Qi Yan stared blankly at the girl.
After a long moment, she finally leaned closer, reaching out to touch the fluffy head.
Lin Xinyuan’s body trembled slightly but did not resist her this time.
“It’s not going to happen… you have to believe them…”
After saying this, Qi Yan fell silent and sat down beside the bed.
Her family was harmonious, and her life had been smooth sailing.
She couldn’t fully grasp Lin Xinyuan’s situation, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t understand the girl.
Though she hadn’t learned the full details, just imagining being in such a position was suffocating enough…
Thinking it over, they could only wait for Lin Xinyuan’s family to come before taking further action…
Of course… it was also possible, as the girl said, that they might not come at all, and then it would be another matter…
Qi Yan knew that empty words wouldn’t help much for the girl right now.
The only thing she could do was wait patiently for her emotions to settle…
The two sat quietly in the hospital bed cubicle, neither speaking a word.
Outside the partition, Teacher Xue sat leisurely in a chair, scrolling through her phone, not disturbing them.
She seemed to have anticipated this situation and had already muted the sound of the video she was playing…
Thankfully, few people ever came to the infirmary, so it was very quiet, the only sounds being the occasional sobbing…
This heavy atmosphere lingered for who knew how long until it was broken by a knock on the door.
The door opened, and a familiar female voice spoke softly.
“Teacher Xue, I’m here again. Has A Yuan woken up?”
“You mean Lin Xinyuan?”
“Yes!”
“She’s awake, inside. Teacher Qi is here too.”
“Okay.”
Li Tang stepped into the cubicle and immediately saw Qi Yan sitting by the bed.
She smiled and greeted, “Teacher Qi, good morning!”
Then she glanced at Lin Xinyuan. “A Yuan, good morning to you too! Uh…”
At that moment, Li Tang seemed to realize the atmosphere was somehow off.
“A Tang… good… morning…” Lin Xinyuan didn’t look up, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
Qi Yan turned her head and smiled at Li Tang. “Hello, Classmate Li! Have you eaten breakfast?”
Qi Yan had already learned most of the situation from Li Tang yesterday.
Though the main dispute involved Li Tang and two others, it had also affected her student…
She understood it was all deliberately provoked by that Wu-classmate who had already been arranged for expulsion.
Thanks to Li Tang’s help, she had quickly learned of Lin Xinyuan’s condition.
So Qi Yan bore no ill feelings toward Classmate Li.
“I did.” Li Tang replied, her expression hesitant and cautious as she looked at Lin Xinyuan, asking knowingly, “Um… A Yuan, have you eaten?”
On the small table by the bed, a plastic bag containing breakfast was clearly visible.
“Mm…”
“Well… shall we go out for a walk? Maybe check out the place you’re renting?” Li Tang asked tentatively.
“You rent a place outside?”
Before Lin Xinyuan could answer, Qi Yan heard Li Tang’s words and spoke first.
Frowning, she glanced at Lin Xinyuan’s direction, seeing the girl make the same gesture.
Their eyes met, and Lin Xinyuan looked very guilty, quickly looking away.
“Teacher Qi, I…”
Her lips pressed together, turning pale.
“It’s okay, I understand…” Qi Yan shook her head, then thought for a moment before continuing, “You have some free time these days, come see me to approve your application form. You still have to follow the school’s procedures, or else it’ll be troublesome if it’s discovered.”
As she spoke, Qi Yan sighed inwardly.
She had no idea what was going on with Lin Xinyuan’s parents! Falsifying gender was bad enough, but allowing a girl to live in the boys’ dormitory for over a year!
And how did she hide it from the others in the dorm?
Such a family situation—Qi Yan didn’t even know what to say.
Thinking of this, her dissatisfaction with the girl’s parents she’d never met deepened.
“Thank you, Teacher Qi…”
The girl’s soft voice reached Qi Yan’s ears.
Looking at her, an indescribable bittersweet feeling welled up inside.
