Hedgehog's Belly - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

After finishing the last subject and stepping out of the classroom door, Luo Mu looked up at the distant sky. The evening clouds glowed with a faint violet hue mixed with a hint of dark pink, a touch of the rare romanticism found in youth.

She hadn’t been this calm in a long time.

“Finally finished!” Qin Jiahui returned to her seat, clutching a stack of books excitedly, and slammed them onto the desk with a heavy thud.

“Mumu, do you have plans tonight?” Qin Jiahui tilted her head, scanning Luo Mu’s expression. Realizing the other girl seemed relatively normal, she lowered her voice and chirped excitedly.

Luo Mu tilted her head back at her, the two of them staring at each other. Luo Mu couldn’t help but smile: “What’s up?”

“Let’s go get dessert tonight! It’s near Nanming, not far!” Qin Jiahui pulled Luo Mu into a hug, rubbing against her like a pampered kitten. “I’ve been wanting to eat at that double-skin milk place for a long time.”

“Not going,” Luo Mu answered.

“Really not going?” Qin Jiahui tested her again.

“Not going,” Luo Mu replied once more.

“My treat,” Qin Jiahui said with a look of defiance.

System alert: Opponent Qin Jiahui has used a Finishing Move.

Luo Mu paused, then slowly squeezed out one word: “Going.”

The shop Qin Jiahui chose was indeed not far from Nanming, though the location was somewhat remote. However, it was quite famous and the prices were friendly.

Yet Luo Mu didn’t feel that Qin Jiahui had really come for the dessert; rather, the entire process consisted of her complaining about all sorts of people. During the review week, Luo Mu had been so focused on herself that she had rarely paid attention to the person in front of her, causing Qin Jiahui to feel a bit lonely.

Listening to stories about “bizarre friends” she had never even met, Luo Mu merely nodded symbolically and offered a few responses, not taking them to heart.

“And another one! This one is even more ridiculous!” Qin Jiahui took a bite of grass jelly and swallowed quickly. “Did you know? I heard this from a friend. A girl wanted to break up with her boyfriend, so she made up the most absurd reason.”

“What was it?” Luo Mu propped her chin on her hand, her eyes slightly raised, waiting for Qin Jiahui’s reply.

“She actually told him that a fortune teller said the man’s fate was a curse upon her life!”

Luo Mu froze instantly, the corners of her mouth trembling as she gave an awkward smile: “Is that so…”

Who exactly are you calling out here—

Qin Jiahui didn’t notice the change in the other’s expression. Instead, she raised her voice, replying with a look of confusion: “Don’t you think this person is sick? If you don’t like someone, just say you don’t like them. Why make up such nonsense to lie to people?”

“Yeah… I guess…” Luo Mu immediately lowered her eyes, smoothing the stray hairs on her forehead.

“What ‘fate’ or whatever? Clearly she just didn’t like him and didn’t want to take the blame herself!” Qin Jiahui’s voice grew bright again.

Luo Mu furrowed her brows and rubbed her temples, her eyes darting around.

You’re definitely calling me out—

The other customers heard Qin Jiahui’s excited and peculiar shout and turned their gazes toward them.

“Fanfan… keep it down.” Luo Mu felt the eyes coming from all directions and waved her hand gently to tell her to be quiet.

When Qin Jiahui realized she had embarrassed herself completely, she quickly hunched over, covering her face with her hands, and whispered in shame: “Help, why didn’t you stop me?!”

“Could I even stop you?” Luo Mu supported her face with one hand and couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter.

“You could have punched me!” Qin Jiahui pouted and grumbled.

“It’s not too late to give you a punch now,” Luo Mu joked.

She had thought there would be no one they knew, so there was no need to be too ashamed. But suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from behind Qin Jiahui.

“Luo Mu, Jiahui?” Song Chenxi stood up, a trace of joy in her eyes as she met Luo Mu’s gaze. “You guys came here too?”

Luo Mu’s brow knit slightly; she didn’t share the same joy.

“Class Monitor, did you come by yourself?” Qin Jiahui, always naive and scatterbrained, didn’t notice Luo Mu’s reaction and instead issued an invitation: “Do you want to join us?”

Luo Mu immediately pinched Qin Jiahui’s leg, warning her to watch her words.

