An Earlier Meeting - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

After a long and difficult journey, they finally reached their destination.

The ride-share driver had been stuck in traffic for a long time, and it was only after they left the city center that the number of cars visibly thinned out.

Nestled in her seat, a relaxed smile finally bloomed on Huang Xiaozhi’s face.

The car’s interior was warm and isolated, so much more comfortable than the chaotic, noisy world outside that had left her with a throbbing headache.

Yu Wen seemed to pull two candies out of thin air, the mint-green wrappers appearing abruptly in front of Huang Xiaozhi.

She didn’t take them right away. Instead, she turned her head, looking at Yu Wen with a hint of playful blame and curiosity. “Where did you get these candies? Why didn’t you give them to me earlier?”

In the face of Huang Xiaozhi’s question, Yu Wen simply pursed her lips and smiled. She closed her fingers around the candies in her palm. “What do you think? Would you believe me if I said I swiped them from a passerby’s bag?” Her tone was clearly teasing.

Huang Xiaozhi’s eyes widened at this “outrageous” statement from Yu Wen. When did she learn to joke like this? “Of course not. Would you ever do something like that?” She said it with certainty, showing her absolute faith in Yu Wen’s character.

The two of them chatted casually in the car.

Yu Wen noticed Huang Xiaozhi’s slightly furrowed brow, knowing she was still a little carsick.

She took Huang Xiaozhi’s hand without a word and placed the two cool mints in her warm palm.

“Don’t worry, they’re not poisoned. The restaurant owner gave them to me,” Yu Wen explained, sharing that she had grabbed them from the counter when she was paying the bill.

Huang Xiaozhi opened her hand, looking at the two candies resting quietly in her palm.

If Yu Wen gave both of them to me, what about her?

She grumbled inwardly. Ever since they met, she had felt that Yu Wen was a careful and gentle person, and she knew she wasn’t wrong about that.

Should I eat both?… Nah, I’ll give her one. ^ω^

After giving her the candies, Yu Wen turned and opened the car window, letting the cool evening breeze blow in and lift the stray strands of hair by her temples.

She gazed at the moving street scenes outside, completely unaware of Huang Xiaozhi’s internal struggle or whether she had eaten the candy.

Huang Xiaozhi used her empty hand to gently pat Yu Wen’s arm. With her other hand, she offered one of the candies back. “Here, take one. We’ll share. Otherwise, it’ll look like I’m a glutton.”

Yu Wen, who had been looking out the window, felt the movement and immediately turned around.

When she saw the candy Huang Xiaozhi was offering, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, and then she accepted it calmly. “Okay.”

She reached out to take the candy, her fingertips brushing lightly and unintentionally against Huang Xiaozhi’s palm.

That cool, fleeting touch was like a feather, but it sent a sharp ripple through Huang Xiaozhi’s heart.

Huang Xiaozhi froze instantly, her mind a blank slate.

It was just the simplest skin-to-skin contact, so why is my heart pounding like a drum? This feeling is so wrong!

In a flash, countless questions filled her mind: Is it possible that I like Yu Wen to this extent? Isn’t this kind of contact normal? Am I being too sensitive?

Yu Wen, meanwhile, seemed completely oblivious to Huang Xiaozhi’s subtle and complex emotional fluctuations.

It was a while before Huang Xiaozhi recovered, sighing to herself: It seems I’m truly in too deep to pull out. Am I doomed to fall for Yu Wen this lifetime? Can loving someone be like this? Can this be hereditary too?

Well, now she had another thing to worry about in the car.

Although the weather had not been great these past few days, the car wasn’t moving fast. The wind blowing in through the open window wasn’t harsh; instead, it brought a refreshing, comfortable feeling.

Huang Xiaozhi reached up and pressed the window button, and the glass slowly went down, letting the evening breeze fill the car.

She had to admit, the breeze was comfortable, but even the most soothing wind couldn’t blow away the feeling in her heart that belonged to only one person.

Would this heart, hiding a secret, eventually break through the surface, or would it be buried forever?

…

After this weekend was over, they probably wouldn’t have as much time to go out. Schoolwork was visibly getting more and more intense.

Finals were approaching, which was normal, and this exam carried a lot of weight.

The current policy was that students with excellent final exam results could get early admission qualifications to top universities. While they would still have to finish high school, they would at least secure a spot.

If their grades were truly exceptional, they could even become sought-after by various prestigious universities, so the school was placing extra importance on it.

On the way to the library, Huang Xiaozhi looked out the window and saw all kinds of people: a cozy family of three, a couple leaning on each other, friends laughing, sweethearts walking hand-in-hand… all flowing through the streets.

