Ying Jie was immediately taken aback by Xu Shi’s words. She hadn’t expected Xu Shi to say that.
But soon, she got back into character and started crying again.
As if she hadn’t heard what Xu Shi had just said, she took an aggrieved step toward her and raised her hand, trying to grab Xu Shi’s wrist.
“What are you doing?”
Yu Lingshan, who had been standing behind Xu Shi, walked over. She pointed at Ying Jie’s hand. “Put it down.”
Ying Jie immediately retracted her hand and took a step back, managing a polite, “Teacher Yu.”
Yu Lingshan stood beside Xu Shi, naturally taking her arm. She asked Ying Jie, “You’ve really got some nerve, asking Xu Shi to drop out of the competition? How dare you say that?”
Ying Jie’s face instantly stiffened.
Yu Lingshan: “You think our Xiao Shi is easy to bully?”
“No,” Ying Jie started crying again. “Xiao Shi, I really have no other choice, or I wouldn’t have come to you.”
“You wish. So what? If Xu Shi drops out, you’ll get a good result?” Yu Lingshan put one hand in her pocket. “You?”
Ying Jie was so frightened she forgot to cry.
“Xiao Zhi, I don’t know if you’ve heard,” Yu Lingshan turned to ask Xu Shi.
Seeing that Yu Lingshan was about to get sarcastic, Xu Shi played along. “What?”
Yu Lingshan tilted her head back slightly, recalling. “About a year or two ago, I heard there was a university student at A-City Arts Academy with immense talent. She participated in the New Star Competition, and her work received unanimous approval from the judges, placing first by a landslide.”
At this, Xu Shi glanced at Ying Jie, and Yu Lingshan did the same.
“How funny. After that, the student never produced another piece. Some said she was under too much pressure from the high expectations and her inspiration dried up. Others said it was just a fluke.”
This time, Ying Jie’s tears were real, unlike the act from before. Her hands were trembling.
“After all this time, she’s still at the bottom of the design world, barely hanging on because of her father’s connections,” Yu Lingshan smiled. “A while ago, she even shamelessly tried to get Teacher Wu to take her on as a student. Who would want someone like that? It’s hilarious.”
Ying Jie suddenly looked up. “What are you trying to do?”
Yu Lingshan smiled. “Hit a nerve?”
Ying Jie: “I came to see Xu Shi, not to be insulted by you.”
Yu Lingshan: “So what if I insult you? Don’t you have a clue how little substance you have? And you still have the nerve to show up?”
Ying Jie’s chin was trembling.
Yu Lingshan: “If you’re not happy about it, you can go ahead and call your daddy. Tell him his precious daughter is being wronged.”
Ying Jie: “You think I wouldn’t dare?”
Yu Lingshan made a “please, go ahead” gesture. “I’ll be waiting.”
Ying Jie shot her a harsh glare, then turned to glare at Xu Shi.
Xu Shi: “What do you want?”
She looked at Xu Shi. “Don’t forget who contacted the doctor for your mother back then! Is this how you treat me?”
Xu Shi: “Isn’t what you took from me enough?”
Ying Jie’s brow furrowed tightly, as if she suddenly remembered why she was here today. She closed her eyes for a moment, then softened her voice. “Xiao Shi.”
Xu Shi said, “You want me to drop out? Fine.”
Ying Jie’s eyes flew open, and then she smiled. “Name your terms. I’ll agree to anything.”
Xu Shi: “Explain what happened back then in full detail. Wherever you spread those rumors, you will go back there and clarify everything. And you have to apologize to me.”
Ying Jie was stunned.
Not wanting to waste any more time with Ying Jie, Xu Shi took Yu Lingshan’s hand and started walking toward the building, tossing one last sentence over her shoulder. “Do that, and I’ll drop out. Time is ticking. There’s only a week left before the preliminary round. You figure it out.”
Inside the main entrance was a corridor. Once they passed through it, the outside was no longer visible.
Xu Shi coolly led Yu Lingshan over and pressed the elevator button.
While they waited, Yu Lingshan asked Xu Shi, “Were you serious? You’ll drop out if she does it?”
Xu Shi: “No.”
Yu Lingshan raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Xu Shi: “She’ll never do it.”
Yu Lingshan: “And what if she does?”
“I still won’t drop out,” Xu Shi’s lips curled into a slightly smug smile. “So what if I’m just messing with her?”
Yu Lingshan laughed. “Not bad, Xu Xiao Zhi.”
Only then did Xu Shi revert to her usual self, her eyes curving as she smiled at Yu Lingshan. “It’s mainly because you were with me that I could even think of that.”
“Hm?”
Yu Lingshan poked Xu Shi in the waist.
Xu Shi, who was ticklish, flinched.
Yu Lingshan: “What do you mean? That I taught you to play dirty? Am I the kind of person who’s especially good at playing dirty?”
Xu Shi giggled. “No, I’m just braver when you’re around.” Xu Shi mimicked Yu Lingshan, tilting her chin up. “I’ll be waiting.”
