Villainous Poor Student (14)
Because of concerns that He Siyu might be troubled by matters of the heart, Song Xuyi ended her business trip early and immediately rushed to Yizhong to see He Siyu.
Yizhong was nearing final exams, and unlike the relaxed atmosphere of Song Xuyi’s high school days, the exam period here was incredibly busy—it seemed as if a tense and oppressive air enveloped the entire campus.
Song Xuyi originally intended to surprise He Siyu, but when she appeared on campus, He Siyu didn’t seem very happy to see her.
Could it be because of the upcoming exams?
Song Xuyi observed He Siyu’s expressions closely.
He Siyu stood silently in front of Song Xuyi with a smile still playing on her lips. But however you looked at it, the smile seemed forced.
Song Xuyi reached out to hug He Siyu’s arm, but unexpectedly, He Siyu shuddered and lowered her head to avoid the touch, even subconsciously tugging at her sleeve…
“What’s wrong?” Song Xuyi furrowed her brow, utterly puzzled.
“Nothing—” He Siyu offered a faint smile and sat down beside Song Xuyi. Normally, Song Xuyi would habitually hug He Siyu, taking it as a sign of their closeness, and He Siyu indulged her in this. Every time they sat down, He Siyu would sit close to Song Xuyi, but this time, she deliberately sat farther away, leaving about half a meter between them.
Even someone as oblivious as Song Xuyi felt that something was off:
It had only been a little over half a month apart, but it seemed like the distance between them had already started to grow.
Song Xuyi looked back and realized that, in fact, signs had already appeared over the past half-month.
But if she were to ask why…
“Is it because of the person you like?” Even though she knew that He Siyu would eventually have her own life, settle down, and perhaps their estrangement came sooner than expected, or maybe it was just the discomfort of unaccustomed change, Song Xuyi still felt inexplicably upset: “But what does it matter if you’ve found someone you like? That shouldn’t affect our friendship…”
This time, He Siyu did not look back at Song Xuyi with the usual sparkle in her eyes. Her lips were tightly pursed, and her head was tilted even lower.
Song Xuyi had never seen He Siyu like this before. She couldn’t describe the feeling, but it seemed like a heavy shackle had been suddenly loaded onto He Siyu’s frail shoulders, her heart filled with unspoken troubles, making her whole person appear to have lost the vitality she had…
“Is this the emotional turbulence of adolescence?” Song Xuyi sighed, “A young girl’s feelings are always poetic…”
But the poem of her own Siyu seemed somewhat bleak.
“Perhaps—” The system in her mind sighed vaguely, adding, “But you don’t have that worry. Don’t forget, the first rule of the mission code is no falling in love.”
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Song Xuyi pursed her lips.
She actually kind of wanted to argue with the system.
The Main God seemed unreliable, making her lose her memories for no reason, and twice messing up the time to drop into the mission worlds. As for the so-called ‘no falling in love’ system rule, Song Xuyi felt that she had already lost her reverence for the rules.
But for now, Song Xuyi didn’t contemplate defying the will of the Main God. After all, she didn’t think she had met anyone she liked.
“Never mind, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it,” Song Xuyi thought, seeing He Siyu’s distressed appearance and feeling a bit of pain in her heart herself. She was about to change the subject when He Siyu suddenly lifted her head—
“I like a girl.” He Siyu bit her lip, looking at Song Xuyi. At such a close distance, Song Xuyi could see her own clear reflection in He Siyu’s eyes. There was a pain in He Siyu’s gaze that Song Xuyi couldn’t understand. The system internally exclaimed ‘this is bad’ upon seeing He Siyu like this, but Song Xuyi was unaware of the system’s internal reaction. Seeing He Siyu like this only made her feel more heartache.
No wonder Siyu had been distancing herself lately:
He Siyu must have felt terrified and tormented, frightened that her feelings would drive a wedge between them. After all, in this era, heterosexual love is considered mainstream, while homosexual love is often regarded as eccentric, with a small minority even viewing it as a mental illness.
But what’s wrong with liking someone?
Loving someone should have nothing to do with gender…
“What’s wrong with it being a girl?” Song Xuyi sighed deeply, clutching He Siyu’s hand. She then noticed how deathly cold He Siyu’s hands were, which made her heart ache even more: “Siyu, did the girl you like say something to you?”
“No,” He Siyu forced a smile, looking into Song Xuyi’s eyes with a deep intensity: “She’s wonderful. It’s just my own insatiable greed…”
“Liking someone is an uncontrollable emotion; how can it be considered greedy?” Song Xuyi consoled softly. She had originally thought He Siyu was interested in boys and even felt that any boy who didn’t like her back must be blind. But after learning that He Siyu’s affection was for another girl, Song Xuyi couldn’t find it in herself to criticize.
After all, girls who like other girls are in the minority, not all have the courage to face the unconventional stares and the misunderstanding from friends and family.
At this point, Song Xuyi had completely overturned her previous guesses.
