I Miss You Even in the Daytime [Rebirth GL] - Chapter 22

This slap was not only beyond Xu Liming’s expectations but also terrified everyone else. The crisp sound of the palm striking skin sliced through the stale air of the classroom, and the surroundings went dead silent.

Almost everyone’s eyes were fixed on the spot. The other boys, in particular, stood frozen like wooden chickens, even forgetting to intervene.

Li Yunfeng’s face had been whipped to the side, five finger marks clearly visible.

“You stinking b*tch, what do you think you’re—” Regaining his senses, Li Yunfeng roared in fury. He turned back in shock, clutching his face, and moved to shove Lu Baitian. However, he was shoved first and sent stumbling backward.

He flailed his arms like an octopus for several seconds before managing to stand straight again, glaring at Xu Liming, who had stepped in front of Lu Baitian at some point.

Xu Liming looked down. The girl behind her was still shaking—shaking so hard she couldn’t stop.

Just how much grievance has she been carrying? Xu Liming felt a momentary daze.

“Are you girls insane? Hitting people is illegal, I’m telling you! Believe it or not, I’ll—”

“What if we did hit you?” Xu Liming tilted her head slightly, her gaze icy. “When you stole someone’s identity, took candid photos of Lu Baitian to spread rumors online, and leaked her contact information, did you not know that was illegal?”

The moment these words were spoken, the previously silent classroom erupted like a pot of hot oil meeting water, crackling and boiling over.

“What did she say? What’s illegal?” A girl looked around blankly.

“The thing with Lu Baitian from before. It was actually Li Yunfeng?” someone answered her.

“Holy crap, for real?? He actually fabricated that?”

“Scumbag!” That shout came from Tao Ning.

As the discussions grew more intense, Li Yunfeng, not expecting his actions to be discovered, grew panicked. “You… what nonsense are you talking about? Do you have evidence!”

“Baitian, show him,” Xu Liming nudged Lu Baitian’s shoulder.

Lu Baitian’s hand was still numb from the slap. She tremblingly pulled out her phone and held it in front of Li Yunfeng. Her eyes, brimming with tears, did not flinch; she stared fixedly at him.

“No, this…” Seeing the game was up, Li Yunfeng lost his mind for a moment and actually reached out to snatch the phone.

“Stealing the evidence is useless. Lu Baitian has already called the police, and I have preserved all the screenshots as evidence and commissioned a professional lawyer to file a lawsuit against you.”

Xu Liming plucked the phone from Lu Baitian’s hand, twirled it, and tucked it into her own pocket. “Don’t worry, you’re not getting away.”

“As for the school, we will report this truthfully and request your expulsion, as well as demand a public apology and clarification on your social feed and the Campus Wall.” Xu Liming leaned in slightly. “Any more questions?”

Li Yunfeng’s smugness vanished in an instant. His face turned ashen with fear, his legs went weak, and he stammered, “I really didn’t mean it, it was just because…”

“I don’t care why.” Xu Liming couldn’t be bothered to listen. “Slander is slander. You’re just stupid and malicious; there’s nothing to explain.”

“Enjoy the few remaining classes you have at Huachuan,” Xu Liming said with a faint smile.

The bell rang, and the teacher continued with the previous lesson. Everyone appeared to be listening, but in reality, no one was; they were all whispering about the incident.

Since Xu Liming and Lu Baitian were partners, she stayed by her side. The girl’s shoulders kept heaving until finally, when the teacher ordered them to sit and stretch, she slumped to the floor and let out a small, sobbed cry.

“Th-thank you, Xu Liming.” She was sobbing, taking off her glasses as her tears and long-held restraint were finally released.

It was a restraint that had built up for a very, very long time and was rarely shown. Because no one had ever helped her or stood by her side, she knew that people who face the world alone aren’t “allowed” to make a sound—it only makes the bad people push harder.

She had known that since she was a child.

This was her first true act of resistance.

Tears soaked her entire face, like magnolia blossoms fluttering in the rain, washing away those invisible veils and making her look startlingly beautiful.

Xu Liming froze, feeling a vague sense that in the days she hadn’t known, there had been a person like a magnolia.

The magnolia is a tragic flower—pure as ice and jade, yet it often withers suddenly at its peak. It fades into the dust, leaving only a sigh for the world.

