Diagnosis: Friend [Rebirth] - Chapter 33.1

Chapter 33.1

The boy choked up and swallowed hard. “You don’t need to belittle me like this. I know I’m not bad. I know her family condition is poor, but that’s okay—my family doesn’t care about that…”

There was a long silence.

Gu Yining’s face remained cold, her lowered eyelids obscuring half of her dark pupils. She asked softly, “So, you’re still going to continue harassing her, aren’t you?”

The boy retorted, “I’m not harassing her…”

Talking to a pig was a waste of breath; a pig only feels fear when sent to the slaughterhouse. Gu Yining stopped looking at him, turned around, and walked back.

As she rounded a flower bed, she paused, looking up to see Tan Baozhu standing nearby with a sinister smile. Gu Yining was already irritated and had no intention of greeting her; she kept her hands in her pockets and moved to walk past.

“Gu Yining.”

Tan Baozhu suddenly called her name, her gaze shifting from the boy ahead to Gu Yining. Seeing Gu Yining’s displeasure, the corners of Tan Baozhu’s lips curled slightly. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you—you’re looking at the wrong opponent.”

Tan Baozhu always spoke in riddles. Gu Yining glanced at her out of the corner of her eye but ignored the comment.

Charcoal burned brightly under the grills. At every table, a student “chef” had volunteered to take charge. Regardless of whether their technique was skilled or clumsy, as the skewers of fresh meat, chicken wings, and vegetables were flipped, oiled, and seasoned, the results weren’t half bad.

The aroma of grilled meat filled the air. Gu Yining sat down next to Jiang Qing and popped a piece of meat into her mouth. Suddenly, she heard Jiang Qing ask, “Why were you gone so long?”

The sizzling meat skewer was golden and crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. Gu Yining took a bite, and the flavors exploded on her taste buds.

Gu Yining said, “Oh, I just went to ask the shop to bring out some drinks for everyone.”

This BBQ was funded by the school’s limited activity budget; there was no extra money to provide a drink for every student. Thus, when the merchant arrived with the drinks, Jian Wenxin asked, “Hello, we didn’t order any drinks over here.”

The merchant smiled. “A female student ordered them and already paid. She also said if the meat isn’t enough, you can keep ordering and she’ll pick up the tab.”

Immediately, cheers erupted from the group.

Jiang Qing opened her drink and chuckled softly. “Miss Gu is truly low-key, doing good deeds without leaving a name.”

Gu Yining flashed a smile at Jiang Qing and quickly lowered her head to keep eating. She wasn’t doing it out of the goodness of her heart.

On the other side, the waiter was distributing the drinks one by one. Wang Jiexiao, having eaten too much chili, was thirsty and reached out as the waiter approached.

The next instant, the waiter bypassed him and handed the drink to the boy next to him.

Wang Jiexiao froze. The boy beside him prompted, “Waiter, he hasn’t gotten one yet…”

The waiter looked troubled. “This student… isn’t on the list.”

In other words, the student treating everyone didn’t want to treat him.

As soon as the words were spoken, the seven or eight people at the same table looked over. Wang Jiexiao’s throat bobbed. “It’s fine, I’ll just buy one myself.” It wasn’t about the money; it was the fact that the person wanted to embarrass him.

He didn’t even have to guess who it was. Wang Jiexiao unscrewed his cap and muttered disdainfully, “How petty and childish.”

The sky gradually darkened. In the distance, the fiery red sun approached the forest, igniting a ring of red clouds. The orange-yellow afterglow spilled down, blanketing the quiet grassy slopes.

The students sat in clusters on the grass; some were playing mobile games, some were playing board games, and others were gossiping. Among those left with nothing to do, someone suggested a game of Truth or Dare—it was a game with no barrier to entry that always got people excited.

Quickly, a large circle of about a dozen people formed around the teachers. A girl ran to borrow a bottle and a board from the shop, laying them out on the grass. Because teachers were present, the students were initially hesitant; the “dares” were a bit stiff, and the “truths” felt like polite greetings—it wasn’t very interesting.

“Everyone, just let loose and play. That’s how it’s fun. Don’t worry about us teachers,” Jian Wenxin said. “Rest assured, your ‘truths’ are strictly confidential! Even if it’s puppy love, I won’t tell the Dean.”

As she spoke, the spinning bottle stopped on the board. The mouth of the bottle pointed right at Jian Wenxin.

A student raised their hand first: “Does Ms. Jian have a boyfriend?”

Jian Wenxin: “I haven’t even chosen Truth or Dare yet.”

“What kind of question is that? Your intel is too old,” a student laughed. “Ms. Jian has had a boyfriend for ages. Don’t waste the question slot!”

Everyone laughed. “Then teacher, you choose: Truth or Dare?”

Jian Wenxin thought for a moment. “Truth, then.” She probably couldn’t handle the kind of dares young people came up with.

A girl asked, “When does Ms. Jian plan to get married?”

After a chorus of “Ooh~”, the students looked at Jian Wenxin, ears perked. A colleague patted her and laughed, “Tell them! They’re all waiting.”

“I don’t have a specific plan yet, but it’ll definitely be after I see you all off to university. Don’t worry, I’ll notify you then. Even if you’ve run to the ends of the earth, I’ll catch you and bring you back for the wedding feast!”

“You won’t have to catch us! We’ll skip class just to come back, hahaha!”

The atmosphere finally livened up. After answering, Jian Wenxin spun the bottle.

After several rounds, the bottle pointed at Jiang Qing, who had been sitting quietly with her chin in her hand, smiling but not speaking. She startled and sat up straight, instinctively looking at the student who had been picked in the previous round.

According to the rules, the person pointed at must accept the penalty, choose Truth or Dare, spin the bottle for the next round, and gain priority for the next question.