Luo Mu didn’t want anyone else getting involved.

Before Qin Jiahui could react, Song Chenxi smiled and waved her hand: “No thanks, I came with a friend.”

Song Chenxi stepped slightly to the side, and the gaze of that so-called friend instantly landed on Luo Mu.

Luo Mu’s body couldn’t help but tremble. Yan Qingzhu’s eyes were clear—a pair of innocent, transparent eyes staring at her, as if waiting for Luo Mu to be the first to say hello. And there was another girl—Yan Yu.

Yan Yu?

Luo Mu looked at the girl in confusion. Yan Yu, who was eating sweet potato fries, only just realized Luo Mu was there.

“Sister Muzi,” Yan Yu hadn’t quite snapped out of it yet; there were crumbs of sweet potato fries at the corner of her mouth as her dazed eyes looked at Luo Mu.

Luo Mu nodded slowly.

Song Chenxi suddenly grabbed Qin Jiahui, muttering in a low voice: “Jiahui, there’s a wheel pie shop nearby that’s super delicious. Want me to take you?”

“Huh? Isn’t that place really expensive?” Qin Jiahui asked, puzzled.

“I’ll help you bargain, trust me.” Song Chenxi blinked.

Hearing those words, Qin Jiahui’s eyes instantly lit up: “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Watching the two of them leave, Luo Mu swore she would never go out with that idiot again.

“Not going to come over and chat?” Yan Qingzhu used a straw to gently stir the lemon slices in her fruit tea, looking up at Luo Mu. Under the warm light, the thin bridge of her nose met her brow bone; she didn’t have her usual cold air. Instead, her gaze was like the steam rising from winter cocoa—gentle and inviting.

Luo Mu walked forward slowly, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

“How long have you been here? Why didn’t I notice?” Luo Mu’s tone was calm and serious.

“Of course Sister Muzi wouldn’t notice me.” Yan Qingzhu’s mouth lifted slightly as she propped her chin on her hand, her gaze naturally resting on Luo Mu, the other girl’s face reflected in her pupils.

Sister Muzi never takes the initiative to care about anything.

Luo Mu held her breath, glanced at Yan Yu, then looked back at Yan Qingzhu, slowly uttering: “You coming to find Song Chenxi… is it what I think it is?”

“How would I know what Sister Muzi is thinking?” Yan Qingzhu’s expression relaxed, her smile radiant. She didn’t look away, her gaze steady and sincere.

Luo Mu saw the spark of frankness in Yan Qingzhu’s eyes.

Luo Mu knew that Yan Qingzhu had actually guessed everything.

Song Chenxi’s parents were both well-known teachers in Chujiang; educational resources and connections were destined to tilt like a scale loaded with weights. If one relied on these resources to get ahead, it wouldn’t be a difficult task in Chujiang.

“For her? Or for yourself?” Luo Mu lowered her voice, looked at Yan Yu once more, then turned her gaze back to Yan Qingzhu. Her gaze was like a dagger, ready at any moment to tear through the other’s disguise.

Beside them, Yan Yu couldn’t understand the older girls’ conversation and was focused only on eating her snacks.

“Why would you think I’m that kind of person?” Yan Qingzhu was exceptionally calm, lightly arching an eyebrow as if watching a theatrical joke. “But, Sister Muzi, you should know—”

“Life is inherently unequal.”

These words stung Luo Mu, and they stung Yan Qingzhu herself.

Life is inherently unequal.

Sometimes, after suffering so much and stumbling through a thousand storms to reach the finish line, you find that the end is still not as good as someone else’s starting point.

Some people are born as a mistake, destined to spend a lifetime making up for it.

Some people struggle for life in a quagmire, waiting for that one streak of light. Only when they look back do they realize the light was shining on someone else’s path.

As it turns out, those brilliant and glorious futures, environments filled with love and being loved, and opportunities that come easily—only the lucky ones get to have them.

Everyone has their own fate, and every fate is different.

“Regarding the thing you’re thinking about—don’t worry, I don’t need it, and Yan Yu doesn’t need it either.” Yan Qingzhu took a sip of fruit tea and pushed a plate of snacks toward Luo Mu. “I never rely on those things, because I hate them too.”

