Illusion of Truth

Zhou Qingchi never lied to Bai Yixia, so when Bai Yixia opened her eyes, the sun was high in the sky, and the train had already carried Zhou Qingchi back to City B.

The Zhou family next door now only has Zhou Qingyan left as a "left-behind child".

When Bai Yixia strolled over, Zhou Qingyan was still diligently finishing his homework, with exercise books spread all over the dining table.

"Wow, Xiao Yan, it's only Saturday today, right? You're amazing!" Bai Yixia exclaimed in amazement.

Zhou Qingyan's pen tip was practically sparking. He looked up helplessly, "I was so sleepy after dinner yesterday that I felt like I was about to pass out. I just woke up and remembered that I had tutoring this afternoon."

Bai Yixia sat down opposite him, picked up a workbook and glanced at it.

Well, Xiaxia can't help you; she knows absolutely nothing about physics.

Bai Yixia sheepishly pushed the notebook back, propped her chin up, and looked at him. "Take a day off. Your face injury hasn't healed yet. Just rest at home this week."

Zhou Qingyan paused for a moment, then remained silent for a long while before saying, "I...I don't really want to trouble my brother."

Once he started talking, Zhou Qingyan simply tossed his pen aside, "Sigh, I got a good grade and begged my brother to come back so he could treat me to a nice meal. But instead, he ran into some awful people."

Bai Yixia stared blankly at the boy opposite her.

Zhou Qingyan scratched his neck, half-lying on the table, his voice muffled, "Actually, I have no impression of that scumbag at all. But my brother did spend time with him."

“My mom is so busy, my brother has always taken care of me, and I really don’t want him to be unhappy.”

As he spoke, the boy's voice trailed off, "I know, he didn't sleep a wink last night."

Zhou Qingyan looked up at Bai Yixia with red eyes and whispered, "Thank you for comforting him, Sister Xiaxia."

Bai Yixia was already feeling uneasy listening to Zhou Qingyan's words, but the boy's last sentence made her shudder, and she pinched her cheek a little embarrassedly.

"Ahem, you saw it."

The high school boy, whose mind was preoccupied with homework and grades, had no time to think about romance; he only felt that the older sister in front of him was just too kind.

Seeing Zhou Qingyan staring at her expectantly, Bai Yixia tilted her head and asked, "What's wrong?"

The boy sighed, "Sister Xiaxia, what do you think of my brother..." He started to say, but then seemed to remember something and swallowed his words back, shaking his head.

“No, no, even though he’s my brother, he’s such a jerk.” Zhou Qingyan closed his eyes. “I can’t repay kindness with ingratitude.”

Bai Yixia roughly understood what he meant, and found it inexplicably funny. Half-testing and half-joking, she asked, "What, do you want me to be your sister-in-law?"

The boy's eyes lit up. "Does Sister Xiaxia like my brother?"

Bai Yixia didn't expect him to be so direct. For a moment, she didn't know whether to tell the truth or make excuses, and unconsciously pursed her lips.

Fortunately, Zhou Qingyan's thought was just a sudden whim and he didn't think about it any deeper. He simply said casually, "I feel like my brother really likes Sister Xiaxia."

"Um?"

Bai Yixia hadn't quite gotten over the previous topic, and half-jokingly chimed in, "Then I like Brother Zhou very much too."

Zhou Qingyan laughed heartily, "Then my brother is very lucky. Sister Xiaxia is so wonderful."

The two stared at each other for a long while. Zhou Qingyan blinked and said, "I... I was just talking nonsense, right?"

He seemed to freeze up suddenly, his eyes darting around, his fingers gripping the table repeatedly.

Bai Yixia was also a little confused about the current situation. The eye contact and hug with Zhou Qingchi last night felt like a dream.

But the emotions contained in those eyes seemed to be imprinted in my heart, unforgettable.

Zhou Qingyan is still young, and Bai Yixia was just teasing him. She didn't intend to reveal her relationship with his brother like that.

"Alright, take your time writing. I'll tell your brother to ask for a day off this week."

Zhou Qingyan's words, "My brother really likes Sister Xiaxia," touched Bai Yixia's heart. She gently patted his head and softly comforted him, "Your brother can't blame anyone but you, and no one can be at fault."

"Don't worry, he cares about you too."

Unfortunately, this is how Bai Yixia comforted her younger brother, but the older brother himself does seem to be a bit cold-hearted.

Bai Yixia returned to school in the afternoon, chatting with Zhou Qingchi, who was far away in City B, the whole way, without hearing him mention Zhou Qingyan at all.

When she got to the dormitory, Bai Yixia was too tired to type anymore, so she directly sent a video call.

More than a month later, I finally saw Zhou Qingchi's desk again.

At the end of November, Zhou Qingchi was only wearing a thin shirt. Bai Yixia forgot about Zhou Qingyan the moment she saw him, and frowned, asking suspiciously, "Why are you dressed so lightly? Be careful not to catch a cold."

Zhou Qingchi smiled upon hearing this. Instead of putting on more clothes, he unbuttoned one button and slowly rolled up his sleeves.

He then explained, "Some people in the dorm can only live in summer; the air conditioning is so hot I'm about to faint."

Bai Yixia wondered to herself, "Just how hot is this? It's so hot!" But her gaze lingered on Zhou Qingchi's exposed arm for a few more moments.

