Diagnosis: Friend [Rebirth] - Chapter 37.1

Chapter 37.1

It was too close.

So close she didn’t dare lean forward further; she could only stare at Gu Yining’s vivid red lips. After an unknown amount of time, a heat began to rise in her chest, and her gaze drifted up the bridge of Gu Yining’s nose.

She met Gu Yining’s open, direct gaze.

Did she know Jiang Qing was planning to kiss her?

No.

Perhaps in Gu Yining’s eyes, this was just a small game between best friends. She was completely defenseless, utterly unconcerned that Jiang Qing might harbor any “unclean” thoughts about her. Just like the “hickey game” that was once popular among middle school girls, to Gu Yining, this was likely just a game—if it made Jiang Qing happy, she would do it.

But Jiang Qing had a guilty conscience.

This felt like desecrating Gu Yining. Gu Yining didn’t even know she was being harassed; she was happily going along with it.

Jiang Qing thought that, given Gu Yining’s trust in her—both in her past life and this one—coaxing Gu Yining into bed to make love wouldn’t be difficult. She could always find an excuse to retreat afterward.

But as Tan Baozhu said, her moral compass was too high.

She felt too guilty to face Gu Yining’s burning, honest gaze. Right now, as Gu Yining watched her quietly, Jiang Qing’s eyes flickered away. Ultimately unable to withstand the condemnation of her conscience, she jerked her head to the side.

Gu Yining’s breath brushed her cheek for a fleeting second. Jiang Qing felt an immense wave of relief. She braced her hands against the mattress, lowering her head and closing her eyes, gasping for air as she leaned on the bed.

The sound of rain returned, clattering against the window glass. The brief, hazy spark of intimacy vanished. Jiang Qing kept her eyes shut against the surrounding noise.

Of course, that was when Gu Yining let out a soft chuckle behind her. “That’s it?”

A thin layer of mist had formed on the window, separating the cold, wet rain outside from the warm air in the room.

She knows nothing, Jiang Qing thought miserably. She knows absolutely nothing.

It was always like this.

On Jiang Qing’s side, there were crashing waves and storms; on Gu Yining’s side, the waters were calm and windless. Jiang Qing felt an overwhelming sense of despair, like someone sinking to the bottom of the ocean, nearly suffocating.

They simply didn’t belong to the same world.

The draft seeping through the window cracks gradually cooled Jiang Qing’s heart. She took a deep breath and tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

Behind her, Gu Yining’s voice came again, smiling and fawning: “You’re not angry anymore, right?”

Gu Yining tilted her head, her eyes landing on the side of Jiang Qing’s lowered face. She couldn’t see her expression, but she noticed Jiang Qing’s hands were trembling. “Are you still feeling unwell? Maybe we should take your temperature first—”

Before she could finish, Jiang Qing turned her head. She raised a pair of reddened eyes and looked at Gu Yining with a visible tremble. “Gu Yining, let’s… end this here.”

Her voice was hoarse, the trembling unmistakable. Though the air conditioner was on, the atmosphere in the room was heavy enough to suffocate.

A damp chill crawled up from the floor to her calves. Gu Yining took a long time to process those words, unable to grasp their meaning. She instinctively reached for Jiang Qing’s hand, but the other girl recoiled.

Gu Yining froze. “What do you mean?”

Her mouth opened and closed before finally piecing together a few short words: “I don’t understand.”

Jiang Qing lowered her head. Her peripheral vision caught Gu Yining’s hovering hand. She forced a laugh, causing her dry lips to crack and a bead of blood to pop out. She immediately tasted the metallic tang on her tongue.

She struggled to control her emotions, speaking as calmly as possible: “I’ve realized that I really can’t be friends with you.”

She slowly looked up, her pale gray eyes shimmering with moisture, looking hazy and heartbreakingly beautiful.

Gu Yining wasn’t in the mood to appreciate the beauty. She rubbed her face helplessly and summoned the courage to ask: “Did I do something wrong?”

She searched her mind for anything that could have led Jiang Qing to this decision.

“Is it because I brought you back from Tan Baozhu’s today? Or because I took the liberty of bringing you to the Gu villa? Did Tan Baozhu say something to you, or have I been talking too much lately and annoying you?”

She grew more frantic as she spoke.

“I was just afraid no one would look after you while you’re sick. And Tan Baozhu isn’t a good person; I don’t want you associating with her. Besides, you know that I… my head injury last time was because of that phone call she made. She did so many things back at No. 9 Middle School, I…”

A sob in her own voice startled her. She steadied herself and continued: “If you insist on being friends with her, I won’t say anything. I won’t stop you anymore. I admit I was a little angry today, but… but…”

But why would Jiang Qing say something like that? She bit her lip. “I know my personality can be terrible sometimes—”

“It’s not that,” Jiang Qing interrupted calmly. “You’ve always been a wonderful person. You’re very good at taking care of people. You’re the most excellent and qualified friend I’ve ever met.”

Gu Yining asked, “Then why…”

“Because I’m the one who isn’t good. I’m not a qualified friend.” Jiang Qing took a deep breath, her chest heaving. “I am not a qualified friend.”

She couldn’t be near Gu Yining as a friend anymore. She couldn’t watch Gu Yining be happy as a friend. Just seeing her standing beside a man was unbearable; she couldn’t imagine how twisted her own face would become when they eventually fell in love before her eyes.

