Chapter 11, The Gift

Yu Bai stared at the blank dialog box until drowsiness crept over him, and his eyelids finally closed and he fell asleep.

When Yu Bai woke up, he subconsciously took out his phone to check Jiang Jizhou's messages.

The dialog box remained stuck on its own question, and Jiang Jizhou still hadn't replied.

She felt empty inside.

Pushing open the bedroom door, Jiang Jizhou was just coming out of his own room.

Yu Bai opened his mouth as if to speak but then stopped, wanting to call out to Jiang Jizhou.

Jiang Jizhou was still sleepy, his eyelids drooping. He glanced at Yu Bai, his expression indifferent.

He leaned against the door frame, staring at Yu Bai with a half-smile, his eyes full of roguish charm.

After a long while, under his gaze, Yu Bai finally couldn't help but cautiously speak, "Brother."

Jiang Jizhou lifted his eyelids slightly, his voice a little hoarse, "Hmm?"

Yu Bai looked aggrieved and said in a muffled voice, "Why didn't you reply to my messages?"

"An idiot question."

Jiang Jizhou said calmly.

Yu Bai's heart tightened. Did he hate it when people asked him about this?

After a pause, Jiang Jizhou said, "Don't interfere in our affairs from now on."

Yu Bai bit her lip, wincing slightly. She realized she had been tactless and meddled in other people's business.

"Okay, I understand."

As if to comfort her, Jiang Jizhou rubbed her head and said, "Good girl."

"Also, stay away from Chen."

Yu Bai blinked. She and Chen Ye only had a nodding acquaintance because of Jiang Jizhou, and they didn't have any real interaction. Did he not want her to get closer to his friend?

"Mmm," Yu Bai said in a muffled voice.

Because of Jiang Jizhou's words, Yu Bai stopped thinking about Jiang Jizhou and Uncle Jiang.

But the Ruo'an that Mingjing mentioned that day became a shadow hanging over Yu Bai's heart.

During break, Yu Bai rested and stretched her muscles while Ming Jing chattered away, telling her gossip about school.

Since Yu Bai was a transfer student and didn't know anything about what happened before, Mingjing's desire to share gossip was finally satisfied.

However, Yu Bai only wanted to know about Ruo An and Jiang Jizhou.

Seeing that Mingjing was hoarse from talking, Yu Bai handed her a water glass at the right time, saying, "Have some water."

"Okay." Mingjing gulped down several mouthfuls of water.

Yu Bai pondered for a moment before asking, "Mingjing, has my brother only ever dated Ruo'an?"

Mingjing put down her water glass and screwed on the lid. "It seems so."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yu Bai asked eagerly, "What kind of person is Ruo An?"

Mingjing frowned, as if recalling and thinking. After a while, she replied, "Lively and cheerful, warm and generous, like a little sun. She is also very beautiful, and all the classmates in the class like her very much."

"Is that so?" Yu Bai's eyes darkened, and the stone that had been hanging in his heart sank heavily. It would have been better not to ask at all.

Compared to her, I am probably just moss growing and hiding in the shadows.

It's only natural that Jiang Jizhou likes her.

Mingjing then covered her mouth, leaned close to Yu Bai's ear, and said to Yu Bai with a mysterious and gossipy look, "You know what? I saw them kissing."

"Ah!" Yu Bai was completely stunned.

"It was not long before she transferred schools. One rainy day, I was on my way home when I saw Jiang Jizhou walking alone on the street without an umbrella. She was soaked to the bone and kept walking as if she didn't feel anything. It was the first time I had ever seen Jiang Jizhou so distraught."

"Then, Ruo'an chased after me from behind, holding an umbrella. As the car drove past, I only saw Jiang Jizhou with his back to me, slightly bent over, and the two of them were very close."

If the protagonist of the story were not Jiang Jizhou, then Yu Bai would definitely be moved by this story.

A girl as lovely as a sunflower warms the heart of a lost and dejected boy.

However, because it was Jiang Jizhou, Yu Bai could only feel that thin thread, which was almost squeezing her heart so tightly that it could not beat, and a suffocating pain surged up to her throat.

Will Jiang Jizhou tell Ruo'an about his relationship with Uncle Jiang? And will Ruo'an give him a soft hug?

What is he like when he truly likes a girl? Will he sing love songs for Ruo'an? Will he send Ruo'an lots and lots of bouquets of flowers? Will he say "I love you" to Ruo'an tenderly before kissing her...?

Yu Bai has never been in a relationship; he has only seen romantic love in idol dramas. Would Jiang Jizhou and Ruo An do all those blush-inducing scenes in those dramas?

The images that flashed through Yu Bai's mind were self-torture-like; his heart ached so much that it was numb, and he felt nothing.

"Yu Bai, what's wrong?"

Mingjing saw that Yu Bai seemed lost in thought, so she tugged at her sleeve.

Yu Bai looked up at the mirror, his eyes brimming with unconcealed sorrow.

So this is what it's like to have a crush on someone.

Yu Bai pinched her hand hard to try to stay calm and rational. She forced a smile and said, "It's nothing. I'm just a little sad for my brother. How could they break up like that?"

"Sigh, I also think they're quite a good match." Mingjing sighed, then comforted Yu Bai, "It's okay, there are plenty of people who like Jiang Jizhou, you don't need to worry about him."

Yu Bai felt she couldn't continue talking to Ming Jing; she was afraid she would lose control of her emotions.

"Okay, I know." Yu Bai pulled out an English test paper from the drawer. "I'm not going to talk about it anymore, I have to do the questions."

“The top students work even harder than us mediocre students, how can we compare?” Mingjing sighed and looked up at the sky before returning to her seat.

