Chapter 14: Forgotten Important Things

There was always an inexplicable sense of unease, as if something very important had been forgotten.

Walking down the road, Ye Xingmian patted her own head, her mind somewhat dazed.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Lin Ziyan turned her head and looked at her with a strange gaze.

What exactly was it?

Her mind was a complete mess, she couldn’t remember a thing. The girl shook her head; she felt like her fever was only getting worse.

“I’m fine…”

Her throat ached terribly, her whole body felt both hot and cold. The winter sky was dull and gray, the cold white light fell on the side of the girl’s face, revealing an unnatural flush.

“If you’re fine then hurry up, what are you dawdling for!”

The somewhat harsh words reached her ears.

The girl could only shake her head, clutching her sensitive chest, bowing her head as she hurried to catch up.

Watching the girl scurry along, Lin Ziyan suddenly let out a laugh.

“Hey, why are you always clutching your chest like that?”

“I’m cold…” The girl stiffened and replied.

“If you’re cold, why don’t you wear more clothes?”

“…”

“Come on, you’re not hiding something shameful, are you?”

The girl’s face grew even paler, those cherry pink eyes lifted to glance at Lin Ziyan.

“No… no…”

Why would she ask that? Did she really know?

No… she couldn’t, right?

Fortunately, Lin Ziyan didn’t press further. She just snorted and turned back, continuing on her way.

“If not, then walk faster!”

“Okay…”

With her schoolbag slung on her back, Ye Xingmian looked just like a lackey being bullied by the young lady.

Yet, where Ye Xingmian couldn’t see, Lin Ziyan’s expression was full of excitement.

Perfect! Judging by her reaction, my guess is probably right!

Ahhh, even after turning into a frail little girl, she’s still trying so hard to keep up her daily life, doing her best not to get found out?

A girl’s mischievous thoughts surged up endlessly—how should she tease her in the future? Anyway, to keep her secret, she’d definitely do her best to hide it, right? The girl wasn’t in a rush to expose her; after all, watching her struggle like a clown to keep her secret was far more entertaining.

Besides, it seemed this secret was hers alone for now?

Thinking this, her smile deepened.

“Wa—wait for me…!”

A hoarse, pained cry came from behind. When Lin Ziyan turned to look, she saw the girl running toward her, gasping for breath. That little face half-hidden by glossy black hair was flushed with a sickly red; the girl braced her hands on her knees, coughing violently from time to time, still carrying the schoolbag Lin Ziyan had tossed to her earlier.

Those cherry pink eyes looked so pitiful, brimming with tears from the coughing, her fair cheeks delicate and refined.

She looked unspeakably adorable.

These were things she’d never noticed before.

So beautiful, those eyes. If only she could always look at me alone, wouldn’t that be nice?

A twisted desire welled up inside her chest, but her face remained cold and harsh as always. She said lightly, “And you call yourself a boy? How come you’re already out of breath after just a few steps?”

A trace of bitterness colored the girl’s face as she forced out an apology, “Sor… sorry… please… can we slow down…?”

“In your dreams.”

Saying so, she still kept to her own pace, even picking up speed. Behind her, Ye Xingmian had no choice but to grit her teeth, dragging her sick body to just barely keep up.

A deeper smile curled at the corners of her mouth.

Keep acting, go on—act until you can’t bear it anymore.

I look forward to that moment.

By the time they reached the classroom door, Ye Xingmian was completely exhausted. Her limbs trembled, her whole body was burning up, and her mind was so muddled she felt she might pass out any moment.

“Hand over the bag~”

For the healthy, well-developed Lin Ziyan, this little bit of exercise was nothing. She wasn’t even out of breath or blushing, not sparing the girl a second glance as she reached out her hand.

“…Okay.”

Too weak to speak, the girl handed over the schoolbag with trembling arms.

Lin Ziyan took the bag easily and strolled leisurely toward her seat in the front row.

“Cough—cough—”

Leaning against the doorframe, the girl covered her mouth, coughing hard for quite a while before she could catch her breath.

When she finally stood up straight, her head was spinning so badly she couldn’t tell east from west.

“Ugh…”

It seemed like the fever… was getting worse…

Her head hurt, her whole body felt like it was falling apart, and her lungs burned painfully. The girl looked up, her dazed eyes scanning her surroundings. There weren’t many students in the classroom yet—they’d arrived among the earliest.

Strange…

What exactly did I forget…?

She patted her head, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t recall it, only that it felt like something very important. Another dizzy spell washed over her, and silently, she put up her hood to hide her face and walked into the classroom, where the heater was running and it was much warmer than outside.

She felt so awful. Right now, all she wanted was a bit of sleep.

She slumped onto the desk, and soon lost consciousness.

As the Class Monitor, Liu Yinuo was unusually late today.

Her face looked a bit tired; she hadn’t slept well the night before.

She didn’t know why, but every time she closed her eyes, those pitiful pink eyes would appear before her. Every time she recalled how Qin Haiyue had handed him over, that helpless, panicked look, she’d feel a stabbing pain in her heart, as if she herself had made Ye Xingmian suffer all those injustices.

She was beginning to regret her past actions.

Although she was just doing her duty as Class Monitor, in hindsight she’d been a bit too unfeeling. In fact, she realized she’d been pretty prejudiced against that person. Was it really just because she was the top student and he was at the bottom?

There didn’t seem to be any other reason…

So childish, she thought.

Remembering yesterday’s conversation with Ye Xingmian and Lin Ziyan, maybe what he said wasn’t a lie. With Lin Ziyan’s attitude, it wouldn’t be surprising if she simply didn’t bother telling him about the homework. In fact, Liu Yinuo felt it was entirely possible Lin Ziyan had intentionally kept it from him, just to watch Ye Xingmian get in trouble.

Thinking of this, she grew even more remorseful about her lack of empathy.

Climbing the stairs toward the classroom, she happened to glance in the direction of the restroom—and her footsteps halted.

That was…

She saw a tall, slender girl. Her height was close to one meter eighty, making her stand out even among the boys. What drew even more attention was her appearance: signature golden hair and blue eyes, exotic facial features, she looked just like a foreign transfer student.

Her gaze was icy and sharp, enough to make anyone who met it feel a chill down their spine.

Liu Yinuo remembered her: Qin Haiyue, the notorious School Bully at school. Backed by her family, almost no one dared provoke her. But unlike other School Bullies, she didn’t surround herself with lackeys, and even when picking on someone, she’d usually act alone. The reason Liu Yinuo knew her well was that there was an “unlucky one” in her own class who often became the target of Qin Haiyue’s attention.

Who was she waiting for here?

Liu Yinuo stood there, momentarily stunned, then her pupils shrank. Thinking of Ye Xingmian’s experience that morning and his request for leave that afternoon, she vaguely realized that Qin Haiyue was probably waiting for Ye Xingmian.

But so what if she realized this? Qin Haiyue didn’t seem like someone she should provoke. Should she just turn a blind eye and let Ye Xingmian be bullied?

Taking a deep breath, Liu Yinuo decided to walk toward the golden-haired girl.

Compared to Ye Xingmian, she had no reason to be so afraid. Her own family was well-off, and her grades were among the best in the entire school. If anything happened, both her family and the school would surely back her up.