I Miss You Even in the Daytime [Rebirth GL] - Chapter 25

Lu Baitian was still an innocent child; she couldn’t handle the antics of a “succubus” like Qin Zhaohe.

A red mark immediately appeared on the back of Qin Zhaohe’s well-proportioned hand. She hissed, pulling her hand back to rub it, and gave Xu Liming a sharp glare. “What was that for?”

“Aren’t you friends? Why care so much?” Qin Zhaohe elegantly rolled her eyes, then turned to Lu Baitian with a charming smile. “Little sister, have you considered changing majors?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve been on film sets since I was a kid. I’ve seen hundreds, if not thousands, of beauties. Your look is very unique; it’s only buried because you don’t know how to dress up.”

Qin Zhaohe’s fingertips slid down Lu Baitian’s hair, hooking onto the hair tie as if to undo it. Terrified, Lu Baitian grabbed her hair back with both hands and scrambled to her feet.

“Sorry, Senior, I—I have to work. Auntie Fang is calling me.” Lu Baitian’s face was burning hot. She bowed to Qin Zhaohe and ran off as fast as her legs could carry her.

Qin Zhaohe laughed behind her hand, her red lips contrasting with her pearly teeth—a vision of red and white.

Xu Liming stood up, holding her bag, and scolded as she left, “Look at you, you scared her.”

Then she strode off to catch up.

Lu Baitian was busily spinning around in the cramped storage room, picking up a mop one second and a rag the next, hardly knowing what she was doing. After a moment, she fell into a daze, forgetting she was supposed to be working.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Lu Baitian paused, then opened the door just a crack to look out.

Xu Liming was standing outside. She was wearing a camisole made of a material Lu Baitian didn’t recognize but knew must be expensive. Her white sneakers looked brand new, stepping right onto the greasy floor that hadn’t been mopped clean yet.

“I have something for you.” Xu Liming lifted a large bag to her chest.

Her narrow eyes looked down at the girl; the smooth lines of her collarbone and shoulder muscles were faintly visible, and the jade pendant at her chest hung near the edge of her top.

Even a glance was overwhelming enough to make one’s heart race. Lu Baitian’s hand on the door went weak; she wanted to open the door wider but felt it wasn’t right.

Qin Zhaohe was still outside. If those two were really together, this might cause a misunderstanding for Xu Liming.

While she hesitated, Xu Liming shoved the bag through the crack. Lu Baitian nearly dropped it, her waist bending under the heavy weight.

“Is it your period? I bought you brown sugar ginger tea, hot milk, snacks, and pads.” Xu Liming struggled to reach her hand through the gap, pulling out a pink package of pads.

“The water you use for the floor is freezing; I bought gloves too.” Xu Liming felt she was being a particularly thoughtful friend. “And a thermos, so you can make the ginger tea.”

Lu Baitian stared at the items in the bag in surprise. Only then did she realize Xu Liming had completely misunderstood.

She gripped the bag awkwardly. “Um, it’s not… I’m not on my period…”

That Qin Zhaohe and her meddling advice.

Xu Liming gave a soft “Ah,” looked down for a second, then stuffed the pads into her own pocket and pushed the rest toward Lu Baitian.

She adapted smoothly: “It’s fine. You’re feeling unwell, you’ll find a use for the other things.”

Lu Baitian took the items blankly. The two fell into silence across the doorway. Outside was the noisy, crowded cafeteria; inside was the greasy, stuffy storage room.

Lu Baitian struggled for a long time before lifting her eyes to look at Xu Liming, her lips parting slightly. “Xu Liming, you should go eat. It’s dirty in here.”

“And… Senior is waiting for you.” Lu Baitian tried to muster a smile.

Xu Liming looked back at Qin Zhaohe, not quite understanding. “Let her wait. The food isn’t ready anyway.”

“But you two… it’s not good, she’ll get angry.” Lu Baitian was worried Xu Liming would be blamed, so she urged her.

“Let her be angry, what’s it to—” Xu Liming stopped mid-sentence as it finally clicked. “Lu Baitian, you didn’t hear that rumor about me and Qin Zhaohe being together too, did you?”

The tip of Lu Baitian’s nose began to turn red in the dim light, and Xu Liming knew she had guessed correctly.

