If the World Had No Daylight - Chapter 11

When December arrived, Bai Tian had no choice but to put on a down jacket.

The south was different from the north. There was no heating indoors, so the classroom was very cold. This made Bai Tian’s desire to skip school even firmer. At every moment, she was ready to seize the chance while Old Baldy Li was not in the classroom, grab her schoolbag, and leave immediately.

But every time this happened, Ye Wan, who sat beside her, would lightly toss over one sentence: “Do you want to remind Teacher Li about putting glass shards on top of the walls?”

And so Bai Tian could only angrily give up, then snatch Liu Ran’s hot-water bottle, making the little fatty stomp around the classroom all day to keep warm.

The next morning, Bai Tian returned the hot-water bottle to Liu Ran and stuck five or six adhesive heat packs onto herself instead.

Seeing her go to such lengths, Ye Wan finally understood just how afraid of the cold she was.

But the classroom had to be ventilated. Otherwise, not only would it smell bad, but it would also be easy to run out of oxygen. Bai Tian, who sat by the window, was miserable. She wished she could paste a big-character poster over the window and seal off the air inlet completely.

When the wind outside the window blew in, Ye Wan also felt a little cold. She turned her head and glanced at Bai Tian, then said meaningfully, “If someone tall sat beside me, they could block the wind for me.”

Bai Tian was lying on the desk, wrapping her head in the hood of her sweatshirt. Hearing this, she turned her head with a dark expression and said sarcastically, “I’m truly sorry for being this short.”

Ye Wan looked at her with a smiling expression and shook her head. “It’s fine. I know you’ve already worked very hard.”

Drinking two cartons of plain milk every day was indeed working very hard.

Bai Tian had originally wanted to clarify that she was only helping Liu Xiaopang get rid of the thing he hated most, but even she herself felt that this sounded very much like an excuse.

Fine. She did indeed also have the mindset of wanting to grow taller.

Whenever this matter was brought up, Bai Tian even suspected that the plain milk the school distributed had been watered down. Why was it not useful at all?

After comparing her height with Ye Wan’s, Bai Tian was overcome with sorrow. Gloomily, she buried her head and prepared to continue sleeping.

Ye Wan looked at the weather outside and helplessly said, “If you sleep in the wind, you’ll catch a cold.”

Bai Tian turned a deaf ear. She still had not cooled down from her anger.

That sharp tongue of Ye Wan’s really could make her so angry every day that she could neither eat nor sleep well.

If only her deskmate were Zhao Yuelan, Bai Tian thought.

That fellow was so tall. She would definitely be able to block the wind.

In the classroom directly downstairs, the person sitting in the last row suddenly sneezed.

This tiny action drew countless sideways glances. The girls all offered concern one after another, and some even handed over tissues and hot water. The boys also teased her, asking if she had gone out stealing cattle in the middle of the night.

Zhao Yuelan accepted the things with a smile and teased them back. The classroom was once again filled with harmonious cheer.

The moment lunch break arrived, Ye Wan disappeared.

Bai Tian did not care much and followed Liu Ran into the noisy cafeteria. Only after eating and drinking her fill did she finally feel much warmer.

After the bell for the first afternoon class rang, Ye Wan finally returned, carrying a pile of materials in her arms.

She did not look like she intended to hand them out. Bai Tian lazily asked, “What’s that?”

Ye Wan stuffed all of them into her desk and answered lightly, “Math Olympiad materials.”

“The capable Class Monitor works hard and wins glory for the school. Truly something worth celebrating.” Bai Tian said this without interest, then propped up her textbook to block the window and began lying down to rest again.

Clearly, Ye Wan did not like participating in this kind of competition from the bottom of her heart, yet she insisted on winning an award to add another brick to the image of an honor student. Bai Tian did not understand what meaning there was in this kind of behavior, nor was she interested in understanding.

Hearing the sarcasm in the other person’s words, Ye Wan did not react much. She turned back to look at the teacher walking in and began carrying out her duties as class monitor.

The next day, Bai Tian had just arrived at school and had not even warmed her seat when Liu Ran ran over excitedly.

“Boss, Boss! Good news, good news!”

“The chips at the small shop are half price?” Bai Tian asked without raising her head.

Liu Ran waved his hand, his voice so excited it almost matched the time he saw Zhao Yuelan.

“No! It’s air conditioning! Air conditioning!”

Bai Tian raised her head, somewhat confused. “Air conditioners are half price?”

Liu Ran rolled his eyes and raised his voice. “The school is installing air conditioners! They’re starting from the junior high division and installing them class by class. Maybe by this afternoon, they’ll reach our senior high division!”

Bai Tian blinked. After digesting this sentence, she asked in disbelief, “Really? That’s a huge amount of money. That stingy ghost of a principal is willing to spend it?”

The junior high division and senior high division together had dozens of classes. Even for the principal, this was a large expense.

One had to know that although No. 7 Middle School had complete facilities and generous scholarships, those had all been left behind by previous principals. Principal Ye was a very calculating person and would absolutely not spend money on anything useless.

During last year’s sports meet, it was said that the first-place winner could receive a notebook, exciting many people. Who knew it really was a notebook—an extra-thick one, enough to write three years of diary entries in.

“Who convinced the principal to do this? They’re practically a genius.” Liu Ran was still talking nonstop in excitement. From today onward, he could say farewell to the life of running five or six times a day to fill up his hot-water bottle, so of course he was happy.

Bai Tian was also very happy. Originally, she had felt that she might not survive this winter. Now it seemed that heaven still wanted to spare her dog life.

The person standing at the back door of the classroom with a schoolbag on her back smiled, then quickly put away her expression and greeted the classmate coming toward her as she walked in.