She thought about how Lin Xinyuan used to lower her voice pretending to be a boy—such a beautiful voice wasted…
Qi Yan stared blankly at the girl’s profile, reminded of her own four-year-old daughter, now being cared for by her grandmother.
Both she and her husband were very busy with work and hadn’t had the chance to visit their daughter for some time.
This was her last year as a counselor; after this, she would become a full lecturer and wouldn’t be as busy as she was now…
Just thinking about how she hadn’t been by her daughter’s side all these years made her involuntarily compare Lin Xinyuan’s situation with her own daughter’s.
Although her daughter’s circumstances were much better, it didn’t change the fact that she didn’t want to become the kind of parent Lin Xinyuan’s parents were!
Not in the slightest…
Qi Yan’s tone softened even more. “It’s okay. You can walk on your own now, right?”
Lin Xinyuan nodded slightly. “Mm…”
“I heard from Teacher Xue that your period is coming soon? Be careful these days. It’s best not to eat just anything.” Qi Yan reached out and held the girl’s somewhat cold little hand.
“Also, you don’t have to come to class these days. Take some time to relax… I’ll approve your electronic leave note, just send it to your teachers… That’s all. I have some things to deal with now, so I’ll leave first. Call me if you need anything, okay?”
“Okay…” Lin Xinyuan agreed, her hand twitching slightly as if she wanted to pull away but feeling too shy since this was her counselor.
She still wasn’t used to contact with others, especially women…
Qi Yan chuckled softly, gently patted her head one last time, then stood up.
“I’ll leave now! Classmate Li, please take good care of her!”
Hearing this, the previously silent Li Tang finally spoke, bidding farewell to Qi Yan, “Okay, Teacher Qi, take care!”
After Qi Yan left, Li Tang cautiously approached and sat beside Lin Xinyuan’s bed.
Her movements were very careful. “A Yuan, shall we still go?”
With Qi Yan gone, Lin Xinyuan relaxed a little.
She turned her head, her eyes red, and two tear streaks ran down her fair cheeks.
Her small mouth parted slightly as she gathered her words and said slowly, “Mm, let’s go back.”
“Okay, then let’s go!”
Li Tang vaguely guessed the reason for Lin Xinyuan’s bad mood was related to her family.
How unfair the heavens were…
Such a beautiful girl burdened with such a family…
Thinking about Lin Xinyuan’s situation, Li Tang didn’t comfort her but instead pretended not to notice, wanting to maintain an optimistic attitude toward her new friend.
The two said goodbye to Teacher Xue, who was still idly scrolling through Douyin, and left the infirmary…
It was a little past nine in the morning, and the campus was sparsely populated.
Students with 8 a.m. classes had just begun, and those without classes mostly hadn’t gotten up yet.
As they walked, passing the sports field and basketball court, they hardly met anyone.
After a night’s rest, Lin Xinyuan’s legs were still a bit weak but nothing serious; she just had to walk a bit slower.
“A Tang.”
Looking at the flowers, shrubs, and small trees lining the campus road, Lin Xinyuan’s mood lightened considerably.
She glanced sideways at Li Tang walking beside her, suddenly curious.
“Hm? What is it?”
“Um… Ceng Tongxue… why isn’t he with you today?”
“Tch, him… he went to an elective class.” Li Tang pouted, clearly displeased.
As she walked, she kicked at an imaginary pebble.
“He chose that class with that dead woman before… right? Why do you want to know?”
“Nothing… just suddenly… curious about you guys…”
Li Tang fell into thought, first frowning, then calming down, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
“If you don’t want to say, that’s fine. I was just asking…” Seeing Li Tang’s change in expression, Lin Xinyuan hurried to explain.
“It’s nothing. I’m not mad. Why are you so nervous, A Yuan?” Li Tang’s expression was helpless. “There’s nothing secretive… Yan Ge and I! That’s a long story…”
Her delicate, pretty face was full of affection…