Yu Lingshan smiled.
With a ding, the elevator arrived. Xu Shi subconsciously moved to pull Yu Lingshan inside, but Yu Lingshan held her back.
Xu Shi was confused. “What’s wrong?”
Yu Lingshan asked, “Are you… planning to take me home?”
Only then did Xu Shi pause.
She had been so flustered earlier, only thinking about how to deal with Ying Jie.
But after a moment’s thought, Xu Shi figured there was nothing wrong with taking Yu Lingshan home. So she asked, “Do you want to come?”
Yu Lingshan smiled. “Meeting the parents, are we?”
Xu Shi suddenly felt hot. She stammered inwardly for a few seconds before saying aloud, “I-I was just worried Ying Jie might still be outside. W-What if she hasn’t left?”
Yu Lingshan drew out a long “Ohhh.” “Afraid she’ll call people to come beat me up?”
Xu Shi made a sound of agreement. “Yes.”
Yu Lingshan said, “The elevator went back up.”
Xu Shi said, “Oh,” and immediately pressed the button again.
Yu Lingshan: “Then let’s go.”
This time, the elevator came down with someone inside. Coincidentally, it was the auntie from downstairs.
The auntie was heading down to take out the trash. Seeing Xu Shi waiting, she smiled, greeted her, and then asked, “By the way, Junjun said you two added each other on WeChat.”
Xu Shi gave a dry laugh and pulled Yu Lingshan into the elevator. “Yes.”
The auntie smiled. “Then you two should chat. I told Junjun that Xiao Shi is a wonderful girl.”
Out of the auntie’s sight, Xu Shi frantically jabbed the close-door button. “Thank you, Auntie.”
The elevator doors closed, and Yu Lingshan immediately let go of Xu Shi’s hand, silently watching the floor numbers change.
Xu Shi licked her lips, about to say something, but Yu Lingshan spoke first.
“Aren’t you going to press the floor button? How long do you plan on standing here with me?”
Xu Shi said, “Oh,” and pressed the button for the 10th floor.
Then she said, “That guy the auntie just mentioned, he…”
Yu Lingshan cut her off. “I don’t want to hear it.”
Xu Shi swallowed the words she was about to say: “He’s also just dealing with his family.”
“Oh.”
Soon, they arrived at the apartment door. As Xu Shi was unlocking it, she heard Yu Lingshan say, “I didn’t buy a gift.”
Xu Shi shook her head. “It’s fine, you don’t need to.”
Yu Lingshan: “I’ll make a bad impression on your auntie.”
Xu Shi smiled. “My mom’s probably already asleep.”
Yu Lingshan took out her phone to check the time.
Xu Shi knew what she meant. “My mom goes to bed early. She can’t stay up late.”
Yu Lingshan sighed in disappointment. “No wonder you let me come up so easily.”
Xu Shi: “You could have come up even if my mom was awake. Weiwei has been to my place too.”
Yu Lingshan: “Oh.”
She added, “So I’m the same as Weiwei.”
Xu Shi whispered, “No, you’re not.”
After entering, Xu Shi glanced inside. As expected, her mother was already asleep. The living room was dark, with only a single light left on in the entryway for her.
Xu Shi tiptoed in, quietly got a pair of slippers for Yu Lingshan, and then led her to her own room.
The moment she closed the door, Yu Lingshan leaned against the desk and smiled. “What are we doing?”
Xu Shi smiled too, sticking her tongue out. “I don’t know.”
Yu Lingshan brushed her hair back. “Alright, I’ll just take a look around and then I’ll go.”
Xu Shi: “Okay.”
Xu Shi’s room wasn’t large, but it had a lovely balcony where she grew flowers.
“But many of them aren’t in season. Only this one is blooming right now, and it’s not doing very well,” Xu Shi explained, her hands behind her back.
Yu Lingshan hummed in acknowledgment. “Can I pick one to take with me?”
Xu Shi: “Of course you can. Which one do you want?”
Yu Lingshan: “Which one do you want to give me?”
Xu Shi looked at them seriously, then pointed to a healthy-looking pot on the bottom shelf. “This one.”
Yu Lingshan asked Xu Shi, “Have you ever given anyone a potted plant before?”
Xu Shi shook her head. “No, you’re the first.”
Yu Lingshan: “Which one is your favorite?”
Xu Shi’s eyes curved. “This one.”
Yu Lingshan smiled and crouched down to look at it. “Okay, I’ll take this one.”
Xu Shi let out a happy little sound, seemingly delighted by her successful gift-giving, momentarily forgetting that it was Yu Lingshan who had asked for it in the first place.
Then, taking advantage of the nice atmosphere, she also crouched down and quickly said what she had been wanting to say.
“The Junjun that auntie mentioned we just added each other on WeChat to deal with our families we already talked tonight and in a few days we’ll tell our families it’s not a good match and that’ll be the end of it.”
Afraid that Yu Lingshan wouldn’t want to listen, Xu Shi said everything in one breath.
