That Girl Who Skipped Class — You're In Big Trouble! - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

After a busy day at the studio, Sòng Yíngmíng finally rushed to Wūzhèn in the evening. Zhāng Xiǎoxiǎo, whom she hadn’t seen for nearly two weeks, was still her usual sloppy self. As soon as she saw Sòng Yíngmíng, she shouted loudly, disregarding her image from nearly a hundred meters away, “Yíng Yíng, did you just fly back from Fashion Week? You’re so stunning and exquisitely beautiful!” Sòng Yíngmíng rolled her eyes several times, walked up to her, and directly threw her 5-kilogram luggage at her face: “That’s enough, are you blind? I’m so busy my dark circles are practically down to my chest.”

The two casually found a restaurant for dinner. During the meal, besides constantly reprimanding Zhāng Xiǎoxiǎo, Sòng Yíngmíng also brought up gossip about Xiāo Xuán. When she mentioned her, Zhāng Xiǎoxiǎo, contrary to her usual demeanor, became unusually chatty: “I saw that girl at lunch. She was so pure~ fair-skinned, beautiful, with long legs~ Xuán Xuán was looking at her with such concentration, I’ve never seen anything like it…”

Sòng Yíngmíng put down her chopsticks and looked at her seriously, her posture resembling a First Lady visiting an African country: “Oh? How beautiful is she?”

Zhāng Xiǎoxiǎo realized the situation was not good and cleared her throat: “That little girl doesn’t hold up after a while. She lacks the charisma and intelligence of a mature woman. Compared to Yíng Yíng, she can’t even hold a candle.”

Sòng Yíngmíng huffed a reply of “Brown-noser” and then focused on the plate of fresh Chinese cabbage in front of her.

After dinner, the two walked along the main street of Wūzhèn. Zhāng Xiǎoxiǎo held the luggage in one hand and Sòng Yíngmíng’s hand in the other. It was almost completely dark. Tourists gathered by the river to float water lanterns, and a few children ran around with sparklers. The two, who had been busy for most of the year, quietly enjoyed the rare comfort and leisure.

“Hey, isn’t that girl from Xiāo Xuán’s house?” Zhāng Xiǎoxiǎo pulled the hand she was holding and nodded towards the front. An Qianyáng was standing alone by the roadside, facing the area where people were releasing water lanterns. As they got closer, Sòng Yíngmíng looked at An Qianyáng with curiosity and surprise: “Why is she here alone so late? Come on, let’s go ask her.”

“Little sister, are you Xiāo Xuán’s student?”

An Qianyáng turned her head, and her bright, watery eyes seemed to be brimming with tears about to spill over.

…

In the lobby of a boutique hotel in Wūzhèn, Zhāng Xiǎoxiǎo was chatting with An Qianyáng on the sofa. Sòng Yíngmíng stood by the distant floor-to-ceiling window and called Xiāo Xuán: “Xuán Xuán, where are you?”

“I’m in the hotel, just finished showering. Have you arrived?”

“Yeah, I’m with Xiǎoxiǎo, checking in at the lobby. We’ll be up soon. Also, we found your little friend for you,” Sòng Yíngmíng glanced at Zhāng Xiǎoxiǎo without waiting for Xiāo Xuán to interrupt. “She was alone on the street and seemed quite upset, so I brought her back for fear something might happen. By the way, she doesn’t seem very keen on seeing you. I’m not getting involved in that.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment, then a voice came: “In that case, take her to your place first. I’ll come over later.” Sòng Yíngmíng hung up the phone and felt a sense of relief when she saw Zhāng Xiǎoxiǎo gesticulating wildly, saying something to An Qianyáng that made her cover her mouth and laugh.

The three chatted as they walked onto a stone bridge, next to which was an elegant pavilion with a few wooden chairs inside. Below the bridge, the water flowed gently, making a soft murmuring sound. A few yellow stone lanterns floated on the water, making the night scene hazy and poetic. “I remember the last two times I came to Wūzhèn to play, it was past three or four in the morning when I arrived at night. Who does anything proper that late? In places like this, I’ve seen a few seemingly decent uncles peeing in the pool,” Zhāng Xiǎoxiǎo said to An Qianyáng while carrying her heavy bag.

“If it were me, I’d kick them into the pool,” An Qianyáng replied with a smile. Sòng Yíngmíng, walking ahead, overheard and inwardly cursed that neither the big nor the small one was proper.

Upon reaching the room, Sòng Yíngmíng ordered fruit and red wine. The three sat on the balcony and chatted for a while about Australia. Inevitably, the conversation turned to Xiāo Xuán, and An Qianyáng actually took the initiative to mention how humorous and engaging Professor Xiāo’s classes were, and how students had to rush to get a seat, which greatly astonished the other two. “I can’t believe that boring woman is so popular in the eyes of you students!” Zhāng Xiǎoxiǎo flicked a cigarette butt aside and laughed, scratching her fluffy head.

Soon, An Qianyáng stood up, saying she had to leave. Sòng Yíngmíng asked Zhāng Xiǎoxiǎo to see her out. As the two opened the door, they saw Xiāo Xuán standing at the entrance. An Qianyáng’s expression immediately became very unnatural.

“Ān Ān, come here. I’ll take you down.” Xiāo Xuán stood leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed. She had changed into a shirt. Her clean forehead was visible beneath her half-wet hair, and a thin layer of mist enveloped her slender nose bridge.