Green Plum, Green Plum (13)
“Because I like girls.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Xu Jiao and Su Xi have a good relationship, but Xu Jiao doesn’t like such behavior, even if it’s just a playful way of showing closeness.
Hearing the seriousness in Xu Jiao’s warning tone, Su Xi picked up her chopsticks and stirred the warm rice in her bowl, muttering quietly, “If you don’t want to be kissed, then fine, why be so fierce? I’m just being affectionate.”
This blend of whining and complaining from her mouth only made her seem endearing.
Su Xi was quite popular at school. Apart from some bookish students obsessed with their studies, most boys liked her for her cheerful, righteous, and enthusiastic personality. She also loved dressing up, coming to school every day with light makeup.
Except for Mondays when the dean checked on grooming and attire, she always wore jewelry: exquisite necklaces, pretty bracelets, even her hairstyles were fashionable and cute.
Some of the athletes pursued her quite intensely, always asking her out whenever they had free time.
Xu Jiao heard her voice, a slight smile in her eyes, but she still shook her head, gently emphasizing, “Xiao Xi, you’ve had relationships before, so you should know not to kiss others’ lips casually.”
At this moment, Aunt Su went back to clean the guest room, and Shen Yelan also returned to the dining table, silently sitting down. When she picked up her chopsticks, she subtly turned her wrist to hide the deep crescent-shaped marks on her palm.
She quietly listened to Xu Jiao’s lesson to Su Xi, picked at the fish tail meat with her chopsticks, and glanced at Su Xi with the corner of her eye, seeing her holding her face and saying:
“But we’re both girls, what’s the big deal? Besides, you didn’t object before.”
Xu Jiao calmly replied, “Before is before, now is now.”
Su Xi “hmphed” and suddenly shifted the conflict towards Shen Yelan, catching her inadvertently glancing over. Su Xi put down her chopsticks, crossed her arms, and said haughtily:
“I know! You have another pet, I’m no longer your only little darling! Tell me, do you like this Shen person?”
Shen Yelan didn’t expect to be suddenly dragged into the conversation, panicked, and looked at Xu Jiao.
Even the piece of fish she had finally picked up fell back onto the plate, the white meat instantly soaked by the dark sauce.
Knowing full well Xu Jiao had no interest in her, she couldn’t control her nervousness, feeling frustrated by her pounding heartbeat.
Sure enough—
Without batting an eye, Xu Jiao responded to Su Xi, “What does she have to do with it? We’re talking about you right now, you can’t do that again.”
Su Xi refused to let it go, “Why not? I insist on kissing!”
Xu Jiao sighed softly, picked some greens into her bowl, then neatly placed her chopsticks on the side, turning her head to seriously say, “Because I like girls. It’s easy for me to misunderstand when you do that, understand?”
Su Xi was stunned.
A soft “clink” was heard.
Both turned towards the sound, seeing Shen Yelan’s chopsticks accidentally dropped under the table. She quickly bent down to pick them up, hiding her expression beneath the table, unseen.
She reached to push the chopsticks towards herself, but didn’t dare stand up, using the back of her right hand to touch her cheek:
Hot.
Almost burning.
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What did she just hear? Xu Jiao likes girls?
Even though she knew Xu Jiao had no interest in her, Shen Yelan couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy, a devilish whisper in her heart: “Since she likes girls, why can’t it be you?”
Before she could ponder more on that bewitching thought, Su Xi was already leaning over the table, looking under it: “Hey, what’s with your reaction? If I see you making that clueless face, I’ll beat you up!”
Even though she had just had a similar realization, in Su Xi’s worldview, no one was allowed to look at Xu Jiao with an odd gaze!
Indeed, while Su Xi used to think those who liked the same sex were weirdos, now that Xu Jiao was in that group, words like “lesbian” and “gay” suddenly seemed sophisticated to her.
Such blatant double standards.
Shen Yelan looked at her in confusion, the blush on her face gradually fading, and she returned to her seat in bewilderment. She got up to wash her chopsticks before sitting back down.
On the other hand, Xu Jiao, who had dropped the bombshell, seemed unaffected. Seeing Su Xi understood her meaning, she picked up her chopsticks and continued eating.
The meal proceeded in rare silence.
Only Xu Jiao remained serene.
After she put down her bowl and chopsticks and walked towards the bedroom, Su Xi, as if remembering something, ignored the last spoonful of soup in her bowl and hurriedly followed, her gossipy voice echoing in the living room:
“Hey, Sister Jiaojiao, what kind of girls do you like?”
“When did you realize you liked women? Was it because of that jerk last time that made you lose interest in men? I’ll find someone to teach him a lesson right now!”
Only when they both entered the room did Shen Yelan dare to look back, seeing the empty living room, quietly lowering her eyes, revealing a hint of faint loneliness.
The things Su Xi asked about…
She wanted to know too.
