Picked Up the Female Lead When She Was Young (GL) - Chapter 63

When Qing Luo came over the next day, Zhou Qinglang didn’t even offer her a glass of water. She wrapped Xia Wanshuang’s scarf securely, then cocked her chin at Qing Luo.

“Let’s go.”

Qing Luo was completely unfazed by her attitude and followed them with a smile.

“The last tenant left about two months ago. We haven’t looked for a new one, so it might be a bit dusty inside. We can clean it up later.”

Xia Wanshuang opened the door and explained the situation to Qing Luo.

Since Xia Wanshuang and Zhou Qinglang had cleaned it after the last tenant left, it wasn’t dirty or messy, just dusty.

“Of course, you’ll have to do that yourself,” Zhou Qinglang added.

“Okay, thank you so much, really.”

Qing Luo’s complexion looked much healthier, and her gratitude seemed genuine.

“You’re welcome. I’m going to check the water pipes in the bathroom for you.”

Xia Wanshuang nodded and headed for the bathroom.

As soon as Xia Wanshuang left, the harmonious atmosphere in the living room immediately vanished.

“It seems your ability to play the victim is exceptionally strong.”

Even though she felt the girl was genuinely miserable, the look of smiling provocation made Zhou Qinglang want to force a bottle of green tea down her throat.

“I wasn’t doing it on purpose,” Qing Luo shrugged.

“You don’t look very angry?”

Qing Luo was a little surprised.

Compared to the girl she’d provoked just a few days ago, Zhou Qinglang seemed to have matured quite a bit.

“Do you think just any random person can make me angry?”

Zhou Qinglang’s expression was calm, yet carried an irrepressible sense of proud boasting.

“Oh, really?”

Qing Luo feigned astonishment, immediately putting away her expression when Xia Wanshuang came out of the bathroom.

She now understood why Zhou Qinglang pretended to be obedient around Xia Wanshuang.

After checking the house, Xia Wanshuang intended to leave some money for Qing Luo, but Qing Luo shook her head.

“I still have some here, and I didn’t use up what you gave me yesterday. I’ll find work myself later.”

Qing Luo cut off Xia Wanshuang’s worry, assuring her that she wouldn’t remain dependent on her.

What she’d told Zhou Qinglang—that she wanted to “share a little”—was true.

She didn’t want too much.

Whether others gave it was one thing, but whether she dared to take it was another.

Once Qing Luo’s accommodation was settled, Xia Wanshuang didn’t monitor her closely.

It was enough for her to occasionally see the girl looking well at the school gate.

••••

With the joint final exams a week away, Xia Wanshuang received an unexpected call from the neighboring province, which surprised her.

“Aunt Jiang, why are you calling suddenly?”

Although their contact had decreased after Jiang Wan moved, they still sent greetings and updates, but usually via text message, rarely by phone.

“Aren’t your finals coming up? I called to check in on you two. Are you prepared?”

“Doing great. Langlang is determined to get first place this time,” Xia Wanshuang said with a smile, glancing through the crack of the door at the girl studying in the room.

“If Langlang really gets first place, there’ll be the school’s bonus, and a red envelope from me, too,” Jiang Wan’s voice was as gentle as it was when Xia Wanshuang was a child, melting away the winter chill.

“Oh, Aunt Jiang, how did you know? Qiushui must have told you.”

“That’s right, we just hung up.”

“I see. How are you and Tianhang doing? Is Haicheng cold?”

“It’s cold. Tianhang is doing well. The transfer wasn’t as difficult as I thought. His classmates welcomed him, and he quietly got first place on an exam without telling me.”

“That’s Tianhang’s personality. That doesn’t surprise me at all. If he acted like Langlang does around me, that would be unusual.”

Xia Wanshuang chatted with Jiang Wan for a while.

Her face still held a light smile when she hung up.

[System]: You two sound like two moms exchanging parenting tips.

The System suddenly came back to life, giving Xia Wanshuang a fright.

[Xia Wanshuang]: Why did you pop up without warning?

[System]: I saw you were on the phone, so I didn’t want to interrupt you.

[System]: Oh, by the way, how’s the main couple’s long-distance relationship going?~

The System had told Xia Wanshuang about Zhao Tianhang’s impending departure before it went dormant, so she wasn’t surprised that he had left.

It was only concerned with the progress of the romantic storyline.

[Xia Wanshuang]: Well… how should I put this…

[System]: Shuangshuang, don’t do this! You’re scaring me!

The Bot suddenly had a bad premonition, its mechanical voice shaking slightly.

[Xia Wanshuang]: You know, the distance between teenage boys and girls is always fluctuating.

[System]: I don’t know, wahhhhh.

[System]: My source code must be a math problem, because why is this so hard for me?

[Xia Wanshuang]: They’re only fourteen. We shouldn’t rush. There’s still over seven years left.

[System]: Why do I constantly feel a sense of overwhelming hopelessness?

The System was despairing.

As a rookie System, it swore it followed all the instructions in the System Operations Manual and double-checked the target jump.

There shouldn’t have been a mistake.

Yet, a mistake happened: the jump time was wrong, leading to a plot malfunction, followed by a loss of contact.

