Jiang Sixian seemed surprised to see Jiang Yi curse. She stared at the word on her screen, silent for a moment, then slowly sent a question mark.
“?”
Jiang Yi felt a twinge of unease. After all, after Jiang Sixian turned twenty-four, she’d be hearing that word everywhere—in every corner of the room, in every hidden space, like the bathroom, restroom, balcony, parking lot, movie theater, and so on.
But not now.
Pretending Jiang Sixian hadn’t seen it, Jiang Yi retracted the message.
Jiang Sixian was even more confused by this action. She tentatively poked Jiang Yi again: “Jiang Yi?”
Jiang Yi glanced at the notification, decided it wasn’t important, and didn’t reply. Only after the evening performance ended and she was heading home with Jiang Qionghua did she pull out her phone.
Opening WeChat, she saw a long string of “pats” from Jiang Sixian, along with hundreds of messages, all saying, “Jiang Yi, Jiang Yi.”
Jiang Yi shuddered, looking at the endless stream of notifications. She figured Jiang Sixian was probably bored in the hospital, hence the spamming. Jiang Yi gritted her teeth, then finally replied: “What?”
Jiang Sixian’s reply was almost instantaneous: “Are you going home after the performance?”
Sitting in the backseat, Jiang Yi typed: “Yeah, it’s over, going home.”
Jiang Sixian obediently replied: “Okay, get some rest when you get home. Good night.”
Jiang Yi’s reply was slightly colder: “You too, take care of your leg, don’t stay in the hospital too long. Bye-bye.”
After the sports festival, Jiang Sixian spent the weekend in the hospital before returning to school. Her hospital stay was too short for Jiang Yi to fully enjoy the pleasure of bringing homework to a fracture patient. Jiang Yi felt a little disappointed.
On Monday morning, under the watchful eyes of both mothers, Jiang Yi helped Jiang Sixian into the car for school.
As Jiang Yi busied herself loading Jiang Sixian’s wheelchair into the trunk, Ning Wenying, standing by the car door, said with concern, “It’s so inconvenient for you to go to school in a wheelchair. Xianxian, why don’t you take a month off and wait until your injury heals before going back?”
The more Ning Wenying thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. She continued, “If you’re worried about your studies, we can hire a tutor.”
Overhearing this, Jiang Yi practically jumped for joy. If Jiang Sixian stayed home for tutoring, she wouldn’t have to escort her to school or take care of her constantly.
This would significantly reduce their time together. Wonderful!
Before Jiang Yi could voice her agreement, Jiang Sixian, sitting in the car, smiled and said, “Mom, you’re worrying too much. The teaching building has an elevator; I can push myself. I can ask my classmates for help with meals. You don’t have to worry.”
Jiang Sixian glanced at Jiang Yi, who was loading the wheelchair with Sister Xiao Qin, and said softly, “Besides, it’s just a torn ligament. Not letting me go to school would be spoiling me too much.”
Hearing this, Ning Wenying sighed softly. Jiang Qionghua, standing beside her, smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Wenying-jie, you don’t have to worry so much. Xianxian is a strong child. It’s just a foot injury; she’ll recover quickly. Don’t be so nervous.”
“Besides, Xiao Yi is in the class next door. She’ll take good care of her.”
Jiang Qionghua turned to Jiang Yi. “Right, Xiao Yi?”
What could Jiang Yi say? Could she say that, if possible, she’d rather have no interaction with Jiang Sixian at all?
But having eaten her food and accepted her help, she couldn’t say anything. She forced a smile and said rather theatrically, “Yes, Auntie Ning, I’ll take good care of your daughter!”
Ning Wenying pursed her lips and said earnestly to Jiang Yi, “Then I’ll leave her to you.”
Jiang Yi, thus entrusted, nodded emphatically.
After reassuring Ning Wenying, Jiang Yi and Jiang Sixian headed to school together.
On the way, Jiang Sixian leaned against the car window, watching Jiang Yi, who was listening to music in the corner, and tentatively called out, “Jiang Yi?”
