Chapter 19, The Skirt
After finishing the Chinese exam, Yu Bai went to Chen Ye's classroom to find him.
"Hi! Yu Bai." He saw Yu Bai cautiously peeking in from the front door of the classroom, so he stood up to greet her.
Yu Bai looked in the direction of the sound and saw Chen Ye. His facial injuries had healed, and he was still the same sunny and cheerful young man.
Chen also walked out of the classroom and stood with Yu Bai against the railing.
The midday sun was warm, and its rays made people feel drowsy. Yu Bai squinted and said to Chen Ye with some anxiety, "Chen Ye, what exactly is the relationship between Ruo An and Jiang Jizhou? Tell me."
Chen stared intently at Yu Bai, "Tell me first, is Jiang Jizhou really your brother?"
Yu Bai pursed his lips and, after a long while, revealed the truth.
Chen also forced a smile, a smile tinged with self-mockery. After calming himself down, he said to Yu Bai, "Ruo An is Jiang Jizhou's younger sister."
Yu Bai was stunned.
One is the real sister, and the other is the fake sister. Chen Ye couldn't help but laugh bitterly again.
Yu Bai lowered his eyes, the knot in his heart was untied by Chen Ye's words, and he suddenly found it funny how many times he had tossed and turned in his heart before.
But why wouldn't Jiang Jizhou tell her directly? And why did he act so cold and distant towards Ruo'an?
"Ruo'an is his father's illegitimate daughter, and Jiang Jizhou hates her."
As if understanding Yu Bai's confusion, Chen then went on to explain to her.
Upon hearing this, Yu Bai opened his mouth, somewhat shocked.
"Then she went abroad..."
Chen interrupted Yu Bai and said directly, "Jiang Jizhou forced her to go abroad. If she stays in the country, she and her mother won't get a single penny."
"So that's how it is." Yu Bai gripped the railing with both hands, his emotions a jumble.
"Is Jiang Jizhou so disgusted with her just because she's Uncle Jiang's illegitimate daughter?" Yu Bai asked.
"No, it's not that." Chen hesitated before finally saying, "It's because..."
Why didn't you just ask me?
Jiang Jizhou suddenly appeared, interrupting Chen Ye.
Yu Bai looked up and saw Jiang Jizhou standing at the top of the stairs with his hands in his pockets, backlit by the light. He was tall and thin, with a somewhat indifferent expression.
He walked towards Yu Bai.
Yu Bai bit her lip, walked towards Jiang Jizhou, and turned back to Chen Ye, saying, "Chen Ye, we're leaving now."
Jiang Jizhou glanced coldly at Chen Ye, said nothing, and left with Yu Bai.
Throughout the journey, Yu Bai sensed the oppressive atmosphere emanating from Jiang Jizhou and dared not speak, for fear of angering him.
Jiang Jizhou was sullen, waiting for Yu Bai to say something to comfort her, but Yu Bai didn't say anything for a long time. She just sat there looking around, as if it had nothing to do with her.
Jiang Jizhou was furious. "Why are you still looking for him?"
Yu Bai blinked. "You heard it too, I wanted to ask about you and... Ruo An."
"Then why don't you just ask me?"
“You didn’t tell me before,” Yu Bai retorted.
Jiang Jizhou laughed in exasperation, then suddenly moved closer to her. Yu Bai pressed herself against the car window, her almond-shaped eyes wide open. Jiang Jizhou stared straight at her, a smile spreading across his lips. "Then why did you ask that?"
Yu Bai avoided his gaze and whispered, "I'm a little curious."
Jiang Jizhou stepped back, leaning lazily against the back of his chair, his smile fading, his expression listless. "Oh."
Then, there was no sound.
Yu Bai swallowed hard, mustered her courage, and asked him, "Then why do you hate her so much?"
Jiang Jizhou's tone was flat, revealing no emotion, "Her mother took my mother's belongings."
As expected, Jiang Jizhou's bottom line was his mother; he would not tolerate anything that touched upon her.
With her inner conflict resolved, Yu Bai felt even more sorry for Jiang Jizhou.
