Chapter 2 Campus Goddess White Moonlight 2 I Like You
About half an hour later, Wen Qianning slowly woke up.
When she opened her eyes, her gaze was still a little hazy. She blinked several times before adjusting to the light, and then her gaze met the person standing at the end of the bed.
"Why am I here?" She looked a little confused, as if she had just woken up.
His tall body stood straight, his eyes fell on her face calmly, without much fluctuation, "Are you awake? You just fainted at the entrance of the corridor with a fever, and I brought you here."
Wen Qianning was stunned for a moment, then whispered, "...Thank you."
"You should have come to the infirmary earlier." His tone was calm, but one could hear a hint of blame in it.
Wen Qianning turned over and half-lay on the headboard, her soft hair sticking to her back. Her expression looked a little hurt. "Are you blaming me?"
Ji Hanlin frowned, his face not looking good, and said impatiently: "You should be responsible for your body."
The girl's eyes were slightly moist, and her tone was also filled with some grievance. "I know. It's my fault. I was too troublesome and wasted your time. Go away, I'm fine, and I won't cause you any more trouble."
What's the tantrum? Hearing Wen Qianning's obvious sarcasm, he felt a headache, and his originally impatient expression relaxed a little. "I don't think you're a bother... I just noticed you didn't look well during the assembly. Why did you force yourself to come to the infirmary until you fainted?"
Of course it’s to get in touch with you, Wen Qianning thought, but she definitely couldn’t say that out loud.
She blinked, a hint of joy reappearing on her face, "Student Ji...are you concerned about me?"
"I'm really happy." Without waiting for Ji Hanlin's response, Wen Qianning laughed happily, "Don't worry, I won't be like this again."
Ji Hanlin looked at the charming and charming girl before him, and a strange feeling emerged in his heart. He was slightly startled. After a while, he pressed his eyebrows and said helplessly, "You should get some rest. I'll call your parents later and ask them to take you home."
Her cheeks were still a little red, and her pair of dark eyes looked at him softly, "My phone is out of battery. Can you lend me your phone?"
Without hesitation, he took out his phone and handed it to her. After Wen Qianning finished calling her mother, she did not return the phone to Ji Hanlin immediately.
"etc."
Ji Hanlin glanced down at her, only to see the girl enter a phone number and save it in his address book.
After saving the number, she handed it back and coughed calmly, "My phone is out of battery, so I can only use yours to save my number. Remember to send me a message tonight. I want to save your number too. It's a courtesy."
Ji Hanlin was silent for a moment. Ever since he met this girl, he'd been unable to do anything with her. He sighed inwardly, then nodded resignedly, "...Okay."
*
In the evening, Ji Hanlin returned home, put his schoolbag on the desk, pulled out a chair and sat down.
At first, he had no intention of contacting Wen Qianning again. She had already been picked up by her family's driver, and the doctor said it was just a common fever. He didn't think there was any need to message her again.
But just as he picked up the phone, for some reason, his mind flashed with her image of her leaning on the bed in the infirmary, her red and soft eyes looking at him.
He frowned, thought about it, and opened the address book.
There weren't many people in his address book. After clicking on it and looking through it from beginning to end, he didn't find any number with the note "Wen Qianning".
But in the contact list, there was inexplicably a number with the note "Baby".
Ji Hanlin was certain he had never noted a contact name like "" or manually saved the number. He stared at the two words in disbelief for a few seconds before reacting.
She actually changed the note of her own number to "baby" when saving the number in his phone.
Ji Hanlin laughed angrily, tapped the screen twice, clicked on the contact, and sent a message:
【What did you make a random note about?】
A few seconds after the message was sent, the other party replied instantly.
[Sorry, Ji, I was just joking... Sorry TvT]
[But, you actually texted me. I'm so happy! I'm saving your number right now~]
Ji Hanlin stared at the screen, his face darkening instantly. He didn't reply to her. Instead, he quickly changed the note she had messed up back to her name and locked the screen.
You are so brave.
*
The next evening.
Ji Hanlin, wearing a scarf, pushed open the door and walked into the coffee shop. He changed into an apron in the kitchen, skillfully took over today's schedule and customer list, and prepared to go to the restaurant to work.
But the moment he pushed open the door and raised his eyes, his movements stopped.
Sitting by the window, the slender and familiar figure was holding a cup of hot drink, her long hair draped softly, and her face still had a faint, weak blush as if she had just been ill.
He was silent for two seconds, lowered his head to adjust his apron, turned around and walked around the front desk, and stood next to Wen Qianning.
"You had a fever yesterday, why do you have it again today?" He asked with a cold tone, and it was obvious that he was in a bad mood.
