Novel Turned Yuri – Chapter 62

I’m Qiao Yu, nice to meet you

After letting go and seeing things in a new light, Qiao Yu found the world had become gentler.

How does that saying go? Even the wind feels tender.

No longer needing to play peacemaker between the two and enduring silently, she lives freely and confidently, almost happily accepting the teasing from her school about her and Lin Qing as though they are in a love story blessed by everyone.

It’s incredible, really. In a world of romance novels, residents here are so welcoming and passionate about same-sex relationships… Truly a wondrous world.

During the second semester of senior year two, divisions into Arts and Sciences at Yaohua began, and everyone coincidentally chose the Science Division, for various reasons.

“Because memorizing stuff is really a pain,” said Cong Ye, a top student proficient in both Arts and Sciences.

“During exams, those subjective questions require writing so much, it’s really tiring.”

Mi Yi, whose life motto is “If you can lie down, never sit up,” has always been extremely true to her desires.

“If I can’t memorize something, then I just can’t. For subjects in Science and Maths, if I don’t know the answer, I can still write a solution…”

Poor student Lu Yao had virtually no choice at all, selecting the Science Division with a hopeful heart.

As for Qiao Yu, her decision was purely because she had also studied in the Science Division in her original world, so it felt quite natural for her to follow the same path again. She could manage memorizing Shakespeare’s sonnets, but switching to Philosophy or Politics would really be too much for her.

Lin Qing’s choice was unexpected—at least to the teachers. Being the top student in the class, she excelled in both Arts and Sciences, though her performance in the Arts was slightly more outstanding.

Her reason for choosing was also very straightforward.

“Which one will you choose?”

On the day she received the course selection form, Lin Qing turned around and leaned over Qiao Yu’s desk, her dark eyes steadily gazing at her.

“Science…huh?”

Just after Qiao Yu finished speaking, she saw Lin Qing decisively fill in the same answer on the form, flashed her a smile, and then turned back around.

“…”

To say Qiao Yu wasn’t pleased would be a lie. A secret joy blossomed in her heart, overwhelmingly happy that Lin Qing regarded her so highly.

She also breathed a sigh of relief that everyone chose the Science Division, as if Lin Qing had chosen the liberal arts, she would have had to seriously consider whether to follow suit—given that Qiao Yu didn’t know how much time she had left, she really didn’t want to be separated from Lin Qing at this time.

But she also felt uneasy about Lin Qing’s too decisive decision. After all, stepping out of the shackles of this novel world, the choice between Science and the Arts is a very important one for every high school student, and Lin Qing was no exception.

Thinking about it, Qiao Yu felt she couldn’t let her own preferences influence Lin Qing’s choice. She decided that if Lin Qing actually wanted to study the Arts, then she would simply follow her into the Art Division. Gathering her courage, she gently patted Lin Qing’s back and softly shared her thoughts with her.

“Don’t worry so much about it,” Lin Qing said gently, dispelling her worries, “I was actually leaning towards choosing the Science Division because I find solving problems to be really interesting.”

“…”

Is this what it means to be number one in the world, to find joy in solving problems? Oh, how terrifying.

Qiao Yu sighed softly, feeling a bit more at ease, and started to joke with her.

“What, didn’t you choose the Science Division just for me?”

Lin Qing suddenly froze, her fair face visibly blushing.

Even though Lin Qing had just clearly done something so obvious, now that Qiao Yu pointed it out, she felt shy. Lin Qing pursed her lips and reached out to pinch Qiao Yu’s face.

“After showing off, there’s no need to say it out loud.”

She spoke softly and then let go of her hand, turning around as if fleeing.

Leaving Qiao Yu sitting there, still dazed, subconsciously touching the spot on her face that had just been pinched.

Lin Qing’s strength was very light, it felt more like a gentle caress rather than a pinch. It wasn’t painful at all, but rather ticklish, tickling Qiao Yu’s heart all the way.

She hurriedly looked out the window to divert her attention, yet in a momentary distraction, she saw a cloud in the sky that resembled Lin Qing’s blushing profile.

Ah, no, no, it’s really not yet the time to confess to Lin Qing.

