I Miss You Even in the Daytime [Rebirth GL] - Chapter 24

Lin Wan’s eyes remained downcast, concealing the emotions swirling within. She leaned down to pick up her notebook, brushed off the dust, and placed it back on the table.

Tang Qian, who had been indifferent a moment ago, let out a gasp upon hearing Qin Zhaohe’s name. “Who? Qin Zhaohe? The one playing the second female lead in Xia-Xia’s new drama?”

“She might be a ‘resource player,’ but she’s definitely beautiful.” Tang Qian leaned back in her chair, unable to hide her surprise. “An actress like that wouldn’t lack pursuers; why would she be with Xu Liming?”

The other roommate shook her head. “I’m not sure, but when I passed Cherry Blossom Avenue, I happened to see the two of them walking side-by-side. Xu Liming was even wiping away her tears.”

“Before this, Xu Liming wouldn’t speak to any girl except Wanwan. Now that she’s so close to Qin Zhaohe, it would be strange if nothing was going on.”

“Could it be that Qin Zhaohe was depressed from the online comments, and Xu Liming just happened to throw herself at her at the right time to win her over?” Tang Qian guessed.

The other roommate started to speak again: “Or…”

“Enough.” Lin Wan suddenly interrupted her. She picked up her pen with force, her pale pink lips pressed white. “I need to do my homework.”

Seeing her anger, the roommates quickly shut their mouths. They exchanged a look with Tang Qian, packed their things, and tiptoed out of the room.

No one noticed that in a corner where no one cared, a girl’s eyes were hollow. She wiped the corners of her eyes and then curled into a ball to go to sleep.

Lin Wan did not sleep well that night. She was usually an early riser, but tonight she unexpectedly suffered from insomnia.

When one is sleepless, the brain seems to lose control, and many emotions that are usually ignored surge forth.

Xu Liming and Qin Zhaohe dating? She let out a soft scoff, but after the scoff, her mind drifted.

Where did she first meet Xu Liming? It seemed to be at her father’s class reunion. The other girl had appeared at the dinner table with freshly dyed yellow hair, a cigarette in her mouth, and her legs crossed while being scolded by her father.

Lin Wan’s impression of her wasn’t good. Despite coming from a wealthy background, she didn’t look like a girl from a respectable family at all with her hair dyed that color.

Like a little delinquent.

That was why she had been so resistant later when her father mentioned that Xu Sheng was powerful and wealthy and told her to interact more with Xu Liming.

Her father was that kind of person; even though he was a university professor, his behavior was always mercenary, always wanting to use her to climb the social ladder.

Her thoughts strayed too far—she pulled them back to Xu Liming.

Fortunately, when she saw Xu Liming again at school, her hair had been dyed back to a normal black, and she was wearing a blue-and-white school uniform playing ball on the court. She was tall and had a sharp gaze, but her skills were terrible; she ran around for an entire afternoon without even touching the ball.

Later, Lin Wan learned that Xu Liming wasn’t a delinquent; she was just very rebellious and liked to use various behaviors to spite Xu Sheng.

It seemed that from that day on, Xu Liming never left her line of sight. It felt like no matter when she looked back, the girl was lazily leaning on her desk, staring at her with those ink-dark eyes without blinking.

Lin Wan didn’t like it; the feeling of being over-observed was unpleasant, even though she had more admirers than just Xu Liming.

But Xu Liming was undoubtedly the most inseparable and the most conspicuous one.

Even when she later transferred to a private school for the sake of her grades, Xu Liming followed her like a shadow. It was so annoying.

But now, that shadow that followed her every moment was gone.

Lin Wan felt she should feel liberated and lucky, but she didn’t—even if she didn’t want to admit it.

She actually felt… a sense of loss because Xu Liming liked someone else.

It wasn’t just two people who slept poorly because of Xu Liming; Xu Liming herself didn’t sleep well either.

