Hopeless Romance (GL) - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The final exams arrived right on cue, accompanied by the persistent hum of summer cicadas, and the long-awaited summer break followed close behind. However, life wasn’t going to be quite so easy for Ye Du. The competition training was scheduled to begin in mid-July and would last for half a month. Upon hearing this news, Jiang Xinwan reacted more strongly than Ye Du herself, loudly protesting the school’s heartless arrangements.

“So, will you be training with that hottie Pei Lang?” Wang Zhu asked, her perspective remained as boy-crazy as ever.

“Wang Zhu, why does your nickname for him change every single day?” Chen Pupu recalled that just yesterday, Pei Lang was “Lang-lang” in Wang Zhu’s mouth—an address that sounded even more uncomfortable than today’s version.

“But my heart for him will never change,” Wang Zhu declared. Jiang Xinwan reached out to cover Wang Zhu’s mouth, but she was a second too late.

“Thank goodness I’ve already digested my breakfast,” Chen Pupu remarked, sitting backward in her chair and leaning against Ye Du’s desk.

“Besides Pei Lang, there’s also Qin Zibei and Shang Ruixi.” Jiang Xinwan wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that when Ye Du mentioned Qin Zibei, she gave her a pointed look.

“How do you guys even train? Is it just doing problems all day? Do they provide food?” Jiang Xinwan faithfully upheld the principle that “food is the soul of the people.”

“I don’t know. This is my first time doing an intensive camp.”

“When is the actual competition? We’ll come and cheer for you.” Feeling a lingering guilt about missing the selection trials, Chen Pupu felt she had to be there for the official event no matter what—at the very least, as the captain of the cheerleading squad.

“I heard it’s in late August, but the official notice isn’t out yet. Besides, I might not even get picked.” Facing competition-level problems, Ye Du often felt her brain was hitting its limits. Qin Zibei and Shang Ruixi were struggling just as much; the three rivals had formed a united front for the first time.

“Well, let us know when the camp starts. We can come and ‘visit’ you.”

“I’m just worried that with your grades, your mom will put you under house arrest,” Ye Du teased. Thinking about how Jiang Xinwan had accidentally bought a fake 2B pencil—causing all her Scantron sheets to be unreadable—Ye Du found it both hilarious and tragic. It was truly a spectacular stroke of bad luck; out of the whole school, she was the only one it happened to. Ye Du would never forget the look of utter shock, helplessness, and disbelief in Xinwan’s eyes when the news broke.

“Ms. Zhang said she’d grade mine by hand! Just you wait, Ye Du. I’ve noticed you’re getting meaner and meaner,” Jiang Xinwan said, shaking her head like a deeply betrayed friend.

“No way. I’m so kind. Right, Pupu?” Ye Du propped her head on her hand, looking at Chen Pupu, who was busy spinning a pen.

“Of course. Our Ye Du is the best,” Chen Pupu agreed. Even though it was a bit of “playing along,” Ye Du felt a surge of satisfaction at getting Pupu’s endorsement.

“Wang Zhu, quick, give me some backup!” Jiang Xinwan cried. Everyone needed a comrade-in-arms!

“Don’t look at me. I’m counting on Ye Du to help me see ‘Pei-Pei’,” Wang Zhu said, proving she was someone who could clearly read the situation at a critical moment.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Flatterers, the lot of you! People aren’t what they used to be! No moral integrity!” Having recently learned the idiom ren xin bu gu, Jiang Xinwan felt it was the perfect fit for this scene.

“Alright, let’s pack up and head home,” Wang Zhu said, standing up to return to her seat.

…

The bus that Jiang Xinwan and Wang Zhu needed arrived first. With her left foot already on the step, Xinwan suddenly spun around and shouted, “See you next semester!” Time had flown; the four of them had known each other for nearly a year. In two months, they would be eighth graders, no longer the youngest group in the school.

As Chen Pupu prepared to board her own bus, someone tugged on her sleeve. She turned to find Ye Du’s face. “Stay with me for a bit longer,” Ye Du said. She said it so naturally that Pupu didn’t feel any awkwardness.

“What? Do you have a secret to tell me?” Chen Pupu leaned in close, taking advantage of her shorter height to get right in front of Ye Du’s face, creating a distance perfect for whispering secrets.

“I do. I saw your dandruff.” With that, Ye Du made a motion as if she were picking a flake off Pupu’s head.

“Ah!” With a shriek, Chen Pupu shielded the top of her head, making a split-second decision that she definitely needed to change her shampoo.

Hearing Ye Du’s laughter, Pupu slowly let go of her head and glared at the prankster with furrowed brows. “Hmph, Ye Du, I think Jiang Xinwan was right about you.”

Suppressing her laughter, Ye Du held out a small bag. “Alright, don’t be mad. Look at this.”

Pupu hadn’t moved her hands yet, but her eyes were already locked on the bag. She was curious, but she was still nursing her “dandruff” anger and couldn’t let it go too easily.

Seeing this, Ye Du knew she was pouting. Just like during the sports meet, she had to take Pupu’s hand and press the gift into it.

Chen Pupu took a reluctant look. It was a square, thin plastic case. When she realized what it was, she lit up with joy. Ye Du had given her the self-titled debut album of New Pants. It was their first album and Pupu’s absolute favorite.

“Congratulations on making it into the top twenty of the class. Now you get your braised pork,” Ye Du said. For some reason, seeing Pupu achieve those grades made Ye Du happier than being first herself.

“Ye Du, thank you.” As the initial excitement faded, what remained in Pupu’s heart was a deep sense of being moved. The girl standing before her had always been there—in her moments of need for comfort and help, and now, in her moment of triumph. Pupu thought she must have done a lot of good deeds in a past life to deserve such a wonderful friend.

“I told you, don’t say thank you.” Ye Du often said “thank you” to Ye Sangshu—when she brought her fruit or bought her new clothes. Most of the time, Ye Du defined her mother’s care as “duty-based,” and so a “thank you” was necessary. But it wasn’t like that with Chen Pupu. This was a natural state of being, and Ye Du didn’t want her kindness toward Pupu to be defined by such formalities.

“Okay then.” Chen Pupu thought for a moment, then leaned forward and hugged Ye Du. If she couldn’t say it in words, she would show it with her actions.

The summer breeze was sticky, and the sun was nearly set. This lack of distance amplified every sensation—the sound of tires against the pavement, the footsteps of passersby. All of it blended into one, but nothing could drown out the sound of the wind catching Pupu’s hair right next to Ye Du’s ear.