Novel Turned Yuri – Chapter 22

It turns out girls can fall in love with each other too

For every high school student, monthly exams are quite a tormenting ordeal, but perhaps even more so for Qiao Yu.

Not only did she have to worry about the exams, she was also apprehensive about any unforeseen events that might occur.

Luckily, the second day of the monthly exams passed without incident, and Song Wanwan, who had left in silence the day before, behaved herself. After finishing her exams, she left without exchanging any unnecessary words with Qiao Yu.

Qiao Yu was relieved to have a break and left with Cong Ye and Lin Qing who had come over again to check in.

Barely making it to the final day’s noon, with only one subject left before she could see the end, Qiao Yu took advantage of the lunch break to diligently revise at her desk. In the test venue filled with sleeping students, her dedication was a unique sight to behold.

Just after she had browsed through a few pages of the wrong questions collections organized by Lin Qing, Qiao Yu felt a tap on her shoulder from Song Wanwan behind her.

“…”

Considering that her previous encounters with this young lady ended unpleasantly, Qiao Yu mentally braced herself and decided to approach Song Wanwan with the caution of defusing a bomb. Then she mustered all her attention and turned around.

Song Wanwan, with an uncharacteristic serious expression, glanced at the circle of students napping around them, then pointed at the door with a sense of propriety, signaling Qiao Yu to step outside to talk.

Qiao Yu, having no reason to decline, reluctantly stood up and followed Song Wanwan out the door.

On the next seat, Lu Yao, who seemed to be asleep with his head on the table, opened his eyes silently. Considering the mission he shouldered, he professionally crouched and stealthily followed them out.

Song Wanwan walked all the way to an isolated stairwell, a spot where, typically, only the janitors on their cleaning schedule might come by, let alone during nap time.

This made Qiao Yu very uneasy. If it turned out to be like the other day and she was pinned down by Song Wanwan, wouldn’t she be without anyone to call for help?

Of course, it would be best to prevent such a tragedy from happening again… She took the initiative and greeted Song Wanwan with enthusiasm.

“Wow, the weather is so nice today, what’s up? What do you need me for?”

Ignoring Qiao Yu’s attempt at a conversation, Song Wanwan surveyed her meticulously from head to toe, making Qiao Yu uneasy with such scrutiny before finally asking:

“What is your relationship with Cong Ye?”

…Huh?

Qiao Yu spoke faster than she thought: “Father-son relationship.”

Her unexpected response contorted Song Wanwan’s expression, and it took her a while to stammer out:

“What kind of… play is that…?”

What does she mean by ‘play’! What are the young people of today even thinking!

Qiao Yu was flabbergasted, never having guessed that Song Wanwan, who looked so petite and doll-like, could be filled with such bizarre thoughts!

“…You shouldn’t tarnish the pure father-son relationship I have with Cong Ye—it’s probably more of an advanced form of friendship, I would advise you to speak and act prudently.”

It was also her fault for speaking without thinking, even if she had said they were like siblings… she actually might be quite happy to have Cong Ye call her ‘bro’…

As Qiao Yu was reflecting, she saw Song Wanwan’s face twist into an even more tangled expression.

“An advanced version of friendship—that isn’t just love, lovers…right?”

“No, it’s not!”

…Although her explanation could sort of make sense, where on earth did Song Wanwan get such a wild idea? It was too absurd!

From the moment she started talking to Song Wanwan, Qiao Yu had been repeatedly shocked. She held her fragile little heart, looking terrifiedly at the uniquely wired Song Wanwan.

“What’s going on with you? Are you so tired from exams that you’re hallucinating?”

Song Wanwan immediately got annoyed: “Qiao Yu, you’re just playing with me! I still remember what Cong Ye said a couple of days ago!”

…What did Cong Ye say again?

Seeing her unmoving face, Song Wanwan knew Qiao Yu hadn’t remembered anything and, hands on her hips, began to recount angrily.

“He said you have two boats!”

“…”

Crap, that does sound familiar.

She walked home with Lin Qing that day and didn’t say anything to Cong Ye. The next day, Qiao Yu was too busy with exams to remember this stuff, and even now she’s not sure what Cong Ye meant by that.

“He also said you were messing around!”

“…”

Right, there was that too.

Just how much nonsense did Cong Ye spout that day? Was he drunk on fake booze?

Qiao Yu’s memories were slowly coming back, but she’d rather have amnesia right on the spot.

Song Wanwan got more and more upset as she went on, finally pointing her finger at Qiao Yu, her voice shrill as she delivered the coup de grâce.

“And the last thing he said about you was, ‘Our Qiao Yu’!”

“………”

Damn, Cong Ye couldn’t seriously be thinking something about her, could he?

As Song Wanwan laid out the incidents one by one, Qiao Yu broke into a sweat with shock.

But after thinking it through, she felt that the situation couldn’t be as horrifying as a thriller movie—Cong Ye was the male lead! How could he be possibly related to her in this way!

