I Miss You Even in the Daytime [Rebirth GL] - Chapter 23.2

Death truly wasn’t something that faded easily. The despair of that moment was buried beneath her consciousness, just waiting for such a chance to break through her logic.

“I’m just… a bit afraid of driving,” Xu Liming said with a bitter smile. “Just let me rest for a bit.”

She moved closer to Lu Baitian and lowered her head, resting it gently on her shoulder. The girl’s shoulder had more bone, but even so, it was youthful and soft.

It smelled of laundry detergent, and surprisingly, it was very comforting. Xu Liming was a bit surprised.

Leaning against her, her trembling body gradually calmed. The cold receded, and she actually felt a bit sleepy.

Lu Baitian, on the other hand, was completely stiff, as if she had turned into a statue in the hospital. Her heart was full of disbelief—disbelief that she was holding Xu Liming’s hands.

Disbelief that the other girl was burying her head on her shoulder, in a posture as intimate as lovers.

Perhaps this was a dream? In the dream, Xu Liming finally was willing to look back at her.

Then let me not wake up.

Never wake up.

…

Xu Liming woke up. When she woke, she was still leaning on Lu Baitian. The body supporting her hadn’t moved an inch for an hour.

She moved her hands; the fingertips that had been too cold to move were now warm.

“You’re awake?” Lu Baitian’s soft, gentle voice sounded above her head. Xu Liming gave an “mm” and moved her head away.

“Is it sore?” she asked, a bit apologetically.

Lu Baitian shook her head. She quickly withdrew her hands and hid them in her sleeves, as if they were too unsightly to be seen, then slowly stretched her back.

She stood up, bustled out, and returned. When she came back, she was holding a large bag of things, handing them to Xu Liming one by one.

“There’s milk here.” She stuffed a warmed Wang Wang milk into Xu Liming’s hand. “And some snacks, and chocolate.”

“Eat some.” She tore open a wrapper and looked at Xu Liming expectantly.

Xu Liming took a bite. The bitter-sweet taste melted on her tongue, then she took a sip of the milk.

“How is it?” Lu Baitian pursed her lips in concern.

“Hmm…” Xu Liming rolled the food in her mouth, then swallowed. “Chocolate milk.”

Lu Baitian opened her mouth, then pulled her sleeve. “I meant your body.”

Xu Liming laughed happily. Only then did Lu Baitian realize she had not only been teased but also seemed to be acting spoiled toward Xu Liming.

She hurriedly pulled her hand back and stood silently.

“I’m fine, just a bit of a stress reaction.” Xu Liming stood up and stretched. “It’s past midnight. Let’s go. Let’s head back.”

She patted Lu Baitian’s shoulder and brushed past her. The tall and lean silhouette of the girl moved away from the fluorescent light, her outline fading into a halo in the darkness.

Lu Baitian suppressed her racing heart and followed with her head down.

Lu Baitian had a very happy weekend—happier than usual, at least. She spent a day and a half with Xu Liming.

Although she was just there by chance and spent most of the time sitting in a corner watching Xu Liming play around with Tao Ning and Sun Muya.

But she was still happy.

On the way home Sunday afternoon, she received a text from the man. After a long string of apologies, he explained that Lulu was in good condition.

At the end, he attached the contact information of another family. That family’s child was a classmate of Lulu’s and recently needed a tutor.

Xu Liming is a lucky star, she secretly thought.

When she opened her front door, the woman was rarely not drunk. The house was spotless, the stuffy air chased away by the spring breeze. The evening cherries outside the window were blooming intensely, half a branch of blossoms peeking into the window, dropping some petals with the wind.

“Baitian, you’re back?” the woman walked out of the kitchen and set a plate of food down, looking quite embarrassed.

That plate of tomato and scrambled eggs was half-charred, turned into charcoal eggs.

She had never cooked. Since leaving that man, as long as Lu Baitian was home, all the meals were made by Lu Baitian.

So Lu Baitian silently set the dish aside, put on an apron, and walked into the kitchen. She skillfully washed the vegetables, chopped them, heated the pan, and then—shua—started a burst of hot cooking smoke.

“Mom.” Lu Baitian suddenly turned to look at the woman outside the door. The woman, hearing such a title for once, had eyes that brightened significantly.

