Chapter 46 All day after her first period, Ye Yuying didn't talk to Ji...
Ye Yuying didn't say a word to Ji Zi all day, even though she should have long passed the age of cutting ties with someone over a trivial matter.
She tried to understand whether Ji Zi had any unspeakable difficulties like the others. Perhaps in this class, everyone had to go through the process of "obedience," including Ye Yuying herself.
However, this incident still made her feel deeply uncomfortable; the unhappiness and sense of betrayal she felt were real.
The afternoon sun slanted down through the classroom's blinds, and a cleaning lady was quietly mopping the floor in the hallway outside, the air filled with the smell of fresh cleaning agents.
As the last class ended, students gradually left the classroom, the lively atmosphere dissipated, leaving behind an empty classroom and the silent sounds of tidying up.
Ye Yuying lay on the table, pretending to read a book, but actually just staring blankly at a page of her workbook.
Once most of the people had left, Ji Zi moved her chair next to Ye Yuying. Ye Yuying didn't look at her, but heard the soft sound of her pulling out the chair, and after a moment of hesitation, she spoke: "...Yuying, have I disappointed you?"
Ye Yuying's fingers twitched slightly, but she remained silent for a long while before stiffly replying, "No."
She spoke with a sense of relief and indifference, as if she had long anticipated this day would come.
Ji Zi mustered her courage and continued, "I delivered something to Ge Jie today; she asked me to go. I originally planned to just brush her off... but during the time you were sick, I was bullied so much, and I want to be as principled as you, but I'm really scared..."
Her voice suddenly went hoarse. She had imagined herself fighting back like the protagonist in a novel, but when they attacked her with force and countless humiliations, the moment she gave in, she knew that she was destined not to be the protagonist in the story.
"So I had no choice but to listen to her to suffer less."
The air was still for a few seconds.
Ye Yuying slowly closed the workbook, her gaze falling on the page where she had stared so intently that watermarks had appeared on the exercises, as if she were deep in thought.
She ultimately said nothing, only sighed, and asked in return, "Do you think obedience will solve everything? It will only make them think you're more useful and weaker, and they'll test you even more to see how far you can endure."
"I know," Ji Zi said weakly, her eyes slightly red, "but I can't think of a solution."
Ye Yuying slowly turned her head and looked at her calmly. She wanted to say something more, but after thinking about it, she let her words out into the air along with her breath.
"never mind……"
The sentence seemed ambiguous, and Ji Zi instantly realized its negative meaning, her eyes reddening as she looked at her: "What do you mean, 'let it go'..."
Ye Yuying watched her cry, then suddenly smiled, closed the exercise book, and said softly, "I can't do what I can't do myself, so I can't expect you to do it. Just do it your way, if doing it this way makes you feel safer..."
Ji Zi sobbed for a moment, then her eyes lit up: "You forgive me?"
“You’re really being pushed too hard by Ge Jie, there’s nothing you can do,” Ye Yuying said.
There was something she didn't say, because Ji Zi was her only friend in the school.
Perhaps it was her body's protective mechanism that prevented her from saying those words.
That's how friendships between girls are; in a flash, with just a few words, after Ye Yuying left with her schoolbag, Ji Zi took the initiative to run up and take Ye Yuying's arm.
Ye Yuying neither refused nor spoke, which meant they had made up.
The two walked out of the campus side by side. There weren't many people around the school gate anymore, and the afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows of them.
Just as they finished walking up the steps in front of the school gate, a tall, slender figure emerged from the alleyway not far away, backlit by the light.
Lin Zhiyan.
He didn't have a backpack, probably because he had to rush back to school for evening self-study soon. He always managed to make his ordinary school uniform look more special. His white shirt shimmered in the sunset, his features were refined, and his demeanor was calm, as if he had a halo of aloofness about him.
He was holding a book in his hand, the title of which was illegible, but it was probably a foreign novel.
Ye Yuying's heart tightened suddenly. As soon as she saw that face, she immediately recalled what she had done not long ago.
Ji Zi also noticed the unusual atmosphere and looked at Lin Zhiyan with curiosity.
Lin Zhiyan's gaze fell on Ye Yuying, his eyes were much calmer than usual, and although he smiled, he was not as relaxed as before.
