Picked Up the Female Lead When She Was Young (GL) - Chapter 31

Xia Wanshuang had initially thought that the Xu Ning matter was closed, and she could start looking for the next tenant. She never expected Xu Ning to suddenly contact her the next day while the four of them were out playing.

“Holy cow, that jerk dares to call again?” Lin Qiushui rolled up his sleeves, ready to take the phone and start cursing on Xia Wanshuang’s behalf, but she raised her hand to stop him.

“Student Xia, my desire to rent the apartment is genuine. I can offer you double the market price. If I accidentally offended you and your sister yesterday, I apologize.”

“I don’t need your apology. I’m not renting to you. Please find someone else.” Xia Wanshuang said and immediately hung up and blocked his number.

The call completely ruined Xia Wanshuang’s interest in finding another tenant. She decided not to rent it out at all. After all, they would be moving there in a little over a year. She would just decorate it to her liking and hire someone to clean it regularly.

“I’m going to go curse him out again… Shoot… I forgot he blocked me!” Lin Qiushui had fought with Xu Ning until midnight the night before, only to discover he was blocked when he was ready to pull an all-nighter.

“You’re an idiot for wasting your time on him. Just ignore him. The movie seems to be starting.” Zhao Tianhang tapped Lin Qiushui’s forehead and changed the subject.

It was Sunday. The four of them had planned to go out together. They had just finished lunch and were looking for a relaxing afternoon activity. After failing to find anything particularly interesting, they decided to go to the movies.

There were two screenings playing soon: a romance and a suspense thriller. Lin Qiushui wanted to see the suspense one, and Xia Wanshuang, who was preparing her crime fiction novel, also wanted to see it. Zhou Qinglang naturally followed her sister, and Zhao Tianhang was fine with anything, so they bought tickets for the nearest suspense screening.

When the announcement for their theater came, Lin Qiushui enthusiastically went in first. They had bought seats right next to each other, so the four sat together with four cups of cola and two buckets of popcorn.

Xia Wanshuang had just glanced at the synopsis. The movie was called The Trace. The poster was gloomy and looked very depressing.

Xia Wanshuang expected the movie’s tone to be dark, but the very first shot was of a shimmering lake at sunrise. The water reflected the light, making the scene bright. A blue and white dress gently swayed on the water, and a scream opened the movie.

Lin Qiushui jumped at the scream and grabbed Zhao Tianhang’s hand. Zhao Tianhang was holding his cola and almost spilled it on himself.

The body was pulled from the lake, and the director even showed a close-up that almost required censorship, which made Lin Qiushui reach for Zhao Tianhang’s hand again. Zhao Tianhang, learning from the previous experience, immediately pulled back.

Lin Qiushui then shifted his target to Zhou Qinglang, but his grasp missed, because Zhou Qinglang was holding Xia Wanshuang’s hand with one hand and using the other to feed her popcorn, positioning herself so that she was shading Xia Wanshuang with her body.

Lin Qiushui was defeated by this display of sister-complex-to-the-extreme. He grabbed his own hands and continued watching the movie. Xia Wanshuang was engrossed in the film, eating whatever Zhou Qinglang fed her.

The corpse pulled from the lake was a ninth-grade student from the local middle school, bearing multiple wounds, suggesting she had suffered inhumane treatment before death. Xia Wanshuang deeply hated school bullying, especially since she had died because of it in her past life. The ignorance of children was the greatest form of malice. Its purity of evil was what made it so chilling. There were no necessary reasons, no conflict of interest—just treating others as objects to vent feelings on, casually trampling on dignity and life.

In the film, the police initially concluded the girl drowned, and the school claimed the student committed suicide due to excessive academic pressure. The obvious signs of violence on the student’s body were a point of suspicion, but the school simply stated the student had poor physique and often bumped into things during P.E., suggesting it wasn’t worth a deep investigation. The classmates remained silent, and what was even more ironic was that the deceased’s parents ignored the marks on the body, rushing to bury her.

The protagonist was a newly appointed, passionate police officer who wanted to investigate the case thoroughly. However, the deceased definitely drowned, and no other evidence could be found. Coupled with the parents’ reconciliation with the school, the case seemed destined to be closed as a suicide without a proper conclusion.

But the protagonist felt it couldn’t be suicide. According to the school’s surveillance video, the deceased was carefully counting her money at an 11 p.m. convenience store, hesitantly buying a chocolate. She was happy while eating it, so she couldn’t have suddenly thrown herself into the lake.