Yu Bai stared at the English words on the test paper, but found them to be like a dense swarm of ants, making them impossible to decipher.

Yu Bai's heart ached with each thud, and waves of frustration washed over him.

Finally, she gave up struggling, took away the English test paper, took out the math workbook, and did math, which she was very good at, and that allowed her to slowly concentrate.

If only it were as simple as solving a problem.

But unrequited love is like a star hidden in the shadows; whether it shines or fades, only the individual can truly understand it, and there is no answer.

The afternoon was spent doing problems, doing problems... endlessly doing problems.

When she got home from school that evening, Mingjing asked Yu Bai to go shopping.

Mingjing was her only good friend after transferring schools. She had never had the experience of going out with friends before, and she had always envied them when she was alone. Therefore, she agreed without hesitation.

Moreover, the fact that Yu Bai and Jiang Jizhou are together now means...

Jiang Jizhou asked her, "Do you still have money?"

Yu Bai blinked and said, "Yes, my mom gave me a lot of money."

Her dazed look made Jiang Jizhou smile slightly. "Oh, okay, I'll have the driver pick you up when you come back."

Despite saying that, Jiang Jizhou still transferred money to her via WeChat.

1666, Note: Going to eat something delicious.

Yu Bai felt it was wrong to accept his money for no reason, so he prepared to return it, but then Jiang Jizhou sent him a message.

"Be good, don't go back."

Yu Bai accepted the money, and his heart, which had been filled with bitterness, felt sweet again.

But the thought that Jiang Jizhou treated her this way because he considered her a younger sister made her feel disappointed again.

If unrequited love is destined to never see the light of day, then perhaps she can stay with him longer by obediently being his younger sister.

Yu Bai lowered his eyes, trying to comfort himself.

Yu Bai was unfamiliar with Nancheng, while Ming Jing was a native of Nancheng, so Yu Bai always followed her.

The two went to the busiest pedestrian street in Mingcheng. Night gradually enveloped the southern part of the city, and lights came on one by one.

Mingjing was trying on a rabbit ear headband and asked Yu Bai what it looked like.

Yu Bai smiled and said, "It looks good, it's very cute."

"Try it on, I'll wear the white one, and you wear this pink one." She took off the pink bunny ear headband and gave it to Yu Bai. "Hehe, bestie set."

Hearing her words, Yu Bai's gloomy mood, which had lasted all day, was healed.

She put on the pink bunny ear headband, and Mingjing grabbed her arm. "Come on, let's take a picture. We'll post it on WeChat Moments later."

Yu Bai hadn't taken many photos before, and he felt a little awkward in front of the camera, unsure of what to do with his limbs. In the end, he awkwardly made a peace sign.

After taking the photos, Mingjing checked them and was very satisfied.

Turning her head, she was drawn to another stall selling traditional perfume balms and pulled Yu Bai over to take a look.

...

After strolling through the pedestrian street, it was already 9 p.m., and Yu Bai and Ming Jing were both starving and decided to find a restaurant to eat at.

Looking at the bag in her hand, which contained some trinkets she had bought, Yu Bai had originally wanted to bring Jiang Jizhou a small gift, but after searching high and low, she couldn't find anything suitable, so she had to give up for the time being.

After finishing their meal, Mingjing took a taxi home, while Yu Bai waited for her driver to pick her up.

The night was deep, the temperature had dropped considerably, and there was a slight chill in the air. Yu Bai stood listlessly by the roadside.

Looking up, I saw a boutique across the street. Through the glass, I could see its bright and clean interior.

Yu Bai walked over and went into the store to pick out a gift for Jiang Jizhou.

Upon entering, Yu Bai discovered that the store sold lighters, and it was the first time he had ever seen such a dazzling array of lighters.

A tall, slender, and beautiful girl walked over, and Yu Bai noticed a cool tattoo on her arm.

"Beautiful lady, are you buying a gift for your boyfriend?" she asked Yu Bai with a gentle smile.

Yu Bai shook his head, then nodded.

"It's a gift for someone I know."

Does he smoke?

"I don't know, I probably don't smoke."

Then Yu Bai wanted to use this as an excuse to go out, but the girl smiled and said, "You can buy one. It's also suitable for non-smokers to hold and play with."

As she spoke, the girl showed her several lighters.

Yu Bai immediately noticed a lighter in the corner. It was a deep blue color with a frosted texture, and it depicted a shooting star streaking across the night sky, which was dreamy and serene.

"I want this." Yu Bai was attracted by the lighter and immediately decided to buy it.

The girl was overjoyed and skipped the introduction, immediately going to pack up Yu Bai's order.

On his way home, Yu Bai kept staring at the lighter, wondering how to give it to Jiang Jizhou.

I said, "I saw this while shopping, thought it was really nice, so I bought it. I don't need it, so I'll give it to you."

Ah, so casual.

You should say, "Thank you for your care, and here's a gift for you."

Isn't this a bit too formal?

It's alright, I'll find a chance to give it to you eventually, Yu Bai stopped thinking about it.

Having walked all night, Yu Bai was so exhausted that her legs felt like they were about to break. When she got home, she threw all her bags onto the sofa and collapsed to the side.

Yu Bai opened his phone and saw that Ming Jing had posted on her WeChat Moments.

"Let's go shopping with Bai Bai!"

The accompanying photos are a nine-grid collage of their group photos, the first of which is a picture of them wearing bunny ear headbands.

Looking down, Yu Bai saw Jiang Jizhou's like.

She blinked, and then received a WeChat message from Jiang Jizhou.

So cute.

Looking at the message, Yu Bai felt all the fatigue of the day and the bitterness that almost overflowed in her heart because of her unspeakable crush vanished. She hugged her phone and smiled foolishly.

A note from the author:

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