don’t you know how to pace yourself?”

“I forgot,” Gu Nianyin said softly.

“Then remember it for next time,” Lin Xi retorted immediately. Perhaps because she was wary that the other hadn’t fully recovered, she didn’t speak with much force.

“Mm.” Gu Nianyin gripped her lowered arm and nodded gently.

Under the long afternoon sun, two overlapping shadows leaned quietly against the grass. The wind rustled the lawn. The two seemed both far apart and close together; further away, a lonely shadow stood.

Zhong Sheng was unusually quiet as she stood to the side. She had actually hurried over right after answering the PE teacher and had seen from a distance her best friend’s “heroic rescue,” catching the “Great One” around the waist just as she was about to fall.

The playground was the only place in school that felt unconstrained. The free wind blew from south to north, lifting the long hair of the girls in the center of the frame. Under their oversized uniforms, their slender waists were pressed lightly together, fingers gripping an arm—even their paleness was similar, clean and matching.

Zhong Sheng watched with a “shipper’s smile,” and then felt more and more like a third wheel. She tactfully retracted the foot she had just stepped into the scene with and kept her mouth shut.

Beautiful girls should be paired with beautiful girls. She really couldn’t find anyone else who matched her best friend so well. It was too beautiful. A treat for the eyes.

“You’re all here, perfect.”

Zhong Sheng was still immersed in the scene when a voice broke the harmony. Qin Zhuo, who ran the 4×100 relay with them, popped up from somewhere with an excited look on her face.

Seeing her like this, Lin Xi guessed what was happening and asked, “What, did you find a person?”

“Do I even need to look? She’s right here.” Qin Zhuo looked excitedly at Gu Nianyin. Without waiting to catch her breath from running over, she invited her: “Gu Nianyin, can you run the 4×100 with us?”

Gu Nianyin didn’t agree immediately but asked calmly, “Us?”

“Me, Lin Xi, and Zhong Sheng.” Qin Zhuo pointed in a circle. “We took first place last year. Want to join us and share the glory?”

Lin Xi’s eyelid twitched at those words. Her reflex was to avoid spending more time with Gu Nianyin, so she spoke up to burst the bubble: “Why don’t you mention how we came in third-to-last in freshman year?”

“That’s because Zhong Sheng dropped the baton! Plus, Lin Xi, you weren’t great at sprinting back then either.” Qin Zhuo was naturally optimistic. “But then ‘Old Liu’ came last year, and we took first immediately, didn’t we?”

Lin Xi continued to pour cold water: “But we don’t have Old Liu this year.”

“But we have the Great One this year!” Zhong Sheng joined in, standing on the same front as Qin Zhuo. “The Great One handled the 3000-meter so easily; the 100-meter will be a piece of cake!”

Lin Xi looked helpless. “Please, the 100-meter is about explosive power, not endurance.”

After several such retorts, Qin Zhuo huffed at Lin Xi, hands on her hips. “Lin Xi, what is wrong with you today? Why do you have a comeback for everything we say? Are you a professional contrarian?”

“Exactly! Why aren’t you being positive? Why keep pouring cold water?” Zhong Sheng echoed. “Wouldn’t it be great if the Great One joined? Remember when we won last year? Tingxiu’s smile was so wide her face almost cracked, and she treated us to a meal at the restaurant by the gate. It was great!”

Both of them were gifted talkers. For the first time, Lin Xi deeply understood what it felt like to be outnumbered. She pursed her lips in displeasure, only able to defend herself against their incessant chattering without being able to strike back. Naturally, she didn’t notice Gu Nianyin’s gaze.

Just a moment ago, this person had been breathing heavily, looking so exhausted she could barely stand. But now, she stood more steadily than anyone, her fingers gripping Lin Xi’s arm, quietly downplaying its presence and refusing to let go.

Lin Xi kept her hand in her pocket. “I’m just stating facts, so you don’t get carried away.”

“We won’t know if we’re carried away until we try.” As the captain, Qin Zhuo called for a vote. “Raise your hand if you agree.”