…But she really likes Lin Qing a lot.

Due to a larger number of students choosing the Science Division, the ten classes of Grade 11 were split into seven Science classes and three Arts classes. Fortunately for Qiao Yu and her classmates in Class 1, they didn’t have to switch classes.

Watching as the classmates who chose Arts moved out, and new students came in to fill the spots, the homeroom teacher faced a dilemma with the seating arrangement.

“Let’s not move those who are staying. For the new students, just choose any free seats based on your own will—”

“I object!”

Suddenly, a stern voice interrupted the teacher’s speech, causing Qiao Yu to startle and turn in surprise, only to see Mi Yi beside her raising her hand high.

“I think those who are staying should also change their seats!”

“Eh, eh? Is that really necessary…”

“Yes!”

Mi Yi spoke with conviction and righteousness.

“For instance, I’ve always been curious. Why does my classmate in the front row, Lin Qing, who is obviously taller than me, still sit in front of the class? Although she doesn’t sit directly in front of me, I just feel this seating arrangement is unreasonable. To sum up, I think it would be better if I swapped places with Lin Qing.”

“Ah, it’s also fine for Qiao Yu to sit next to Lin Qing. Anyway, there’s an empty seat there now.”

…Wouldn’t that mean Qiao Yu ends up sitting right in front of you? She’s even taller; can you accept that?

The teacher slowly typed a question mark, utterly confused, when suddenly, the other students in the class burst into laughter.

“Exactly! I also think what Classmate Mi Yi said makes a lot of sense!”

“Why can the new student choose their seat freely? We locals want that kind of treatment too!”

“The first shot of freedom for the locals is fired by Classmate Mi Yi!”

The topic quickly shifted in a strange direction, making the head teacher seriously reflect if they’ve indeed been too harsh on the students who chose to stay in the Science Division, falling into deep thought.

Mi Yi, the initiator of the call for freedom, slumped back onto the desk with a look of ‘I’ve done all I can do’ and glanced at Qiao Yu, who was propping her head with one hand, watching her with a cold gaze, and let out a half-hearted “Haha”.

Since getting to know Mi Yi, Qiao Yu had never seen her actively raise her hand to speak in class. Every time the teacher called on her, she’d reluctantly make a face.

Today, unexpectedly, Mi Yi broke her silence and eagerly voiced her dissent, even engaging the teacher in quite a discussion. Qiao Yu was taken aback and couldn’t help but marvel.

…When had she started playing matchmaker between her and Lin Qing? How much more did she not know? And was it already being put so openly on display now?

She couldn’t voice her myriad of questions, only able to give Mi Yi a complicated look that was hard to explain, which Mi Yi met undisturbed, her gaze innocent and clear.

Tsk, this person was indeed harder to deal with than Cong Ye.

Qiao Yu internally marveled at the situation, noting how the classroom discussion had flourished. The class teacher, having made a firm decision, resolved to heed the crowd’s opinion and began addressing the issue.

“Ah, I’m aware of Mi Yi’s suggestion, but to swap her seat with Lin Qing, we need to ask her opinion first—”

As these words were spoken, the previously noisy classroom suddenly became silent. Everyone instinctively stopped talking, their intense gazes piercing towards their direction.

Even without looking, Qiao Yu could understand the meaning behind those gazes. The emotions they conveyed were so strong that she could almost hear their silent screams.

All those words and feelings condensed into a single phrase.

Get together!

Qiao Yu almost laughed at her own thoughts—compared to her initial helplessness, she could now calmly analyze the mindset of the excited crowd, marking a significant growth in herself.

Lin Qing, the center of everyone’s attention, sat upright without any sign of discomfort. She nodded at the teacher, who looked around puzzled, wondering why the sudden silence had fallen among the students.

“I’m willing to switch seats with Mi Yi.”

Before the teacher could respond, the students came alive in an instant.

They all remembered to keep their voices down in front of the teacher, so they celebrated by silently clenching their fists under their desks, their faces turning red with the effort to contain their joy. They looked like someone who had sneaked up in the middle of the night to watch the World Cup without their partner knowing, and their favorite team had just scored a goal.

