How I Accidentally Bent My Best Friend - Chapter 24

Jiang Yuran stared unblinkingly in the same direction, murmuring absently, “Out with the old, in with the new. This must be heaven’s compensation for me.”

Chen Yushu followed her gaze and saw only Lu Wei walking toward her, blocking everyone else from view.

As Lu Wei approached, she said, “Chen Yushu, come with me to get the ball.”

Chen Yushu refused without a second thought.

The basketball court was surrounded by a wire fence. To retrieve the ball, they’d have to exit the court and take a long detour.

Chen Yushu retorted, “You threw it, so you go get it.”

“I threw it to you, but you didn’t catch it. If you had, the ball wouldn’t have flown out,” Lu Wei argued unreasonably.

Chen Yushu crossed her arms and snorted, “Well, it’s your class’s ball. If you don’t get it, you’ll just have to face the consequences.”

“Chen Yushu, you.” Lu Wei’s eyebrows furrowed as she glared fiercely. Seeing that Chen Yushu wouldn’t yield to intimidation, she instantly switched tactics, tugging her forward. “Come on, come on. We’re both responsible for the ball getting away. Let’s not blame each other.”

Chen Yushu glanced back to say something to Jiang Yuran but found her still lost in thought.

Had she really fallen into the whirlpool of love?

“Let’s go already.” Lu Wei tightened her grip and pulled her along.

Suddenly remembering that Lu Wei had just been playing basketball, Chen Yushu recoiled in disgust. “Did you even wash your hands? Let go!”

Lu Wei made a surprised sound, then grabbed Chen Yushu’s hand, rubbing their palms together before interlacing their fingers tightly. “Now we’re both dirty.”

“Lu Wei, do you have a death wish?” Chen Yushu raised her hand to hit her, but Lu Wei immediately wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “We live in a society governed by law. Be civilized.”

“Get away from me! Nothing good ever happens when you’re around!”

“Be good, don’t talk nonsense.”

After winding past several buildings, they finally reached their destination.

Behind the basketball court was a large patch of shrubs, knee-high. Chen Yushu stood on the adjacent path. “Go look for it in there.”

Lu Wei pouted, “Aren’t you coming with me?”

“I’ve done enough by coming this far. Hurry up.”

Lu Wei snorted and ventured into the shrubs alone. “This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t dodged earlier.”

Chen Yushu shot back, “How can you say that? What if it had hit me?”

Lu Wei chuckled. “No way. You wouldn’t have caught it anyway.”

Chen Yushu was left speechless.

Seeing this, Lu Wei grew even more smug. “Hah, as if I don’t know you.”

Frustrated, Chen Yushu moved to a shaded spot under a tree, instantly feeling cooler. Watching Lu Wei still bent over searching, she kicked at the grass by her feet and urged, “Hurry up.”

Just then, Lu Wei’s voice rang out, “Don’t move around. Watch out for snakes.”

Immediately, Chen Yushu’s scalp prickled, goosebumps rising all over her body. She froze, not daring to move a muscle, feeling as if something was watching her from the shadows. Every hair on her body stood on end, and a chill ran down her spine.

“Why so quiet?” Lu Wei picked up the basketball and looked up to see Chen Yushu’s pale face. She hurried over, patting Chen Yushu’s back reassuringly. “Don’t be scared. I was just saying that. The grass here is short there usually aren’t any snakes around.”

Chen Yushu swallowed hard. Only with someone by her side did the eerie feeling begin to fade slightly.

“Let’s go.” The path was narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time, so Lu Wei had to temporarily let go of her and instead walked protectively behind her.

When they reached a slightly wider spot, Lu Wei stepped forward to walk side by side with her, and the backs of their hands inevitably brushed against each other.

Startled by the coldness that came from the contact, Lu Wei immediately set down the basketball, took Chen Yushu’s hand, and rubbed it between her own palms.

Warmth spread from her palms, gradually restoring warmth to her limbs, which then began to feel hot. Chen Yushu lowered her gaze, shifting it from their hands to Lu Wei’s face. Even though there was nothing particularly intimate about the gesture, she still lost control.

It was her own heart she couldn’t restrain.

Chen Yushu pulled her hand away. “I’m fine now, let’s go.”