However, it wasn’t because of romance, but because of a stranger’s Weibo. She kept scrolling through those old posts, unable to figure it out.

The fresh Weibo post she had finally seen—how could it have been deleted again in the blink of an eye?!

When Xu Liming climbed out of bed the next morning, there were dark circles under her eyes.

Tao Ning, brushing her teeth with bleary eyes, walked to the foot of her bed. “Xu Liming, what were you doing behind our backs last night to get this exhausted?”

“I time-traveled to become Qin Shi Huang and rule the world,” Xu Liming rambled nonsense.

There was no time to cover the dark circles for an 8:00 AM class, so Xu Liming found a pair of plain glasses to wear before heading out for morning self-study.

The flowers on campus were in full bloom, and the fragrance mixed with the scent of the morning sun filled the air. Many people were taking photos against the rising sun.

Xu Liming slowed her pace to soak in the sun, but a figure flashed by where the floral shadows were thickest. She quickened her pace to catch up.

“Morning!” Xu Liming was happy to run into an acquaintance and reached out to pat Lu Baitian’s shoulder.

She missed.

A jade-white flower petal landed on the back of Xu Liming’s hand. She awkwardly withdrew her hand and walked alongside Lu Baitian, who had instantly shifted her body away.

“The weather is great today.” She tried to find a topic. “Why are you still wearing a jacket? Aren’t you hot?”

Lu Baitian hurried along, clutching her books tightly, and whispered, “Not hot.”

Her legs weren’t that long, but she walked quite fast. Xu Liming looked down at her; the girl was almost at a light run.

“There are still twenty minutes before class. Why are you walking so fast?” Xu Liming grabbed her arm to slow her down, but she accidentally loosened the girl’s grip on her books.

The books tumbled to the ground with a series of thuds.

Xu Liming froze for a moment, said an apologetic “sorry,” and bent down to help her. However, Lu Baitian was faster, snatching the books from her hand and straightening up in an instant.

Xu Liming also slowly stood up. She didn’t touch her again but said somewhat helplessly, “Uh… are you unhappy today?”

Lu Baitian’s body trembled, and she silently bit her lip.

What am I doing? Am I losing my temper at Xu Liming?

Xu Liming is so dazzling; she is worthy of anyone. It could never be you, Lu Baitian.

Xu Liming being in a relationship obviously had nothing to do with her; they weren’t even considered friends. What was she being so awkward about? Was it just because Xu Liming had helped her?

Lu Baitian, taking advantage of someone’s kindness to be willful—how can you be so bad?

“Sorry…” Lu Baitian spoke. She kept her head down, not letting Xu Liming see her reddened eyes.

“I’m feeling a bit unwell today,” she said in a soft, thin voice.

“I’ll be going now.” Lu Baitian turned around and ran off into the shadows of the flowers.

Xu Liming stood there, looking back and then forward, utterly bewildered by what was happening.

She was about to shake her head and keep walking when a figure suddenly appeared in front of her. Long hair draped over her chest, gentle and bright; a short skirt the color of sunshine rivaled the flowers.

“Lin Wan?” Xu Liming leaned back slightly to look at her, intending to turn left to go around.

The figure moved with her, blocking the path once again.

Xu Liming exhaled and pointed at her watch. “I’m going to be late.”

“It doesn’t matter; I’m the one taking attendance,” Lin Wan said. Her eyes narrowed slightly in the sunlight as she looked up at Xu Liming.

Lin Wan is indeed a beauty. I might have been a poor judge of character in my past life, but my aesthetics weren’t bad, Xu Liming thought.

“My dear auntie, the student union checks too, and I don’t want to lose credits.” Xu Liming only wanted to stay away from Lin Wan. She hunched over, planning to slip past, but nearly bumped into Lin Wan’s waist.

Giving up, Xu Liming stood straight with her hands in her pockets, her tone no longer friendly: “What exactly do you want?”