Liu Ran consciously went back to collecting Chinese homework. After all, their class monitor was basically a time signal. Once she arrived in the classroom, it meant morning self-study would begin in ten minutes.

Seeing her deskmate, Bai Tian rarely took the initiative to say, “Morning.”

Ye Wan raised her brows and smiled in response. “Morning, little shorty.”

Seeing the other person’s face instantly darken, she sat down in a good mood and began preparing to lead the morning reading.

Unfortunately, Ye Wan was destined to miss this morning self-study.

Seeing the person being called away by a text message, Bai Tian felt somewhat puzzled.

The English class representative took over the task of leading the reading. Bai Tian listened to the class dragging out the pronunciation of words for a long time, feeling somewhat restless. Taking advantage of Old Baldy Li not having arrived yet, she quietly slipped out through the back door.

When she passed the doorway of Class C, Bai Tian pretended to glance inside unintentionally but did not see that girl.

A vague guess formed in her heart. She walked downstairs, passed through the flowerbed in front of the teaching building, and headed toward the gymnasium.

When she arrived under the low tree she had seen that day, she did not see anyone. Bai Tian looked around blankly, then suddenly came back to herself.

Why had she come here?

Unable to figure out what she was doing at all, Bai Tian only felt as if something were knotted in her chest. She kicked away a stone by her foot and prepared to return to the classroom.

The phone in her pocket vibrated. Bai Tian took it out and saw a text from Zhao Yuelan.

[I saw you pass by our class. What’s wrong? Are you looking for someone?]

She thought about it, then still sent a message back.

[Did that girl in your class named Lin Qiao not come today?]

The other person quickly replied.

[She came, but she said she wasn’t feeling well and asked for leave to go to the infirmary.]

The infirmary.

Bai Tian held her phone and looked toward the infirmary.

Lin Qiao sat on the edge of the bed. The smell of disinfectant in the air drilled into her nose. She lowered her head, and tears fell patter by patter.

Someone walked over carrying a cup of hot water and handed her some pills. “Take these, then sleep here for a while. The school doctor isn’t here. I already called her. She might be back by next class.”

Lin Qiao raised her head and looked at the other person with tear-filled eyes, then quietly accepted the pills and put them into her mouth.

The other person handed her the water. After watching her drink it, she said, “I have to go back to class. Sleep properly for a while.”

After saying this, she turned and walked toward the infirmary door.

Lin Qiao reached out and grabbed the hem of her clothes, pleading, “Can you stay here with me?”

Ye Wan sighed soundlessly. She turned back around, soothingly patted her hand, and said, “It’s fine. It’s just a psychological effect. The school has already sealed off all information about this matter. Even the dean of students doesn’t know the specific situation. Don’t be afraid.”

Lin Qiao held onto her, tears continuously falling. She murmured, “But the people in class keep looking at me strangely, and even the homeroom teacher treats me differently from before. They must know. They all know.”

She lowered her head and cried as if her heart were breaking.

“What should I do? My dad argues with my mom every day because of this. If they get divorced, will they not want me anymore? Because I’ve already been violated by someone. I’ve brought shame on them and made them unable to raise their heads in front of relatives.”

Ye Wan looked at her and, for a moment, could not find any words that would effectively comfort her.

So she could only step closer, take the person whose face was covered in tears into her arms, and gently pat her back.

“If you can’t hold on, how about going to another school? In January, there will be six slots for exchange students going to England. I’ll help you fight for one.”

Lin Qiao hugged her waist. Hearing this, she tightened her arms even more forcefully and said firmly, “No.”

“Why? If this place is causing you so much pain, only changing environments can let you breathe.”

The girl leaned against her lower abdomen and said softly, “…But I don’t want to leave you.”

Ye Wan paused, then heard the other person continue, “Can you stay with me forever? If I don’t have you, I really don’t know how I’ll go on living…”

At the infirmary door, the person who had been standing there for a long while held her phone, then silently turned and left.

Ye Wan noticed nothing. She thought for a moment, then crouched down, looking up at the girl who was still crying continuously, and said softly, “Lin Qiao, you need to understand one thing.”

“I’m not your family. I helped you when you were hurt because this was something I could do. As for other things, if I can’t do them, then I truly am powerless.”

Lin Qiao stared blankly into her eyes. An emotion even harder to describe than sadness surged up, and she could not help saying, “But you’re the only person I can ask for help. If you leave me too…”

“Lin Qiao.” Ye Wan interrupted her and continued patiently, “Your current dependence on me is only a manifestation of post-traumatic stress disorder. Once you get through this hurdle, I’ll be insignificant to you. You don’t truly need me to stay with you. What you need is to come out of this, and then keep living.”

The crying person shook her head and said desperately, “No, that’s not true. I really can’t be without you…”

Ye Wan looked at her. The things deep within her eyes shed their cover and revealed themselves.

She asked, “Do you like me?”

Lin Qiao froze slightly, then nodded.

But Ye Wan smiled, shook her head, and said, “Lin Qiao, this isn’t liking someone.”

After smiling, she put away that false gentleness and raised her brows. “Can you kiss me? Sleep with me?”

Without waiting for the other person to answer, Ye Wan stood up. She placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder, then gently pushed, pushing her down onto the bed.

Ye Wan bent down, pressing over the girl’s body. She clasped her hand and pushed it above her head, using her other hand to undo the buttons at the girl’s collar.

Faced with this sudden change, Lin Qiao froze. She watched the face before her reveal an unfamiliar expression as Ye Wan deftly undid her clothes, then moved downward toward the school pants at her waist.

“No!”

Lin Qiao shoved her away violently.

The person who had been pushed away was not angry. She calmly tidied the slightly wrinkled clothes on herself, then slowly raised her head. Meeting those panicked eyes, she revealed a smile.

“See? You don’t actually like me.”