The White Moonlight is So Scheming - Chapter 39

A sensation like melting ice lingered on her forehead.

The cool touch roused Shen Tinghan from her daze. As her consciousness gradually returned, she slowly opened her eyes and raised her right hand to touch her forehead.

Her fingertips brushed against the soft, cool surface of a fever-reducing patch.

Silently, she withdrew her hand.

The quiet living room was filled only with the steady, shallow rhythm of breathing, rising and falling.

Her gaze shifted slightly, following the sound, and Shen Tinghan turned her head to the side revealing the silhouette etched into her heart.

The little rabbit was half-sprawled at the edge of the sofa, her soft body curled into a ball, like a stubborn little creature guarding its territory.

Her face was turned to the side.

Her hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

Late March.

As required by the school, Shen Juexia had to attend physical training sessions on the playground every Tuesday and Thursday after school. Fortunately, the days were growing longer, and the setting sun cast a warm glow after classes ended.

The city’s education bureau had announced that the make-up physical fitness test would take place on April 13th. Just the thought of the burning agony during the second lap of the 800-meter run was enough to make Shen Juexia feel faint.

Most of the students who had failed the physical test were on the chubbier side, clearly not built for running. Among them, she was practically the only one who was tall and slender.

After gathering at six o’clock, the PE teacher appeared, whistle in hand. First, he exaggeratedly criticized everyone’s test results, then threatened them with the consequences of failing the make-up exam, and finally outlined the training plan for the next month.

Luo Jiang No. 3 High School was a top-tier school in the city, excelling academically but struggling in physical education. To make the students take it seriously, the PE teacher resorted to scaring them with the impact on awards and honors. Only then did the chubby academic prodigy, who had been flipping through vocabulary cards, finally look up.

Notably, standing behind the PE teacher were a few students whose physiques alone suggested they had either aced the test or come close.

“These students are sacrificing their free time to help you train. Don’t let them down, follow their instructions.” the PE teacher said, leading a round of applause.

The underperforming students in the training session could only muster a scattered clap in response.

It was reasonable to suspect the PE teacher just wanted to slack off and use the students as free labor.

With a casual glance, Shen Juexia spotted a familiar face among the group and immediately straightened her back.

The PE teacher blew his whistle and pointed from left to right. “We’ll divide into four groups of eight students each. The students at the back will be your group leaders, responsible for supervising your training.”

Shen Juexia was assigned to the second girls’ group.

Standing among several unfamiliar girls from other classes, she couldn’t bring herself to speak and instinctively looked toward Shen Tinghan.

Shen Tinghan was discussing something with the girl beside her, her expression as impassive as ever. Though Shen Juexia couldn’t hear what they were saying, she could imagine the gentle tone of her voice.

A few hushed whispers reached her ears.

“Holy crap, the Ice Queen is that her?” A girl with braids was the first to notice.

“She’s even prettier up close. Too bad her glasses hide half her face.”

A short-haired girl giggled softly.

“Who knew failing could come with perks like this? Praying she’s assigned to our group.”

“Just say you wanna be her dog and go,” the braided girl scoffed.

Shen Juexia hadn’t expected Shen Tinghan to be so well-known even among students from other classes. She lowered her head, pretending she hadn’t heard anything.

The girl with braids suddenly lowered her voice, “That person is right next to you. Forget about the ‘Great Demon King’ just look at her. So gorgeous, one more glance and I might faint from how handsome she is.”

The girl with short hair replied, “Too bad we’re the same type. If only she grew her hair out.”

“…”

Shen Juexia didn’t understand the coded chatter between them and continued pretending she hadn’t heard anything.

Finally, the top athletes in the class decided on their groups and headed in different directions.

Shen Juexia wasn’t sure how she felt at that moment.

Then Shen Tinghan walked toward their group.

Only then did Shen Juexia realize what she had been feeling earlier was anticipation—she had been hoping Shen Tinghan would become their group leader.

Shen Tinghan also held a whistle. With one sharp blow that pierced the sky, the previously lazy and chatty underachievers in P.E. automatically lined up in formation.

“Today’s plan is as follows: first, run four laps around the track at a steady pace for a total of 1,600 meters. Then, alternate between frog jumps and single-leg hops for three rounds. Finally, finish with four sets of interval sprints, and that’s it.” Shen Tinghan spoke with effortless fluency, her tone and pace unwavering from start to finish, never stumbling over her words.

That final “it” was particularly ominous, and the expressions on the faces of the P.E. underachievers were priceless.

Shen Juexia, who rarely exercised, felt exhausted just hearing the names of all those activities.

Shen Tinghan asked, “Is anyone on their period?”

The girl with braids immediately raised her hand.

Shen Tinghan nodded. “Then you only need to run 3,000 meters today.”

“…”

Shen Juexia nearly choked.