Wen Qianning looked up at the voice and saw the person coming. Her eyes curved and she looked very happy. "I'm fine now. The doctor said that once the fever is gone, I can walk around more. Just be careful not to get caught in the wind."
Ji Hanlin lowered his eyes and said nothing.
Seeing that the boy's face was not looking good, she lowered her head and stirred it gently with a spoon, her tone a little aggrieved, "I just... want to see you."
Ji Hanlin stood there, looking down at her, his Adam's apple moving.
He wasn't stupid. The girl had followed him repeatedly, and she'd always been so happy to see him. And she'd gone so far today, it wasn't that he didn't understand. It was just... he wasn't used to it, and he didn't want to get too close.
He had lived an independent and restrained life since childhood, accustomed to relying on himself for everything and not keeping anyone in his heart. Naturally, he didn't need a girlfriend.
Wen Qianning looked up at him, her eyes misty. She asked him angrily, "Do you hate me?"
Ji Hanlin didn't move, but just looked at her with eyes that gradually turned colder.
"If you hate me..." She looked extremely aggrieved, as if he had bullied her, "Then just ignore me and pretend I don't exist."
"Whatever you want." Ji Hanlin said these two words calmly, feeling irritated. But as soon as he said it, he regretted it.
Because the delicate girl in front of him was stunned for a moment, and sure enough, the next second she looked pitiful as if she was about to cry. Tears were already welling up in her dark eyes, but she stubbornly held them back.
Seeing this, he subconsciously reflected on whether he had spoken too harshly to her.
The doorbell of the cafe jingled, and a new customer walked in, bringing a chill of winter wind.
Ji Hanlin suddenly came to his senses and realized that he was not completely unmoved.
"A guest is coming, I have to go get busy." He whispered, his voice still faint, but much softer than before.
After a long time, the customers in the store gradually dispersed, and only Ji Hanlin was left behind the bar doing the finishing work. He wiped the glass in his hand, but couldn't help looking in that direction.
The stubborn girl had not left the seat by the window yet. She sat quietly, her head down, doing her homework, as if she didn't realize how late it was.
Ji Hanlin lowered his eyes and saw her sitting there obediently, not saying a word but being extremely stubborn. Suddenly, an indescribable emotion rose in his heart.
He took off his apron, sighed, and finally walked over.
"How long do you plan to sit here?" His voice no longer had the coldness from before.
Wen Qianning turned around and saw him finally approaching. Her eyes lit up, but she immediately hid them and shook her head gently: "I'm waiting for you to get off work."
"I'm afraid you'll bother me, so I have to do my homework here by myself." She lowered her head and whispered, "But I don't want to leave either."
Ji Hanlin looked at her without saying anything for a long time. After a while, he said helplessly, "Let's talk, Wen Qianning."
The streetlight outside shone through the window, reflecting on her eyelashes. The girl looked at him without blinking: "Then... can you take me home?"
He was just about to ask her if she had a driver to pick her up, because the last time he saw the girl get into her driver's car and leave, and she looked so spoiled, so it was not surprising that her parents would find a driver to take charge of her travel.
It would be strange if he was needed to take her home now.
"The driver had something to do today and couldn't come pick me up." Wen Qianning explained when the boy remained silent, and sighed in disappointment, "It's okay. It's okay if Ji doesn't want to take me. I understand... It's okay. She's just a weak and helpless little girl going back home alone at night. I can do it myself."
"Don't worry, even if something happens to me along the way, or I get robbed, it will have absolutely nothing to do with you and won't implicate you."
Ji Hanlin had a terrible headache. Now that things had come to this, he didn't know what to say anymore. He just reached out and picked up the scarf she had left on the table and threw it at her: "Let's go."
She responded behind him and followed his steps out.
The night wind was cold outside. When a gust of wind blew, Ji Hanlin subconsciously turned around and saw that the girl's scarf was pulled back and she was frantically trying to adjust it.
"Don't move." He frowned, turned around and stood still, reached out to gather her scarf, pulled it with both hands, and wrapped it around her neck.
Wen Qianning looked up at him, her eyes filled with stars.
At that moment, Ji Hanlin felt as if his heart was gently pinched.
"...Where is your home?" the young man said calmly, looking away.
"Not far." Wen Qianning smiled and gave the address of her home, burying half of her face in the scarf, leaving only a pair of watery almond eyes looking at him from outside.
"I just said we wanted to talk." Ji Hanlin took a step forward, walking ahead, and said without turning back, "Why have you been following me these past few days... always showing up at the coffee shop where I work."