He stopped in front of her and handed her the book he was holding.
"Why haven't you been to class in so long?" His voice was clear and crisp, carrying a fleeting hint of concern.
"...I'm sick." Ye Yuying felt her voice was a little dry and her throat was a little blocked, as if even her vocal cords were aware that she had done something wrong.
"What's wrong?" Lin Zhiyan glanced at Ji Zi's curious gaze out of the corner of his eye, concealing the worry in his eyes without making a sound.
"It's nothing, just a fever." Ye Yuying felt a chill run down her spine and quickly changed the subject, "Is there something wrong?"
The other person regained their composure and handed over the book, saying, "Yours."
"This isn't mine..."
Ye Yuying subconsciously denied it, but she keenly noticed that there was a layer between the pages of the book, which was not completely flat. She instantly guessed what it was, and her cheeks burned instantly. She knew what it was.
If I'm not mistaken, it was because she deliberately handed him a love letter not long ago.
She immediately understood Lin Zhiyan's intention, stopped making excuses, quickly reached out and took the book, hugging it tightly to her chest, not wanting anyone to notice anything amiss.
Lin Zhiyan's gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds. In her clear eyes, there seemed to be a fleeting emotion that was too quick to catch.
He didn't show any extra expression, just nodded slightly, his tone still calm, but carrying an undeniable admonition: "You're almost in your final year of junior high, so focus on your studies first."
Ye Yuying stood silently in place, her face pale, her mind still preoccupied with the secret hidden between the pages of the book.
She was terrified that someone would discover the letter, yet she was unwilling to let her feelings be buried. She thought that Lin Zhiyan would be the best place to keep it, but in the end, it was still returned.
Unexpectedly, who would deliberately return a love letter after reading it?
Ye Yuying was on the verge of tears. If this hot potato were to return to her hands, she would be restless again.
She quickly composed herself and handed the book back to him: "Why are you returning what I gave you? Take it back now."
"I'm going back to study. Don't overthink things."
Lin Zhiyan softened his tone, seemingly showing preferential treatment to her, his young suitor, and even gently touched her head as if comforting a child.
After he finished speaking, the bus arrived. He withdrew his hand and boarded the bus with a swift movement. His slender figure disappeared from sight along with the bus.
Ye Yuying stood there, clutching the book with the folded pages tightly in her hand. She wished she could find a river and throw it in. But no, throwing it in the river might be discovered by people downstream, so it wasn't safe. She should just buy a lighter and burn it quietly.
Destroy the body and cover up the evidence, as if it never happened.
Ji Zi glanced at her cautiously, then looked in the direction where Lin Zhiyan had disappeared, hesitating to speak.
As the sun completely sank below the horizon, the last glimmer of light outside the campus also disappeared.
Ye Yuying felt as if the letter in her hand was as heavy as a stone, making it hard for her to breathe.
She took a deep breath and stuffed the book into the deepest part of her bag, as if to seal away that untimely flutter of the heart.
In the distance, a black sedan drove slowly for a few minutes, an unusual occurrence. The eyes inside the car witnessed everything, their gaze lowered, all their speculations hidden in those deep eyes.
"Hey? Isn't that your sister? You turned down so many appointments to rush home and take care of her."
An untimely voice rang out from the driver's seat, carrying a hint of nonchalant laughter. The person slightly raised their chin and teased, "Being confessed to by such a handsome young man?"
Cheng Mingdu sat in the back seat, his gaze passing through the car window as he quietly watched Ye Yuying stuff the book into her bag.
He fell into a metallic silence, but the emotions in his deep eyes were as unfathomable as the dark waves churning beneath the sea.
He recalled Ye Yuying's recent series of unusual behaviors—her previous deliberate or unintentional avoidance of him, her sudden high fever, and her dedication to her studies…
He always believed that if she finally started to plan for her future and work hard to get out of her predicament, it didn't matter whether the motivation behind it was romantic feelings. If a crush could inspire her to take the right path, it would be a good thing.
He pursed his lips, ignoring his brother's teasing, and simply looked away from Ye Yuying, saying in a deep voice, "Drive."
"Why don't you give your sister a ride along the way?"
She walked with her classmates.
Silence fell over the carriage, broken only by the low rumble of the engine, which carried a hint of restlessness under the night sky.