The person from the previous round was Tan Baozhu. Tan Baozhu looked at her and gave a slight nod.

“How does Jiang Qing feel about Wang Jiexiao?” someone asked first. A wave of laughter broke out. Tan Baozhu clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. “It’s my turn to ask! I’m asking!”

Gu Yining glared at the boy who had asked the random question, then turned her head back to look at Tan Baozhu opposite her.

Tan Baozhu sat cross-legged on the ground, her straight black hair falling on either side of her face, her thick bangs weighing down over her beautiful eyes. She curled her lips slightly. “Jiang Qing, do you choose Truth or Dare?”

Jiang Qing thought for a bit and replied, “Truth.”

Tan Baozhu’s smile widened. She reached up to tuck her hair behind her left ear. “I want to ask—” She caught a glimpse of Gu Yining sitting next to Jiang Qing, who was visibly tensing up. Tan Baozhu tilted her head. “Jiang Qing, do you like Ms. Jian?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, someone let out a sigh of disappointment. “Is that all you’re asking…?”

“What kind of question is that?” a girl nearby said. “Ms. Jian is so great; everyone in our class likes her.”

Jian Wenxin also laughed. “Yes, every student likes me.”

Another student chimed in, “Of course! Ms. Jian is worth liking!”

“Quiet, quiet! Whether you like her is your business; I just want to hear what Student Jiang says.” Tan Baozhu looked at Jiang Qing, who had a faint smile on her lips. “Jiang Qing, do you like Ms. Jian?”

Gu Yining furrowed her brows slightly. Tan Baozhu was being too “friendly” today; it felt like a trap, but for the moment, Gu Yining couldn’t figure out what was wrong. She turned to look at Jiang Qing.

The afterglow of the sunset shone from the other side. Gu Yining could only see Jiang Qing’s profile and couldn’t make out her expression clearly. For a fleeting second, Jiang Qing’s lips seemed to stiffen. Then, Gu Yining heard Jiang Qing’s voice—steady and calm.

“Of course, I like Ms. Jian. Many people like Ms. Jian.”

An ordinary question, an ordinary answer. Many people urged for the next round to begin.

Lowered eyelashes hid the emotions in her eyes. Jiang Qing leaned forward and spun the bottle.

The sun finally sank slowly behind the mountains. The teachers led the students back down and onto the buses to return to school.

On the way back, Jiang Qing sat in the front row with Jian Wenxin again. Jian Wenxin unscrewed her water bottle and took a sip, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Jiang Qing looked listless as she leaned against the window. “Motion sickness? Should I open the window wider?”

Jiang Qing shook her head slightly. “No need, teacher. If the window is too wide, the wind gives me a headache. I’ll just take a nap.”

The bus was much quieter on the return trip; the students, exhausted from a day of activity, leaned against their seats and slept.

Wang Jiexiao pursed his lips and withdrew his gaze from the front row. He thought of Gu Yining, who had been snapping at him like a mad dog. Just wait, he thought. If she didn’t want Jiang Qing and him to be together, he would make it his mission to win Jiang Qing over, if only to save face.

During the hour-and-a-half bus ride, he even formulated a detailed plan in his mind, resolving to start a relentless pursuit of Jiang Qing according to his strategy. “A persistent man can win over any woman”—Jiang Qing would be no exception.

However, this “great plan” died in its infancy just a few days later. It seemed Wang Jiexiao’s family business had run into trouble. Every time he went home, he heard his parents arguing loudly. Frustrated and distracted, he had no heart to execute his plan.

After one particularly bad argument, he tried asking his mother what was wrong.

A few years ago, his parents had rented a shop at a low price and opened a restaurant together. Not long after, a fire in the mall redirected a lot of consumer traffic; the Wangs’ location was perfect, so business had been good for the past two years.

But a few days ago, the mall suddenly claimed they needed to repair some pipes and cordoned off the area in front of their shop. Without foot traffic, sales plummeted. Yet a week had passed and no one was seen working in the cordoned-off area. When the couple went to the mall manager, the man was evasive and refused to tell the truth.

After gifting cigarettes and alcohol, the manager finally leaked a bit of information: This was the “Little Boss Gu’s” doing.

The couple couldn’t understand when they had offended a “Little Boss Gu,” but since their livelihood was on the line, they didn’t care how the fire started—they just needed to put it out. They learned from the manager that their son knew Little Boss Gu; perhaps if their son spoke up, Little Boss Gu might show mercy for the sake of being classmates.

The parents hadn’t wanted to involve their son in such things, but as business went from bad to worse, they finally mentioned it to him. Wang Jiexiao was confused; he didn’t know any “Little Boss Gu.” After a restless night, it hit him like a bolt of lightning.

The next day, Wang Jiexiao sought out Gu Yining.

Gu Yining clearly didn’t want to talk to him; Jiang Qing was waiting for her in the classroom. She was about to walk away when she suddenly heard Wang Jiexiao say: “My parents are getting old, and they’ve invested a lot into that shop. Please, let them go.”

Gu Yining tilted her head and suddenly laughed. “It seems you still haven’t grasped the situation.”

Bright sunlight fell on her, and the girl’s smile held a sense of innocent cruelty.

“I know! I know now! I won’t pester Jiang Qing anymore. I’ll stay far away from her. I apologize for my previous behavior, I’m truly sorry. Please, let them go…”

Wang Jiexiao lowered his head, his voice growing softer and softer. When he finally looked up, the girl was already gone.

He didn’t know if Gu Yining had technically agreed, but two days later, his parents told him that the barriers in front of the shop had been removed.

Having dealt with a disgusting slug, Gu Yining was in a great mood, her footsteps light as she went upstairs. Turning into the corridor from the stairs, she bumped into Chen Yiyi returning from the restroom.