I Miss You Even in the Daytime [Rebirth GL] - Chapter 10

Once she calmed down, Xu Liming’s mind began to function again. She suddenly realized that the girl had protected her just now—that was why she hadn’t hit the stone steps and had instead landed on her.

The girl had taken the weight of two people and was clearly in pain, yet she didn’t utter a sound as she silently scrambled back up.

How strange. Most people would instinctively protect themselves in a situation like that; why did she pull someone else first?

“Are you okay?” Xu Liming hurried forward, trying to give the girl a hand, but the other party raised her arm and dodged her touch.

The girl shook her head without speaking and turned to leave. Under the dim twilight outside the window, her silhouette, clad in pajamas, looked shaky and stumbling.

Xu Liming knew she was the one who had bumped into the girl, so she couldn’t just let her go like that. She ran a few steps to block her path. Just then, lightning flared outside the window, allowing her to see the girl’s appearance clearly.

Her dark hair hung in a mess, her eyes were red, and there was dust smudged on her pale face.

“Lu Baitian?” Xu Liming froze. She looked down, and two patches of soft, snowy white skin sensed her gaze, hurriedly and fearfully tucking themselves back into the pajama pant legs.

Her shoe had been knocked off and flung who-knows-where; her two feet stepped awkwardly on the ground—pajamas that were a bit too short couldn’t cover them.

Why does my ugliest side always get seen by Xu Liming? Lu Baitian’s mind went blank. She couldn’t feel the pain in her back or arms; her heart was filled only with numbness.

Suddenly, her ankle was grabbed. Lu Baitian jolted, instinctively lifting her leg to retreat, but a shoe was slipped onto her foot in that brief opening.

By the time she recovered from her shock, Xu Liming had found the other shoe and placed it by her foot, saying apologetically: “You’re not hurt, are you?”

Xu Liming usually loved wearing windbreakers, walking or standing tall. When her eyes were downcast, she looked like an eagle on a mountaintop—someone you wouldn’t dare look at for too long.

But now, she was half-crouching in front of her, her eyelashes half-raised.

Consequently, those snowy-white feet turned a shade of rosy pink.

“What’s this?” Xu Liming was tripped by something and looked down to see a bundle of bedding. “Are you washing your quilt?”

That’s not right. Who washes their quilt in the middle of the night? Xu Liming reached out to pick it up, only to feel a damp, wet mist. She immediately frowned.

“Why is it all wet?” Xu Liming asked.

“I accidentally spilled water,” Lu Baitian said, reaching out to hug the quilt. However, Xu Liming was holding the other end, and she couldn’t pull it away.

“Did you drink a whole basin of water in your bed?” Xu Liming looked at her steadily. “Who did this?”

Lu Baitian gripped the quilt with both hands and whispered, “No one.”

“Are they bullying you?”

“No,” Lu Baitian said.

Xu Liming didn’t look away. Lu Baitian remained half-crouched, struggling for the bedding; she didn’t dare look at Xu Liming, nor did she dare tell her to let go. The two were at a deadlock.

Xu Liming hadn’t experienced what Lu Baitian was going through, so she didn’t understand her mindset—nor could she understand why someone would remain so secretive even after being bullied to this extent.

So, she got a little angry. She frowned and let go, causing Lu Baitian to lose her balance and fall back onto the floor with a thud.

“Fine.” Xu Liming had always been one to mind her own business; since Lu Baitian wasn’t willing, she wouldn’t ask further. “Are you really not hurt?”

“No,” the girl on the floor said softly.

Xu Liming gave an “oh,” brushed the dust off her pants, and turned to go upstairs. She walked up one flight but couldn’t resist looking back.

Beneath the pitch-black stairs, the girl was still there. Her thin figure sat beside the bedding, burying her head as she organized it, making the cotton and fabric look like a small mountain.

Xu Liming closed her eyes. Damn it.

She stomped back down, scooped up the bedding with one hand, and used a sudden force with the other to pull Lu Baitian up.

“Let’s go,” she said coldly.

Fifteen minutes later, Xu Liming was in the dormitory bathroom, wetting a new towel with hot water. Tao Ning and Sun Muya were standing by the door, poking their heads out to peek at Lu Baitian, who was sitting with her hands on her knees, looking utterly ill at ease.

Tao Ning covered her mouth and whispered: “No, seriously, why did you bring her back? The whole department is full of rumors about her. Aren’t you afraid of people gossiping?”

Sun Muya gave Tao Ning a punch. Wincing in pain, Tao Ning muttered: “Actually, you really aren’t afraid.”

Xu Liming didn’t respond. She wrung out the towel and glanced at Tao Ning. “Do you really judge a person based on rumors?”

Tao Ning froze. She had originally just been teasing; she hadn’t expected Xu Liming to be serious. She felt a bit of sweat break out on her back. “Actually, I don’t… but since I feel it has nothing to do with me…”

Because it was none of her business, she didn’t care if the rumors were true or false. Some things weren’t done with malice; it was just for fun.

Tao Ning silenced herself.

Xu Liming folded the towel, walked over to Lu Baitian, and handed it to her. Lu Baitian took the towel, her moist eyes lifting secretly to look at Xu Liming before casting them down again.

“You seem very afraid of me?” Xu Liming finally couldn’t help but ask. Since the first day she saw Lu Baitian, the girl had barely looked her in the eye.

She might seem unreliable to others, but surely she wasn’t scary, right?

The girl’s hands began to rub the towel again. Seeing this, Xu Liming could only wave her hand. “Alright, just wipe your face.”

With that, she handed a mirror to Lu Baitian and pulled out her own chair, gesturing for the girl to sit. She had bought that chair specifically; sitting in it felt like a sofa.

