Chapter 34
...
That's so forceful!
I stumbled down the stairs, and before I reached the first floor, I finally felt ashamed and twisted my shoulders, saying, "You...you let go..."
Seeing that Wu Qi remained unmoved, I raised my voice again, "I'll go see! I'll go see, okay?! I'll look at you! My eyes will be glued to you!"
I landed on the first floor and finally managed to stand still.
Wu Qi turned me around, pressed my head down, and bent over to ask, "Really?"
I nodded vigorously: "Really!"
Wu Qi: "Not running anymore?"
I shook my head again: "No, can I just buy some water and go over? It's a bit... inappropriate for the two of us to go together..."
After all, we've been broken up for so long. I guess the last time the whole school saw us together was when we confessed our feelings to each other in public.
Wu Qi fell silent, seemingly unsure if it was going to work.
Is he trying to get me to play as the ball?
I was about to explain when the bell rang, and Wu Qi dragged me outside the teaching building again, exhaling a puff of mist from his mouth.
“You’re so tired from playing ball, wouldn’t it be nice for me to bring you a bottle of water? You’re sweating so much, I should buy you some water to replenish your energy,” I said. “Besides, if I just go to the court like this and stand there, it’ll look like I’m standing at attention.”
Wu Qi thought for a moment, and probably felt that it didn't look like standing at attention or like being punished, so he finally let go of his hands.
I immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
I just can't understand it. Is there no trust between people at all?
Do you think I can run away? Tsk.
Perhaps because they were on the playground, Wu Qi became much more restrained.
He zipped his jacket all the way up, buried his mouth under his collar, put his hands in his pockets, and muttered, "Drinking Gatorade."
I:"……?"
The voice was so soft I almost didn't hear it.
Me: "What?"
Wu Qi: "..."
*Pfft*
No, what are you being so arrogant about, bro?
Xu Feng called his name from the other end, and he waved to me, "Go and come back quickly, you're thirsty."
I nodded.
They're quite good at saving face.
There is a path between the two teaching buildings of the school. If you walk along it to the end, you will find a small shop that sells almost everything except cigarettes and alcohol. Many students eat lunch there. There are also a few tables outside.
There were fewer people at the canteen during PE class than during lunch break, with boys and girls smoking scattered around the entrance.
I went through the smoke and walked to the freezer.
Pulse has many flavors, including lime, white peach, mango... and even a cactus flavor.
Take this cactus, for example. I've always been curious about strange and unusual things.
While waiting in line to pay, I was staring blankly at the mints on the shelf. Two girls followed behind me.
The fragrance on her body was a bit strong and smelled cheap, so I couldn't help but rub my nose.
"...Why aren't you giving out Gatorade this time?" one of the girls said.
“I think Wu Qi definitely doesn’t like blue, that’s why he didn’t want my water.” Another girl stubbornly replied, “This one is red, hawthorn, it looks festive.”
I glanced silently at the Gatorade in my hand.
She pursed her lips.
"Are you stupid? Who wants to drink this sticky stuff after playing basketball?" After thinking for a moment, she added, "But he might really like red. Look at how strange it was when he confessed to that mulberry girl, her hands and feet were all tied with red rope."
"What? Wu Qi likes to eat mulberries? Shouldn't he like purple?"
I:"…………"
Putting aside what color they like... who the hell is named Mulberry?
My brain told me not to argue with ordinary people, but my body couldn't help but turn away.
"Hello."
The two of them slowly turned their gazes toward me—
"Hey! What are you calling 'hey'? Don't you know it's your turn? Stop blocking other people's way!" The cashier, speaking fluent Northeastern Mandarin, was like a bucket of cold water poured on me, instantly petrifying me.
The two people behind them both looked a little confused.
I quickly turned around and handed him the Gatorade.
His momentum vanished instantly. He told himself that revenge is a dish best served cold, and comforted himself that a true man can bend and stretch.
I quickly paid and ran out of the convenience store with the bottle of cactus-scented Gatorade in my hand.
Why am I both angry and amused at the same time?
I don't even need a mirror; I can guess how awful my expression looks right now.
I walked forward listlessly, thinking, "Didn't someone give Wu Qi some Gatorade?"
They still insist on asking me for it.
Could it be that Wu Qi didn't like the taste of the food she sent last time?
Do you like the smell of cactus?
I stared at that bottle of Gatorade, feeling like a group of people around me discussing a problem, and my answer was different from everyone else's.
I'd like to see just how strange the taste can be.
