Do I need you to tell me that!
Qiao Yu took off in a panic and found a corner of the playground to squat in, just waiting for the time to pass until the relay.
In the midst of it all, Song Wanwan even passed by once. She, holding several bottles of drinks purchased for the class athletes, greeted Qiao Yu cheerfully, asking her why she was lingering there.
Qiao Yu silently mulled it over for a bit and said she was there to enjoy the cool.
Song Wanwan looked puzzled at the late afternoon sky, marked four-something o’clock, and considerately left a bottle of drink for her before departing.
Watching Song Wanwan’s receding figure, Qiao Yu twisted open the bottle cap, feeling somewhat desolate in the eyes of others right now.
Sigh, knowing Song Wanwan, with her straightforward nature, if she had to write on someone else’s hand, she’d probably go for something like “Song Wanwan was here” and wouldn’t worry too much if people guessed—
But no, no, no, even if people guessed she wrote “May you be safe, joyful, smooth-sailing, and free of worries,” it shouldn’t be an issue, right? So why did she run?
At that moment, Qiao Yu’s body moved faster than her mind, and with the speed at which she dashed down from the stands, she could have placed in the ongoing women’s 100 meters race on the field.
She’s always been generous with praise and blessings.
At her birthday party at the beginning of the month, before blowing out the candles, Qiao Yu made three wishes: first, that readership satisfaction and OOC levels remain stable; second, that Cong Ye and Lin Qing’s love would progress smoothly; and third, that this world would unfold peacefully, giving everyone a happy ending.
If it weren’t for the risk of revealing secrets, Qiao Yu wouldn’t see any harm in sharing her words with everyone—after all, who doesn’t like to hear auspicious phrases? There’s nothing embarrassing about spreading well-wishes.
But when Lin Qing recognized those two lines she wrote, Qiao Yu panicked like never before.
She had a fair idea of why.
That blessing was a… farewell.
She had queried the system about what would happen after she completes her writing and leaves this world. The system’s response was that the world would continue to operate, but “Qiao Yu” as a character would gradually fade from everyone’s memory, eventually stepping back from the stage and reclaiming a place among the extras.
It would be a very—very smooth process.
Lately, Qiao Yu yearned to leave this world more and more eagerly, not because she detested it here, but because she knew she was getting too deeply entangled in it.
She wasn’t supposed to form excessive attachments, after all, this was a departure foreordained. And now, Qiao Yu felt averse to her tasks, doing things that went against her heart, writing words that betrayed her sentiments, which pained her.
Cong Ye and Lin Qing were her friends. She liked them, but she just didn’t like them being together.
Qiao Yu suspected that maybe it was her deep entanglements that sparked these personal feelings jealously at play.
Qiao Yu knew her feelings were irrational, yet she was powerless to change them, at a total loss.
Lin Qing sat beside her, smiling so beautifully, yet in her mind, she was already contemplating when she could leave this world.
It would be a silent departure, not even stirring a breeze.
This unknown sense of guilt made it impossible for Qiao Yu to say anything to Lin Qing. Blessings from someone destined to leave felt so hollow, even she found her own words to be insincere. She knew one day she would leave, but she couldn’t—and wouldn’t—tell Lin Qing, so why offer feigned blessings?
Yet, she still wrote that phrase on Lin Qing’s hand, with a secret sense of relief and a sincere heart.
With the time I have left to converse with you—
I want to offer you my blessings.
May you always find peace and joy, may your journey be smooth and carefree.
A lump stuck in her chest, Qiao Yu served as the perfect final sprinter for Class 2-1, clinching first place for her class in the girls’ relay race with impeccable finesse.
Lin Qing stood waiting for her at the finish line, and she trotted over to her with an awkward shyness.
“Congratulations.”
Lin Qing handed Qiao Yu a bottle of water, her smile as warm as ever.
“You’re so quick on your feet.”
…Odd, it’s a perfectly normal compliment, yet Qiao Yu felt there was more to it, as if the words carried a double meaning.
Her eyes darted about, and after taking a big gulp of water, she decided to tackle the matter head-on.
“I was just… I didn’t expect you to be able to guess it.”
“Hmm, now you can’t call me a cheater, can you?”
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Qiao Yu looked at the smile in Lin Qing’s eyes and felt her heart soften.
“Alright, alright, I’m the cheater, I didn’t guess it just because I’m not as clever as you—”
“Click.”
“…Lu Yao, come here for a second.”
Qiao Yu endured the urge to shut her eyes in frustration, handing the bottle of water to Lin Qing to hold for her, then rolled up her sleeves and began to slowly walk towards Lu Yao, who was cautiously backpedaling with the camera in hand.
