Ye Yuhuan really wanted to say that Song Zhiqing and Shangguan Xianxian weren’t together at all, not even in an ambiguous relationship, so there was no question of who cheated on whom.
But Song Zhiqing’s expression was truly terrifying, so Ye Yuhuan, with a strong sense of self-preservation, kept her mouth tightly shut.
From their position, they could see the scene clearly, but the voices were only faint murmurs.
Thanks to the book that had appeared in her dreams, which described the settings in great detail, Ye Yuhuan was able to identify this place where the female leads had their first intimate contact and find the best observation spot.
However, the book was also very detailed in other aspects, especially in the later parts of the plot, where Shen Wei seemed determined to make up for everything she had missed in her past life. This made Ye Yuhuan feel like a voyeur every time she saw the two of them.
After personally engaging in the act of spying, Ye Yuhuan felt she had more or less become a real voyeur. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly; indeed, taking shortcuts leads to corruption.
Song Zhiqing paid no mind to Ye Yuhuan’s inner turmoil. She was in a bigger mess herself. Seeing the person she liked kissing someone she despised, while having no standing to go and pull them apart—there was no scene more infuriating than this.
She was also a little angry at Ye Yuhuan. If she hadn’t been held back, she would have at least gone up and yelled, “What do you think you’re doing!”
She wouldn’t have had to just leave in disgrace like this.
Ye Yuhuan resignedly followed Song Zhiqing. Seeing her furious expression, Ye Yuhuan felt a pang of regret. Should she change her plan and just help her get together with Shangguan Xianxian?
But on one hand, Shen Wei wouldn’t let it go—Shangguan Xianxian was the light of her life. On the other hand, Shangguan Xianxian was able to fall in love with Shen Wei because they stood together against the vicious infighting within the Shangguan family. They were on the same side. Song Zhiqing could interfere in this, but it would be futile—she didn’t have the qualifications to enter the game.
When they finally arrived back at West Building 312, Tang Ke, the person Ye Yuhuan claimed she was going to find, had mustered up the courage to remain seated in his spot.
I just made a very desperate confession, Tang Ke thought. The boss shouldn’t be so furious as to kick me out of the group, right?
With this hope, Tang Ke walked up to Song Zhiqing and bowed deeply and cleanly. “Boss, I’m sorry! What happened today was my fault. I shouldn’t have confessed knowing that you like Shangguan Xianxian.”
The same cold sneer that had appeared in the grove returned to Song Zhiqing’s face. Everything that had happened today had set her heart ablaze with anger.
Now, Tang Ke’s apology added another layer to her fire.
What did he mean? Was she so tyrannical that she wouldn’t let others like Shangguan Xianxian?
Song Zhiqing’s elegant, fair hand pressed down on Tang Ke’s shoulder, slowly pushing him upright. She said deliberately, “What do you think this place is?”
“The mafia? Or a feudal society?”
“What do you take me for?”
“The Godfather? Or the Empress Dowager Cixi?”
“Do you know what was the most disgusting thing about today for me? It certainly wasn’t your confession. Shangguan Xianxian meets people who confess like you every week. I don’t have the energy to care about all that, especially since I know she’ll reject them anyway.”
“You could have just told me you liked her. Am I that intolerant? To the point that you had to choose that moment, that method to confess, as if I would immediately have someone break your legs if you chose a gentler approach.”
Song Zhiqing scanned the room and said coldly, “I like being a school tyrant, but I have no interest in school violence.”
Tang Ke stumbled back, step by step, under the force of her words. His brain, full of math and formulas, also sensed that something was wrong.
Even though it sounded strange to say it, he tried his best to explain, “I didn’t think any of that. I confessed impulsively at the opening ceremony because I didn’t want to read that speech!”
Song Zhiqing was taken aback. She hadn’t expected such an explanation from Tang Ke. She looked at him suspiciously and said, “Do you think I’m stupid? Making up an excuse like that.”
Tears started rolling down Tang Ke’s face. He wiped them away as he confessed his true feelings, “That speech was just so disgusting. I won the award because I’m smart, but it insisted on saying it was because I worked hard every day. It also mentioned teamwork and joint effort. I really couldn’t bring myself to read it. Plus, I had just realized my feelings for Shangguan Xianxian, so I acted on impulse and confessed.”
“I really didn’t think about it that much. At that moment, I didn’t even remember your existence, Boss.”
Song Zhiqing’s mouth opened and closed. It was the first time she had heard Tang Ke voluntarily say so much. Seeing his expression and the gesture Ye Yuhuan made beside her, it seemed this was the truth.
The world of otaku… I really don’t get it.
Their kind of chuunibyou is different from mine.
Song Zhiqing removed her hand from his shoulder and said, somewhat wearily, “Then you don’t need to apologize to me. The person you should be apologizing to is Shangguan Xianxian.” In front of people other than Ye Yuhuan, she acted much more rationally. “As of now, I have no right to accept this apology.”
The matter seemed to be over.
But Ye Yuhuan sensed something was wrong. Compared to the exceptionally rational person before her now, she felt that the girl in the grove who had been shouting about being cheated on was more like the real Song Zhiqing.
It seemed she had been hit hard.
The other members of the Cosmic Beauty Garden all came forward to smooth things over. Song Zhiqing managed a few perfunctory replies, then said she had something to do and left early.
Everyone’s gaze involuntarily turned to Tang Ke, whose eyes were still red. Tang Ke was so scared he trembled all over, immediately raising his hands in surrender. “I really know I was wrong!”
Ye Yuhuan felt helpless. What a mess. She had prevented the plot from advancing, but the consequences weren’t much better.