Qiao Yu found herself in a dilemma, not quite sure what would be appropriate to say at the moment.

Of course, she didn’t really have a say in the matter to begin with. Now that the two parties involved had reached a consensus, Lin Qing was finally going to move from the seat in front of her to become her desk mate.

Feeling like anything she might say would come off as smug satisfaction, Qiao Yu chose to simply shut up. Mi Yi, who was busy packing up her things, noticed her silence and teasingly raised an eyebrow.

“Really, Qiao Yu, seeing me leave and not even a word to make me stay?”

“…”

This person really got lucky and is acting cute about it… It feels a bit odd to use that phrase here, but the sentiment is more or less the same. Mi Yi, obviously getting her way, clearly intends to amuse herself with Qiao Yu’s reaction.

Alright, alright. Since Mi Yi is asking for it, then Qiao Yu might as well put on a show for her. After all, she does owe her a favor.

“Wow, how can you just leave me like this? I’m going to miss you so much—”

“Okay, that’s enough. Your acting is too much.”

How come she gets to have the last word!

Just as Qiao Yu started to speak, Mi Yi cut her off with an expressionless face, leaving Qiao Yu grinding her back teeth in frustration. Seeing her friend, who was always full of mischievous ideas, suddenly give a soft laugh made her feel a bit better.

“You need to perform well.”

Leaving behind a meaningful message, Mi Yi gracefully stood up and swapped places with Lin Qing.

Qiao Yu, feeling a bit helpless, pursed her lips. Although she couldn’t quite express it, she silently accepted the goodwill from her friend, sneaking a look at Lin Qing next to her.

Sitting next to Lin Qing felt completely different from when Lin Qing was in front of her. Even though the distance was practically the same, being by her side made Qiao Yu feel so much closer.

Qiao Yu had grown accustomed to seeing Lin Qing’s slender back, but upon suddenly catching a glimpse of her profile, Qiao Yu felt dazed.

Lin Qing’s profile was quietly gentle, her delicate beauty almost beyond words. Hidden beneath her half-long bangs, her eyes resembled black jade, with her lowered eyelashes slightly concealing the emotions in her eyes. Yet, Qiao Yu, inexplicably, sensed she was trying to appear calm.

Qiao Yu couldn’t calm the fluttering in her heart.

She couldn’t help but wonder if today’s incident was Mi Yi’s own initiative, or if Lin Qing and Mi Yi had discussed it beforehand.

Thinking back on all those times, Qiao Yu found it hard to imagine just how much effort Lin Qing had made for her.

In this world, the only person who knew that Lin Qing’s hand wouldn’t end up in hers was Qiao Yu. For Lin Qing, she had simply fallen for someone and thus pursued them with all the courage of a solitary fighter.

To this point, the female lead of her story, whom Qiao Yu could once only longly gaze at from a distance, had finally stopped and taken steps to stand by her side.

An overwhelming kindness, an unimaginable sweet dream.

Such intense emotions caused Qiao Yu’s chest to ache, yet unbelievably, it was accompanied by a warmth.

Whether it was satisfaction or exile, Qiao Yu didn’t want to bother with any of it now. Having been stared at for too long, Lin Qing awkwardly turned her head to cast a questioning glance at her, but all Qiao Yu wanted was to drown in the gentle waves of Lin Qing’s eyes.

Suddenly, a sense of ceremony flourished in her heart. Without any warning, she reached out and held Lin Qing’s hand, slowly intertwining their fingers.

Looking at the slightly surprised and bewildered Lin Qing, Qiao Yu smiled softly.

“You’re here.”

“I’m Qiao Yu, nice to meet you.”

The words she spoke echoed those of a not-so-distant summer, like the flap of a butterfly’s wings causing a hurricane, through layers and layers of push and drive, finally landing here.

She saw her girl blink in realization, and then smile lightly. The lines on Lin Qing’s face softened and cleansed, her eyes as dark as glaze shimmering with light, resplendent as a quietly blooming water lily.

No matter how time passes, through the long years, Qiao Yu will never forget.

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LP: It’s happening, let’s go!!! (つ≧▽≦)つ

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