Chapter 10

The corridor was bright, and the Boston ivy, not yet ravaged by cold air, held leaves of deep green.

Sunlight sketched the vines hanging down from it and the young girl’s shadow onto the wall, like a beautiful painting of youth.

No one would imagine some heartbreaking scene beneath such a setting.

Shang Jinyue never could have imagined that her own personal experiment would receive such an answer.

Those enlarged, bolded words were branded into her mind like a hot iron. The rising white mist carried the smell of scorching, and the sun was glaring too, leaving a burning pain along the side of her face.

She had gone to the school clinic to get medicine for Shi Xiu and had personally applied it for her, but not for the sake of hearing a sentence like this.

“Did I do something wrong?” Shang Jinyue’s brows were tightly furrowed. A feeling called losing control spread out from the fingers she had wrapped around Shi Xiu’s ankle.

“No.” Shi Xiu shook her head.

“Because friends aren’t classmates. It’s not that just because we know each other, a relationship automatically forms.”

“Friends are people who choose each other, who mutually acknowledge each other. If you want to but I don’t, then we can’t be friends.”

As she spoke, Shi Xiu gathered away the emotions that had gone out of control bailiantales.com just now. The corners of her eyes, which had been faintly red a moment ago, had already calmed.

Only, she felt as if something had gone wrong with her perception system. Clearly, she was looking at the seventeen-year-old Shang Jinyue, yet it felt as if she were talking to the twenty-seven-year-old Shang Jinyue.

So although she was speaking to Shang Jinyue about friendship, between the lines, it sounded like she was speaking about lovers.

And as Shang Jinyue listened, she felt as if something had stabbed into her heart, even dragging pain through her breathing.

So it turned out that just because she wanted to sit with Shi Xiu, Shi Xiu would not necessarily sit with her.

So it turned out that just because she wanted to video call Shi Xiu, Shi Xiu did not have to chat with her until she was satisfied, until her heart settled.

So it turned out that just because she wanted to care about Shi Xiu, Shi Xiu would not necessarily accept her goodwill.

…

Sunlight repeatedly traced the young girls’ shadows. By coincidence, their positions had switched in this instant.

Shi Xiu spoke plainly, her lowered eyes looking at Shang Jinyue.

And Shang Jinyue knelt on one knee, her gaze toward Shi Xiu hiding a gloomy shade, as if she were looking at someone clearly within reach, yet still unattainable.

Shang Jinyue did not know how things had developed unauthorized copylike this, and in her heart, she was despicably relieved that she had not said aloud that she was the twenty-seven-year-old Shang Jinyue.

Because she realized that once she said those words, Shi Xiu would only move farther away from her. Perhaps she would not even wait for Shang Jinyue to ask this ambiguous question:

“What about before?”

Shang Jinyue dug her nails into her palm, her voice flat and calm.

It was clearly something without mass, yet it shook Shi Xiu’s chest until it trembled.

Shang Jinyue had run through most of her life. They had far too many “befores.”

So many that sometimes, when Shi Xiu wanted to cut them apart, she did not even know where to start.

So she thought.

Perhaps precisely because of this, any time was the most suitable time.

She did not look back.

“Before, I was wrong.”

“I thought things were too simple.”

Shi Xiu was resolute.

Her voice carried dejection.

She was talking about her seventeen-year-old self, and also about her self of the next ten years.

Shi Xiu thought that perhaps what she had said at the school clinic yesterday had not been clear enough. Perhaps her tacit acceptance of Shang Jinyue helping her back had given the other person positive feedback.

So she might as well make things clearer. No one should keep imagining that there was still a road ahead between them.

“Shang Jinyue, I apologize for the series of entangling things I did to you during summer break. I’m sorry.”

“I think I really am terrible at guessing a person’s thoughts. I can’t be the worm in your stomach, and I can’t be your friend either. Sorry for wasting your emotions and time.”

There were no words that sounded too harsh. Looking at the Shang Jinyue before her, who was still seventeen, Shi Xiu summoned what little gentleness remained in her.

She held Shang Jinyue’s hand, pulled her up from the ground, and brought her to stand at the same level as herself. “From now on, let’s just be ordinary classmates.”

Shi Xiu’s palm was warm and damp, wrapping around Shang Jinyue’s fingers, just as it had in the past.

Only, the long, flowing words she had spoken were like a belated letter of farewell. The rare gentle expression she showed Shang Jinyue was even crueler than a furious, glaring rejection.

No.

She could not.

Shang Jinyue felt that her world was facing an unprecedented upheaval. When had Shi Xiu ever said anything like this in the past?

Even if a sentence had the slightest ambiguity, Shi Xiu would explain it clearly, afraid of hurting her heart.

“I can’t be the worm in your stomach.”

After being steeped in the business world for all these years, Shang Jinyue was the best at catching the key point within the fog. Her mind buzzed.

Was it like this?

Was it because of this?

“Sister Shi!”

“Shang Jinyue?”

The voice coming from far away had excitement and confusion written all over its tone.