The chair was covered in traces of Xu Liming. A cloud-like soft pillow sat at the waist, emitting a fragrant scent. Lu Baitian sat inside and didn’t dare move a muscle, terrified of dirtying anything.

She quickly began to wipe her face. Only after her face was spotless did she slowly fold the towel, standing up to wash it.

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it!” Sun Muya rushed out from nowhere, took the towel from Lu Baitian’s hand, and pressed her back down. “You just sit.”

Lu Baitian didn’t have time to react. She stared blankly at Sun Muya’s back, but her view was soon blocked by another tall, thin figure.

Looking up, she saw Tao Ning scratching her head, looking somewhat embarrassed. “Um, are you sleeping here tonight? That bed is empty. I have a spare set of bedding; you can use that for now.”

“I’ll go get it,” Tao Ning said before scurrying off, leaving Lu Baitian standing there, lost.

She was used to being ignored and met with cold eyes; when someone was suddenly kind to her, she didn’t know how to respond and even forgot to say thank you.

A large shirt suddenly flew toward her, looking like a sun-kissed butterfly under the light. Lu Baitian hurried to catch it.

“Your clothes are dirty. Wear this to sleep.” Xu Liming, having finished washing her face, walked toward her. Her hair was brushed behind her ears, and her clean features were as sharp as ink.

She had already changed into pajamas. The top button was undone, and a healthy white skin stretched down from her neck to her chest.

Lu Baitian lowered her head so far she nearly buried it in her chest.

The light clicked off, plunging the room into darkness. There were no disgusted stares, no sarcastic remarks. It had been a long, long time since Lu Baitian felt this safe.

She curled her body into the smallest possible shape. The fragrance on the shirt enveloped her like the embrace she craved—the one that was so close yet so far.

In her dreams, that person’s fingertips wiped away her tears, then slid down her cheek. She couldn’t help but shiver as long arms encircled her, patting her back gently.

Accompanied by this imagined tenderness, she slowly fell asleep.

When Xu Liming woke up the next day, the bed opposite her was empty. The wind and rain of the previous night had been chased away by the morning. Sunlight squeezed through the gaps in the curtains, scattering like crushed diamonds across the wall.

Xu Liming’s shirt had been washed clean and hung outside the window. Tao Ning’s bedding was neatly folded in the center of the bunk. Xu Liming sat up, brushing back her messy hair. Looking across the ladder between the two beds, she saw a few candies lying on the sheet.

The kind wrapped in colored plastic, the size of a fingernail—the cheapest type of candy.

Xu Liming had seen these candies before; they were usually placed at the entrances of shops. They were full of artificial coloring, and she would never touch them. But today, she reached out, took one, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth.

Peppermint. Surprisingly delicious.

There were no classes this morning. Tao Ning and Sun Muya were sleeping soundly in the dorm. Xu Liming was preoccupied with the Drama Festival, so she went out with her laptop, intending to clear her head at the library.

The script issue was resolved, but other problems followed—the most pressing being the actors.

Only someone who has been a director knows how hard it is to find a good and suitable actor. Furthermore, this actor had to be able to hold their own against Xia Qie, both in looks and acting ability.

Searching the entire Huachuan, it was hard to find an actor more professional than Xia Qie. Xu Liming was so worried her hair was turning white.

The living area and the teaching area of Huachuan were separated by a lake. On one side of the river, trees overlapped, and students hurried to their morning classes. On this side, it was loud and lively; students without classes crowded the milk tea and breakfast shops, chatting and calling out to friends.

Xu Liming bypassed the students, lost in thought, when an arm suddenly draped over her shoulder. A triangular tattoo was exposed to the early spring wind, and the fingers had manicured nails in an exotic color that clashed with the campus surroundings.

Smelling the heavy perfume, Xu Liming spoke flatly: “What are you doing here?”

“Tsk, boring.” Chen Yan pursed her fire-red lips and hooked her arm into Xu Liming’s. “I can’t even startle you.”

“The pub isn’t open in the morning. I was bored, so I came to Huachuan to fish for college students.” Chen Yan patted her long, straight, bare legs. “How do I look, Sister Liming?”

“You’ve read too many novels, haven’t you?” Xu Liming dodged her hand. “How did you even get in dressed like that?”

“A beauty has her ways,” Chen Yan smiled enchantingly. “I came all this way to find you, and you won’t even buy me a drink?”

There happened to be a milk tea shop by the river, arguably the best drink spot in Huachuan. Xu Liming couldn’t win against her. Seeing that it was still early, she led Chen Yan toward it.

A girl in a gray work uniform was standing in front of the shop handing out flyers. Her silhouette was bathed in a layer of morning light, making it hard to see clearly, but it looked somewhat familiar.

“By the way,” Xu Liming said, seeing the silhouette and remembering something. “That employee in your shop—what’s her name? Do you have her contact info?”

“Which employee?” Chen Yan, whose eyes were almost glued to the handsome guys and pretty girls nearby, asked with a smile.

“The one who took me back to the hotel,” Xu Liming said. “I have something to talk to her about.”

Her “drunk personality” wasn’t great; she must have scared the girl, so she needed to apologize.

“Her? She’s a part-timer. I have so many part-timers, how can I remember a name? But I think she’s also a student here at Huachuan.” Chen Yan brushed a strand of hair; her flamboyant outfit drew stares from everyone within a hundred meters.

Xu Liming, who was talking, didn’t see it—the girl handing out flyers had frozen in place upon seeing Chen Yan.

She then clutched the flyers to her chest, circled around frantically trying to escape, and finally dodged the students ordering at the door to dive headfirst behind the counter.