This time, Jiang Yi miraculously heard her. She looked up at Jiang Sixian, her eyes questioning.
Jiang Sixian pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and asked, “Do you think it would be better for me to stay home and study?”
Jiang Yi perked up at this. She took off her headphones, sat up straight, and looked seriously at Jiang Sixian. “I think, in your current condition, staying home for tutoring would be more suitable.”
So, Jiang Yi really thought so.
Jiang Sixian felt a twinge of disappointment, but she maintained a neutral expression, looking at Jiang Yi intently. “Why do you think so?”
Jiang Yi earnestly analyzed the situation: “You injured your foot. A torn ligament is a serious matter. If you don’t recover properly, you won’t be able to do strenuous leg exercises in the future. Plus, being at home is great! Food and drinks provided, no teachers to boss you around, just a tutor. You can do whatever you want. Isn’t that better than school?”
Jiang Sixian felt that Jiang Yi had listed so many reasons just to persuade her to stay home. She suddenly understood why Jiang Yi had stayed in the hospital for so long, even though she didn’t need to.
Jiang Sixian bit her lip and said softly, “I think my school days are precious. I can stay home for a long time in the future, but the time I spend with my teachers and classmates is decreasing day by day. So, I’d rather be at school than at home.”
Jiang Yi shrugged. “Then you really are a good student who likes teachers and classmates. I’m different. Youth isn’t complete without skipping class and taking sick leave to slack off.”
Jiang Sixian didn’t reply, but she thought to herself that compared to this kind of stolen leisure time, she preferred spending time with the right person at the right moment. Because she knew, if she went to school injured, Jiang Yi, out of consideration for her mother, would definitely take care of her.
This thought filled her with both jealousy and a strange sense of joy.
She didn’t know what others would think in this situation, but Jiang Sixian felt many would be just as “despicable” as her. So, she embraced her “despicable” thoughts with surprising calmness.
She probably wasn’t the kind of “good student” Jiang Yi imagined. Good students wouldn’t be like her, knowingly disliked for their actions, yet still persistently provoking the other person. Even harboring… more inappropriate thoughts.
Sister Xiao Qin’s car soon arrived at the school gate. Jiang Yi pulled Jiang Sixian’s wheelchair from the trunk, half-carried, half-supported her onto it, and pushed her through the gate.
Jiang Yi, backpack slung over her shoulder, pushed Jiang Sixian, who held her own bag in her lap, through the tree-lined path with a cool expression. Along the way, they attracted countless stares.
Many who recognized Jiang Sixian offered concerned greetings. But when they saw Jiang Yi behind her, they began whispering to their companions.
After all, the scene from the 1500-meter race, where Jiang Yi, running in first place, had stopped to wait for the injured Jiang Sixian and then helped her to the finish line, was deeply imprinted in many minds.
Some uninformed onlookers, combined with the cafeteria incident, began speculating that Jiang Yi was Jiang Sixian’s ex-girlfriend from her previous school.
Otherwise, why had so many confessions failed, only for this transfer student, Jiang Yi, to win Jiang Sixian’s favor?
As for the argument that Jiang Yi hadn’t differentiated yet and therefore couldn’t be dating, that was outdated thinking.
This was a new era; the feudal dynasties were long gone. Regardless of gender, as long as there was love, they could be together.
Under this intense scrutiny, Jiang Yi, feeling incredibly awkward, pushed Jiang Sixian to Class A.
When they reached the classroom door, they were met with the collective gaze of Class A, led by Tang Qing and Qin Miaomiao. Jiang Yi glanced at the staring students, gave Jiang Sixian’s wheelchair a push, and said curtly, “You’re here. I’ll come get you for lunch.”
Jiang Sixian nodded, looked up at her, and said, “Thank you, Jiang Yi.”
Jiang Yi waved her hand, grabbed her backpack, turned, and walked into Class B through the back door, pulling down her chair and sitting with a thud.
The moment she sat down, the little monitor, along with Chen Wanzhou and Jin Duolai, leaned over from the front desk, staring at her intently.