*
In order to clear Ye Yuying of suspicion of cheating, the math teaching and research group arranged an exam for her on Wednesday.
During this period, Ye Yuying studied diligently for the exam every day after school, even more so than usual.
During this period, Cheng Mingdu rarely showed up. Most of the time, the curtains in his upstairs room were drawn, making it impossible to tell whether he was there or not.
Ye Yuying sat at her desk, her pen flying across the draft paper, solving complex math problems with ease. But she longed for a problem that would truly stump her, a problem that would give her the confidence to knock on Cheng Mingdu's door and ask for his help.
She was even a little surprised by this, as if her "not being that stupid" had become a barrier preventing her from getting closer to him.
She would occasionally peek at the motion-sensor lights in the long corridor to see if they were on. As long as she could spot him walking, she would immediately go downstairs to bump into him.
But after that day, Cheng Mingdu seemed to be very busy, and he fell silent.
She even considered more extreme methods, such as deliberately making a mistake so that the homeroom teacher would call him directly, and he would definitely show up.
With these mixed feelings, she waited anxiously for Wednesday, praying the night before that nothing would go wrong the next day.
However, she tossed and turned all night, her thoughts in complete disarray, so much so that when she woke up the next day, she felt dizzy and had lower abdominal pain.
After she went to the bathroom to take care of everything, she was pale and weak.
"Of all days, it has to be today..." Ye Yuying leaned against the cold edge of the sink, looking at her bloodless face in the mirror, feeling utterly helpless.
Perhaps due to the sleepless nights and immense mental stress, the body's reaction became increasingly intense.
She gritted her teeth; she couldn't afford to falter at this crucial juncture. This exam was extremely important to her.
My steps were a little unsteady as I went downstairs.
She had given up hope of running into Cheng Mingdu, but he unexpectedly appeared today, sitting at the dining table drinking coffee and reading a foreign newspaper. Hearing the noise, he looked up and his gaze lingered on her face for a moment.
Ye Yuying subconsciously wanted to avoid his gaze, but her physical discomfort made her too lazy to even make any extra movements.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Cheng Mingdu's voice was calm, but he still managed to ask.
"...No." Ye Yuying gave a vague reply, grabbed a packaged bread, and prepared to leave.
Cheng Mingdu didn't press the matter further. Ye Yuying could feel his gaze occasionally sweeping over her, which made her even more uneasy, and the pain in her abdomen seemed to become clearer.
After finally arriving at school, Ji Zi was already waiting for her at the school gate. Seeing Ye Yuying's face, she asked worriedly, "Yuying, you look terrible. Are you alright?"
"I might have a bit of diarrhea and feel a little unwell, but it's nothing." Ye Yuying forced a smile.
"Should we talk to the teacher?" Ji Zi said worriedly. "Don't try to tough it out."
"No need, it's come to this already." Ye Yuying shook her head and took a deep breath.
If I told them, they would definitely think I was playing tricks to stall for time.
As she entered the examination room, an invisible sense of oppression washed over her. This was an examination room set up just for her alone, with only one exam paper on a table in the very center.
The math teachers remained serious. Ye Yuying found her seat and sat down, trying to ignore the waves of abdominal cramps and the accompanying dizziness.
When the test papers were handed out, she shook her somewhat heavy head and forced herself to concentrate.
The bell rang to start the exam.
Ye Yuying gripped her pen, her fingertips slightly cold. She looked at the question; at first, the numbers and symbols seemed to dance before her eyes, making it difficult to focus. The pain in her abdomen felt like an invisible hand, constantly tugging at her attention. She closed her eyes briefly, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on her forehead.
She bit her lower lip, silently reading the questions over and over again, trying to regroup her scattered thoughts. Surprisingly, when she truly focused on thinking, the knowledge she had accumulated over the years began to come in handy. Although her pace was much slower than usual, and the process of solving the problems was exceptionally difficult, she gritted her teeth and persevered, working through each one.
Sweat soaked her forehead, her face grew paler, and her fingers trembled slightly as she gripped the pen.
She glanced at the exam paper, which she had filled up to 80%, but she could almost feel a warm current about to flow out.
She mustered her courage and raised her hand: "Teacher, can I go to the restroom?"