“I’ve saved some money recently. I want to…” Lu Baitian said softly, “take the driving test.”

——————

This time, the weather really was getting warmer. Xu Liming felt that while she wore a shirt and jacket when she went out in the morning as usual, by the time class ended in the evening, she was down to the tank top she wore underneath.

“This damn weather. It’s freezing when it’s cold and stifling when it’s hot.” Tao Ning pulled Sun Muya into the wind and sighed at the sky. “It’s still cooler at night.”

“You’re not eating with us again?” she turned back to reproach.

Xu Liming shook her head. “The midterm check-in is coming up soon. I have to go to rehearsal.”

“Tsk, why didn’t I see you this proactive in the first half of freshman year?” Tao Ning made a face at her, then pulled Sun Muya to the cafeteria to grab seats.

Is my temper becoming a bit too good? Xu Liming was speechless for a moment.

The air conditioning was on in the rehearsal room. A few people had finished class earlier than her and were sitting in a circle on the floor, painting and drawing to make props for the midterm check.

The conditions for the preliminary round were truly simple; there wasn’t even stage lighting. It all relied on the conviction of the actors and judges.

“Those people from the ‘Red Sun’ crew came to provoke us again today. They called it ‘getting to know each other,’ but they started mocking us right away.” Qiu Qiu began complaining the moment she saw Xu Liming, her round face puffed up with anger.

Another boy named A-Ze chimed in. “They’re just relying on their strong lineup, aren’t they? I secretly looked at their script; it doesn’t compare to ours.”

“Exactly.” Qiu Qiu nodded. “Director, when will you find out the identity of the scriptwriter? I love her too much. I don’t care if it’s a man or a woman—I’m going to give them a kiss first!”

“I’ll kiss them too!” A-Ze raised his hand.

An older girl beside them swatted his hand away. “What are you two kissing for? The script was given to the director for free. If anyone’s going to kiss, it has to be the director!”

“Pick them up and kiss them!”

Seeing the topic becoming increasingly shameless, Xu Liming hurriedly stopped them. “Alright, alright. Enough with the kissing. It’s already dark. Why aren’t you rehearsing?”

Qiu Qiu’s mouth pouted. “Rehearse what? Our lead actress hasn’t even arrived yet.”

“Qin Chaohe hasn’t come yet?” Xu Liming looked at her watch, her thick brows furrowing. “What time is it already?”

“She’s always late like this. We have no way to perform. It’s dragging down the progress of the whole crew.” Qiu Qiu had quite a few complaints about this.

A-Ze, however, explained for her. “The juniors have a grade-level meeting today. She might be tied up.”

“Oh, please. I’m a junior too. Rehearsals for the Drama Festival are a legitimate reason to ask for leave. The class committee would have agreed.” Qiu Qiu rolled her eyes.

Xu Liming sighed, her gaze sharpening. “Sister Qiu Qiu.”

Qiu Qiu covered her mouth.

“I’ll go find Qin Chaohe. You guys work on the props first. I ordered crawfish for you; it’ll be here in ten minutes.” Xu Liming turned around briskly.

Then she looked back. “I’ll talk to Qin Chaohe. If she continues to be this slack, I’ll consider changing actors. But until then, I hope we are still one team.”

Xu Liming had a cold look. When she was serious, she was quite authoritative. Qiu Qiu straightened her back and whispered a small “okay.”

Qiu Qiu said the grade-level meeting was in the large classroom of the second teaching building. Xu Liming went straight there. The meeting place wasn’t hard to find; everyone was out of class by this time, and only that place was brightly lit.

At this time, the meeting hadn’t started yet. The classroom was a mess, especially in the corner, where shouts could be heard from time to time.

Standing at the door, Xu Liming immediately saw Qin Chaohe with her neck held high. She stood in the noisy crowd, true to her name, like a proud crane.

“What right do you have to stop me from leaving every time?” Qin Chaohe’s voice couldn’t hide her anger.

Opposite her stood a girl holding a sign-in sheet, also looking up at her, neither backing down. “The counselor notified us; no one can ask for leave today.”

“Why can others do it?” Qin Chaohe couldn’t help taking a step forward.

The girl tilted her head. “If others can do it, go find them. They aren’t from our college or our class. Our class simply can’t ask for leave. It doesn’t matter who asks.”