The crowd surged, as if everyone in A City had come out.

…

In the car, Huang Xiaozhi silently took out her earphones and put them on. It was her habit to listen to music while riding in a car.

Soothing music flowed, the wheels rolled forward, and time seemed to quietly slip away with the movement and the melody.

Ten kilometers was neither far nor close, but in the car, Huang Xiaozhi felt as if she had truly had a nap—resting her head squarely on Yu Wen’s shoulder.

When she woke up, she found her head resting on Yu Wen’s shoulder, with her earphones still softly playing music. The music was probably too soothing, and combined with staying up late last night, the sandman had come knocking.

The moment her head unconsciously leaned to the left, Yu Wen happened to turn her head.

Seeing Huang Xiaozhi’s head drooping, she quickly reached out to support it. Although she had no expression on her face, her movements were incredibly gentle.

She subtly shifted closer to Huang Xiaozhi, adjusting her posture so that Huang Xiaozhi’s head could rest steadily on her shoulder.

Looking at Huang Xiaozhi’s peaceful, sleeping profile, her lowered eyelashes completely still, an indescribable sense of comfort welled up in Yu Wen’s heart.

Although she had no shoulder of her own to lean on, she was more than willing to let Huang Xiaozhi lean on hers. She would happily endure it.

Huang Xiaozhi woke up a little dazed. Wasn’t I listening to music? How did I fall asleep? Realizing that she had been sleeping on Yu Wen’s shoulder the whole time, she jumped away as if she’d been electrocuted, frantically sitting up straight and moving to the side.

A sense of despair washed over her—her sleeping face must have been terrible! It was one thing for no one to see it on the bed, but this was in a car in broad daylight! Yu Wen must have seen everything!

Aaaah! Why did I have to fall asleep?! This is so embarrassing!… But, Yu Wen’s shoulder was really comfortable, though…

At this moment, all of Huang Xiaozhi’s attention was on her “humiliating” sleeping face. She was desperately praying that Yu Wen hadn’t noticed or seen.

However, Yu Wen was staring at her intently, not saying a word.

The air was silent for a few seconds.

Then, they both spoke at the same time:

“Uhm… sorry about leaning on your shoulder…” / “You drooled.”

The moment Yu Wen’s words fell, Huang Xiaozhi’s voice stopped.

…

I’ve completely humiliated myself! Seeing Yu Wen’s face made her feel so ashamed; all she felt was embarrassment.

And what did Yu Wen just say?! Drooled?! Her?! Huang Xiaozhi?! Drooled?!

I’m finished! I can never face anyone again! Yu Wen knows that I drool in my sleep!

She abruptly turned her head to look out the window (the window had already been closed by Yu Wen, with only a small crack open on the driver’s side), and asked in a weak voice, “I… did I… drool on you…?”

Yu Wen really didn’t expect Huang Xiaozhi to have such a big reaction.

She hadn’t actually drooled. She had just muttered something in her sleep.

Looking at Huang Xiaozhi’s mortified and embarrassed back, she had to stifle a laugh.

“Almost. But you sucked it back in before it could drip down.” Teasing this little ditz was proving to be quite fun.

Wait a minute?! What kind of wild things is Yu Wen saying?! Is that even something a person says?! Just saying that out loud?! Doesn’t she think that’s inappropriate?!

Can someone hand me a knife? I just want to disappear on the spot! I can’t live like this! “No… you’re messing with me, right? I have a great sleeping face… really great.” The last three words were as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.

Does she really have a great sleeping face? The problem is she can’t see it when she’s asleep!

Her mom, Wei Qingwen, had often complained about her bad sleeping habits, but she had never believed it.

Unbeknownst to her, Yu Wen was so full of suppressed laughter that her shoulders were trembling, and she felt like she was going to get an internal injury.

How can this little thing be so cute? I can imagine the wonderful expression on her face just from looking at her back.

Yu Wen quickly lowered her head and covered her mouth, afraid that if she laughed out loud, Huang Xiaozhi would notice. She hadn’t had enough fun yet.

Huang Xiaozhi’s audacity was a flexible thing. It was thick when it needed to be and thin when it needed to be.

The two people in the car: one was so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into a hole, and the other was suppressing her laughter so hard she felt like she was going to have an internal injury.

It wasn’t until Huang Xiaozhi faintly heard a deeply suppressed, breathy chuckle.

Something’s wrong! Something is one hundred percent wrong!

She turned her head abruptly, just in time to see Yu Wen with her head bowed, her shoulders shaking suspiciously, and her hand pressed tightly over her mouth—she was laughing!

