Diagnosis: Friend [Rebirth] - Chapter 23.2

Chapter 23.2: (Special 3-in-1 Entry)

Gu Yining’s acting could only be described as clumsy. With her shoulders hunched and her head bowed, her hair—which had somehow come loose—fell against her cheeks. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, lifting every now and then as her dark eyes darted around, looking for a chance to observe Jiang Qing’s expression.

When her probing gaze met Jiang Qing’s cold look, Gu Yining hurriedly looked away, her tone thick with guilt. “I injured my brain not long ago, and I just got caught in the rain… it hurts a little bit now.”

Touching the back of her head, Gu Yining looked at Jiang Qing. “Can I please stay? Jiang Qing, for the sake of the few times we’ve met.”

She leaned toward Jiang Qing, pinching the fabric of Jiang Qing’s skirt and shaking it very gently. “I’m very thin; I’ll only take up a tiny bit of the bed. I’m a quiet sleeper, too—I definitely won’t disturb you.”

“Jiang Qing…” Gu Yining elongated the name, looking at her with a wheedling, coquettish pout.

Time seemed to stretch.

The long-neglected faucet began to moan and whine again. Jiang Qing rose and went to the sink. The polished mirror reflected a girl in a white dress who looked, for some reason, a bit disheveled and flustered. She turned the tap on, and cold water rinsed her sticky palms. When she turned it off, the faucet’s groan persisted. Relying on experience, Jiang Qing gave it a sharp slap. After one final, shrill “waah,” the faucet finally stopped making noise.

Ultimately, through shameless acting, Gu Yining secured a one-night sub-lease of Jiang Qing’s bed.

She had a fever and had taken medicine; sleepiness came quickly. By the time Jiang Qing finished washing up and emerged from the bathroom, Gu Yining had already swaddled herself in the quilt, her entire body tightly wrapped like a cocoon, leaving only a small, pale face visible between the pillows.

Noticing the girl’s slight frown, Jiang Qing stepped forward and pulled the ring of the bed curtain, drawing it shut from both sides until eighty or ninety percent of the light was blocked. It was still early, and Jiang Qing wasn’t sleepy at all, so she pulled a stool to the desk to read.

Every dormitory had a communal desk used for eating or placing potted plants. This was an old-fashioned wooden desk retired from a classroom—long and narrow, quite suitable for reading.

City nights are always filled with dense noise. Even with the windows shut, twenty decibels of sound managed to squeeze in. Previously, Jiang Qing hadn’t found the noise bothersome, but tonight she suddenly found it piercing. She couldn’t concentrate on her book.

Besides the city noise, there was the sound of a certain person’s breathing. Deep and shallow, soft and steady—every breath was captured by Jiang Qing’s ears without exception.

She sat at the desk for a long time, her back very straight. Her hair draped behind her like ink; as the light fell upon the strands, the “ink” gained a luster, shimmering with the slight movements of her body. The book on the desk remained on the same page for a very long time.

Eventually, the tide of traffic noise receded. The bed curtain was gently lifted and then closed again. The light went out a moment later.

Jiang Qing slowly climbed onto the bed and lay down beside that warm body. Her leg accidentally brushed against the other girl’s skin; she jerked away reflexively as if burned. Jiang Qing shifted toward the edge of the bed, nearly falling off in her haste. Fortunately, she grabbed the quilt in time and used the leverage to move back inward, escaping the panic of losing control.

Because of her tug, the person inside moved. Her breathing faltered for a second, and Jiang Qing heard a soft hum from Gu Yining. Her body froze instantly. Jiang Qing held her breath; after a long while, there were no further sounds.

With both hands resting on her abdomen in a standard sleeping posture, Jiang Qing stared blankly at the faint light on the bedboard above. She remembered the past—the first time the two of them had slept in a dorm bed together. Gu Yining had commented with great surprise on how standard her sleeping posture was.

The girl had sat beside her, looking at her joined legs, her hands resting honestly on her belly, and her head centered perfectly on the pillow. After a while, she had leaned over Jiang Qing, moving closer to her cheek. “Sleeping in this position… it’s perfect for being kissed awake.”

