Chapter 29: Unspoken Words and Inner Struggle

The summer at Haide High School began with the change of uniforms.

As a transfer student, Jiang Cheng received hers separately from Teacher Ma.

A white short-sleeved shirt, a lighter plaid uniform skirt, with the Haide emblem on the left chest.

It only differed from the still-sealed male version at home in the bottom piece.

She hadn’t even worn the male uniform before switching to the current female one.

“Chengcheng! Over here!”

As soon as Jiang Cheng entered the classroom, Chen Ting called her over, placed a set of test papers in front of her, and hugged her arm.

“Quick, teach me!”

The girl’s softness deformed under the squeeze.

Jiang Cheng had gradually gotten used to the intimacy between girls, but Chen Ting’s sudden hug still made her heart tremble.

Suppressing the subtle feeling in her heart, she quickly scanned the questions and started writing the solution process on the draft paper.

“So amazing! Jiangjiang!”

“What did you call me?” 

Jiang Cheng felt uncomfortable with the nickname.

“Jiangjiang… Don’t you like me calling you that?” 

Chen Ting blinked.

“I still prefer you call me Chengcheng.”

Jiang Cheng found an excuse.

“Oh~ whatever you want.” 

Chen Ting didn’t suspect anything, let go of Jiang Cheng, and started working on the paper.

Zhou Qingying happened to walk in from outside the classroom. 

Her makeup hadn’t been removed yet—thick red blush on pale skin, eye sockets painted pitch black.

“Your makeup is kinda scary. How was rehearsal?”

Chen Ting finished the last question and put away the paper. 

Looking up, she saw Zhou Qingying bending down to find makeup remover.

“It was okay. I have to go again after school.”

At the end of May, there would be a city-wide high school drama festival, and Zhou Qingying would perform as Mingde’s representative.

Zhou Qingying closed her eyes, covered them with a cotton pad soaked in makeup remover, and when she removed it, the snow-white pad had two black smudges.

She poured more remover onto another pad and wiped off the remaining makeup, revealing tender, peachy skin underneath.

“Chengcheng, what are you looking at?”

Zhou Qingying noticed Jiang Cheng kept glancing toward the back seats.

Because of height, Teacher Ma had rearranged Jiang Cheng’s seat next to Chen Ting and Zhou Qingying. 

The three sat in a row, with Jiang Cheng in the middle.

“Oh… I was just noticing Wang Yu hasn’t come back.”

“He probably went to play basketball. Hey, you don’t even look at me more.” 

Zhou Qingying turned Jiang Cheng’s face toward her, a little unhappy. 

The two stared quietly at each other until Zhou Qingying looked away first.

“Very pretty.” 

Jiang Cheng thought she wanted a compliment and said it half-heartedly.

“So perfunctory…”

“Hahaha, Chengcheng has always been like this. If you want to catch her attention, Yingying, you’re still too green—after all, our Chengcheng is a high-peak flower.”

Chen Ting wrapped an arm around Jiang Cheng and teased.

The topic made Jiang Cheng uncomfortable.

Even before officially transferring to Mingde, students captivated by Jiang Cheng’s appearance had launched fierce pursuits. 

For several days, her desk was filled every morning with breakfasts of all kinds—Western, Chinese, even homemade—each with a card.

Jiang Cheng uniformly placed the cards at the school’s lost and found, while the breakfasts were fed to Chen Ting and Zhou Qingying. 

Wang Yu also benefited thanks to proximity.

Her ruthless actions branded her as Mingde’s number one unattainable flower.

“I just want to study hard and get into a good university.” 

That was Jiang Cheng’s official response.

“Sigh, my charm just isn’t enough to pluck this noble rose.” 

Zhou Qingying’s acting flair kicked in, playing along with Chen Ting.

“Hahahaha, if you want to pluck our Chengcheng, you’d have to queue all the way to the Iberian Peninsula.”

“We did play lovers once. Can I at least get a spot near the front when lining up?”

Jiang Cheng’s eyes curved into crescents. 

She tilted her head, tore off a piece of draft paper, and wrote a “2” on it.

