How I Accidentally Bent My Best Friend - Chapter 41

“Go to sleep, don’t touch me!” Chen Yushu lay down against the wall. Just as Lu Wei was about to make a move, Chen Yushu stopped her with a kick. “If you come any closer, I’ll kick you off the bed. Believe me?”

“But I’ll roll off if I sleep here.” Lu Wei grabbed her hand. “Look, there’s barely any space.”

The two whispered softly, while Ye Chiwan, on the other side, pricked up her ears, unable to suppress her gossipy excitement. She eagerly messaged Jiang Yuran.

Ye Chiwan: Help, I must be going crazy! They really seem like a couple having a lovers’ quarrel!

Jiang Yuran: “…”

Ye Chiwan: *It’s so amusing I want to sneak over and watch by their bed. *

Jiang Yuran: “…”

Ye Chiwan: It’s so interesting. Too bad I don’t have a close friend like that. Jiang Jiang, are you asleep? Why aren’t you replying?

Jiang Yuran: Different strokes for different folks. This is hard to comment on.

Chen Yushu pulled her hand back and glared fiercely at Lu Wei. Unfortunately, the room was too dark for the glare to have any effect. Frustrated, she turned over, facing away from Lu Wei.

The air grew quiet for a few seconds. Lu Wei held her breath, cautiously inching closer until she was just at the edge of touching Chen Yushu, then carefully lay down.

Though both were slender and thin, the 90-centimeter-wide bed was still a tight squeeze. Even with a slight distance between them, they could feel the warmth radiating from each other’s bodies, even sensing each other’s tension.

The slightest movement brought them into contact close yet not quite touching leaving both of them stiff and tense. Chen Yushu, in particular, held her back rigidly, not daring to move an inch.

Just then, the rustling of the blanket sounded as Lu Wei shifted closer to the edge of the bed.

Chen Yushu’s heart sank, a sour feeling slowly welling up inside her.

Suddenly, she felt something tracing lightly on her back it seemed to be Lu Wei’s finger. The ticklish sensation made her shrink her shoulders and press even closer to the wall.

But Lu Wei’s finger followed, tracing again.

Chen Yushu had had enough and was about to turn around and scold her when she froze.

Lu Wei seemed to be writing something.

Chen Yushu stopped moving, focusing on deciphering the strokes.

I’m sorry, Shushu. I was wrong.

I promise I won’t do it again.

If you’re angry, just yell at me. Don’t ignore me it makes me sad.

Lu Wei started writing slowly, then gradually sped up when she realized Chen Yushu wasn’t resisting.

If you forgive me, will you turn around?

After writing this, Lu Wei withdrew her hand.

Chen Yushu’s breath hitched. She swallowed, her body still rigid. Before she could decide whether to move, she felt Lu Wei’s fingertip touch her back again.

*Shushu, I’m sorry. You *

Before Lu Wei could finish, Chen Yushu immediately turned around. In that instant, she felt Lu Wei’s breath catch for a second, the air around them filling with joy. Then, Lu Wei grabbed her hand and wrote: Are you still angry?

Chen Yushu let out a soft hum and, in turn, grabbed Lu Wei’s hand, writing a single word: Yes. Then, she turned away again.

Lu Wei withdrew her hand, curling up on her side. In the darkness, she stared blankly at Chen Yushu’s back. Even though the dorm was warm, she felt her hands and feet grow cold, colder than in a biting wind.

Unbidden, the scene from that day when she borrowed the notebook flashed through her mind frame by frame, moment by moment.

She remembered that night she had been working on practice exams in the classroom. After class ended, the girl sitting in front of her turned around to chat and happened to see her flipping through a notebook. The girl first marveled at the notes inside, then started pestering her, insisting she lend it to her.

She quickly explained, “This isn’t mine it was given to me by a friend.”

“Having a friend like that is just too lucky,” the girl said, her eyes full of envy, then grabbed her hand and pleaded eagerly, “We’re friends too, right? So what’s the harm in letting me take a look?”

“No, I haven’t finished reading it yet.”

The girl persisted, “Just for one night I’ll give it back to you tomorrow.”

She couldn’t help but retort, “How much could you possibly read in one night? You’d be better off memorizing more vocabulary.”

“Please, I haven’t studied any English at all,” the girl began to beg pitifully. “If you don’t help me, I’ll definitely fail the CET-4!”

Just then, the people around the girl turned around, and after learning the reason, they all chimed in on her behalf.

“Lu Wei, aren’t we friends? Why are you being so stingy?”

“Yeah, just one night it’s not like we’re going to eat it. Don’t be so petty.”

