Diagnosis: Friend [Rebirth] - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Just as Class 1 of the sophomore year was about to make its entrance, Wang Jiexie rushed back to the queue. However, he seemed to have completely forgotten that the flowers were still in Jiang Qing’s hands, busying himself with chatting with those nearby. Even as the formation began to move into the stadium, he failed to hear Jiang Qing’s soft calls from behind.

Left with no choice and risking treading on the heels of the person in front, Jiang Qing quickened her pace and poked Wang Jiexie in the back.

Wang Jiexie turned around. His gaze landed on her face before slowly sliding down to the bouquet she held. Looking as if he had just realized something, he mouthed to her: “Keep holding them for me for now, thanks.”

They had already entered the track. The football field on the left was filled with seated freshmen. Jiang Qing didn’t dare make any more moves; she could only hold the flowers and follow the formation in a lap around the track.

“Full of vigor and high spirits, marching toward us now are the students of Class 1, Sophomore year. Their steps are firm, their smiles bright, their morale high, and they are brimming with confidence. In this moment, facing the morning sun, bathed in sunlight…”

The spectator stands surrounding the stadium were filled with parents who had come to watch. Golden sunlight spilled down, and a few fluffy white clouds hung in the azure sky. It didn’t feel like winter, but rather a warm, beautiful spring day.

Jian Wenxin waited at the designated spot. Before long, she saw a group of students approaching. In the front rows were boys and girls dressed in formal wear. They were already a group of youthfully exuberant kids; with a bit of dressing up, they became so beautiful one couldn’t look away.

The girls swarmed around Jian Wenxin to take photos. Jian Wenxin didn’t know any trendy poses and could only do the “V” sign. After fumbling around with one of the girls for a long time, she finally learned how to make a heart gesture with someone else.

“Attention to all class teachers. The class entrance ceremony is not yet over. Students, please do not leave your seats to play or run around.”

Hearing the Dean’s voice over the loudspeaker from the rostrum, Jian Wenxin waved to her students, signaling them to sit down. She placed a finger to her lips, whispered “Shh,” and laughed softly. “Quiet, quiet. Otherwise, your Teacher Jian will get scolded in a moment.”

The students gradually settled down. Jian Wenxin counted the heads one by one, her gaze suddenly catching Jiang Qing in the corner.

The girl was wearing her school uniform, her hair tied in a high ponytail that swayed in the wind. She was holding a bouquet of flowers, talking to the boy in front of her. Not long after, the boy took the bouquet, seemingly saying thank you, and looked down at the red paint on the ground.

The boy holding the flowers was Wang Jiexie. Yesterday, Jian Wenxin had run into the Chinese teacher and learned that the two of them had won second prize in the city-wide recitation competition. When Jian Wenxin arrived at the classroom this morning, the young boy had been cradling the flowers with his head down while several boys teased him; his face bore the distinct expression of a teenager’s budding crush.

No wonder he was dressed like a peacock displaying its feathers today.

Fortunately, Jiang Qing seemed uninterested in the “floral peacock” before her. After returning the flowers, she paid no attention to the boy’s conflicted little movements and lowered her head to talk to the girl beside her. Jian Wenxin breathed a sigh of relief.

A new notification popped up in the faculty group chat for the sports meet. Jian Wenxin gave a simple instruction to the students not to wander off and walked toward the rostrum while holding an umbrella.

She tilted her head to look at the class formations passing in front of the rostrum. In a moment of inattention, a leg suddenly extended in front of her. Jian Wenxin stopped just in time to avoid falling. She looked down at the person sitting on a small stool under a parasol in the front row and reminded her: “Student, please pull your leg back.”

Hearing the voice, the black parasol tilted back. The girl lifted a pale face—excessively pale, which, paired with her jet-black hair, gave off a hint of morbidity. The girl curled her lips into a smile at her, squinting slightly against the sunlight. “Sorry, Teacher.”

For no reason, the atmosphere felt a bit chilling.

The obstructing leg was withdrawn, and Jian Wenxin walked past with her umbrella. Behind her, that deep gaze clung to Jian Wenxin’s back like a snake. Tan Baozhu rested her chin on her hand, gave a “tsk,” and turned to look at the neighboring Class 8.

Tan Baozhu’s Class 9 was positioned right next to Gu Yining’s Class 8, which in turn was next to Jiang Qing’s Class 1. Tan Baozhu looked over at Gu Yining; as expected, that person was like a “wife-watching stone,” wearing a heavy mascot suit and staring motionlessly toward the Class 1 section.

“Wow!”

