jealous
Monday morning was still a bit chilly. Jiang Yibai, his schoolbag slung over one shoulder, joined Lu Panji and a few of his friends in the crowd heading toward the school gate. Lu Panji was still excitedly recounting his weekend game exploits, his saliva flying.
Jiang Yibai listened absentmindedly, his eyes searching the crowd as usual. With almost no effort, he spotted that familiar figure—Lin Xiyan. Wearing a faded school uniform, with her head slightly lowered and her shoulders thin, she walked at the edge of the crowd, like a quiet shadow.
The corners of his mouth just curled up subconsciously when his gaze suddenly stopped.
Lin Xiyan is not alone.
Next to him, half a pace away, walked a boy in his school uniform. He was tall and gentle-looking, his head tilted as he spoke to Lin Xiyan. Jiang Yibai had some impression of him; he seemed to be from the class next door. His name was Wen Chijing, and he had good grades, was popular, and seemed quite gentle.
But that's not the point.
The point was, although Lin Xiyan still kept his head down and walked without stopping, he didn't immediately avoid or walk away like he normally would with other strangers. He even... ever so slightly nodded, as if in response to the other person's words.
Although the profile still had no expression, and even revealed the usual aloofness, this insignificant interaction was like a tiny thorn in Jiang Yibai's eyes, which pricked him unexpectedly.
How could he be walking with Wen Chijing?
What did they say?
Why... didn't you dodge?
An unfamiliar, sour feeling suddenly surged up in him, like spilled sparkling water, bubbling and bubbling, the sourness making his throat tighten. The hint of a smile vanished without a trace, and his violet eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the two people walking side by side. The air around him seemed to cool by several degrees.
"...Brother Jiang? Brother Jiang!" Lu Panji talked for a long time without getting a response, so he nudged him with his elbow, "What are you looking at? Can you hear me talking to you?"
Jiang Yibai ignored him, his eyes still fixed on the front. He saw Wen Chijing say something again and even smiled. Lin Xiyan didn't stop, but he didn't show any disgust or rejection.
The sour feeling instantly escalated into a surge of jealousy, mixed with a hint of inexplicable grievance. Could he treat others like this? Wasn't it only with Jiang Yibai that he would let down his guard a little?
"Hey, isn't that Lin Xiyan? The one next to him is Wen Chijing from Class 5, right? Why are they..." Another boy next to them also noticed it and said casually.
Before he could finish his words, he was frozen back by the sudden drop in air pressure around Jiang Yibai.
Lu Panjing looked ahead, then at Jiang Yibai, whose face had clearly darkened. She instantly understood and quickly tugged at the boy who was still trying to speak, winking wildly: "Shut up! Didn't you see that Brother Jiang is getting jealous!"
Jiang Yibai took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to throw Wen Chijing away. He took a step forward, heading straight towards the two men. His strides were long, but not frantic, instead carrying an undeniable aura.
Lu Panji and the others looked at each other, not daring to follow, and just watched from afar.
Lin Xiyan stared down at the ground, trying to ignore Wen Chijing's constant invitations to discuss a physics competition question. He wasn't really listening, only nodding occasionally out of basic courtesy, hoping the other person would quickly end the conversation. Every cell in his body was screaming for discomfort and a desire to escape.
Suddenly, a shadow descended, and a familiar aura approached.
Before he could react, a warm hand gently grasped his uninjured left wrist. The grip was light, even cautious, yet the fingertips felt cold, with a firmness that brooked no refusal.
Lin Xiyan looked up in surprise, her gaze meeting Jiang Yibai's deep purple eyes. Emotions surged in them, unlike the gentle smiles she usually gave him. Instead, they were heavy, tinged with a sense of grievance and... accusation that he couldn't understand.
"Jiang..." He just uttered a word.
Jiang Yibai didn't look at him. Instead, he glanced at Wen Chijing, who was also stunned beside him. His tone was calm, but with an invisible sense of oppression: "What do you want to talk to him about?"
Wen Chijing was a little frightened by this sudden interruption and Jiang Yibai's cold eyes, and subconsciously took a step back: "Huh? No... just discussing the topic..."
"Oh." Jiang Yibai responded without any emotion, then retracted his gaze and looked back at Lin Xiyan. The fingers holding his wrist tightened slightly, but he was still careful to avoid any force that might hurt him.
"I'm leaving," he said, his voice low, no longer the coldness he had shown to Wen Chijing earlier. Instead, it carried a subtle, sticky nasal tone, as if he was being upset.
After saying this, without waiting for Lin Xiyan's response or looking at Wen Chijing again, he took his wrist, turned around and walked in another direction. His steps were not fast, matching Lin Xiyan's pace.
