After that solitary night and the “heart-to-heart” talk, Jiang Sixian truly vanished from Jiang Yi’s sight. Even the daily “good morning” and “good night” messages ceased.
Initially, Jiang Yi felt relieved. However, after a couple of days, she started feeling uneasy. Perhaps it was the incessant itching from her healing wound, making her generally uncomfortable.
After enduring a few more days in the hospital, finally, after the first monthly exams, Jiang Yi was discharged.
Ning Wenying picked her up. Jiang Yi’s cast hadn’t been removed yet, so she went home that afternoon with her arm still immobilized.
The moment she arrived, Grandma Xu Lan rushed forward, fussing over her, saying how much she must have suffered and promising to make up for it with nourishing meals.
Jiang Yi quickly reassured her, “I didn’t suffer, I didn’t suffer. Staying in the hospital was great! Auntie Ning and Grandma made me so many delicious dishes. I’ve even gained weight!”
Grandma Xu Lan pinched Jiang Yi’s good arm, her voice full of concern. “Nonsense! You haven’t gained any weight. Your arm is still so thin.”
To prove her point, Jiang Yi pulled up her shirt with one hand, revealing her smooth, flat abdomen. “See, Grandma? I even have a little food baby.” Her previously defined abs had vanished after two weeks of hospital food.
As Jiang Yi lifted her shirt, Jiang Sixian, just home from school, walked through the front door and saw Jiang Yi’s exposed midriff.
She glanced at the toned abdomen and froze.
Grandma Xu Lan patted Jiang Yi’s hand, scolding gently, “You’re being naughty. It’s already autumn. You’ll catch a cold exposing your belly like that.” She then noticed Jiang Sixian standing by the door, her smile widening. “Ah, Xianxian is back. Ms. Ning, shall we start dinner?”
Grandma Xu Lan looked at Ning Wenying, seeking her opinion. Ning Wenying nodded with a gentle smile. “Yes, let’s eat. Qionghua has a meeting tonight and might be back late. The children are still growing; they shouldn’t go hungry.”
Jiang Sixian, using her peripheral vision, observed Jiang Yi, who was now pulling her shirt down with one hand, seemingly oblivious to her presence.
Jiang Sixian felt a pang of disappointment, but quickly masked her emotions, nodding and saying, “Okay.”
The next day, Jiang Yi, with her arm in a cast, carried her backpack with one hand and got into the car for school.
Since they lived in the same area, Jiang Sixian couldn’t avoid Jiang Yi and ended up sharing Sister Xiao Qin’s car. Each occupied a corner of the backseat, Jiang Sixian placing her backpack on her lap, sitting upright, and maintaining as much distance from Jiang Yi as possible.
After a while, Jiang Sixian couldn’t help but glance back at Jiang Yi.
Jiang Yi, in her white blouse and gray plaid skirt, had her casted left arm slung across her chest. She propped her chin on her right hand, earbuds in, staring out the window. The morning light illuminated her face, highlighting her delicate features. For some reason, Jiang Sixian felt a strong urge to talk to her.
Jiang Sixian struggled with this urge throughout the journey. Finally, as they arrived at school and Jiang Yi walked towards the gate, she couldn’t hold back any longer. “Jiang Yi…”
Jiang Yi turned, looking at her with a puzzled expression. “What?”
Jiang Sixian hesitated, then said, “If it’s inconvenient for you to get lunch with your hand like that, ask a classmate for help. If you don’t mind, you can also text me…”
Jiang Yi, seeing her cautious expression, felt a tightness in her chest. She lifted her backpack, gave Jiang Sixian an “OK” sign with her good hand, and then turned and walked towards the school gate.
Strangely, that simple gesture seemed to calm Jiang Sixian’s restless heart.
She lowered her gaze, a faint smile appearing on her lips, and slowly followed.
Returning to school after half a month, Jiang Yi felt a renewed sense of novelty. The morning air was cooler, the student council members checking uniforms gave her strange looks, and the girls walking along the tree-lined path towards the teaching building cast her furtive glances.
Those glances were a mix of excitement, apprehension, and mostly, an unspoken curiosity.
Jiang Yi felt like a monkey in a circus, the center of unwanted attention. To escape the scrutiny, she quickened her pace, practically running towards Class B.
She’d barely reached the third floor when she heard a shout from Class B: “Jiang Yi is back! Jiang Yi is at school today!”
Jiang Yi paused, then heard a flurry of footsteps from the classroom. Moments later, the class monitor and the PE committee member, followed by a small group of students, rushed towards her.
What’s going on?
Jiang Yi looked at the group of students with shining eyes and felt a sudden urge to turn back.
The class monitor led the charge, calling out, “Jiang Yi! Jiang Yi! You’re finally back!”
They surrounded her, escorting her towards the classroom, showering her with concern. “Jiang Yi, how’s your hand? Is it better?”
Jiang Yi was bewildered by their enthusiasm. She headed straight for the back door. “Why such a grand welcome? I wasn’t gone that long.” They weren’t even close, having only been classmates for a little over a week. Did they really need to treat her like a returning emperor?
The class monitor, walking beside her, said cheerfully, “We were worried about you! You were hospitalized for half a month. As classmates, we were concerned and wanted to visit you!”
