Green Tea Top Student Falls in Love with Me - Chapter 24

“Sister Xiaoyou, can I come to your house tonight?” After picking fruits, Jiang An’an approached Wen Youren with her head lowered, speaking softly.

She was somewhat afraid Wen Youren would reject her, yet she seemed to already sense the refusal.

“I have to tutor her tonight, so I probably won’t have time,” Wen Youren replied.

Jiang An’an glanced at her, then tugged at her sleeve, whining, “Sister Xiaoyou, can’t you let me join the tutoring session? My grades have been slipping since I started high school.”

“Wait a second,” Shi Wangui interrupted their conversation. “Actually, there’s another solution, you can have Sister Xiaoyou tutor you, just don’t include me.”

Wen Youren immediately shut down that idea. “No.” Turning back to Jiang An’an, she added, “I’ll give you my notes later. My house isn’t tidied up, so there’s no space for you to stay.”

Jiang An’an pointed at Shi Wangui. “Then where does she sleep?”

Wen Youren: “She sleeps with me.”

Shi Wangui pouted and muttered under her breath, “Hmph, ‘she sleeps with me.'” If it weren’t for the lack of an extra bed, she wouldn’t agree to it. Sharing a bed was definitely less comfortable than sleeping alone.

In the end, Jiang An’an didn’t follow them back. She could sense Wen Youren’s reluctance and didn’t want to make things awkward, so she simply said, “See you next time,” before leaving. Though no one knew when “next time” would be, they could only hope the time apart would be short and their reunions long.

On the way home, Shi Wangui felt content with everything. It seemed as though her soul had been cleansed since coming here. It really was true staying away from people you dislike does wonders. Maybe spending too much time with Shi Qin had been draining her luck.

“I noticed you’re in a good mood today,” Wen Youren remarked, watching Shi Wangui swaying ahead with a basket in hand, a bright smile on her face. Seeing her so cheerful made Wen Youren feel happier too.

“Not really,” Shi Wangui immediately straightened up, retracting her hand that had been about to pluck a branch of osmanthus flowers.

“Aren’t you the same? I feel like you’ve become kinder since coming here,” Shi Wangui shot back. She had noticed that both of them had changed a bit since arriving in the countryside more open, happier, and more at ease.

“Tutoring tonight.”

“…” The smile instantly froze on Shi Wangui’s face, her joyful mood deflating once again.

She didn’t want to study, not one bit. Why did she have to study even when she was so far away from school? Was there no justice or order in the world? Besides, wasn’t their arrangement originally just to deal with the homeroom teacher? Wen Youren needed her to return to the countryside, and she needed Wen Youren to escape her old life. Wasn’t it supposed to be a mutually beneficial relationship?

“Hey, Wen Youren,” Shi Wangui suddenly turned around, her eyes glinting mischievously with a sly grin. “Teach me how to cook.”

Eventually, she would have to live on her own, and she couldn’t rely on pre-made meals or takeout every day. Besides, ordering delivery was expensive, cooking at home would be much more economical.

“No,” Wen Yourejected without a second thought.

“…” Shi Wangui’s smile vanished, replaced by disbelief. “Why? Do you think I’m stupid? That I can’t learn? Or do you just not want to teach me for free?”

Wen Youren didn’t bother addressing each question individually. Instead, she walked past Shi Wangui and continued ahead. “It’s not that.”

“If you don’t want to teach me for free, then forget about tutoring. Just teach me how to cook instead.”

“You’re really taking advantage, eating and taking things for free.”

Wen Youren stopped walking and turned back to look at Shi Wangui. The sunlight fell on her face, her hair filtering the light and casting dappled shadows across her skin. “The reason I said I wouldn’t teach you is that you don’t need to cook.”

“How do you know I don’t need to? I think I do,” Shi Wangui retorted, hands on her hips, a puzzled expression on her face.

“Let’s go. Don’t you want to take a nap?” Wen Youren stepped aside to let Shi Wangui walk ahead. Since she was new here, she needed to get familiar with the way, so she wouldn’t be afraid to go out alone later.

Shi Wangui hadn’t felt sleepy before, but the mention of a nap suddenly made her tired. She had stayed up late last night and woken up early this morning.

But looking at Wen Youren now, did she really have depression? Was it just an excuse to avoid school? That didn’t make sense, though with her excellent grades, she should be eager to stay in school and receive praise. And that night, she had genuinely self-harmed for no apparent reason. People were so hard to understand; you couldn’t tell just by looking.

It was just past lunchtime, and most households were taking their midday rest. During the autumn harvest, no one stayed home they all went out to the fields. The weather was gradually getting colder, and there were hardly any people on the roads, only a few puppies playing occasionally.

Shi Wangui really liked it here. She wondered what it would be like when it snowed in winter. Wen Youren had truly given her an opportunity, a chance to get away from Shi Qin and escape school.

If only she weren’t so insistent on tutoring, life here would be even better.

When they got home, Shi Wangui headed straight for the big bed. The quilt had been aired for a while earlier; though it hadn’t been out long, it was placed in the sun during lunchtime and still carried the faint scent of sunlight.

“You go sleep on the floor. I’m taking the bed,” Shi Wangui said fiercely.

“Okay.” To her surprise, Wen Youren agreed.