After returning the basketball, it was almost time for class to end. Once the teacher dismissed them, the students swarmed toward the exit of the playground.

Lu Wei had to return the ball, so Chen Yushu left first with Jiang Yuran. By the time they reached the cafeteria, the bell for the end of class hadn’t rung yet. Taking advantage of the sparse crowd, the two quickly bought their meals.

Sitting down at a table, Chen Yushu remembered the topic they hadn’t finished discussing earlier and couldn’t help but ask, “What did you mean earlier when you said you had experience?”

Jiang Yuran, who had been drinking soup, immediately looked up at her. Whether it was her imagination or not, Chen Yushu felt like she saw daggers shooting from Jiang Yuran’s eyes.

Chen Yushu quickly took a sip of soup to calm her nerves. “Ahem, I was just asking casually.”

“Now you remember me,” Jiang Yuran snorted. “Your eyes are only for your Lu Wei, you don’t care about my love life!”

“I don’t even know who you’re talking about,” Chen Yushu said, both amused and exasperated.

Jiang Yuran immediately straightened up, blinked, and hinted, “The one who called Lu Wei, you know.”

Chen Yushu made an OK gesture. “Got it, I’ll help you find out.”

“You’re on the right track!” Jiang Yuran immediately bumped fists with her. Returning to the earlier topic, she couldn’t help but sigh. “Call it experience, but it’s more like a few tragic stories of falling for straight girls over the years. Thankfully, it’s all in the past. Listen carefully and think about it, okay?”

Chen Yushu: “Got it.”

Jiang Yuran’s eyes went vacant as she gathered her thoughts for a moment, then spoke with an air of worldly wisdom: “The first straight girl I fell for was my deskmate and class monitor. She was gentle and beautiful, and I fell for her instantly. I confessed to her, and she agreed. But then, in sixth grade, she started getting close to a boy! When I asked her about it, she acted innocent and said she’d only ever been friends with me. I got so angry I broke up with her no, I can’t even call it breaking up because she never even thought we were dating in the first place!”

As she spoke, Jiang Yuran’s tone shifted from calm to increasingly indignant. She took a breath and continued, “The second one was in seventh grade, a trainee teacher. Young and beautiful, I fell for her again. But she had a boyfriend, so that ended before it even began.”

“The third one was a classmate in tenth grade. Extremely beautiful, and she was very affectionate with me. She’d stick close to me, hold my hand, kiss my cheek, call me ‘wifey’ and ‘baby’ in front of others, always saying she missed me and loved me. I couldn’t control myself and fell for her again. I went to confess… and ended up scaring her away.”

As Chen Yushu listened, her mouth fell wider and wider open, her expression shifting like a colorful palette a mix of heartache and amusement.

The next second, Jiang Yuran looked up and tapped the table. “Did you notice? What similarities do you see here?”

Chen Yushu pondered for a moment before speaking slowly, “They’re all very beautiful?”

“Of course no, that’s not it. I’ve been talking to you for so long, and that’s all you got?” Jiang Yuran looked at her with a mix of frustration and disappointment.

Chen Yushu straightened up slightly. “Falling in love with a straight girl never ends well, is that what you’re trying to tell me?”

“At least there’s hope for you yet,” Jiang Yuran muttered under her breath. Her tone grew somber as if recalling something. “Many people warned me about this before, but I refused to listen. That’s why I kept stumbling, one fall after another.”

Though she spoke of it lightly now, as if it were a distant memory, the pain of the past was something only she truly understood.

“Coincidentally, my ex-girlfriend was also a straight girl. I never intended to get involved with her, but she kept flirting with me over and over, even saying she was willing to ‘turn’ for me. And what happened in the end? She just told me, ‘I have to go back to my family’.” As she spoke, Jiang Yuran choked up, her eyes instantly reddening.

Seeing this, Chen Yushu frowned and hurriedly reached into her backpack for tissues, only to find she had run out. She froze, unsure of what to do.

Jiang Yuran tilted her head back, took a deep breath, and fanned her face. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. I’m just angry at myself for not seeing through her sooner.”

“Mm,” Chen Yushu responded softly, placing her hand on Jiang Yuran’s in a silent gesture of comfort.