“That’s all nonsense, why would you believe that?” Xu Liming was almost laughing out of frustration. “Which bastard told you that?”

“Liu… Liu Xiaoyan…” Lu Baitian replied. While feeling a surge of relief, she wished she could jump into an oil barrel so Xu Liming wouldn’t see her face, which was now a deep shade of crimson.

Xu Liming isn’t in a relationship.

Lu Baitian couldn’t suppress her happiness. Though she didn’t dare show it, her brightening eyes gave everything away.

She felt so embarrassed—she had misunderstood Xu Liming and even given her the cold shoulder. Fortunately, Xu Liming didn’t seem to mind.

Lu Baitian gathered the things Xu Liming had bought into her arms. She looked around for a place to put them, but seeing the floor was too dirty, she straightened up and held them tight to her chest.

“Um, don’t come in, it’s really dirty inside.” She tried to slow her speech so Xu Liming wouldn’t notice anything unusual. “Thank you for the things.”

Xu Liming glanced inside suspiciously but didn’t overthink it. She smiled. “Good, as long as you can use them. I’ll go eat now.”

The figure blocking the doorway moved away. The cafeteria light spilled into the gap, illuminating a dreamlike swirl of dust motes.

“Xiao Lu, why are you so slow today?” Auntie Fang poked her head in from the kitchen. “If you don’t hurry up, I’m docking your pay!”

Lu Baitian turned back with the items, calling out, “Auntie, I’m coming!”

Auntie Fang’s eyes landed on the items in her arms. She squeezed through the door with a grin, reaching out to take them. “Aiya, did a boy you like buy these for you? Let Auntie put them in the back kitchen for you!”

“No.” Lu Baitian turned her body, not letting Auntie Fang touch them. “It’s… it’s a friend.”

Auntie Fang’s eyelids lifted in a teasing expression. “Cherishing them this much? Just a friend?”

Lu Baitian nodded vigorously.

“Well, that’s rare. I haven’t seen our Xiao Lu bring a friend around yet. Next time, bring them to my dorm, and I’ll make dumplings for you both!” Auntie Fang laughed heartily and walked away.

Lu Baitian’s face turned red as she whispered a thank you. But the staff dorms at Huachuan were so cramped and small—Xu Liming probably wouldn’t want to go, would she?

Lu Baitian’s gaze dimmed slightly.

As the spring blossoms bloomed and faded, the day of the midterm check-in quickly approached.

The entire campus was immersed in the atmosphere of the Drama Festival. Giant posters were set up along Cherry Blossom Avenue, with each competing work having its own square meter of promotional space.

Xu Liming had specifically paid a premium for a photographer to take expressive headshots of every crew member. Right in the center was Qin Zhaohe.

She was wearing a sharp black suit, looking down at the world with a dragon-headed cane in her right hand and a photograph in her left. The person in the photograph was an enlarged, serious-looking Xu Liming, with the caption: Director.

Actually, if one had to define the style, Comma had written a black absurdist comedy. However, Xu Liming didn’t want to reveal the content too early, so she chose a quirky, eccentric style for the promotion.

By playing the fool and staying under the radar, she hoped to pull off a surprise victory in the final judging.

Next to them, the poster for Red Sun was much more conventional. In the center stood Xia Qie in a qipao, holding a book and looking up at the rising sun. Even more eye-catching than the lead’s photo was Lin Wan’s name, printed almost as large as the play’s title.

To promote the festival and drum up student enthusiasm, the university set up a “Little Red Flower” event. Every student could use their campus card to collect a sticker and place it on the poster of the play they supported.

By the second day, a steady stream of students came to vote. When Xu Liming passed by, she took a peek; undoubtedly, Lin Wan and Xia Qie’s play was the most popular, their poster covered in flowers. There wasn’t even enough room at the bottom, so people were using ladders to stick flowers at the very top, creating a sea of red.

In contrast, Xu Liming’s poster next to it had only a handful of flowers—and those were mostly from the crew mobilising their own friends and family.

A bunch of people with no taste, Xu Liming thought, chin up and hands in her pockets.

Suddenly, laughter rang out as a large group of people approached from the end of the avenue. Leading them was Lin Wan, listening with a smile to her team members.

