Copycat - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

◎You Are My Trouble◎

At the milk tea shop.

In the private room on the first floor, a girl wearing a white bunny-ear beanie held a steaming hot cup of red date milk tea. Her knees were pressed together, and she was sitting awkwardly on the edge of the chair. The bunny ears on her beanie drooped, making her look a little uneasy. Upon closer inspection, her face, buried in her scarf, had a rosy blush, like a red plum blossoming in the white snow.

Someone, after paying the bill, walked gracefully and opened the door to the private room. Zhou Ziyan quietly looked up and saw Wen Jiao’s fair, swan-like neck. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she immediately lowered her head, becoming a turtle hiding in its shell.

Just now… Wen Jiao had carried her down the mountain on her back. Halfway down the mountain, she had already run out of strength, relying solely on the thought of finding Wen Jiao to hobble and limp her way to the top. The moment she fell into that warm embrace, she completely gave out and went limp in Wen Jiao’s arms. After a moment of recovery in that soft embrace, Zhou Ziyan tried to stand up. Wen Jiao asked her, “Can you walk by yourself?”

Zhou Ziyan nodded firmly. However, when she tried to stand up, her legs immediately gave out. Luckily, Wen Jiao was quick and caught her, preventing her ankle from getting hurt even more. After that… Zhou Ziyan recalled Wen Jiao’s fair, long hands gripping her thighs. Because the stairs were very steep, Wen Jiao was very careful with every step she took, unconsciously using force. The back of Zhou Ziyan’s thighs were left with red marks that looked like they were from a belt. Zhou Ziyan pressed her legs together and rubbed her knees back and forth, her face getting redder. She was such a bad person. Wen Jiao was so tired from carrying her, yet she was in the mood to think about such perverted things.

The door to the private room was closed by Wen Jiao with a “creak.” The sound of the door closing plucked at Zhou Ziyan’s heartstrings, making her eyelashes twitch guiltily.

“Take it off.”

The clear female voice came from above, and Zhou Ziyan’s heart trembled.

This, this fast? They had just hugged, and now they were going to… This was still the private room on the first floor of a milk tea shop. People were coming and going outside. If she accidentally made a sound…

“Aren’t you going to take it off?”

Wen Jiao’s voice was a little urgent. Zhou Ziyan was slightly stunned. She bit her lip and took off her outermost down jacket. If it was Wen Jiao, she was willing… Her fingers reached for the first button of her close-fitting cardigan, the second, the third…

“Zhou Ziyan, what are you doing?!”

This time, Wen Jiao’s voice was even louder. Zhou Ziyan suddenly looked up and met Wen Jiao’s clean, black eyes. The beautiful peach blossom eyes were filled with a faint confusion, as pure and white as the biting snow. Zhou Ziyan: “…”

“I told you to take off your shoes. Didn’t you sprain your ankle? Why are you taking off your clothes?” Wen Jiao held the medicated oil and frowned slightly. “Did you also fall and hurt your shoulder on the way up the mountain?” The blush on Zhou Ziyan’s cheeks became even more intense. She just went with it, unbuttoned the last button, and exposed her fair shoulders. She nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. “Yes, yes, I did.” Zhou Ziyan said softly, her face red, afraid of being exposed. “I also hit my shoulder.” Her shoulder didn’t hit anything, but her brain must have been damaged from hitting the ground in the minus thirty-degree snow, Zhou Ziyan thought to herself.

Wen Jiao knelt down with the medicated oil, grabbed her ankle, and her fingertips were still cold from the wind and snow. Zhou Ziyan couldn’t help but shiver. Wen Jiao paused her hand, looked up at her, and asked, “Does it hurt a lot?” “N-not really…” The girl’s hand moved more carefully. Zhou Ziyan could feel the delicate fingertips gently massaging the sensitive nerves around her ankle. It was tingly and numb. She tried her best to hold it in, but she still let out a little moan.

“Mhm…”

Zhou Ziyan immediately covered her mouth. A searing heat climbed from her neck to her jaw, eventually turning her entire face red. Zhou Ziyan cursed herself in her heart. So pathetic. She apologized in a fluster, her voice trembling. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to.” “…It’s okay.” The person who was kneeling down clearly sped up her movements. Zhou Ziyan covered her face with her hands, too embarrassed to open her eyes. As Wen Jiao was about to finish applying the medicine, she secretly peeked through the gaps between her fingers. She noticed that Wen Jiao’s fair ears had also turned a shade of crimson.

…

The blizzard had shut down the city. They couldn’t get a taxi, so Wen Jiao had to continue carrying Zhou Ziyan on her back. Zhou Ziyan buried her head in Wen Jiao’s warm neck, her heart pounding. She wished that time could stop at this moment. However, she was a 50kg adult, and a girl with a similar weight couldn’t carry her for long. As Wen Jiao’s breathing became heavier, her steps also became slower. Zhou Ziyan couldn’t help but say, “Wen Jiao, I’m a little tired. Should we find a place to sit down nearby?”

Nearby was K County’s Experimental High School. There was a set of stairs under the honor roll. Wen Jiao wanted to carry her to the stairs so they could rest for a while before continuing. She was just about to put her down.

“Wen Jiao?” An old man with a kind face opened the window of the guard’s office and poked his head out. “Uncle Wang.” Wen Jiao recognized him as the security guard who had been working there since she was in high school and politely nodded slightly. “Come in and sit down. It’s cold outside.”

