I Miss You Even in the Daytime [Rebirth GL] - Chapter 20

Fortunately, Xu Liming’s gaze only paused on the photo for a moment without saying much more.

“So, the person who posted these is someone who has your private photos?” Tao Ning slammed her palm against the desk excitedly. “I really want to see who could be this disgusting!”

The sound of her slapping the table was so loud it drew the attention of the dormitory auntie on her rounds. The auntie twisted the handle and poked her head in: “Which class is this? What’s with all the noise? Any more shouting and I’m deducting points!”

The door was slammed shut, and the dormitory fell into silence.

“It’s late, let’s sleep first,” Xu Liming said suddenly after staring at her phone screen for a while. She stood up to pack her things and tossed that same shirt from before into Lu Baitian’s hands.

“You sleep here tonight. Tao Ning has prepared the bedding for you.”

“Thank you, all of you.” Lu Baitian held the shirt awkwardly. Something welled up in the corners of her eyes—crystal clear, reflecting the brilliant lights of the room.

“It’s nothing, don’t mention it. Xu Liming’s friends are our friends,” Tao Ning said with a grin.

Xu Liming’s… friend? Lu Baitian’s heart jolted. Even in these dark days, a small spark of joy surged within her.

Xu Liming didn’t deny it.

“What about that guy you added on WeChat? Do you really plan on keeping it a secret for him?” a yawning Tao Ning asked. “Messing around while married—that guy is a real scumbag.”

“Of course… I can’t let him off that easily.”

“I’ve already bundled the chat logs and sent them to his wife,” Xu Liming said, her hands in her pockets, smiling to reveal a sharp canine tooth.

The night was somewhat restless. The wind outside grew stronger, sounding like a roaring beast or a wild blade trying to flip the roof. The rattling of the windows woke Xu Liming several times, only for her to drift back into a hazy sleep.

She dreamed of that woman more and more frequently.

In the dream, she was like a useless ghost, floating lonely in mid-air, unable to see the woman’s face clearly no matter how she tried.

The woman rarely went out. Every day, she curled up in the middle of a messy bed, listening to something on her phone and occasionally bursting into loud laughter. After tossing and turning all day, she would fall asleep under the moonlight.

Her body was beautiful, as smooth and warm as glazed porcelain.

Yet it was also withered—withered like a fallen magnolia, scattering into the dust, fragrant and white.

The television flickered. Xu Liming found she could read the words on the screen: “…Reporting from our station, River Wind winner Lin Wan has confessed to the theft of another’s work…”

The woman woke up. She silently put on that red dress and stared blankly out the window. Accompanied by the buzzing static of the old TV, the cold, lonely winter moonlight drenched her shoulders.

At this moment, she looked like a normal person.

The woman walked out the door.

She took nothing with her—no phone, no coat. She only held that photograph in her arms. She stepped onto the cold stairs, step by step, walking slowly and hesitatingly.

A terrible premonition enveloped Xu Liming. She realized what the other was about to do, but she couldn’t speak, and she couldn’t move.

She could do nothing.

The woman stepped onto the roof. The moonlight was so bright, the sky was cloudless, and the city lights beneath her feet were blazing.

In a few hours, it would be dawn (Liming), and after that, it would surely be a beautiful daytime (Baitian).

She leapt.

Xu Liming bolted upright in bed, covering her mouth to keep from screaming. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple and soaked into her chest.

Her chest was filled with a thumping heart. It took her a long time to come to her senses.

Was the vision in the dream real? Who was that woman?

Xu Liming fumbled for her phone. The screen lit up—it was only 3:00 AM. Tao Ning and Sun Muya were sleeping peacefully, but across from her, Lu Baitian…

Lu Baitian!?

Xu Liming practically skipped the ladder, flipping straight off the bed. She grabbed a coat, threw it over her shoulders, and sprinted out the door.

Lu Baitian’s bed was empty. The quilt was folded neatly at the head of the bed. She was gone.

The entire dormitory building was in deep sleep. Aside from the heavy wind, there wasn’t a sound. Xu Liming’s heart hammered against her ribs as she stood helplessly in the dark hallway.

The roof!

Xu Liming sprinted up the stairs all the way to the top floor terrace. The door to the roof was indeed unlocked. Dust and sand left behind by past workers swirled in the wind, hitting Xu Liming in the face.

She squinted through the grimy wind and saw a figure at the edge of the roof.

A slender shadow stood in the gale, her clothes being yanked toward the unfathomable drop by the wind, looking as if she might go with the breeze at any second.

Xu Liming instinctively wanted to shout, but she forced the sound back into her throat. Lu Baitian was right at the edge; if she got startled and slipped, it would be over!

She crouched down and crawled along the exit of the stairwell. The wind masked the sound of her footsteps as she got closer and closer to Lu Baitian.

Finally, she lunged with all her might. Her long arms easily swept Lu Baitian into a hug, bringing the terrified girl down with her. The two of them, covered in dust, rolled across the roof in the wind.

“What do you think you’re doing!” Xu Liming shouted. She pressed one hand on Lu Baitian’s shoulder and wrapped the other around her waist, terrified that if she let go for a second, the scene from her dream would come true.

Perhaps that dream was a warning?

If she watched Lu Baitian jump with her own eyes, she would truly live in the shadows for the rest of her life.

“I’m not… you…” Lu Baitian recognized Xu Liming’s voice. She froze in the wind for a moment, then struggled fiercely, but her soft palms couldn’t push Xu Liming away.

“Not what? You almost fell off, do you know that? I said I would help you! Those scumbags just want to make your life miserable. If you die now, you’re just giving them exactly what they want!”

The person in her arms was still trying to escape. In her desperation, Xu Liming grabbed her wrists and pinned them to her sides.

The surroundings grew quiet; the wind died down slightly.

Lu Baitian was stunned. She stopped moving, her limbs going as soft as water. Perhaps she couldn’t break free, or perhaps she was simply frightened.

Xu Liming’s breathing drowned out the wind, her breath falling faintly but noticeably on Lu Baitian’s face.

Consequently, the arms pressed against the ground, the neck exposed to the wind, and the face covered by messy hair all silently flushed with a sunset-like red.

The increasingly hot wrists brought Xu Liming back to her senses. She silently loosened her grip.

With the help of the lights from the exterior wall of the nearby broadcasting building, Lu Baitian’s face came into view. She was still wearing the shirt Xu Liming had given her as pajamas, the collar pulled loose from the struggle.

Heat radiated from the girl’s well-developed body, carrying a sweet scent that wafted from her collar. Her face was smudged with dust, patches of black and white, and her eyes, irritated by the sand, were rimmed with red.

Seeing that she had stopped struggling, Xu Liming let go.

The girl climbed up in the now-gentle breeze. The night and the colorful lights swirled around her as she took a step back toward the edge. Xu Liming instinctively reached out.

“I’m… picking this up…” Lu Baitian whispered. She inched over, picked up her fallen jacket, and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders.

“I just couldn’t sleep, and I was afraid turning over would disturb you.”

“I wasn’t trying to jump.” She looked at Xu Liming with clear eyes and spoke softly.

“Uh…” Realizing she had overthought it, Xu Liming withdrew her hand and rubbed her palms together, her fingertips tingling with embarrassment.

“That… that’s good then.” She nodded, pretending to be nonchalant, and stuffed her numb hands into her pockets. “Me too. I couldn’t sleep so I came out for a walk. What a coincidence, seeing you here.”

“Hahaha,” she said.