Chapter 3: Becoming Friends - She really is a good girl...
Yu Kui didn't fall asleep until late at night. When she woke up the next day, she found that she had dark circles under her eyes, making her face, which was not considered beautiful to begin with, look even more dull.
So annoying.
She rubbed her eyes, picked up her schoolbag, and went downstairs. Qin You was waiting for her at their usual spot. Yu Kui originally wanted to run over quickly, but when she thought about how he hadn't replied to her messages last night, she slowed down.
"Let's go," Qin You said, his expression unchanged as she approached, still as indifferent as ever. "The car's here." He then strode forward, as if the message she sent last night was insignificant to him.
Yu Kui took a deep breath, caught up with him, and couldn't help but ask, "Qin You, I asked you a lot of questions before, you..."
"I fell asleep yesterday," the boy said apologetically. "Sorry I didn't reply in time."
Yu Kui's mood didn't improve at all because of his explanation. He fell asleep last night, and this morning, he didn't even say a word when he saw her message.
Perhaps realizing that his words were somewhat harsh, Qin You said in a low voice, "If you haven't finished your homework, should I explain it to you now?"
"No need." Yu Kui lowered her eyelashes, concealing all the emotions in her eyes. "No need."
"Are you angry?" Seeing her like this, Qin You felt a little helpless. "I didn't mean to..."
Yesterday afternoon, he added a girl named Tao Jiang on WeChat. Tao Jiang was a transfer student and was struggling with many things since she had just arrived at the school. He was the only person she knew, so she begged him to help her with tutoring. That's why he hadn't replied to Yu Kui's message...
“I don’t blame you,” Yu Kui said, her complicated sorrows seemingly vanishing instantly upon seeing him lower his head in a show of weakness. “I just feel like I’m stupid.”
“You’re not stupid,” Qin You said, leading her onto the bus. “You’re just a little unbalanced in your subjects. Once you catch up in the other subjects, your grades will be even better.”
"Really?" Yu Kui looked at him with bright eyes. "You think I can?"
"Hmm," Qin You said, a subtle feeling rising in his heart as he saw how easily she believed him, like a little animal. "I believe you."
“Okay!” Yu Kui smiled immediately, revealing sweet dimples on her cheeks. Although she was not as stunning as Tao Jiang, she was a lively and cute little girl like a pear, always easily believing what others said, obedient and innocent.
Qin You looked at her face. It seemed that ever since they met, Yu Kui had followed him like this, believing everything he said without reservation and never doubting him.
For some reason, Qin You didn't want to tell her about Tao Jiang, as if saying it would lead to something she couldn't control.
He enjoys his current life and doesn't want it to change.
That's settled then, he thought. While tutoring Tao Jiang, he would also continue to explain problems to Yu Kui.
After getting off the bus, Yu Kui met Tao Jiang, who was wearing a school uniform, at the school gate. Tao Jiang had her long, smooth hair styled into a pretty bun and decorated with jasmine hair clips, making her look very ladylike.
"It's her," Yu Kui whispered, "She's the new student in our class, isn't she pretty?"
Qin You's gaze fell on Tao Jiang. The girl seemed to sense something and turned around. When she saw him, she gave a light smile. Her fair and delicate face softened instantly, and she seemed to be glowing.
Tao Jiang's gaze swept over Qin You and landed on Yu Kui beside him. The two were very close, and it was clear that they had a good relationship.
Tao Jiang and Qin You exchanged a glance, then casually looked away, as if they didn't know Qin You. Little did they know, the boy's hands were secretly clenching, and his calm heart was being stirred by waves of emotion.
Yu Kui, oblivious to the tugging between the two, continued muttering to herself, "She actually smiled at us! Her smile is so beautiful..."
"Let's go." Qin You took a deep breath, strode forward, and unconsciously followed Tao Jiang's figure.
At lunchtime, Yu Kui saw Tao Jiang again. She was sitting alone at the table next to Yu Kui and Qin You, all alone. Yu Kui remembered that many people in the class wanted to eat with Tao Jiang, but Tao Jiang refused them all. She seemed to be used to being alone and didn't talk much with others.
In Sun Shuya's words, Tao Jiang is like a cold beauty in a novel, who needs someone to warm her.
"Here you go," Yu Kui said with a smile, handing the large chicken leg from the plate to Qin You. "I got this especially for you."
Qin You lowered his head, took a bite of the chicken leg, and said calmly, "Not bad."
Yu Kui laughed again and put some of her favorite stir-fried pork on his plate. The way the two were so close made everyone around them envious, and they also wished they had a childhood sweetheart to grow up with.
Childhood sweethearts... Tao Jiang's gaze fell on Yu Kui. She was so bright and cheerful, it was truly enviable.
"Yu Kui, can you come with me to the restroom?"
During the afternoon break, as the girl passed by Yu Kui, she asked in a very soft voice.
Yu Kui paused for a moment, then looked up at her. Tao Jiang smiled slightly, "Is that alright?"