The plot was fast-paced. Zhou Qinglang was also captivated. She missed the popcorn and poked her finger into Xia Wanshuang’s mouth. Xia Wanshuang unconsciously sucked on it, biting Zhou Qinglang’s finger.

Both girls were startled. Zhou Qinglang withdrew her finger, feeling a strange numbness and itchiness in her heart. She couldn’t describe the sensation, only that the place where she was bitten felt hot and swollen, though a visual check showed nothing amiss.

Xia Wanshuang didn’t notice the little episode. The movie was introducing the protagonist’s past. It turned out the protagonist had also been a victim of school bullying, which was why he wanted to become stronger, went to the police academy, and hoped to help more people. The protagonist insisted the deceased would not commit suicide and, remembering his professor’s lesson on trace evidence, continued the investigation.

He persuaded the parents to allow an autopsy. The parents favored their son and weren’t very attentive to their eldest daughter. To them, supporting her through middle school was enough. They only felt embarrassed by her drowning. The protagonist used financial incentive as bait, telling the parents that if it were proven to be murder, the school and the killer would have to pay more compensation. The parents were swayed. The depiction and satire of reality were vivid and chilling.

The autopsy showed the deceased did drown, seemingly offering no breakthrough. But the protagonist refused to give up, pleading with the forensic doctor to check more carefully. Someone asked the protagonist why he was so persistent. He replied that no one in the world cared about the truth of the girl’s death—not her friends, teachers, or parents—but he did. Restoring the truth was his duty.

Xia Wanshuang was quite moved. Even after the popcorn in her mouth was gone, she unconsciously licked the tip of Zhou Qinglang’s finger. Zhou Qinglang’s finger was sweet from the popcorn. The soft moisture enveloping the fingertip completely distracted Zhou Qinglang, causing her heart to race unexpectedly.

The result of her distraction was that the movie ended. She knew the truth was uncovered, but she couldn’t recall how it was found, leaving her in a daze.

“Good thing the protagonist was clever, or that girl would have been ruled a suicide.” Lin Qiushui said with emotion. Zhao Tianhang nodded in agreement.

“I can’t believe she died in a toilet. I thought it was a bathtub.” The deceased had died in a toilet bowl. The bully had held her head down in the flushing toilet as an act of humiliation, pressing the flush button and laughing at the deceased’s distress. Unable to move, the deceased choked on the water and died, and her body was later dumped in the lake.

“Did that middle school look like it had bathtubs?” Xia Wanshuang mentally noted the details and continued discussing with Zhao Tianhang and Lin Qiushui, but she noticed Zhou Qinglang was unusually quiet.

“Langlang, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“She died a terrible death. That person was just too much.” Zhou Qinglang spoke, though in fact, she hadn’t remembered who the killer was, still caught up in the feeling on her finger.

“That’s why you should never, ever bully people.” Xia Wanshuang concluded. She felt quite confident in Lin Qiushui. Although he looked fierce, he didn’t do bad things. The last time he got into a fight was because someone was stealing bras from the girls’ dormitory, and he beat the guy up.

“Exactly why a seemingly good guy like Zhao Tianhang is the worst! But the ending was too frustrating—the killer was a minor and protected by juvenile law!” Lin Qiushui summarized a second time, upset because the killer was the class’s top student, the teacher’s darling, and the school board chairman’s daughter.

“Lin Qiushui, do you not want to copy my homework anymore?”

“My dearest Hanghang, you are beautiful, kind-hearted, handsome, and charming. Anyone who dares to call you two-faced or a hypocrite, I’ll deal with them first!” Lin Qiushui immediately corrected himself, speaking passionately.

Xia Wanshuang watched them goof off, feeling her mood lighten after the depressing movie.

••••

Zhou Qinglang was still thinking about her finger. She rubbed her fingertip, still feeling an odd sensation, as if the hand wasn’t hers anymore.

“Langlang, is your hand bothering you?” Xia Wanshuang noticed Zhou Qinglang kept fussing with her finger and asked curiously.

“I feel a bit weak.” Zhou Qinglang answered truthfully. Even her wrist felt a little soft.

“Let me see.” Xia Wanshuang took Zhou Qinglang’s hand. On the surface, nothing seemed wrong; it looked completely normal. “It seems fine. Did this happen suddenly? Do you feel anything else is wrong? Should we go to the hospital?” Xia Wanshuang started fussing. Whenever it came to the kids, the ‘Mother Xia’ persona was activated.