Xu Liming had always been extremely considerate to her in the past. Lin Wan had never been spoken to so harshly by her. She looked up in disbelief, her eyes instantly rimming with red.

“I heard… you’re with Qin Zhaohe?” Lin Wan finally spoke.

“Who?” Xu Liming felt like she was hearing a tall tale. She paused for a half-second and then chuckled. “Qin Zhaohe? Who told you that?”

Lin Wan shifted her gaze and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum, “Others.”

“Nonsense.” Xu Liming shook her head. “I’m busy as hell right now; I don’t have time for a relationship.”

“And whether I’m in a relationship or not, what does it have to do with you, Lin Wan?” Xu Liming asked.

She wasn’t being sarcastic; she was asking with genuine sincerity, which instead caused Lin Wan to flush from her face down to her neck. She couldn’t say a word for a long time.

“Excuse me.” Xu Liming used one finger to poke Lin Wan’s shoulder to push her aside, then strode away.

Xu Liming felt her entire day was bizarre. Lin Wan’s two roommates kept staring at her, then looking down to whisper to each other. She didn’t know if it was bad or good, but it was an uncomfortable feeling.

That was one thing—she didn’t like those people anyway—but what she found most unfathomable was that Lu Baitian seemed to be avoiding her.

Before this, although they didn’t have much interaction, Lu Baitian wouldn’t actually run away every time she approached.

But today was different. Whenever she walked past Lu Baitian’s desk, Lu Baitian would bury her head very, very low. When she intentionally tried to start a conversation, the girl ran faster than a rabbit.

She spent every class break hiding in the restroom, only returning when the bell rang. Even in the evening, the moment the teacher said class was dismissed, Xu Liming looked up only to see the seat in the first row already empty.

Xu Liming wanted to find out what exactly was going on, and at the same time, figure out where that rumor about Qin Zhaohe had come from.

So she called Qin Zhaohe directly: “Hey, want to grab dinner? I have something to ask you.”

On the other end, Qin Zhaohe’s tone rose at the end, as cloying as a hook. “Dinner with me? I’ll have to think about it.”

“Are you paying?” she asked again.

Xu Liming smiled. “Of course.”

“Since the Director is treating, then I, the big star, will reluctantly agree.” Qin Zhaohe laughed coldly and hung up.

Half an hour later, Qin Zhaohe was sitting next to Xu Liming with a sour expression. She looked down at the greasy floor, then at the un-wiped long table, and stood up to leave.

Xu Liming instinctively stretched out her long leg, blocking her path.

“Aren’t you quite wealthy? You treat me to dinner at the cafeteria.” Qin Zhaohe couldn’t step over because she was wearing a pencil skirt, so she could only toss her handbag down and sit with her red lips pursed. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come.”

“I happen to be looking for someone; just bear with it. I’ll treat you to something better next time.” Xu Liming kept glancing toward the entrance.

Qin Zhaohe leaned back, hugging her fair, silky arms, looking as lazy as a cat. “Who are you looking for? A little boyfriend or a little girlfriend?”

“A female friend.” Xu Liming was still craning her neck. “She’s very strange today—her complexion is terrible, and she runs to the restroom every break. She’s been avoiding me all day.”

Seeing no sign of her for now, Xu Liming withdrew her gaze, only to be stopped by Qin Zhaohe’s look, which suggested she was an idiot.

“Are you truly stupid or just acting?” Qin Zhaohe asked, sizing her up in bewilderment. “A girl has a terrible complexion and keeps going to the restroom—you don’t know what that is?”

“What?” Xu Liming asked.

Qin Zhaohe was almost driven to laughter by her. She reached out to touch Xu Liming’s stomach. “I say, Director, do you never get a period?”

“I do,” Xu Liming answered. “It’s a surging tide—heavy flow and punctual.”

“Then you must never have cramps.” Qin Zhaohe pulled a pack of painkillers from her bag and tossed them on the table. “A girl with a bad complexion who keeps running to the restroom—that means her period has arrived.”

