After Being Reborn, I Had A Bad Ending With My First Love. - Chapter 12

A familiar voice rang in her ear, and the hand Yan Sui was holding the camera with suddenly trembled.

On the field, whistles pierced the air, people rushed past her one after another. Dust rose in the sandpit area, someone misjudged their jump and landed headfirst into the sand, prompting bursts of laughter around.

But none of that caught her attention.

All of Yan Sui’s attention was on the person standing behind her.

Neither of them spoke, as if they were testing each other.

This silent standoff lasted for a while. Yan Sui, as though tugging a rope, observed the tension on one side—but the rope never shifted. The person on the other end gave no reaction at all.

After holding out for so long, Yan Sui finally couldn’t resist and turned around.

There he was—a tall boy standing against the light behind her. His figure blocked the noontime sun, its halo gilding his entire body with golden light.

When she turned, the boy grinned. His brows and eyes brimmed with irrepressible youthful spirit—

“Meeting you again.”

—

Yan Sui nodded, pressed down the corners of her lips, and gave a small “Mm.” She calmly turned her gaze back, training her camera once more on Tan Shu out in the field.

Seeing her lack of warmth, Yu Shuli didn’t say more. He simply stayed where he was, shading her from the sun.

Yan Sui fought the urge to look back, forcing her attention onto the sandpit.

But the boy behind her stood so close that she could faintly catch a familiar scent in her breath.

It was the smell of soapberry on Yu Shuli’s clothes.

The familiar scent made her lose focus as she stared into her camera.

In her past life, she had loved burying herself in Yu Shuli’s arms, pressing her face against his chest to breathe in the fragrance of his clothes.

Yu Shuli had always been a very clean boy—unlike the other boys in class, who smelled of sweat after sports. His presence was always refreshing, carrying the crisp scent of soapberry.

Even after exercising, he would always change into fresh clothes.

Yan Sui had once been addicted to that scent. After her father’s betrayal—an affair, followed by running off with money—she was forced to stand tall as the pillar of her family.

She always put on a relaxed face for her younger siblings so they could focus on their studies without worry.

But the exhaustion of body and mind couldn’t be ignored. Whenever she was worn down, Yu Shuli would appear, wrapping her in his arms.

Yan Sui would burrow into his embrace, murmuring just one word: “Recharge.”

That soapberry scent accompanied her through the darkest period of high school. Between balancing her family and studies, he was like her personal power bank—charging her again and again through countless nights.

Now, catching the scent once more, her body reacted before her mind. Her spirit wavered, slipping into memories of that time.

—

A blink of her eyes pulled her drifting thoughts back.

Yan Sui didn’t want to remember those days. She was certain that in this life, there would never again be such a pitch-black moment.

Just then, Tan Shu lined up for her first jump.

Yan Sui stood, but after crouching too long, her legs tingled numb from the blocked bl00d flow.

Holding her camera steady, she licked her lips lightly and asked in a soft voice:
“What are you doing here?”

The person behind her seemed caught off guard by her sudden question, pausing briefly before answering smoothly:
“I was just passing by. Saw you and Tan Shu here, so I thought I’d say hi.”

At that moment, Tan Shu sprinted, and at the marker by the sandpit, she gathered her legs and leapt.

Yan Sui’s eyes darkened slightly as feeling returned to her legs. “I see…”

Tan Shu landed steadily in the sand, sending dust flying.

Yan Sui captured the entire process through her lens and gave her a thumbs-up.

Breathless, Tan Shu straightened, her cheeks flushed from the run-up.

Seeing Yan Sui’s thumbs-up, she playfully winked back.

Yan Sui couldn’t help but laugh, though her camera never stopped recording.

Her focus stayed on Tan Shu, no longer on the boy behind her.

Yu Shuli casually tossed out a few conversation starters, but Yan Sui only replied perfunctorily.

Sensing her disinterest, his mood dampened. He excused himself, saying he still had more events later, and asked her to cheer for him on Tan Shu’s behalf.

Yan Sui agreed.

Only after Yu Shuli had left did Yan Sui glance around for him again.

She whispered, “System.”

The system promptly responded in her mind.

Yan Sui asked thoughtfully: “Could you tell if Yu Shuli was hiding something just now?”

System: “From that conversation, I sensed he was lying.”

Yan Sui nodded slowly, withdrawing her gaze. “I thought so too.”

—

Tan Shu’s results were announced on the spot.

Though her distance was far behind the school track team members, she hadn’t fouled or stumbled. Among the group of fill-in students, she stood out and just managed to place eighth.

Tan Shu was satisfied. She tossed her water bottle into the air with a grin:
“I was just here to make up the numbers, who knew I’d actually place? Tonight I’m going to wave this certificate at my parents and demand more pocket money.”

Her joy was infectious, and Yan Sui found herself smiling too. “Didn’t you say you wanted that new game card? Looks like your allowance will cover it now.”

“Exactly! Oh, right, Sui Sui,” Tan Shu hooked her arm around Yan Sui’s. “It’s almost mealtime. Let’s sneak off to the cafeteria now, avoid the crowds once the morning events end.”

“Won’t there be roll call afterwards? Is it okay to leave early?”

“It’s fine, lots of people already snuck off. They won’t check too strictly. Come on, let’s indulge ourselves just this once.”

She winked. “My treat—celebrating my top-eight glory.”

Yan Sui raised a brow. “Then I should make you treat me to a feast.”

“Heh, go ahead and splurge. Lunch is on this book today.”

But just as they were happily discussing food, a voice called out behind them—

“Tan Shu!”

Both girls stopped and turned.