As soon as the words were out, Zhong Sheng raised her arm high and fast in an exaggerated show of welcome for Gu Nianyin. Lin Xi kept her hand in her pocket, motionless, and was immediately attacked by Qin Zhuo’s glare. The glare was so intense it seemed to ask: What is actually wrong with you?

Lin Xi turned her head away, too lazy to explain. And… fundamentally, she didn’t want Gu Nianyin to join simply because she didn’t want too much contact with Lin Deyuan’s stepdaughter. Such a reason was obviously untenable. Especially since Gu Nianyin looked like she really could run.

Class interests versus personal grudges—Lin Xi knew which was more important.

The wind blew from an unknown direction, joining Lin Xi’s long-suffering sigh. Qin Zhuo’s glare persisted. Irritated, Lin Xi retracted the arm that had been supporting Gu Nianyin and lazily raised it. “Fine, happy now?”

“Of course!” Qin Zhuo was overjoyed. “Then it’s settled. Gu… Great One, you’ll run the relay with us this sports meet?”

“Tch.” Hearing Qin Zhuo adopt the nickname too, Lin Xi looked away with a face full of disdain.

The girl’s quick turn of the head was obvious. Gu Nianyin’s lips curved into a slight smile. She loosely gripped the hand that was now empty in the wind and nodded to Qin Zhuo. “Okay.”

Ring, ring, ring—

Just as Gu Nianyin spoke, the bell rang for the end of class. Qin Zhuo glanced at the time, looking a bit panicked. “Then we’ll do it like last year. After the homeroom teacher agrees, we’ll train during the second half of the last self-study period. I’ve gotta go!”

Qin Zhuo spoke faster and faster until her voice practically vanished as she ran off. Zhong Sheng laughed and waved her away. “Go on!”

Lin Xi was confused. “Where is she going in such a rush?”

“To see her girlfriend,” Zhong Sheng said, surprised. “You didn’t know Qin Zhuo was in a relationship? She went public on her social media over the summer!”

Hearing this, Lin Xi inexplicably thought of Gu Nianyin, and her brow furrowed again. “…Why are they all girls—button?”

Zhong Sheng was confused. “What ‘girls-button’? It’s ‘girlfriend’.”

“No,” Lin Xi immediately corrected, looking down at the collar of her PE jacket, which she never buttoned properly. “My button is missing.”

“Did it fall on the ground?” Zhong Sheng helped look, then turned to Gu Nianyin, who was still standing there. “Great One, can you help see if there’s a button around?”

Gu Nianyin paused for a moment before also looking down to help search. But everywhere her gaze landed was just the flat ground; the red rubber track reflected the sunlight, making it a bit dazzling.

Closing her eyes slightly, Gu Nianyin shook her head at Zhong Sheng. “Nothing.”

“That’s weird, weren’t you just moving around right here?” Zhong Sheng frowned.

“Maybe it fell in the grass,” Lin Xi said, glancing toward the spot where she had caught Gu Nianyin.

The wind swept past the bleachers, lifting the girl’s pale forearm. The overly cold wind caused a shiver to run through her. Her nerves were churning, grappling with the residual warmth still lingering there.

Damn it.

The feeling was incredibly eerie and strange. Lin Xi impatiently brushed her arm and withdrew her gaze. “Forget it, forget it. Let’s go.”

Zhong Sheng felt a bit regretful. “That was the button closest to your heart. You’re supposed to give that to the girl you like when you graduate.”

Lin Xi shot her a look. “To hell with your ‘girl you like’.” She added, “Can’t I just be deeply in love with this land?”

“Well, you’re definitely something else!” Zhong Sheng gave a thumbs-up to Lin Xi’s “enlightenment.”

The afternoon sun flooded the playground as the silhouettes of the girls walked away, joking and playing.

Gu Nianyin stood where she was, pulling a folded wet wipe out of an open plastic packet. The wet wipe had been used; its corners were stained with dissolved dirt.

The girl’s slender, pale fingers unhurriedly pinched a corner, unfolded it, and discarded it heartlessly. In the end, only a single button lay in her beautiful hand.

The transparent button was covered in a layer of moisture, making the whole thing look soaking wet.

It had been wetted intentionally.

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