“In fairy tales, when the prince kisses the princess awake, the princess must look exactly like this,” the girl had said unhurriedly. Her tone was no different from her usual speech—there was no intentional attempt to create a romantic atmosphere. Yet, Jiang Qing’s heart had pounded so hard it felt like it would leap out of her chest and crash into the oblivious girl.

The heartbeat was so loud that she feared Gu Yining would notice the abnormality, so she reached out to push her away. “You’re going to crush me to death.”

That night was just like this one.

Once Gu Yining’s energy was spent, she fell asleep quickly. Gentle, even breathing drifted from beside her. Jiang Qing stared at the pitch-black bedboard, her heart failing to calm for a long time.

The wind outside grew louder, making the window glass buzz. Jiang Qing stood up to fasten the crescent lock, and the vibration stopped. The little woods outside were dark; the streetlamps along the asphalt road faithfully cast their warm yellow glow.

Lying back down, Jiang Qing sensed something was wrong. The even, soft breathing had vanished. In the darkness, Jiang Qing realized a gaze was resting nakedly on her profile.

“Jiang Qing,” a voice finally came from beside her. “After thinking it over, there is something I want to tell you.”

Jiang Qing continued to stare at the wooden board above, her voice devoid of emotion. “Go ahead.”

“Can you turn on the desk lamp first?” Gu Yining’s voice trembled slightly. “I want to look at you while I speak.”

After a moment of silence, Jiang Qing reached up and felt around until she found the lamp clipped to the iron bed frame. With a click, light fell from above. Jiang Qing’s clear, soft profile was reflected in Gu Yining’s eyes.

Her tense body immediately relaxed. Gu Yining let out a soft laugh. Looking at the dots of light shimmering on the girl’s eyelashes, she spoke softly: “Jiang Qing, do you think I’m very strange? A person who isn’t very well-acquainted with you suddenly clings to you so shamelessly.”

Jiang Qing’s lips moved. “…Not really.”

“Because you are a kind person.” Gu Yining’s gaze traced the curves of Jiang Qing’s profile, moving slowly from her eyelashes to the bridge of her high nose, as if looking at a long-lost treasure. “The reason I want to be near you is that we are best friends.” Her tone was steady. “Better than any of the friends you have now.”

Jiang Qing pursed her lips, seemingly unconvinced. Gu Yining moved toward the outer edge of the bed and spoke again: “You might not believe this if I say it.”

“I am actually a person who traveled back from the future.”

Silence spread between them. Gu Yining wasn’t in a hurry; she knew Jiang Qing needed time to digest this. After a long while, Jiang Qing’s expression remained flat.

“Oh.”

She even gently closed her eyes.

Gu Yining sat up abruptly, pulling the quilt down with her. “I’m telling the truth!” Her bare arms felt the chill. Jiang Qing opened her eyes, looked at the sitting Gu Yining, and patted the quilt. “Lie down and talk. It’s cold.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Gu Yining grabbed the quilt and lay back down, scooting closer to Jiang Qing. “I’m not talking in my sleep. I’m being serious. We are good friends.”

“It’s just that in the original timeline, we met a bit later. Your grades were always excellent, and you got into A University. I got into a university in the same city. Later, we rented a place together and spent all our time together, going out to eat and drink on weekends.”

The lamp above was a bit piercing. Jiang Qing kept her eyes lowered, her lower eyelid twitching involuntarily. “And then?”

Gu Yining said, “Later we graduated, and we were still together.” She paused, her gaze landing on Jiang Qing’s soft lips. “And then… I was reborn.”

Her lips parted slightly; Jiang Qing seemed to be smiling. “Good imagination. But the storytelling is poor; it lacks readability.”

“You…” Gu Yining pressed her hands against the quilt over her chest. “Whether you believe it or not, we will eventually be best friends. If you don’t believe me, time will prove everything.”

Having finally revealed the truth only to have it rejected, Gu Yining felt a bit depressed. She imitated Jiang Qing and stared at the wooden board above. After a while, she suddenly thought of something. “I have proof that what I’m saying is true!”

She said this so suddenly and loudly that she felt Jiang Qing jump. She reached out to gently pat Jiang Qing to soothe her. “Jiang Qing, do you know the stock for XX Group? This stock will skyrocket within three years. I’ll lend you money—buy it now, and when it rises, you’ll know I wasn’t lying to you.”