His words were very straightforward, without any concealment, as if he wanted to make clear all her hidden thoughts.
Wen Qianning was stunned for a moment, then walked beside him, a little hesitant. The wind blew, and the corners of her scarf fluttered gently. "Of course it's because... I like you."
He paused for a moment, turned his head, and slowly forced out a smile that was ambiguous in meaning.
"So I want to be close to you, I want to see you, not just you at school." Her voice was soft, as if she was holding her heart and speaking sincerely, "I want to see what you look like when you work, and want to know where you go after school..."
She paused, her eyes serious and a little timid, "And... I want you to look at me too."
After saying that, Wen Qianning looked up at him, as if waiting for the boy's judgment. The next second, as if she had mustered up the courage, she boldly reached out and gently held his hand.
Her hands were small and soft, and her palms were a little cold, but she held his hand stubbornly.
Ji Hanlin's eyebrows jumped and he subconsciously shook off her hand.
Wen Qianning was stunned for a moment, his hands froze in mid-air, and he stood there blankly as if he had been splashed with a basin of cold water.
The girl lowered her head aggrievedly, biting her lip, her eyes a little red: "...I didn't know you didn't like others touching you, I'm sorry."
Ji Hanlin looked at her without saying a word. The touch of the girl's palm at that moment was still lingering on his fingertips. It was as light as a feather brushing past, but he couldn't ignore it.
An inexplicable irritation suddenly welled up in my heart. It was not because I was angry with her, but... regret.
He knew that it was just a conditioned reflex, and he instinctively resisted the touch of others. However, the moment he shook it off, he saw the light in the girl's eyes suddenly go out.
Why do you act like you've done something unforgivable?
He was silent for a few seconds, then finally took a step closer and said, "You...don't cry."
The girl raised her head in a daze, her nose slightly red and her eyes moist.
His originally cold gaze fell on her face, and his eyes deepened a little, and he was finally moved. He reached out and patted her head gently: "We are not familiar with each other, why do you like me?"
"I know we're not familiar with each other." Wen Qianning curled her lips, her voice soft and gentle, "But I don't need to be familiar with you to like you."
She looked into his eyes, which sparkled, and said, "You are quiet, self-disciplined, and serious about everything you do... I think this is very good, very outstanding, and very rare."
"You usually seem like you don't care about anyone, and I feel like... you're a very lonely person." She spoke slower, "I don't want you to be so lonely all the time."
Ji Hanlin stood in the wind and found it a little funny.
Why do you think he's so lonely? Besides, he enjoys his current state. He doesn't need to be too familiar with others, nor does he need others to get close to him. He doesn't feel lonely.
But the girl spoke too seriously, and he didn't want to explain this to her.
There was silence between the two for a long time. Ji Hanlin said calmly, "Let's go. It's too late."
Even though they didn't talk all the way, Ji Hanlin didn't refuse her approach, although he didn't say anything more.
Until the girl suddenly raised her hand and pointed: "Here we are, right here."
Ji Hanlin raised his head and paused.
It was a three-story European-style detached villa. The garden in front of the door was exquisitely lit and the columns were intricately carved, so exaggerated that it looked like a scene from a movie.
The light in his eyes dimmed slightly.
"This is my home." Wen Qianning said with a smile, as if not noticing the change in his expression, and added briskly, "But you don't have to be nervous. My parents are not at home. They've been too busy lately and don't have much time to take care of me."
Ji Hanlin had no expression on his face and did not respond.
Because he suddenly realized that he didn't understand her at all.
No wonder there are always rumors on campus that Wen Qianning comes from a wealthy family and has been the kind of little princess who has been held in the palm of others' hands since childhood. Didn't a classmate tell him before that she was worshipped as a goddess... He didn't care about these gossips at first, but now he saw that kind of distance with his own eyes. This is a life he has never been close to since he was a child.
She was a princess in the upper class, and he was just an ordinary teenager who grew up in an orphanage and had to work to subsidize his life. The sudden sense of distance instantly suppressed all the subtle touches and throbbings in his heart.
She said she liked him. But... who would believe the words of such a spoiled little princess? Could someone like Wen Qianning really like him, who had nothing?
He suddenly felt ridiculous.
Maybe she was just playing a boring youth game, like teasing a little pet, seeing that he was interested and finding it interesting, so she just played with him casually.
"Now that you're here, I'm leaving."
Ji Hanlin turned and left without looking at her again.
Wen Qianning stood there, staring blankly at his back as he disappeared at the end of the road. The male protagonist's attitude towards her had clearly softened just now... She really couldn't understand why the male protagonist suddenly returned to his attitude of keeping her at a distance.
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