Diagnosis: Friend [Rebirth] - Chapter 39.1

Chapter 39.1

Gu Yining’s strength was immense.

Jiang Qing’s wrist was gripped tight, her body pulled along by Gu Yining’s lead. She panted, shouting at the high ponytail bouncing on the back of Gu Yining’s head: “Gu Yining? Gu Yining! Let me go! Release me! What are you doing?”

Since there was no evening self-study, the teaching building was almost empty, and the sound of their hurried footsteps echoed through the hollow stairwell. Gu Yining remained silent, but her pace quickened.

“You…” Jiang Qing was so tired she could barely catch her breath, her voice dropping several decibels. “Where are you taking me?”

The young girl’s heart was drumming like thunder. Hearing the person behind her breathing like a broken bellows, Gu Yining slowed her pace. However, the pressure on Jiang Qing’s wrist tightened a fraction.

“Just walk like a good girl. Do I have to run to the ‘Skin-Flayer’ Dean and report you for a student romance?” She spoke through gritted teeth. “There are surveillance cameras in the classrooms. You and her won’t be able to handle the consequences.”

Jiang Qing fell silent.

Rounding the corner of the stairs, golden sunlight poured through the window onto the steps. Gu Yining paused for a heartbeat, her eyes shifting upward. She then pushed open a concealed door in the stairwell and pulled Jiang Qing inside.

With a bang, the door shut. Gu Yining released the icy wrist and deftly double-locked the door.

This was a utility room used for the janitors’ cleaning tools. Gu Yining had discovered this hidden little space a while back while helping a janitor carry supplies.

There were no cameras in this small room.

Behind Jiang Qing was a small window facing west. The golden sun danced across Gu Yining’s shoulders and back, while Jiang Qing was cast entirely into the shadows, untouched by the light. Looking at Gu Yining’s expressionless face, a chill rose unbidden up Jiang Qing’s spine.

She then remembered their current status; even if she really were dating someone, it was none of Gu Yining’s business. Jiang Qing’s throat bobbed, but her voice lacked total conviction: “Gu… Gu Yining, why did you pull me in here?”

Facing the light, Gu Yining narrowed her eyes, one corner of her lip curling into a cold sneer. “You’re asking me what I’m doing? I wanted to ask you the same thing.”

She approached Jiang Qing step by step, slowly treading into the gloom that belonged solely to the other girl. The thick shadows wrapped around her tightly, and her ink-colored eyes were like a silent, bottomless lake.

The girl stopped a few paces in front of Jiang Qing, tilting her head. Her voice was calm: “Are you really dating her?”

“No.” Jiang Qing was not good at lying, nor did she like being interrogated by Gu Yining. She let out a soft sigh. “Whether it’s real or fake is none of your business, Gu Yining. You’ve crossed the line.”

She looked down, rubbing her reddened wrist, her eyelids drooping to hide her pupils, doing her best to ensure not a single glance landed on Gu Yining.

“No?”

Half an athletic shoe entered Jiang Qing’s downward vision. She tensed her shoulders as if facing a great enemy, pressing herself flat against the wall. Then she heard Gu Yining ask: “No? Then why were you kissing?”

Jiang Qing truly couldn’t stand being questioned at this distance, especially when the person was Gu Yining. Raising her hand to brace against Gu Yining’s body, Jiang Qing warned: “Get back. You’re too close.”

Her palm pressed against something soft. Jiang Qing didn’t realize it at first, but when she slowly looked up, she found her hand resting on Gu Yining’s breast.

Yet Gu Yining acted as if nothing had happened. She didn’t react; she simply stared at her intently, as if observing every micro-expression on her face.

Jiang Qing withdrew her hand, a wave of irritability rising in her chest. She leaned back against the wall, her gaze drifting toward the dusty mops and brooms in the corner. She answered in a self-abandoning tone: “Can’t ordinary classmates kiss?”

She and Tan Baozhu hadn’t actually touched lips; perhaps the angle made Gu Yining believe they had. But whatever. She didn’t feel like explaining to Gu Yining, nor was it necessary.

The small room suddenly fell silent. Millions of dust motes danced in the sunlight. Jiang Qing didn’t look at Gu Yining’s face, but she guessed she was either shocked or speechless.

She took a breath and shifted her gaze from the corner to the door lock, moving past Gu Yining to open the door. “I have things to do. I’m leaving.”

Her left palm landed on the lock; the iron was covered in blood-red rust, feeling rough to the touch. She gripped the deadbolt knob with her thumb and forefinger, but before she could turn it, a warm hand landed on her wrist. Jiang Qing tried to pull back immediately, but she was a step too late.

Gu Yining seized her wrist again.

With more force than before, Gu Yining yanked her wrist upward, pinning it beside Jiang Qing’s ear. “Ordinary classmates can kiss?”

Gu Yining’s darkened face pressed closer. Her other hand caught Jiang Qing’s swinging arm, pinning that too against the door behind her. She leaned in with lowered eyes, her gaze burning as she stared at the other girl’s lips. Her presence instantly enveloped Jiang Qing’s entire body. “Then is it even more okay for best friends?”