“So heartless, not even giving me number one…” 

Zhou Qingying pouted, her willow-leaf eyebrows twisting downward.

“Number one is of course reserved for my mom. She’s always first with me.” 

Jiang Cheng chuckled lightly.

Zhou Qingying gently punched her. 

“I feel like Chen Ting has corrupted you. You only know how to tease people now.”

“What number one… Sister Chengzi, are you giving out prizes or something?”

Wang Yu came down from the podium hugging a basketball, looking like he’d been fished out of water.

“Shoo, shoo.” 

Chen Ting covered her nose and waved him away. 

Wang Yu scratched the back of his head awkwardly, flashed a honest grin, and prepared to return to his seat.

“Um…” 

Jiang Cheng suddenly called out to him. 

Wang Yu turned, bounced the basketball once, and caught it perfectly.

“Never mind, it’s nothing.” 

Jiang Cheng realized it wasn’t the right time to ask.

“Then just command me when you need something.”

Wang Yu didn’t think much of it and felt proud for exchanging an extra sentence with the goddess.

“Chengcheng, what did you want with Wang Yu?”

Chen Ting had already taken out another set of papers and started working, asking without looking up.

Zhou Qingying, however, stared at Jiang Cheng. 

The hand that had been propping her chin clenched into a fist, though Jiang Cheng couldn’t see it from her angle.

“Nothing. I suddenly forgot what I wanted to ask.” 

She told a small lie.

Jiang Cheng sighed inwardly. 

She could just ask on WeChat… but she was always worried about disturbing Wang Ziyue.

She might still be at the hospital. Or busy with work.

The deeper reason was that she didn’t quite dare to take that step. 

Her mom’s hints yesterday had made her reexamine her current relationship with Wang Ziyue.

Zhou Qingying saw all of Jiang Cheng’s troubles. 

She really wanted to know what was bothering the girl and what it had to do with Wang Yu.

“Chengcheng, are you worried about something?”

Zhou Qingying asked instinctively. 

Jiang Cheng turned to her, hesitating.

“Ah, Chengcheng, it’s not still about last time, is it?” 

Chen Ting had only asked casually but hadn’t expected to hit the mark.

She considered herself Jiang Cheng’s best friend, yet she hadn’t noticed this. 

What a failure.

“Actually, it’s a bit related to last time.”

“Oh, oh, did that person apologize properly in the end?” 

Chen Ting remembered their coded talk.

“The misunderstanding is cleared up. We communicated well.”

“Then what are you worried about?” 

Chen Ting lowered her head again, reading the questions.

“It’s not exactly worry… it’s just that my relationship with her feels a bit delicate now.”

Afraid yet worried, and also a trace of reluctance… That was what confused Jiang Cheng the most. 

She seemed terrified that Wang Ziyue would distance herself.

They were, at most, just friends right now.

Yet she depended on Wang Ziyue like family…

“This lovestruck maiden expression of yours is making me very suspicious~”

Chen Ting had somehow appeared in front of Jiang Cheng. 

Her round glasses slid down, eyes staring fixedly.

“Yeah, Chengcheng, you say you’re not dating… but you never said you don’t have someone you like.”

Zhou Qingying leaned in too. 

Her peach-blossom eyes had a way of making you feel like you were the only one in them when she stared.

“I like you guys.” 

Jiang Cheng was a bit helpless.

Chen Ting was flattered. 

Zhou Qingying’s face directly turned red.

“You’re my friends, so you’re people I like.” 

Jiang Cheng’s words were a clever dodge; she really wasn’t used to girls’ romance talk.

It seemed like the slightest ripple from her made her two friends want to dig to the root. 

But the backstory was too complicated; Jiang Cheng couldn’t explain.

In the end, she just brushed it off.

“Though you might be a little dishonest, you’ve pleased me greatly today~”

Chen Ting’s smile was truly wicked, making Jiang Cheng unable to hold back her laughter.

“But if you really do like someone, Yingying and I have to be the first to know.”

“Okay, okay, okay…”