Sensing trouble, Lu Yao hugged his precious camera to his chest and bolted, yelling without any loyalty as he ran that it was Cong Ye who had asked him to take the photos of them. Qiao Yu chased after him at once, shouting back, “Then bring Cong Ye here for a life-for-a-life exchange!”
The two of them chased down the track. Cong Ye, with an intent to protect the camera, also joined their pursuit, adding to the chaos. The playground echoed with everyone’s laughter and curses, amidst which Mi Yi’s lackluster voice could be heard saying that Lu Yao still had to run in the men’s relay later, so Qiao Yu should leave him some breath.
Lin Qing stood to the side, watching the scene, her gaze intently following Qiao Yu’s figure.
That person, she thought, was like a gift the gods sent her to make up for the sixteen years of dullness she had endured.
With the next day comes the group sports day fun competition between Yizhong and Yao Hua.
Since the fun events mostly don’t test the athletes’ physical strength but rather the team coordination, the participants are all whisked away by their team leaders to practice right up until the start. So at this time, there are quite a few empty seats in the stands, and neither Mi Yi nor Lin Qing are there.
Group events tend to prioritize students who didn’t participate in individual events, so Qiao Yu and Cong Ye find themselves with some spare time.
Lu Yao should’ve had some free time too, but his makeshift job as a photographer – one he was somehow quite enthusiastic about – now has him busily snapping away with his camera on the stand.
“Those photos you sneakily took of me yesterday, you better have deleted them all, right?”
“…Of course, I deleted them, okay?”
“Why do you sound so weird? Do you have a guilty conscience?”
Qiao Yu looked at Cong Ye with suspicion, who managed to avert her gaze subtly, pointing down towards the stage.
“Look, I see Song Wanwan!”
“Oh really? What event is that? There seems to be a huge paper tube or something next to her…”
“That’s the one where there are several paper tubes, each with a bunch of people lining up to get inside. Then everyone walks forward like hamsters in a hamster ball, racing to see which tube will reach the end first.”
…That’s a pretty vivid description.
Qiao Yu recalled Song Wanwan puffing her cheeks and thought this event seemed well-suited for her.
“Oh no, that’s—”
“Eh.”
Both of them noticed a figure, not altogether unfamiliar, rapidly approaching the stands where they were. Before they could react, the figure had rushed up to them.
“Qiao Yu!”
Li Hua, for some reason holding a long wire hoop, came up to Qiao Yu with a face that looked as if he had just seen family. Qiao Yu and Cong Ye simultaneously stepped back to avoid his sudden show of affection, their gazes falling on the wire hoop in his hand.
…What is that thing? Did Li Hua come here to fight? Why did he even bring a weapon-like thing?
“Thank you so much, Qiao Yu!”
Li Hua, seemingly oblivious to Qiao Yu’s inquisitive gaze, excitedly waved the wire hoop to express his thanks to her.
“Lin Qing added me last night! It’s all thanks to you!”
“Ah… I see. Congratulations.”
As soon as he said this, Qiao Yu’s mood plummeted, and she forced out a couple of courteous replies. Seeing her crestfallen face, Cong Ye sympathetically patted her shoulder.
“But we didn’t talk much, which is understandable. After all, it was pretty late, and both Lin Qing and I needed to get some rest to maintain our healthy bodies and sharp minds—”
“Right, right, Lin Qing is always so busy, try not to bother her when it’s nothing important.”
“Yes, yes, I understand, I’ll hold back.”
After yesterday’s successful experience, Li Hua took Qiao Yu’s words as gospel and nodded earnestly.
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“Oh right, I came over today not just to thank you, but also to tell you something else. Man, my memory almost failed me there – I was just too thrilled about adding Lin Qing yesterday—”
“Okay, okay, just say it.”
“Oh, so, about those two people from yesterday—you remember them, right?”
Qiao Yu didn’t even bother to lift her eyelids, just grunted through her nose to urge him to get on with it.
“They seemed a bit off after what happened yesterday, all sneaky-like in their comings and goings. I was worried they might be up to no good, so I came to tip you off.”
Even though he rambled on, there was some merit to what he said, and Qiao Yu’s brows tightened.
“Are you saying they’re looking to stir up trouble? Coming after me?”
“No, I’m worried something might happen to Lin Qing, so I’m giving you a heads-up to help me keep an eye on her.”
“Do I f*cking need you to tell me that!”
