The White Moonlight is So Scheming - Chapter 37

After comforting Ji Zhijie’s emotions,

 

Shen Juexia took her phone and, before morning reading began, walked to the window at the back of the classroom to make a call. “Auntie Xu, there’s something I’d like to trouble you with.”

 

Xu Qing had just parked her car when she received Shen Juexia’s call. Thinking Shen Juexia had forgotten something at home, she settled back into the car and asked, “What is it, Miss? Did you leave something behind?”

 

“No.” Shen Juexia glanced sideways at Ji Zhijie’s reflection on the glass, biting her lower lip. “I’d like to take the afternoon off to accompany a friend to the hospital. Her mother is being admitted to the sterile isolation unit today.”

 

Puzzled, Xu Qing frowned. “Do you need me to pick you up from school? Around what time?”

 

“No, no!”

 

Xu Qing meeting Ji Zhijie?

 

That would be disastrous!

 

Waking up to a new day once again.

 

This intermittent thought was influenced by the weather.

 

Shen Juexia’s room faced north, so sunlight never reached her pillow. But by turning her head to look at the gleaming branches of the tree by the window, she could tell it was a bright, sunny day.

 

She had always been a reluctant riser, the type who would snooze her alarm three or four times before getting up unless she saw sunlight. That was the only exception.

 

Shen Juexia pulled on her school uniform and headed to the bathroom, the sound of snoring drifting from behind the master bedroom door.

 

Say what you will, but Chinese school uniforms were quite convenient. No need to think about what to wear, saving a lot of time.

 

Shen Juexia put on her earphones first, then picked up her toothbrush cup to fill it with water.

 

The earphones played the day’s news: Syria was in dire straits, Ukraine was also in crisis, and the world had not known a single day of peace. The more she listened, the deeper her frown became.

 

Every day, she wished for the world to become a better place, even if just a little. She especially hoped that one day she would have the ability to make the world better, so she studied hard every day.

 

Shen Juexia spat out the foam-filled mouthwash, dried her face, peeled the two eggs boiled the night before, and put them in a ziplock bag to eat on the way.

 

The morning sun rose steadily, and along the way, the vibrant scenes of early spring filled her limbs with energy.

 

Her heart was also full of energy, beating more cheerfully than ever.

 

After finishing the two eggs, Shen Juexia decided to take the initiative to reconcile with Yao Qingyan.

 

It had been a long time since she’d met a classmate willing to actively befriend her. One who wanted to maintain their friendship despite any misunderstandings that might arise.

 

Then, it must all be her own fault.

 

Because her home was close to school, Shen Juexia always arrived early though never earlier than Shen Tinghan. She wondered what time that guy even woke up.

 

After organizing her homework and neatly arranging it on the teacher’s desk, Shen Juexia pulled out a chemistry quiz—her weakest subject, organic structure derivation and returned to her seat, staring intently at the paper in frustration.

 

Stealing a glance to her left only made her feel even more defeated.

 

Shen Tinghan rested his left elbow on the desk, his chin propped on his hand, while his right hand scribbled furiously. Not just quickly, but with an air of effortless profundity behind his glasses.

 

Seeing wasn’t as good as doing. She had to start writing too.

 

Shen Juexia first jotted down a few key points, then drew countless incomprehensible symbols on her scratch paper yet still, no breakthrough.

 

By 7:21 a.m., more students had arrived, and the rustling of pens on paper grew increasingly louder.

 

The seatmate on the left hadn’t arrived yet, and Shen Juexia stole another glance at Shen Tinghan. Sure enough, her completed quiz was already placed neatly in the upper right corner.

 

Shen Juexia hadn’t intended to peek, but her eyesight was just too sharp. She caught a glimpse of the adjacent and symmetrical hydroxyl groups on the benzene ring in the first answer.

 

Peeking was shameless, but this was just a quiz, not an exam. Besides, the chemistry teacher would go over the answers with everyone in the second period.

 

Once she found an opening, her progress finally broke free from zero, and the rest of the derivation flowed smoothly.

 

Yao Qingyan, unsurprisingly, was late again and utterly unapologetic about it. She swaggered in, deliberately tilting her face toward the light to accentuate the bright shade of her lipstick. She hadn’t had time to do the quiz, nor did she plan to, so she tossed the blank sheet straight to the class representative.

 

Shen Juexia’s progress was, as usual, behind. But to her relief, for the first time, she managed to hand in a fully completed quiz before the bell rang.

 

There were only three minutes left before first period.

 

Just as Shen Juexia steeled herself and was about to head to the front row, she saw Yao Qingyan chatting and laughing with the class sports rep, leaving no opening for her to interject.

 

The sports rep was a tall, handsome guy who always radiated sunshine, effortlessly humorous and talkative. His voice never once faltered while chatting with Yao Qingyan.

 

Every break between classes was the same. Yao Qingyan, ever the school’s social butterfly, never lacked company when she didn’t want to be alone.

 

Shen Juexia could only watch from afar, rehearsing the first words she’d say when they met, over and over in her mind.

 

By noon, still tangled in hesitation, she saw Yao Qingyan about to leave arm-in-arm with her friends. Left with no choice, Shen Juexia gritted her teeth and stopped them.

 

Habits were cultivated.

 

Shen Juexia had grown accustomed to eating alone during her time in the UK, but over the past month, Yao Qingyan had called her every day, and she’d relearned the habit of chatting over meals even if the conversations were awkward and sparse.