Considering Cong Ye’s usual behavior, she became more convinced that he was just running his mouth and immediately retorted with righteous indignation to Song Wanwan.

“Cong Ye is an idiot, don’t believe what he says.”

Song Wanwan gave her a look that said ‘do you think I’m an idiot?’, scanning her from head to toe.

…That damn Cong Ye, always causing trouble to his father; she’ll have to sort him out sooner or later.

Qiao Yu grumbled in her heart, trying to persuade Song Wanwan with all her might, stopping just short of swearing oaths. Finally, she managed to soften Song Wanwan’s attitude, who stood with her arms crossed, half doubtful, half convinced.

“…Are you really not dating Cong Ye?”

“I’d rather be in love with a centipede.”

That was a harsh declaration from Qiao Yu, and it really threw Song Wanwan for a moment, but she decided to trust her.

“Seriously? Well, that’s a relief.”

Finally, Song Wanwan lowered her guard and leaned back against the wall next to her, relaxed.

“I was so freaked out I couldn’t even focus on my exam yesterday.”

There wasn’t really much room to fall back in the rankings at this point anyway—not that Qiao Yu would voice that aloud and disturb the hard-won peace. She just chuckled dryly and nodded along in agreement with Song Wanwan.

“Just don’t mention today’s stuff to him!”

The two chatted amiably for a while, then walked back to the tenth exam room together. Song Wanwan’s parting reminder marked the end of their conversation.

Qiao Yu breathed a huge sigh of relief, feeling like she had finally cleared a major hurdle and there’d be no more trouble from that front!

Meanwhile, next seat, Lu Yao who had dashed back to the exam room ahead of them to feign sleep, was having his own internal maelstrom of shock.

So Cong Ye actually said that the other day!

He was in so much pain that day, his consciousness blurred, and he hardly heard what the few people chattering around him were saying. It wasn’t until he snuck and overheard Song Wanwan recite the whole thing that he found out.

Lu Yao pulled out his phone and opened the chat with Cong Ye. The last message was Cong Ye’s repeated instructions for him to notify him of any news about Qiao Yu and Song Wanwan.

… But somehow, after learning what was said, this task started to feel weird.

Staring at his phone with a complex expression, he felt like he had picked up a hot potato.

After all, those words sounded like Cong Ye had some schemes for Qiao Yu, right?

Though Qiao Yu’s intense reaction didn’t seem like she and Cong Ye were in cahoots… But the things Cong Ye said were clear; was there something he was plotting that Qiao Yu didn’t know about?

The more Lu Yao thought about it, the more off Cong Ye seemed to him.

Suppose he really has feelings for Qiao Yu—oh god! His friend is into his other friend! How did this even happen! If the two of them started to argue, who should he support!

…Now’s not the time to think about this, cough, anyway, if the assumption is true, then there must be another meaning behind Cong Ye asking him to watch Qiao Yu and Song Wanwan, definitely not just the simple ‘they might fight, and you should be there to help Qiao Yu’ that he mentioned!

So, why exactly did they fight the day before yesterday?

Lu Yao was kicking himself for not paying close attention to their conversation that day.

Racking his brain, the only memory he could come up with was of Song Wanwan seemingly sitting on Qiao Yu’s lap…

…That didn’t exactly look like they were fighting.

Lu Yao squinted his eyes, sensing something fishy.

Cong Ye was instantly pissed when he caught those two in that pose, barged in accusing Qiao Yu of playing both sides, and given that Cong Ye might be into Qiao Yu—plus today, Song Wanwan grilled Qiao Yu about her relationship with Cong Ye.

Everything was clicking into place!

Lu Yao’s mind was crystal clear.

That meant Qiao Yu and Song Wanwan had something going on! Cong Ye wasn’t comfortable with them being together, which is why he had him on tailing duty!

They definitely weren’t fighting that day! They were flirting!

Today, Lu Yao opened the door to a new world.

The moment all the monthly exams were over, Qiao Yu even felt as if a holy light had shined down upon her.

In every sense, her exams this time had been incredibly tough. Now filled with emotion, she also felt an unparalleled sense of liberation.

Her neighbor, Lu Yao, looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Qiao Yu patted his back consolingly, “Don’t sweat it. If the test went badly, there’s always next time, bro. It’s over now, just let it go.”

Lu Yao gave her a complex look, thinking to himself if only Qiao Yu knew that Cong Ye wanted to mess with her and Song Wanwan’s relationship, she’d also need to let it go.

Meanwhile, Qiao Yu, oblivious to her friend’s worries, was cheerfully packing up her things, waiting for Lin Qing.

And Lin Qing was zoning out at the time.

She packed up quickly, and as Cong Ye came out in a flurry with his bag, what he saw was her standing by the corridor window in a daze.

She’d been like this for the past couple of days; Cong Ye was no longer surprised, called out to her, and they both headed to the stairs together.

