Lin Tiao and Jiang Yan entered a cold war.
This cold war lasted for several days, and the bond they had as desk mates instantly plummeted to zero, with an underlying tendency to develop negatively.
This situation made life a bit difficult for Hu Hanghang and Song Yuan, who sat behind them.
During this time, they could clearly sense that the atmosphere between Lin Tiao and Jiang Yan was off, as if even a cup of water splashed in could freeze the air.
Usually, they didn’t dare to speak loudly or express their anger, and over time, Hu Hanghang, considering his own safety, planned to come up with a way to help the two big shots ease their relationship; otherwise, how would he and Song Yuan continue to get along?
However, before he could make his move, someone else beat him to it.
Friday was a beautiful sunny day, and the last class of the afternoon was physical education. After taking attendance, the PE teacher, Zhou Li, instructed everyone to warm up first.
They had to run two laps around the track.
Lin Tiao, with her arm injured, didn’t participate and stood by the track waiting for the group to assemble. Teacher Zhou Li stood next to her with the attendance sheet.
Silence was the mood of the night at Cambridge.
“……”
Fortunately, the two laps went by quickly. After the run, Zhou Li allowed everyone to have free time and lay down on the bleachers with the attendance sheet, falling asleep.
Meng Xin was called to play volleyball, and Lin Tiao sat nearby with her coat and water.
A small group of four was standing by the parallel bars chatting. Song Yuan stretched his arm over the bar, revealing a bit of his abs, and casually asked Jiang Yan, who was standing nearby, “What’s up with you and Lin Tiao?”
Jiang Yan put away his phone, lifted his arms to grip the bar, and did a few pull-ups. “I don’t know.” He relaxed his grip, stepped down, and glanced at Lin Tiao, who was sitting not far away. He added, “Who knows?”
Jiang Yan didn’t actually feel there was any major issue between him and Lin Tiao. Their communication had just decreased recently, but they hadn’t really interacted much to begin with.
If one had to point out a conflict, it was probably the time Lin Tiao was penalized with a 3,000-word reflection due to him. However, Jiang Yan felt that Lin Tiao wasn't the type to hold a grudge.
Boys generally aren’t that sensitive, so after going in circles, Jiang Yan still couldn’t figure out what conflict existed between them.
“I think you must have upset her,” Hu Hanghang remarked. Lacking the strength, he didn’t even attempt to hang from the bar and instead leaned against the pole.
Xu Yichuan draped his arm over Hu Hanghang’s shoulder. “How about we give you some advice? You should go and appease her.”
Jiang Yan turned his head, raising an eyebrow. “Why should I appease her?”
Xu Yichuan patted his shoulder with a knowing smile. “Why do you think? You’re the one who upset her, not us.”
“Who said I upset her?” Jiang Yan shrugged off his arm and walked straight ahead. “If you want to go, you go. I’m not going.”
After taking a few steps, a commotion erupted behind him. “Tang Yushi! Was that on purpose? Didn’t you see Lin Tiao standing here?”
Jiang Yan paused, turned around, and saw Lin Tiao being helped up from the ground, covering her forehead with blood on her hands.
“Damn.” Jiang Yan cursed.
“Yan’er—” Xu Yichuan was about to call him back, but before he could finish, Jiang Yan had already sprinted past him.
“……”
What a moment.
---
When Jiang Yan ran over, the surrounding girls obviously stepped back a bit.
Meng Xin didn’t notice this and pushed Lin Tiao into his arms, glaring angrily at Tang Yushi, who was standing nearby. “Jiang Yan, could you please take Lin Tiao to the infirmary? I need to settle a personal score.”
“Meng Xin!” Lin Tiao called out to her, “Don’t be impulsive.”
“Lin Tiao, don’t stop me. I’m going to make sure Tang Yushi pays for this!” Meng Xin exclaimed, her frustration causing her to curse.
Hearing this, Tang Yushi couldn’t help but retort, “Meng Xin, who are you going to kill? I didn’t do it on purpose; who knew it would hit her like that?”
“Damn it!” Meng Xin couldn’t hold back her anger and raised her hand as if to strike, but Jiang Yan intercepted her midway.
She turned back and snapped, “What are you doing?”
“If you hit her, Lin Tiao will be in the wrong.” Jiang Yan released his grip, his gaze falling on the injury on Lin Tiao’s forehead, and he asked softly, “Did she hit you with the ball?”
Lin Tiao had bumped her head rather hard and felt a bit dizzy. Gripping his arm, she whispered, “I was just standing here, and suddenly a ball flew in from the side.”
She wasn’t sure if Tang Yushi did it on purpose, but considering their past conflicts in their first year, it was hard to believe that it was an accident.
She just let the ball hit her.
Jiang Yan pursed his lips and didn’t ask further. Suddenly, he bent down and picked up Lin Tiao, speaking in a calm tone, “Meng Xin, take Lin Tiao to the infirmary first. I’ll handle this later.”
Xu Yichuan chimed in, “Yeah, don’t worry, Lin Tiao. We’ll definitely get revenge for you.”
The group hurried toward the infirmary, running into the PE teacher, Zhou Li, who had just been called over.
Jiang Yan didn’t stop, while Xu Yichuan blocked Teacher Zhou, seemingly discussing something, as onlookers speculated in whispers.
Meanwhile, Tang Yushi felt a chill run down her spine. She knew well what kind of person Jiang Yan was at the school. Getting on his bad side was akin to seeking one’s own doom.
She never imagined Jiang Yan would get involved with Lin Tiao.