Qin Chaohe was so angry her head felt like it was swelling. For a moment, she couldn’t say anything.

“Any other questions? If not, I’m going to check other classes.” The girl gave a subtle roll of her eyes and turned to leave.

“Wait…” Qin Chaohe was about to pull her back to argue, but before she could finish, another hand reached out from her side and pulled the girl back.

Qin Chaohe suddenly looked up, forgetting to step back in surprise.

Xu Liming seemed to grow out of the air as she walked to Qin Chaohe’s side. “Wait a moment.”

The girl was furious at being pulled. She turned and broke free from Xu Liming, looking her up and down. She said irritably, “What are you doing? Are you from our college?”

“Yeah, I’m a freshman.” Xu Liming let go. “Hello, Senior.”

“What’s a freshman doing here? Get out.” The girl waved her hand.

“I’m the director of Senior Qin Chaohe’s crew. Our rehearsals are for the Drama Festival. The college has notified everyone that all other college activities must give way to the Drama Festival.” Xu Liming’s eyelashes lowered slightly. “Senior, you’re also in the student union; you can’t possibly not know this, right?”

The girl looked at her, momentarily speechless.

“I know, of course. Но the school allows you to skip other activities to rehearse so that you can win awards and bring glory to the Communication University of China. I don’t think your play needs that.” The girl’s eyes swept over Qin Chaohe.

Qin Chaohe’s body tensed. Her red lips were pressed into a line, and she looked as if she were about to step forward and punch her.

Xu Liming hurriedly took a step forward to block her.

If she let that punch fly and hurt the girl, she really would have to change her lead actress.

“I wonder on what basis Senior judges whether a work can win an award?” Xu Liming looked down at her. “Is it based on fame, or prejudice?”

The girl waved her hand. “Don’t tell me that. Don’t you know? The actor you chose, besides being a bit famous…”

She glanced sideways at Qin Chaohe. She said nothing, yet she seemed to have said everything.

Qin Chaohe could no longer tolerate the slander. Just as she was about to step forward to argue, the person in front of her remained horizontal, blocking her completely.

“Don’t worry, the actor I chose is definitely the best. Otherwise, with so many people in the acting class, why would I pay a high price to hire her?” Xu Liming crossed her arms, her lashes obscuring half of her pupils.

“And should I use you instead of her? Primarily, my play has requirements for both appearance and professionalism. Using you would be a bit difficult.” Xu Liming showed a troubled expression.

The girl’s face turned black at these words. She was about to scold her, but just then, a leader entered the room, so she could only shut her mouth.

“Since Senior doesn’t object, we will go rehearse as per the regulations.” Xu Liming smiled at her, then grabbed Qin Chaohe’s wrist and pulled her through the narrow seats and out the door.

Away from that noisy person, the air felt much fresher.

Qin Chaohe walked ahead with her long legs. Her silk skirt swirled around her feet in the wind. Her long hair was pinned behind her head, revealing a perfectly curved neck.

She was truly peerless.

Seeing that she was in a bad mood, Xu Liming chatted with her occasionally, though it felt more like talking to herself. “So, the reason you were often late before was because the class committee was targeting you?”

After a long time, an “mm” drifted from ahead.

“Sigh, that’s just how it is for actors. You have to endure some gossip before you get famous.” Xu Liming smiled. “Who doesn’t have some experience being ostracized? There are plenty of people who look down on me too, so…”

Well, she wasn’t exactly a popular item herself now. Xu Liming shut her mouth.

“You have to treat what they say as waste. Once you achieve something one day, those words will all scatter,” Xu Liming said.

“Heh, a little kid acting like a teacher for me?” Qin Chaohe’s light scoff came from ahead.

She was 19 now, which was a bit young. Even the year she died, she was only 25—just graduated and ignorant about everything.

Even the love she thought was unforgettable was fake.

Well, Xu Liming stopped trying to persuade her. She stuffed her hands into her pockets and walked slowly through the night breeze.

“Hey. Apologize to them for me.” Qin Chaohe spoke again, her voice a bit quiet this time.

Who? Xu Liming quickly realized and smiled. “It’s fine. We’re all comrades in the same crew. They’ll understand.”

