Diagnosis: Friend [Rebirth] - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The temperature today wasn’t high, but the sun was glorious.

In the afternoon classroom, sunlight filtered through the half-drawn curtains, casting dappled shadows across the golden desks. The room was quiet; a few scattered students were slumped over their desks, sleeping. A ten or twenty-minute nap was enough for them to cope with the dry, boring lessons of the afternoon.

The girl’s head rested on her crossed arms, her soft long hair scattered randomly over her shoulders, her skin as delicate as snow. The light from the window was too intense, reflecting a brilliant red through her eyelids. She wasn’t sleeping soundly; her brows were slightly knit.

A soft sigh escaped her nose, and Jiang Qing lifted her neck slightly without opening her eyes. She shifted her sleeping direction to face away from the window. The light grew dimmer, and a wave of warmth seemed to wash over her, accompanied by the pleasant aroma of chocolate.

Her drowsiness-clouded brain didn’t allow for much thought. Her breathing gradually steadied, and she fell back into a deep sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, her resting leg twitched involuntarily, and Jiang Qing suddenly kicked the desk leg.

A muffled thud rang out. Her body tensed instantly, and Jiang Qing snapped her eyes open.

The panic and confusion of being jolted awake hadn’t yet faded when the scene before her became clear. Jiang Qing’s eyes widened, and her breath hitched.

Someone was lying propped up on the desk next to her.

It wasn’t Yang Lei, but someone who shouldn’t have been there at all.

Gu Yining was leaning on the desk, arms crossed in front of her chest, her soft cheek pressed against her arm, leaving a small red mark. Her bright eyes reflected Jiang Qing’s dazed expression. She smiled gently and reached out as if to touch Jiang Qing’s cheek. “Growing taller?”

Old folks say that if you suddenly kick your legs in a dream, you’re growing.

The girl’s smile was tender and light, like colorful bubbles on a summer afternoon—easy to dazzle the beholder.

Jiang Qing brushed the hand away and lowered her gaze to avoid that soft look. “Why are you here?”

The girl’s gaze followed Jiang Qing as she sat up. Gu Yining straightened herself, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at her with a sweet smile, her eyes curving like crescents. “Because I wanted to see you.”

She spoke candidly, seemingly unaware of how incredibly ambiguous the words sounded.

The speaker was casual, but the listener was not. Jiang Qing’s spine stiffened for a moment. She stared at Gu Yining for a while, her gaze eventually falling uncontrollably onto Gu Yining’s lips. They were red and full, like rose petals covered in morning dew, inexplicably carrying a faint fragrance that teased her from a distance.

She glanced toward the door and took a deep breath. “Let’s talk outside.”

Gu Yining sat up straight and followed obediently behind Jiang Qing. She looked down at Jiang Qing’s sleeves and hands hanging naturally at her sides. Her fingers peeked out from the cuffs; her long, rounded nails encased pinkish-white flesh, save for the middle finger, which bore a raised callus from years of gripping a pen—flaws that couldn’t hide the jade beneath.

In a moment of distraction, Gu Yining felt an urge to reach out and take her hand. But Jiang Qing was walking fast, so Gu Yining had to quicken her pace.

The corridor during the noon break was quiet, save for their footsteps. The two stood in the empty hallway, the smooth wall tiles reflecting two blurred shadows.

After stepping out of the classroom, Jiang Qing raised her hands to tie her hair. The hair tie looped between her hands, and a standard high ponytail was ready in an instant. Looking up, she saw Gu Yining still staring at her. She glanced unnaturally at the shadow on the wall and asked about Gu Yining’s injury.

Gu Yining touched the back of her head and said it was much better. She took a step forward and naturally took Jiang Qing’s hands in hers. “They just shaved a small patch of hair; it hasn’t grown back yet.”

She guided Jiang Qing’s hand to press against her hair. “Feel it, see?”

As her fingertips brushed the soft strands, the wrist held in Gu Yining’s grip quickly turned hot. Jiang Qing nodded and pulled her hand back from the girl’s palm. “It’s good that you’re okay. I was busy with studies and didn’t have time to visit. I’m really sorry.”

She had only meant to change the subject, but saying it reminded Jiang Qing of Zhou Xuening’s advice. She inconspicuously took a half-step back, her shoulder pressing against the cold tiles.

Gu Yining shook her head, looking at the girl cautiously. “Did I scare you in the hospital that day?”

“I’m really sorry; I was having a nightmare then,” Gu Yining said. “When you didn’t come to see me afterward, I thought I’d scared you… and about everything before, thank you so much.” She glanced into the classroom. “I brought you a box of chocolates. I put it in your desk; remember to take it out and eat it.”

Jiang Qing said, “Thanks.”

Noticing her gaze linger on the school jacket she was wearing, Gu Yining let out an “Oh” and explained: “Jiang Qing, I’ve transferred.” She held up eight fingers. “I’m in Class 11-8.”