The System once again pressed the Headquarters Contact button, but the signal was like a stone dropping into the sea.

There was only dead silence on the other end.

Xia Wanshuang looked at the line of light spilling from the door crack and the girl under it, feeling a little anxious.

The System’s re-awakening didn’t last long.

After sighing and scrolling the internet for a bit, it fell back into hibernation.

Xia Wanshuang’s worries about the plot faded as the System went to sleep.

A week later, the Joint Final Exams took place.

The scale was truly large this time.

Some students weren’t taking the exam at No. 1 High School but were sent to No. 2 High School, a setup the teachers cheekily called a chance to experience the tension of the College Entrance Exam early.

Xia Wanshuang, Zhou Qinglang, and Qing Luo were all assigned to classrooms at No. 2 High School.

Lin Qiushui was at No. 1 High School and felt like a child left behind, watching them leave.

They hadn’t chosen specialized tracks yet, so they were tested on nine subjects—Chinese, Math, English, Politics, History, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology—over three days.

When the exams were finally over, everyone, whether they performed well or poorly, felt a sense of liberation.

Zhou Qinglang and Xia Wanshuang walked out of No. 2 High School.

Qing Luo followed a little behind, a noticeably cheerful look on her face as she carried her backpack.

“You look happy. Did you do well?”

Xia Wanshuang asked, looking at Qing Luo.

Qing Luo shook her head.

“I just feel like I can see much more clearly after getting my bangs cut.”

Qing Luo’s bangs, which used to cover one eye, had been trimmed short, making her look less gloomy.

“By the way, I’ve already found a job for the winter break at a bubble tea shop. The hours won’t clash with my tutor. It’s not far from here. Want to take a look?”

“Sure.”

Xia Wanshuang liked Qing Luo’s newfound vitality.

With light in her eyes, her heart would surely brighten, too.

Zhou Qinglang remained unwilling to interact with Qing Luo.

She just stayed by Xia Wanshuang’s side, stuffing Xia Wanshuang’s hand into her pocket to keep it warm.

At the bubble tea shop where Qing Luo was working, Xia Wanshuang bought two hot drinks, held them, and waved at Qing Luo.

Qing Luo waved back, watching Xia Wanshuang and Zhou Qinglang leave together until they were out of sight.

••••
™
Back at home, Xia Wanshuang felt slightly full from the half-cup of bubble tea and was starting to feel drowsy.

She lazily curled up on the bed in her room, eyes half-closed.

“Langlang, you’ll have to figure out your own dinner tonight, I’m kind of sleepy.”

“Okay, Sister, go to sleep.”

Xia Wanshuang nodded, took off her down jacket and sweater, rolled into the blanket, and closed her eyes.

Zhou Qinglang sat at the foot of the bed, feeling Xia Wanshuang through the blanket, and continued chatting with Zhao Tianhang on her phone.

Lin Qiushui had just asked if they wanted to go visit Zhao Tianhang together.

Since Xia Wanshuang was tired, Zhou Qinglang put her off and messaged Zhao Tianhang first.

Zhao Tianhang’s response was calm, even welcoming.

[Zhou Qinglang]: You’ve moved on?

[Zhao Tianhang]: Halfway.

[Zhou Qinglang]: That’s good.

[Zhao Tianhang]: What about you and Shuangshuang? Any progress?

[Zhou Qinglang]: Treading water.

[Zhao Tianhang]: Then just wait. Just don’t do anything weird.

[Zhou Qinglang]: You’re the one who does weird things.

Zhou Qinglang unilaterally ended the chat.

She habitually looked at Xia Wanshuang and noticed that she didn’t seem to be sleeping soundly.

Her body was tightly curled up, and her brows were furrowed.

Zhou Qinglang reached under the covers and found Xia Wanshuang’s body to be icy cold.

She quickly checked if the electric blanket was on.

It was turned on, but the light was off; it must have broken.

Zhou Qinglang considered her options.

Her own room’s electric blanket would take a while to heat up, and picking up her sister would wake her up.

Turning on the air conditioner would be too drying and make her sister uncomfortable…

After finding many excuses, she naturally took off her own clothes and slipped into the blanket, bringing her warm hands and feet close to Xia Wanshuang.

In her sleep, Xia Wanshuang felt as if she were in a world of ice and snow.

Upon sensing the warmth, she immediately snuggled closer.

Seeing the person practically rolling into her embrace, Zhou Qinglang pulled the blanket up, making sure no cold air touched Xia Wanshuang, and gently ran her hand through Xia Wanshuang’s slightly messy hair.

Xia Wanshuang was extremely fair, and with her eyes closed in sleep, she looked utterly innocent.

Zhou Qinglang stared at Xia Wanshuang’s lips, which were right in front of her, and her gaze began to drift.

I won’t do anything weird.

But it probably won’t hurt to do it just once.

Zhou Qinglang’s head moved closer inch by inch.

She felt like a rusty, old machine, moving stiffly and holding her breath.

She was just a little bit away from touching.

Her heart began to beat wildly and erratically.

The desire in her chest expanded rapidly, drowning out her reason.

Her fingertips trembled slightly.

Even though she hadn’t touched the lips yet, her mind was already in a haze, as if she had already kissed them.