Qiao Yu’s blood boiled with anger, and she couldn’t maintain her façade of calm any longer, cursing on the spot. Cong Ye couldn’t stand it either, looming over aggressively from the side, joining Qiao Yu in pointing fingers at Li Hua.
“What the hell are you spouting?!”
“Bullsh*t!”
Qiao Yu was furious, taking charge of the main offensive, while Cong Ye stood with his arms folded, cheering her on.
“Do I need you to tell me to look after Lin Qing? And to ‘keep an eye on her for you’—with your barely there relationship with Lin Qing, it’s not your place to spout big words to us!”
“Big words!!”
…Can’t this male lead say a few curses at the second male lead on his own instead of just echoing her?
Still simmering with anger, Qiao Yu shot Cong Ye a look; he quickly caught on, nodding in understanding. With a hum and an air of superiority, he lifted his chin and said to Li Hua, arrogantly.
“You could at least try to find out!”
“Find out! Find out!”
The two switched roles smoothly, with Qiao Yu consciously starting to cheer on. She marveled at how sharp Cong Ye was now, getting her point with just a glance—she was eager to hear how Cong Ye would deal with this clueless second male lead, too big for his britches!
“What exactly is your relationship with Lin Qing?!”
“…Exactly!”
She was a beat behind with her response and let out a silent sigh, suppressing the slight discomfort in her heart. Cong Ye seemed to know it was good to show off the close relationship he had with Lin Qing in front of the second male lead—
“Her relationship with Lin Qing? It’s like birds flying wing to wing in the sky, branches intertwined on the ground, lotus blossoms sharing a stem on the water, butterflies dancing in pairs among the flowers—how dare you talk to her like that? Qiao Yu cares way more about Lin Qing than you do, alright!”
“Exactly! More than you care about Lin Qing—wait a second, Cong Ye, wait up.”
Qiao Yu’s enthusiasm suddenly fizzled out, stopping Cong Ye who was still eager to express his grand opinions. Her mind couldn’t quite catch up.
“…What did you just say?”
“Huh? What I was doing just now? I was calling him out for being blind, for saying that kind of stuff in front of you. It’s like playing the lute to a cow or showing off one’s axe skills in front of Lu Ban —”
“Enough, enough. Stop. Phew.”
Whether Cong Ye’s brain has gotten brighter lately or not, let’s leave that aside for now, but his way with words has definitely gotten several times slicker than two months ago.
Look at how smoothly he talks now.
Qiao Yu pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling exhausted from all sides.
Thrown into a tizzy by Cong Ye’s antics, Qiao Yu lost the urge to continue scolding Li Hua. With a sigh, she turned to Li Hua, who was wearing a face full of alarm, and began to wrap things up, effectively showing him the door.
“Done talking, right? Then you can get lost. Don’t worry about Lin Qing’s troubles; we’ve got this… we’re here. If those two dare to show up, the ones in trouble will be them, not her.”
Li Hua shivered and nodded, still not fully recovered from the barrage he’d just endured, his legs carrying him away in a daze.
“Wait a second.”
He had barely taken a step when he was halted again. Shrinkingly, he turned his head and saw Qiao Yu pointing solemnly at his hand.
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“What on earth is that thing?”
Li Hua glanced at the wire hoop in his hand and replied honestly, “I, I had the hula hoop relay today… was just practicing before I brought it here…”
“…”
…That actually sounds kind of fun.
Qiao Yu narrowed her eyes, exchanged a glance with Cong Ye, and without a word, she snatched the wire hoop out of Li Hua’s hand while maintaining an indifferent poker face.
“Get two for each of us, and then we’ll give it back to you.”
“How, how can you do this—”
So Li Hua, after a storm of angry words, lost his wire hoop and pitifully went back to look for others, still not quite understanding that his action was pretty much like Calabash Brothers trying to save their grandpa.
Qiao Yu listened to Cong Ye mumbling on the side about wanting a set too, murmuring “Qiao Yu, get him to bring a couple more,” but she didn’t feel like entertaining him. She fiddled with the wire hoop while recalling the recent events.
Bear One and Bear Two might be up to something, but she wasn’t really afraid of that. After all, this was Yao Hua’s territory, and if those two dared to make a move, Yao Hua would surely make them regret it.
And even outside the school grounds, with her and Cong Ye’s powerful backgrounds guarding Lin Qing, those two stirring up trouble would be like signing their own death warrants.
But what concerned her even more was Cong Ye’s outrageous talk.
Qiao Yu felt a headache coming on again, massaging her temples, her eyes full of confusion.
…Her male lead, could it be he’s growing a bit… twisted?
