“Since we’re eating in the office, I bought food that’s more convenient.”
Jiang Wanli took out the two burgers from the bag, placing one in front of Qi.
“This is a cod burger. I ordered it specially for you. You shouldn’t dislike it, right?”
“Mhm…”
“And drinks. Considering you might not like overly stimulating carbonated drinks, yours is juice. If you don’t dislike it, you can also have Coke.”
“Mhm…”
“And some fries, taro balls, and such. I didn’t order too much. It should be enough to eat, right?”
“Mhm…”
Watching Jiang Wanli take out the food while explaining it to her, Qi’s mind was completely elsewhere.
She only had one thought right now: Jiang Wanli just touched her stockings and didn’t even wash her hands!
How could she just grab the food like that! Doesn’t she care at all!
How can a person be like this!
Unfortunately, Jiang Wanli had no idea what she was thinking and had already picked up a fry and put it in her own mouth. Seeing this, Qi’s small face flushed red again.
‘No, I can’t keep thinking about this…’
She tried her best to shake the unpleasant associative images from her mind and picked up the burger in front of her, unwrapping it.
Her legs were trembling slightly, perhaps due to excessive shame. After all, the thin chair couldn’t hide her calves at all. If Jiang Wanli just looked down, she could see them anytime.
It was as if she was in a room with another person completely exposed, not even wearing a skirt to cover up. But Jiang Wanli, as the [Viewer], didn’t seem to find anything wrong with it. So Qi had to endure the shame and pretend nothing was wrong to get through this agonizing time.
‘It’s fine. Jiang Wanli won’t care. It’s okay if she sees.’
‘It’s just my own perception being altered, giving my legs a wrong sense of positioning. Just ignore it…’
Perhaps because it was only Jiang Wanli here, and her gaze wasn’t constantly on her legs, Qi’s self-comfort surprisingly worked a little for once. At least she could barely maintain a facade of composure.
She took small bites of her burger. In her heart, she really wanted to find an excuse to slip away after finishing dinner. But thinking that Bai Qiaoyu might still be outside, she abandoned that plan.
Enduring the shame and spending a bit more time with Jiang Wanli, or risking being caught outside—Qi felt the former was a bit more acceptable.
After finishing her burger, the black-haired girl simply flopped onto the desk, pretending to sleep to avoid Jiang Wanli’s gaze.
‘If I don’t look at her, it’s like she doesn’t exist!’
With that thought, Qi managed to hold out until ten o’clock.
She secretly glanced at the time on the wall clock, then looked at Jiang Wanli, who was focused on reading beside her, before slowly sitting up, pretending she had just woken up.
“Mmm~ Sister Xiaoli, I’m going back.”
“Mhm, okay. Be careful on your way.”
Jiang Wanli nodded at her.
“Do you want me to walk you?”
“No need, I can go back by myself.”
The black-haired girl shook her head in refusal.
Then the young woman said nothing more, shifting her gaze back to the book. This made the expression on Qi’s face hard to maintain.
‘I’m leaving! You should at least show some reaction! At the very least, at least help me get the stockings over here!’
‘This girl, why does she act like a bot every day, with zero situational awareness?’
The black-haired girl curled the toes of her dangling feet.
Her gaze unintentionally drifted toward the stockings on the side shelf, and she let out a few faint whimpers, attracting Jiang Wanli’s attention.
But the young woman just tilted her head slightly, seeming puzzled about why she hadn’t left yet, completely missing the hint Qi was giving.
“Sister Xiaoli, could you… get that for me, please…”
Helpless, the black-haired girl had to speak plainly, pointing at the white stockings on the other side.
Jiang Wanli turned to look in the direction she pointed, reached out, picked up the stockings, and handed them over.
“For things like this, just say it directly next time. No need to be embarrassed.”
She replied calmly.
‘Is this about being embarrassed? I said I’m leaving! Shouldn’t you take the initiative to return my things to me!’
A thousand points of complaints were bottled up in her heart.
In the end, Qi could only slowly utter:
“I know…”
While she was putting on the white stockings, Jiang Wanli watched the entire process.