The proctor seemed to notice her unusual behavior, glanced at her exam paper, and without comment, simply walked over and asked in a low voice, "Do you want to hand in your paper early?"
Ye Yuying shook her head, her voice a little hoarse: "I just need to use the restroom, my stomach hurts a bit."
"No, that won't work. It will be difficult for us to determine if there are any external factors affecting your performance. Hang in there, there's only half an hour left."
The hour-and-a-half exam felt like an eternity to Ye Yuying. When the bell rang to signal the end, she almost collapsed as she put down her pen. Her entire back was soaked in cold sweat, and her vision blurred.
She leaned on the table, slowly stood up, and staggered a little when she handed in her paper.
She rushed into the nearest toilet and found bloodstains. She roughly guessed what had happened.
She had her first period relatively late; this was her first period.
But no one had taught her how to handle it beforehand. She mustered her strength and temporarily stuffed her underwear with tissue paper. Just as she was about to open the bathroom door, she suddenly felt as if all her strength had been drained, and she leaned against the wall helplessly, crying silently.
As soon as she stepped out of the restroom, Ji Zi rushed over to support her: "Yu Ying! How are you?!" Her voice was filled with anxiety.
Ye Yuying leaned against Ji Zi, barely able to speak, and weakly shook her head.
"I'll take you to the infirmary!" Ji Zi said decisively, and without further ado, helped her walk towards the infirmary.
The school doctor did a quick check-up and determined that the exhaustion was caused by menstrual cramps and stress. He told her to lie down and rest and made her a cup of brown sugar water.
Ye Yuying lay on the hospital bed in the infirmary, her body limp. The pain in her abdomen seemed to have eased somewhat after drinking brown sugar water, but the feeling of having all her strength drained away remained intense. She closed her eyes, her mind blank, unwilling to think of anything.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but in her hazy state, she seemed to hear someone talking to the school doctor. The voice sounded somewhat familiar.
She struggled to open her heavy eyelids, and through her blurry vision, she saw a tall, slender figure standing in the doorway, backlit, making it impossible to see his face.
But that outline was all too familiar to her.
It is Cheng Mingdu.
How did he end up here?
Cheng Mingdu saw through her question: "Your homeroom teacher contacted me to come over. We've finished talking now, and I'll pick you up to go back together."
"I haven't caused any trouble recently."
“It’s not because you caused trouble,”
Ye Yuying subconsciously tried to defend herself, her voice still somewhat weak.
“It’s not because you caused trouble,” Cheng Mingdu’s tone remained calm. He pulled up a chair next to him, sat down by the hospital bed, and looked at her pale face. He paused for a moment before continuing, “Your homeroom teacher called me today to talk about your future career path.”
Ye Yuying was even more confused. She had just finished a math exam that would determine whether she could clear her name. How did the topic suddenly jump to "future development direction"?
In the office, the homeroom teacher said, "Ye Yuying performed exceptionally well in the last sports meet, especially in the middle- and long-distance running events. Her test results were outstanding in several tests, and her endurance and explosive power far surpassed those of girls her age, even some boys. She has a great talent in this area. Although she may not be at the top in academic subjects, if she can excel in sports, it would be a very good path for her. With systematic training, it would greatly help her in applying for sports-specialized programs in the future."
He paused, observing Ye Yuying's expression. "The homeroom teacher means that she hopes I, as a parent, can pay more attention to your potential in this area, and if possible, support you in pursuing some professional training. She said that this might help you find new goals and confidence."
The air fell silent for a moment, with only the faint sounds of students making noise coming from outside the window.
Ye Yuying processed this sudden information, her heart filled with mixed feelings. She didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed.
It turns out that the discovery of her athletic talent came at the cost of her academic performance being rejected...
She lowered her eyelids, looking at the thin blanket covering her. The pain in her abdomen seemed to become clearer, mixed with a nameless restlessness and a vague sense of bewilderment.
"Get some rest first," Cheng Mingdu stood up. "The doctor said you're fine, you just need to rest. We'll talk about this again when you feel better. I'll go and ask for your afternoon off."
After saying that, he turned around, gave a few instructions to the school doctor, and then walked out of the infirmary.
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Author's Note: 50 red envelopes
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