Confession to You in Early Summer (GL) - Chapter 9

Zhou Xiaoxiao also noticed the keychain on Jiang Youyi’s bag. “Wow! Jiang Youyi, you bought this kind of keychain too! I didn’t expect anyone’s taste to be as bizarre as goddess Yan’s!”

Jiang Youyi picked up Yan Wei’s pen case, grabbed the little dinosaur and stuffed it back inside, denying it expressionlessly, “No, only her taste is like this.”

Before Zhou Xiaoxiao could understand the meaning of her words, Jiang Youyi dropped the pen case and left.

“Huh? Why did she leave?” Zhou Xiaoxiao was speechless. Jiang Youyi was always like this, indifferent to people.

She completely gave up on the idea of having a good conversation with Jiang Youyi and was about to ask Yan Wei where she was going to play after leaving school for the weekend, but turned around to see Yan Wei get up, picking up her bag that had been packed at some point. “Xiaoxiao, I’ll go first. Have a great weekend with Yutong!”

Yan Wei walked out of the classroom in a hurry. Zhou Xiaoxiao saw her chase after the direction Jiang Youyi had just left, a hint of a smile on her face.

Were the goddess and Jiang Youyi’s relationship this good?

Zhou Xiaoxiao closed her bag and glanced at Yan Wei’s already tidied desk. Could it be… that keychain of Jiang Youyi’s was a gift from the goddess?

••••

“Youyi!” Yan Wei quickly caught up with Jiang Youyi. “Where are you going now?”

Jiang Youyi was baffled. “What does it matter to you where I go?”

“It doesn’t matter, but it will soon. Let’s make a bet. If you lose, you’ll accompany me somewhere, how about it?” Yan Wei walked alongside Jiang Youyi, two steps ahead, walking backward while facing Jiang Youyi.

“Why should I bet with you?” Jiang Youyi’s face was full of rejection. She stopped walking and stared directly at the person who had stopped with her. “Yan Wei, I’ve told you many times, I don’t want to be friends with you anymore. Please don’t act like nothing happened and talk to me in such an intimate way. You’re making things very difficult for me.”

The smile on Yan Wei’s face slowly faded. She pursed her lips and lowered her eyelashes like a child who had done something wrong, her expression seeming a little lost and somewhat aggrieved, mixed with some complex emotions that Jiang Youyi couldn’t quite decipher.

Jiang Youyi almost wanted to change her words.

But Yan Wei adjusted her mood during her hesitation and struggle, and showed a renewed, cheerful smile. “Okay then, I was being demanding. Sorry, don’t be angry.”

After speaking, she turned to leave, but bumped into a male classmate passing by because she wasn’t looking.

“!” The boy reacted quickly, grabbing Yan Wei’s arm before she fell and proactively apologizing, “Sorry, classmate, are you alright?”

Yan Wei quickly lowered her head and said “sorry” twice in a row, then hurried downstairs, walking around him.

Jiang Youyi’s hand, which had been half-extended in the air, stiffly and unnaturally retracted.

••••

After leaving school, Jiang Youyi didn’t go straight home. She walked forward aimlessly, unknowingly missing the bus stop. Too lazy to go back, she simply continued strolling along the street until she passed two bus stops and happened to see the bus she usually took pull up. She got on and rode all the way to the city center.

When she left the school gate, the sky was just beginning to darken. By the time she got off the bus, the streetlights were all on.

In the city center’s business district, the entertainment scene was just starting at this time. Jiang Youyi familiarly walked into the mall, took the direct elevator to the fifth floor, turned right, and walked a few more steps. There was an internet cafe.

A newly opened bookstore was across from the internet cafe. The two stores faced each other, but their target audiences were completely different, and the passing pedestrians seemed to be separated by an invisible barrier, divided into two distinct camps.

Jiang Youyi pushed open the glass door. The young internet cafe manager smiled as soon as he saw her. “You’re here? I saved a machine for you! Finally made it to the weekend, why the long face? Want a drink?”

“Latte, double sugar and ice.” Jiang Youyi casually threw her bag on the chair next to her and dragged over a small stool to sit down. “What’s wrong with you today? Why are you smiling so creepily?”

“You’re the creepy one!” the manager said with a smile and a playful scolding, unable to hide the spring in his step.

Jiang Youyi disgustedly looked away, her gaze wandering aimlessly around the hall before suddenly stopping.

“Your latte is ready!” the manager’s voice pulled Jiang Youyi’s attention back.

Jiang Youyi looked at the two cups of coffee on a tray at the bar, one iced latte with extra sugar, and one hot latte with latte art, her eyes filled with doubt. “What’s going on? Buy one get one free?”

Even if he wanted to comfort her because of her pathetic romance that ended before it even began, this was too long ago.

Besides, she didn’t like cappuccino.

Too fancy, pretentious.

The manager winked at her. “That girl next to your machine, judging by her school uniform, she’s your classmate, right? We’re such good friends, can you help me take this over to her? Just say it’s on me, and your drink is also on me!”

An unnamed fire surged in Jiang Youyi’s heart. “If you want to give it to her, give it to her yourself! Why are you asking me?! Haven’t you seen someone so cowardly when pursuing someone?!” After muttering angrily, Jiang Youyi grabbed her bag and turned to leave.

“Hey!” The manager didn’t manage to stop her, looking at the two cups of coffee on the table with a speechless expression. “Not helping is one thing, why are you getting angry?”

A chair leg was kicked hard. Yan Wei turned her head and saw Jiang Youyi, surprised, she took off her earphones. “Youyi?”

She had only uttered one word when a series of accusatory questions came crashing down on her. “What are you doing coming to an internet cafe when you have nothing better to do? Have you memorized your books? Have you finished your practice problems? Don’t you know where your grades have plummeted to? You actually have the nerve to come online?”

Several regulars in the internet cafe naturally knew Jiang Youyi. Hearing her words, they couldn’t help but laugh. This delinquent girl who spent every weekend night in the internet cafe was actually concerned about someone else’s grades. It was truly an unprecedentedly amusing thing.

“Hey, beautiful, don’t listen to her nagging. Her own grades aren’t good, yet she’s lecturing others!” A small bald guy in a leather vest grinned, a black lip ring on his lower lip glinting. He wasn’t old, but you could tell he was a streetwise person. His eyes hadn’t left Yan Wei since she sat down, and now he finally had a chance to strike up a conversation. “Want to be friends? Let me treat you to midnight snacks!”

“Who the hell wants to be friends with you?!” Jiang Youyi was furious, grabbing Yan Wei’s arm. “Let’s go! Get out, I have something to tell you!”

Yan Wei was helpless, letting Jiang Youyi pull her up from the chair, extremely obedient.

“What are you doing in an internet cafe instead of being at school?” Jiang Youyi dragged Yan Wei straight to the restroom and questioned her head-on.

Yan Wei calmly retorted, “If you can come, why can’t I?”

Jiang Youyi: “You’re alone!”

Yan Wei: “You’re alone too.” After speaking, she lowered her head slightly, looking a little aggrieved. “Besides, I originally wanted to ask you to come together.”

Jiang Youyi recalled the abortive bet in the corridor that afternoon, almost choking on her breath. Was that the point?! Why was she acting aggrieved?

Before Jiang Youyi could retort, Yan Wei continued to add insult to injury, “You also said that where you go is none of my business, so me coming to an internet cafe is also none of your business.”

Jiang Youyi was trembling with anger.

Yan Wei secretly made a “peace” sign behind her back.