As night fell, Lin Xinyuan tidied up her appearance and put on her shoes. Just as she was preparing to head out, she turned around to find her two roommates also getting ready, looking as if they were about to leave as well.
“Are you guys… going out too?” Lin Xinyuan asked, puzzled.
“Eh? A-Yuan is allowed to go see the Great Saint of Love, Qin, play ball, but I’m not allowed to go see my Brother Yan play?”
Li Tang had just slipped on her white sneakers—which she had finally managed to wash clean. She looked up at the girl with a glint of mischief in her eyes, her tone feigning indignation.
“Uh… is that so…” Hearing this, Lin Xinyuan thought back and realized she did have some impression of that.
Who mentioned it at noon today? It seemed to be that guy Chen Ze…
Since Zeng Yan was going, it was only natural for Li Tang to know she was heading to the basketball court.
Thinking of this, her face heated up slightly, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed: “Ahem… then Li Tang, let’s go together…”
“Hmph hmph, A-Yuan, this isn’t very nice of you!” Li Tang walked over with a giggle and intimately hugged the girl’s arm, staring at her triumphantly with wide eyes. “If I hadn’t known, were you planning to leave without me? So selfish! A-Yuan, you can’t be like this in the future!”
At this point, her smile turned increasingly wicked: “Or are you planning to hide in some little grove with your boyfriend after dark to do some embarrassing things?”
Upon hearing this, Lin Xinyuan gave Li Tang’s head a light, annoyed tap: “What… what are you talking about! That’s impossible!”
The way the girl looked when she was flustered and annoyed was particularly adorable, making one want to tease her even more.
Li Tang knew perfectly well that Xinyuan rarely used any force; her “hits” were always soft and limp, just like her soft, gentle personality—completely harmless.
Even so, Li Tang cried out anyway, pretending to be in great pain.
“Ow! A-Yuan is hitting people! A-Yuan is a tigress! It hurts so much! I’m definitely going to tell your boyfriend so he knows what a ‘dual-personality’ girl you are! I’ll let him give you a stern education!”
“Ugh… you…” Lin Xinyuan was rendered speechless by Li Tang’s words, her head feeling like it was about to let off steam from pure shame.
What on earth is this bratty Li Tang saying?!
The girl’s whole body began to tremble slightly, her words becoming incoherent.
Seeing Lin Xinyuan’s face flushed red with shyness, Li Tang switched gears instantly. The “tragic” expression she had just worn vanished, replaced by a radiant smile.
Yet, her voice remained mock-weepy as she wiped away non-existent tears with the back of her hand: “Waaa~ A-Yan, look at A-Yuan, she’s bullying me!”
As she spoke, Li Tang looked piteously at Liu Qingyan, who was also ready to go, though Li Tang’s eyes were dancing with irrepressible laughter.
Watching her two roommates bicker like this, Liu Qingyan felt a sense of envy for their friendship but also found it amusing. She shook her head, signaling she wouldn’t get involved.
Then, as if thinking of something, her mood suddenly became complex and heavy—a mix of joy and silence—but she quickly hid these emotions deep in her eyes, masking them with a faint smile.
It all happened in an instant. Even Li Tang, the most emotionally sensitive of the two, didn’t notice a thing as she continued playing around with the embarrassed girl.
Soon, the play-fighting ended under Lin Xinyuan’s powerless glare, leaving all their hair a bit disheveled.
“Oh, by the way, is A-Yan going to the basketball court too?” Undoing her hair tie, Li Tang asked Liu Qingyan while re-tying her hair in front of the mirror.
Liu Qingyan hesitated for a moment before nodding: 「Yes.」
“Oho! Then does A-Yan have someone she likes on the court? Who is it?”
At these words, Lin Xinyuan couldn’t help but feel curious too.
She knew that Liu Qingyan occasionally went to the basketball court to watch games, but whether she actually liked watching basketball or was there for a specific person, Xinyuan didn’t know.
But Lin Xinyuan figured it was likely exactly what Li Tang suggested.
After all…
She only went for the sake of Brother Feng; otherwise, she’d much rather stay in the dorm like a “salted fish,” writing chapters or watching anime.
As soon as the question was asked, the smile Liu Qingyan was struggling to maintain nearly collapsed. She froze as if turned to stone, but she managed to recover with great difficulty. However, the smile that returned was extremely bitter, her eyes dimmed, and the vitality vanished from her face.