……
But Xu Jiao didn’t say.
In Su Xi’s chattering, Xu Jiao calmly unpacked a set of Wusan books that had arrived a few days ago. With the rich ink smell of the new book, she casually picked up a pen, opened the first page, and began doing exercises.
Su Xi buzzed around for another five minutes without any response, dejectedly leaning on Xu Jiao’s chair back, whispering:
“So boring, you don’t say anything.”
Without looking up, Xu Jiao replied, “If you’re bored, do some exercises. If you don’t finish the set I prepared for you tonight, you won’t be allowed to sleep. Don’t think I’ll let you off like before dinner.”
Su Xi: “…!”
She turned and ran out. When she reached the living room, she saw Shen Yelan quietly tidying up the dishes. Remembering something, she turned back and leaned against the door frame, shouting:
“Sister Jiaojiao! If I become your girlfriend, can you be more lenient with me?” For example, not making her do homework.
Shen Yelan held the edge of an oily bowl, forgetting to let go for a long time. Then, she silently looked up in Su Xi’s direction.
In the next moment, Xu Jiao’s voice came from the room: “Keep being cheeky, and you’ll do an extra set of exercises.”
Su Xi: “…”
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She quietly shuffled back to the small table in the living room, sighing over the difficult homework, completely unaware of Shen Yelan’s gaze.
Only the person at the dining table, looking at the messy table, hesitated and wondered:
Was it a mistake to stay at Xu Jiao’s place?
Especially with Su Xi here, constantly joking with Xu Jiao, her emotions fluctuated, always feeling like she was on the verge of a heart attack.
The only consolation was…
Xu Jiao was more serious and genuine than she appeared.
……
That night, Shen Yelan slept in the spacious guest room.
Before going to bed, she was extremely worried that she would have those absurd, unspeakable dreams again in this house full of Xu Jiao’s presence. But surprisingly, she slept through the night——
Without dreaming.
Sitting up in the warm, soft bedding, she felt an unexpected sense of loss.
It was like being prepared for a splendid date, only to end up silently waiting all night in a moonlit alley, accompanied only by the cold wind.
Shen Yelan covered her face with her hands and sighed through her fingers.
She didn’t know if she was sighing for her unspoken thoughts or simply regretting the missed night.
“Good morning.”
Shen Yelan changed into her school uniform and opened the door, seeing Xu Jiao having breakfast.
Clearly the most dominant student at Eighteen High School, Xu Jiao wore her uniform neatly, with the white shirt buttoned up to the top, and the collar perfectly pressed without any extra creases.
Seeing her calm eating manner and those serene eyes, no one would suspect that she was actually the top student at Eighteen High.
Shen Yelan glanced at her, then politely looked away, saying, “Good morning.”
Aunt Su, who had already bought groceries for the day at five in the morning, was busy in the kitchen. Following Xu Jiao’s instructions, she was preparing raw meat for the dog. Hearing someone else up, she smiled and said:
“Xiao Shen, you’re up too. I’m making grilled sandwiches today. What would you like to add? Eggs, ham, bacon, shredded meat, vegetables… come and see.”
Shen Yelan instinctively wanted to say “anything is fine,” but seeing what was on Xu Jiao’s plate, the words changed mid-sentence, betraying her original intention: “The same as… Sister Xu Jiao.”
She hesitated when calling Xu Jiao’s name.
Directly calling her name felt somewhat impolite, but following Su Xi in calling her “Sister Jiaojiao” felt oddly intimate.
So it ended up as it was.
Xu Jiao didn’t mind. According to the original owner’s setting, she was a year older than her peers, so being called “Sister” by Shen Yelan was no problem.
“Alright, it’ll be ready in a minute,” Aunt Su called from the kitchen.
Shen Yelan pulled out a chair and sat down at the dining table, just in time to see Xu Jiao finishing her meal, wiping her mouth and hands. Xu Jiao nodded at her and said, “Take your time eating,” then got up and left.
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Probably because Su Xi hadn’t gotten up yet, the empty dining table with only two sets of cutlery gave Shen Yelan the illusion:
As if only she and Xu Jiao lived in this house.
In the morning, the first person they saw was each other. They greeted each other and had breakfast together at the same table…
She slightly tugged at the corners of her mouth.
In the quiet morning light, even her dreams were careful.
……
Xu Jiao got up early and went to school early. By the time Shen Yelan was ready to leave, Su Xi had just woken up. Although the three of them lived under one roof, they went to school separately.
Shen Yelan still preferred to take the narrow paths.
Even though it was dangerous and she might encounter “tough guys” who liked to hassle honest students like her, she enjoyed the tranquility.
So she always stayed highly alert to fulfill her small need for peace.
This was her first time heading to school from Xu Jiao’s house. The surrounding alleys and scenery were completely different from what she was used to, giving her a sense of freshness. As she wandered, she unexpectedly ended up in front of a boxing gym.