He twisted the cap open with a click and took a couple of big gulps—
"Cough cough cough!"
...Damn, Wu Qi would only find it delicious if he lost his sense of taste.
I turned back, intending to buy another bottle, anything—lime or mango, it didn't matter. But today was a truly unlucky day; those two girls walked right towards me.
Before my brain could even process it, my body had already turned back around.
sky.
I hope no one from above is observing my daily life on Earth; I've just been going around in circles all day.
Perhaps it was just my imagination, but I don't know if they recognized me or if they were secretly talking about me behind my back. I felt like I was walking in sync with them.
The noise from the basketball court grew louder and louder as it approached. I found Wu Qi's court; he was standing outside the line waiting for the ball.
He must have warmed up by now, so he took off his jacket, leaving him in only a thin sweatshirt. His ears were red from the cold, and his breath was coming out in rapid, labored breaths.
Before I could react, the two girls behind me got excited and kept saying "Look, look!" in high-pitched voices, chattering away.
I found a pole to lean against, and it just so happened that this area was full of students from Class 5 watching the game. I stayed out of their line of sight and tried to minimize my presence.
When Wu Qi noticed me, he gestured to them and then jogged over to me.
Actually, he was already quite eye-catching just by doing nothing. He bent down, took the bottle of Gatorade that I had only taken two sips from, and whispered in my ear, "I'll show you who's the most handsome in the room later."
"The most handsome? The most lousy, huh?" I tried to ignore his lips and sipped the part I had just drunk. "I saw him dribbling through the air several times just now."
Wu Qi: "..."
Seeing his hesitant and unconvinced demeanor, I found it particularly amusing. A mischievous thought suddenly popped into my head, so I pinched his forearm and looked up at him, saying, "Brother Qi, do you even have the ability?"
Wu Qi: "…………"
That provocative remark made him choke on the saliva he'd just swallowed. He'd offended the God of Wealth today; now he'd lose money every time he went out.
Wu Qi coughed until his face turned red, then stopped talking, tossed the water into my hand, made a few hand gestures, and left.
Based on our long-standing understanding of each other, let me decipher it: it's roughly like this—
You, open your eyes wide and look carefully.
He ran back to the field and said something to Xu Feng and the others. In the second half, it was obvious that the ball seemed to have a brain and flew towards his side.
If the ball doesn't reach him, he'll steal it. He plays fiercely and aggressively, and when he goes for a layup, a small part of his waist and abdomen is exposed, with muscle lines faintly visible.
"Wow, my Qi-ge's skills are amazing! He's practically guaranteed a spot in next year's basketball tournament!" Li Guangheng, who was resting nearby, commented with a tsk-tsk. "Hey Yue-jie, can't you be a little more aware of the situation? Forget about those girls, even I, a grown man, am starting to feel gay."
I laughed and cursed, "Are you crazy?"
After throwing the last ball, Wu Qi turned around and raised an eyebrow in this direction.
The boys and girls watching couldn't help but exclaim "Wow!"
really.
She has...some good looks.
It was as if his whole body was radiating light.
On many occasions, I've had this thought: compared to the trivial official duties in Heaven, the carefree life on Earth is the most suitable for him.
It seems like they are truly carefree, no different from other 17-year-olds.
After a while, the others around them started to get restless.
Wu Qi got the MVP, while the others were so bored they could play a game of drop the handkerchief.
I watched as those people tried to persuade Wu Qi with kind words, but Wu Qi still seemed unsatisfied, never showing any signs of fatigue.
The two girls from the supermarket approached me at some point, and one of them patted me on the shoulder, "You're Mulberry?"
"..."
you?
I had a bad feeling. I don't know why, but I had a feeling that my enemies had come knocking on my door.
Before I could even speak, another girl chimed in, "You're the one who got confessed to a few months ago? What? You've changed your mind now? Isn't it a bit too late?"
I frowned.
This cold war of the past few months wasn't just something the two of us cared about. Imagine, two people who confessed their feelings suddenly became estranged, barely speaking to each other anymore—one clueless, the other unhappy…
This isn't a breakup, it's a wedding!
They were just being so close without anyone knowing, it does seem a bit like they're going back to an old flame.
However, I've always been too lazy to argue with people.
I replied without any reaction, "Hehe."
"...?"
"???"
I missed them and wanted to leave. We'd almost finished watching the game, and I still had a science exam to finish upstairs.
"It's really rude of you to keep hanging on to someone!"
I stood still.
"Do you even know how heartbroken he is?! It's so despicable of you to go back to him after having your fun with other people, don't you think?!"