The girl hesitated, but in the end, she simply shook her head.
She fell silent…
This lapse was too obvious. Lin Xinyuan and Li Tang immediately noticed something was wrong.
“Qingyan…” Lin Xinyuan started to speak but stopped, feeling worried.
She guessed that Li Tang’s question must have touched a sore spot. Consequently, she didn’t dare to offer casual comfort, fearing it might have the opposite effect.
“Ah… I see! Hehe… since we’re all going to the court, let’s hurry up! It should be starting soon!”
Li Tang hurriedly broke the awkwardness she had created. Thinking along the same lines as Xinyuan, she didn’t dare apologize directly for fear of triggering more negative emotions, so she laughed it off and moved past the topic.
Internally, however, she cursed herself for being a big-mouth and felt like giving herself a slap!
Li Tang and Lin Xinyuan exchanged a glance; everything was understood without words.
“Yeah… shall we head down?”
Lin Xinyuan cautiously leaned toward the girl. She felt very uneasy, but seeing Liu Qingyan’s silent state, she gritted her teeth. Recalling how Qin Nanfeng used to hold her hand to comfort her, she clumsily reached out and grasped Liu Qingyan’s small hand, trying to offer her invisible strength.
Courage.
The girl’s movement was awkward and shy.
To be honest… this was the first time she had ever proactively taken another girl’s hand.
Not with her former friend Li Xue, nor with her best friend Li Tang.
Normally, with her timid and sensitive personality, she wouldn’t dare be so bold.
But seeing Liu Qingyan so downcast, Lin Xinyuan couldn’t help but think of her old self, and for some reason, a surge of courage welled up within her.
Yet, the moment Lin Xinyuan felt Liu Qingyan’s soft hand, she started to regret it.
This is too… abrupt…
Will Qingyan be repulsed?
She couldn’t stop worrying.
“So… sorry…”
The girl’s face instantly turned beet red. She apologized instinctively, just like when they first met, and hurriedly tried to let go.
But soon, Lin Xinyuan was completely stunned.
Why can’t I pull my hand back?
She looked down in confusion, only to see her hand being held firmly in return.
Both pairs of hands were fair and soft, but perhaps due to the height difference—as she was two or three centimeters shorter than Liu Qingyan—her hand was slightly smaller, and her skin a bit paler.
“Qingyan?”
Looking up, she saw Liu Qingyan’s beautiful face adorned with a smile once more.
Liu Qingyan was beaming, her gaze sincere. Looking at the sensitive and shy girl before her and recalling their first meeting, she couldn’t help but let out a “pfft.”
Without rushing, she pulled her phone from her pocket, let go of the hand temporarily to type, and then played the audio: “Xiao Yuan is really so cute!”
The mechanical female voice carried no emotion, but Lin Xinyuan could feel the warmth and sincerity behind it.
The girl’s smile was like a blooming flower, beautiful and a total transformation from the bitter gloom of moments ago.
Feeling the soft touch on her hand again, Lin Xinyuan glanced at their joined hands.
Intimate… like sisters?
Lin Xinyuan finally felt at ease, but at the same time, she couldn’t help feeling bashful.
She never expected… that one day she would be held so closely by another girl…
This was a fantasy she used to dream of, and she never thought it would come true in the form of a best friend.
It was…
She felt a sense of novelty, but mostly she was at a loss.
But while the girl was still caught in her awkwardness, Li Tang walked over with a grin and unceremoniously grabbed Liu Qingyan’s other wrist, shaking it gently.
“Right? Xiao Yuan is the cutest!”
Li Tang agreed with Liu Qingyan’s words like she was acting spoiled, but her eyes were darting around restlessly.
Suddenly, she boldly reached out and pinched Lin Xinyuan’s fair, tender cheek, looking shocked: “Wow, it’s so soft and bouncy! So fun to squeeze!”
Hearing this, Liu Qingyan’s eyes lit up instantly. Her gaze fixed straight onto the girl, looking at her like she was a fluffy kitten waiting to be petted.
“You… you guys… what are you doing!”
Lin Xinyuan looked at these two aggressive “female hooligans” in horror, backing away repeatedly.
“Hehehe~”
“Ugh… Le me go… woo woo…”