The Days I Was Secretly Loved by the All-Girls School Beauties - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Too close…

Yun Zhan blinked nervously. She was slightly taller than Pei Yanxi, and by lowering her eyes just a bit, she fell straight into Pei Yanxi’s line of sight.

The perfume on Pei Yanxi smelled wonderful; even every strand of hair scattered across her back carried a cold fragrance. Her scent was jasmine and orange blossom diluted by moonlight—like silk rubbed against snow, soft yet maintaining a sense of distance. Yun Zhan had never smelled a perfume so pleasant.

Noticing Yun Zhan’s dazed expression, a hint of iris-colored flush rose behind Pei Yanxi’s ears.

Through the thin layers of clothing, Yun Zhan’s body heat transferred to Pei Yanxi’s skin. As their fingertips brushed against each other, the scent left on their skin was clean cedar and a hint of white musk slowly warmed by body heat. It was like a white shirt hanging in a pine forest after rain; when the wind blew, a faint soapy scent drifted from the weave of the fabric.

The senior looked cold and aloof, but her scent was unexpectedly alluring.

Senior Pei was elegant, proud, beautiful, and possessed a maturity characteristic of those in power—undoubtedly the ultimate weapon against seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls. Pei Yanxi was extremely popular at this school, and having interacted with her, Yun Zhan knew this better than anyone.

Yun Zhan suddenly remembered the girls who had looked at her with hostility during Spanish class. 21 was right; Pei Yanxi really was charming.

“You’re distracted. What are you thinking about?” Pei Yanxi spoke up to remind her. The girl’s voice was thin and crystalline; hitting the eardrums, it shattered into fine snow—no warmth, no tremor, even the trailing end was pulled perfectly straight.

Is she thinking about Wen Sixue?

Pei Yanxi’s heart sank a little. Once this childish, almost ridiculous thought entered her mind, she couldn’t easily erase its existence. Humans tend to gravitate toward the worst-case scenario, and Pei Yanxi was no exception. She knew she was speculating about Yun Zhan without reason, but she couldn’t control herself.

“I was thinking that you smell really good,” Yun Zhan said as she snapped back to reality. Her casual words sent Pei Yanxi’s sinking heart soaring again.

“Does it… smell good?”

Familiar startling words… familiar loss of composure.

When Pei Yanxi was shy, she was like light snow landing on eyelashes—one gentle quiver and she would melt. The tips of her ears reddened first, the color bleeding down the side of her neck like a drop of rose juice accidentally falling into clear water, spreading slowly and uncontrollably.

“Yes. What perfume do you use?” Yun Zhan truly found it pleasant.

“I don’t wear perfume. This scent is natural.”

Pei Yanxi met Yun Zhan’s eyes for less than half a second before pursing her lips and immediately lowering her head. Her loose hair slid down to cover her profile, leaving only a pair of bright red earlobes glowing under the light, like two cherries held between teeth, undared to be bitten.

If it were perfume, it would have been fine. But it wasn’t; the scent came from her own body. Yun Zhan discussing her body fragrance was… almost like discussing an intimate part of her. The topic lacked any sense of boundaries, yet Pei Yanxi didn’t hate it at all. Under Yun Zhan’s expectant gaze, she could even hear the thumping of her own heart.

Had it been anyone else, she would have flared up and rebuked them for their lack of propriety.

“I see. That’s a bit of a pity. I wanted to buy the same one,” Yun Zhan said with a slight note of disappointment. Her gaze looked very clean, devoid of any inappropriate thoughts.

“Do you like it that much?” Pei Yanxi couldn’t help but ask.

“I like it a lot,” Yun Zhan nodded.

If you stayed with me all the time, you could smell it every day. It’s on my hair, my clothes, my sofa, my bed… as long as you like it, you can keep smelling it.

Thoughts remained only thoughts; she didn’t dare speak the words in her heart aloud, fearing she would disturb the ambiguous atmosphere of the moment.