Okay, okay, so this is how we’re playing! She’s actually making fun of me! Huang Xiaozhi secretly vowed that one day, she would dig up all of Yu Wen’s secrets!

…

The library had a total of three floors: the first floor was the lobby and bookstore, the second was the circulation and reading rooms, and the third was a special area for research and self-study.

Since they had said they were here to study, their goal was clear. They headed straight for the third floor.

They bought new notebooks and pens on the first floor (she hadn’t brought her homework, but doing some practice problems would be fine), and Huang Xiaozhi, with her hands empty, felt it was only right to hand the notebook and pen to Yu Wen to carry. How liberating to be empty-handed.

They discussed what problems they were going to do as they walked up the stairs.

Just as they reached the landing between the second and third floors, they ran into a familiar face—Zeng Ling.

Zeng Ling was wearing a black hoodie and a black mask. She was holding a few books, her long hair pressed down by the hood and scattered across her forehead. Only a pair of sullen eyes were visible.

It was impossible for Huang Xiaozhi not to have seen her, as they were almost brushing past each other.

She also didn’t believe that Zeng Ling hadn’t seen her. The bad bl00d between them, with Zeng Ling’s vindictive nature, would never be easily forgotten.

The moment she saw Zeng Ling, Huang Xiaozhi’s steps faltered. Her gaze followed the figure who quickly lowered her head and almost fled down the stairs.

Zeng Ling walked so fast that she disappeared around the corner in the blink of an eye.

Seeing Huang Xiaozhi stop, Yu Wen gently patted her shoulder. “What’s wrong? See someone you know?” She had been on the other side of Huang Xiaozhi and hadn’t paid much attention.

It was normal for there to be many high school students at the library at this time.

But Huang Xiaozhi’s gut feeling told her that Zeng Ling’s appearance was not a good thing. A strong sense of unease inexplicably rose in her heart. Her gaze was still fixed on the empty stairwell. She shook her head softly.

“It’s nothing, nothing. I might have been mistaken. Let’s hurry up.” Saying this, she casually wrapped her arm around Yu Wen’s shoulder and led her toward the third floor.

Unbeknownst to them, Zeng Ling hadn’t continued down the stairs. She had her back pressed against the cold wall, holding her breath and listening to the conversation of the two girls upstairs.

Huang Xiaozhi’s family ruined my family. How could I ever let it go? Since I overheard them… I have to find some ‘fun’ for her.

…

Sometimes, when you say you’re going to the library to study, it’s only when you actually get there and sit down that you know if you’re serious.

They each took out a workbook and started writing answers to the problems.

Time slipped away quietly.

It took Huang Xiaozhi a long time to finish just one math problem, while Yu Wen next to her was like a machine, focused and solving problems at an astonishing speed.

Huang Xiaozhi briefly wondered if Yu Wen had a chip in her brain. Is this speed and focus even humanly possible?

Terrifying! It’s absolutely terrifying!

…

Yu Wen’s very presence was like a kind of enchantment. As long as she was sitting alone with her, Huang Xiaozhi couldn’t concentrate on anything else.

She had only used half of the first page of her notebook.

Her posture was perfect: her right hand held her pen, her head was tilted slightly to the left, but her gaze was fixed on Yu Wen.

Looking at Yu Wen’s focused profile as she worked on the problems, Huang Xiaozhi thought: Sure enough, a person looks the coolest when they’re concentrating on a problem. I feel like Yu Wen is about to marry that problem right now. She’s not even human.

A mischievous thought suddenly crossed her mind.

She stopped being sneaky. She took her pen and scribbled a few big, flamboyant words on her notebook:

Notebook content:

Mlle Yu, tu es très forte de travailler si sérieusement ! (Miss Yu, you are so amazing for working so seriously!)

After writing this messy French sentence, she pushed the notebook in front of Yu Wen.

Yu Wen’s pen clearly paused. When she saw the sentence, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Reply:

Quoi? T’as pas envie de faire les exos? (What? You don’t want to do the exercises?)

Yu Wen wrote her reply in the notebook. Their handwriting was completely different: one was bold and unrestrained, the other was elegant and sharp.

Huang Xiaozhi didn’t expect Yu Wen to not only understand French but also reply in French! This person really has a lot of hidden talents!

Question:

Wow, Mlle Yu prend le français? Trop forte ! (Wow, Miss Yu knows French? You’re so amazing!)

After writing it, she didn’t forget to circle “Trop forte” and pushed the notebook back again.

Huang Xiaozhi’s question made it impossible for Yu Wen to continue working.