This was the legendary art of delivering the harshest words in the gentlest tone.

Shen Tinghan scanned the group from left to right. “Any other questions?”

The girl with short hair raised her hand. “Is there a speed requirement for the steady run?”

“The first two laps must be under two minutes, and the last two under two minutes and twenty seconds.” Like a magician, Shen Tinghan pulled a stopwatch from her pocket. The same kind used in fitness tests, making everyone’s hearts sink again.

Silently, they all groaned in misery, but faced with Shen Tinghan’s striking presence, no one dared or perhaps couldn’t bring themselves to complain.

After a brief warm-up, the training began.

At Shen Tinghan’s command, their group started the long, grueling four-lap run.

To everyone’s surprise, unlike the other group leaders, Shen Tinghan actually ran with them. Holding the stopwatch, she stayed at the back of the group. While those ahead panted and struggled, not only was her breathing steady, but her fair cheeks didn’t even flush the slightest shade of pink.

If anyone slowed down, they’d hear Shen Tinghan’s voice: “Keep going, don’t give up.”

Hearing that encouragement, no one dared to quit.

By the third lap, the P.E. strugglers were already dead inside, but with Shen Tinghan trailing behind like a relentless sheepdog, no one dared to slow down.

Shen Juexia’s lungs were burning, but thanks to her experience with the 800-meter run, she was miserable—yet not completely overwhelmed.

The girl with short hair, who had earlier expressed a desire to be trained by the “Great Demon King,” now wore an expression that screamed: Is she even human?

“1 minute 57 seconds! Keep it up!” Shen Tinghan shouted as she ran, her voice terrifyingly strong and steady.

Shen Juexia had noticed that Shen Tinghan ran five laps around the track every morning. Add these four laps, and it was clear. She wasn’t human.

By the final lap, Shen Juexia was dizzy from lack of oxygen, her legs heavy as lead, slowing down more and more.

“Are you okay?” Shen Tinghan’s voice came from beside her.

Shen Juexia finally realized she had fallen to the very last place in the group.

Turning her head, she saw Shen Tinghan jogging alongside her just outside the track, still holding the stopwatch in hand, her breathing and stride frighteningly steady.

Gasping for air, Shen Juexia could only nod though even that slight motion while running made her feel like she was giving herself a concussion.

“You’ve never run before, have you?” Shen Tinghan laughed. “We only started running in seventh grade too. Back then, I almost ‘handed in my resignation’ on the track. I was even slower than you.”

It was unbelievable. This person was laughing while running, even after covering over a thousand meters.

“‘Handed in my resignation’?” Another gap in her knowledge. Even though she was out of breath, Shen Juexia had to ask.

A sharp inhale of cold air.

The question reminded her of a long time ago, when she had asked Yao Qingyan in the cafeteria what “humblebragging” meant. She still remembered the impatient look she got in response.

“It means feeling so awful you think you’re going to die,” Shen Tinghan explained patiently, her voice as slow as ever, aside from a slight breathlessness.

Shen Juexia didn’t know how to respond nor did she have the energy to.

Shen Tinghan didn’t mind and continued on her own. “It’s all about practice. We had to take this for the high school entrance exam, and it counted toward our grades. The school basically trained everyone to get full marks.”

Shen Juexia had always held a mix of reverence and aversion toward China’s education system.

Shen Tinghan added, “Back then, the full-score standard was 3 minutes and 19 seconds. Now, the benchmark’s been lowered by five seconds. A bit more humane, but not by much. I hate running too. It’s boring and exhausting. But once you get used to it, not running makes you feel like you’re stagnating.”

With her attention diverted, her body didn’t feel as tired anymore. Before Shen Juexia could even process it, she heard the stopwatch beep.

“Congratulations, everyone! You made it!” Shen Tinghan slowed to a stop along with the group.

Shen Juexia stopped too, panting heavily, wanting to crouch down and rest.

Shen Tinghan immediately reminded everyone, “Don’t stop suddenly your heart won’t be able to take it. Walk slowly for a bit to recover.”

The person who had earlier boasted about being the “Great Demon King’s dog” was now completely silent.

Too exhausted.

The poor girl with braids was still slowly running her 3000 meters. She probably regretted claiming she was on her period.

The short-haired girl shot a resentful look at Shen Tinghan, but upon finding no trace of exhaustion on her face, muttered, “Damn, you’re insane.”

“Otherwise, why do you think she’s called the ‘Great Demon King’?” another girl, pale and plump, panted in agreement.

The sky gradually darkened, and the streetlights on the track flickered on one by one brighter than the stars, warmer than their distant glow.

Single-leg hops, frog jumps, forward, backward.

They leaped under the lights, beneath the stars, across the campus plastered with motivational slogans, on the other side of the fence where the city buzzed with traffic.

