After Confessing To My Childhood Friend - Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Zheng Xixi
◎ She decided to give up. ◎
When she woke up from her nap, Chen Mengyin received another kiss from Xie Zhirou.
This was the second time Xie Zhirou had kissed her. Her expression was natural, her movements skilled, as if this had happened countless times between them. But in reality, it had only been twice.
Chen Mengyin was eating fruit yogurt, her mind wandering wildly. One moment she thought Xie Zhirou kissed her because she liked her; the next, she thought it was just something normal between close friends.
She thought it over and over but couldn’t make sense of it.
She scooped another spoonful of yogurt and was about to put it in her mouth when Xie Zhirou suddenly grabbed her wrist to stop her.
Chen Mengyin looked at her in confusion.
Xie Zhirou said helplessly, “You were about to poke it into your nose.”
Chen Mengyin looked down and saw the spoonful of yogurt was less than a centimeter from her nose tip. If Xie Zhirou had moved a second later, she’d have shoved the whole spoonful up her nose.
Chen Mengyin: “…”
Utterly embarrassing!
Her face flushed red as she quietly moved the spoon down and tried to finish that spoonful as calmly as possible.
Fortunately, Xie Zhirou didn’t laugh at her, so Chen Mengyin could finish her fruit yogurt in peace.
After eating, Chen Mengyin picked up her schoolbag and left for school with Xie Zhirou.
As for that kiss, Chen Mengyin decided to just go with the flow and let time reveal the answer.
In the afternoon physics class, Chen Mengyin didn’t dare let her mind wander. After all, physics was different from English—daydreaming in physics class was practically suicide.
After class, Chen Mengyin wanted to ask Xie Zhirou to go to the restroom with her, but Zhu Ling called Xie Zhirou over.
Zhu Ling: “Zhirou, come to the office with me.”
Xie Zhirou whispered to Chen Mengyin, “The teacher wants to talk to me. You go to the bathroom first,” then followed Zhu Ling away.
Chen Mengyin pouted in frustration and went to the restroom gloomily.
On the way, she ran into Zheng Xixi. Zheng Xixi greeted her happily. Chen Mengyin couldn’t give her a sour face, so she smiled back.
Zheng Xixi walked over: “Why are you alone? Where’s Zhirou?”
Chen Mengyin’s smile quickly disappeared. She replied sullenly, “The teacher needed to talk to her.”
Chen Mengyin was worried that Zhu Ling might be regretting letting them sit together and was trying to break them up, so she wanted to warn Xie Zhirou in advance so she wouldn’t be too shocked.
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she got. After rushing through the bathroom, she dashed back to the classroom to see if Xie Zhirou had returned.
She didn’t notice that behind her, Zheng Xixi was watching her leave with a look of quiet sadness.
Zheng Xixi had hoped to talk to her a little longer. She lowered her head in disappointment.
“What are you running for?” Xie Zhirou called out just as Chen Mengyin reached the classroom. She saw disapproval in Xie Zhirou’s eyes.
Chen Mengyin scratched her head, apologized softly, and tried to act casual as she asked what Zhu Ling had wanted.
Xie Zhirou opened her thermos and poured a cup of water for Chen Mengyin: “Ms. Zhu told me there’ll be a school event before National Day. Board members and the foundation leaders will attend, and they want me to perform a piano piece.”
Chen Mengyin took a sip and sat down: “Huh? That’s sudden. Isn’t it usually just a New Year’s event?”
Xie Zhirou whispered, “Apparently one of the foundation’s senior leaders is visiting from overseas. He’s quite old and rarely comes back. The board and the foundation wanted to host a show to cheer him up.”
Chen Mengyin smacked her lips: “So we’re just pets to amuse the guests, huh?”
Xie Zhirou glanced at her and told her not to spread the real reason. The school would only announce that it was holding a celebration, not the motivation behind it.
Chen Mengyin promised to keep it a secret.
“So why were you running so fast earlier?” Xie Zhirou answered her question and now threw one back.
Under her gaze, Chen Mengyin hesitated, then confessed all her overthinking from earlier. Embarrassed, she asked Xie Zhirou not to laugh.
But how could Xie Zhirou laugh at her? She just found her little childhood friend so adorably flustered that she couldn’t help but pinch her soft cheeks.
“Don’t worry, Ms. Zhu won’t split us up.” Xie Zhirou said firmly.
“Why not?” Chen Mengyin leaned in curiously just as the bell rang. Ignoring the risk of Zhu Ling walking in, she tugged on Xie Zhirou’s sleeve and begged for an answer.
Xie Zhirou patiently explained, “Unless you completely bomb your quizzes, Ms. Zhu won’t change our seats.”
Hearing that, Chen Mengyin muttered that she had to pay more attention in English and math from now on. She couldn’t afford to fail.
Her words made Xie Zhirou laugh. She was just about to tease her more when Zhu Ling arrived, so she composed herself and listened to the lesson seriously.
It was always hard to stay awake during afternoon classes, but since Chen Mengyin joined the advanced class, physics lessons had become much livelier. Almost no one nodded off anymore.
After the last physics class ended, Chen Mengyin stretched, pulled out a pack of cookies, opened them, and shared them with Xie Zhirou.
“Did Ms. Zhu ask you to play something specific?” The cookies were crisp and buttery. Chen Mengyin kept munching one after another.
“Call her Ms. Zhu,” Xie Zhirou corrected her. “Yes, she wants something appropriate for the occasion.”
Chen Mengyin stuck out her tongue: “Okay, I’ll call her Ms. Zhu next time. By the way, since there’s an event, are we all supposed to sign up for performances? I hope it’s not mandatory.”