How could her peripheral vision not have noticed Huang Xiaozhi’s restless and bored little movements? She just hadn’t called her out on it before.

She sat there, fidgeting from time to time, and it was clear her mind was no longer on the problems.

Yu Wen didn’t reply in the notebook again. She put the cap on her pen, closed her workbook, and turned to look at Huang Xiaozhi while she tidied up.

“Your French is pretty good, too. Me? I only know a little, not much,” Yu Wen said modestly. In reality, she had systematically studied it years ago and could speak, listen, read, and write perfectly.

This polite remark completely baffled Huang Xiaozhi. “You call that ‘knowing a little’? Then what am I?” She suddenly felt a little silly for her “showing off,” even though she knew Yu Wen was an omnipotent genius.

Huang Xiaozhi subconsciously reached up to touch her philtrum—a little gesture she usually made when she was embarrassed or uncomfortable.

This small movement did not escape Yu Wen’s bright eyes.

She had noticed this habit of Huang Xiaozhi touching her philtrum when she was embarrassed more than once or twice. It was almost a habit.

A small habit like this can easily give away her thoughts.

“It means you work very hard. Is that not okay?” Yu Wen said, one hand lazily propped up her chin, a smile on her face. The smile seemed to hold a hint of subtle affection.

Unfortunately, the clueless Huang Xiaozhi couldn’t see that. Her first thought was that Yu Wen’s smile was—”so fake!”

So! Fake!

Huang Xiaozhi’s gaze quickly scanned the quiet, studying crowd around them, finally settling on Yu Wen’s face. She lowered her voice to a whisper and accused her. “You! What are you laughing at! And why is your laugh so fake!”

Yu Wen was completely amused by this sudden accusation and her adorable hushed voice.

She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, laughing so hard that her shoulders shook and she bent over.

My laugh is fake? I’ve never even seen what my own smile looks like!

Huang Xiaozhi watched Yu Wen as she doubled over with laughter, her bright eyes, the relaxed atmosphere… she was mesmerized again.

It was as if the whole world had shrunk to just this person in front of her, occupying her entire field of vision.

Her peripheral vision caught sight of the half-finished problem in her notebook, and she sighed inwardly: Once I’m with a good friend (especially Yu Wen), it’s a fantasy to think I can focus on studying! I can only get work done when I’m alone.

In short: when she was with a good friend, especially when Yu Wen was sitting next to her, she had no desire to study at all.

Yu Wen finally managed to stop laughing and suddenly remembered Huang Xiaozhi’s strange behavior on the stairs. She had been holding back, but her curiosity finally got the better of her.

“Xiaozhi,” Yu Wen’s voice returned to its calm, slightly probing tone. “Who was that person you saw on the stairs just now?” Huang Xiaozhi had been in front of her, and she had only caught a blurry glimpse of a figure before Huang Xiaozhi had urged her to hurry upstairs.

Yu Wen’s sudden change of subject hit Huang Xiaozhi like a bullet.

Her body stiffened. She turned her head, looking at Yu Wen, who was now curious and even had a hint of a smile. “Why are you suddenly asking about that?”

“I was curious. It just came to me,” Yu Wen answered frankly, without a lie.

Huang Xiaozhi’s heart was struggling. She didn’t want to tell her.

Her grudge with Zeng Ling was far from over, and with the Zeng family’s vindictive and petty nature, they would definitely cause trouble for her. She was even more worried that the Zeng family would target Yu Wen because of her.

No matter how capable or strong Yu Wen was, she was still an underage girl. Huang Xiaozhi didn’t dare to imagine the consequences if she faced malice from the shadows.

It was better to avoid trouble if she could.

As for what the Zeng family wanted to do, whether it was to cause trouble behind the scenes or something else, they would just have to face it as it came.

The Wei family was not to be trifled with either. They were more than capable of dealing with the Zeng family; they just usually kept a low profile.

“It was no one,” Huang Xiaozhi tried her best to make her expression and voice sound natural and casual. “I just saw someone who looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember their name.” She started her performance, her movements deliberately relaxed.

Yu Wen looked at Huang Xiaozhi’s clear unwillingness to talk about it and nodded, not pressing her further. “Alright. So… do you still want to do problems?”

Huang Xiaozhi was surprised that Yu Wen gave up so easily. It was a good thing! “I don’t feel like it anymore.” She said with a sigh of relief and a hint of triumphant satisfaction as she quickly packed up her workbook.

Perhaps, deep down in her heart, she also had an instinct to protect Yu Wen and not let her get caught up in trouble.