The students around her cried out in unison. Chen Yiyi excitedly slapped the Brown Bear beside her. “Gu Yining, Gu Yining! Someone is actually walking on stilts!”

Gu Yining tilted her head to look at the formation directly in front of the rostrum. She didn’t know which class it was, but they were impressive; several students in the front row were walking steadily on stilts over a meter high, exuding a powerful aura.

At 10:30 AM, the class entrances were completed, and the school leaders began their speeches.

This was always the most boring stage of every annual sports meet. The leaders talked incessantly while the students grew drowsy. Gu Yining found it annoying, and since the weather was getting hot, she took off her mascot head and rested it in front of her knees to use as a pillow for a nap.

Chen Yiyi noticed the sweat on her face and asked in confusion, “The class performance isn’t until the afternoon. Why don’t you take off the mascot suit first?”

Gu Yining shook her head: Keep it on for now; it might come in handy later.

Sure enough, she had only been resting on the bear head for a short while when she heard the sound of jeering and cheering from nearby. The sound wasn’t loud—not louder than the leader’s speech on the rostrum, nor louder than Chen Yiyi blabbering about celebrity gossip—but Gu Yining captured it with unerring accuracy.

She looked up reflexively, her gaze darting alertly toward the other side.

Wang Jiexie was walking slowly toward a girl amidst the cheers of the crowd.

In a corner of the class section, the girl was resting her chin on her hand, looking down to talk to her seatmate. Her left ear was plugged with an earphone; the other end of the cord was in the right ear of her other seatmate, Yang Lei. The two seemed immersed in the joy of sharing music, their expressions relaxed. Before long, Yang Lei was the first to notice the shift in atmosphere. Glimpsing the boy standing in front of them, she hurriedly poked Jiang Qing’s arm.

Jiang Qing gave an “Hmm?” and looked at Yang Lei. Yang Lei took out her earphone and signaled with her eyes for Jiang Qing to look ahead.

Covering her ear with her left hand, Jiang Qing slowly raised her eyes, following the shadow at her feet upward. Wang Jiexie, dressed in his black tuxedo, stood before her holding the bouquet, his eyes darting away awkwardly.

The boy said: “Jiang Qing.” He scratched his head, looking embarrassed. “You… you match this bouquet very well. And I saw that you liked it just now, so I’m giving… giving it to you.”

Jiang Qing blinked, a polite smile curling her lips. “Thank you, but there’s no need.”

The girl’s volume wasn’t loud, but it was very clear.

Among the seated crowd, the standing boy was incredibly conspicuous. Wang Jiexie heard the rejection in her words. Feeling the sympathetic gazes of those around him, his hand squeezed the stems of the bouquet. He simply sat down on an empty small stool beside Jiang Qing and whispered: “I’m sorry.”

Jiang Qing: “It’s fine.”

Seeing Jiang Qing about to put her earphone back on, the boy panicked. He decided to speak plainly to give himself a final chance: “Jiang Qing, actually… I didn’t just want to give you the flowers. I’ve noticed you since the very first class meeting in freshman year. You’re beautiful and quiet. I didn’t realize back then that you entered the Second High School as the top student in the whole city…”

Yang Lei tactfully turned her head away, refusing to be a third wheel.

On the other side.

In the Class 9 section, Gu Xi was holding a bunch of roses, posing for a Polaroid with a friend. With a click, the camera whirred and spat out a photo from the bottom.

“Red roses and blue skies look great in photos.” Gu Xi leaned in with her friend to look at the picture, setting the flowers by her feet. Suddenly, there was a rustling beside her. The next second, Gu Xi grabbed the wrist of the flower thief, looking confused. “Gu Yining, what are you doing?”

Gu Yining was holding a single rose she had plucked from the bouquet. she smiled playfully at Gu Xi. “Borrowing one.”

Gu Xi swept a glance over her costume and then at the giant bear head in Gu Yining’s other hand. “What on earth are you wearing? Where are you going?” As she spoke, she released Gu Yining’s wrist. Gu Xi then had a sudden realization: “You’re not going to chase after a boy, are you?” She covered her mouth, hiding a smug grin. “You’re dating early—I’m going to tell Grandma!”

“Just let me borrow the flower. You can tell Grandma whatever you want.” Gu Yining walked back with the bear head, raising her arm as she went. Her bare arm had been scratched with a few red marks by the rose thorns.

The blue sky was reflected in the green turf of the stadium. A freshman representative was giving a speech on the rostrum.