The first and tenth exam room were two floors apart, with a bit of distance between them. Walking along, Cong Ye didn’t forget to think of ways to play wingman—was there a better friend than him under the heavens?

He has been thinking that ever since Lin Qing saw Song Wanwan and Qiao Yu entangled together, she started to be absent-minded. His keen intuition tells him that now is the perfect time to stir the pot!

“Cough, cough.” Starting with two coughs, Cong Ye began his probe, “So, do Qiao Yu and Song Wanwan have a good relationship?”

“…”

Lin Qing’s eyes flickered slightly, but she didn’t speak.

“You see how they were the day before yesterday, who knows what secrets Qiao Yu has uncovered about someone.”

Cong Ye was perseverant, continuing the conversation determinedly.

“Before, in the study room, Qiao Yu didn’t even remember Song Wanwan. How come in less than two weeks—”

“Do you care a lot?”

Lin Qing unexpectedly interrupted him. Cong Ye was momentarily speechless, not understanding her implication, only to hear Lin Qing ask again in a muted voice.

“Do you care a lot about whom Qiao Yu is close to?”

When Lin Qing spoke, she didn’t look at him, and her tone was no different from their usual casual conversations, but for some reason, Cong Ye felt a hint of chilliness.

“Not… not really.”

“I just think she is somewhat naive, so I need to lend her a hand from time to time, kind of like—”

Cong Ye, who was usually very observant of others’ words and expressions, rapidly turned over in his mind, pondering how to explain his relationship with Qiao Yu.

Lin Qing was silent for a while, then suddenly continued, “… a father-son relationship?”

“Yes, that’s it!”

Cong Ye suddenly had an ‘aha’ moment and snapped his fingers, finally finding the right adjective to express the thoughts in his head correctly.

“Ah— I look at her as if I were looking at my underachieving son who can’t get married, really frustrating.”

“…”

Lin Qing wisely chose not to say more, silently noting in her heart that Qiao Yu and Cong Ye had a relationship where they each competed to be the other’s father.

“That guy is a blockhead and not eloquent either; I suspect that Song Wanwan might have some feelings for her, and Qiao Yu, being clueless, can’t see it—”

“Hold on.”

Bingo!

Lin Qing’s voice carried a note of surprise. Cong Ye secretly rejoiced, stopped, and turned his head, feigning nonchalance, he ummed his inquiry.

“…Song Wanwan has… what sort of feelings for Qiao Yu?”

Lin Qing’s delicate face showed confusion and incomprehension, her heart pounding as if it had a premonition.

“They… are both girls, right?”

Cong Ye raised an eyebrow nonchalantly, reflecting back her confusion and bewilderment.

“Even if they are both girls, can’t they have feelings for each other?”

Today, the two arrived later than usual. Qiao Yu, who was eagerly looking forward to their arrival, pounced on them with a loud exclamation as soon as she saw them turn the corner; if she had a tail, it would have been wagging like a flower.

“I’m done! I’ve finished the test, Lin Qing! I filled in all the blanks!”

Lin Qing was amused by her triumphant tone, patted her head, and softly praised her.

Only Lin Qing knew how much turmoil she was in.

She felt as if she were split in two: one part could still pretend to be her normal self, not letting anyone see through the facade, while the other held a heart pounding like a drum, feeling increasingly agitated as Qiao Yu got closer and touched her.

The words she heard from Cong Ye were something she had never considered before.

She was a well-rounded excellent student, knowledgeable in many fields. However, in terms of love, her understanding was so barren that it could be said she knew nothing.

It turns out girls can fall in love with each other too.

Watching herself from a detached perspective, Lin Qing saw her other self conversing and walking with Qiao Yu as usual. Suddenly, Qiao Yu stopped, tilted her head to look at Lin Qing’s face, and then pressed the back of her hand to Lin Qing’s forehead.

At her touch, Lin Qing unified back into a whole being. She felt her heartbeat pounding so intensely that it buzzed in her brain, and her gaze was inevitably occupied by Qiao Yu’s focused expression. She couldn’t help but look at Qiao Yu’s bright eyes, high nose, and her slightly pursed lips.

“It’s really a bit hot.”

Those lips moved suddenly. People say those with thin lips are heartless, but the words that came out of her mouth were always as gentle as gummy bears.

“I was wondering why you looked off, tell me if you’re not feeling well, okay?”

Is that so, I thought I had performed flawlessly, but could she still see through me?

Lin Qing couldn’t make a sound, she could only nod her head, allowing the misunderstanding Qiao Yu to flusteredly pull her into a half-embrace for support, her breath carrying Qiao Yu’s scent, and she helplessly cast down her eyes.

Qiao Yu, my heart is really noisy, what should I do?

If I asked you this, what kind of answer would I get?

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The author has something to say:

Qiao Yu: (Barging into the cardiology department) Doctor!

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