She had thought He Siyu was tangled in unrequited love. Yet now, observing He Siyu’s demeanor, a new suspicion dawned on Song Xuyi: maybe He Siyu was dealing with a blow to her self-confidence after a rejected confession, hence her newfound sensitivity and self-doubt.
The more Song Xuyi thought about it, the more her heart ached for her.
“Actually, maybe the person didn’t mean to reject you intentionally. It’s just that we’re not at the age to date yet. To talk about love is really too early for us. Perhaps when you’re older, when you have the ability to cope with changes and the capability to provide a stable future for the girl you like, maybe then she might fall for you…”
“Siyu, you will find your own happiness.”
“But before that, we must strive to improve ourselves, to continue learning and make ourselves better.”
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“When we have improved ourselves, we will have the courage to love. When we meet someone we like again, we won’t miss out because of hesitation.” Song Xuyi fumbled for the right words to comfort He Siyu who looked as if she had faced a romantic rejection, her voice dry and raspy as she unwittingly dispensed her own brand of motivational platitudes: “But rest assured, whether you like boys or girls, whether you’re ambitious or mediocre, in my heart, you are always the best Siyu…”
Song Xuyi had never been in love and didn’t know how to console someone. She felt what she said might lack credibility. However, contrary to Song Xuyi’s expectations, He Siyu seemed genuinely soothed by her ramblings, her large beautiful eyes gazing at Song Xuyi, holding back tears on the brink of falling: “Do you really mean that? No matter what, you won’t despise me?”
“If I become more diligent and better, you, she… Will you really like me?”
Song Xuyi felt a sudden pang in her heart.
He Siyu with her tears was unstoppably beautiful—like the blossoming jade pendants swaying in the breeze.
Song Xuyi couldn’t understand who would reject her. She even thought: The girl who made He Siyu heartbroken, upon seeing how sad He Siyu is, might change her orientation…
And the emotion in He Siyu’s eyes seemed too intense, like that of a drowning person grasping at the only log in sight, appearing to place all her hopes on this sole lifeline.
No one would bear to snuff out the light in He Siyu’s eyes.
He Siyu, fragile with a touch of nervousness, appeared delicate and exquisitely beautiful—like a butterfly teetering on the edge of a branch.
“Yes, you’re so hardworking, everyone will like you.”
“And as for me personally,” Song Xuyi heard herself softly reply, “I would never dislike you, Siyu.”
The tear in He Siyu’s eyes finally fell. She let out a soft cry, hurriedly wiped away the tears with the back of her hand, then, breaking into a smile through her sobs, for the very first time, she took the initiative to reach out and embrace Song Xuyi.
“Xuyi, you have no idea how grateful I am to have met you…”
In my heart… how much I really like you.
In the following days, Song Xuyi was quite pleased with herself, feeling that she had rescued a beautiful young girl lost in love. She called He Siyu almost every day to check in on her, and this approach seemed to be working. They returned to their past closeness and even became… closer than before.
He Siyu began to call Song Xuyi every day to share her daily happenings. She wasn’t one for long talks, falling into silence after speaking, and Song Xuyi, belatedly realizing He Siyu seemed to exceedingly enjoy her praises, significantly improved her skills in dishing out rainbow farts.
When they met, He Siyu also suddenly became more proactive, starting to take the initiative to hold Song Xuyi’s hand and, mimicking Song Xuyi’s past behavior, giving her bear hugs…
At first, Song Xuyi was somewhat unaccustomed to He Siyu’s embraces because He Siyu had the kind of figure where she was slim in the right places and had curves where it mattered. Every time He Siyu hugged Song Xuyi, certain parts would inevitably come into contact with Song Xuyi’s arm…
Feeling awkward, Song Xuyi’s mind would flash to the memory of He Siyu’s tear shed during their conversation, which made her think that she could tolerate anything for the sake of their friendship.
Everything for friendship!
Yet, He Siyu seemed completely oblivious to any discomfort she might be causing.
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Song Xuyi felt a peculiar connection, for each time she was held by He Siyu, she felt like a warrior ensnared by a beautiful serpent, using every ounce of willpower to avoid showing any signs of being perturbed…
Unaware of any oddity, Song Xuyi didn’t notice anything amiss, but the system had its reservations about the way the two interacted, hinting cryptically with a tone of concern, it prodded Song Xuyi: “Don’t you think Siyu has become too dependent on you? She clearly has the strength to be independent.”
The system was on the verge of outright stating that He Siyu was craftily and deliberately clinging to Song Xuyi.
However, Song Xuyi remained oblivious to the system’s well-intentioned advice, replying matter-of-factly, “When I plucked her from her village years ago, my intention was precisely for her to rely on me…”
The system was left momentarily speechless.
Then it felt a touch of schadenfreude; Song Xuyi, with such a resolute focus on her goals and business, was unlikely to have a change of heart even in eight hundred years— the system refused to believe that any villain of this world could make Song Xuyi’s iron tree blossom!
……
LP: Re-translated on March 10, 2025
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