“Remember to arrange the recruitment matters. I’ll post the specific requirements in the group chat later tonight.”
“We need to have a plan ready within this week.”
“If you don’t have experience, you can ask the street dance club next door.”
“That’s it for today’s meeting. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to continue discussing them. Post them in the group chat tonight.”
“Thank you for your hard work, everyone.”
After giving a few brief instructions, Ye Yuhuan chased after Song Zhiqing.
But she left a few minutes later than Song Zhiqing, so now she couldn’t see any sign of her. Ye Yuhuan regretted the delay. The campus was huge; finding someone was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Ye Yuhuan took out her phone to call Song Zhiqing, but it went straight to voicemail—it was off.
If she were just her strategist, this would be enough. Song Zhiqing was a grown person, and she was still on campus; nothing bad would happen to her. But now, as Ye Yuhuan the friend, she had to be by Song Zhiqing’s side when she was feeling down. Ye Yuhuan thought for a moment and first ran to the grove to check, but even as the sky grew dark, she couldn’t find her.
Fortunately, there were no evening self-study sessions on the day of the opening ceremony, saving her the trouble of asking for leave.
Ye Yuhuan guessed she might have gone to her exclusive private room at that karaoke bar and was just about to head over.
Then, another answer surfaced in her mind. She found it a bit unbelievable, but there was no harm in trying.
When Ye Yuhuan saw Song Zhiqing lying on her side on her own dorm bed, she couldn’t help but feel a mixture of amusement and exasperation. The person she had been searching for for so long was right here in her own territory.
Yesterday, Song Zhiqing had asked for a key to her dorm, saying she could come find her there in the future. Ye Yuhuan didn’t feel there was anything in her room she couldn’t let others see, so she had readily handed over the key. She hadn’t expected Song Zhiqing to use it today.
She said she would come find her, but in the end, Ye Yuhuan was still the one doing the searching.
The Qinglin dorms were single rooms with a private bathroom and a small balcony. The layout was generally square, so standing at the door gave a full view of the interior. Ye Yuhuan could clearly see the rise and fall of Song Zhiqing’s body as she breathed. She pulled a chair over and sat by the bed. Song Zhiqing must have heard her come in, but she hadn’t turned around, which meant she didn’t want to talk right now.
So, Ye Yuhuan would wait until she was ready.
After about ten minutes, Song Zhiqing finally sat up. Ye Yuhuan sat up straight, her gaze slightly lowered. Song Zhiqing noticed a small mole on her chin.
“Did you used to have a lot of friends?” Song Zhiqing asked.
“Not many. I had a few at first, but not anymore.”
Song Zhiqing gave her a deep look, then changed the subject. “I don’t want to go out to eat with Shen Wei and the others.”
“Okay, I’ll turn them down.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t go.”
“I only agreed to go with Shangguan Xianxian for your sake.”
Song Zhiqing suddenly laughed. “Ye Yuhuan, you really should have a lot of friends.”
Just now, when she was standing at the West Building, she had thought about just going home, sleeping it off, and burying everything in yesterday. But abruptly, the smile Ye Yuhuan had given her before leaving last night appeared in her mind, and she had unconsciously come here, even though she was still angry at Ye Yuhuan.
She had a strange intuition that Ye Yuhuan wouldn’t let her stay angry for long.
As expected, after hearing Song Zhiqing’s words, Ye Yuhuan replied in a calm tone, “But I don’t like it.”
She genuinely felt that way. Perhaps because of her childhood experiences, she was always at a loss when it came to close relationships. Song Zhiqing probably found her to be a comfortable friend, but this was built on long-standing habits. If making a friend required so much effort, Ye Yuhuan would rather enjoy her time alone, or with Song Zhiqing’s occasional company.
But rather than commenting on her own qualities as a friend, there was something else Ye Yuhuan wanted to do. She held out her hand to Song Zhiqing and said, “Give me your phone.”
Song Zhiqing was confused but handed her the phone anyway. A moment later, Ye Yuhuan said, “Turn it on.”
“And unlock it.”
Song Zhiqing did as she was told. Her phone’s lock screen was, unsurprisingly, a photo of Shangguan Xianxian. Ye Yuhuan paid it no mind. She went straight to the “Find My Friends” app and set up their phones so they could see each other’s locations. After she was done, she handed the phone back, still on the app’s interface. Ye Yuhuan explained, “This way, I’ll be able to find you in the future.”
On the phone screen, the two small dots representing them merged in a corner of the map. Song Zhiqing stared at it for a long while. The warmth behind this action made her a little flustered, a feeling akin to the panic and joy of finding a gemstone on the road.
She put the phone aside, shifted her body to Ye Yuhuan’s side, and opened her arms.
“Can I have a hug?”
Ye Yuhuan hugged her.
“Aren’t you going to ask why I ran away?”
“You’ll tell me when you’re ready. If you’re not ready yet, you can take your time. For me, just finding you is enough.”
Song Zhiqing was silent for a moment, then she let go of Ye Yuhuan and looked into her eyes. “Ye Yuhuan, I forgive you.”
See, her intuition was right.
Ye Yuhuan knew what she meant. She smiled, pursing her lips, and asked, “Are you hungry?”
“Ugh, I’m starving.”
“Then let’s go eat.”
“Right, what do you want to eat?”
“Hot pot.”
“Anything but hot pot.”
“Ice cream.”
“Anything but hot pot and ice cream.”
“Ugh, can’t a school tyrant even eat hot pot and ice cream anymore?”
“…”
“Fine, let’s get noodles. I could eat a huge bowl of noodles right now!”