But she should agree after all, Shi Wangui had taken care of her for those days in the hospital when no one else was around. She had looked so pitiful; if not for Shi Wangui, she might have ended up in a mental institution.

Wen Youren went to the wardrobe, took out an inflatable mattress, and set it up beside the bed. After inflating it with a tool, she grabbed a thin blanket. The wardrobe looked empty, as if there were no other blankets.

Shi Wangui glanced over and then turned away. Wearing more clothes wouldn’t make her cold anyway, and if someone felt chilly, they’d find a warmer spot. Before sleeping, Shi Wangui planned to check her phone messages. She hadn’t opened it or turned off silent mode while playing outside earlier and wondered if Sun Yi had tried to reach her.

Sure enough, Sun Yi’s messages were practically flooding the screen.

[Seventh Year: Are you there yet?]

[Seventh Year: Send me the address.]

[Seventh Year: Should Wang Hu and I come see you this Sunday?]

[Seventh Year: Where are you?]

[Seventh Year: Did going back to the countryside cut off your internet?]

They were definitely in class right now. Shi Wangui had initially planned to reply after school, but she was worried she might forget.

Shi Wangui directly sent the location of Wen Youren’s house, then picked a cute cat sticker to express her apology. Finally, she glanced up at Wen Youren, who had her eyes closed, and thought it would be better to discuss Sun Yi and the others visiting after everyone was awake.

Although they weren’t very close with Wen Youren usually, they wouldn’t be staying overnight. Even if they did, surely Wen Youren would agree out of gratitude for all the care Shi Wangui had given her, right?

Drowsiness washed over her, and Shi Wangui unknowingly drifted off to sleep. The moment her eyes closed, all she felt was the warmth of sunlight. Perhaps this wasn’t her home, but it gave her an inexplicable sense of peace.

Shi Wangui dreamed of her mother.

In the dream, she was so happy that she couldn’t help wondering, if her mother knew about her life now, would she have chosen to take her along back then?

When Shi Wangui opened her eyes again, she saw Wen Youren’s face. Wen Youren was holding a tissue, which still rested on Shi Wangui’s cheek. Being so close, the gruesome wounds on Wen Youren’s hands became even more apparent. The black scabs stretched across the back of her hand like twisted branches, and against the patches of black, her originally not-so-fair skin seemed to pale in comparison.

The emotions stirred by the dream hadn’t yet subsided, so Shi Wangui simply stared straight at Wen Youren. Wen Youren didn’t withdraw her hand either, maintaining her posture as she met Shi Wangui’s gaze.

“What are you doing?” After a prolonged silence, Shi Wangui began to feel uneasy, as if something was off.

“You suddenly started crying, so I wiped your tears for you.” Wen Youren withdrew her hand and tucked the remaining tissue into Shi Wangui’s palm. “I don’t know why you were crying, but I want to say, cheer up.”

Shi Wangui sat up. The pillow was already soaked with tears, her nose ached, and when she tried to speak, her throat felt dry. At that moment, she resembled a withered blade of grass in the height of summer, drooping and longing for a drop of rain.

“Here, drink some water.” Wen Youren handed her the cup from the bedside table.

As the warm water flowed down her throat, Shi Wangui gradually felt her vitality returning. “It’s nothing.”

She didn’t want to explain the reason. How could she say she missed her mother? When it came to her own matters, she didn’t mind ask if you want, speak if you wish. But her mother was different. Without her mother’s permission, how could she casually share such things with others?

“Mmm, okay.”

Wen Youren had her own secrets too. The two of them were like stray cats abandoned by their families. Originally at odds, they now huddled together for warmth in the harsh winter cold. Their relationship might grow closer, but their hearts remained separated by two layers of flesh, unable to easily draw near.

“By the way.” Just as Wen Youren was about to leave, Shi Wangui moved a bit too slowly. The hand that had intended to grab her arm slid down and eventually landed on her fingers. “Sun Yi and Wang Hu might visit in a few days. This is your home, after all. If you don’t want them inside, I’ll accompany them to town instead.”

“It’s fine. Do as you like. Will they stay overnight? If so, I’ll tidy up two rooms.” Wen Youren clasped Shi Wangui’s hand in return.

The initiative of the handhold shifted from active to passive. Still sitting on the bed, Shi Wangui was partly shaded by Wen Youren, who now stood. Shi Wangui’s fair skin made Wen Youren appear slightly darker in contrast. Her fingers brushed against the back of Wen Youren’s hand, and as her tender emotions stirred, she gently caressed it.

Her fingers lightly traced the wounds. Though Shi Wangui had fair skin, she had practiced martial arts as a child, so her hands weren’t particularly delicate. As she touched the scars, it was hard to tell who felt more pain in that moment.

Wen Youren released her grip and watched Shi Wangui’s movements, growing flustered. She hid her hand behind her back and said bitterly, “It’s ugly.”

Shi Wangui looked up, “Were those words you just said to me from the heart?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll tell you something from my heart too, you’re not ugly.”

She had never thought Wen Youren was ugly, not even now, not even after self-harm. Those wounds didn’t bring her ugliness they were merely a form of release for her spirit.

However, this method was ultimately inadvisable. The body is one’s own, and harming it is no different from indirectly harming oneself.

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