Her warm hand gently patted Jiang Qing’s arm through the quilt. After a moment, she finally heard Jiang Qing’s voice. “You are the heiress of the Gu Group. It’s not strange for you to know such inside information.”

“And I don’t need you to lend me money.” Of the 500,000 yuan Zhou Xuening had given her previously, she had taken a portion to buy several stocks; one of them was indeed XX Group. “I am still a high school student. I don’t want to take on debt.”

Gu Yining added, “You wouldn’t have to pay me back.”

“Gu Yining,” Jiang Qing paused. “Do you realize you currently sound like a ‘pig-butchering’ scammer?”

Gu Yining: …

“I’m not! You don’t have to buy it, I just wanted to explain that I really came back from the future.” The more she spoke, the more she felt like a fraud, so she simply gave up. “Fine, don’t believe me. Regardless, I’m not a bad person.”

As soon as she finished, a warm hand covered her forehead. She heard Jiang Qing let out a sigh. “The fever hasn’t broken yet. No wonder.”

The implication was that everything Gu Yining was saying was just fever-induced delirium with zero credibility.

Gu Yining grabbed Jiang Qing’s wrist and pressed her hand against her own heart. “I broke a sweat earlier; the fever broke long ago. Don’t talk nonsense.”

Gu Yining had borrowed one of Jiang Qing’s nightgowns. Through the thin fabric, Jiang Qing’s fingers brushed against Gu Yining’s soft chest. She reflexively pulled her hand back. Gu Yining reached up to click off the lamp. “It’s late. Let’s sleep.”

A vibration sounded just then, catching Gu Yining’s attention so she didn’t see Jiang Qing’s ears turning bright red. She sat up and handed the phone to Jiang Qing. “You have a call.” She grumbled inwardly—who would call Jiang Qing so late?

Jiang Qing looked at the screen of her old-fashioned phone and pressed the answer key. “Hello, Ms. Zhou.”

It was Zhou Xuening.

“Jiang Qing,” her steady voice held a hint of urgency. “Have you seen Gu Yining? Did she go to find you?”

Jiang Qing looked at Gu Yining. Gu Yining picked at her fingers and said sheepishly, “I forgot.”

When she had received Gu Xi’s call earlier, she had been in a fit of anger and had simply turned her phone off. The Gu family, seeing she hadn’t returned, were likely frantic, which is why they called Jiang Qing.

Zhou Xuening heard the other voice. “Xiao Ning? Are you there? Xiao Ning.”

“Auntie Zhou, it’s me.” Gu Yining moved closer to the phone. “My phone died. Sorry, I’m staying at school today with Jiang Qing. I won’t be coming back.”

“Why aren’t you coming home? Did Xiao Xi make you angry?” Zhou Xuening asked.

“No, no!” Gu Yining leaned her head on her hand, looking at Jiang Qing. “I’m studying at school with Jiang Qing. Don’t worry, the school is very safe.” She thought for a moment and added: “As you know, I didn’t do well on the monthly exam, so I asked Jiang Qing to help tutor me. I’m a transfer student; if I hold the class back, it’s bad for everyone.”

Jiang Qing tilted her head to look at her. Gu Yining gave her a smile. “Anyway, please don’t worry, and tell Grandma and Uncle not to worry. Goodnight, Auntie Zhou.”

She hung up quickly. Gu Yining turned off the light and lay back down beside Jiang Qing.

Jiang Qing’s hair had a fresh fragrance; the closer she got, the more she wanted to smell it. In the darkness, her sense of smell was heightened. Gu Yining squeezed toward the edge of the bed again. Before she could stop, Jiang Qing’s soft voice came: “Stop crowding me. Any more and I’ll fall off the bed.”

Unlike Jiang Qing’s standard, quiet sleeping posture, Gu Yining was a messy sleeper, specifically in her tendency to unconsciously crowd Jiang Qing. Since Jiang Qing slept on the inside, the next morning would inevitably find them both squashed against the wall. The school walls were always peeling, so their clothes and arms would always be covered in white plaster dust.

A deeply apologetic Gu Yining, assuming she just had a habit of crowding the wall, had suggested switching places. As a result, in the middle of the night, they both fell out of bed, crashing onto the cold floor wrapped in a thick quilt. Jiang Qing, who ended up on the bottom, had hissed in pain.