The weather was getting hot. Listening to the distorted audio from the loudspeaker and the boy’s long-winded confession beside her, Jiang Qing felt exhausted just sitting there. She had tried to stop Wang Jiexie midway and express her rejection of his feelings, but the boy seemed trapped in some sort of curse; regardless of Jiang Qing’s willingness, he continued his one-sided output toward her.

So annoying. She wanted to listen to music.

She looked toward Yang Lei for help. Yang Lei blinked, indicating she was powerless, then suddenly her eyes widened. As if seeing a ghost, her expression became colorful as she looked ahead of Jiang Qing.

Jiang Qing turned around. A flash of bright, flashy red caught her full attention. Looking closely, it was actually a red rose.

The boy’s non-stop chatter stopped. He frowned and stared with wide eyes, looking up from the grayish-brown hand holding the flower. This sudden interloper was actually a mascot bear.

The Brown Bear had one hand behind its back while the other pinched the flower, offering it to Jiang Qing. It was bowed slightly in the posture of a perfect gentleman. It tilted its head and shook the flower again.

Anyone with eyes could see this was a disruption. Wang Jiexie cleared his throat: “Student, please wait a moment.”

He was here first.

As soon as he spoke, the previously unresponsive Jiang Qing suddenly raised her hand and took the flower from the bear’s hand.

The little bear put its hands on its hips, acting smugly toward Wang Jiexie. Then, seeing that Wang Jiexie was about to speak again, it stepped forward and directly pulled Jiang Qing up to lead her away.

Surprisingly, Jiang Qing didn’t resist, following the Brown Bear obediently toward the stadium exit.

In the tree-lined path, sunlight filtered through the branches, leaving dappled, uneven shadows on the stone bricks.

Gu Yining took off the headpiece. Her face was drenched in sweat, but she didn’t forget to scold him: “I knew that kid wasn’t up to any good. Nothing good comes out of a dog’s mouth! Thinking he can pursue you—as if he’s worthy!”

Thinking about Jiang Qing holding that bouquet while walking halfway around the track, Gu Yining grew even angrier. “What a jerk. He’d behave if ‘Zhou the Skinner’ caught him!”

“Zhou the Skinner” was a terrifying figure among the students—a teacher who typically sported a large beer belly. By day, he stood at the school gate with hands on his hips, catching those who were late or not wearing uniforms. By night, he lurked in the little woods, working hard to snuff out any signs of romance.

Spittle and sweat flew. “Hmph, I think he did it on purpose. He didn’t say anything after class or on the weekend; he chose to say it at the sports meet, right when so many people were around. He was deliberately trying to morally kidnap you!”

Jiang Qing pulled Gu Yining down to sit, letting out a light laugh. “You’ve got quite the temper.”

Gu Yining smoothed her chest to catch her breath. “And you’re too good-tempered!” As soon as she said it, Jiang Qing handed her a pack of tissues. “Wipe your sweat first.”

Gu Yining pulled out a tissue and wiped her face, suddenly making a demand: “You aren’t allowed to talk to him.”

Jiang Qing pulled out a fresh tissue for Gu Yining. “Oh.”

Jiang Qing lowered her head to sniff the flower in her hand, her elbows resting on the cool stone table. She looked up at Gu Yining. “The flower is very fragrant. Where did you pluck it from?”

Gu Yining’s movements froze. She suddenly leaned in and asked, “Are his flowers more fragrant, or is mine?”

“Mhm, yours is.” Jiang Qing offered a casual, perfunctory answer before continuing, “Where did it come from?”

She remembered when she went to the office to help Jian Wenxin get her portable amplifier today, she saw the potted plant in Jian Wenxin’s office had bloomed. It was a red rose, blooming beautifully. Passing teachers couldn’t help but praise Jian Wenxin’s gardening skills. The flower before her looked more and more familiar.

“Plucked it from Gu Xi’s hand.”

Gu Yining was sweltering, so she asked Jiang Qing to help her take off the mascot suit. This heavy thing was cute once you put it on—you could even use that cute appearance to do whatever you wanted—but it was just too hard to put on and take off. It took the combined strength of Jiang Qing and Gu Yining to finally strip it off. Touching her back, Gu Yining found it was completely soaked with sweat.

The two of them rested under the tree for a good while. Gu Yining seemed to have talked herself out; she rested the side of her face on the stone table, using the cool stone to cool down. Her hands were placed naturally on the table. Within minutes, her fingers gently touched Jiang Qing’s arm.

Jiang Qing, who was resting her chin on her hand and daydreaming, snapped back to reality. She didn’t move her elbow away from Gu Yining’s hand, only asking, “What are you doing?”

Gu Yining smiled and said, “Nothing. Just wanted to touch you.”

