Chapter 9
Too close...
Yun Zhan blinked nervously. She was slightly taller than Pei Yanxi, and if she lowered her eyes slightly, she could meet Pei Yanxi's gaze.
Pei Yanxi's perfume smelled wonderful, even the strands of hair scattered on her back carried a cool fragrance. Her scent was jasmine and orange blossom diluted by moonlight, like silk wiped by snow, soft yet distant. Yun Zhan had never smelled such a wonderful perfume before.
When Pei Yanxi noticed Yun Zhan's dazed gaze, a hint of iris pink rose behind her ears.
Through the thin fabric, Yun Zhan's body heat traveled to Pei Yanxi's skin... Their fingertips brushed against each other, leaving behind a clean scent of cedar and a hint of white musk, slowly warmed by their body heat. Like a white shirt drying in a pine forest after rain, the fabric revealing a faint soapy scent when the wind blows.
The senior student looked aloof, but the fragrance she wore was unexpectedly alluring.
Senior Pei's noble and proud demeanor, good looks, and mature aura as someone in a superior position are undoubtedly the biggest weapons against these seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls.
Pei Yanxi is very popular at this school, and Yun Zhan, who has had contact with Pei Yanxi, knows this better than anyone else.
Yun Zhan suddenly remembered the girl who had hated her in Spanish class before. 21 said it very well, Pei Yanxi is really charming.
"You're distracted. What are you thinking about?" Pei Yanxi reminded her. The girl's voice was thin and clear, and it shattered into fine snowflakes upon touching the eardrum. There was no warmth, no vibrato, and even the ending tone was drawn out straight.
Is he thinking of Wen Sixue?
Pei Yanxi's heart sank a little. Once this somewhat childish and ridiculous thought appeared in her mind, she couldn't easily erase its presence.
People tend to think the worst, and Pei Yanxi was no exception. She knew she was making baseless guesses about Yun Zhan, but she couldn't control herself.
"I was thinking how nice you smell." Yun Zhan snapped out of his reverie, and his casual remark made Pei Yanxi's heart, which had been sinking, jump again.
Does it smell...good?
The familiar shocking remark... the familiar complete disarray.
When Pei Yanxi was shy, it was like thin snow falling on her eyelashes—it would melt away with a slight tremor. The tips of her ears turned red first, and the color gradually spread to the sides of her neck, like rose juice being accidentally dripped into clear water, slowly spreading but unable to be stopped.
"Hmm, what perfume did you buy?" Yun Zhan genuinely thought it smelled wonderful.
"I didn't wear perfume; the fragrance on my body is natural."
Pei Yanxi looked up and met Yun Zhan's gaze for less than half a second before pursing her lips and immediately lowering her head. Stray hairs slid down to cover her profile, leaving only her bright red earlobes shining under the light, like two cherries held between her lips and teeth, too precious to bite.
If it were perfume, that would be fine, but the fragrance on her body doesn't come from perfume; it's her own natural scent. When Yun Zhan talks about her body fragrance, it's as if he's discussing a specific part of her body.
Yun Zhan's topic had no boundaries, but Pei Yanxi didn't dislike it at all. Under Yun Zhan's expectant gaze, she could even hear her own heartbeat.
If it were someone else, she would have already angrily rebuked them for their lack of tact.
"Oh, that's a bit of a shame. I was thinking of buying the same perfume as you." Yun Zhan looked slightly disappointed, but her gaze was very pure, without any inappropriate thoughts.
"Do you like it?" Pei Yanxi couldn't help but ask.
"I quite like it." Yun Zhan nodded.
If you stay with me all the time, you can smell it every day. My hair, clothes, sofa, and bed all smell like this... You can smell it as long as you like.
Thoughts will remain just thoughts; she dares not voice what is in her heart.
Afraid of disturbing the ambiguous atmosphere of this moment...
After the second lesson, Yun Zhan's movements improved slightly. She had good learning ability, but she still couldn't reach the average level of Pei Yanxi's group.
