Let Me Go, My Childhood Sweetheart [Rebirth] - Chapter 37

It had been three days since the holiday ended. During this time, Jin Yi barely saw Qu Yin except for a few moments during daytime classes. Qu Yin was leaving early and returning late, making Jin Yi feel like she was living alone.

On this particular evening, Qu Yin surprisingly returned early.

She threw the door open in a huff and lunged toward Jin Yi the moment she saw her. “Xiao Yi…”

Jin Yi sidestepped, and Qu Yin lunged into empty air.

“Xiao Yi… you…” Qu Yin tried to approach again, but Jin Yi held out a hand between them, blocking her. Looking at the panting Qu Yin, she said, “Don’t do this. Keep your distance.”

“Waaa…” Qu Yin retreated two steps, tossed her jacket onto the bed, and started wailing piteously.

Before Jin Yi could even ask, Qu Yin began pouring out her grievances.

“I planned to give Miaomiao a surprise today, but I didn’t expect to catch her flirting with a junior!”

“Are you sure you saw correctly? Aren’t you face-blind?”

“Bah! I’m face-blind, not eye-blind!”

Qu Yin’s makeup was starting to smudge from the crying. To be honest, Jin Yi had never seen Qu Yin act so “pure.” In her previous life, Qu Yin hadn’t been with Jing Miaomiao; they didn’t even know each other. Come to think of it, it was her fault—if Jin Yi hadn’t been constantly looking for Chu Weiran, Qu Yin wouldn’t have met Miaomiao.

“So what do you want to do now?”

“Waaa… how should I know? I really put my heart into it this time. I even… I even…” At this point, Qu Yin was sobbing so hard she couldn’t catch her breath or finish a sentence.

“You even what?”

“I was the bottom (shou)!”

“You’re thin (shou)?”

Qu Yin was always clamoring about losing weight; why would she be upset about being thin? Jin Yi didn’t realize what Qu Yin meant immediately. In her fixed impression, Qu Yin was definitely supposed to be the “top” (gong), so her mind didn’t go in that direction.

Qu Yin gestured wildly, too embarrassed to state the fact that she had been “taken” (slept with). After all, she had spent so much time bragging to Jin Yi about being a “Big Top King.”

But no matter how she hinted, Jin Yi didn’t get it. Wiping her tears, Qu Yin finally blurted out: “Jing Miaomiao slept with me!”

“???”

Preconceived notions are powerful; Jin Yi found it hard to accept this reality. “Really?”

“Really!” Qu Yin continued to sob, eventually hugging Jin Yi. “Waaa, it’s the first time I’ve been so invested, ahhh! I think I’m going to get dumped! What should I do?! We’re going to have to be single together again!”

Looking at the miserable Qu Yin, Jin Yi felt a pang of guilt. She patted her back and said softly, “I… might not be able to join you in being single.”

“Huh??? What?!” Qu Yin froze, her tears stopping instantly. “You have a partner?! Who is it? Do I know them?”

The triple-interrogation caught Jin Yi off guard. Her cheeks flushed as she said shyly, “It’s me and Chu Weiran…”

“I KNEW IT! I knew you two would end up together! Ahhh! As expected of my OTP! Quick, tell me everything about your romance!” In an instant, Qu Yin’s sadness vanished completely.

Jin Yi was bewildered. “Weren’t you just…”

“Heartbreak is one thing, but shipping is another!” Qu Yin chased her for answers, making Jin Yi’s face turn beet-red.

“It was… during the holiday.”

“Did you guys sleep together?” Qu Yin asked excitedly, showing no trace of her previous tears.

This made Jin Yi even more embarrassed; the question was far too blunt. She looked down and gave a soft “mm,” then immediately shook her head vigorously. “We just slept in the same bed.”

First an affirmation, then a denial—Qu Yin didn’t believe her for a second. She curled her lip in disdain. “You clearly look like a ‘weak bottom.’ Senior Chu definitely ate you up and left no crumbs.”

“I am not!”

Jin Yi understood what a “weak bottom” meant, and she didn’t consider herself one.

“Aren’t you? You’re so indifferent to everything.”

As Jin Yi was trying to argue her case, her phone buzzed. It was a WeChat message from Chu Weiran.

I’m all alone tonight. Will you come stay with me? I’m so scared.

Jin Yi felt shy, but then a realization hit her. If Chu Weiran was alone tonight, then… did Jing Miaomiao really go out to…?

She stole a glance at Qu Yin and put her phone face down, hesitating whether to tell her the truth.

“What? Senior Chu is messaging you? Go! Don’t keep her waiting!” Qu Yin seemed more anxious than she was. Before Jin Yi could react, Qu Yin grabbed her jacket and pushed her out the door.

Once the door closed and the dorm went silent, Qu Yin felt the sadness return. Thinking about how Miaomiao hadn’t replied to her messages, she felt worse and face-planted onto her bed.

As soon as Jin Yi stepped out, she called Chu Weiran.

“Hello…”

“Xiao Yi, have you left yet~~~?”

“Yes, I’m on my way.”

The weather was getting colder after the holiday, especially at night. Jin Yi tightened her jacket. “I’m almost there. I have something to tell you.”

“Okay.”

Jin Yi wanted to ask if Chu Weiran knew about Jing Miaomiao. She didn’t want to meddle, but she wanted to know if there was a real problem. If Miaomiao was truly a player, she would advise Qu Yin to let go early.