Luo Mu looked up at her, and Yan Qingzhu continued: “I just wanted to find her to learn about the policies for the past few years. After all, they change every year.”

Luo Mu finally realized that what really separated people was the “information gap.”

“Who knew she’d leave halfway through to bargain for wheel pies?” As she finished, Yan Qingzhu couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Luo Mu thought about the fact that she was indeed going to bargain with that big idiot Qin Jiahui, which was quite a comical mental image.

“Give her a punch later,” Luo Mu said with a smile.

“You’re right,” Yan Qingzhu replied calmly.

Yan Yu observed their conversation in a daze; the atmosphere was very strange, yet she said nothing.

Peace returned for a moment.

The warm lights shone, casting hazy halos that were incredibly gentle. Luo Mu lowered her eyes, quietly watching Yan Yu’s posture. Yan Qingzhu observed Luo Mu; the older girl’s eyelashes trembled slightly. Usually, she was as alert as a hedgehog toward everything. But now, facing the younger sister, she was like seeing swaying willow branches or the mountains and rivers of a homeland—filled with warmth.

Like an unbreakable bond, like the most sincere signature.

Sister Muzi, what are you thinking about?

Sister Muzi, what was your childhood like?

Sister Muzi, what exactly are you suffering from?

Yan Qingzhu had no right to ask these questions.

“Sister Muzi,” Yan Yu wiped the crumbs from the corner of her mouth with a tissue, her tone gentle: “Do you have a target university?”

Luo Mu nodded: “Lingyang Foreign Studies University or Chujiang Foreign Studies University.”

“Really?” Yan Yu’s eyes lit up. Realizing she had lost her composure a bit, she adjusted her emotions and smiled slowly: “Then that’s not far from the school I want to go to in Lingyang!”

Luo Mu was stunned for a moment. Thinking of the middle schools around that university, she asked: “The Affiliated Middle School of Lingyang Foreign Studies?”

Yan Yu shook her head.

“Experimental Middle School?” Luo Mu asked again.

Yan Yu still shook her head.

“Could it be No. 1 Middle School?” Luo Mu asked with difficulty, pondering the distance between No. 1 Middle School and Lingyang Foreign Studies. Then she murmured: “That distance… isn’t too far.”

Yan Yu nodded.

“But No. 1 Middle School is indeed a key school. If you can transfer there for the exams, it’s really impressive.” Luo Mu looked at her, admiring her from the bottom of her heart.

As Yan Qingzhu’s sister, her light didn’t pale in comparison to her sister’s at all.

Yan Yu laughed: “If I get into a school in Lingyang, I’ll go find Sister Muzi to hang out, okay?”

At this moment, the scene suddenly fell quiet.

Only a few days ago, she had said such harsh words to the girl’s older sister. Now, facing the sister’s request, Luo Mu hesitated.

Luo Mu’s gaze flickered, meeting Yan Qingzhu’s eyes in a daze. Yan Qingzhu blinked, her fingertip rubbing against her phone screen a few times, and said softly: “Promise her.”

Her tone was sincere.

Luo Mu’s phone suddenly showed a message notification.

Q: If you promise her, I’ll promise you.

Luo Mu immediately recalled the words she had said:

—”We are perhaps—not suitable to be friends at all.”

I promise you.

I won’t disturb your life anymore.

Just promise her, don’t let her down.

Luo Mu lowered her eyes, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.

The words Qin Jiahui had said echoed in her memory, causing her pain.

—”Don’t you think this person is sick? If you don’t like someone, just say you don’t like them. Why make up such nonsense to lie to people?”

—”What ‘fate’ or whatever? Clearly she just didn’t like him and didn’t want to take the blame herself!”

Everything stopped there, including her breath.

Is it because I don’t like her?

Is it really because I don’t like her?

“Okay.” Luo Mu smiled brilliantly, her gaze turning to Yan Yu as if the ice and snow of an entire winter had melted in her eyes. “If we can both have our wishes fulfilled.”

Hearing the words “wishes fulfilled,” Yan Yu nodded excitedly.

Wishes fulfilled.

Luo Mu lowered her eyes, examining herself.

Yan Qingzhu, is this the result you wanted?

Or is it the result I wanted?

Yan Qingzhu, please forgive my selfishness.