After Transmigrating, I Became The Heroine’s First Love! - Chapter 13

Slender black shadows stretched across the pristine white corridor floor, the narrow passage echoing with laughter and chatter.

“Look, look! It’s her again!”

“You’d think a zombie crawled out of a movie!” The remark drew a chorus of laughter.

“I wonder what she did to her nails? They’re all blue and green, like they’re moldy.”

Pei Xiangwan was asking Qiao Yanxin about finding her cat when someone bumped her shoulder. She gasped in pain, rubbed her shoulder, and glanced down at the person sitting on the floor.

“Are you okay, classmate?”

Qiao Yanxin noticed the person’s bluish-green fingernails and slapped Pei Xiangwan’s hand away, frantically winking and gesturing.

Pei Xiangwan rewarded her with a “You’re crazy.”

The person who had been knocked down pushed themselves up with their hands, brushed the dust off their pants, pulled their sleeves down to cover their hands, and lowered their head.

“It’s nothing,” the voice said, barely louder than an ant’s whisper.

Pei Xiangwan swallowed her words as the figure quickly disappeared.

“All you’ve been doing lately is studying! You’re going to turn into a bookworm! That was a zombie! A zombie!” Qiao Yanxin shouted, her voice trembling with excitement.

“You actually tried to grab her? Are you crazy? Aren’t you afraid of getting infected?”

Pei Xiangwan sighed, pressing her hand to her forehead. How can anyone be this foolish? “How would I get infected? And who has she infected before?”

“I don’t know! No one dares to go near her hand!”

Pei Xiangwan flicked Qiao Yanxin’s head. “Don’t believe everything you hear. What’s her name?”

Qiao Yanxin rubbed her head, cautiously watching for another strike. “Ma Wanqing. She’s in fashion design.”

The name sounded familiar to Pei Xiangwan, but she couldn’t quite place it. Where have I heard that before?

The air carried the fresh scent of rain, and birds chirped melodies from the branches.

Chen Zui took a sip of his yogurt drink and said, “That’s how it happened. I don’t know why it was such a coincidence, but thank goodness someone was there. Otherwise, I don’t know what might have happened.”

As he spoke, Chen Zui suddenly grew excited, as if remembering something. “Oh, right, Shiyuan! That person… Ugh! When did Pei Xiangwan become such a good fighter?”

He slapped his thigh and burst into laughter. “Remember that time she and Qiao Yanxin went to the bar and got into a fight? They ended up looking like they’d been stung by bees, their faces all swollen and lopsided!” He gestured wildly as he spoke.

How could Jiang Shiyuan forget? Everyone around her seemed to be talking about Pei Xiangwan’s strange behavior.

Yet she alone felt that Pei Xiangwan was simply Pei Xiangwan. It was inexplicable, even to herself.

“As long as she’s okay,” Jiang Shiyuan said softly, her smile radiant despite her calm tone.

Chen Zui wanted to crack open Jiang Shiyuan’s skull to see what kind of love-addled brain she had. This level of infatuation was beyond saving.

“Don’t you understand what kind of person she is? Pei Xiangwan wears so many masks, and they’re all for you…”

Jiang Shiyuan pursed her lips and retorted, “She’s been so good to me lately, unlike anything before. Trust me, Chen Zui, Pei Xiangwan isn’t a bad person.” Her fingers unconsciously twisted together.

Chen Zui set down his empty yogurt cup on the bench, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and said gravely, “Don’t forget, she’ll be back soon.”

“When she returns, will Pei Xiangwan still treat you well?” The words pierced her ears like thorns, and a ringing in her ears drowned out the rest of what Chen Zui said.

Escaping was futile. One instance would lead to another, and another… until she was forced to confront reality. By then, all the unresolved issues would have coalesced into a cannonball, hurled at her with a pain a thousand times worse than now. Yet she remained trapped in her candy house, savoring its sweetness and refusing to wake up.

Jiang Shiyuan lowered her gaze, her long lashes brushing against her lower eyelids as if soothing her troubled emotions.

On the bare, dusty ground, an ant trudged past her shoe, carrying a breadcrumb on its back.

The setting sun drew back the curtain of night.

“If we can’t find it, it’s fine. This is my own problem; I shouldn’t be bothering you.”