“Sister, lend me your finger.”

Zhou Qinglang took Xia Wanshuang’s hand and brought it to her lips. Zhou Qinglang tentatively bit one of Xia Wanshuang’s fingers, lightly grinding it with her teeth.

“That tickles.” Xia Wanshuang didn’t know what she was up to, only that her finger was extremely ticklish, making her whole arm feel a little numb.

“Sister, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?” Like a racing heart? Zhou Qinglang looked at Xia Wanshuang expectantly, waiting for her answer.

“Your finger is a bit dirty, it has a lot of germs.” Xia Wanshuang shook her head. Other than feeling a little like laughing, she felt nothing.

Zhou Qinglang wanted to lick it again and ask, but she heard a burst of laughter.

“Zhou Qinglang, how old are you, still sucking on fingers? Hahahaha!” Lin Qiushui mocked mercilessly, convinced that Zhou Qinglang was fundamentally an elementary school student.

“At least when I want to, I have something to eat, while when you want to, you only have farts to eat.” Zhou Qinglang wasn’t sucking on her own finger; she was sucking on Xia Wanshuang’s. She wasn’t embarrassed at all, brazenly showing off her sister.

“It’s just a finger, who doesn’t have one?” Lin Qiushui grabbed Zhao Tianhang’s hand and shoved it into his mouth, taking a symbolic bite before spitting it out with a “Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey.”

Zhao Tianhang leisurely wiped the saliva onto Lin Qiushui’s clothes, smiling.

“Lin Qiushui, you just lost your homework.”

“Bro, I’m sorry! Shuangshuang, save me!”

“You should do your own homework.” Teacher Xia spoke calmly.

“You guys are going too far!”

“We can go further.” Zhao Tianhang curved his lips and exchanged a glance with Xia Wanshuang.

••••

In Xia Wanshuang’s living room, Lin Qiushui clutched his homework, looking miserable as the three of them surrounded him.

“Are you really going to treat a fragile, weak boy like this?”

“Write.” Zhou Qinglang slammed a pen down, wasting no more words on him.

“Ask me for Chinese and History. Ask Tianhang and Langlang for Math, English, Physics, and Chemistry. You can look up the answers for Political Science yourself. Finish it all within three hours. Start.” Xia Wanshuang spoke like an examination proctor, looked at the clock, and called out, “Start.”

Under the watchful eyes of his three childhood friends, Lin Qiushui buried his head in his homework.

Although she was living a second life, Xia Wanshuang’s grades were, somewhat shamefully, only in the top five, not the top three, where Zhao Tianhang and Zhou Qinglang consistently placed. Xia Wanshuang had been a liberal arts student for a long time in her previous life, and subjects like physics, chemistry, and biology hadn’t been seen in years. Her thought processes were fixed and less adaptable than the children who hadn’t studied those subjects before.

As for Zhou Qinglang and Zhao Tianhang, they were truly worthy of being the pillars of the world. Zhao Tianhang’s grades were consistently at the top since childhood; Xia Wanshuang had only managed to snatch first place from him in elementary school. Zhou Qinglang was even more impressive, skipping grades and keeping up with the pace, learning incredibly fast.

Lin Qiushui was the least dedicated to studying among the three of them, but he was quite intelligent. In Xia Wanshuang’s view, he was a smart kid who was unwilling to apply himself, and with a little push, he could definitely get good grades. However, Lin Qiushui had been focused on playing since he was little, and his parents didn’t care how he did in school. But Xia Wanshuang and the others wouldn’t stand by.

Lin Qiushui was incredibly slow. The result was that even with dinner time included, six hours later, he still hadn’t finished his homework. Weekend homework was already quite a lot, and piled up with Lin Qiushui’s tendency to get distracted, it took even longer.

“It’s getting late. Why don’t you two head back now.” Xia Wanshuang checked the time; it was already 11 p.m. Since they didn’t have a guest room or extra beds, and the sofa wasn’t big enough for two, it wasn’t good for the two boys to stay out so late.

“It is getting late.” Zhou Qinglang nodded in agreement. Go on, get out, you two big lamps.

“Okay!” Lin Qiushui immediately packed his bag, extremely happy.

“You’re coming to my house. I’ll watch you finish this homework.” Zhao Tianhang straightened his clothes and smiled sweetly at Lin Qiushui.

“Zhao, you old dog! I should never have left the house today! I’d rather stay home and watch Balala the Fairies with An’an!”