After calming down a bit, Jiang Yuran said indignantly, “Actually, I should have noticed something was off earlier! But back then, I was so love-struck I thought she was perfect in every way the ideal girlfriend. Hah, looking back now, it’s so damn disappointing!”

She slammed her chopsticks on the table, her anger flaring. “She was unfaithful, flirting with others while we were together. I caught her several times, and she still wouldn’t admit it! She had no patience, snapping at me over the smallest things! And whenever we argued, she’d give me the cold shoulder, ignoring me for days! Not to mention she was stingy whenever we went out, I was the one who.”

Chen Yushu listened with a deepening frown. “Um, so what did you even see in her?”

“I was drawn to her looks, haha, just kidding.” Jiang Yuran pouted. “I was just blinded by her, only seeing the good and completely ignoring the bad. And the worst part is, I never learned my lesson.”

Chen Yushu listened quietly to these words, lost in thought.

Yes, who in this world is truly perfect? When feelings arise, we magnify all the shining qualities, letting the overwhelming brilliance illuminate them while ignoring all the shadows. We’re drawn closer and closer, unable to resist.

Perhaps, right now, Lu Wei was exactly that kind of presence in her eyes.

After the meal, Jiang Yuran wanted to go to the supermarket to buy a few things, and Chen Yushu tagged along since she was heading in the same direction.

“What kind of oranges are this expensive? Might as well just rob me!” Jiang Yuran lingered in the fruit and snacks section. She grabbed a bag, but after seeing the price, immediately put it back.

Remembering she had run out of pens, Chen Yushu went to the stationery aisle. Jiang Yuran followed and was instantly captivated by some cute items.

“Wow, this little notebook is adorable. It’d be perfect for vocabulary notes.”

This reminded Chen Yushu that registration for the CET-4 and CET-6 would start at the end of October. It was time to study English.

With that in mind, she picked up two notebooks as well.

After paying, as they walked back to the dorm, they unexpectedly ran into Lu Wei, who was chatting and laughing with another girl. Spotting Chen Yushu, Lu Wei waved at her.

Chen Yushu walked a few steps behind, her peripheral gaze uncontrollably fixed on the figure ahead. She didn’t catch what the girl said, but Lu Wei immediately slung an arm over her shoulder, laughing as she leaned into her.

Chen Yushu’s eyes locked onto that hand, the sight stinging her vision. The jealousy she’d been holding back surged like a tidal wave, impossible to suppress.

Jiang Yuran cautiously glanced at the person beside her and quickly shut her mouth. A jealous woman was truly terrifying.

Back in the dorm, the oppressive aura around Chen Yushu still hadn’t dissipated. Jealousy, anger, resentment all sorts of emotions tangled together, tightening her throat.

She hadn’t even set down the notebook in her hand. Gripped too tightly, its corners had crumpled, pressing painfully into her palm.

A suffocating feeling swelled in Chen Yushu’s chest, and she couldn’t help but recall Jiang Yuran’s words: Lu Wei was straight. Even if they were together, it probably wouldn’t end well.

She couldn’t go on like this anymore!

With that thought, she sent Jiang Yuran a message: [I’ve thought it over and decided to let her go.]

Jiang Yuran: [👏🏻]

Jiang Yuran: [Glad you’ve come around. What’s so great about a straight girl anyway? I’ll find you someone better, sis.]

As if trying to convince herself, Chen Yushu muttered in agreement, “Yeah, what’s so great about her?”

She then racked her brain, trying to list Lu Wei’s flaws, hoping to extinguish the fire raging in her heart.

But the more she thought about it, the more startled she became her jealousy swiftly transformed into fury.

Ugh, Lu Wei, that heartbreaker!

Her chest heaved visibly as she meticulously recounted each flaw again. Gradually, the obsessive infatuation truly began to fade.

Hah!

Chen Yushu let out a breath and silently committed all of Lu Wei’s shortcomings to memory. This way, the next time she faced Lu Wei’s flirtatious advances, she could cling to some semblance of rationality and not lose control.

But that alone wasn’t enough. Her gaze shifted, and she pulled a pen from the pen holder, taking out the small notebook she’d just bought. In the very center, she solemnly wrote the first word.