This was the only time Jiang Shiyuan spoke during their entire journey, voicing the dilemma that had plagued her thoughts. Pei Xiangwan had once said she hated people who caused trouble. Wasn’t she becoming exactly that now?

I don’t want to be hated…

Her heart gradually regained its crimson hue, and she began to yearn for Pei Xiangwan’s attention once more, praying that the other woman’s fleeting favoritism and tenderness might linger a few more days, even just a second longer.

Pei Xiangwan racked her brain, desperately trying to figure out what she had done to upset Jiang Shiyuan. She genuinely couldn’t think of anything! They had been fine that morning—how could things have soured so suddenly?

“How could that be? Your concerns are my concerns,” Pei Xiangwan declared firmly, as if taking an oath. Maybe Jiang Jiang is worried I’m exhausting myself searching for her cat! That must be it! Jiang Jiang is truly my precious child, my warm little cotton-padded jacket!

Jiang Shiyuan’s amber eyes, clear and bright like spring water, were filled with an immeasurable sorrow that tugged at Pei Xiangwan’s heart.

In that moment, Pei Xiangwan felt a profound resonance with Jiang Shiyuan, as if they shared the same heart, allowing her to feel the other woman’s anguish.

The silence was brief but felt agonizing. Jiang Shiyuan glanced at her abruptly, pushed open the car door, and stepped out—her answer.

Pei Xiangwan followed closely behind, empathizing deeply with Jiang Shiyuan’s sorrow.

The dark blue sky cast the buildings into shadow. The last flames of sunset licked the final cloud, signaling the end of everything.

Pei Xiangwan grasped Jiang Shiyuan’s slender wrist, easing her grip to avoid hurting her. With a gentle tug, she turned Jiang Shiyuan around. Surprise flickered in Jiang Shiyuan’s eyes, but before she could react, she felt a warm pressure against her waist.

Jiang Shiyuan felt as if she were being lifted off the ground. Forced to stand on tiptoe, she tilted her head back to gaze at the fading sky, its flawless beauty untainted by any imperfection.

She allowed Pei Xiangwan’s hair to brush against her neck, the ticklish sensation making her clench her fists, yet she didn’t push the other woman away.

“Whatever’s happening, you can tell me,” Pei Xiangwan said, looking up into Jiang Shiyuan’s eyes. “Don’t keep it bottled up like this. It’ll only hurt you.”

Jiang Shiyuan’s eyes were strikingly beautiful, almost magical. Like a chameleon, their color shifted to a deep blue. Driven by curiosity, Pei Xiangwan reached out with a finger.

But before she could touch Jiang Shiyuan’s face, her words stopped her.

“Tell you? So you can tell others? Tell your dearest, most biased friend to laugh at me?”

Her voice was like chewed rainbow candy—sweet with a hint of sourness—but her expression was that of a Little Fox ready for battle, its velvety ears perked up and sharp teeth bared, poised to tear into the wicked villain.

“I don’t like this, Pei Xiangwan. Everyone in the world can laugh at me, and I wouldn’t care. I’m strong enough to prove myself through actions, and those rumors will vanish. They mean nothing.” She finally pushed Pei Xiangwan away.

Like amber submerged in a blue sea, she glared stubbornly at Pei Xiangwan. “But you… you’re different. You can’t do this. If even you join them in mocking me, how can I fight back? Do you think I’m just some clingy nuisance you can’t shake off—slap me, then offer a sweet treat?”

Jiang Shiyuan took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly. “How long will this ‘sweet treat’ last this time? It’s certainly lasting longer than usual. You’ve set a new record, haven’t you? Now you have endless things to talk about with that person.”

Pei Xiangwan felt as if she were suffocating, trapped in a sealed bottle, on the verge of death.

I don’t even know who that person is…

To Pei Xiangwan, Jiang Shiyuan had never been the weak, tearful paper doll described in the book. This stubborn, unyielding spirit shattered everything the book had claimed.

She had her own soul, her own thoughts. She was alive—a living, breathing person of flesh and bl00d.

Pei Xiangwan’s heart ached fiercely. She pressed her lips into a thin line, wanting to speak but fearing it was the wrong time, that Jiang Shiyuan wouldn’t believe her. In the end, she managed to say, “You’re crying, Jiang Jiang. Don’t cry.” It hurts me so much.