Try Saying You Don't Like It - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“He Xinglan actually came back?! How long has she been out of touch? Since graduating from high school, she completely vanished, like she evaporated into thin air. I really thought I’d never see her again,” Xiao Hua sighed in amazement.

As the class monitor, Xiao Hua had a particularly deep impression of He Xinglan. The notorious academic slacker of the class, the complete opposite of Yin Qiuman. Throughout the three years of high school, Xiao Hua had never once received homework from He Xinglan. Naturally, she didn’t have much affection for this classmate who disliked studying.

Most of the other classmates weren’t fond of her either, some even actively disliked her. Their class was an honors class; most students who made it in were diligent, motivated, and loved to study. He Xinglan was the exception. She had gotten into their class through connections. Even so, once in the honors class, she didn’t care to study, either sleeping, reading novels, or playing games during class. She was self-absorbed and ignored all advice, slowly becoming isolated by the others.

Despite this, He Xinglan maintained an indifferent attitude.

The only time anyone thought she might change was the week she was Yin Qiuman’s deskmate.

While sitting next to Yin Qiuman, He Xinglan suddenly started listening attentively in class. Though she still didn’t hand in homework, she would occasionally ask Yin Qiuman to explain problems to her. During breaks, she would even follow Yin Qiuman to the restroom, acting like Yin Qiuman’s little shadow. At the time, everyone speculated whether Yin Qiuman’s ‘top student’ charm was so powerful that it could even influence a slacker to mend her ways.

But once the week was over and seats were shuffled, and Yin Qiuman was no longer He Xinglan’s deskmate, everything reverted to the original state. Yin Qiuman and He Xinglan acted as if they had never known each other, no longer went to the restroom together, and didn’t even spare each other a glance when they met, treating each other like they were invisible.

As Xiao Hua’s voice trailed off, Yin Qiuman remained silent.

Xiao Hua thought for a moment and asked, “Manman, you haven’t forgotten who He Xinglan is, have you?”

“He Xinglan, you know, the one who—in the third year of high school—was with you…”

“I know,” Yin Qiuman interrupted Xiao Hua’s detailed reminder.

He Xinglan, the girl who had been her girlfriend for a week during her senior year.

“You remember! I thought you’d forgotten. Since you remember, you must remember what He Xinglan looked like back then, right? Let me tell you, she’s completely changed now. She looks incredibly beautiful and has an amazing aura. I almost didn’t recognize her when I saw her…” Xiao Hua excitedly rattled on about their long-unseen, dramatically changed former classmate.

Yin Qiuman listened quietly, looking out the window.

Yes, He Xinglan had changed. She had become a stranger, no longer the high school classmate and first love who would drag her along for crazy adventures and try new things with her in the afternoon. An unbidden sense of loss arose in Yin Qiuman’s heart.

But it also gave rise to a bold new idea.

He Xinglan, she’s back.

After hanging up with Xiao Hua, Yin Qiuman’s fingers hovered over the familiar numbers on her phone screen again. Her steady heartbeat began to accelerate little by little.

Finally, Yin Qiuman pressed the call button.

The phone rang several times before the owner answered.

“Hello~”

“Hello, I’m… Yin Qiuman.”

A soft laugh came from the other end. “I know.”

“The academic champion, right?”

“May I ask if the academic champion needs something?”

He Xinglan’s teasing tone made Yin Qiuman feel annoyed. She always seemed to easily stir up Yin Qiuman’s emotions, causing ripples in the peaceful lake of her heart.

“I just wanted to ask if you got home safely,” Yin Qiuman clutched her phone, trying to make her voice sound normal.

“Oh, so the academic champion was worried about me,” He Xinglan’s voice was full of laughter, but just before Yin Qiuman could get angry and hang up, she seriously answered the question: “I’m home, very safe. I didn’t stop to chase cats or dogs on the way, and I didn’t run into a dishonest driver intentionally driving around in circles.”

He Xinglan was doing this on purpose—Yin Qiuman was one hundred percent certain.

Yin Qiuman tightened her grip on her phone again, took a deep breath, and reopened her mouth: “He Xinglan…”

“Hmm?” The tail end of He Xinglan’s reply lifted high, waiting.

Actually, if He Xinglan hadn’t cooperatively made that sound, Yin Qiuman would have just blurted out what she wanted to say. But now, the words on the tip of her tongue turned into: “The class monitor said she saw you, so she asked me to see if you want to join the class reunion?”

After saying it, Yin Qiuman wished she could slap herself. What was she even saying? Her eyes were filled with frustration.

“Class reunion? Me?” Clearly, Yin Qiuman’s words were surprising not only to herself but also to He Xinglan.

“Yin Qiuman, given my popularity, would the class reunion invite me?” He Xinglan’s mind was clearly sharper than Yin Qiuman’s at the moment.

Yin Qiuman couldn’t deny it; He Xinglan truly wasn’t very popular.

“Then… how about I treat you to dinner?” Yin Qiuman’s usually sharp mind quickly came up with an alternative.

But despite her quick thinking, her heart was racing. She wasn’t sure if He Xinglan would agree. After all, He Xinglan was back to visit her elderly relatives, and she should be spending most of her time with them. As for her… she was just a high school classmate and ex-girlfriend from years ago.

Yin Qiuman’s heart was pounding. He Xinglan didn’t answer immediately but waited a moment before asking: “Why are you treating me to dinner?”

Why? Just as Yin Qiuman was trying to formulate an excuse, He Xinglan’s voice came again.

“Is it because you want us to get back together?”

With one sentence, He Xinglan exposed Yin Qiuman’s hidden motives. Who said He Xinglan was dumb? She was only a slacker because she was lazy to study.

With her inner thoughts exposed, Yin Qiuman decided not to hide anything anymore.

“Yes, so…”

“So let’s just go straight to a hotel.”

“Huh??”

He Xinglan’s personality was as direct as ever. Just like their relationship in high school, it was He Xinglan who confessed first. She liked her, and she didn’t hide it, stating it as soon as she opened her mouth.

Yin Qiuman didn’t refuse—or rather, He Xinglan didn’t give Yin Qiuman a chance to refuse. She decisively hung up the phone and then sent Yin Qiuman a text message with a hotel address and room number.

Yin Qiuman had no choice but to go.

But her mood was wonderful. As she left, her mother, Leng Ci, noticed it.

“So happy? Are you going to see someone very important?” Leng Ci teased her daughter with a smile.

Yin Qiuman gently affirmed, “Maybe… I’ll be back very late.”

Leng Ci and her husband, Yin Huaishan, exchanged a surprised look. Their daughter had always been the very well-behaved type—obedient, sensible, and academically excellent. Her only downside was that she was too quiet and too obedient. Even after starting work, she was the type to be on time for work and home, with almost no exceptions for sleeping out or returning very late. Of course, she also didn’t have a boyfriend. The couple was so worried that they wished they could go back to her high school years and arrange an early relationship for her.

“Well… be careful,” Leng Ci said after a moment of silence, only giving this one instruction.

Yin Qiuman felt her parents might have figured something out, but even so, she still chose to keep the date.

The hotel address He Xinglan sent wasn’t far from her home; it was less than ten minutes by taxi. Yin Qiuman had already booked a car as she went downstairs, her efficiency making her seem a little impatient.