Forced into a Secret Marriage with the Villain, We Now Have a Child - Chapter 31

Leaves rustled in the warm breeze, swirling outside the window before settling on the ground. A few small yellow flowers still clung to the trees, their fragrance drifting in from all directions.

Jian Chun twirled a ballpoint pen in her hand. She wasn’t very skilled at the maneuver yet, so the pen spun sluggishly. Her mind was a complete blank, her thoughts drifting aimlessly.

She had somehow overlooked a crucial fact: this world was fundamentally abnormal. In a world like this, it was only natural for a “top student” to function perfectly without taking notes. Having a brilliant mind was simply one of Yu Siyi’s innate skills. Jian Chun realized she had been far too earnest in her expectations… though she desperately wished she had a skill like that herself.

Jian Chun turned her gaze back to the exercise book in front of her. Every so often, she looked up with a resentful pout toward the center of the classroom where Yu Siyi sat.

Heartless, she thought. Using “notes” to trick me.

She poked her draft paper with the tip of her pen until a blot of ink bled through. Jian Chun realized now that when Yu Siyi had been reluctant to lend her the notes earlier, it was likely because she feared exactly this kind of awkward discovery.

Jian Chun rubbed her eyes, feeling a slight discomfort. As the sun dipped behind the western mountains, casting an endless glow across the sky, she adjusted the curtains before finally deciding to roll them up altogether. School was almost over. She estimated she wouldn’t return for evening self-study; going home early for a nap would be her way of starting the National Day holiday ahead of schedule.

At six o’clock, groups of students began trickling out of the classrooms. People descended from the sixth floor, merging into a sea of students. Jian Chun packed her bag, intending to take a few books home. She turned her head to look in Yu Siyi’s direction.

Yu Siyi seemed to be waiting for her. She was tidying her belongings; her books were stacked neatly on the desk, and she held only a single volume in her hand.

“Hurry up, I’m locking the door!” a classmate holding the keys called out.

Jian Chun slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out. Emboldened by the fact that they had eaten together and fed kittens together, she struck up a conversation: “Do you have time to explain a few problems to me later?”

Yu Siyi pushed the door open and stepped out. Hearing Jian Chun’s words, she glanced sideways at her. Perhaps she found Jian Chun too beautiful, or perhaps she had simply never looked at her clearly before—either way, Yu Siyi’s gaze was full of doubt.

Then, Yu Siyi laughed. It was a casual, effortless laugh, as if she had heard a particularly amusing joke. However, her eyes remained cold, and one corner of her mouth quirked down.

“You?” Yu Siyi asked. “You need me to explain the problems?”

Jian Chun knew this was hardly a compliment. She felt conflicted. Yu Siyi is mocking you! React! she told herself.

But Jian Chun didn’t react. Even though she now had the support of all her subject teachers, she was still loath to give up a “treasure” like Yu Siyi. Besides, she couldn’t let these insults go to waste.

Jian Chun replied good-naturedly, “If your notes were complete, I wouldn’t need your help.”

Yu Siyi didn’t seem to think her incomplete notes were a serious matter. The smile remained on her face, though it became much more sincere—she was clearly quite proud of her own intellect.

It was just after six, and the sky was still bright. As they reached the end of the tree-lined path, Jian Chun stopped and turned her head. “Want to go see the kittens?”

“No,” Yu Siyi said.

“Let’s go,” Jian Chun insisted.

“No.”

“Go, go, go!”

Yu Siyi stopped in her tracks and stared at Jian Chun’s hand, which was gripping her skirt. Jian Chun had small hands with a delicate, slender frame; when she gripped something tightly, her knuckles became prominent. Yu Siyi stared for a long while until Jian Chun let go. Only then did Yu Siyi squint at her.

Jian Chun stared back expressionlessly, looking for all the world like she wouldn’t let Yu Siyi leave until she agreed.

“I’ll do your laundry for you,” Jian Chun blurted out.

Yu Siyi let out a short laugh. A second later, she retracted all emotion, returning to her cold demeanor. “You’re crazy.”

“Not yet.” But I might be reaching my breaking point, Jian Chun thought.

Jian Chun reached out to grab Yu Siyi again. This was fun—helping Yu Siyi “cure” her germophobia. But Yu Siyi employed her “death stare” technique, and Jian Chun didn’t dare grab her again. Instead, she couldn’t resist reaching out a finger to poke her, then immediately running away. Watching Yu Siyi’s reaction, Jian Chun found it incredibly entertaining.