Things were finally moving in a positive direction. The police arrived quickly to take Li Yunfeng away. According to the investigation, the motive was that he had expressed a vague interest in Lu Baitian during the first half of freshman year but received no response. Driven by resentment, he concocted the sexual slander to satisfy his own petty ego.

“Truly disgusting!” Tao Ning commented sharply. “Can’t get what you want so you spread rumors? Just castrate him!”

Li Yunfeng published apology statements on all platforms as required. The gossip about Lu Baitian quickly turned into a crusade against the slanderer. The story gained some traction online, with many netizens collectively tagging the school’s official account to demand his expulsion.

Under the pressure of public opinion, Huachuan quickly issued a notice: Li Yunfeng was expelled.

After this tumultuous period, things slowly settled down. Xu Liming’s life returned to its tracks as she threw herself into play rehearsals, becoming so busy she rarely returned to the dorm.

With the mid-term check—the preliminary round—only half a month away, she was quite overwhelmed.

Finally, a rare weekend without homework arrived. Since the crew members were on break and couldn’t rehearse, Xu Liming decided to recover her energy and slept until noon.

It was already April. Though still the rainy season, the “one rain, one chill” period had passed. The sun dominated most of the day, giving the faint illusion that summer was arriving, though it was still early.

She kicked off the stuffy down duvet, stretched lengthily, and leaned half her body over the bed railing.

“What are you guys doing?” she asked Tao Ning and Sun Muya, who were also lying in bed.

Tao Ning put down her phone after two hours of scrolling and wailed, “Nothing, I’m bored to death. Didn’t the forecast say it would rain this weekend? Can this stupid weather report be accurate for once!”

“If I’d known it wouldn’t rain, I would’ve gone on a ‘special forces’ day trip,” she said gloomily.

Sun Muya also sat up. “Yeah, I don’t want to lie in the dorm all day. I’ll go anywhere as long as I can get out.”

“I really envy those who live nearby. If they have nowhere to go on weekends, they can just go home and enjoy themselves. Not like us,” Tao Ning kicked her legs in the air, then suddenly stopped. “Hey, Xu Liming, isn’t your home here? Can we go play at your place?”

She grew more excited as the thought took hold. “You must live in a villa! Is it like an idol drama with a bunch of butlers and nannies? Let us see it, please, please!”

“Huh?” Xu Liming was taken aback.

There were no butlers or nannies, and as for the villa… she couldn’t possibly take her roommates to Xu Sheng’s place.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Liming decided to take them to her own apartment near the school. She had spent her university life there in her previous life; it was a simple flat, more than enough for one person. Since her rebirth, she had rarely stepped foot there, and the once-familiar environment now felt a bit strange.

At the entrance of the unfamiliar-feeling complex stood a familiar person.

The grass was lush in the sunlight. A girl with a low ponytail stood in the dappled shade of the trees, bowing low, repeatedly pleading with the security guard at the gate.

“Young lady, we have no choice. This place requires facial recognition to enter. Since you can’t reach the owner by phone, we can’t let you in without authorization,” the guard said, his features scrunched in worry. “I’ll get my pay docked.”

The girl seemed very anxious, her feet shifting as if on a hot griddle, but the phone in her hand kept showing the call wasn’t going through.

Tutoring jobs had been incredibly hard to find lately; this one was a rare recommendation. She was already long past the agreed-upon time, but the owner simply wasn’t answering.

Lu Baitian was drenched in sweat from worry. Today was terribly hot; her face was flushed from the sun, and she held a stack of materials, looking lost.

A cool breeze blew from behind her as someone walked up to her side. With a beep, the gate opened.

An aura she could recognize without turning around enveloped her. Lu Baitian immediately lowered her sweat-streaked face, her grip tightening on the hard materials in her arms.

“She’s with me,” Xu Liming said. She gave Lu Baitian a gentle push, watching her stiff legs walk through the gate like a cat.

“Lu Baitian! What are you doing here? What a coincidence!” Tao Ning stepped forward to put an arm around her, but Lu Baitian subtly dodged.

“I’m here for… a part-time job,” Lu Baitian said. She stole a glance at Xu Liming, as if intentionally explaining. “The bar from before doesn’t need people lately.”

Chen Yan’s business must be failing, Xu Liming thought, nodding in understanding.