Jiang Qing looked down, rubbing her wrist as the warmth gradually faded. She heard Gu Yining ask, “Shall we eat dinner together this afternoon? I just got to school and don’t know which canteen window is good yet.”

“I have cleaning duty this afternoon—” Before Jiang Qing could finish, Gu Yining suggested: “Then I’ll bring it to you. We can eat together in the classroom?”

Jiang Qing stared at her blankly.

Gu Yining seemed to realize she was being too enthusiastic. An unnatural look flashed across her face for just a second before she smiled at Jiang Qing again, her expression tinged with grievance: “It’s my first day at school. I don’t want to eat alone in the canteen. Please?”

She deliberately emphasized the word “alone.”

If this were the Jiang Qing who had been with her for many years, she would have heard the coquettish tone and immediately given in. But this was sixteen-year-old Jiang Qing—a Jiang Qing who wasn’t even considered a “best friend,” a Jiang Qing she had only met a few times. Thus, Gu Yining was stunned for a moment when she heard the rejection, though she wasn’t surprised.

Seeing her hurt expression, Jiang Qing explained patiently: “I’ve already asked my roommate to bring me food. Sorry.”

Her words were polite, but Gu Yining could hear the distance in them.

Jiang Qing managed a small smile. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back in.”

Gu Yining looked dazed. “Oh. Bye.”

In hindsight, Gu Yining realized her behavior might have been too intense—perhaps a bit weird? Right; from Jiang Qing’s perspective, she was just a classmate she’d helped a few times, someone who had repeatedly led her into danger. Avoiding her was only natural. Maybe she should take it step by step, or she’d scare her away.

Gu Yining took off the school jacket and walked toward the other end of the corridor. When she threw the jacket back to a certain annoying person, she received the expected piercing mockery: “Tail wagging right in her face, yet she ignored you, huh…”

For once, Gu Yining didn’t snap back at Tan Baozhu; instead, she fell silent.

Tan Baozhu glanced at her as if she’d seen the sun rise from the west, greatly surprised. “Did that brick really break your brain?”

“Yes, my brain is broken. Happy now?” Gu Yining raised her eyelids. “Speaking of which, this is all thanks to you. If not for your phone call, I wouldn’t have had my head cracked open.”

Tan Baozhu spread her hands and laughed softly. “Who knew they’d actually try to kill you? Besides, aren’t you alive and well? You even turned a disaster into a blessing and became the Gu family’s little heiress. You should thank me.”

Gu Yining rolled her eyes and turned back into her classroom.

The bell rang for the end of class, and students swarmed out, their footsteps sounding like rolling thunder on the stairs.

Jiang Qing packed up the books on her desk, grabbed a broom from the corner, and started sweeping from the podium. There were four students on duty each day: one for the blackboard, one for sweeping, one for mopping, and one for the trash. With clear roles and a room that wasn’t very dirty, they could finish in about ten minutes of chatting.

Jiang Qing bent over, extending her broom to reach the dust under a desk. She used her left hand to pull an obstructing chair away, but before she could exert any force, the chair moved on its own as if possessed. Jiang Qing froze and turned around.

She bumped into a gaze as beautiful as a painting.

The girl was wearing a deep blue uniform dress, her hair partially loose, her rosy lips curving slightly at Jiang Qing. Unlike earlier, she wasn’t wearing the school jacket. Her exquisite appearance was out of place among the busy students, and even more so with the broom in her hand.

Before Jiang Qing could speak, she had already lowered her head to sweep.

Jiang Qing started from the two rows by the window, while Gu Yining started from the two rows by the corridor. Gu Yining worked efficiently; she seemed to have a tireless energy about her. Within a few minutes, she had finished her rows. She looked up and saw the bent-over figure ahead; just as she was about to move forward, someone nearby asked, “Uh, classmate, you’re not from our class, right?”

A few meters away, the mildly socially anxious Jiang Qing stiffened. However, Gu Yining was a pure “social butterfly,” a trait she had shown even as a student. She looked up and gave the person a beaming smile: “Hello! I’m from Class 8. I came to help Jiang Qing clean.”

She was already beautiful, and she had dressed up specifically to see Jiang Qing. Holding a broom, she looked like a quirky little witch, leaving the boy dazed. He managed an “Oh.”

The boy looked down but stole several more glances at her. He reached out to pull a row of chairs away to make her sweeping easier. The girl said “thanks” as she swept; the boy’s face flushed for a moment, and he stuttered, not knowing what to say.

She said she was Jiang Qing’s friend.

The boy looked toward Jiang Qing by the window.

Jiang Qing was the quintessential “top student” from rumors or novels—excellent grades, taciturn, poor at sports, poor, and always seen in her school uniform. Aside from a few girls in her dorm, no one had seen her with other friends. Outside of school, she was mostly alone; the one or two times she had been seen with someone else, it was with the homeroom teacher, Ms. Jian.

Ms. Jian seemed to like her very much.