Diagnosis: Friend [Rebirth] - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Ms. Jian seemed to like her very much.

And why wouldn’t she? What teacher doesn’t love a top student? Even his own parents would constantly bring up Jiang Qing’s name, praising her intelligence, her diligence, and her hard work. He could hear the subtext in his parents’ words, so even though he had little contact with Jiang Qing, he couldn’t help but dislike her.

Hearing a polite request for “Classmate, could you step aside?”, the boy snapped out of it. He circled around the front of the desk and leaned against the one in front, looking down at the girl. “You said you’re from Class 8? What’s your name? I have a friend in Class 8 too.”

Gu Yining looked up. “Gu Yining. I just transferred here today.”

The sweeping was finished quickly. The boy responsible for the trash carried the red bucket downstairs.

Jiang Qing walked over to Gu Yining. “Going to wash your hands?”

Gu Yining nodded, interrupting the boy’s incessant chattering: “Classmate, let’s chat another time.”

The corridor was still bustling. After waiting for Gu Yining to come out, the two headed toward the restroom. The sky had darkened, and the overhead lights in the hallway became piercing. Students were playing and chasing each other, their laughter echoing throughout the floor.

As cold water flowed over her palms, Jiang Qing tilted her head toward her. “Gu Yining, thank you for helping me clean today.”

“You’re welcome. You’ve helped me so much before.” Gu Yining waved her off, accidentally flicking water droplets onto the mottled mirror. She smiled softly.

“But I hope you won’t do it again.” Jiang Qing walked into the corridor and turned back to look at Gu Yining. “You helped me sweep today, so I’ll feel obligated to return the favor in a few days. I’m busy with my studies and can’t spare the time.”

Gu Yining froze, instinctively saying, “I don’t need you to—”

“But it’s causing me distress.” She lowered her gaze and said seriously, “Gu Yining, we really aren’t that close. If this is to thank me for my help before, that box of chocolates is more than enough. Besides, the largest portion of my annual financial aid is provided by the Gu Group, so helping you was only right.”

The light in the restroom was dim. The mottled mirror reflected the girl’s defeated posture. She bit her lip slightly, walked into the corridor, and stopped in front of Jiang Qing. “Am I causing you that much distress?”

She thought of the Roll of Honor downstairs. “Did you miss the monthly exam?”

Jiang Qing replied, “I took it. I just didn’t make the top thirty.”

Gu Yining frowned. “How is that possible?” She paused. “Because of me?”

Jiang Qing let out a heavy sigh and shook her head gently. “No. But I want to study hard. And, Gu Yining, we really aren’t that close. When you act like this… it scares me a little.”

Her eyelashes curled upward as the light reflected in Jiang Qing’s pupils, condensing into a tiny white dot that trembled slightly before being covered by her eyelids. Jiang Qing spoke softly: “That day at the hospital… were you really having a nightmare?”

In the long, noisy corridor, the lights seemed under a strange spell, flickering rapidly and falling into the girl’s eyes.

Gu Yining smiled. “Of course it was a nightmare. Plus, I had injured the back of my head at the time, so my emotions were unstable. The doctor said the same thing.”

She raised her arms to stretch, a smile on her face. “I’ll mind my manners and won’t cause you trouble. I truly want to be friends with you. Once you’re back to being number one in the grade, maybe you can reconsider and stop keeping me at arm’s length.”

Jiang Qing didn’t speak; she just looked at the girl’s drooping eyelids. After a moment, a growl came from her stomach. She asked Gu Yining, “You probably haven’t had dinner yet, right?”

Gu Yining lowered her head. “I asked Gu Xi to bring me something.”

Jiang Qing nodded. “Then I’m going back to the classroom.”

Before she could finish turning, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by a damp hand. Jiang Qing turned back.

Gu Yining raised a pair of heavy eyes, meeting Jiang Qing’s puzzled look. The weighted emotion in her eyes turned into a faint joy. She swallowed, her grip loosening significantly. “Can I give you a hug?”

The twilight leaked in through the wide-open window, followed by the clamor of traffic. Students who had finished dinner walked in through the fire doors, their footsteps heavy or light, forming a syncopated rhythm.

The world behind Jiang Qing darkened, covered by a gray-black filter. The noise vanished; only the sound of shallow breathing was audible.

The whole world held only her and Jiang Qing.

She held the hand loosely, exerting no force, yet she could still feel its coldness. “Jiang Qing, I had a very bad dream. I still feel terrible. Can I just hold you for a moment?”

The girl’s eyes curved into a smile, a small “aegyo-sal” puffing out beneath them, her lips hooked into a perfect, standard smile. Yet it looked so forced, as if pulled by invisible threads. Her eyes held a look Jiang Qing couldn’t decipher—like a bottomless, dark pool.

Seeing that Jiang Qing didn’t refuse, she let go of her wrist and threw her arms wide, lunging toward Jiang Qing.

A whole, living person finally landed in Gu Yining’s embrace.

Today was much colder than usual, and the sky was overcast.

