This incident happened neither early nor late—it just had to occur when Ye Xingmian went to find Liu Yinuo.
So Qin Haiyue saw this scene: Ye Xingmian, carrying her bag, stood in front of Liu Yinuo. The two were holding hands. Liu Yinuo was smiling, halfway risen from her seat.
Qin Haiyue stood at the door, leaning against the frame, narrowing her eyes.
Only then did Ye Xingmian notice her from the corner of her eye. Her gaze froze, her body stiffened on the spot.
“What’s wrong?” Sensing something off about Ye Xingmian, Liu Yinuo frowned. She turned and followed Ye Xingmian’s gaze toward the door.
“Qin Haiyue? What are you doing here?”
Frowning, Liu Yinuo immediately became alert. She took a step back, shielding Ye Xingmian behind her.
Seeing this, Qin Haiyue seemed somewhat displeased.
“I came to find my ‘lover.’ Is there a problem?”
She emphasized the word “lover.”
But Liu Yinuo wasn’t buying it. She had already seen through Qin Haiyue’s false facade. Combined with her regret over not being decisive enough a few days ago, she pursed her lips.
“Who’s your lover? There’s no lover of yours here. Leave now! If you dare harass a classmate, I’ll tell the Discipline Director and have him give you a demerit!”
She looked exactly like a hen protecting her chicks. Even though Ye Xingmian was about the same height as her, the expressions on their faces were completely different. One was timid and fearful, the other brave and confident.
Just looking at her back, watching her protect her like that, seemed to touch a soft place in Ye Xingmian’s heart.
“Class Monitor…”
“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.” Liu Yinuo turned back, gave her a reassuring look, and whispered.
It was like a story of a brave knight fighting an evil dragon. Qin Haiyue played the role of the “evil dragon,” and Liu Yinuo played the “brave knight.” Ye Xingmian couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild.
As for the princess? She certainly wouldn’t consider herself a noble princess. At best, she was a pitiful little beggar who caught the brave knight’s eye?
Anyway, Qin Haiyue initially seemed ready to get angry or use some harsher methods. But perhaps because she remembered they were at school, she gave up and left in silence.
So, the brave knight successfully drove away the evil dragon and saved the little beggar?
But why would the evil dragon want to bully a little beggar?
“Are you okay?”
***
After watching Qin Haiyue leave, Liu Yinuo breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, and asked with concern.
“I’m fine.” Ye Xingmian nodded.
“Whew, that’s good.” Liu Yinuo smiled. “See? As long as I’m here, and you stay by my side, she won’t dare bully you.”
“Thank you…”
The words were meant to comfort, but they felt a bit strange. Anyway, the incident of Qin Haiyue coming to find someone was over. Liu Yinuo took Ye Xingmian’s hand and led her out of the classroom.
“Where have you been these past two days? I was so worried about you!”
Where could I have been, Class Monitor? Don’t you already know?
Ye Xingmian knew Liu Yinuo was asking knowingly, perhaps as a way to show concern. But for some reason, she felt a bit bitter in her heart.
Yet she also knew this wasn’t something she could blame Liu Yinuo for. After all, Liu Yinuo had her own difficulties.
“Qin Haiyue locked me up at her house.” Ye Xingmian smiled helplessly, as if mocking herself.
“What? She… she didn’t do anything to you, did she?”
Maybe out of concern? Liu Yinuo’s grip on her wrist was a bit tight. Ye Xingmian should probably be glad there weren’t any injuries from Qin Haiyue’s beating there.
“Mm… it’s okay…”
She didn’t plan to tell Liu Yinuo about what she had endured these days—not just the torment of being chained up in darkness for days, but also the pain of being beaten by Qin Haiyue until she couldn’t get out of bed, covered in bruises.
So she didn’t intend to share these painful experiences with Liu Yinuo either.
Just recalling those memories made her feel suffocated.
But it wasn’t only for those reasons. What would she gain by telling Liu Yinuo? Naturally, it would be meticulous care and thoughtfulness, along with medicine and warm hugs?
She was sure these were things she wanted, but she didn’t dare to ask for them.
That would make her seem utterly undignified, like a bird in a cage incapable of living on its own, only relying on others to take care of it.
But then, upon second thought, she found her own thinking pitiful and laughable.
Both self-contradictory and stubborn. What was the use of pursuing those things now? Dignity? When had she ever had it?
That kind of thing had long been worn away by the daily toil and loneliness.
In short, tangled in this conflicted and paradoxical mindset, the two walked side by side until they reached the door of Liu Yinuo’s house.
Once there, Liu Yinuo’s mood became noticeably relaxed. After opening the door, she let out a long breath, stretched, and tossed her schoolbag onto the floor.
“Whew—okay, my parents aren’t home today. What do you want to do? Want to take a nap? Or should I help you catch up on lessons? Or maybe watch TV, play on your phone?”
Unlike her relaxed demeanor, even though it was the third time she had come here, Ye Xingmian still seemed somewhat nervous. Following behind Liu Yinuo, she lifted her head slightly at the words.
“I want to cook for you.”
The girl’s voice wasn’t particularly bright, carrying her usual lack of confidence and timidity. But just saying it was surprising. Liu Yinuo turned her head in surprise and looked at her.
“Don’t you want to rest a bit? After all, you’ve had a whole morning of classes and walked such a long way.”
“It’s fine. I like cooking for you.” Ye Xingmian smiled gently.
However, just that one sentence, that one ordinary expression, looking at her curved, round pink eyes and that warm, healing smile—Liu Yinuo suddenly felt as if her heart skipped a beat.
Somewhat awkwardly, she turned her head away, trying to steady her slightly rapid breathing.
“Mm, okay, go ahead. There should be enough ingredients in the fridge for you. Um… I’m going to the restroom first. If you need anything, just call me!”
With that, she fled the living room.
Watching her hurried back, Ye Xingmian tilted her head, feeling a bit puzzled.
The restroom… was she in that much of a hurry? She didn’t seem like it just now…
Or was there some other reason to distance herself from me?
She didn’t know. It made her a little uneasy.
But at least she agreed, right?
Ye Xingmian didn’t know many things. She could solve some high school exam questions, clean up, cook, and had some skill at serving others.
She always hoped to repay the kindness she had received. But with the little she could do, what could she offer Liu Yinuo?
Homework was out of the question. As the top student in the class, Liu Yinuo’s grades were much better than hers. Cleaning? Not only did Liu Yinuo probably not need it, but it was also a task a robot could handle in this house.
She had also been taught a little massage, and maybe she could be a good cuddle pillow? But that obviously wasn’t applicable.
So, the only thing left was cooking.
She didn’t think her cooking was that good—it was something she had learned from her foster parents, only adjusting some recipes based on her own experience and memory.
She didn’t think Liu Yinuo would genuinely like it.
But besides that, what else could she do?