The guard’s office didn’t have floor heating, but the school had installed heaters on both sides. Zhou Ziyan sat on the sofa with her back against a heater, and the security guard poured her a cup of hot water. Wen Jiao stood to the side, warming her phone with her hands, trying to turn it on. The cold weather of minus thirty degrees had frozen her phone and turned it off.

“Xiao Wen, it’s been a long time since you’ve been back.” Uncle Wang smiled, pulled up a chair for her, and poured her a pot of hot tea. Wen Jiao smiled politely. “I’ve been busy.” “Every time we mention you to Teacher Wen, Teacher Wen always looks so proud. Although you’re busy in college, you should come back and visit more often. Teacher Wen really misses you.” Wen Jiao was silent for a moment.

Uncle Wang then laughed. “Teacher Wen got promoted. She’s now a master teacher in our county. Just last month, we were all bugging her to treat us to a meal, but she insisted on waiting for you to come back, and she’s still waiting.” Wen Jiao’s hands, which were hanging at her sides, tightly gripped the hem of her clothes, her fingertips turning white from the force. Zhou Ziyan saw that Wen Jiao’s expression was off and quickly covered her stomach. She squeezed her eyes, and tears soon welled up, making her look pitiful.

“Wen Jiao, I don’t feel so good.” The two people chatting were immediately distracted. Wen Jiao walked over. “What’s wrong? Stomach ache?” The security guard also came closer, his expression confused. “What’s wrong?” Zhou Ziyan pretended to be shy and looked at Wen Jiao timidly. Wen Jiao was stunned. She turned sideways to block the security guard’s view, took off the scarf around her neck, and wrapped it around Zhou Ziyan’s waist, covering the area that might give her away.

The freshly washed scarf had a faint scent of soapberry, clean and fresh. Wen Jiao put her back on her back and walked out of the warm room. Her soft black hair brushed against Wen Jiao’s nose. She smelled the fragrance of roses mixed with the coolness of cedar, a scent unique to Wen Jiao. This was the first time in her life she had been carried on someone’s back like a patient. If being sick or injured meant she could be this close to Wen Jiao, she was willing to be a sickly person who always needed to be taken care of, Zhou Ziyan thought to herself.

Back on the road home, the bread boots left deep and shallow footprints in the thick snow. The dimming sunlight shone on them, casting two shadows on the snow. Zhou Ziyan couldn’t help but squirm on Wen Jiao’s back, taking out her phone from her down jacket pocket to take a commemorative photo. The two shadows overlapped in the snow, and their different outlines were faintly visible. Wen Jiao was taller than her, and her shoulders were wider. Her arms and shoulders were covered in a thin but strong layer of muscle. Lying on Wen Jiao’s back, Zhou Ziyan could feel her prominent butterfly bone and the taut lines of her arms when she used force. This seemingly thin back was enough to support her completely. There was even some strength left over. Zhou Ziyan pressed her cheek against her back.

A warm, soft sensation came from her shoulder. Wen Jiao’s forward steps paused slightly. She glanced up out of the corner of her eye. The small girl had buried her entire body in Wen Jiao’s shoulder and neck, docile and dependent, as if she had entrusted her body and soul to her. Wen Jiao had rarely been so relied upon. Her mother had taught her to be independent, to not rely on anyone. Since middle school, her allowance had been cut off, and she could only barely afford to eat by tutoring her peers after school. One night, a parent of a classmate she had a good relationship with asked her to stay for dinner. She couldn’t refuse and stayed for another half hour. When she got home, Wen Yilian slapped her. She called her a useless person who couldn’t live without others. The next day, she showed up in front of that classmate with a handprint on her face. When they asked what was wrong, she told them the truth. From then on, no one dared to ask her to stay for dinner again. Their relationship slowly faded.

“What are you thinking about?”

A fluffy head poked out from behind her, like a curious orange cat in the sunlight. Wen Jiao snapped out of those unpleasant memories and slowly said, “I was thinking about the past.” The person on her back was silent for a while. “We have to look forward.” Wen Jiao gave a heavy “mhm,” as if she felt the atmosphere was heavy. The orange cat hero tried to find light topics to cheer up the person carrying her. However, no matter what she said, Wen Jiao only gave a faint reply, with no emotional fluctuations in her words. Zhou Ziyan sighed helplessly. “Wen Jiao.” “Mhm?”

She was a little sad and tentatively asked, “Do you hate me?” Wen Jiao’s steps paused slightly. “Why would you suddenly think that?” Zhou Ziyan lowered her head, and the frost on her eyelashes was shaken off. “I’ve caused you a lot of trouble these past three years, haven’t I?” Wen Jiao thought for a moment, and a faint smile appeared on her lips. “That’s true.” The arms around her neck suddenly stiffened. Zhou Ziyan asked in a trembling voice, “…So, do you really hate me?” Wen Jiao glanced at her and shook her head. “I wouldn’t say I hate you.” The person on her back was visibly relieved, but the arms around her neck were still stiff, a little cautious. “That’s good,” she said.

“Do you know what I used to think of you?” Wen Jiao asked. Zhou Ziyan was stunned for a moment. “What did you think?” A gentle smile appeared on Wen Jiao’s lips. “I thought you were a copycat.”