Xie Zhirou nibbled on her cookie: “Not sure. Let’s see what they say in class meeting.”
Chen Mengyin recalled past performances where she was always dragged into school plays as a laborer or villain. They said her height and aura were perfect for such roles.
She was a little worried she’d end up playing a villain again—and if her performance came right before or after Xie Zhirou’s, she might not get to record it.
She had wanted to film Xie Zhirou’s performance for a long time.
Chen Mengyin sighed heavily.
Xie Zhirou assumed she was worried about being forced to perform and reassured her: “It’s okay. Ms. Zhu said the event won’t be too long. There won’t be too many performances.”
Chen Mengyin nodded absentmindedly, still thinking about how to ask Zhu Ling for permission to bring a camera.
Soon, the bell rang again, and Zhu Ling walked in right as it ended: “I have something to announce.”
“There will be a National Day event in a month. Each class must submit one or two performance ideas. The Political Education Office will review and select the final list.”
“Our class still needs one more performance. Talk it over and sign up with the class rep if you have ideas.”
“That’s all. Today you won’t have to stay in the classroom for self-study. Everyone come with me to the field to run. A little exercise now, and you won’t panic before the college entrance exams.”
The class groaned loudly.
Even though it was past 4 p.m., the sun was still blazing. Going out now felt like peeling off a layer of skin.
Zhu Ling, annoyed by the noise, knocked on the podium: “Enough. Just run two laps, then you’re free to do what you want. But if I catch anyone sneaking off early, next time you’ll all be stuck in the classroom for self-study.”
“Long live Ms. Zhu!”
Cheers erupted. Suddenly, no one minded the heat. They put the classroom air-con into sleep mode and headed to the field in groups.
Chen Mengyin followed Xie Zhirou downstairs.
After they left, students from other classes started complaining—why did the advanced class get to go out while they had to stay inside?
Annoyed, other teachers gave in and let their students go too. The field quickly became crowded.
Chen Mengyin didn’t start running right away. She stood in the shade and stretched.
After sitting all day, their joints were stiff. Skipping stretches before running could lead to injuries.
Not only did she stretch, but she also made Xie Zhirou stretch with her. Only after finishing the warm-up did they slowly jog onto the track, facing the setting sun.
“Zhirou, do you think Ms. Zhu will let me bring my camera to take pictures at the event?” Chen Mengyin was still worried.
Xie Zhirou thought for a moment: “She probably will. As long as you explain clearly, Ms. Zhu usually doesn’t say no.”
Then she added, “Just remember to call her Ms. Zhu.”
Chen Mengyin, knowing she was the one asking for a favor, nodded: “Of course. I’d never be dumb enough to call her by name in that situation.”
Xie Zhirou gave her a look and told her to stop swearing.
Chen Mengyin quickly covered her mouth and gave her a sheepish smile.
After two laps, Chen Mengyin wasn’t even winded. You’d never guess she’d just run 800 meters while talking nonstop.
Xie Zhirou was slightly sweaty, her face red from the sun. Concerned, Chen Mengyin pulled her to the faucet to wash her face.
The water was cold and refreshing. After washing up, Chen Mengyin handed Xie Zhirou tissues to dry off.
“Let’s rest in the corner. We’ll go back when the break ends.” The sun was no longer as harsh, but the heat was still oppressive. Chen Mengyin wasn’t tired, but she was hot.
She fanned her face, trying to cool down.
Xie Zhirou placed a wet tissue on her cheek to help her cool off: “Sit there and apply this to cool down.”
Chen Mengyin held the tissue, trying not to laugh in case it fell off. She sat on the stairs in the shade.
“Do I look like I’m wearing a face mask right now?” she asked Xie Zhirou.
Xie Zhirou poked her forehead and joked that no face mask could look that ugly.
Only when they were alone would Xie Zhirou drop her mature, composed facade and show her youthful, playful side—something only Chen Mengyin ever saw.
Chen Mengyin laughed so hard that the tissue slipped off. She balled it up in her hand to throw away later.
The two sat shoulder-to-shoulder in the corner of the field, untouched by sunlight, only shadowed by the buildings.
Not far away, Zheng Xixi bit her lip, watching Chen Mengyin and Xie Zhirou tease each other, their faces bright with joy she had never seen before.
“Xixi, let’s sit and rest too,” her friend came over after washing up. Seeing her gaze fixed on one direction, she asked, “What are you staring at?”
Zheng Xixi snapped out of it and forced a smile: “Nothing. Just tired from running. Let’s go sit over there.”
Her friend chuckled: “Okay, but you really need more exercise. Just 800 meters and you’re this tired?”
Zheng Xixi seemed to forget her earlier sadness, playfully punching her friend: “You’re the weak one, not me.”
They laughed and walked toward the shade. When her friend wasn’t looking, Zheng Xixi glanced back at Chen Mengyin.
The girl with shoulder-length hair was talking animatedly to another girl, her eyes bright, her smile never fading. It was a smile Zheng Xixi had never seen aimed at anyone else.
She suddenly let go of her feelings. Turning her head back, she ran to catch up: “Why didn’t you wait for me?”
Her friend protested: “I didn’t know you weren’t following!”
Zheng Xixi pouted playfully: “You just don’t care about me, that’s why.”
She used their joking to hide her sadness. Today she finally understood—there was never a possibility between her and Chen Mengyin. That girl’s entire world revolved around Xie Zhirou. No one else even had a chance.
She had decided to give up.
After Zheng Xixi and her friend left, Xie Zhirou quietly withdrew her gaze.
She had never seen Zheng Xixi as a threat. From the beginning, what she hated was others coveting the treasure she had kept for so long.
No one could take her treasure away from her.