The girl nodded along, “Exactly, Lu Wei, I’m begging you save my sorry life!”

Amid their incessant chattering, she couldn’t find a chance to interject. Finally, overwhelmed by annoyance, she relented, “Fine, fine, just one night.”

“That’s more like it. I’ll treat you to a meal once I pass the CET-4.”

She hurriedly instructed, “Don’t lose it, and don’t get it dirty. Be gentle when you flip through it, be careful.”

Lu Wei kept replaying the events of that day, and deep regret gradually washed over her.

Why couldn’t she have firmly refused back then? Why hadn’t she asked for the notebook back sooner?

Why had she let Chen Yushu get angry and upset over an outsider?

As these thoughts flashed through her mind, Lu Wei grew even more distressed, her heart aching as if scratched by a cat filled with both regret and sorrow.

The bitterness in her chest began to spread to her throat and nose. Her lips trembled involuntarily, and afraid of making a sound, she quickly turned over, pulled the corner of the quilt to her mouth, and bit down. The next moment, tears rolled down one by one, sliding over her cheeks and dampening the night.

She drifted into a hazy sleep, still trapped in a nightmare.

The next day.

Chen Yushu woke up as usual with the commotion in the dorm. In her grogginess, she heard someone ask where Lu Wei had gone.

A flicker of confusion crossed her mind, and then the memories of the previous night slowly returned. She opened her eyes abruptly and realized she was alone in the bed.

“The door is open looks like she left,” Ye Chiwan said. “Maybe she has a class and went back to her dorm to get her textbooks.”

Chen Yushu didn’t respond. After a moment, she got up, washed up, and by then, time was a bit tight. She grabbed a bun, planning to eat it on the way.

However, she hadn’t expected to see a familiar figure as soon as she stepped downstairs.

Jiang Yuran, beside her, quickly said, “I’ll wait for you up ahead hurry up.”

“No, I’ll go with you,” Chen Yushu replied, glancing at Lu Wei before attempting to walk past her.

“Chen Yushu,” Lu Wei called her name softly, gently tugging at her sleeve.

Chen Yushu intended to shake her off, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Lu Wei’s ears, red from the cold, and paused for a moment.

In that brief instant, Lu Wei slipped something into her hand warm and soft two steamed buns.

Chen Yushu was about to refuse when she saw Lu Wei pull a few notebooks from her bag. “Your notes I brought them back.”

Chen Yushu couldn’t help but turn her head, immediately noticing Lu Wei’s red, swollen eyes. Her heart stirred, and just as she was about to say something, Lu Wei quickly lowered her head, as if unwilling to let her see her in such a state, and murmured softly, “Hurry to class, you’ll be late. I I’ll come find you at noon.”

With that, Lu Wei hurried off at a brisk pace.

Chen Yushu’s gaze fixed on her retreating figure. The cold wind whipped her clothes backward, making her appear thin and delicate, almost blending into the bleak surroundings. A faint ache pricked at Chen Yushu’s heart.

“Was I, overreacting a little?” Chen Yushu couldn’t help asking Jiang Yuran on the way.

“How could that be?” Jiang Yuran replied. “Don’t think like that. If you genuinely felt uncomfortable, then Lu Wei was in the wrong.”

Chen Yushu nodded, muttering gloomily, “Maybe I got fooled by her again. That awful woman.”

“Hahaha, so don’t gaslight yourself!” Jiang Yuran patted her shoulder. “People who care about you won’t shift the blame onto you they’ll reflect on themselves. If Lu Wei treats you poorly, just kick her to the curb and stick with me from now on.”

Chen Yushu chuckled. “Alright, Jiang Jiang, thank you.”

“Don’t be so formal with me ugh, I can’t stand it.”

“Oh, and here, Lu Wei just returned these. You can use them.” Chen Yushu handed her the notebooks, still feeling a bit upset. “If she doesn’t know how to appreciate them, forget it. I won’t lend them to her anymore.”

“Wahh, thank you, Shushu! I’ll study hard and aim for a high score on the CET-4,” Jiang Yuran said, suddenly fired up. “Then next time, I’ll pass the CET-6 in one go.”

“We’ll talk about the CET-6 later hurry up, we’re going to be late!”

The morning passed in a blur. As Chen Yushu stepped out of the teaching building, she spotted a familiar figure craning her neck and looking around.

Chen Yushu initially intended to pretend she hadn’t seen her and walk straight past, but she couldn’t resist glancing back.

At that moment, Lu Wei also caught sight of her. Their eyes met briefly across the crowd before Chen Yushu quickly turned away and strode forward.

“Chen Yushu, wait for me! Slow down ah !”