Her gaze locked onto Jiang Qing’s slightly reddened lips at close range. The skin was a bit dry, with even a faint trace of blood in the center, yet they possessed an unintentional, fragile beauty. Between spring and summer, the temperature fluctuated wildly; besides her frequent colds and fevers, Jiang Qing’s lips were always peeling.

“Gu Yining, what exactly do you want to do…”

For some reason, Jiang Qing’s body was trembling. Even her mouth was shaking slightly. Watching her, Gu Yining felt an itch in her heart, so she drew even closer.

Jiang Qing’s voice suddenly dropped.

Voices and footsteps drifted in from outside the door. Judging by the tone and pace, it was likely a teacher returning to the office to fetch something. Sensing the change in Jiang Qing’s volume, Gu Yining suddenly let out a small laugh and continued to press closer.

Their noses almost touched. The tiny, soft hairs on Jiang Qing’s nose tickled her gently. The scent unique to Jiang Qing began to cloud over her—fragrant and comforting.

The footsteps outside grew closer.

Gu Yining also drew closer, her nose nudging against Jiang Qing’s. At this proximity, she saw Jiang Qing’s eyes were watery, her pale gray pupils shimmering and beautiful. Those beautiful eyes blinked repeatedly, her long lashes brushing against Gu Yining’s heart like a feather.

Gu Yining’s gaze deepened. Her throat bobbed unconsciously as an indescribable longing spread through her heart.

She swore, she really didn’t intend to do anything at first. She just wanted to scare Jiang Qing—to let her know how inappropriate Tan Baozhu’s behavior was. But as she watched those lips part and close, part and close, a subtle thought began to take hold.

She imagined her own lips gently covering them, feeling the slight roughness and the soft spots. The peeling skin seemed to be silently inviting her to soothe it, to moisten it.

Gu Yining didn’t notice her own breathing becoming heavy and rapid. Her gaze grew silently scorched.

Jiang Qing’s head suddenly tilted, and several silent words escaped her lips: “Gu Yining, let go.”

The girl instinctively loosened her grip, only to apply even more strength in the next moment. She suddenly remembered: not long ago, someone else had kissed the Jiang Qing standing before her, and Jiang Qing hadn’t refused.

They had kissed.

This realization sent a fire roaring through Gu Yining’s chest. The fire turned her brain to chaos, so much so that she didn’t register Jiang Qing’s rejection or her quiet protests. She stared at those tightly pursed lips and leaned down to kiss them.

The moment their softness met, the fire seemed to burn even hotter.

Her heart was pounding with heat, and she even found herself wondering distractedly: Did they use tongues when she and Tan Baozhu kissed?

She didn’t know. But she was going to.

The hands gripping Jiang Qing’s wrists quickly moved to cup Jiang Qing’s cheeks. She carefully extended her tongue and lightly licked Jiang Qing’s lips. It was just a gentle lick.

Before she could even register the taste, a sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen. Looking down, she saw Jiang Qing’s knee had struck her in the stomach.

A few cold droplets splashed onto the back of Gu Yining’s hand. She froze. In the next instant, Jiang Qing pushed her away. She slammed into the wall behind her, her back hitting the cold tiles.

The door made a snapping sound. Gu Yining clutched her stomach and looked up to see Jiang Qing’s back disappearing through the doorway. The sound of hurried footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

The sun set quickly.

Gu Yining sat on the floor, her limbs limp.

A cool breeze blew in from the stairwell. The girl kept her head down, her breathing still erratic and her cheeks flushed. Her chest heaved violently, like waves on a stormy sea, one crashing over the other.

After an unknown amount of time, the tide slowly receded.

Gu Yining remained slumped on the floor, her gaze fixed on a void in front of her, thinking desperately: It’s over. I kissed Jiang Qing.

She raised a hand to touch her lips. They seemed to still hold the fragrance and softness of Jiang Qing’s. She touched them for a long time until her lips were rubbed bright red.

Gu Yining didn’t know how it had come to this. She… she hadn’t meant for this to happen. Now look—Jiang Qing would definitely ignore her forever.

Really, it was all Tan Baozhu’s fault.

The light in the utility room faded away, and darkness enveloped her.

Gu Yining’s mind was a mess. One moment it was the image of Jiang Qing smiling; the next, it was Jiang Qing breaking down in tears; then, it was the repressed expression Jiang Qing wore while being kissed. Her eyes had been brimming with tears, wetting her lashes, wearing a look of total disbelief.

It was indeed unbelievable, Gu Yining thought as she touched her lips.

She had actually kissed Jiang Qing.

In this situation, Gu Yining imagined she should feel regret, despair, and the urge to slap herself. But…

Gu Yining didn’t want to be a dishonest person. There was regret, but not much. The despair came from the fact that Jiang Qing might never speak to her again. Aside from that, a strange sense of joy and satisfaction bubbled up from her heart, quietly occupying the space where the little regret she had was supposed to be.

She didn’t have much to regret. If anything… she regretted not arriving at the Class 9 doorway sooner.