As the four of them walked, the silence was broken by Lu Baitian’s ringtone. She hurriedly answered, and a sharp roar erupted from the other end.

The voice was loud enough to be ear-splitting even without the speakerphone—a man’s angry voice: “We agreed on two o’clock. What time is it now? I’m asking you, what time is it?! My kid is waiting for the tutoring session. Are you going to take responsibility if their grades fall behind?”

Lu Baitian’s face turned pale from the scolding. She tried to explain, “It was because you didn’t answer the phone earlier, so the guard wouldn’t let me—”

“…And you’re supposed to be a university student? Do you have no sense of time?” The man on the other end continued to berate her as if completely deaf. “Our family doesn’t welcome a tutor like you!”

With that, he hung up, leaving a string of busy tones.

Lu Baitian put her phone down. In the bright sunlight, her face was still pale as she tucked her phone away in embarrassment.

“I’ll be going now,” she said, turning to leave, but she was grabbed by Tao Ning.

Tao Ning started cursing, “What kind of person is that? Doesn’t answer his phone and then yells at people. Come on, let’s go find him! I’ll help you yell back!”

“Forget it,” Lu Baitian shook her head. “They have a child.”

The kid was very nice and well-behaved; they would always sneak her candies to eat.

The atmosphere lapsed into silence again. Lu Baitian stood there, held by Tao Ning, unable to stay or leave. Her shirt collar tightly wrapped around her neck, and her sweat glistened in the sun.

“Uh,” Xu Liming paused. “They’re going to my place to watch a movie.”

“Want to join?” she asked.

Ten minutes later, Xu Liming stood before her door with three people in tow. Lu Baitian had initially tried to decline out of nervousness, but she clearly hadn’t succeeded—Tao Ning had threatened to carry her if necessary.

The door opened, and Sun Muya and Tao Ning rushed in with cheers. Only Lu Baitian stood at the threshold. Her shoes were yellowed, contrasting sharply with the bright floor tiles of the living room.

She didn’t step in until Xu Liming signaled that she didn’t need to change shoes.

The apartment had been decorated by Xu Liming’s mother when she was still alive. It was warm-toned with some natural wood accents. Later, Xu Liming had a wall knocked down, so light streamed in from the balcony and out the other side, making the space bright and airy.

There were some plants on the large balcony, but most had withered from a lack of water.

“Holy crap! You live in such a huge place alone! Why on earth would you want to squeeze into a dorm with us!” Tao Ning rolled around on the rug. “This place is amazing!”

Xu Liming didn’t really know why either. Perhaps because… it felt a bit lonely when it was empty.

“Do you guys want something to eat? I saw a snack shop on the street just now. Should I go buy some?” Sun Muya asked.

“I’ll go with you!” Tao Ning jumped up from the floor. She handed her phone to Xu Liming. “I spent ages finding some movie resources on my cloud drive. You and Baitian start watching first.”

The two of them left quickly, and the room fell quiet again. Lu Baitian stood by the door, afraid to touch anything.

“Come and sit down,” Xu Liming said. The girl finally walked over slowly, her knees pressed together as she sat on the sofa, a good distance away from Xu Liming.

Xu Liming was speechless. They had met so many times; was she really going to eat her or something?

“Sit closer,” Xu Liming patted the spot next to her.

The girl obediently shifted over, causing the sofa to sink slightly.

Xu Liming used the remote to close the curtains, and the living room was soon plunged into darkness. Then, the large projector screen lit up, illuminating their faces.

Xu Liming opened Tao Ning’s cloud drive. It was full of niche films. She browsed for a moment and clicked on an English title she hadn’t seen before.

It began with an ordinary summer. Rolling hills, a blonde woman driving, the car winding through small-town roads.

However, Lu Baitian grew increasingly tense. She opened her mouth several times before finally whispering, “Xu Liming… do we really have to watch this one…”

Xu Liming glanced at her and nodded. “What’s wrong? You don’t like it?”

Lu Baitian shook her head, her skin turning red under the cover of the darkness. “No.”

Xu Liming watched with concentration.

But she gradually realized something was wrong.

The music began to turn lingering and sentimental. The scene shifted; the hills and the town were gone, replaced by dim yellow lights, the twilight of evening, and a pair of women locked in a passionate kiss.

Accompanied by soft breaths and sighs.

Xu Liming’s cheeks exploded into a deep red.