Amid the noisy chatter, Chen Yushu’s ears keenly picked up that cry of pain. She halted, swiftly turning back and peering through the gaps in the crowd to see Lu Wei had fallen, kneeling on one knee with her hands braced beside her.

Anxious, Chen Yushu told Jiang Yuran to go on ahead and hurried against the flow of people toward Lu Wei.

Lu Wei struggled to her feet, pain slowly spreading through her knees and elbows. She sucked in a sharp breath, grimacing from the hurt. The next moment, noticing Chen Yushu approaching, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to walk normally.

“Where did you fall?” Chen Yushu scanned her up and down, trying to sound indifferent.

Lu Wei shook her head. “It’s nothing just tripped on a pebble.”

“Serves you right.”

Lu Wei gave a stiff, awkward smile and stepped forward to stand beside her. She then turned her head, looking at Chen Yushu tentatively as she called out, “Shushu.”

“What?” Chen Yushu shot her a sidelong glance, her tone impatient.

“I really know I was wrong.” Lu Wei bit her lip and spoke softly, as if afraid she wouldn’t be believed, then hurriedly added, “I truly understand now!”

Chen Yushu raised an eyebrow slightly and let out a questioning hum.

“First of all, I shouldn’t have lent the notebook to her,” Lu Wei said. “I thought about it if you gave away a painting I made for you, I’d be really upset too.”

Chen Yushu pursed her lips and glanced at her, signaling her to continue.

Lu Wei swallowed hard. “And also, I shouldn’t have wasted your efforts. I hadn’t even finished learning from it myself, yet I let someone else benefit for free.”

“And I shouldn’t have agreed just to save face or something. I regret it so much!”

“I also shouldn’t have ignored your feelings because of what a few outsiders said, making you so upset. I really deserve to die.”

“And.”

Seeing Lu Wei’s words getting increasingly strange, Chen Yushu couldn’t help but interrupt her, “Enough, enough. I’m hungry, I’m going to eat.”

“Oh.” Lu Wei stopped abruptly, looking somewhat dazed at her. “Then, then can I come with you?”

Chen Yushu’s lips moved, emitting an indistinct sound, then she turned and walked ahead.

Lu Wei quickly followed, stealing glances at her repeatedly, and suddenly said, “Oh, right, this is for you.”

“What?” Chen Yushu asked.

Lu Wei immediately pulled out a folded crossbody bag from her pocket, unfolded it, and said with a slightly cheerful tone, “Carrying books can make your hands cold. You can wear this during evening self-study it fits one or two books perfectly.”

Chen Yushu: “When did you buy this?”

“A while ago. I designed it myself and had it made online. One for you, one for me.” As she spoke, Lu Wei reached out to put it on her. “Try it on, it actually matches your outfit quite well.”

Chen Yushu dodged slightly. “I’m already carrying a bag. Just give it to me, I’ll try it when I get back.”

“Okay.” Lu Wei smiled, holding one end of the bag and couldn’t resist spinning it around.

After eating, Chen Yushu brought the crossbody bag back to the dorm and examined it carefully. On the front of the bag were embroidered chibi-style portraits of the two of them, with an abbreviation of her name in the bottom corner.

She unzipped it, picked up a book, and was about to put it inside when she suddenly noticed a folded piece of paper in the small inner pocket.

What’s this?

Curious, Chen Yushu took it out and unfolded it. It was an A3-sized paper divided into eight sections, each containing a simple sketch. The first four depicted the sequence of events, while the last four were all apologies from Lu Wei. The slightly comical and messy drawing style paired with serious text made her chuckle involuntarily.

On the other side, in the center of the paper, was a drawing of an unfolded letter filled with writing more than what Lu Wei had said earlier, and even more sentimental.

Chen Yushu pinched the strap of the bag, shook it slightly, and couldn’t help muttering under her breath, “Why give this to me instead of keeping it for yourself?”

“Wow! This bag is so adorable! Where did you buy it?” Jiang Yuran walked over, her eyes lighting up as she asked excitedly.

Chen Yushu coughed. “Lu, Lu Wei bought it.”

Jiang Yuran nodded understandingly, then crouched down and whispered, “Oh, so you’ve forgiven her, then?”

“Not at all!” Chen Yushu immediately retorted. “It’s just a bag.”

“Alright then.” Jiang Yuran shrugged. “By the way, I’ve scanned all the contents of the notebook. The notebook is on your desk.”

“You can use it. Anyway, I’m not going to bother with her anymore.”

Jiang Yuran raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Alright.”

Chen Yushu immediately stood up, “I’m serious!”

“Hahaha, don’t get worked up. I didn’t say anything.”