“You aren’t allowed to tell anyone!” Qin Chaohe suddenly turned back. her beautiful eyes were elongated by eyeliner, her head slightly raised, as if that could ward off vulnerability.

But tears fell from the corners of her eyes, flowed to her chin, and were stubbornly wiped away.

The future Best Actress was also a very proud person. Xu Liming paused.

“Alright,” Xu Liming said. She pulled a pack of tissues from her pocket and stuffed them into her arms. “Go ahead and cry. After you’re done crying, we have to rehearse.”

“I’m not crying!” Qin Chaohe’s voice, carrying a nasal tone, reached her.

“Fine, I’m crying,” Xu Liming said lazily.

For some reason, the image of another girl crying appeared in Xu Liming’s mind. Soft and weak, yet always seeming to carry a sense of hidden strength.

She was like a piece of gold foil that seemed soft and weak but could face a thousand trials.

Her phone suddenly vibrated. She clicked on the screen; a “People You May Follow” pop-up appeared. After clicking again, Xu Liming stopped in her tracks abruptly.

“What are you doing! You hit me!”

Qin Chaohe’s scolding came from behind, but Xu Liming ignored it. She was surprised that the Weibo account “Dunhao” (the comma/caesura mark), which had been sealed away for a long time, had actually posted another update after two years.

Following that post “I miss her so much,” it was still a plain mutter.

“I saw her again.”

…

At the same time, on the other side of the vast Communication University of China campus, a girl huddled at the foot of her bed. She set down her phone and picked up a pen to write something. Her gaze drifted through the poorly drawn curtains, looking out at the thick, dark night.

Lin Wan and Tang Qian were both looking down, finishing their History of Theater Theory assignment. The room was quiet, except for Tang Qian’s heavy sighs every now and then.

“So annoying! That old hag, why give so much homework! And it has to be handwritten—what era is this!” Tang Qian threw her pen onto the table.

Lin Wan looked up at her, without stopping the movement of her hand. “Alright, it’s due tomorrow. Hurry up and write.”

“Can I take a look at yours, Wanwan?” Tang Qian put on a flattering smile.

Lin Wan looked at her A4 paper, which only had a few lines written on it, and looked a bit troubled. “I haven’t finished yet. Wait a bit.”

Tang Qian then looked up at the girl in the corner and ordered, “Lu Baitian, you’re finished, right? Let me use your homework for reference.”

Lu Baitian pulled her gaze back from the window. She was about to reach for it but thought of something and stopped.

“There’s nothing worth referencing,” Lu Baitian said.

Tang Qian, who had been rejected, raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Lu Baitian, you’ve grown a spine, haven’t you? I just want to take a look. I’m not going to copy yours. What are you being so stingy for?”

She sized Lu Baitian up, seemingly dissatisfied with the change in her personality. “What, now that you have a backer, you’re starting to put on airs, is that it?”

Seeing the situation becoming increasingly tense, it was Lin Wan who spoke first to stop it. “Alright, Qianqian. If you don’t write now, you really won’t finish.”

Tang Qian finally gave up, sitting back at the table with a huff.

She had only written a few words when the door was pushed open with a bang. Another roommate rushed in, her face a bit flushed. She winked and said, “Wanwan, Qianqian, guess what I just saw?”

“Did you finish your homework?” Lin Wan said helplessly.

“No…” The roommate replied while twirling her hair. She then skipped over and sat in front of Lin Wan. “Oh, it’s some gossip! It’s about that person—you definitely want to hear it!”

Hearing “gossip,” Tang Qian threw her pen away and leaned in. “Who?”

“Who else? That simp.” The roommate beckoned to the two of them. “Guess what I saw on my way back?”

“Xu Liming? Who wants to know about her? As long as she doesn’t come to harass Wanwan, we should thank heaven and earth.” Tang Qian swung back in disappointment.

Unexpectedly, Lin Wan set down her pen.

Her fan-like eyelashes trembled. She turned her head. “What about her?”

Seeing her interest, the roommate leaned in and spoke word by word in a whisper that all four of them could hear: “It seems she and Qin Chaohe from the acting class… are dating!”

With a pa, Lin Wan’s notebook fell to the floor.

There was another nearly imperceptible pa.

Lu Baitian stood dazed in the corner. She had accidentally snapped the pencil in her hand.