Shi Xiu looked up and saw Chang Luo running toward her.

Shi Xiu quickly withdrew from the conversation with Shang Jinyue and looked in the direction Chang Luo had come from. “You went to the school clinic? Were you injured?”

“No.” Chang Luo waved her hand, took a bottle of medicine out of her pocket, and handed it to Shi Xiu. “It’s for you.”

Shi Xiu glanced at the packaging of the medicine. It was the same as the bottle in Shang Jinyue’s hand, and she instantly understood Chang Luo’s meaning, though she still wanted to stubbornly hold out. “Why are you giving me this?”

“You twisted your foot again. Don’t think I don’t know.” Chang Luo looked as if nothing could escape her eyes.

Before meeting Shang Jinyue, Shi Xiu had many good friends.

Chang Luo was one of them.

This person was carefree and straightforward, but also attentive. She was admitted to the best sports university in the country, later entered the national team, and won many medals.

Unfortunately, Shi Xiu had only learned all these things later from other people.

Because of Shang Jinyue, she had grown distant from many friends from her past.

And before Shi Xiu could feel emotional about it, Chang Luo made a couple of “nuo, nuo” sounds, pointed at the sock Shi Xiu had pulled below her ankle, and exposed her. “I say, Sister Shi, you’ve already pulled your sock down [bailiantales.com]yourself, so what are you still pretending with me for? Are we friends or not?”

The sock had not been pulled down by Shi Xiu.

But Shi Xiu also could not tell Chang Luo about what had just happened.

The sun, following its falling trajectory, shifted away from Shang Jinyue bit by bit.

The world abandoned her.

She stood there in the shadows, her entire person seeming to have sunk into narrow darkness. Her cold eyes no longer held the usual aloof, untouchable arrogance.

Shi Xiu thought that perhaps no one had ever rejected her like this all these years.

From the seventeen-year-old Shang Jinyue’s perspective, she was simply a scumbag who had provoked her, decided it was boring, then patted her butt and walked away.

Then a scumbag it was.

She no longer had any obligation to take care of Shang Jinyue’s feelings now.

Perhaps this way, the Shang Jinyue of this time could also forget this brief episode with her even sooner.

That was good.

Shi Xiu agreed with this in her heart, yet some unnamed emotion still tugged at her heart.

This emotion carried barbs. Whenever she thought of anything related to Shang Jinyue, it hooked into her flesh and blood, making her chest ache, making her feel even more irritated because of it.

Hurry up and go to intensive training.

That way, she could completely separate from Shang Jinyue.

Yet the more Shi Xiu did not want to hear about Shang Jinyue, the more this person’s name appeared by her ear. “Shang Jinyue, did you go to the school clinic?”

After exposing Shi Xiu’s stubborn act, Chang Luo turned the topic toward Shang Jinyue.

Seeing the medicine Shang Jinyue was carrying, she remembered what had happened during PE. “How is it? I heard you got hit by a basketball.”

“Soft tissue contusion,” Shang Jinyue answered faintly.

“That serious? Which class threw the ball? I’ll go vent your anger for you!” As Chang Luo spoke, she rolled up her sleeves. “Those people are just like that. To attract girls’ attention, they’ll do anything!”

Facing Chang Luo’s agitation, Shang Jinyue’s behavior was exceptionally calm. “It’s because my coagulation function isn’t very good, so it caused this kind of trouble.”

It was rare for Shang Jinyue to open her mouth and explain something to someone.

Only, whether these words were meant for Chang Luo or someone else, only the person involved knew.

Chang Luo was indignant. “That still isn’t a reason to forgive them!”

Then she looked at the injured Shang Jinyue again. “Then don’t you usually have to be careful about a lot of things?”

As Chang Luo spoke, she even showed some sympathy for Shang Jinyue’s situation.

Shang Jinyue disliked this kind of expression. She had never been someone to be pitied.

Only this time, she lowered her eyes and looked toward Shi Xiu with a calm yet innocent gaze. “Yes.”

Perhaps they were still familiar with each other.

The moment Shang Jinyue looked at her, Shi Xiu sensed that Shang Jinyue wanted something from her.

But she no longer had much she wanted to give Shang Jinyue.

“Class is about to start. If you’re not leaving, I’m leaving.” Shi Xiu put both hands in her pockets. After speaking, she limped toward the teaching building.

“Hey! Wait for me.” Chang Luo was worried about Shi Xiu and chased up from behind, reaching unauthorized copyout to support Shi Xiu’s arm.

Although her tone before leaving was not good, Shi Xiu did not shake off Chang Luo’s extended hand.

She simply did not look back, and she did not look at Shang Jinyue either.

Sunlight traced the young girl’s stubborn back, writing freely and clearly that she could be very well even without her.

The one without friends was not Shi Xiu.

It was her, Shang Jinyue.

Shang Jinyue clenched the medicine bottle in her hand, and an emotion spun in her eyes.

So Shi Xiu really did want to divorce her.

The person she loved did not want her anymore.