Even when they were sitting close and facing each other, Gu Yining always wanted some physical contact—hooking a finger, touching a wrist, or even just pinching Jiang Qing’s hair. In short, she had to be touching Jiang Qing.

This habit of hers was long-standing. At first, it wasn’t specific to any person; she was simply afraid of the dark and loneliness. Physical contact let her know someone was there, giving her a sense of security. As she grew up, she wasn’t so afraid of the dark anymore. Loneliness was still a fear, but she could endure it.

Only when lying beside Jiang Qing, even if Jiang Qing was talking to her and her breath was audible, Gu Yining still felt the need to be close. If Jiang Qing said it was hot, she would move further away, but before long, her hand under the quilt would quietly touch Jiang Qing’s wrist. Sometimes Gu Yining didn’t even notice it herself.

The two of them simultaneously remembered things from long ago. Jiang Qing was the first to return to her senses, averting her gaze expressionlessly to avoid the dazed and soft look from the girl opposite her. Her elbow moved slightly, but ultimately she didn’t pull away.

The sun gradually rose overhead. The red petals shimmered under the sunlight. Footsteps approached. Jiang Qing tapped the stone table and said to Gu Yining, “Your sister is here.”

Gu Yining withdrew her hand, propping her head up to look back. Gu Xi had a Polaroid around her neck and was walking over with her classmate, Wen Tao.

A stone table came with four stone stools, perfectly seating four people.

Gu Xi looked at the rose in Jiang Qing’s hand, then at Gu Yining, feeling the other girl was truly pathetic. “I thought you were chasing after someone. I didn’t expect you to go around breaking up someone else’s romance. You’re so heartless, Gu Yining.”

Gu Xi didn’t know the boy; she just wanted to annoy Gu Yining.

Gu Yining let out a scoff. “If you feel so sorry for that boy, go and take his flowers for him. It’ll save him the trouble of throwing them in the trash after spending the money.” She swept a glance over Gu Xi, who was wearing a princess dress and leather shoes. “Since you’re dressed so nicely today and brought a camera, go, go right now. I’ll help you take a commemorative photo!” She made a move as if to pull Gu Xi.

“You!” Gu Xi leaned back to avoid her. Beside her, Wen Tao also raised a hand to shield Gu Xi.

Gu Yining withdrew her hand, grinning. Her gaze naturally fell on the flowers in front of Wen Tao. After looking for a while, she asked, “Those flowers… did you order them from a florist?”

Gu Xi tilted her head with great affectation. “Auntie Zhou gave them to me.”

See? You don’t have them, do you?

Jiang Qing’s smile froze. She looked at the girl in the white princess dress with a bow in her hair. She really looked like a little princess. No, she was a genuine princess. Jiang Qing’s lips twitched slightly.

Gu Yining covered her mouth and laughed, pointing at the two flowers in the middle. “Why does the color look uneven? And they’re a bit ugly, like they were plucked from some roadside greenery.” The more she spoke, the more excited she got, eventually standing up to poke at the bouquet. “Look, these two are different colors. One is dark and one is light.”

“What do you know!” Gu Xi slapped Gu Yining’s hand away. “I traded for these.” She pointed to a darker flower. “I traded this with the florist owner at the back gate of the school.” She then pointed to the flower in front of Jiang Qing. “And I traded this with a teacher in the office.”

“I’m happy, the florist owner is happy, and the teacher is happy. These are flowers with the meaning of blessings. Do you understand?”

Gu Yining rested her chin on her hand. “Alright.”

Jiang Qing and Wen Tao, the two introverts, were sweating silently. These two daughters of the Gu family were competitive in their extroversion.

Gu Xi was quite proud, clearing her throat at Gu Yining. “If you beg me, I might give you one of my blessed flowers.”

Gu Yining: “I beg you.”

Gu Xi: …

How can this person be like this! No backbone at all!

She pursed her lips and silently pulled a flower from the bouquet to give to Gu Yining. Gu Yining sniffed it and looked at the Polaroid around her neck. “Take a picture of us? Good Xi-Xi~”

The three people present all got goosebumps from the elongated “Xi-Xi.” A look of disgust appeared on Gu Xi’s face. “Fine, fine. Just don’t call me that.”

Gu Xi handed the Polaroid to Wen Tao, leaning toward Gu Yining and making a “V” sign by her cheek. She raised her hand to smooth her hair, but her right cheek was suddenly poked.

Gu Yining quickly withdrew her hand. “I mean, take one of me and Jiang Qing.”