Thinking of Qu Yin reminded her of the “top/bottom” comment. Jin Yi didn’t have a strong stance on it—they were both girls, so it shouldn’t matter. Except… Chu Weiran’s seductive side was a bit beyond her expectations.

Thinking back to that night when Chu Weiran returned and she stayed over, Jin Yi’s face heated up. Chu Weiran had insisted on bathing together. Jin Yi wanted to refuse, but she couldn’t withstand her acting spoiled. So, she was teased once again.

Chu Weiran had imitated Jin Yi’s drunken movements to seduce her. Jin Yi had lost control, hugging Chu Weiran from behind and fondling her. Unlike the night she was drunk, her memory of this time was vivid. In the end, Jin Yi had embarrassingly gotten a nosebleed.

Chu Weiran had teased her: “I’m right here in your arms, what are you holding back for?”

Jin Yi had been too embarrassed to finish her bath and had dived under the covers to pretend to be asleep.

Thinking about what might happen tonight made her both nervous and excited. She had a smile on her face—until she reached the edge of the campus woods and froze.

She had been getting along so well with Chu Weiran lately that she had forgotten about these two.

Ye Yuan and Qin Chaomu were in the middle of a heated struggle. Ye Yuan kept pushing Qin Chaomu away, eventually shoving her to the ground.

Slumped on the ground, Qin Chaomu grabbed Ye Yuan’s pant leg, wailing: “A-Yuan… don’t treat me like this… we can’t get rid of the baby! It’s your child!”

The atmosphere was incredibly awkward. Jin Yi didn’t want to see either of them. Just as she turned to leave, Qin Chaomu spotted her. Ye Yuan followed her gaze.

Lately, their scandal had been the talk of the town, and even the “Old Witch” of the Business School had stopped protecting Ye Yuan. He no longer wore his mask of gentle elegance; his face was contorted with rage as he looked at Jin Yi.

He spat on the ground and hissed, “Jin Yi.” He began walking toward her with a dark expression.

Jin Yi wasn’t afraid, just disgusted. She had tried to avoid them, but here they were. Qin Chaomu, still clutching his leg, was kicked aside by Ye Yuan. She clutched her stomach, looking in pain.

Ye Yuan closed in. Jin Yi didn’t retreat, watching him approach in his frantic state. He grabbed her collar.

“Feeling smug now that you’ve got Chu Weiran?” he sneered. “Can you even satisfy her? She looks like the type who…”

Ye Yuan’s grin widened as he prepared to say something even more vile, but Jin Yi landed a solid punch right on his jaw.

Despite how much she loathed them, Jin Yi hadn’t planned on getting physical; she didn’t want to dirty her hands. But this was too much. If she didn’t fight back, she couldn’t swallow this insult.

After taking the hit, Ye Yuan wiped his mouth and tried to swing back, but Jin Yi caught his wrist and shoved him back, causing him to stumble. She didn’t want to punch him again—she really did find him dirty. Instead, she kicked him in the face and followed up with a kick to the stomach that sent him sprawling.

By then, Qin Chaomu had crawled over to Ye Yuan, cradling him and crying. “Jin Yi, please, stop hitting him! I’ll apologize to you!”

Jin Yi’s foot hovered in the air. Looking at Qin Chaomu, a flash of pure loathing crossed her eyes. She had vented enough; continuing would just be unnecessary. She turned to leave.

After a few steps, she heard Ye Yuan roar behind her, “You bitch, get lost!!”

Qin Chaomu’s crying intensified as she begged him not to leave. Jin Yi knew Ye Yuan wasn’t finished. She turned around just in time to see him charging at her again.

Once, twice… even the patient Jin Yi had a limit. This time, she didn’t hold back.

Ye Yuan lay on the ground, bruised and semiconscious. Qin Chaomu started screaming like a madwoman while protecting him. “Jin Yi, you beat him like this, you have to take responsibility!”

“Responsibility? I can afford the medical bills, but this was self-defense.”

“You!” Qin Chaomu’s face was pale, but she stayed in front of him. “I don’t care! You injured him!”

Jin Yi laughed. This woman looked just like she had at the wedding in her past life. This was her true self. “Heh, Ye Yuan was right. Qin Chaomu, you really are pathetic. A man treats you like trash, yet you’re still this desperate for him.”

Qin Chaomu could take anything Ye Yuan said, but being called out by Jin Yi made her snap. Her eyes were bloodshot as she screamed at Jin Yi’s retreating back: “Jin Yi, stop! I’m not! I’m not pathetic!!!”

Jin Yi ignored her and headed toward Chu Weiran’s dorm.

She hadn’t gone far when she saw Chu Weiran running toward her in her pajamas.

“Xiao Yi! What happened? Why didn’t you answer my call?”

Chu Weiran saw immediately that something was wrong. “Did you get into a fight? What’s going on? Who bullied you?”

She was frantic with worry, and her concern instantly warmed Jin Yi’s heart. Without a word, Jin Yi pulled Chu Weiran into a tight hug, burying her face in her neck.

“I wasn’t bullied,” she mumbled. “I’m the one who beat someone up.”

Chu Weiran hugged her back, letting out a sigh of relief. “As long as you weren’t bullied.” She gave Jin Yi a kiss on the cheek.

“Mm… Ranran, I missed you so much.”

Suddenly, the normally stoic Jin Yi felt a wave of vulnerability.