Shen Juexia felt like she was running herself to death, yet she had never felt so free before.

She thought that perhaps only through running could she connect with her ancestors, who had chased the stars across the sky thousands of years ago.

Half an hour later, the first training session ended.

As efficient as ever, Shen Tinghan announced the dismissal and immediately headed to the side of the track to grab her bag.

Shen Juexia’s legs trembled from exertion, but she still mustered the strength to follow.

Maybe it was because her body was too exhausted that her mind didn’t overthink. The question she had wanted to ask for so long slipped out naturally.

“Want to walk together?”

Shen Tinghan was surprised. “Hm?” The sound escaped lightly from her nose.

Shen Juexia instantly lost her nerve. When you lacked confidence in a question, any reaction from the other person only amplified that insecurity.

“Uh… I can’t walk fast, maybe you should go ahead.” Immediately switching to self-denial mode.

Shen Tinghan quickly replied, “It’s fine, let’s go together. I’m tired too.”

Shen Juexia thought she was lying. Probably just couldn’t find a good excuse to refuse. After all, her expression was completely unreadable, not at all like someone who was tired.

Somehow, the psychological burden returned.

The two stepped into the night on their way home.

For Shen Juexia, silence wasn’t some poetic bridge. It was just everyday life.

This was why she didn’t like being around people she wasn’t close to. Silence alone was comfortable, but silence between two people carried pressure.

Especially when the other person was Shen Tinghan. Shen Juexia didn’t want to seem boring, but she also didn’t want to seem foolish.

Fortunately, Shen Tinghan always managed to bring up interesting topics. She liked reading, especially foreign classics something Shen Juexia enjoyed too.

“Would you want to live by Walden Pond?”

“I would. That kind of life sounds nice.” Shen Juexia let out a short laugh.

“Wouldn’t it be lonely?”

“Maybe I just prefer being alone.”

Shen Juexia occasionally responded with odd remarks, and Shen Tinghan would inexplicably catch them every time.

Shen Juexia looked up at the sky. “My name sounds like someone just answered the phone.”

“That’s better than mine. It sounds like a dog barking without distinguishing front and back nasal sounds,” Shen Tinghan said with a laugh.

And just like that, neither of them seemed foolish anymore.

They passed by a food stall where Shen Juexia had once bought scallion pancakes and savory sauce cakes. So delicious they nearly moved her to tears. Sadly, her budget didn’t allow her to eat them every day.

As luck would have it, Shen Juexia’s stomach let out a quiet growl. Soft, but enough to remind her just how dizzy she felt. She had eaten very little at lunch, and after the exhausting training session, she was practically half-dead.

Shen Tinghan said, “I feel like having some savory sauce cake.”

So, Shen Juexia accompanied her to buy some.

Everything flowed so naturally.

Shen Tinghan asked the vendor for the smallest piece, and after getting it, she only took one bite with a skewer before handing the rest to Shen Juexia.

Shen Juexia felt awkward. “Aren’t you eating?” The aroma of the cake was too tempting.

Shen Tinghan smiled faintly. “I can’t eat any more. If I don’t have room for dinner later, I’ll get scolded.” Her smile was as restrained as her words.

Shen Juexia was so hungry she felt lightheaded. She ate as they walked, while Shen Tinghan tactfully kept her gaze forward, not looking at her.

“Why did you come to help with our training?” she finally asked after finishing the cake, mustering the energy to speak.

Every question had an expected answer.

Shen Juexia didn’t yet know what she was hoping to hear in response to this one.

Shen Tinghan’s gaze flickered, her eyes drifting slightly.

“The teacher asked me to.”

Satisfied, she swayed her tail slightly, her words sweeter than honey. “I like the phoenix crown too. I love anything you give me, sis~”

After the praise, it still didn’t feel like enough.

The little rabbit, her eyes brimming with laughter, happily added, “Of course, what I love most is you, sis!”

Even though she knew there was no deeper meaning behind those words.

A pleased smile still spread naturally across her lips.

“Isn’t it heavy holding it all the time?” Shen Tinghan said, reaching out to take the phoenix crown from Shen Juexia’s hands and placing it back in the glass case. “The phoenix crown was a gift I wanted to give you myself. Of course, just because you have this now doesn’t mean I’ll skip the other gift I was planning for you.”

A sense of contentment lingered in her heart.

Slowly seeping out in delicate, sweet threads.

Shen Juexia took a step to the left, moving closer to Shen Tinghan, and affectionately looped her arm around hers. “Sister is the best! I love you so much!”

With a raised eyebrow, Shen Tinghan showed no hint of emotion.

At a leisurely pace, she brushed off Shen Juexia’s fingers and leaned slightly against the wall. “Then, can you tell your dearest sister now. Why you ended up in the hospital again this time?”