“Wha—” Gu Xi finally realized she had been assuming too much. “Why didn’t you say so! Who would know who you wanted to take a picture with!”

Gu Yining stood beside Jiang Qing, not forgetting to coax Gu Xi: “Don’t be mad. I’ll take one with you after I’m done with Jiang Qing.”

Gu Xi replied: “Who cares!”

Gu Yining pulled Jiang Qing up. The two stood side-by-side. Wen Tao looked at their stiff bodies and confirmed: “Like this?”

Gu Yining tilted her head and smiled at Jiang Qing. “Like this.”

Wen Tao looked at the two standing straight in the viewfinder. She suddenly had the illusion she was taking a marriage certificate photo for someone. She gestured to the angry Gu Xi beside her. “Xi-Xi, which button is for taking the picture?”

Gu Xi walked over grumpily, pointed to the small button on top of the camera, and glanced at the two standing so formally. “Why are you being so serious? Are you taking a wedding photo?”

Gu Yining was amused by this. She tilted her head to look at Jiang Qing. Right at that moment, there was a click—Wen Tao had pressed the button.

Ten seconds later, the Polaroid spat out the photo. Gu Yining pulled it out and waved it in the air. A blank white photo instantly gained color. The photo only captured Gu Yining’s profile; she was smiling as she looked at Jiang Qing. Jiang Qing was looking at the camera, a slight curve to her lips.

Wen Tao: “Didn’t capture it well. Let’s do another one, sitting down.”

The second photo turned out very well. The two leaned against each other, resting their chins on their hands as they looked into the lens.

Hearing the sound of thumping footsteps fading away, Gu Yining raised her head and called out toward the other end of the path: “Not taking one with me anymore, Gu Xi?”

“I never wanted to take one with you!” The voice was still full of anger.

Gu Yining sighed, resting her chin on her hand. “Young people have such tempers.”

She completely forgot about herself from fifteen minutes ago.

The first day of the sports meet consisted of the class entrance and the opening ceremony. At 4:30 PM, the ceremony ended. Students were free to move about; day students could go home directly, while boarding students needed to attend evening self-study on time.

After being in the sun all day, Jiang Qing’s hair felt oily, so she decided to go back to the dorm to wash her hair before heading to the cafeteria.

Hearing her plan, Gu Yining spontaneously took Jiang Qing’s arm. “I want to go back and wash my hair too. I’ll come down to find you later and we’ll eat together.”

Golden sunlight spilled from the roof of the dormitory. The large leaves of the loquat tree in the flowerbed below were gilded with a warm yellow fuzz. A black-and-white cow-patterned cat jumped up, curling its body on the flowerbed tiles to sunbathe.

After drying her hair, Jiang Qing walked into the dorm. The bed curtain was half-rolled up. On the clean sheets lay a photo—one of the two they had taken that morning. Jiang Qing had asked for the first one.

Raising her hand to comb her hair smooth, Jiang Qing opened her wardrobe. From deep inside, she pulled out a worn-out book. The cover was black with prominent scratches. The glue between the spine and the pages was almost falling apart. Jiang Qing had to take it out carefully, cradling it on the bed.

Opening the book, she could even smell a damp, moldy scent. Many photos were tucked into the pages. Some large ones were about the size of a palm, while small ones were like passport photos. When Jiang Qing leaned in, she could even smell the poor-quality fragrance on the sticker photos.

If she hadn’t needed to find a place for the photo today, she would have almost forgotten the existence of this book and the photos inside. Worn-out books and low-quality sticker photos—these were her past memories. They had truly warmed her in the deep of the night, but now they were molding in the wardrobe.

Jiang Qing placed the photo of her and Gu Yining inside as well. This photo, like this book and these stickers, would one day completely become a memory of the past. Perhaps one day she would flip it out unintentionally and no longer remember the feeling of treasuring it, nor the heart-pounding emotions of the moment.

Jiang Qing stood by the bed, closing the book. Her fingertips gently traced the scratches on it.

“Jiang Qing!”

The sound of the door opening and Gu Yining’s voice came from behind. Jiang Qing’s hand jerked in panic. With a thud, the book hit the floor.

Jiang Qing hurriedly picked it up, hearing Gu Yining ask behind her: “Jiang Qing? Did I just scare you?”

With her back to Gu Yining, Jiang Qing shook her head. “No.”

She hurriedly stuffed the book into her schoolbag. Turning around, she gave Gu Yining a light smile. “Knock next time. What if my roommate was inside?”

Gu Yining raised a hand to tuck her semi-dry hair behind her ear. “Got it. I was just a little excited and forgot.”