Later, Gu Yining had consciously controlled her body, and the rolling-onto-the-floor incidents stopped, but she still instinctively clung to Jiang Qing. Not just while sleeping, but even while walking—when they walked arm-in-arm, they could never walk in a straight line. Either Jiang Qing would have to remind her, or they would both tumble into a flowerbed.

Jiang Qing couldn’t help asking: “Why do you love crowding people so much?”

“It’s not on purpose.” Gu Yining shrank toward the inner part of the bed, gesturing for Jiang Qing to move in too, while she hooked a strand of hair from Jiang Qing’s chest. “It’s just that your hair smells so good. I want to smell it more.”

Gu Yining took a deep breath.

Jiang Qing also took a deep breath. “Gu Yining.”

Gu Yining laughed. “Hmm?”

Jiang Qing weighed her words: “Do you ever feel that sometimes you are a bit too… frivolous?”

“Huh?” Gu Yining, who had never imagined the word “frivolous” being associated with her, was stunned. “How am I frivolous?” She tried to recall her interactions with male classmates—there was nothing out of line. Thinking Jiang Qing was blaming her, she grew angry. “Who told you bad things about me?” She pinched the strand of hair. “You believed them?”

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. The thick night poured in, and a cool breeze drifted into the small bed.

Pulling her hair from Gu Yining’s hand, Jiang Qing sighed. With one sentence, she knew where Gu Yining’s mind had gone. A massive sense of powerlessness washed over her. She lowered her eyes, her heart turning cold; even the budding fluttering of her heart from earlier vanished. But she felt she had to make Gu Yining understand something; Gu Yining couldn’t always be perfectly open while she alone lived in constant anxiety.

She took a deep breath and said solemnly: “I mean that your action just now—smelling my hair—was very frivolous.”

As expected, Gu Yining asked, “Why?”

Wasn’t it normal for girls to smell each other’s hair or put an arm around each other’s waists? If they weren’t close, the action might be offensive, but Jiang Qing was already lying in bed with her—why couldn’t she smell her hair?

In the dark, Jiang Qing bit her lip. Surging emotions almost overflowed; her palms curled under the quilt, nails digging into her skin. After a long while, Jiang Qing’s voice drifted through the gloom: “Because I don’t like it. I think it is very frivolous.”

Sensing her dejection, Gu Yining felt something was wrong but couldn’t find the source. A silent sadness began to spread, and Gu Yining felt as if a stone were blocking her heart. She smelled the fingers that had touched the hair. “Fine. If you don’t like it, I won’t do it again.”

But she thought: So she doesn’t like people smelling her hair.

Having lived again, Gu Yining found that Jiang Qing seemed different from her memory. This Jiang Qing didn’t like being called “Qingqing” and didn’t like her hair being smelled. But in her previous life, she had loved it. Every time Gu Yining called her “Qingqing” or leaned in to scent her hair, she had felt Jiang Qing was very happy.

Gu Yining grew dazed. Was it that this Jiang Qing was different from the old one, or had she never truly understood the old Jiang Qing?

A giant black cloth seemed to cover her mind, like an infinite space. She felt stifled and uncomfortable. Memory fragments flashed wildly; for a moment, she seemed to find the answer, but before she could feel joy, the memory crumbled into dust. A sudden sense of loss fixed her in place, her limbs stiff. She pursed her lips, and tears fell silently. She didn’t know what she had lost; she just felt incredibly sad.

The sound of intermittent sobbing began. Jiang Qing was startled. “You…”

“…You’re not crying, are you?” A giant question mark hung in Jiang Qing’s mind.

She had only told her not to touch her hair; her tone hadn’t even been harsh. How could she be this sad? Jiang Qing wasn’t even the one crying yet—how did Gu Yining beat her to it?

She reached out, trying to find Gu Yining in the dark, and patted her gently. “I only said it was a little bit frivolous. I wasn’t criticizing your character, and I didn’t mean you are a bad person…”

“Qing… Jiang Qing,” the sobbing stopped. Gu Yining’s voice was thick after crying. “Actually, my brain isn’t very good.”

Jiang Qing’s hand froze in mid-air.