chapter 9

I walked along the road under the sun. Even though I was wearing thin sweatpants, the skin on the inside of my thighs had already been chafed raw.

This body is too fat. When I walk, the flesh of my thighs rubs together. No wonder Liu Qingqing rarely walks, and even during breaks, she just sits at her desk without moving.

My body hurt a lot, but I still kept walking in a self-punishing way, sweat pouring down like rain.

I shouldn’t have trusted Liu Qingqing so easily and handed over all my secrets.

There’s no use regretting now. I should really think about my future.

Even if I fall into the mud, I want to bloom into the most brilliant flower.

By the time I made it back to the school gate, it was already noon.

My clothes had gone from wet to dry and dry to wet again, giving off an unpleasant smell of sweat.

It was lunchtime, and only a few people were scattered in the classroom; most classmates had gone to the cafeteria to eat.

Lu Xiuqi’s eyes lit up when he saw me. “Where did you go? I went to the infirmary after class to look for you but didn’t find you.”

I picked up my water bottle and gulped down half of it.

“I went home for a bit.”

“What’s wrong? You look terrible.”

Because of our recent breakfasts together, Lu Xiuqi and I had gotten much more familiar with each other.

He put away his usual roguish demeanor and looked at me with concern.

I took a textbook out of the drawer and put it on the desk, giving him a wry smile. “It’s nothing. I just realized how stupid I am.”

“You’re acting strange.”

Lu Xiuqi scratched the back of his head, then turned away and ignored me.