Previously, Pei Yanxi had said that any member of the group who didn't meet the standard would need to practice extra after school until they mastered it before the next class could end normally. Yun Zhan's movements could only be described as barely passing, but definitely not up to Pei Yanxi's standards.
"Senior Pei, does she practice for several hours after class?" a girl in the same group couldn't help but ask.
Yun Zhan definitely doesn't meet Pei Xuejie's standards as he is now; the girls think he needs at least three more hours of practice.
“She doesn’t need extra practice.” Pei Yanxi ignored the girl’s puzzled look.
"But senior... your previous request wasn't like this..."
The girl subtly reminded them that the reason their group was so excellent was entirely due to Pei Yanxi's strict guidance.
“Yun Zhan’s arm is injured, so there’s no need to make her train harder. I’ll teach her slowly once her injury is better.” Pei Yanxi crossed her arms and stood to the side, but her gaze remained fixed on Yun Zhan.
Posture lessons don't require much thought; they require muscle memory. Others don't learn well mostly because they haven't put in the effort, so she should naturally be strict. However, Yun Zhan's poor performance is definitely due to his injury and lack of prior training.
Pei Yanxi thought Yun Zhan learned very quickly and was a smart little darling.
...
Besides the posture lessons, Yunzhan's Spanish has also improved a lot.
She worked hard for about half a month. Every night after class at 5:30, Jiang Yanmo would go and hang out with other girls. During this time, Yun Zhan studied Spanish alone in the dormitory, sitting at his desk for more than three hours at a time.
"I've learned about 60% of the grammar, and I can already understand some simple articles." Yun Zhan casually flipped through a few articles and could roughly understand their meaning.
Spanish is different from English; its grammatical structure is much more complex, and there are more scattered pieces of knowledge to memorize, especially pronouns. When speaking to people of different statuses, you need to change your pronouns accordingly.
"Ouch, my mouth hurts so much."
When it was time to practice her spoken Spanish, Yun Zhan sat cross-legged on the carpet in her dormitory, biting her pen and correcting her pronunciation little by little. Spanish pronunciation is very peculiar; practicing with a pen in her mouth makes it sound slightly better, but she also often bites herself.
Yun Zhan had bitten himself many times, and several blood blisters had formed on the delicate inner walls of his mouth. Now it hurts whenever he speaks. Fortunately, he learns quickly and no longer has to be teased as a "country bumpkin".
The dormitory doorbell suddenly rang.
Yun Zhan thought it was Jiang Yanmo who had returned, but when he got up to open the door, he found that it was a strange girl who had come in.
Are you Yun Zhan?
"These two are for you, please sign for them." The girl who came was a staff member who ran errands for the school. After seeing Yun Zhan nod, she handed over the package.
"I didn't buy anything, are you sure you've made a mistake?" Yun Zhan didn't take it. She looked at the order number on the package with suspicion. Her name was indeed written on it, but she really hadn't bought anything.
"Then someone else bought it for you. Anyway, it's yours, so there's no mistake. You can sign for it first; I have other things to do." The girl urged Yun Zhan and then shoved a pen into his hand.
After signing off on most of the documents, Yun Zhan took the package back.
When the two packages were opened, several boxes of medicine fell out.
Oral spray, painkillers, and anti-swelling medication were scattered all over the floor. Yun Zhan counted about a dozen different kinds, including some vitamin supplements. What was even stranger was that some of the medications in the two packages were duplicates.
"I really didn't buy this, and there are two packages." Yun Zhan thought for a moment, and suddenly felt that the things in his hands were a little too hot to handle.
She couldn't accept something for nothing, and she didn't have many friends at the school. Jiang Yanmo didn't seem like the type of person who would buy these things.
“Yun Zhan, your mouth has been bitten badly,” 21 said.
"I know." Yun Zhan didn't know why 21 brought this up.
What I mean is: if you don't take care of yourself, someone else will.
Feeling sorry for me?
In this school, who would care about her? Yun Zhan found it a little funny. Everyone was just nodding acquaintances, at most living under the same roof. She wasn't dating anyone, nor was she anyone's close friend or family. So who would come back to care about her?