Jiang Yi reached the back door, and the PE committee member pulled out her chair. Jiang Yi thanked her, placed her backpack down, and asked, “Really? Then why didn’t any of you come?” She’d been bored out of her mind in the hospital for half a month. While Ning Wenying had kept her company and watched TV dramas with her, it didn’t mean she wasn’t bored.
Jiang Yi sat down and looked up at the class monitor, waiting for an answer.
The class monitor, her eyes crinkling into a smile, explained, “We organized a visit, but the teacher said your family wanted you to have proper rest, so we weren’t allowed.”
Jiang Yi replied, “You could have called. It’s not that hard to contact someone these days.” A simple phone call to check in wasn’t difficult. This just proved how superficial their concern was.
The class monitor’s eyes widened in realization. “You’re right! We should exchange WeChat contacts later.”
She then looked at Jiang Yi with a curious expression. “By the way, Jiang Yi, how did you injure your hand? Was it really Song Yi?”
Jiang Yi was puzzled. “What does this have to do with Song Yi? I fell and injured myself.”
The class monitor patted her chest in relief. “That’s good, that’s good. I’m glad it wasn’t Song Yi’s revenge. There were so many rumors at school, saying that after that day, Song Yi had people waiting for you on Saturday to beat you up and send you to the hospital.”
Jiang Yi frowned. “Do you really think Song Yi is that vicious?”
The class monitor and the students behind her shook their heads in unison. “No, no, she’s all bark and no bite. She’s no match for you.”
Another student chimed in, “Exactly! After you went to the hospital, Song Yi was publicly reprimanded the following week and had to read a self-criticism letter in front of the entire school.”
“Now everyone knows Song Yi isn’t the most formidable person in school anymore. You are.”
Jiang Yi pointed at herself, incredulous. “Me?”
The class monitor nodded. “Yes, you. Jiang Yi of Class B, congratulations on dethroning Song Yi and becoming the new number one.”
Jiang Yi laughed. “I’m a good student, not a school bully.”
The class monitor looked at her sympathetically. “It can’t be helped. You went head-to-head with Song Yi and won. The Song family’s reign is over. Now it’s the Jiang family’s era!”
The class monitor sighed dramatically, but Jiang Yi found it ridiculous. She looked at the class monitor, pulled out her Chinese textbook with one hand, and said, “What Song family, Jiang family? You’re just a kid, why are you so imaginative?”
“Stop talking nonsense. Class is about to start. Go back to your seats!”
The class monitor, however, wasn’t ready to leave. “Class is still a while away. We have a question for you.”
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, like a mischievous raccoon in a watermelon patch. Jiang Yi knew that look—it meant gossip was coming.
Jiang Yi chuckled. “Ask away. What are you curious about this time?”
The class monitor, barely containing her excitement, asked, “We just want to know, are you and Jiang Sixian dating?”
What the hell?!
Jiang Yi leaned back in her chair, pushing it back with a screech. She looked at the surrounding students, utterly speechless. “What are you thinking? How could I possibly be dating Jiang Sixian?!”
It was absurd! First, they said she was Jiang Sixian’s father’s illegitimate child, and now they were saying she was dating Jiang Sixian. What kind of rumors were these?
Jiang Yi was exasperated. “What’s going on in your heads? Why do you keep linking me with Jiang Sixian?!”
Just then, Jiang Sixian, who had been walking slowly behind them, passed by the back door of Class B. Seeing Jiang Yi surrounded by a group of students, and hearing her own name mentioned, she instinctively stopped and looked towards Jiang Yi.
The moment she stopped, several students noticed her. They nudged each other, their gazes shifting towards Jiang Sixian.
Jiang Yi, surrounded by the group, quickly noticed the change in atmosphere. She looked up and, seeing Jiang Sixian standing outside the classroom, felt a sinking feeling.
Why did she have to sit in the last row? Didn’t she know whispers could travel?
Jiang Yi’s expression stiffened, and her gaze darted around nervously.
Jiang Sixian tilted her head, a puzzled expression on her face. “I thought I heard my name. Is something the matter?”
Was there anything more awkward than gossiping about someone behind their back and then being caught red-handed? Jiang Yi couldn’t think of anything.
She watched as the class monitor, her face flushed with embarrassment, stammered, “Nothing… nothing… we were just talking about how you helped Jiang Yi with her homework…”
Jiang Sixian nodded. “That’s good.” She glanced at Jiang Yi again, then turned and walked into Class A.
After she left, the students surrounding Jiang Yi collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Yi crossed her arms, a sarcastic smile on her face. “Honestly, why are you all so gossipy?”
“Morning reading is about to start. Go back to your seats and study. Don’t crowd around me.”
At her command, the students scattered like birds.
Only the class monitor remained, still persistent. She turned to Jiang Yi. “So you and Jiang Sixian really aren’t dating? She’s not your girlfriend from your previous school?”
Jiang Yi reached out and poked the class monitor’s forehead. “You seem like a smart girl, why are you so obsessed with gossip? I haven’t even differentiated yet. How could I be dating anyone? I don’t date before differentiation. Now go back to your seat!”
“Fine.” The class monitor, still unconvinced, reluctantly returned to her desk.