Lin Xiyan was completely stunned, and was passively dragged away. She turned around and hastily cast an apologetic look at Wen Chijing. Wen Chijing stood there, looking confused and helpless.
Jiang Yibai stopped when he reached a less crowded corner on the side of the teaching building. But he didn't let go of her hand. Instead, he turned around and faced Lin Xiyan.
He lowered his head slightly, and the loose hair on his forehead covered his eyes a little, so his expression could not be seen clearly, but the low pressure and aggrieved feeling around him almost solidified into a entity.
"Who is he?" Jiang Yibai asked, his voice muffled and filled with obvious, undisguised jealousy. "Why did he go with you? And even smile at you?"
Lin Xiyan looked at him like this and realized belatedly - is Jiang Yibai... jealous?
This realization made his heart skip a beat. He felt a bit bewildered, and also... a strange, subtle throbbing sensation. He opened his mouth, trying to explain, "...I don't know him. We just met on the street, and we just talked about the topic..."
"Can't I talk to someone else about the question? Why do I have to talk to you?" Jiang Yibai interrupted him, raised his head, and looked at him with purple eyes, which were sparkling, as if he had suffered a great injustice. "You still listen to him? And nod your head?"
He felt more and more aggrieved as he spoke, so he simply pulled Lin Xiyan's hand up, wrapped it with his own, and shook it gently, asking for an explanation like a child: "You haven't even nodded to me a few times."
This accusation was completely groundless and ridiculously childish. But with his handsome face and the aggrieved look in his eyes, it was impossible to refute it.
Lin Xiyan looked at him, looked at his slightly pouting mouth (although he might not have realized it), looked at his eyes that were full of "I'm unhappy, comfort me quickly", and the helplessness in her heart slowly turned into helpless indulgence.
He tried to pull his hand back, but the grip tightened.
"I..." He organized his words, his voice soft, "I didn't want to pay attention to him... He kept saying..."
"Then you shouldn't have let him follow you." Jiang Yibai pushed the issue further, putting all the blame on the innocent Wen Chijing. He leaned forward, almost sticking to Lin Xiyan, and said in a lower, stickier voice, "I'm not happy. Xiyan, I'm jealous."
He spoke the last few words so clearly and bluntly that Lin Xiyan's ears instantly felt burning.
How could there be... such a person. He's so righteously jealous, and... even speaks about it out loud.
Occasionally, passing classmates cast curious glances at him. Lin Xiyan's cheeks flushed, and he just wanted to leave as soon as possible. "...Stop messing around, class is about to start."
"I'm not making a fuss." Jiang Yibai persisted, even lowering his head and nuzzling Lin Xiyan's shoulder like a large dog seeking comfort. "You comfort me. Otherwise, I'll feel miserable all day. I won't be able to concentrate on class or eat."
As he spoke, he secretly observed Lin Xiyan's reaction out of the corner of his eye.
Lin Xiyan felt uncomfortable being rubbed by him, and his heartbeat was abnormally fast. He looked at this furry head and listened to this childish and straightforward coquettishness, and all the words of rejection were stuck in his throat.
He was silent for a few seconds, and finally, as if defeated, he used the hand that was not held with great difficulty, very lightly and quickly, to pat Jiang Yibai on the back.
The movements were stiff, with obvious helplessness and clumsiness.
"...Okay." His voice was as thin as a mosquito, and his cheeks were red enough to bleed. "Don't...don't be jealous. I won't pay attention to him."
After saying this, he almost wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
Jiang Yibai's head stopped moving. He raised his head and looked at Lin Xiyan with sparkling eyes. There was no trace of grievance on his face. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise up, like a child who finally got candy.
"Really?" he pressed, pressing further. "You're not going to pay attention to anyone else from now on? Only me?"
This request was too overbearing. Lin Xiyan looked at his face, which suddenly brightened up, and felt both angry and amused. But he still pursed his lips and said "hmm" very softly.
Jiang Yibai's smile instantly spread, dazzlingly bright. He straightened up with satisfaction, finally letting go of Lin Xiyan's hand, but instead put his arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer to his chest.
"That's more like it." He said cheerfully, with a touch of pride, "Let's go to class."
He put his arm around Lin Xiyan and walked towards the teaching building in a good mood, as if the jealous and aggrieved person just now was not him.
Lin Xiyan was half-hugged by him, feeling the cheerful breath of the person next to her and the heavy weight on her shoulders. The heat on her face had not subsided, but her heart seemed to be filled with something, and she felt soft.
So this is what jealousy feels like.
So, this is how to coax people...
It seems not bad.
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