How I Accidentally Bent My Best Friend - Chapter 34

The sports festival lasted for two days. After it ended, it happened to coincide with the registration period for the CET-4 exam.

“Hey, why can’t I get in?”

“Same here, it keeps loading. This crappy network always fails at the worst possible times!”

“Fine, now I finally understand why the seniors can never snag a spot in class registration!”

Chen Yushu kept clicking refresh, but the page still wouldn’t load. She had no choice but to give up for the moment and sent a message to Lu Wei, asking if she had managed to register.

Lu Wei: 【It’s peak hours right now. Just wait a bit and try again later.】

Just then, someone shouted, “It’s working now!”

Hearing this, Chen Yushu quickly clicked in, registered herself, and signed up Lu Wei as well.

“Whew, I’m done. How about you guys?” Jiang Yuran asked, then added, “If you can register, do it quickly. I heard there are limited spots for the CET-4 and CET-6 exams. If you’re late, you’ll miss out.”

“Done.”

Chen Yushu gave an OK sign.

At that moment, Ye Chiwan suddenly said, “Everyone, there are still over two months until finals, so we should start our campus runs now.”

Chen Yushu, who had been browsing online for CET-4 practice tests, slumped onto the desk in despair at the news. She had thought that after the long jump event and returning from evening self-study, she would finally have some time to herself. This felt like a bolt from the blue.

“90 kilometers? How long is that going to take?” Jiang Yuran wailed. “How about we find someone to run for us?”

Chen Yushu perked up instantly. “How do we find someone?”

“What do you mean, ‘find someone’?” Ye Chiwan interrupted. “That would cost a lot! We’re better off saving that money for a good meal. Just run three kilometers a day, and you’ll finish in a month.”

“Three kilometers?!” Chen Yushu’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Run three kilometers all at once?”

Ye Chiwan: “It’s easy. We can go to the track together after evening self-study every day. One person holds all four phones, and after one lap, someone else takes over.”

Jiang Yuran immediately gave a thumbs-up. “Brilliant! As expected from our dorm leader!”

Ye Chiwan: “There’s an even easier way rent an electric scooter and take our phones for a ride. It won’t cost much either.”

Chen Yushu’s eyes lit up, and she nodded in agreement. She couldn’t help but ask Lu Wei: 【How much of your campus run have you finished?】

Just then, Lu Wei also sent a message saying she had something to discuss, and replied: 【Haven’t started yet.】

Chen Yushu replied that she was free, then asked: 【What about your roommates? How much have they run?】

Lu Wei: 【They’ve probably finished most of it.】

Seeing this, Chen Yushu immediately shared Ye Chiwan’s idea with her and asked if she wanted to join.

Lu Wei: 【If you’re in, then I’ll join too.】

Chen Yushu couldn’t help but smile, then asked the others, “Can we add one more person?”

“You mean Lu Wei? Of course! The more people, the less we each have to run.” Ye Chiwan immediately caught on and joked, “Lu Wei, honorary member of Room 4008, family member of Chen Yushu. Am I right?”

Jiang Yuran burst out laughing. “Honestly, that’s a perfect description.”

“What nonsense.” Chen Yushu shook her head, amused, and continued replying to messages. 【What did you want to talk about earlier?】

Lu Wei: 【There’s an art exhibition in the neighboring city this Sunday. Wen Yan happens to have tickets and asked if I wanted to go.】

The moment she saw the name, Chen Yushu had an immediate stress reaction her chest tightened, and her mind went blank. After a moment, she couldn’t help but ask: [Are you still in touch with her?]

Lu Wei: [Yeah, she made things clear before. We’re still friends.]

Chen Yushu bit her lip, feeling uneasy as she picked at the edge of her phone case. It took her a while to reply: [So, do you want to go?]

Lu Wei: [I really do. The artist hosting the exhibition is one of my favorites.]

Chen Yushu stared quietly at her phone screen, her thumb scrolling up and down before she quickly typed: [Then just go.]

After sending the message, she immediately turned off her phone, struggling to breathe. Soon, a notification chimed. After hesitating for a while, she picked up her phone again.

Lu Wei: [But meeting her would be so awkward! Ahhh, but I really want to go!]

Seeing how much Lu Wei wanted to go, Chen Yushu sighed and advised: [What’s there to be awkward about? Didn’t she say you’re just friends now?]

Lu Wei: [But I can’t act like nothing happened! Once you know, you can’t go back to how things were!]

Is that so? Chen Yushu stared at the words, lost in thought. Once you know, you can’t go back does that mean you can’t even be friends anymore?

A dull ache immediately spread through her chest. She quickly grabbed the small notebook from her desk and flipped through it. Good thing I don’t really like her anyway! That person is full of flaws! Whoever likes her is asking for trouble!

Lu Wei: [Why aren’t you saying anything?]

Chen Yushu closed the notebook. [Maybe she doesn’t like you anymore, so what are you afraid of? Go if you want, or don’t. What’s the point of asking me?]

Lu Wei sent a hurt emoji. [Chen Yushu, is this how you treat me?]

Chen Yushu: [It’s just an art exhibition, not like it’s going to kill you. Stop dragging it out.]

Lu Wei: [Fine, Chen Yushu! Whatever, I’ll ask Wang Zhizhi for ideas. If that doesn’t work, I’ll figure it out later.]

The matter was temporarily set aside. On Tuesday evening, after self-study ended, Chen Yushu met up with Lu Wei, and they headed to the track with their roommates for a run.

On the way, Lu Wei mysteriously pulled out her phone and said triumphantly, “Guess what this is?”

Chen Yushu leaned in and, after reading the text, asked hesitantly, “Are these tickets to the exhibition?”