 

Yao Qingyan shot her a sidelong glance. “What?” Because Shen Juexia was so much taller, the glance looked more like an eye roll.

 

The two girls beside her let out soft whistles and nudged their friend’s arm.

 

Shen Juexia delivered her prepared line: “I was wrong before. I didn’t consider your feelings when I spoke. Can we have lunch together?”

 

Before Yao Qingyan could respond, one of the girls giggled, “Of course! Yan’s been waiting for you!”

 

Yao Qingyan rolled her eyes at them. “What nonsense!”

 

“So, together?” Shen Juexia smiled nervously, already bracing for the awkwardness of a four-person meal.

 

But the other two girls shook their heads, bouncing away. “We’re not third-wheeling. See ya!”

 

Shen Juexia exhaled quietly in relief. She barely knew those two. Their only interaction had been during English class group discussions.

 

Fifteen minutes later, Shen Juexia and Yao Qingyan sat at their usual spot. The busiest part of the cafeteria, where countless students carrying trays would pass by and greet Yao Qingyan, not just from their grade but also seniors and juniors.

 

Shen Juexia had suggested countless times that they sit somewhere quieter, but Yao Qingyan seemed to forget every time, always dragging her back to the same spot.

 

“Ugh, this meat is awful today. Chews like a rag,” Yao Qingyan complained, poking at her food without taking a single bite.

 

Shen Juexia did her best not to frown.

 

She couldn’t understand why such unappetizing topics had to be brought up during a meal. She had always quite liked the cafeteria food, far more delicious than the instant noodles and bread she had at home.

 

“Is that so,” Shen Juexia replied flatly.

 

Yao Qingyan pouted, reluctantly stuffing a bite of rice into her mouth, carefully brushing off the oil before taking it.

 

Then, they fell into a silence that lasted a full two minutes.

 

For Shen Juexia, this was nothing unusual. She didn’t need to talk often, keeping her eyes down as she focused on chewing her food.

 

Truth be told, they didn’t have much to talk about.

 

Yao Qingyan was obsessed with some otome game called “Love and Something,” and was a die-hard K-pop fan, constantly going on about “my oppa.” In contrast, Shen Juexia knew almost nothing about Korean idol groups—at most, she knew BTS wasn’t pyruvate.

 

Shen Juexia knew the lack of conversation was her fault.

 

She considered herself a boring person. She couldn’t play the violin, couldn’t paint, and wasn’t the type to say things that made others feel at ease. Having just transferred to a school in China, her grades weren’t great either.

 

“How tall are you?” Yao Qingyan suddenly asked.

 

“About 5.8,” Shen Juexia lifted her eyes.

 

Yao Qingyan gave her a familiar, complicated look. “What’s 5.8?”

 

“Uh, 5 feet 8?” Shen Juexia hurriedly swallowed a bite of greens. She hated it when people around her made that expression.

 

“How many centimeters is that?” Yao Qingyan furrowed her delicate brows. “No one uses feet in China. I have no idea what that means.”

 

“Let me calculate,” Shen Juexia, afraid the other might grow impatient, decided to narrate her mental math in real time. “5.8 times 30.5…”

 

“Never mind, never mind. Just hearing numbers gives me a headache,” Yao Qingyan cut her off directly.

 

Shen Juexia lowered her head and continued eating.

 

“Who do you think is the hottest in our class?”

 

“Do you mean guys or girls?” Shen Juexia asked.

 

Yao Qingyan giggled.

 

“Of course guys! ‘Hot’ is for guys. Though you’re pretty hot too exception made.”

 

Shen Juexia thought for a moment. “Gao Yixing.” The class’s sports committee member. Thick eyebrows, big eyes, well-proportioned limbs definitely the standard northern hunk.

 

“He’s okay, but I don’t think he’s as hot as Deng Tingxuan,” Yao Qingyan suddenly lowered her voice, grinning mischievously. “Do you like any guys?”

 

“No,” Shen Juexia answered without hesitation. She couldn’t even remember half the boys’ names in class.

 

“Ever had one?”

 

“In elementary school,” Shen Juexia chuckled briefly. Faced with such intense interest, the enthusiasm washing over her made her both happy and a little uneasy.

 

“What about girls?”

 

Shen Juexia paused, entering serious contemplation mode.

 

Yao Qingyan’s eyes widened, her lips curling into a strange grin. “No way! You don’t like girls, do you?”

 

Shen Juexia couldn’t quite explain why, but that reaction made her uncomfortable. She had just wanted to answer her friend’s question earnestly.

 

Yao Qingyan’s eyes were practically glued to her face.

 

Shen Juexia shrugged. “I don’t like defining my own gender, nor the gender of the people I like.”

 

“Really? The school said you took leave.”

 

A look of confusion crossed her face.

 

In a panic, not knowing how to explain, Shen Juexia instinctively reached for her most common excuse. “Ah.I wasn’t feeling well, so I went home early.”

 

“Then why didn’t I see you?”

 

After a moment of stunned silence, Shen Juexia stammered, “Sister, what are you talking about? I don’t understand any of it.”

 

“I’m at home.”

 

Her mind exploded in an instant.

 

Fingers trembling, her phone slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor.

 

Her vision blurred inexplicably. Shen Juexia could only see Ji Zhijie’s lips moving, but the words being spoken were lost to her.