Ye Xingmian only had two friends on her phone. Since it wasn’t Liu Yinuo who had sent a message, the identity of the sender was already obvious.
She bit her lower lip and had no choice but to look at Qin Haiyue’s message. Exiting Liu Yinuo’s chat window, she found the one with the username “Solitary Cicada.”
She didn’t open the notification to see what Qin Haiyue had sent, as if avoiding it meant she wouldn’t have to face her.
Gradually, her expression turned to one of surprise. For no other reason than because the message Qin Haiyue had sent was far too urgent.
Solitary Cicada: “Wait for me at the school gate at 8:30.”
Just this one sentence was enough to shock Ye Xingmian.
What was going on? Didn’t she just leave on a plane yesterday? Was she back already?
Pursing her lips, she was faced with a choice once again. On one side was Liu Yinuo’s invitation to study together, and on the other was Qin Haiyue, who might beat her up if she didn’t go.
If it were the old Ye Xingmian, she might have chosen Qin Haiyue under pressure. But now, she wanted to fight for herself a little.
Nanfeng Liang: “Sorry, I have something going on at home today, I can’t make it.”
Her finger hovered over the send button, hesitating. She knew these words might anger Qin Haiyue, and that’s exactly why she hesitated.
But after a moment, she took a deep breath, mustered what little courage she had, and sent the message.
On the vanity, Ye Xingmian covered her chest, feeling a bit nervous. Then she let go of her phone, letting it fall onto the vanity with a thud.
Her heart felt like it was stuck in her throat, her fingers trembling slightly as she waited for a reply.
Soon, the phone chimed with a message notification from QQ. She picked it up with trembling hands. This was the first time she had dared to say “no” to Qin Haiyue’s invitation, and it worried her.
Solitary Cicada: “…I don’t want to waste words. If you don’t come, I’ll come to your house and drag you out. Don’t make trouble for yourself.”
Stunned for a moment, Ye Xingmian then showed a bitter smile.
Ha, as expected. There was no escaping it.
She’d said that much. If she didn’t want to get beaten, she’d probably have to agree, right? But what about Liu Yinuo? It seemed she could only refuse her too.
How irritating.
But in the end, she was already used to things not going her way. She’d grown up swallowing grievances, so what was one more?
Actually, after these past few days of interaction, a sliver of hope had sprouted in her heart.
If Qin Haiyue continued to treat her a bit better, like she had the past couple of days, and didn’t hit her… maybe over time, she could slowly learn to accept Qin Haiyue as a person.
Of course, being lovers was impossible. She had absolutely no feelings of that sort for Qin Haiyue; even the thought made her feel sick.
Her eyes lowered slightly as she typed a rejection to Liu Yinuo.
Nanfeng Liang: “Sorry, Yinuo. I have something to do today, I can’t go.”
Just as she was about to put her phone down after sending the message, it chimed again immediately. She was surprised. This time it wasn’t from Qin Haiyue, but from Liu Yinuo. Was she just waking up too?
North Wind Warm: “Is that so? Alright. Take care of yourself. If you run into any trouble, call me for help right away.”
Looking at the message, Ye Xingmian fell silent.
So, she probably knew she was going to Qin Haiyue, didn’t she?
But she didn’t say anything, just told her to take care of herself.
This kindness made Ye Xingmian feel even more guilty.
She closed her eyes, suppressing the rising feeling of apology deep inside. She replied with an “Mm,” then turned off her phone, stuffed it back into her schoolbag, and hid it away.
Lifting her head, she saw her own reflection in the mirror.
Her hair had grown longer. When she first turned into a girl, it was only a few inches, but now it was past her shoulders and showed signs of continuing to grow.
The girl in the mirror had slightly messy hair, clearly just out of bed, with ends that should have been neat now slightly tousled. Her skin was tender, white, and smooth, and her face was quite cute.
A pair of somewhat indifferent pink eyes, tinged with a bit of worry, looked lazy like pink crystals, yet complex emotions were reflected in them.
Hah, if she kept looking, even she might fall in love with herself. No wonder Liu Yinuo’s attitude toward her had suddenly changed.
A faint, inexplicable smile appeared on her lips as she tidied her hair a little. Although she had combed Lin Ziyan’s hair and even braided it, she had never done her own.
Perhaps it was because her subconscious still believed she was a boy. To avoid affecting her life and to hide the fact that she had become a girl, she rarely took care of this beautiful black hair.
But thinking about it, if she properly styled it, it would probably look very pretty. Hmm, definitely prettier than Lin Ziyan.
Even as she thought this, her eyes grew increasingly gloomy.
This should have been a time for vanity, but she couldn’t truly feel happy. Instead, she felt somewhat oppressed.
Letting out a heavy breath, she washed her face and prepared to leave the restroom.
What she needed to do now was put her changed pajamas back in her bedroom, then do the housework and prepare breakfast.
In the Lin family, she always lived like a servant, day after day, year after year. Unconsciously, this kind of life had almost become ingrained in her mind, etched into her genes.
Just like her annoying sense of inferiority.
That pitiful, Ye Xingmian was her, yet it wasn’t her.
It was what she was now, yet it wasn’t.
Feeling a bit strange, she was almost amused by her own thoughts. If it’s not this and not that, then what kind of person am I really?
Lost in her wild thoughts, she finally walked out of the restroom. Just as she was about to go upstairs, she bumped right into someone.
Lin Ziyan.
She seemed to have just woken up; Lin Ziyan’s face still carried a hint of sleepiness and some irritation. Seeing Ye Xingmian, she crossed her arms and frowned.
“Why did you sneak out without telling me?”
Ye Xingmian didn’t want to deal with her. Expressionless, she tried to walk past her.
Lin Ziyan directly stuck a leg out, completely blocking the way.
“Speak!”
Ye Xingmian pressed her lips together, her face unchanged.
“I had to pee, I wanted to use the toilet. I got up quietly so I wouldn’t disturb your sleep. Is there a problem?”
Her answer seemed perfectly reasonable.
Yet Lin Ziyan still felt displeased.
“Tch, what about the dress I prepared for you? Why are you wearing this?”
Ye Xingmian was silent for a moment.
“It’s morning. Wearing that is too cold, I can’t stand it.”
Seeing her still acting like this, Lin Ziyan grew angry. She didn’t turn on the heater to address Ye Xingmian’s so-called “cold” excuse. Instead, she quickly went back to her room and came out holding something.
It was the toy bear.
Seeing it, Ye Xingmian’s pupils contracted slightly, but her face remained expressionless and silent.
“Will you wear it or not? If you don’t, I’ll tear it apart!”
Lin Ziyan grabbed one of the toy bear’s arms, threatening her.