"You really are something else. Just guess for yourself. I won't tell you who it is." 21 was furious and wanted Yun Zhan, that little fool, to reflect on his own.
Yun Zhan didn't speak. After hearing what 21 said, she actually had a vague guess in her heart. However, this thought only existed for a moment before she suppressed it.
Yun Zhan broke out in a sweat, thinking it shouldn't be that bad... They hadn't known each other for very long, and he hadn't done anything wrong.
...
"Hello, I would like to buy some medicine to treat oral injuries."
"Please give me medicine to treat mouth bites."
Pei Yanxi and Wen Sixue entered and exited the pharmacy one after the other, buying different types of medicine from the same owner.
"Have all the young ladies from Minton School been getting mouth ulcers lately? The girl in front of me just finished buying something, and now another one is coming in." The shopkeeper tidied up the shelves and muttered to himself while looking at the ledger.
Wen Sixue gripped the bag in her hand tightly. She wanted to go to Yun Zhan's dormitory to see for herself how he was doing. When she got to the dormitory building, Wen Sixue suddenly stopped.
Jiang Yanmo, who lived in Yun Zhan's dormitory, disliked her very much. Wen Sixue lowered her head, her white sneakers touching the pebbles at her feet. After thinking for a moment, she stopped.
She didn't want to cause trouble for Yun Zhan... or keep him caught in the middle in this awkward position. Jiang Yanmo was Yun Zhan's roommate...
The bright sunlight was suddenly blocked by dark clouds, and the light falling on Wen Sixue disappeared completely.
Yes, she has already caused Yun Zhan a lot of pain. Yun Zhan has been so good to her, she can't bring trouble upon him just because she wants to see him.
Sensitivity is something every girl experiences, and Wen Sixue suddenly thought of Pei Yanxi.
She recalled the way Pei Yanxi looked at Yun Zhan; her inferiority complex was like an unripe plum, and before she had fully shaken off this feeling, a bittersweet feeling bloomed in her heart.
If it were Senior Pei, Yun Zhan wouldn't have been so embarrassed.
“Excellent, beautiful and presentable, Senior Pei won’t cause her any trouble.”
The package, carrying countless emotions, was delivered to the courier. Wen Sixue stared at the package being taken away, standing silently for a long time.
"Miss Pei, where are you going? There will be a family banquet later, please don't leave." The butler stopped Pei Yanxi, and his expression became somewhat subtle after glancing at the medicine bag in Pei Yanxi's hand.
"Do I need you to tell me where I'm going? I'll be back in half an hour." Pei Yanxi frowned, staring coldly at the housekeeper. She hated it when others interfered with her doing what she wanted to do.
Yun Zhan is alone in his dorm now. If he doesn't go now, it'll be past curfew and he won't be able to deliver it until tomorrow. That silly Yun Zhan, who doesn't care about himself at all, his mouth is all puffed up like this...
Thinking of this, Pei Yanxi's expression turned even colder. The butler was blocking her way the whole time, and if it weren't for the dignity of a young lady from a noble family, she would have really started cursing.
"Please be careful. You cannot miss tonight's family dinner. If you wish to deliver something, I can send one of the servants."
"You don't want your father to be angry, do you?"
Pei Yanxi is the only daughter in the Pei family, and her father is extremely strict with her. Tonight is the Pei family's banquet, and she cannot be absent.
In the end, the servant gave the medicine bag to the sister who delivered it.
Pei Yanxi wore a formal gown, the silk dress cascading down her collarbone, her expensive skin adorned with diamonds that resembled a galaxy.
Her waistline was cut into a cold, sharp arc, and her jet-black hair was adorned with priceless jewelry. She turned back, reluctant to look at the package that was being sent away.
If it were Wen Sixue, delivering things wouldn't be so troublesome.
"Gentle, pure, and unrestrained, Wen Sixue shouldn't be that hard to get close to Yun Zhan."
The gorgeous dress became a shackle at this moment. Pei Yanxi lowered her eyes, feeling an indescribable sense of loss.
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