"Y-yes, sure!" Yu Kui was a little flattered. "I'll go with you." After saying that, she stood up amidst the surprised and envious gazes of her classmates and followed Tao Jiang out.
Yu Kui didn't know why Tao Jiang asked her to accompany her to the restroom, but she had a good impression of Tao Jiang and kept thinking about how to talk to her new classmate along the way.
"I'm sorry," Tao Jiang explained after coming out of the restroom, "I could have come by myself, but I noticed that everyone else was with someone when they went to the restroom, so I couldn't help but call you."
"It's okay," Yu Kui said with a smile. "You can call me next time you need to use the restroom. We're all classmates." She was happy to help Tao Jiang integrate into the environment sooner.
"Can we have lunch together tomorrow?" Tao Jiang hesitated before asking, "I get quite lonely eating alone every day..."
Hearing this, Yu Kui felt a little sorry for her, after all, Tao Jiang had just arrived at school and hadn't made any friends yet... "Sure, but I don't eat alone. If you don't mind, I can introduce you to a friend."
Tao Jiang's eyes flickered. "Your best friend?"
“Yes,” Yu Kui nodded, unable to hide her affection, and said, “He grew up with me and is my best friend. He’s not very talkative, but he’s a very nice person. Don’t mind him.”
She didn't realize that when she talked about Qin You, her eyes and the corners of her mouth were smiling, and the affection in her eyes seemed to be overflowing.
"I see," Tao Jiang said after a moment of silence, somewhat resistant to strangers. "I thought it was just the two of us..."
Yu Kui was taken aback. "If you mind, I won't let him come tomorrow."
“No,” Tao Jiang shook her head, “I was just afraid of disturbing you.”
No, he's a very nice person.
“Okay,” Tao Jiang finally agreed, “then let’s have lunch together tomorrow.”
Yu Kui nodded, and the two returned to their seats one after the other.
"Why did Tao Jiang suddenly contact you?" Sun Shuya tugged at Yu Kui's sleeve and lowered her voice, "You two hadn't even spoken before, and she just called you by your name. Something feels weird."
"She must think I'm a good person," Yu Kui blinked. "Otherwise, why would she choose me and not someone else?"
“That’s the strange thing,” Sun Shuya said. Although she also liked Tao Jiang, she was more worried about her old classmate Yu Kui, who was not very shrewd. “She’s only been here for two days. We don’t even know what kind of person she is. We should be more cautious.”
"It's not that complicated," Yu Kui thought she was overthinking it. "I'm so ordinary, what reason would she have to lie to me?"
“You’re not just ordinary,” Sun Shuya retorted, looking into her clear and innocent eyes. “Although you can be childish at times, your studies and appearance are passable, not too bad.”
Yu Kui: "......"
On the way home, Yu Kui told Qin You about her new classmate wanting to have dinner with them, and said somewhat shyly, "Will you mind?"
"Is it Tao Jiang?" Qin You asked.
“Hmm,” Yu Kui said, “She doesn’t seem to like making friends much, but I quite like her.”
"Sure," Qin You said. "I don't mind."
Yu Kui secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, she was worried that the two of them would not get along. They were both so cold and aloof, would the atmosphere become very awkward?
Her worries were obviously unnecessary, because even sitting at the same table, Qin You and Tao Jiang didn't talk much and seemed completely unfamiliar with each other. Even when Yu Kui racked her brains to come up with something interesting, neither of them showed any interest.
Little did she know, all their communication took place on their phones, and in a corner she was unaware of, their relationship was far closer than Yu Kui had imagined.
"Can we have dinner together again tomorrow?" After dinner, Yu Kui took Tao Jiang for a walk on campus. The girl said softly, "I don't know why, but I always feel very relaxed when I'm with you. I really want to be your friend."
"Really?" Yu Kui's eyes widened, a little happy inside. "You really want to be friends with me?"
"Hmm," Tao Jiang said confidently, "I don't know if you'd be willing..."
"I do!" Of course Yu Kui was happy to have such a beautiful friend. She took Tao Jiang's arm and said, "We can not only eat together, but also go out and have fun together!"
She was like a warm and welcoming little sun, bringing a faint smile to Tao Jiang's lips. "Thank you, Yu Kui."
She slowly took Yu Kui's hand, watching her tall, slender figure walk into the teaching building ahead, and said, "You really are a very good girl."
From that day on, Yu Kui and Tao Jiang became friends. At school, she would subconsciously take care of Tao Jiang. Whether it was physical education class or doing other things, she would take Tao Jiang with her and help her quickly integrate into the class.
Before we knew it, it was time for the school's autumn sports meet. The class monitor stood on the podium with the list, asking people to sign up. Everyone was eager to sign up for the simple events, but very few people signed up for the long-distance race.
"Everyone, please be more proactive," the class monitor said with a sigh. "No one has signed up for the girls' 1500m and 3000m races, and we're still short of people for the boys' 5000m..."
A note from the author:
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