Diagnosis: Friend [Rebirth] - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The sixteen-year-old Gu Yining stood before her, still calling her “Qingqing.”

Jiang Qing asked: “Why… do you like calling me Qingqing?”

“Hmm…” Gu Yining hadn’t expected her to ask that and couldn’t answer immediately. She thought about it seriously. “Structural repetition? Deep poetic resonance?” She laughed at her own words. “I just think it sounds nice! Qingqing, Qingqing—how pleasant it is!”

Each “Qingqing” felt like a drumbeat against her heart. Jiang Qing’s heart skipped along with it. She lowered her eyes halfway: “Don’t call me Qingqing.”

Gu Yining: “Why?”

Jiang Qing: “Someone used to call me that. I don’t like it.”

Gu Yining asked further: “You don’t like that person?”

Jiang Qing: …

Jiang Qing said: “No.”

Gu Yining shrugged indifferently; it was just a name. “If you don’t like it, I won’t say it. Jiang Qing.” She blinked and quickly added, “But you’re not allowed to call me Classmate Gu!”

The sun was setting in the west, and the golden afterglow spilled into the narrow alley, falling into Gu Yining’s eyes and making them shimmer with light and color. The makeup-free teenager blinked; her long, thick eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, and her clear, black-and-white eyes overflowed with the innocence and liveliness appropriate for her age, bright as stars.

The girl leaned closer to the other, her fingertip poking her arm: “Jiang Qing, okay?”

The voice, intentionally lowered, fell by her ear, and Jiang Qing’s heart rate accelerated with ease. She turned her face away, her hands hanging by her sides clenching into tight fists, squeezing harder and harder.

With her eyes half-cast, images of Gu Yining at the engagement party flashed through her mind—smiling brightly, standing beside a man in a way that was particularly eyesore. Jiang Qing had been “specially invited” by Gu Yining in a mean-spirited way to witness their happiness, only to exit Gu Yining’s life in a tragic, unexpected manner.

Her breathing quickened unconsciously. Jiang Qing wanted to say something, but her throat felt blocked, and a suffocating sadness surged up.

Fortunately, the current Gu Yining was not yet that Gu Yining who called her “Qingqing,” and Jiang Qing was no longer the one who had been indulged for years, unable to break free. They were back at the starting point; a major intersection had not yet occurred.

Once this matter was over, there would still be time to stay away.

After several days of clear weather, Anhe City welcomed a long-awaited rain. It was a light drizzle that came quietly in the night, disturbing no one except the students staying up late with their desk lamps. The next morning, when the windows were pushed open, a cool breeze swept through the dormitory and rushed straight into the corridor.

Anhe City was experiencing its first significant temperature drop of autumn. The leaves on the school trees turned yellow at an alarming rate, swaying and fluttering to the ground with every bit of autumn wind.

Yang Lei looked up at the clock hanging above the blackboard. There were fifteen minutes left before the papers were collected, and a few students were still sitting in the classroom. After checking her paper several times and still having no clue about the blank questions, Jiang Qing packed her stationery and stood up to leave the classroom.

Today was the sophomore monthly exam. They were finishing the last subject. After a class meeting, they could go home for the weekend.

Outside the classroom, many people stood in the corridor. Yang Lei walked toward the front of the classroom, trying to find Jiang Qing’s silhouette in the crowd. The seating for the exam at No. 2 was arranged according to the previous exam rankings. Jiang Qing was ranked first, so naturally, she tested in her own classroom. Yang Lei reached the end of the corridor but didn’t see Jiang Qing. Perhaps she went to the restroom.

Inside the Class 1 classroom, people were constantly getting up to hand in their papers. Chen Yajun stared at the final multiple-choice question for a long time, unable to make a decision. She looked up at the clock and then looked around. Almost everyone was gone—except for one person.

When that straight back entered her vision, she dazed for a moment, feeling puzzled. It was actually Jiang Qing. Although Chen Yajun struggled with some questions, she clearly felt that the test this time was quite simple, so most people had finished early. Jiang Qing, however, stayed until the end… perhaps the top student was just being cautious.

Chen Yajun stood up and left the examination hall.

It wasn’t until the proctor announced that the time was up that Jiang Qing went to the podium to hand in her paper. Having not participated in such a high-concentration exam for over ten years, Jiang Qing felt a bit dazed. She heard the proctor ask with a smile, “Was the exam difficult this time?”

Jiang Qing smiled: “It was okay, haha.”

Perhaps it wasn’t hard. But the problem was that she had been reborn from age twenty-nine back to her sophomore year; she had long since forgotten high school knowledge. She had spent the last few days frantically reviewing textbooks from the 10th and 11th grades. While deep memories were unearthed quickly, there were simply too many complicated knowledge points.

Jiang Qing had a premonition that she wouldn’t be sitting in this classroom for the next exam… she might even be called in for a talk. She thought self-deprecatingly about how she would explain it to Jian Wenxin—maybe she should just come clean about the rebirth thing.

The exam ended, and students from every class flooded into their classrooms, excitedly and curiously checking answers with anyone alive nearby. Occasional exaggerated, mournful wails drifted out of the rooms.

Resting her elbows on the desk, Jiang Qing sat with her chin in her hands, lost in thought. Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder from behind. Jiang Qing turned to see Chen Yajun with her high ponytail. “Jiang Qing, what did you choose for the last multiple-choice question?”