—
The results came out a few days after the midterm exams, and many people went to the teachers' office to peek at the report cards even before they were officially published.
"Bai Bai!" Mingjing ran in from outside the classroom calling Yu Bai's name. She had just been sweating profusely in the office trying to see the report card. After taking a sip of water, she composed herself and said to Yu Bai, "Bai! Guess what number you got?"
Yu Bai put down his pen, looked at Ming Jing's excited expression, and cautiously guessed, "Top five?"
Mingjing couldn't hold back any longer and exclaimed, "Number one in age!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Bai was also taken aback, and then felt joy and excitement. Although she was confident that she would be in the top five of the grade after the exam, she did not expect to be number one.
The news that Yu Bai, a hearing-impaired transfer student, ranked first in her grade quickly spread throughout the senior year, and teachers in all classes praised her in class.
Yu Bai suddenly became a hot topic of discussion in the grade, and the fact that she and Jiang Jizhou were not actually siblings also became a subject of gossip.
Yu Bai ignored these rumors. Although she occasionally heard some unpleasant things, she would just silently remember them and feel bad for a while, without telling Jiang Jizhou.
The week after the results were released, the class rearranged the seating according to the midterm exam scores, and Yu Bai remained in his original seat.
Jiang Jizhou was second in the grade, and Yu Bai noticed that he didn't move his seat; Ming Jing, on the other hand, moved next to Yu Bai and became Yu Bai's deskmate.
She chatters away every day, full of energy, which adds a touch of liveliness to the usually mild-mannered Yu Bai.
In early November, Nancheng No.1 Middle School held its autumn sports meet.
Mingjing signed up for the women's 1500m, which Yu Bai admired sincerely. She also encouraged Yu Bai to sign up for a race. Yu Bai originally didn't want to participate, but she persuaded him to waver and he signed up for the women's 800m.
So every morning the two of them would arrive at the school playground early for running training.
After running two laps, Yu Bai checked the time: three minutes and twenty seconds. It wasn't fast, but for Yu Bai, whose physical fitness was average, it was a significant improvement.
Although there were many moments when Yu Bai was so tired that he wanted to quit the race, he still gritted his teeth and persevered.
Yu Bai stood still for a while, panting, and drank several large gulps of mineral water. After Ming Jing finished running, she walked over to her side, wiping her sweat with a towel, and said to her, "Bai, did you sign up to hold up the placard for the school sports meet? I saw your name on the list."
Upon hearing Mingjing's words, Yu Bai was stunned for a moment before remembering that the literature and art committee member had signed her up for the competition, something she had completely forgotten about.
"I'll definitely vote for you, hehe, I'll go campaign for you when I get back." Mingjing grinned. "You'll definitely be the one in the end!"
Yu Bai pursed her lips. "Thank you, mirror."
"Don't mention it."
Yu Bai had no hope; she thought probably not many people would vote for her. But to her surprise, she received a landslide victory in votes.
Yu Bai wondered if it was because Mingjing was campaigning for votes, but Mingjing said, "I only campaigned for four or five people. It's just that you are more outstanding!"
Yu Bai expressed doubt about this. Apart from her outstanding academic performance, she had no popularity... She might also be the entertainment committee member, because he helped her that time, and she might have helped him get votes in return.
The thought of holding up a sign with Jiang Jizhou filled Yu Bai with uncontrollable excitement. A young girl's heart is always full of poetry. How wonderful it would be to dress up with the person she likes and take a memorable photo. Yu Bai's heart was filled with pure joy.
Regarding clothing, Yu Bai still needed to discuss it with Jiang Jizhou. Since the two lived under the same roof, it was very convenient. After returning home, Yu Bai took the initiative to discuss this matter with Jiang Jizhou at the dinner table.
What kind of skirt do you like?
Jiang Jizhou, with a faint smile on his handsome face, asked Yu Bai.
Yu Bai thought for a moment, "Hmm... I want a princess dress with a big skirt, blue, sparkly, like a sky full of stars."
