Chapter 2
That evening, while Jiang Zhi and Lin Wanwan were out, I walked over to Xia Qing.
“Something you want to say to me?” She turned, her gentle gaze settling on me.
“Yes.”
I nervously twisted the hem of my shirt and silently gathered my courage.
“Could you please stop kissing me in secret? I think it’s a really inappropriate thing to do.”
“Again?” Xia Qing’s voice rose at the end.
“Yes. I could let the first time go, but this is already the second. You’ve crossed a line.”
I looked away, my face burning.
Her smile deepened.
“Ah Yi, if it bothers you that much, then… why don’t I let you kiss me back?”
The corner of her mouth curled as she watched me with open amusement.
So she really had been the one who kissed me that night!
“I’m serious!”
I glared at her. Her casual attitude made me feel as though we were speaking two completely different languages.
Before I could say more, the door opened. Lin Wanwan walked in with red-rimmed eyes and immediately threw her arms around me.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” I asked.
“Shuyi, my boyfriend and I broke up!”
“He’s a scumbag! He’d been cheating on me this whole time.”
Her sobs came so hard she could barely breathe. Xia Qing came over to comfort her too. I quietly edged sideways, trying to stay as far from Xia Qing as possible.
“Shuyi, can I sleep with you tonight?” Lin Wanwan bit her lip and looked up at me.
“Huh?”
My mind stalled.
“Forget it. I’d only be putting you out.” She sighed. Her lashes trembled, and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.
“It’s no trouble. None at all.” I waved my hands hurriedly, failing to notice that Xia Qing’s expression had turned black as thunder.
Lin Wanwan and I squeezed into the same bed. She kept burrowing into my arms until my back was pressed against the wall. Since she’d just had her heart broken, I didn’t have the heart to complain.
“Shuyi, what scent is your shampoo? It smells so good.”
She lifted a strand of my hair and held it beneath her nose.
“Jasmine, I think.”
The moment I answered, Jiang Zhi pushed open the door. Her gaze collided with mine.
“You two?”
Displeasure darkened her face, and a chill seemed to enter her eyes.
I scrambled upright to explain. “Wanwan just broke up with her boyfriend. She’s upset, so I’m keeping her company.”
“Why are you explaining yourself to her?” Lin Wanwan muttered.
“Hah. Try not to collapse the bed.”
Jiang Zhi gave a cold scoff and snapped off the light.
The next day, Lin Wanwan dragged me out shopping to ease her broken heart.
“Are we really not inviting Jiang Zhi and Xia Qing?” I asked, glancing at Lin Wanwan’s arm looped through mine. Something about this didn’t feel right.
“Shuyi, you know you’re the only person in the dorm I’m close to. You’re the only one I want to be with.”
“I’d feel awkward if they came too.”
She lowered her gaze, looking like an abandoned puppy.
“All right.”
After buying clothes, we went to a hot spring. That evening, Lin Wanwan insisted on drinking, and I couldn’t stop her.
She had no tolerance. A few drinks were enough to leave her babbling drunkenly.
“Scumbag!”
“Heartless bastard! He should go to hell!”
I sighed. Curse him all you want, but why are you groping me?
I rubbed my waist. She had pinched me there a moment ago, and it still hurt.
Dragging the thoroughly drunk Lin Wanwan behind me, I finally made it back to the dorm before lights-out.
“So you finally decided to come home?”
Two burning gazes swept over us. For some reason, I felt the shame of a wife caught cheating in bed.
“We’re back,” I answered stiffly.
“Tsk, tsk. Some people get eaten alive and still help the culprit count the money.”
Xia Qing brushed past the corner of my shirt. Her voice was light, but I heard every word.
I distinctly felt Lin Wanwan stiffen against me.
“What does that mean?” I looked at Xia Qing in confusion.
“Idiot.”
Jiang Zhi folded her arms and gave me an icy eye roll.
Embarrassed, I settled Lin Wanwan in bed, grabbed my toiletries, and escaped into the bathroom.
I swore silently that next time we went anywhere, I would invite both of them.