“I think it was A.”

Chen Yajun frowned deeply. “Why? The prompt said to ignore friction, so why did you all choose A? Argh, so annoying! I lost another three points!”

Jiang Qing: “Actually… I just guessed.”

It really was a blind guess. Did I actually get it right?

The classroom was buzzing with noise; the sounds of checking answers and wailing were continuous. Jiang Qing leaned on the desk, reflecting that high schoolers were indeed the most energetic group of people. Jiang Qing’s soul was that of a twenty-nine-year-old corporate slave who was used to being pushed around, so naturally, she wouldn’t be sad over losing a few points.

At some point, the topic of discussion in the classroom shifted away from the exam.

“So many media outlets went to wait there, but the school leaders just didn’t show up. They won’t answer calls either. They say even official reporters are being hung up on.”

“No. 9 was never a good school to begin with. I hope it blows up so the higher-ups can come and fix it. When I passed by on the bus today, parents were crowding the roadside…”

“Anyway, my friend hasn’t gone to class the last two days. Her parents are afraid something will happen to her and won’t let her go until things are resolved…”

Jiang Qing turned around abruptly and looked at the circle of students surrounding Chen Yajun. “What did you just say?”

Chen Yajun cupped one hand by her mouth in a whispering posture, glanced at the classroom door, and lowered her voice to Jiang Qing: “It’s No. 9. Something happened. Three or four students jumped off a building. They say they’re gone…”

Jiang Qing was shocked: “Three or four?”

The girl nodded solemnly and continued: “At first, someone posted a surveillance video online. It was from the school—several people were gang-beating one girl. The video went viral and caused a huge outcry. Then news came out about several students jumping. It’s too serious; even CCTV reporters have arrived…”

Surveillance video…? It wasn’t the stuff Gu Yining had filmed.

“I feel like those bullies have quite a bit of backing. Our school doesn’t allow us to discuss it. My friend is at No. 6, and they aren’t allowed to discuss it either. I heard that students at No. 9 are being threatened by teachers—if anyone speaks out, they’ll be killed… anyway, it’s pretty scary.”

Someone nearby cautioned: “Shh! Shh! Shh!”

The discussion in the classroom stopped abruptly. Jiang Qing looked back at the door; Jian Wenxin, dressed in professional attire, was walking in holding a stack of papers.

Jian Wenxin put the papers on the lectern. “Class representatives, come up and distribute these. This is the homework for the weekend; hand it in on Monday.”

Looking down at the message from the grade level leader in the teachers’ group—”Do not let students participate in the spread of rumors”—and combining it with the heated discussion she heard upon entering, Jian Wenxin felt her head was about to explode.

The classroom gradually quieted down. Jian Wenxin cleared her throat. “Recently, some things have happened at other schools. The relevant departments are already handling it. Rumors are flying everywhere, and the snowball is getting bigger.”

“I don’t care about other schools or other classes, but for our class, I require every student to refrain from spreading rumors before official results are released. Do not discuss related matters in the classroom. Certain students should take note: do not develop the bad habit of listening to hearsay. A student’s primary task is to study—especially in our class. Don’t get mixed up in those things. You are young, your values are not yet fully formed, and it’s easy to be swept away by rumors.”

Jian Wenxin said, “Just stay home this weekend to rest and read. Don’t think about going out to watch the excitement, do you hear me?”

A scattered chorus of “Yes” came from the students. Jian Wenxin opened a math textbook and instructed: “We’re starting a new unit next week. This unit is quite difficult; you can preview it at home first.”

Jian Wenxin was not a procrastinator. After briefly explaining the schedule, she let the students go. Class 1 had the honor of being the first sophomore class to be dismissed.

The girl beside her was in a panic. Seeing her pick up her backpack and prepare to leave, Yang Lei quickly pulled her back and reminded her, “Jiang Qing, I think it’s your turn for cleaning duty today.”

Jiang Qing blinked and asked, “Are you in a hurry to go home today? I want to ask you for a favor.”

“Not in a hurry.” Yang Lei shook her head. “It takes an hour by bus to get to the passenger station; by then, there won’t be any buses back to my village. So I’m going back tomorrow morning.”

Yang Lei: “You have an emergency? Want me to swap cleaning duties with you?”

Jiang Qing nodded. The situation at No. 9 had completely exceeded her expectations. She was worried about a certain someone and had to go check.

Yang Lei patted Jiang Qing’s hand. “Go ahead. My duty is next Wednesday; just remember that.”

Jiang Qing: “Thank you.”

It took Jiang Qing only five minutes to run from the teaching building to the dormitory. She dug her phone out of her wardrobe, found Gu Yining’s number, and dialed.

Ring— Ring— Ring—

Until—

“The number you have dialed is not answering, please redial later…”

Jiang Qing lowered her phone dejectedly.

Half an hour later, Jiang Qing appeared in front of a single-story house in the urban village. She walked up the steps and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, a boy opened it. Jiang Qing guessed this was the son of Gu Yining’s adoptive parents.

The boy looked at her in confusion, then reflexively closed the door, leaving only a crack. “Who… who are you looking for?”

Jiang Qing asked: “Is Gu Yining here?”