She was about to speak when she heard a few words coming from the other end. She couldn't hear them clearly, but they seemed to be condemning Zhou Qingchi.

Then the video cut out.

However, Zhou Qingchi immediately came to explain.

-Please have some porridge: My roommate seems to have gone crazy.

-Please have some porridge: I hit a nerve, and now you're cursing at me QAQ

Seeing that aggrieved expression, Bai Yixia couldn't help but laugh.

- Kiss: Oh my god, who's possessed our little Zhou brother? Get off him right now!

-Please have some porridge: [crying].jpg

-Please have some porridge: Xia Xia...

-Please have some porridge: Don't you think he's being unreasonable?

Bai Yixia laughed so hard her shoulders trembled. Zhou Qingchi spoke as if no one could out-argue him.

Bai Yixia could almost picture the scene when Zhou Qingchi sent her the message.

She must have relaxed eyes and a slight smile, while simultaneously spitting out insults at her roommate as if she'd been smeared with poison.

Bai Yixia teased him a few more times. Watching the chat window between the two of them scroll upwards, the previously fuzzy feelings in his heart were gradually smoothed out.

There was so much talk today that it took a long time to scroll up and find the dry conversation between the two of them from a while ago.

It's either "Good morning" or "Have you eaten?" It's practically an automated reply.

Bai Yixia held her phone to her heart, feeling sweeter than if she had eaten honey.

The last cold war came out of nowhere, and for a moment, Bai Yixia did want to give up on that feeling.

But every day after that, she thought about him, and even the few greetings she sent were carefully considered before being sent.

Will I be disliked? Will it be out of place? Or even worse, will all my previous efforts be in vain?

At that time, I kept wondering if I had overstepped my bounds or been presumptuous. I didn't dare to look at Zhou Qingchi, and I didn't dare to misunderstand anything.

If only it had been sooner, if only one more step had been taken.

He might like me. Wouldn't this guess come sooner, and with more justification?

Bai Yixia lay down on her cramped dormitory bed. A small card hung on the bed curtain, which was an apology from Zhou Qingchi for ordering the wrong thing during the National Day holiday.

Baby. Bai Yixia murmured these two words silently, then slowly closed her eyes.

One day, Zhou Qingchi will call her that face to face.

When will those hidden and concealed feelings of love be openly displayed between the two of them?

As December arrives, everyone gets busy. School events, activities, and final exams all seem to coincide with this time of year.

Bai Yixia is always incredibly busy this month, either helping out in one department or taking charge of another event. She only gets a break at the end of the month.

Bai Yixia doesn't like to turn on the air conditioner in winter, especially when she's studying. The documents and text in front of her are already like a lullaby, and if it gets any warmer, she can fall asleep for five minutes in the blink of an eye.

The pen tip poked a dot of ink on the white paper, and Bai Yixia suddenly woke up.

She looked up wearily, only to meet Zhou Qingchi's gaze.

Zhou Qingchi: "..."

Bai Yixia sighed and lay down, groaning and complaining, "So sleepy and tired."

She shook the thick stack of documents, "Who said going to college was easy? Liar."

Zhou Qingchi paused for a few seconds, then showed her his draft paper filled with calculations: "Take a look, it'll help you relax."

Bai Yixia chuckled, "You're so mean, like you're afraid I won't be able to sleep."

During finals week, Zhou Qingchi spent significantly more time on the computer, his glasses always on his face. At this moment, he was teasing Bai Yixia, raising an eyebrow and smiling, displaying a more refined yet roguish side compared to his usual gentle demeanor.

Bai Yixia looked at it for a while and then smiled, "The exam is in a few days."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingchi lifted his eyelids and looked at her quietly, a slow smile spreading across his lips.

Bai Yixia mumbled, "Brother Zhou, you finished your exam at the same time as me, right?"

"Yes, it's one class earlier than yours, three hours should be enough."

Bai Yixia winked at him with satisfaction.

Over the past month, the two have resumed their pre-cold war relationship, but they are both tacitly hiding something.

While having a video call on is certainly enjoyable, it can inevitably affect the other person, so the two hung up after talking for a while.

Bai Yixia buried her head in reading a few more lines, but she couldn't hold on any longer, so she threw down her pen and swiped her phone.

Instead of going to Zhou Qingchi, they harassed someone else.

Things I wouldn't have dared to say a few months ago, I can now type out casually.

- Kiss: I think

- Kiss: Zhou Qingchi likes me.

I received a reply less than ten seconds after sending the message.

-Add another Yuan: ? ? ? ? ?

-Add one more Yuan: I beg you, I really beg you.

-Add one more Yuan: Can you please consider whether I live or die?

Bai Yixia said with dissatisfaction, "What's wrong? I'm just making a reasonable guess."

Nie Jiayuan almost knelt down before her, "Baby, Xiaxia baby, are you deliberately messing with my mindset for the final exams?"

Bai Yixia thought to herself, isn't this a good thing?

Three more messages came from Nie Jiayuan's end.

-Add one more Yuan: the three great illusions of life.

-Add one more Yuan: Will it rain today? I like him. He likes me.

-Add one more Yuan: Xiaxia, are you having some kind of illusion about what you learned in the final exams?