Although Qi really wanted to cover this girl’s eyes, such a direct gaze not only made her feel ashamed but also caused the sensitivity in her legs to rapidly heat up again.
‘Fine, look if you want. It’s been this long already anyway.’
Qi didn’t care about anything anymore. She just wanted to leave this nightmare-like place quickly.
After putting on both the white stockings and her shoes, the black-haired girl stood up from the chair, but her steps were still unsteady. Luckily, she didn’t fall and managed to stand upright.
“Are you really okay?”
Seeing her state, Jiang Wanli stood up with concern.
‘Having rested for hours and still not standing steadily, the blush on her face hasn’t faded…’
The various abnormalities with Qi were hard to ignore.
“Sister Xiaoli! I’m leaving now, you don’t need to see me off!”
The black-haired girl quickly waved goodbye to her and walked out of the office.
As soon as she was out, she leaned against the wall for a brief rest.
Because Jiang Wanli had been nearby, the sensitivity in her legs hadn’t subsided at all.
After resting for hours, she had only reached a point where she could barely walk.
Fortunately, she should be able to manage getting back to the dormitory.
To prevent her legs from becoming more sensitive, she lightly supported herself against the wall in areas where it was available, retracing her path back toward the library.
Qi really missed the stockings Luo Qing had given her right now. If she were wearing that newbie gear, she wouldn’t be in such an awkward state.
‘That thief is really too hateful…’
Returning to her original reading spot in the library, the notes and textbooks were still on the table.
Qi hadn’t forgotten her earlier plan; she wanted to apply to borrow them and take them back to the dorm to read.
Holding the notes against her chest, Qi carefully descended the stairs step by step to the first floor and approached the librarian’s desk at the entrance.
“Huh? Qiqi, you’re at the library too.”
The librarian greeted her.
Looking at the unfamiliar female classmate in front of her, Qi blinked in confusion.
“You know me?”
“Ah, I see your photos on the Campus Forum every day. Most members of the Learning Committee know you have a close relationship with the President. Everyone knows you.”
“Uh…”
The black-haired girl didn’t know what to say.
“You don’t look so good, huh? Your face is all red. Did something happen?”
The librarian leaned in a bit closer, her eyes somewhat suspicious.
“Don’t think weird things! I want to borrow these two.”
Qi placed the books she was holding in front of her, interrupting the other’s train of thought.
“Okay.”
The librarian picked them up to check.
“These are first-year textbooks and notes, right? Qiqi, aren’t you in second year?”
“That’s why I want to borrow them…”
The black-haired girl muttered quietly.
“Catching up on old knowledge points, huh? Hehe~ If you need it, you can come find me anytime! I’m in the Learning Committee too, after all. I can tutor you for free!”
“Mhm, thank you.”
Qi replied perfunctorily.
The librarian operated the computer in front of her for a bit, then reached out her hand toward the black-haired girl.
“Alright, give me your Campus Card. I’ll register it for you.”
“Campus Card…”
Qi felt the hidden pocket inside her skirt, and her expression suddenly froze.
When she ran away earlier, her Campus Card seemed to have been still tucked inside the notes.
She hadn’t taken it with her.
“Wasn’t my Campus Card inside the notes?”
“No, I already checked through them just now.”
The librarian flipped through them again before looking up at her.
“Did you lose it?”
The black-haired girl nodded with a grim expression.
“If you lost it, go post on the forum’s lost and found section to see if anyone picked it up. Sorry, but without a Campus Card, you can’t borrow the notes.”
“Mhm, I know…”
Right now, she wasn’t so concerned about borrowing the notes. A bad premonition was rising in her heart.
“I’ll put the notes back in their place for you later. It’s okay if you can’t borrow them. If you need it, I really can tutor you, you know.”
Politely declining the offer, Qi walked out of the library. Looking at the cold Mobile Phone in her hand, she pressed and held the power button to turn it on.
After the screen lit up, it responded for a moment before instantly popping up with three missed calls, all from Bai Qiaoyu.
Before she could even react, the screen switched again and began emitting a piercing vibration sound.
Displayed Caller: Bai Qiaoyu.