A girl Yan Sui didn’t recognize ran up, panting hard, hands on her waist. She tried to speak, but her words were broken up by heavy breaths.

Tan Shu soothed her: “Don’t rush, catch your breath first.”

After swallowing, the girl finally got it out:
“Yu Shuli… he fell while running. Split his forehead open—there was bl00d all over his face.”

Yan Sui froze.

She had just parted ways with him not long ago. When he’d said he had another event, she thought it was just an excuse to leave her alone. She hadn’t expected it to be true.

Tan Shu grew anxious. “Where is he now?”

“They took him to the infirmary. But the cut looked pretty deep. Cheng Jia said I should tell you—maybe he needs a hospital.”

Tan Shu was the class life committee member, responsible for things like leave notes during the sports meet.

“Our teacher stepped out earlier,” Tan Shu muttered, then decided quickly, “Forget it, I’ll go to the infirmary first. If needed, I’ll ask another teacher for leave.”

With Yu Shuli hurt, their lunch plans were dropped.

Yan Sui wouldn’t have needed to follow, but since Tan Shu was still gripping her hand tightly, she was dragged along.

She pressed her lips together and didn’t protest, simply letting herself be pulled toward the infirmary.

—

Inside the infirmary, Yu Shuli sat quietly on a bed. His forehead was wrapped in gauze, dried bl00d still smeared across his face.

No one else was with him. He leaned against the wall, arms limp at his sides. Sunlight streamed through the window, falling squarely on him.

When Yan Sui and Tan Shu arrived, this was the scene they saw.

Unlike the golden warmth on the field earlier, the sunlight now seemed cold, accentuating the fragility in his figure.

Hearing the door, Yu Shuli stirred.

For a fleeting second, Yan Sui caught the joy in his eyes when they landed on her.

“Yu Shuli!” Tan Shu rushed over. “Are you okay? Where’s Cheng Jia?”

Yu Shuli shifted his gaze away from Yan Sui. “He went to find the teacher. The wound’s bandaged, but my head still feels dizzy.”

“What did the nurse say? Where is she?”

“She said I should get checked at a hospital. So Cheng Jia went to the teacher. The nurse left—someone fainted on the field.”

“Which teacher did he go find?”

Before he could answer, Tan Shu scanned the room and decided: “Never mind, I’ll go to Teacher Xu. Tell Cheng Jia when he comes back—then you two wait at the school gate. I’ll ask Teacher Xu to drive you.”

“Okay.”

Though hurried, she still turned to Yan Sui: “Sui Sui, can you stay with him? He’s dizzy—if he faints before Cheng Jia or the nurse comes back, that’d be bad. Just keep an eye until they return.”

Yan Sui couldn’t refuse such a simple request.

Besides, facing Yu Shuli now, she couldn’t deny her faint worry.

Once Tan Shu left, only the two of them remained.

Yu Shuli looked at her again. “Thanks for staying, Yan Sui.”

He smiled. Normally, paired with his face, that smile would seem gentle and warm. But with bl00d dried around his brows, the effect was unsettling—like a fragile brightness on the verge of breaking.

Still, seeing he could smile eased her heart a little.

She pointed at the bl00d stains on his face. “Maybe wipe that off? It’s kind of scary.”

She left the last words unspoken.

He blinked, embarrassed, dropping his head slightly. His eyes flicked away from hers. “I rushed to treat the cut… didn’t clean the bl00d. Did I scare you? Sorry.”

Yan Sui faltered.

She hadn’t meant anything deeper—just that the stains looked alarming and would attract stares outside.

But his answer made it sound like she was upset.

“No, that’s not what I meant. I just—” Her words stalled. Facing his bl00d-streaked face, she fell silent.

She turned away, scanning the room, until she spotted a pack of disinfectant wipes on the desk.

She tore out a few and handed them over. “Here, use these.”

“Thanks, sorry for the trouble.”

He lifted his head at just the right angle, as if offering his face for her to wipe.

Yan Sui froze, lips twitching.

She shoved the wipes into his hand. “I meant for you to do it yourself.”

Only then did he realize the misunderstanding. Even through the bl00d, his cheeks flushed red. Taking the wipes, he ducked his head again. “Thank you.”

This time, his “thank you” was much quieter.

After this small commotion, the awkwardness in Yan Sui’s chest lightened a little—she even wanted to laugh.

To spare him embarrassment, she stepped outside the curtain and sat down. “If you feel faint, just call me.”

“Okay,” he answered. Then added, “I’d better call out once in a while, in case I pass out and you don’t notice.”

“Fine.”

“……”

“Yan Sui.”

“Mm.”

“Yan Sui.”

“Mm.”

“Yan Sui, do you think this cut will leave a scar?”

She paused. “I don’t know. Ask the doctor later.”

“Aw, if it scars, that’d be bad.”

She said nothing, but her mind wandered. In her past life, had Yu Shuli had a scar on his forehead? She didn’t remember him falling during the sports meet back then.

“Yan Sui.”

She instinctively responded, “Mm.”

“You’ve got the 3000-meter race this afternoon, right?”

Her thoughts screeched to a halt. Her pupils shrank sharply. Her fingers clenched tight on the chair arm, knuckles whitening.

Behind the curtain, he noticed nothing, still talking casually:
“If I can make it back this afternoon, can I cheer you on?”

“……”

“Yan Sui?” He called again when she didn’t reply.

Yan Sui abruptly released the chair, bl00d rushing back into her fingertips. She blinked once, then said—

“Yu Shuli.”

“I don’t have a 3000-meter race this afternoon.”