You Are My Constant Thought and Unforgettable Love - Chapter 6

A full stop was sent from the other end.

Shen Xin frowned and stared at it for a long while, unable to figure out what it meant. She wondered to herself if this little desk-mate of hers didn’t even know how to type words.

After a moment, she asked again: “Daring to ask, who else in school treats you poorly?”

No one.

The person staring at the screen raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t expected Lu Nian to actually know how to type; it was just that she was as stingy as gold with her words, appearing quite cold and aloof.

“We’re desk-mates, the kind that shares both the blessings and the burdens. If anything happens, just tell me,” Shen Xin added after a thought.

Really, no one.

Well, there was no way to keep this conversation going.

But as desk-mates, they saw each other constantly. If they couldn’t talk on the messaging app, they still had to face each other in the classroom.

After summer arrived, the classroom became exceptionally sweltering. The windows were all thrown open, and the ceiling fans spun incessantly. Perhaps because the machines were old, they made a creaking, groaning sound as they turned.

Shen Xin had been napping for a while when she was suddenly jolted awake by a crumpled ball of paper hitting her. She was dazed for a second, but as soon as she looked up, she saw Lu Nian turning her head, her eyes darting repeatedly toward the paper ball.

“What is this thing?” Shen Xin asked, rubbing her head.

Lu Nian didn’t speak; she simply leaned back slightly. In the distance, Lin Fei, who was making all sorts of faces, was suddenly revealed.

Shen Xin realized at once this was clearly a declaration of war. She smoothed out the paper ball from the corner of the desk, only to see a single line written on it: “Meet me in the woods after school.”

The arrogance was so high her tail might as well have been touching the sky.

Shen Xin grabbed a pen, scribbled three words on it, crumpled it back up, and tossed it back to Lin Fei.

Lin Fei’s face turned red with rage when she saw it. This was an outright provocation; who on earth responds with “Doing what?” after receiving such a note?

Shen Xin laughed, casting a smug look at Lu Nian. The little beauty merely tilted her head, her gaze cold and clear, like the sky after a rainstorm.

Shen Xin leaned over, propping her elbow on the back of Lu Nian’s chair. Taking advantage of the teacher looking away, she whispered, “See? Things the teachers can’t handle, I’ll settle for you.”

Lu Nian only blinked, turned back without a word, and flipped a page in her book.

Shen Xin noticed that the hair tie Lu Nian was using to pull her hair back was clearly the one she had given her; she hadn’t changed it yet.

The sluggish evening study session finally passed. Lin Fei had disappeared long ago, heading to the woods early to wait.

But did Shen Xin go to the woods? Naturally, she did not.

She had even raided the school canteen, secretly distributing snacks in her class’s dormitory under the guise of a “social gathering.” What kind of social? An intra-class dorm social.

While Lin Fei and her lackeys were in the woods being bitten by mosquitoes until they were scratching everywhere only to be caught by the patrolling teacher Shen Xin was living quite comfortably in the dormitory.

The school gates were locked at 11:30 PM; outsiders couldn’t get in, and those inside couldn’t get out.

As the time approached, the students who had gathered to sneak snacks scattered at once, everyone urging Shen Xin to hurry back to her own room.

But this lady sat as steady as a mountain, saying leisurely, “What’s the rush? At worst, I’ll just squeeze in here with you all tonight.”

The group thought it was a fine idea and noisily added, “As long as the teacher doesn’t find out, it’s fine. If you’re caught, you’ll get a demerit.”

Lu Nian had just finished washing her face and come out of the bathroom. She was dressed lightly in a midriff-baring camisole and short pajama bottoms; her legs were thin and long.

She hadn’t expected Shen Xin to still be there. She froze for a moment when she saw the girl smiling at her, then turned away as if she hadn’t seen her, reaching for the blanket on her bed.

The person sleeping in the bunk above Lu Nian poked her head out and whispered, “How about Student Shen squeezes in with me?”

Shen Xin smiled politely. “How could I trouble you? I’ll just squeeze in with my desk-mate. We’ve been cultivating our relationship lately,” she said with a look of deep sincerity.

Lu Nian’s hand paused on the blanket. She turned back and shot a look at Shen Xin a strange, bewildered look that clearly said: Who is cultivating a relationship with you?

But Shen Xin had a thick skin, her smiling face as bright as a flower.

The sound of the teacher’s footsteps echoed from the hallway. The neighboring dorm, which had been noisy just a moment ago, suddenly went dead silent.

Those sitting at the desks frantically stuffed things into drawers, turned off the desk lamps, and scrambled onto their beds in a couple of bounds.

Shen Xin remained sitting, looking pointedly at Lu Nian. The streetlights from outside spilled through the window, making her eyes shine brightly, as if they held starlight.

Lu Nian pursed her lips and watched her for a while. Hearing the footsteps getting closer and closer, she had no choice but to wave her over.

As soon as she waved, the person sitting nearby immediately walked over; she had clearly been plotting this for a long time.

Lu Nian choked back a remark as she watched the girl nimbly climb onto the bed and obediently lie down against the wall on the innermost side.

Lowering her gaze, Lu Nian lay down as well, pulling up the blanket to cover the person beside her.

The patrolling teacher happened to walk past the door, shining a flashlight inside. The light swept across the edge of the bed where two people were lying.

In her anxiety, just as Shen Xin was thinking about whether to bury her head, the little beauty moved, turning onto her side toward her, shielding her completely.

Their eyes met for an instant before Lu Nian shifted her gaze away.

The person outside paused for a moment and then left, the footsteps gradually fading.

Shen Xin watched her little desk-mate close her eyes and whispered, “I’ve showered. I’m clean.”

Lu Nian didn’t answer, only nodding slightly.

“I’m also very well-behaved when I sleep; I won’t disturb you,” Shen Xin added.

Lu Nian nodded slightly again, looking beautiful and obedient.

“Goodnight, desk-mate. Thanks for taking me in,” Shen Xin added softly.

The little beauty didn’t nod this time; instead, she turned her back to her.

Shen Xin smiled.

Lin Fei skipped class, failing to show up for two consecutive periods.

News traveled fast in this small class, and Shen Xin listened intently to the people behind her discussing it.

“Lin Fei was caught by a teacher in the woods last night.”

“Caught again?”

“Caught with three others. One guy was from outside the school; the guard said he’d never seen him, so he must have climbed the wall. It seems serious this time; her parents were called again.”

“To be honest, I’ve never seen her parents.”

“Me neither. I heard she’s going to drop out, don’t know if it’s true.”

“Probably fake. She’s caused big trouble before and didn’t drop out then.”

“But the one she provoked this time is the new student. I heard the power behind the new student is even more extraordinary.”

Shen Xin: “…”

Now this involves “extraordinary power”?

Lu Nian looked like she was working seriously on her exercises, but she was clearly listening secretly. She tilted her head slightly and looked up at Shen Xin.

Shen Xin caught her gaze and looked at her desk-mate with amusement, asking, “Are you peeking at me? Am I that good-looking?”

Lu Nian flipped to a new page in her scratchpad, wrote a single character, and then pushed the pad toward Shen Xin.

Shen Xin lowered her eyes. On the snow-white scratch paper, a single word was written:

Passable.

Each stroke was delicate and elegant, followed by a full stop exactly the same way she messaged on the app.

Shen Xin: “…”

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