Yu Lingshan stared at the potted plant. “Oh, I see.”
Yu Lingshan didn’t seem to care much about what Xu Shi said. She heard it and moved on, even asking Xu Shi, “Why do you like this plant so much?”
Xu Shi placed her hands on her knees. “Because it’s very cute. Look, its leaves are so small, isn’t it cute?”
Yu Lingshan smiled and reached out to touch one of its leaves. “Cute.”
Xu Shi had only turned on the small, warm yellow light on the balcony. As Yu Lingshan crouched there, half of her was cast in shadow.
Xu Shi wanted to tell Yu Lingshan about the plant’s species, how to water it, and how much sun it needed, but when she saw Yu Lingshan’s profile, she forgot everything.
Yu Lingshan touched a different leaf. She noticed that the leaf on her finger was oddly shaped, a bit like a heart.
“Look.”
Yu Lingshan turned her head, and Xu Shi’s gaze was instantly exposed. She quickly looked away and mumbled a random, “Uh-huh.”
Yu Lingshan didn’t continue. She propped her chin on one hand, looked at Xu Shi, and smiled.
Xu Shi swallowed. The air fell silent for several seconds.
A few seconds later, Xu Shi did something she couldn’t believe she was doing.
She suddenly leaned over and pressed a light kiss to Yu Lingshan’s lips.
For a rare moment, Yu Lingshan was stunned.
But the instigator seemed more flustered. After the kiss, she was even more afraid to look at Yu Lingshan. She lowered her head to look at the small plant and mumbled, “L-Look at this?”
Yu Lingshan didn’t answer. She looked at Xu Shi’s profile. “Is one kiss enough?”
This seemed to be a very difficult question to answer. Xu Shi thought for a long, long time.
After a while, just when Yu Lingshan thought she wouldn’t get an answer, Xu Shi said, “Not enough.”
Then she suddenly lifted her head, tilted it to bypass Yu Lingshan’s nose, and kissed her.
Yu Lingshan hadn’t been crouching properly to begin with, and with Xu Shi’s sudden move, she was pushed right onto the floor.
But Xu Shi didn’t let her go. Instead, she took the opportunity to press down, wedging one leg between hers. With one hand on Yu Lingshan’s shoulder and the other on the floor for support, she moved even closer.
Xu Shi had mentally prepared for a long time before daring to make a move. She was also prepared for Yu Lingshan to push her away.
But Yu Lingshan didn’t. In fact, Yu Lingshan even started using her hands.
She also supported herself with one hand, while her other hand slowly slid up Xu Shi’s arm, stopping by her ear. She used the pads of her thumb and index finger to alternately stroke Xu Shi’s earlobe.
Xu Shi was completely captivated.
She didn’t know where this ability came from, but it was as if she had kissed Yu Lingshan many times before. As long as Yu Lingshan cooperated even slightly, she could immediately make the next move.
Later, because their movements became too big, Yu Lingshan’s head accidentally bumped into the flower stand, and they finally stopped.
With one hand, Xu Shi steadied the flower stand, and with the other, she pressed Yu Lingshan’s head onto her shoulder.
“Does it hurt?” Xu Shi asked.
Yu Lingshan let out a sound from her nose that was something like a hum. She clung to Xu Shi, nestled in her arms, loosely hugging her.
Xu Shi gently stroked Yu Lingshan’s head. After a moment, Yu Lingshan looked up.
Xu Shi looked down at her, and at that moment, Yu Lingshan’s pleading, fox-like eyes crashed right into her line of sight.
Xu Shi couldn’t resist and kissed her again.
But this kiss didn’t last long either. Xu Shi’s phone rang.
Something always interrupted them.
So annoying.
The call was from Senior He Yi. He had probably been discussing the competition with Teacher Wu that evening. He Yi confirmed a few reference materials she needed and said he would send them to her in a bit.
After she hung up, Yu Lingshan was already standing, holding the potted plant Xu Shi had said she would give her.
Worried it would be inconvenient for Yu Lingshan to carry it like that, Xu Shi found a paper bag for her, and then walked her to the door.
Then she walked her to the gate of the residential complex, and then saw her into her car.
Throughout this entire time, aside from “goodbye,” they didn’t say a single word to each other, just like all those times before, as if nothing had happened.
Xu Shi felt a tightness in her chest. She watched Yu Lingshan’s car drive away and let out a soft sigh.
Xu Shi didn’t know what Yu Lingshan was thinking, and she didn’t know what she herself was thinking either.
Just as she was about to turn and go back, her phone dinged with a new message. It was from Yu Lingshan.
Xu Shi suddenly felt nervous, but when she opened the message, her excitement instantly vanished.
Yu Lingshan: Thank you for the plant
Xu Shi: You’re welcome
Xu Shi felt inexplicably wronged. She scrolled up and down her chat history with Yu Lingshan for a long time.
Then she exited the chat and opened her conversation with Weiwei.
Xu Shi: Weiwei, what do I do? I’m done for.
Xu Shi: I think I’m really in love with Yu Lingshan.
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