After saying that, Yu Bai said dejectedly, "This seems a bit too flashy."
Jiang Jizhou smiled and said, "I think it's a good idea."
"Really?"
Jiang Jizhou raised an eyebrow and smiled, "You don't believe your brother?"
"No." Yu Bai pouted and shook his head repeatedly.
"Then give me your measurements, and I'll take care of the rest." Jiang Jizhou stared intently at Yu Bai.
Yu Bai blushed, like the sunset falling on her fair cheeks.
Yu Bai initially thought Jiang Jizhou was either renting or buying the dress, but it turned out he had designed it himself with the help of a professional designer and then had it custom-made.
To design the dress, Jiang Jizhou skipped playing billiards for many lunches, instead quickly eating lunch and discussing details with the designer.
During this time, he also asked Yu Bai for her thoughts and opinions on the design of the dress.
Finally, Yu Bai looked at the design sketch of the dress, which was exactly the dreamy princess dress she had imagined, and it was drawn by Jiang Jizhou himself. Yu Bai was deeply moved.
"Jiang Jizhou, you're amazing," Yu Bai praised him.
Jiang Jizhou smiled slightly, showing no modesty whatsoever, "I do have some artistic talent."
Yu Bai smiled, pursing her lips.
The skirt was finished the day before the opening ceremony of the sports meet.
The next day, Yu Bai got up very early and the makeup artist gave her a sophisticated and elegant look, with her long hair styled in an updo.
Yu Bai hesitated for a moment, but still took off his hearing aid.
Upon opening the gift box, Yu Bai was speechless with astonishment at the actual image of the dress, while the makeup artist beside her also showered it with praise.
The main body of the dress is a gradient blue, gradually deepening from the light blue at the chest downwards, shimmering like water. Especially because the outermost layer of the huge skirt is made of a special material, it looks like soft and clear moonlight, radiant and dazzling.
Her delicate collarbone was exposed, looking rather bare. Yu Bai took out the sparkling necklace that Jiang Jizhou had given her, which matched her dress perfectly.
"Wow!"
"What a beautiful dress."
"I hadn't noticed before, but Yu Bai is actually so beautiful."
...
When Yu Bai arrived at school, she stood at the front of the class line. The whispers and praises from her classmates made her feel embarrassed. Yu Bai, who was used to being a nobody, lowered her head uncomfortably, her earlobes turning red.
You look beautiful today.
Suddenly, Jiang Jizhou's voice came from behind her. She turned around and saw Jiang Jizhou in a dark blue suit, handsome and dashing, which matched her dress perfectly.
Yu Bai blushed and looked away, "Thank you, you're handsome too."
The wind blew through the wisps of hair on Yu Bai's forehead, her lowered eyes were exceptionally gentle, as bright as stars and as clear as the moon.
Jiang Jizhou's breath hitched; he was completely absorbed in watching.
The literature and art committee member passed by and said casually, "Jiang Jizhou, your eyes are practically glued to Yu Bai."
Jiang Jizhou snapped out of his daze, touched the tip of his tongue to the roof of his mouth, and smiled nonchalantly.
Yu Bai was nervously preparing to march in formation and didn't notice Jiang Jizhou's gaze. She had always been in the ranks before and had never held up a sign, so she was worried and afraid of making a mistake.
Jiang Jizhou's clear voice came from the right, "It's alright, don't be afraid, I'm right here beside you."
Yu Bai took a deep breath, tilted his head slightly to look at Jiang Jizhou's profile, his expression serious and earnest, a far cry from his usual carefree and unserious demeanor. His presence made Yu Bai feel at ease.
After waiting for a long time, it was finally Yu Bai's class's turn to march in formation. The sound of their synchronized footsteps made Yu Bai very nervous, but he kept telling himself to relax and follow Jiang Jizhou's steps.
As they walked down from the platform, they began chanting slogans. Amidst the deafening noise, Yu Bai heard Jiang Jizhou say, "You walked very well, very well."
Yu Bai's tense heart lightened, and her self-conscious and sensitive heart beat joyfully because she had received recognition.
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