“Exactly!” Lu Wei put her phone away, shaking her head gleefully. “It took a lot of effort to get these two tickets. Thank goodness my dear mom came through!”

“Only when you need something does she become your ‘dear mom’?” Chen Yushu couldn’t help but scoff. Then she paused and asked, “Two tickets?”

“Mhm, two. You’re coming with me.”

Chen Yushu: “Who said I’m going with you?”

Lu Wei immediately bumped her with her hip, acting bossy and unreasonable. “Isn’t it only right that you come with me?”

Staggered by the bump, Chen Yushu raised the book in her hand as if to hit her. “Right, my foot! Go by yourself. I’m not going. If you’re worried about being lonely, ask Wen Yan to go with you.”

“You’re doing this on purpose, Chen Yushu! You just want to see me make a fool of myself!” Lu Wei grabbed her wrist and bumped her again with her hip.

“Lu Wei! Do you have a death wish?” Chen Yushu glared at her smug face, so angry she wanted to punch her. “Anyway, I’m not going. I have an experiment on Saturday, and I need to study for the CET-4. I don’t have time.”

“You study every night during self-study. Isn’t that enough?” Lu Wei tapped on her practice test papers. “Any more studying, and you’ll turn into a bookworm.”

Chen Yushu gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and snorted, “Then I won’t go with you either.”

Lu Wei instantly broke, her expression a sight to behold. After a moment, she immediately switched to a pitiful look, clinging to Chen Yushu’s arm and rubbing her head against her. “Shushu, you know how I am terrified of traveling far. What if something happens.”

“Stop pretending to be pitiful,” Chen Yushu cut her off. “You went so far for training before and were just fine.”

Lu Wei pouted, holding onto her tightly. “It’s just that the older I get, the more timid I become, and the more I can’t bear to be away from you.”

“You ” Chen Yushu faltered, sighing helplessly. “So annoying, let go. I’ll go with you if I have time.”

“Wah, Shushu, you’re the best! I knew you wouldn’t abandon me!”

Chen Yushu turned her head away disdainfully, just as Lu Wei, overcome with excitement, leaned in for a kiss. The peck meant for her cheek landed off-target at the corner of her lips.

A second later, Lu Wei’s voice came, “Shushu, your lips are so soft.”

Chen Yushu’s pupils dilated instantly. Staring at Lu Wei’s face so close to hers, her heart skipped a beat. The soft sensation lingered at the corner of her lips, and familiar words echoed in her ears, instantly reviving memories of that night.

“So nice to kiss, let’s do it again.” Lu Wei pulled back slightly, marveling at the unique sensation on her lips, then leaned in again with a grin. “Shushu~”

Chen Yushu snapped back to reality and immediately pushed Lu Wei away as if electrocuted, striding forward quickly, clutching her books tightly against her chest.

Lu Wei’s voice and footsteps followed from behind.

“It was just a joke, do you have to react so strongly?”

Chen Yushu’s heart raced wildly as she quickened her pace, silently cursing in her mind: Lu Wei, that flashy peacock! Flirtatious! Frivolous! Has no sense of boundaries! What on earth do I even like about her?

Soon, Lu Wei caught up, panting as she grabbed her arm. “Wait, I didn’t mean it! It’s not like I actually kissed you!”

Chen Yushu shook off her hand and glared at her fiercely.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Wei trailed beside her innocently, then seemed to have an idea and tentatively asked, “Are you upset because I took your first kiss.”

“Shut up! So annoying!” Chen Yushu yelled, her voice rising. After shouting, her chest heaved with heavy breaths as she continued marching forward.

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry!” Lu Wei hurried to keep up. “It doesn’t even count, don’t be so petty, Shushu. Hey, Chen Yushu, are you really mad?”

Chen Yushu took a deep breath. “You can run that three kilometers by yourself tonight!”

“What? Ah, I’m sorry, please forgive me.” Lu Wei quickly tried to sweet-talk her, but seeing Chen Yushu remain unmoved, she suddenly said, “What will it take for you to stop being angry? How about this, I’ll run your campus jog for you tonight!”

Chen Yushu paused mid-step, thought for a moment, and decided: I can’t get angry for nothing!

“No! One week!”

Lu Wei tilted her head back and sighed. “Fine, deal!”

“Wait! One month!”

“Seriously? You’re pushing it! That’s not how you negotiate!” Lu Wei exclaimed in shock. “You’re taking advantage of the situation!”

“Why, can’t I?” Chen Yushu turned around and said lightly, “Oh, forget it then.”

Lu Wei licked her lips. “Can’t we discuss this a bit more?”

“No discussion.” Chen Yushu flatly refused.

“Fine.” Lu Wei caught up, gritting her teeth. “One month it is.”

Chen Yushu curled the corner of her lips slightly and added lightly, “One month, three kilometers every day.”

Beside her, Lu Wei immediately gasped sharply, “So you had me run all your campus runs for you? How can you take those credits without shame?”

Chen Yushu stuck out her tongue playfully, mimicking Lu Wei’s expression. “You deserved it.”

Lu Wei snorted resentfully and muttered under her breath, “Just because I accidentally kissed you and it wasn’t even on the lips the price is way too high.”

Her gaze drifted toward Chen Yushu, unconsciously lowering until it settled on her lips. At the same time, the scene from earlier flashed through her mind. Suddenly, her heartbeat went haywire, and a strange sensation surged through her body like an electric current.

What’s going on?

Lu Wei quickly shook her head, trying to banish the image from her mind. She couldn’t help but think inwardly, What a sin, what a sin Chen Yushu is my friend!