“I told you, with our Wanwan and Xia Qie’s fame, Red Sun would definitely have the most supporters.” Tang Qian couldn’t stop smiling. “When I passed by this morning, I thought the poster was on fire, there were so many red flowers.”

“Even setting aside fame, our group is the strongest, right?” the junior male actor chimed in. “Our mentor has led three Drama Festivals. He says based on our script and the maturity of our actors, we’re well ahead of the other groups.”

Lin Wan glanced at him and said softly, “Keep it down, Senior. The midterm check hasn’t even started; there might be better works out there.”

Tang Qian suddenly hooked her arm into Lin Wan’s and giggled. “Well, at the very least, compared to someone’s work, we’re miles ahead.”

“I asked Teacher Yang yesterday how Xu Liming’s rehearsals were going. He said he’s only visited twice, and just looking at that patchwork cast, he knew it was a lost cause. Aside from Qin Zhaohe, there isn’t a single serious Acting major.”

Tang Qian’s tone was smug. “That’s what she gets for deserting our group and making us find a new rehearsal space. I can’t wait to see her make a fool of herself.”

As they spoke, they stepped out from the shade and saw Xu Liming standing straight in the sunlight, her body shimmering slightly.

Xu Liming was dressed rather flashily today—a champagne-colored low-neck shirt tucked into suit trousers that subtly outlined her legs in the wind. She wore a diamond stud in one ear, reflecting the sunlight into a small patch of color.

Their words naturally reached Xu Liming’s ears. The group slowed down, and the area grew quiet except for the rustling of the leaves.

“Hi,” Lin Wan greeted her. She looked at Xu Liming, her hand instinctively tightening on her bag strap.

“Mhm,” Xu Liming replied as a form of acknowledgment. She continued admiring the poster she had made, treating the group as if they were thin air.

The photography, the layout, the looks—this is art. Xu Liming pulled out her phone to take a photo for memory’s sake.

It seemed people with grievances shared a magnetic field. Just as Xu Liming pressed the shutter, another figure emerged from the leafy corridor.

Lu Baitian stopped when she saw the crowd, her gaze extending until she saw Xu Liming.

Tang Qian had an idea. She suddenly flashed a bright smile, ran to Lu Baitian, and grabbed her hand, dragging her toward the posters. Lu Baitian couldn’t pull away and was stumbled into the sunlight.

The blinding light made her skin look transparent. Amidst everyone’s stares, Lu Baitian clutched her backpack awkwardly, wanting to leave.

“Baitian, why are you running?” Tang Qian smiled sweetly and gave her a push forward. “You haven’t stuck your Little Red Flower yet, have you? Since you’re here, hurry up and do it.”

Tang Qian knew Xu Liming had been close to Lu Baitian lately, so she wanted to see if Xu Liming would still be so smug after seeing Lu Baitian “betray” her.

Lu Baitian had always been submissive to them, likely because of Lin Wan. No matter how those three treated her, she never said a word.

“Qianqian.” Lin Wan shook her head and tried to take Tang Qian’s hand, but Tang Qian gave her a reassuring wink.

“Lu Baitian, why are you frozen? We’re roommates; shouldn’t roommates help each other?” She stared at Lu Baitian, her words laced with meaning. “Don’t forget, we have three more years to live together.”

Lu Baitian’s shoulders trembled. She stared at the flame-red poster and pulled out her Little Red Flower. In the sunlight, the petals looked like dripping blood, winding into a strange crimson river on her retina.

Hearing this blatant threat, Xu Liming’s brows furrowed. She put her phone in her pocket, her eyes landing on the flower in Lu Baitian’s fingertips.

I can’t let Lu Baitian live with these people anymore. They dare to act like this in public; who knows how they bully her in private.

“Baitian,” Xu Liming said suddenly. As Lu Baitian paused, Xu Liming brushed past her and plucked the flower from her fingers.

Xu Liming’s intention was to stick the flower on Lin Wan’s poster for her. After all, Lu Baitian still had to face those people alone for a while; she wanted to avoid unnecessary conflict for her. A single flower didn’t matter—quality was what counted in drama.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the flower was taken, the thin figure spun around like the wind.

With a sharp pa, the Little Red Flower was stuck firmly onto Xu Liming’s name.