After the second class, Yun Zhan’s movements improved slightly. Her learning ability was good, but she still didn’t reach the average level of Pei Yanxi’s group.

Earlier, Pei Yanxi had stated that group members who didn’t meet the standard would need extra practice after class until they learned, or else they wouldn’t be able to leave normally next time. Yun Zhan’s movements were barely a passing grade, but they certainly didn’t meet the standard in Pei Yanxi’s heart.

“Senior Pei, how many hours does she need to practice after class?” a girl in the group couldn’t help but ask. Seeing Yun Zhan’s performance, the girl felt she needed at least three hours of extra training.

“She doesn’t need extra practice.” Pei Yanxi ignored the girl’s confused look.

“But Senior… that wasn’t your rule before…” The girl reminded her tactfully. Their group was excellent precisely because of Pei Yanxi’s strict guidance.

“Yun Zhan’s arm is injured. There’s no need to force her to stay late. I will teach her slowly once her injury has healed more.” Pei Yanxi crossed her arms. She stood to the side, but her gaze never left Yun Zhan.

Deportment class didn’t require much thinking; it required muscle memory. If others learned poorly, it was usually because they weren’t focused, so she was naturally strict. But if Yun Zhan learned poorly, it was surely because of her injury and her lack of a prior foundation. Pei Yanxi actually thought Yun Zhan was learning quite quickly—a clever darling.

Aside from Deportment class, Yun Zhan’s Spanish had also improved significantly. She had worked hard for about half a month. Every evening after class at 5:30 PM, while Jiang Yanmo ran off to socialize with other girls, Yun Zhan would study Spanish alone in the dorm, sitting at her desk for over three hours.

“I’ve learned about 60% of the grammar. I can already understand some simple articles.” Yun Zhan flipped through a few pieces and could roughly grasp the main points. Spanish was different from English; the grammatical structure was much more complex, and there were more fragmented points of knowledge to memorize—especially the pronouns, which changed based on the status of the person being addressed.

“Sigh, my mouth hurts so much.”

When it came time to practice speaking, Yun Zhan sat cross-legged on the dorm rug. She bit down on a pen to correct her pronunciation bit by bit. Spanish pronunciation was very unique; practicing while biting a pen sounded slightly better, but she often bit herself. She had bitten herself many times, and several blood blisters had formed on the delicate inner walls of her mouth. It hurt to speak now, but at least she was learning fast and would no longer be mocked as a “country bumpkin.”

Ding-ding. The dorm doorbell suddenly rang.

Thinking it was Jiang Yanmo returning, Yun Zhan got up to open the door, only to find an unfamiliar girl.

“Are you Yun Zhan? These two are for you. Please sign for them.” The girl was a student worker who ran errands for the school. After Yun Zhan nodded, she handed over two packages.

“I didn’t buy anything. Is there a mistake?” Yun Zhan didn’t take them. She looked at the tracking numbers on the packages; they indeed had her name on them, but she definitely hadn’t ordered anything.

“Then someone else bought them for you. Anyway, they’re yours, there’s no mistake. Just sign for them, I have other things to do.” The girl hurried her along, thrusting a pen into Yun Zhan’s hand. After a messy signature, Yun Zhan took the packages back.

Opening the two packages, several boxes of medicine tumbled out. Oral sprays, painkillers, anti-inflammatory meds—they were scattered all over the floor. Yun Zhan counted over ten types, including some vitamin supplements. Even stranger, some of the medicines were duplicated between the two packages.

“I really didn’t buy these. And there are two packages.” Yun Zhan thought for a moment, suddenly feeling like the items in her hands were too heavy to accept. One should not receive rewards without merit. She didn’t have many friends at this school, and Jiang Yanmo didn’t seem like the type to buy these things.

“Yun Zhan, your mouth is already torn up from biting it,” 21 said.

“I know.” Yun Zhan didn’t understand why 21 was bringing this up.

“What I mean is: even if you don’t pity yourself, someone else will.”

