Diagnosis: Friend [Rebirth] - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The autumn sun remained fierce, making the top of Gu Yining’s head feel scorching hot.

Looking at the girl before her who seemed on the verge of tears, Gu Yining’s initial curiosity and confusion turned into surprise and panic. She tried to stop the girl’s tears while simultaneously searching her memory for information about her, but she came up empty-handed.

I don’t know her.

Gu Yining cleared her throat and waved a hand in front of the girl’s eyes. “Hello? What’s wrong?”

The girl shook her head gently, crystal tears wobbling in her eyes. The moment she lowered her head, the tears fell with lightning speed, creating small dark spots on the dry ground.

Fortunately, because her head was down, the tears fell directly from her eyes without leaving much of a trace on her face. She sniffled, quickly adjusted her emotions, and lifted her head once more. Looking at Gu Yining, she smiled softly: “I’m sorry, that was impolite of me just now.”

Glancing at her reddened eyes, Gu Yining asked: “Do we… know each other?”

Jiang Qing shook her head: “No.”

Gu Yining laughed and reached out her hand: “Then shall we get to know each other now? My name is Gu Yining, a sophomore in Class 13 at Anhe No. 9 High School.”

Jiang Qing took the hand gently and released it quickly: “Jiang Qing, a student at Anhe No. 2 High School.”

“Oh, I see.” Gu Yining’s gaze drifted past the blurry shadows on the ground and landed on the book the girl was holding. “What book is that?”

Jiang Qing revealed the cover—a blue and gold design with three large characters printed at the top: The Ferryman.

Gu Yining asked: “Is it good?”

“It is.”

She asked again: “Can I borrow it to read?”

“Ah?” Meeting Gu Yining’s hopeful eyes, Jiang Qing looked away. “I can’t. This isn’t my book; I borrowed it from the school library. I have to return it.”

“Fair enough.” Gu Yining changed the subject. “You were so sad just now. Is there trouble at home, or did you fight with a friend, or… a breakup?”

Jiang Qing: “…”

At this moment, she intensely disliked Gu Yining’s vigorous curiosity.

Gu Yining mimicked zipping her lips with two fingers and whispered: “I won’t ask anymore.”

After a while.

“Just now…” Jiang Qing organized her words. “I went up to find a classmate to get my book and ran into three girls. They didn’t seem very friendly. When I was leaving, I heard them say they were looking for you.”

Gu Yining didn’t seem to care at all: “Oh.”

She walked into the shade of the tree. “You were talking to Tan Baozhu just now. Are you her friend? If so, let me warn you: a ‘good student’ like you should stay far away from her.” Gu Yining paused and added, “Actually, you should stay far away from this school in general.”

Jiang Qing said: “I’m not her friend. She said she knows you. I asked her to tell you to be careful—those girls don’t look like people you should mess with.”

Gu Yining was puzzled: “She only said that?”

Jiang Qing pursed her lips, and after a long silence, she added: “She also said you are her girlfriend.”

Gu Yining: “Huh?”

Gu Yining: “Crazy.”

Gu Yining: “She’s not right in the head.”

Jiang Qing put her book into her bag and looked down at her phone to check the time; it was about time to leave. Turning back, she saw Gu Yining squatting on the edge of the tree planter, holding a small twig and digging in the dirt. Suddenly, Jiang Qing asked: “Is school bullying very serious here?”

Gu Yining’s digging stopped. She looked up, her heavy gaze landing on Jiang Qing. “Good student, this isn’t a place you should come to. Don’t come here again.”

Jiang Qing was silent for a moment before saying: “Okay.”

The girl turned and left. Gu Yining lowered her head and continued digging.

Before long, a small mound of earth was piled up, looking like a tiny grave. She stuck the twig into the top like a small tombstone. Gu Yining was quite satisfied with this “grave” and hummed a tune as she skipped back to the dormitory.

The small dorm room held six bunk beds, housing twelve people. Fortunately, it was still early, and her roommates weren’t in yet, so Gu Yining could lie on her bed and enjoy a moment of peace.

She threw back the blanket and yawned at the same time—but the yawn didn’t finish, turning instead into an expression of utter speechlessness.

Beneath the blanket, a large patch of the bedsheet was soaking wet, as if someone had wet the bed. Gu Yining touched it with her hands; it was cool, clearly poured not long ago. She scratched her forehead, let out a sigh, stripped the sheet off, and carried her mattress pads downstairs.

In the small courtyard in front of the girls’ dorm, there was a stone table and matching stools. These were usually the “battleground” for drying blankets. Today, the sun wasn’t great and it was already autumn, which was the only reason they were available for Gu Yining.

She spread out the pads, making sure the sun could reach the wet parts. She tinkered with it for a long while until a layer of fine sweat broke out on her face.

“Gu Yining?” someone called her. “It’s already four o’clock. Why didn’t you dry them earlier?”

Gu Yining looked up to see her roommate Tang Lin, carrying a bag of fruit in one hand and a small cake in the other.

Gu Yining jogged over and took the initiative to share the burden of the cake, not forgetting to complain: “Don’t even get me started. I wanted to come back and take a nap this afternoon, but my bed was soaked.”

“What?” Tang Lin frowned. “That’s too much…”

As they turned onto the stairs, Tang Lin asked: “Did you leave without locking the door?” She then lowered her voice, “Or… was it someone in our room?”

Gu Yining looked down at the small cake: “Maybe I just forgot.”

There wasn’t much point in locking that broken door anyway. Those old-fashioned locks could be popped open with a small clip; the lock was mainly for decoration.

Entering the room, Tang Lin set down the fruit and looked at Gu Yining with worry: “Will it be dry by tonight?”

Gu Yining shook her head: “No way.”

Tang Lin suggested: “Then squeeze in with me tonight. It’s better than sleeping on something wet.”

Gu Yining nodded, her face breaking into a bright smile: “Thanks, Tang Lin.”

Handing a fork to Gu Yining, Tang Lin smiled: “Come eat some cake. I specifically bought mango; it’s delicious.”

After the noisy evening self-study, one group of students rushed to the cafeteria while another rushed to the dorms.

Gu Yining was fast, being the first to return to the room. She grabbed her basin and toiletries from under the bed and ran to the sinks in the restroom. After a lightning-fast wash, she habitually took off her shoes and climbed into Tang Lin’s top bunk.

Tang Lin was stunned: “Gu Yining, how are you so fast! I suspect you didn’t even go to self-study!”

Gu Yining made a face at her. “That’s right, I didn’t go. The person sitting next to you wasn’t me, it was a ghost!”

After washing up, Tang Lin climbed into bed and directed Gu Yining to sit further in, then started telling her about the gossip she’d heard that day.

The twelve people returned to the dorm one after another, their chatter instantly turning the room into a bustling market. Gu Yining sat there dazed, resting her chin on her hand, unconsciously thinking about the girl she met earlier that day.

First thought—she’s so well-behaved. Second thought—why was she looking at me and crying? Third thought—that damn Tan Baozhu; her reputation is going to be ruined by that psycho sooner or later.

At this thought, she looked down at Tan Baozhu’s bed. That gloomy person was sitting on her bed clutching her knees, and just happened to look up at her.

The two were of one mind—while elegant smiles were plastered on their faces, their eyes had already fought a hundred battles, sparks flying, both wishing they could strangle the other right then and there.