Yu Siyi: “?”

“If I don’t go, are you going to cry again?” Yu Siyi asked.

It was as if someone had stepped on Jian Chun’s tail. Her playful expression vanished, replaced by a look of fierce irritation. Gritting her teeth, she hissed, “You’re the one who’s going to cry!”

“Crybaby,” Yu Siyi remarked.

Jian Chun: “…” She really wanted to have a few choice words with Yu Siyi’s ancestors.

Jian Chun gave Yu Siyi a look of pure steel, treating her like a class enemy, before bolting away. Standing behind her, Yu Siyi watched Jian Chun’s retreating back, a faint smile touching her lips. I was just telling the truth, she thought.

Jian Chun hadn’t been gone for more than a few seconds when her phone started ringing incessantly. Seeing it was Jing Ge calling, she hung up immediately. It was never anything good.

She went outside the school to buy some meat, and by the time she returned with the bags, the sky had begun to darken. On her way back, she spotted the security guard on his rounds. Seeing Jian Chun, he asked what she was doing.

Jian Chun gestured to the items in her hand. “I’m going to feed the kittens.”

The guard knew about the litter. “They were born last week. The mother is a stray; she doesn’t come back often.”

“Then what will happen to them?” Jian Chun asked.

“If anyone remembers them, they bring a little food. I thought about giving them away—there are many residents nearby who love pets—but I’m afraid they won’t survive. They’re dirty, too. It would cost a fortune to get them cleaned up and healthy,” the guard sighed.

“The cats in my hometown were very easy to raise,” Jian Chun noted.

“Was your hometown in the countryside? Creatures in the countryside have tough lives; they’ll survive on anything.”

Jian Chun chatted with him for a bit. She had thought about asking him to help feed them, but in the end, she didn’t open her mouth. The kittens had already opened their eyes and had a decent sense of smell. She planned to tear the meat into tiny pieces and then—aiming carefully—toss them into the drainage ditch where they lived.

But then she reconsidered. The ditch was so dirty; would the kittens get diarrhea?

As she rounded a corner, the view opened up. There, on the empty ground, was that familiar silhouette. Jian Chun’s eyes widened, her footsteps faltered, and a silly grin spread across her face.

Yu Siyi had somehow found a cardboard box and had forcibly constructed a “home” for the kittens. It probably wouldn’t hold up in the rain, but for now, it worked. The kittens were squirming in the box; unfamiliar with a stranger’s scent, they huddled together, piling on top of one another to hide in their siblings’ fur.

Yu Siyi watched them with a sense of novelty. She had been staring for quite a while when she heard a dry cough behind her. She turned and saw Jian Chun. She didn’t seem particularly surprised.

Jian Chun stayed far back, as if there were a predatory beast in front of her. “Where did you find the box?” she asked.

“The supermarket,” Yu Siyi replied.

Jian Chun gave an “oh” and started looking for more small talk. “I just ran into the security guard. He said they’re strays.”

Yu Siyi reached out her hand. “Give me the food.”

Jian Chun took aim and accurately tossed the bag over. Yu Siyi seemed more practiced now; as she fed the kittens, her expression was remarkably peaceful.

Jian Chun looked at the cats, then at Yu Siyi, feeling an insurmountable wave of envy. Her old cat back home used to give her a dirty look whenever it saw her—it was more annoying than a human. She never knew cats could be this cute.

Jian Chun edged a little closer, stopping about two or three meters away. “Are you coming back tomorrow?” she asked.

Yu Siyi glanced at her sideways. “No.”

Well, fine. Jian Chun couldn’t force her.

Yu Siyi wiped her hands and prepared to stand up. Perhaps because she had been crouching too long, she wobbled on her feet. Jian Chun reacted instantly, stepping forward to steady her.

The girl’s smooth arm clung to Jian Chun’s shoulder, radiating a scorching heat against her skin. Yu Siyi’s hurried, gentle breath fanned across Jian Chun’s face, forcibly dragging up a memory Jian Chun had been trying her best to suppress.

Jian Chun shuddered. She stared blankly at Yu Siyi, whose face was now incredibly close to her own. Yu Siyi was also looking at her. Seeing Jian Chun’s expression of sheer terror, Yu Siyi’s attitude soured.

She released Jian Chun and said politely, yet coldly, “Please move your hand away.”