Pity me? Who at this school would pity her? Yun Zhan found it a bit funny. Everyone was just a casual acquaintance at best, living under the same roof. She wasn’t in a relationship, nor was she anyone’s best friend or relative. Who would come to pity her?

“You really are… guess for yourself. I won’t say who it is.” 21 was exasperated, leaving “little silly” Yun Zhan to reflect on her own. Yun Zhan didn’t speak. Hearing 21 say that, a faint suspicion actually crossed her mind. However, the thought only lasted for a second before she suppressed it. Yun Zhan broke into a slight sweat, thinking it surely couldn’t be… they hadn’t known each other long, and she hadn’t done anything special.

“Hello, I’d like to buy some medicine for oral injuries.”

“Please give me some medicine for mouth bites.”

Pei Yanxi and Wen Sixue entered and exited the pharmacy one after another, buying different types of medicine from the same owner.

“Have the ladies of Minton Academy all caught mouth ulcers lately? One girl just finished buying, and now another one comes in.” The owner cleared the counter, grumbling while checking his ledger.

Wen Sixue clutched the bag in her hand tightly. She wanted to go to Yun Zhan’s dorm to see her situation with her own eyes. When she reached the dormitory building, she suddenly stopped. Jiang Yanmo, Yun Zhan’s roommate, really disliked her. Wen Sixue lowered her head, her white sneakers kicking a pebble by her feet. After thinking it over, she decided to stay back.

She didn’t want to cause trouble for Yun Zhan or make things difficult for her by being caught in the middle. Jiang Yanmo was Yun Zhan’s roommate… The bright sunlight was suddenly obscured by incoming dark clouds, and the light falling on Wen Sixue vanished completely.

That’s right. I’ve already brought Yun Zhan so much pain. Since she is so good to me, I can’t bring her trouble just because I want to see her.

Sensitivity is something every young girl experiences. Suddenly, Wen Sixue thought of Pei Yanxi. She remembered the look in Pei Yanxi’s eyes when she saw Yun Zhan. Insecurity, like an unripe plum, bloomed sourly in her heart before she could fully escape that emotion.

If it were Senior Pei, Yun Zhan probably wouldn’t have to face such awkwardness. “Excellent, beautiful, and respectable. Senior Pei won’t bring her trouble either.” This package, carrying countless emotions, was handed to the errand girl. Wen Sixue watched the package being carried away and stood silently in place for a long time.

“Miss Pei, where are you going? There is a family banquet later; please do not leave.” The butler blocked Pei Yanxi. His expression became subtle after his peripheral vision swept over the medicine bag in her hand.

“Do I need to consult you on where I go? I’ll be back in half an hour.” Pei Yanxi frowned, her cold eyes fixed on the butler. She loathed having others interfere with what she wanted to do. Yun Zhan was alone in her dorm; if she didn’t go now, the curfew would pass, and she’d have to wait until tomorrow to send it. That little fool who didn’t know how to pity herself… her mouth was in such a state…

Thinking of this, Pei Yanxi’s expression grew colder. The butler kept blocking her path. If it weren’t for her dignity as a noble lady, she truly would have cursed at him.

“Please be prudent. You cannot miss tonight’s family banquet. If you wish to send something, I can have the family servants do it. You wouldn’t want your father to be angry, would you?”

The Pei family had only one child, Pei Yanxi. Her father was extremely strict with her. Tonight was indeed a family banquet that she couldn’t miss. In the end, the medicine bag was handed to the delivery girl by a servant.

Pei Yanxi was dressed in a formal gown, the silk flowing down from her collarbones, her expensive skin adorned with tiny diamonds that shone like a galaxy. Her waistline was tailored into a sharp, cold arc, and she wore priceless jewelry in her dark hair. She turned her head, looking reluctantly at the package being taken away.

If it were Wen Sixue, sending things wouldn’t be so complicated. “Gentle, pure, and unburdened. Wen Sixue probably wouldn’t find it so hard to get close to Yun Zhan.” The magnificent gown felt like a set of shackles at that moment. Pei Yanxi lowered her eyes, an indescribable sense of loss filling her heart.

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