“Let’s go, little fairy.” Zhao Tianhang grabbed Lin Qiushui’s backpack, and the two left Xia Wanshuang’s apartment, bickering all the way.

“Be careful on the road.” Xia Wanshuang reminded them and closed the door.

“Is your hand still uncomfortable?” Xia Wanshuang suddenly asked. Zhou Qinglang hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. When they left the movie theater that afternoon, Xia Wanshuang had thought about taking Zhou Qinglang to the hospital if her hand was still bothering her, but Zhou Qinglang’s hand felt fine as soon as they left the theater, so they went home instead.

“That’s good.” Zhou Qinglang nodded, suppressing the strange feeling that rose in her heart.

How to describe it? The moment her sister asked, that peculiar sensation seemed to surge in her chest again, as if her heart was being squeezed yet simultaneously singing a cheerful song. Zhou Qinglang was still young then and didn’t dwell on it. She just let this small episode of her life sink into the river of time. It wasn’t until much later, when she abruptly looked back, that she realized some things had been subtly manifesting for a long time.

••••

After Xia Wanshuang showered, she was chatting with Jiang Wan. Jiang Wan said her editor still hadn’t given up, convinced that she was Er You.

When Xia Wanshuang logged into QQ, she found that Zhu Xue had indeed sent her messages earlier.

[Editor Zhu Xue]: You You! I think I saw you on the street! Are you really not in Haicheng?!

[Editor Zhu Xue]: You You! Do you have a twin sister or something?

[Editor Zhu Xue]: I might have found your long-lost biological sister!

Xia Wanshuang thought for a moment and replied.

[Er You]: I am not in Haicheng.

In the coffee shop, Song Zhuxue suddenly looked up, confirmed that the gentle woman on the other side of the wall was busy with a discussion and didn’t have time to reply to her messages.

[Editor Zhu Xue]: Then it must be someone who looks exactly like you. It’s just too much of a coincidence that your names are the same.

Because Song Zhuxue had paid close attention to Er You initially, she was very familiar with both Er You’s appearance and name. That person looked so much like Er You, and their names were the same. For them not to be the same person was incredibly coincidental.

[Editor Zhu Xue]: But are you really not coming to the author conference at the end of the year?

[Er You]: I’m not going.

Xia Wanshuang didn’t want people digging into her past. If people found out she had written a palace intrigue drama in the fifth grade, it could cause a sensation, and she didn’t want that kind of headline attached to her.

Xia Wanshuang messaged Jiang Wan that she had handled it, then opened her book and continued writing her outline and setting details.

The weekend passed in a flash. When Xia Wanshuang went to class the next day, the sports representative announced during the break that the Sports Meet was about to begin and encouraged everyone to sign up.

The atmosphere brightened with the news, but Xia Wanshuang had no intention of signing up for anything. It wasn’t because she was unwilling, but because of her chest pain. When running, her chest would bounce, and the friction and pain were something Xia Wanshuang didn’t want to experience. However, she could try to sign up for the high jump or long jump.

As the class monitor, Xia Wanshuang was expected to take the lead. So, she raised her hand and asked the sports rep to sign her up for the long jump.

“Sorry, Class Monitor, someone just signed up for the long jump. Pick something else.” The sports rep, Zhou Ying, was a tall, thin girl with darker skin. She trained in sports and had volunteered to be the sports committee member at the start of the eighth grade.

“Then I’ll sign up for the high jump.”

“That’s taken, too.”

Xia Wanshuang frowned involuntarily. It was just announced a few minutes ago. Students are really quick.

“Then sign me up for the shot put?”

“Class Monitor, I want to sign up for the shot put. You look pretty delicate and not very strong. Every event at the sports meet earns points, and this is for our collective honor. You know I’m a straightforward person, so don’t take offense, okay?” Zhou Ying’s smile looked open and cheerful. She flexed the muscles on her arm, demonstrating that she was truly strong.

“Are there any other events besides running?”

“Class Monitor, are your feet bothering you? You seem to walk fine.”

“I have a slight health issue, so I can’t sign up for running.” Xia Wanshuang remained polite. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but the sports rep’s attitude seemed subtle. However, on the surface, the other person’s logic made sense.

“Oh, I see. Then don’t participate. After all, Class Monitor, you look so delicate and you’re our class goddess. If you accidentally get hurt, how many people would worry? Besides, the sports meet isn’t a joke; it’s our collective honor. If your score is too low, it’s better to let another student go.” Zhou Ying maintained her candid demeanor and even seemed to find her words humorous.