She didn’t want to self-mutilate like this anymore. She admitted she still loved Gu Yining. She admitted that all that talk about being “just friends” was bullshit. She simply couldn’t stand the thought of Gu Yining being happy with someone else.

So, she had to stay away. Not seeing and not hearing was far happier than seeing and hearing it for herself.

She forced a small smile at Gu Yining. “You have plenty of friends. You don’t need me.”

Gu Yining stared back at her. “But you’re the one I want most.”

Her gaze was fixed on Jiang Qing’s face, searching for any sign that this was a prank. But there was none. Jiang Qing was serious. The redness in her eyes had faded, replaced by a deep exhaustion.

Gu Yining exhaled softly. “You have a fever today. Let’s not talk about this. You’re tired, aren’t you? Why don’t you sleep and rest for a bit?”

She stood up, intending to remove the pillows behind Jiang Qing and help her lie down. But just as she stood, a phone rang. It was Jiang Qing’s ringtone.

Both of them looked toward the nightstand at the same time, then both flinched, stealing glances at each other. Summer vacation, a rainy night—the most likely caller was Tan Baozhu.

Jiang Qing didn’t want Gu Yining to know about the situation with Jian Wenxin. Tan Baozhu loved chaos; who knew what would come out of her mouth? Meanwhile, Gu Yining was baffled by Jiang Qing’s behavior and assumed Tan Baozhu had poisoned her mind against her.

As if sharing the same thought, both girls reached for the nightstand at once.

Gu Yining was faster. She lunged onto the bed, crawling behind Jiang Qing’s waist and reaching straight for the phone. The bed shook under the force. Jiang Qing turned to see that Gu Yining had already grabbed it. To prevent Jiang Qing from doing anything unexpected, Gu Yining simply wrapped one arm around her, pulling her into a tight embrace to restrain her, while the other hand swiped to answer.

Both froze, listening to the voice on the line.

“Hello? Jiang Qing?” Jian Wenxin’s slightly raspy voice came through. “Jiang Qing? Are you there?”

Jiang Qing breathed a sigh of relief and turned toward the phone. “Ms. Jian, I’m here.” She patted the arm wrapped around her neck, signaling for her to let go. Gu Yining, whether intentionally or not, didn’t move.

Jiang Qing had to shout toward the phone: “Ms. Jian, what is it?”

“It’s nothing. I heard you were sick and wanted to check on you. Is it serious? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?”

“There’s no need, Ms. Jian.”

A second female voice appeared abruptly. Jian Wenxin was startled, then heard the person on the phone continue: “Ms. Jian, this is Gu Yining. Jiang Qing is at my house now. The doctor has already seen her, so please don’t worry.”

With her free hand, Gu Yining pinched Jiang Qing’s cheek and said into the phone, “A rough estimate says her fever has broken. Jiang Qing will probably stay at my house tonight, so please rest assured, Ms. Jian.”

The call was quickly disconnected.

Gu Yining struck first: “Why were you trying to grab the phone just now? A guilty conscience?”

“It’s my phone; it’s only natural for me to answer. What does that have to do with a guilty conscience?” She patted Gu Yining’s arm again, saying crossly, “Let go of me.”

Gu Yining ignored her. The hand that had held the phone joined the other, pulling Jiang Qing into a solid embrace. “Right after meeting Tan Baozhu, you say you’re breaking up with me, without any warning.”

Gu Yining’s breathing brushed against Jiang Qing’s neck as she tightened her grip. “Jiang Qing, does this have to do with Tan Baozhu?”

Jiang Qing tilted her neck to escape. Gu Yining’s lack of boundaries sparked her anger again. “It has nothing to do with her! Let go!”

It really didn’t have much to do with Tan Baozhu. Jiang Qing thought to herself: It has everything to do with your fiancé!

As they lay on their sides on the bed, Gu Yining’s arms were locked across Jiang Qing’s chest. She leaned closer, feeling the vivid, burning heat radiating from the body in her arms. Burying her face in the nape of Jiang Qing’s neck, Gu Yining’s voice was muffled: “Qingqing, take back what you said just now, okay?”

She had worked so hard to be reborn and get close to Jiang Qing. It wasn’t to become strangers.

“I—”

Before Gu Yining could say another word, the door suddenly swung open.

“Gu Yining! You went to one banquet and the second young master of the Cheng family is already looking for you! I’m telling you, don’t you dare start—”

Gu Xi’s hand was still on the doorknob, a half-peeled chocolate in her other hand. Her mouth hung open as she was forced to finish her sentence: “—dating early, or I’ll tell Grandma.”

She looked at the two people huddled together on the bed, then back at the doorframe and the hallway, confirming she was indeed in her own house. Confused, she rubbed her eyes and looked at Gu Yining. “You… this…”

Feeling the body in her arms stiffen instantly, Gu Yining let go and sat up. “Jiang Qing is sick. I brought her home to rest.”

Gu Xi nodded mechanically. “Oh.” She turned and walked straight out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Silence returned to the room.

Jiang Qing let out a laugh, a sound like something shattering. “It seems Student Gu even found time to attend a banquet and have a chance encounter with a certain noble gentleman.”