Xu Liming looked suspiciously at the pack of painkillers. She indeed didn’t suffer from cramps, so she hadn’t thought of that.

So Lu Baitian is like this because of her period?

“Give her these. There’s a convenience store over there; get some hot milk and sanitary pads or whatever, and you’re good to go.” Qin Zhaohe handed the painkillers to Xu Liming. “Anything else to say?”

Xu Liming didn’t speak. She took advantage of the fact that Lu Baitian hadn’t arrived for her shift yet to go buy a bag of things, then returned to Qin Zhaohe’s side.

“What?!” Qin Zhaohe jumped up. Xu Liming hurriedly reached out to help her straighten her pencil skirt.

“Keep your voice down; the people at the next table are looking over,” Xu Liming said in a low voice. “There are already rumors. If people see us eating together, it’ll be even more trouble.”

“No.” Qin Zhaohe put her hands on her hips, looking like she was about to start scolding. “Which foul-mouthed person is spreading rumors? Me dating you? Am I insane?”

Xu Liming gave a “hey”: “If you’re going to curse, curse them. Why curse me?”

“I’m not saying dating you is humiliating, but I’m currently in a rising phase! I have a contract with my company. Not only dating, but being a lesbian? Do I want to die?” Qin Zhaohe’s lips trembled with anger.

“If I find out who started that rumor, I’ll tear their mouth apart!”

Xu Liming hadn’t expected Qin Zhaohe to have such a spicy personality; she almost wanted to gag her.

“I told you so you could keep an eye out; after all, this kind of thing isn’t good for you. If more rumors spread, we’ll have to find a way to clarify,” Xu Liming soothed.

Qin Zhaohe didn’t lose her anger, but her emotions stabilized a bit. Just then, an inconspicuous figure appeared at the door. Xu Liming stood up and waved: “Baitian!”

Lu Baitian’s foot slipped, and she nearly fell down the steps.

She wanted to leave in embarrassment, but she remembered she had to work, so she could only return silently. After seeing Qin Zhaohe sitting next to Xu Liming, her already poor complexion turned even paler.

“I… I’m going to go clean,” Lu Baitian said softly, quickening her pace.

“Don’t be in such a hurry; I have something to tell you.” Xu Liming patted the table. “Come here.”

Lu Baitian wanted to leave in her heart, but when Xu Liming spoke to her like that, she involuntarily lifted her feet and moved to sit opposite Xu Liming.

Truly spineless.

“Have something to eat together.” Xu Liming smiled gently. “We ordered a lot of food.”

Lu Baitian didn’t speak. She wanted to keep her eyes fixed on the tabletop, but she couldn’t help using her peripheral vision to peek at Qin Zhaohe.

That person was truly exceptionally beautiful—exquisite from head to toe, looking almost unreal.

And herself… Lu Baitian closed her eyes.

However, Qin Zhaohe kept watching her, not only sizing her up but even leaning in to look closer, so close that Lu Baitian couldn’t help but tense up.

“This is the friend you mentioned?” Qin Zhaohe asked Xu Liming. Xu Liming nodded.

“She looks…” Qin Zhaohe’s dark brows furrowed slightly, her eyes still observing.

Lu Baitian gripped her knees. She didn’t want to hear another person’s disparagement; she even wanted to flee right now.

“…Truly beautiful. I haven’t seen such a ‘clean’ face in a long time.”

Qin Zhaohe leaned her bare shoulders forward. Her manicured hand reached for Lu Baitian’s neck, forcing the girl’s chin up.

She said with a grin, “Quickly tell Big Sister—what is your name?”

While Lu Baitian was shocked, alarm bells rang in Xu Liming’s mind. She suddenly remembered a piece of entertainment gossip from her past life—the Best Actress Qin Zhaohe was not straight.

She slapped away Qin Zhaohe’s hand and said with a frown:

“What exactly are you trying to do?”