“You’re unbelievable. The Class Monitor is consistently in the top ten in the grade, and she’s won countless essay competitions. Last time, she represented our class in the English competition and beat the other class. Why do you think she can’t perform when it comes to this honor? Why don’t you sign yourself up for everything?”

Lin Qiushui hadn’t slept well and was catching up on sleep. The commotion in the class woke him up, and he heard every word Zhou Ying said. He sneered and spoke out.

Lin Qiushui’s comment made some students feel that something wasn’t right.

“The Class Monitor wants to contribute to the class, too. Sports Rep, what you said was a bit too much.”

“It was just a joke! How was it too much? And I’m being honest; I’m worried about the Class Monitor, so I told her not to participate.” Zhou Ying shrugged, looking innocent.

“Student Zhou, do you like to drink green tea?”

“Huh? I guess so.” The definition of ‘green tea’ (as a subtle insult for a manipulative woman) hadn’t emerged yet, leaving the students confused.

“I have a friend who is also very outspoken and candid. She seems sunny and cheerful, likes to act chummy with boys, even hanging on their shoulders and calling them brothers. She doesn’t keep her distance even when her ‘bros’ get girlfriends. She always likes to hurt others under the pretense of being funny and particularly despises girls who look pure, especially ‘campus goddesses,’ thinking they’re being overly pretentious and just acting delicate. My friend really loves to drink green tea, so I thought you might like it too.”

Xia Wanshuang spoke a long sentence, but her pace was unhurried, her articulation clear, and her face held a smile. Coupled with the slightly astonished look at the end of her statement, it was impossible to tell she was insulting someone.

This was essentially the later definition of a ‘tomboy bitch’ (a girl who uses her ‘tough girl’ image to manipulate others). When Xia Wanshuang was in grad school, a roommate was exactly like this and constantly badmouthed ‘green tea bitches,’ showing great hostility toward Xia Wanshuang. Xia Wanshuang, being an internet user, retorted fiercely and moved out, never encountering such a person again until now.

“Pfft, hahahahaha! I think the Sports Rep must really love green tea!” Lin Qiushui burst into loud laughter, giving Xia Wanshuang a thumbs-up. Shuangshuang usually seemed so gentle and good-tempered, but sometimes she could be truly unexpected.

Whispers started in the class, and some people were also laughing.

“Now that the Class Monitor mentions it, I remember. Our Sports Rep does like to call herself ‘brother’ with boys. She messes up her ‘bros’ relationships with their girlfriends and pretends to be innocent, saying they’re just ‘bros,’ even lecturing the girls. She has no self-awareness.”

“I’m guessing she’s just jealous of the Class Monitor’s beauty. That sounds so sour. She thinks no one cares about the Class Monitor, but no one cares about her, that’s for sure.”

“Class Monitor, what do you mean? I didn’t say anything wrong. Do you have to insult me like that?” Zhou Ying’s face flushed crimson, looking extremely aggrieved.

“What’s going on here? I could hear you all arguing from the door.”

“Teacher, the Class Monitor wanted to participate in the sports meet, but she said she wasn’t feeling well, so I suggested she shouldn’t. It’s for our collective honor, and I was only thinking about the class’s points. But the Class Monitor just insulted me. Can good grades give you the right to discriminate against poor students? Do you have to criticize me for getting along well with boys? And doesn’t the Class Monitor always hang out with two boys herself?” Zhou Ying spoke rapidly, rattling off her accusations first, stunning the students.

“What are you trying to imply?” Lin Qiushui stood up, dropping his usual casual demeanor, his expression icy.

The class teacher was also bewildered. She knew Xia Wanshuang wasn’t the type of student to discriminate against others based on grades; she even proactively helped and shared study tips. Her character was excellent, so how could she insult someone?

“Teacher, Student Zhou Ying’s reading comprehension isn’t very good, so she misinterpreted the meaning. I only asked her if she liked to drink green tea.”

“Exactly, exactly! The Class Monitor only asked her if she liked to drink green tea.”

“I think she really likes it.”

“Green tea is quite good.” The confused class teacher echoed the sentiment.

Zhou Ying stomped her foot, threw down the sign-up sheet, and ran out of the classroom.

“Huh? What was that all about?” The class teacher was still confused, looking baffled.

“Maybe she just doesn’t like green tea.” Xia Wanshuang mused, offering a final summary.