“Yushi…” her friend tugged at Tang Yushi’s sleeve, “What should we do? If Jiang Yan really comes after you, it’s over.”
Tang Yushi’s face turned pale, yet she still tried to hold her ground. “What’s there to fear? Is he going to hit a girl? Besides, it wasn’t intentional.”
Her friend glanced at her ashen face but decided not to say anything further, offering a weak reassurance, “Let’s hope so.”
---
Lin Tiao’s injury wasn’t deep, and by the time she reached the infirmary, it had already stopped bleeding.
The school nurse treated her wound and said, “Luckily, it’s not a deep cut. If it were any deeper, you would need stitches.”
Meng Xin let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, doctor.”
“Not at all. Just pay attention to hygiene and diet to prevent scarring.”
Lin Tiao nodded. “Got it.”
“Alright, you two chat. Just try not to be too loud.”
The school nurse took the medicine tray and left. Meng Xin sat down next to Lin Tiao, gently touching the gauze on her forehead, her anger boiling over again. “Damn it, if Tang Yushi dares to say it wasn’t intentional, I’ll twist her head off and use it as a paddle.”
“……”
The three boys sat on the opposite bed. Hu Hanghang couldn’t help but ask, “Who is Tang Yushi? How did you get on her bad side?”
“We were in the same class in our first year,” Meng Xin replied, equally puzzled. “I don’t know why she’s targeting Lin Tiao so much. Ever since the school year started, she’s been at odds with Lin Tiao.”
“Looks like there are some secrets we don’t know about.”
Song Yuan nudged Jiang Yan’s shoulder. “How are you planning to resolve this? You can’t let Lin Tiao suffer this loss for nothing.”
With this, everyone’s attention fell on Jiang Yan.
Lin Tiao also looked up at him. Jiang Yan met her gaze for a moment before quickly looking away, speaking nonchalantly, “Ah… then let’s use her own methods against her.”
Hearing this, Hu Hanghang frowned and spoke up, “But she’s a girl. Are you really planning to hit her?”
Jiang Yan narrowed his eyes, his gaze intentionally drifting to the gauze on Lin Tiao’s wound. His tone remained calm, “She’s a girl, but my deskmate isn’t any less of a girl.”
Lin Tiao’s eyelids twitched, but she didn’t say anything.
The group continued chatting idly in the infirmary.
As class was about to end, Xu Yichuan, who had been communicating with the PE teacher, rushed over and said that Zhou Li wanted to check on the situation. Only then did they realize they were still in class.
Before leaving, Song Yuan instructed, “Yan’er, you stay here with Lin Tiao. We’ll come back to find you later.”
Jiang Yan had no intention of going back, but being put on the spot made him feel a bit awkward. He responded with a nonchalant “mm.”
Lin Tiao glanced at him and, once everyone had left, said, “If you have something to do, you can leave first.”
Jiang Yan looked at her but didn’t respond, lying down and using the blanket as a pillow. “I’m going to sleep for a bit. Wake me in half an hour.”
“……?” What’s that supposed to mean?
Lin Tiao paused for a moment, her head feeling heavy, so she lay down as well. The warm, golden light of the setting sun streamed through the window, gently lifting the edge of the curtain.
The infirmary was filled with a moment of peace, which felt somewhat gentle.
In a half-dreaming state, Lin Tiao seemed to hear someone calling her name, and in her dazed state, she responded, “...Mm?”
“Can you stop being mad at me?”
……
Lin Tiao couldn’t remember if she answered that question in the end, nor could she distinguish whether it was a dream or reality; she just felt that the feeling was very real.
—
Lin Tiao slept for more than two hours, and when she finally woke up, the rest area was completely dark, with the closed curtains blocking out all light.
She rubbed her eyes and fished her phone out from under her pillow.
The screen showed that it was already 7:20.
She turned on the flashlight and shone it over to the adjacent bed, which only had a blanket and a pillow—no one was there. She couldn’t help but mutter, “Damn, how untrustworthy. You left first.”
Just as her voice fell, a hoarse and lazy voice came from the other bed. “...What are you saying?”
Immediately after, the lights in the rest area turned on.
Lin Tiao was startled, her hand shook, and her phone fell onto the blanket. She turned to look at him. “Aren’t you sleeping on this side?”
Jiang Yan had just woken up a little while ago. The blankets were all piled at the edge of his legs, his eyes slightly squinted, and his voice was still a bit hoarse. “It’s uncomfortable to sleep on that side.”
“…”
Lin Tiao picked up her phone and turned off the flashlight. “Let’s go back to the classroom.”
“I’ve already asked for leave.” Jiang Yan seemed to have not slept well, leaning back against the white wall, with a few marks from sleeping on his pale cheeks. “Song Yuan asked for a medical leave for you.”
“What about you? We can’t both ask for medical leave, can we?”
Only then did Jiang Yan lift his gaze to look at her. “Song Yuan said we fought and hurt each other, so we’re lying in the infirmary.”
“? Old Yu believes this?”
Jiang Yan had slept a bit too long, and his lips were somewhat dry. He absentmindedly licked them. “He didn’t believe it, so Old Yu counted me as skipping two classes.”
Lin Tiao suddenly found herself at a loss for words—not because of Old Yu counting him as skipping classes, but because of the way he had just licked his lips.
Jiang Yan’s lips were quite attractive; his upper lip was slightly thinner, with a noticeable cupid’s bow, the color a rosy red. Combined with the way he had just moistened them, they glistened.
Lin Tiao suddenly felt a bit thirsty and averted her gaze.
So alluring.
This person was simply too charming.
Comments