Jian Chun stammered for a moment, her nose suddenly beginning to itch. She had a gut feeling she was about to do something very rude, but the reflex was faster than her manners. Before she could cover her face, the sneeze erupted.

“A-choo!”

Yu Siyi: “…”

Yu Siyi took the full force of the “baptism.” She stared in disbelief, her eyes frozen, her breath hitched. Only her fingertips trembled.

Jian Chun: “…”

Jian Chun hurriedly wiped her face and pulled a tissue from her bag. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It wasn’t on purpose!”

But the closer she got, the more she wanted to sneeze. Seeing this, Yu Siyi’s motor skills returned. She looked at Jian Chun, and for the first time, her eyes held a look of genuine horror.

Yu Siyi scrambled back several steps.

“A-choo! A-choo!” Jian Chun sneezed again. Holding her nose, she gasped, “No… I need to get away from you.”

Yu Siyi clearly agreed. She didn’t say a word; she simply wiped down every part of her clothes and face that might have been “contaminated.” She couldn’t stop herself from shuddering, as if she had been doused in filth.

Yu Siyi put the kittens back. Jian Chun watched nervously, afraid that Yu Siyi’s trembling hands might accidentally flip a kitten over. Looking at Yu Siyi’s current state—radiating an aura of absolute despair—Jian Chun took another step back. She felt as though Yu Siyi was a righteous warrior ready to “slay a demon” to cleanse the world.

And she, Jian Chun, was that demon.

Jian Chun shivered and stood further away, waiting for Yu Siyi so they could leave the school together. During the walk, they maintained a distance of over three meters, looking like strangers who happened to be walking the same path. There was not a single word or glance exchanged between them.

Once they reached the school gates, Jian Chun blurted out a quick “goodbye” and rushed to catch the bus.

At the school entrance, passersby couldn’t help but steal glances at them. Beautiful girls usually received preferential treatment, but no one noticed that the girl standing by the road—clutching a book with a stony expression—was radiating an aura of utter hopelessness from head to toe.

Only after Jian Chun had left did Yu Siyi, finally breathing air that didn’t contain Jian Chun, come back to life. She desperately wanted to sniff her own clothes to check for a scent, but such a behavior was unrefined, so she restrained herself, standing there as stiffly as a wooden puppet.

At that moment, her phone rang. It was Zhu Feifei.

Yu Siyi was in a terrible mood; she waited ten seconds before answering. As soon as the call connected, Zhu Feifei started rambling like a maniac: “Sister! Did you eat something wrong today? Why on earth did you go to school?”

Yu Siyi wasn’t in the mood to answer. I must have forgotten to check the horoscope before leaving the house, she thought.

Zhu Feifei didn’t wait for an answer. “Why are you getting so close to Jian Chun? Are you really accompanying her to class? You didn’t even call me! You’ve changed! Are you really ‘together’ like those idiots are saying?!”

“You’re my smartest friend! Think about it—if you get together with Jian Chun, your IQ will take a massive hit! I might even catch it by association!”

“Zhu Feifei,” Yu Siyi said weakly.

“Waaaaah!”

Yu Siyi moved the phone away from her ear. “I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

“What’s wrong?”

Yu Siyi added, “And don’t mention that person’s name in front of me again.”

Zhu Feifei was delighted. “Wait! Does that mean the ‘romance’ is fake and you guys are actually fighting?!”

Yu Siyi hung up the phone.

Meanwhile, Jian Chun, who had been sneezing for half an hour, stuffed her nose with tissues. She decided she needed to take some medicine. She usually kept some at home, but the more she looked forward to getting there, the slower the bus seemed to go.

She got off the bus and walked home while checking her phone. A flood of messages poured in. Jing Ge was the most prolific, with dozens of notifications.

The last message: “Reply when you see this.” The one above it: “Holy crap, I can’t take this. Are you really with Yu Siyi? That was fast.” The one above that: “I think it’s fake. How could Yu Siyi really eat with you, study with you, and go on dates? Puh-lease.”

Jian Chun scrolled up further and saw a link. [Hanhai Middle School Forum] From Enemies to Lovers: Their Journey from the Cold Snow to the Spring Blooms [Image] [Image]

She clicked in. It was a string of high-definition photos—side views, back views. A single picture at the start, with the rest of the “content” entirely made up by the posters.

Jian Chun was stunned to the point of numbness. In reality, their relationship, which had just begun to thaw, had frozen over once again.