Jiang Yi clutched her backpack, feeling intimidated by their laser-focused gazes, and asked coldly, “What are you doing?”
Without a word, the little monitor pulled out her phone and shoved the screen in Jiang Yi’s face. “Explain this! Explain this!”
Her demeanor was like a wife confronting her cheating husband.
Despite her aggressive posture, the little monitor’s eyes were practically glowing with excitement. Jiang Yi immediately recognized her inner gossip gremlin and rolled her eyes, turning her attention to the phone screen.
The pink screen displayed a bold headline: “Delinquent School Bully X Aloof School Beauty, Spotted Embracing in Wheelchair at School Gate. Anyone Shipping This?”
Jiang Yi scanned the headline, then scrolled down to see several photos and froze.
The photos were all high-definition shots of her half-carrying Jiang Sixian onto the wheelchair.
Not only that, but the thread also included photos of them arriving and leaving school together, mostly getting in and out of Sister Xiao Qin’s car, one after the other.
The captions read: “Started noticing Jiang Yi after the cafeteria fight. She looks fierce, but her features combined give a cool, aloof impression. Very heroic, a future Alpha.”
“Been observing her since then and noticed she’s quite close with Jiang Sixian. They’ve been going to and from school together since she transferred.”
“Heard they’re family friends, but still can’t help but speculate. Are they dating?”
“Heard Jiang Sixian even gave her water…”
The thread went on and on, listing all their interactions. Jiang Yi skimmed through it, then, holding the phone, looked up and glared at the little monitor. “Did you write this?”
Unfazed by her glare, the little monitor rolled her eyes. “Have a little faith in our friendship. I might gossip with you privately, but I wouldn’t broadcast it to the whole world, shipping you two so hard I want everyone to know.”
Jiang Yi knew it wasn’t her, she was just trying to bluff. She snorted and said, “I know you wouldn’t. But do you know who wrote this? This is really damaging to my image. Rumors can be harmful.”
The little monitor looked at her, exasperated. “Damaging to your image? Do you know who you’re being shipped with? Jiang Sixian! The aloof school beauty, Jiang Sixian!”
Jiang Yi rolled her eyes. “So?”
The little monitor sighed dramatically. “So, you two go to and from school together every day, you’re so close, and you’re telling me it’s purely platonic? This post is going viral. You and Jiang Sixian are now officially linked.”
“Jiang Yi, if you don’t want to be misunderstood, you should clarify this post. Otherwise, your relationship with Jiang Sixian will become truly complicated.”
The little monitor had initially approached this with a pure gossip mindset. But spending so much time with Jiang Yi, she knew there was nothing romantic between her and Jiang Sixian. Sometimes, Jiang Yi even seemed to dislike being associated with her.
Especially after the cultural performance night, sitting beside Jiang Yi and learning that her mother was Jiang Qionghua, the little monitor had realized the true nature of their relationship.
So, seeing this shipping thread, besides wanting to gossip, she also hoped Jiang Yi would clarify things, preventing the rumors from becoming too awkward.
Jiang Yi thought about it and agreed with the little monitor’s logic. After careful consideration, she said, “Alright, I’ll clarify it. Lend me an account.”
The little monitor beamed, relieved. “That’s the right attitude.” She called Chen Wanzhou over and let Jiang Yi log into her account.
While Jiang Yi logged in, the little monitor, her gossip gremlin still active, leaned on her desk and asked, “So, Jiang Yi, are you and Jiang Sixian living together?”
Jiang Yi glanced at the monitor, who had reverted to her true form in three seconds, and asked coolly, “What do you think?”
Before the little monitor could answer, Chen Wanzhou pushed up her glasses and said, “Okay, we understand.”
After she spoke, the little monitor and the others nodded in unison.
Jiang Yi was speechless.
You understand? You understand nothing!
Shoutout and huge thanks to otorochi, banger and SleepyAva for picking up the complete EPUB book on the Ko-fi shop! Really appreciate the support!
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