Some careless person had left the back window of the classroom open. Cold wind whistled in, making the exam papers on Gu Yining’s desk flutter loudly. She stared down at the questions, instinctively biting her pen cap, her body shivering from the cold. Fortunately, the proctor walked over and closed it in time.

Gu Yining stared at the paper, her brow still tightly furrowed. I’m probably going to rank dead last in the whole school this time. She looked at the questions in silence. So many years had passed; who still remembers high school knowledge?

She flipped the answer sheet over. In the blank space, she managed to scribble a few “Solution:” headers. Gu Yining stared at them for a long time, trying to scavenge even a scrap of information from her memory.

…She had absolutely no idea.

She gave up and started daydreaming, trying to remember the college entrance exam questions from back then… She failed. She had no memory of the exam at all—she couldn’t even remember the essay prompt. After the exam back then, she hadn’t even bothered to check her answers; who would remember the questions? If she had known she’d be reborn, she would have memorized every single symbol on those papers.

Finally reaching the end of the exam, Gu Yining let out a long sigh of relief and walked back to her classroom.

Seeing Gu Yining looking half-dead, Chen Yiyi quickly pulled her down. A few girls circled around, planning their weekend. “Let’s go out for a meal this weekend! It’ll be a welcome party for Yining joining the dorm!”

Gu Yining nodded blankly. “Sure. You guys pick the place, my treat.”

Once the time and place were settled, Gu Yining felt her palms were a bit sweaty. She got up to wash her hands in the restroom. As cold water ran through her palms, she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Youth was great; even such a hideous school uniform looked good on her.

She skipped out of the restroom, and a familiar figure flashed before her eyes. It was Jiang Qing and her homeroom teacher. They turned from the stairs into the corridor. Jiang Qing was holding a stack of notebooks, her head tilted slightly as she listened intently to Jian Wenxin. Finally, she nodded with a faint smile.

Gu Yining crossed her arms and lifted her chin, watching the retreating back. She hadn’t spoken to Jiang Qing for many days. Class 8 and Class 1 weren’t far apart; she occasionally bumped into Jiang Qing during breaks or exercise, and she always wanted to go over and talk, to push away whoever was clinging to Jiang Qing’s arm. That was supposed to be her spot.

She could only give up on the idea. She remembered her promise to Jiang Qing and didn’t want to cause her trouble. At this stage, they were just nodding acquaintances.

As the figure disappeared, Gu Yining turned around only to find someone standing right behind her. She jumped, clutching her chest. “Gu Xi, is there something wrong with you?”

“Something is wrong with you.” Gu Xi scrutinized her panicked expression. “What were you looking at so intently?”

Gu Yining touched the back of her head; the hair there hadn’t grown back yet, and it still felt like a small dip when she pressed it. She didn’t plan to entertain Gu Xi’s questioning. “Why are you looking for me?”

The young mistress never visited without a reason.

Gu Xi rolled her eyes. “You think I like looking for you? Hmph. Dad wants me to go home with you in a bit. Hurry up and pack your things. Don’t dawdle and make me wait.”

Today was Friday. Old Mrs. Gu hadn’t seen her granddaughter in a week and missed her dearly.

After the afternoon exams, there was the usual class meeting. The homeroom teacher was a talkative middle-aged man who repeated himself endlessly. By the time the meeting ended, Class 8 was the last 11th-grade class to be dismissed.

Gu Xi is definitely in the car cursing me out.

Thinking of this, Gu Yining couldn’t help but laugh, her pace out of the classroom becoming leisurely.

At the school gate, just as Gu Yining opened the car door, Gu Xi’s shrill voice hit her: “Gu Yining, did you do that on purpose! I told you not to dawdle, and you still came out this late!”

Gu Yining tossed her bag onto the back seat. Gu Xi glanced at her and shrank toward the door, making no effort to hide her disgust. Gu Yining smiled; this was fine, it gave her most of the seat. She looked at Gu Xi helplessly. “The class meeting was long, nothing I could do. If you’re so brave, go complain to the teacher.”

Gu Xi snorted and turned to look out the window.

After wearing a high ponytail all day, her scalp ached. Gu Yining took off the hair tie, the relief immediate. She rested one hand on the car door and looked at the scenery rushing past.

The scenery slowed down.

Gu Yining looked languid, her gaze drifting over the crowds and shops on the street. However, in an instant, her face flashed with extreme shock and panic. Her eyes went wide, and she suddenly screamed: “Stop! Uncle Chen, stop the car!”

The traffic light on the sidewalk was beeping. Waiting half an hour for Gu Yining had already made Gu Xi furious; hearing her scream right next to her nearly scared the soul out of her. She turned to her immediately: “Gu Yining! What are you doing! You scared me to death!”

Gu Yining was pressed against the window, ignoring Gu Xi. Her voice was sharp and urgent, as if she were using every ounce of strength she had. “Uncle Chen! Uncle Chen, stop the car!”

She leaned forward, her expression frantic, one hand gripping the door handle tightly while the other clawed at the lowered window, her fingers turning white from the force. “Uncle Chen! I have an emergency! Pull over!”

The intensity of her desperation made Gu Xi freeze. She shrank back. “Gu Yining… are you… are you having an episode again?”