"..."
For a moment, I didn't know which rebuttal to make.
My anger flared up instantly, then plummeted just as quickly. Like my clenched fist, it deflated before I could even leave a fingernail mark on my palm.
It was said in a way that seemed flawless to outsiders.
Yes, Wu Qi has indeed had a tough few months. The worst is probably over, and his wounds are slowly healing with time. But I'm acting like nothing's wrong, only now realizing what's happening and appearing by his side.
It seems like everything is my problem.
The commotion was quite loud and quickly attracted the attention of others. Wu Qi strode down from the court, frowned slightly, and, clearly unaware of what had happened, grabbed my arm and pulled me backward.
When the girl saw Wu Qi arrive, she raised her voice even louder, "I'm serious, is it okay to toy with someone's feelings if you don't even like them? Everyone in the school knows what kind of person you are! You only realize you're coming back to him now, where were you before? Have you no shame?"
Before I could react, Xu Feng spoke up: "What does this have to do with you? Sister, what do you mean the whole school knows what happened? I want to hear what happened."
The surrounding classmates chimed in, "Who's had an easy time these past few months? Only Wu Qi has had it easy. Don't think that just because our Sister Yue is quiet, she's easy to bully, okay?"
"Does the United Nations know about all this meddling?"
"Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand."
After a few words, Wu Qi understood what was going on and seemed ready to say a few words as well.
He took a small step forward, which I immediately noticed. I grabbed his forearm and said, "No."
Wu Qi was taken aback for a moment.
I said with a stern face, "Let them say what they want. What they say is... almost entirely correct."
If this continues, it will become ugly.
Was the sky overcast today? Why does it only now feel so gloomy?
It's also chilly.
My mood sank to the bottom as well, and I tried to pull Wu Qi toward the teaching building... but I couldn't budge him.
I looked up, puzzled.
I noticed that Wu Qi's face was even darker than mine.
"Sang Yue," he called me.
"ah."
What do you mean by "almost certainly not wrong"?
“Well…” I was a little intimidated by his imposing manner and stammered, “If you’ve been wronged, you can’t just suffer for nothing.”
Wu Qi: "What do you mean by 'you can't suffer in vain'? So it means you have to take on my share of the grievances now?"
I:"……"
"I have absolutely no idea what you're avoiding." Wu Qi chuckled, somewhat exasperated. "Are you insecure about me, or insecure about yourself?"
I stiffly raised my head and fell into Wu Qi's line of sight.
She pursed her lips.
Too.
What are you hiding from?
Do I really have to swallow all my grievances myself?
But all these years, it seems like this is how I've lived.
Keep all your thoughts to yourself and hide all your emotions behind your expressions, as if that would make you... truly indifferent.
All emotions are like a shaken soda bottle, waiting for the right moment to burst out completely, as if telling some kind of grievance.
Or perhaps.
A certain kind of confidence.
Wu Qi's gaze seemed to see right through me, striking my very soul and stirring a budding seed that soared upwards.
It's as if he's saying, "My 107 years of affection, isn't that enough for you to squander?"
I released my grip on Wu Qi's hand and turned around under everyone's gaze.
By this time, a large crowd had gathered around, trying to persuade the people while watching the farce unfold.
I walked up to the girl, raised an eyebrow, and said, "But what does all this have to do with me?"
"I……"
"The person you can't catch up with would rather wait for me in the same place than turn around and look at you. Don't you know why?"
"..."
It sounds impressive, but in practice, his hands tremble like he has Parkinson's disease.
The girl's voice clearly carried a hint of grievance, "But that doesn't change the fact that you're shameless—"
"The truth is—whatever happened between us has nothing to do with outsiders. Sister, instead of spreading rumors, you should read more books. If you want to say you're better than me, you should at least be better than me in one aspect to have the right to talk to me like that."
"...Are you saying that she's inferior to him in every way?"
"Although, it makes so much sense..."
"Yeah, she's not as pretty as Sister Yue, and she's not as good at studying as Sister Yue. Brother Qi doesn't like her either. What is she pretending for?"
The surrounding chatter grew louder and louder; this really looked like a show of force, almost like I was bullying someone.
That's enough.
We'll stop here; we immortals don't stoop to the level of mortals.
I grabbed Wu Qi and turned to leave, and this time I managed to pull him away; he strode off quickly.
After walking a few steps, I remembered something important.
Extremely important.
I turned back and rushed to her, emphasizing each word clearly.
"My name is Sang Yue."
What are mulberries?
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