Fall - Chapter 4

The two walked side by side across the campus, exchanging no unnecessary pleasantries. The atmosphere was so quiet it felt stiff.

Yue Can wasn’t usually one to keep silent, but she refused to force conversation just to ease the tension. Too exhausting.

After seeing Bo Wanzhao holding flowers tonight, Yue Can belatedly realized how much Bo Wanzhao had changed over the years. She still remembered their first meeting…

Bo Wanzhao was five years older than her. When Tan Ming first brought Bo Wanzhao home, Yue Can had just started middle school. She remembered Tan Ming leading an excessively thin girl with bloodless cheeks to her and telling her to call her “elder sister.”

At the time, Yue Can was in the midst of a rebellious phase and stubbornly refused to call her “elder sister.” Even later, she never got used to it.

Looking back now, Yue Can recalled that Bo Wanzhao had been frail, gaunt, and pale back then. Her eyes lacked the vitality typical of adolescence, instead radiating a deathly numbness.

Their interactions had been infrequent until this winter break, when Tan Ming hired Bo Wanzhao as Yue Can’s tutor, bringing them into closer contact.

Yue Can wasn’t sure when Bo Wanzhao had undergone her transformation. Though still quiet and reserved, Bo Wanzhao now possessed a sharp glint in her eyes and an air of calm composure, as if she were a completely different person.

The evening breeze rustled the leaves, and the air began to fill with the sweet scent of flowers—a pleasant fragrance.

The two walked in an unnaturally quiet atmosphere for quite some time until Yue Can’s stomach let out a low rumble. She hadn’t eaten since afternoon, and her stomach was still empty, protesting with a series of growls.

Yue Can tried to act nonchalant, but her stomach soon rebelled again.

At that moment, Yue Can saw Bo Wanzhao hand her a bag of cookies. She looked at Bo Wanzhao in surprise. Was her stomach that loud? How could she hear it?

“Eat something,” Bo Wanzhao said.

Yue Can, who was indeed ravenously hungry, accepted the cookies. “Mm.”

Neither warm nor cold, Yue Can thought as she munched on the cookie. The phrase perfectly described Bo Wanzhao.

Bo Wanzhao was like a glass of room-temperature water—a fitting analogy, Yue Can believed.

The soda crackers were dry and bland, making Yue Can choke a little. Do people who are already so plain have to eat the plainest snacks too? At least get some with filling! she thought, mentally ranting as she chewed.

After finishing the bag of crackers, Yue Can reached for a tissue to wipe her mouth but couldn’t find one. Just then, a tissue was silently offered from beside her.

Yue Can silently accepted it.

Between them, a subtle understanding had unconsciously formed—a delicate balance of care and being cared for.

When they were together, Bo Wanzhao naturally took on a sisterly role, looking after Yue Can. Yet despite this, Yue Can never felt that Bo Wanzhao particularly liked her. Bo Wanzhao’s actions seemed more out of gratitude to Tan Ming, like a sense of duty or a routine task.

Tonight, for example, Bo Wanzhao had quietly brought a bouquet of flowers to watch Yue Can’s performance. If Tan Ming hadn’t asked her to help, Yue Can was convinced Bo Wanzhao would never have done something so romantic and surprising.

They were almost at the school gate.

“Yue Can, wait!”

Someone called out breathlessly from behind, hurrying to catch up.

Yue Can and Bo Wanzhao stopped in unison.

The person who caught up was a boy, his forehead beaded with sweat from running so hard. Yue Can waited for him to approach and recognized him as Chen Feng, the Vice Class Representative—the very person who had gotten her parents called in.

Yue Can was already in a foul mood today, and this only added to her irritation. Chen Feng had tried to talk to her several times, and inexplicably, rumors had started circulating around the class.

Chen Feng glanced at Bo Wanzhao beside Yue Can. “Your sister?”

Yue Can remained silent, too lazy to answer and unwilling to. For some reason, she just couldn’t bring herself to call Bo Wanzhao “sister.”

Chen Feng pulled a notebook from his backpack. “Here, take this.”

Yue Can didn’t take it. “What’s this?”

“It’s a summary of key concepts and common mistake patterns. It should be helpful for you.”

Yue Can nearly rolled her eyes. Who asked for this…? This wasn’t the first time Chen Feng had offered to tutor her, his enthusiasm bordering on obsessive. He called it tutoring, but Yue Can knew exactly what he really wanted.

“I don’t need it,” Yue Can said bluntly, rejecting the offer. It was the truth. Now that she had Bo Wanzhao, what use did she have for this?

“Just take it. I spent ages organizing it. It’s a token of my sincerity.”

Yue Can didn’t want to waste time dancing around the issue. She cut straight to the chase: “Are you trying to tutor me, or are you trying to hit on me?”

Chen Feng’s face flushed crimson. He hadn’t expected Yue Can to be so direct, especially with others around.

Bo Wanzhao stood silently nearby, listening with detached amusement.

“I…” Chen Feng stammered, his heart pounding. How could I possibly say it now?

Yue Can glanced at the bouquet in Bo Wanzhao’s hand. Seizing the moment, she impulsively took the flowers and cradled them in her arms. “Sorry, neither of you has a chance.”

“Huh?” Chen Feng looked bewildered.

Yue Can smiled, glanced at Bo Wanzhao, and launched into an enthusiastic introduction: “Let me introduce you. This is Bo Wanzhao—perfect score on the national math exam, top-tier 985 university scholar, with a voice like velvet and looks to match…”

Bo Wanzhao raised her eyes slightly, shooting Yue Can a sidelong glance, wondering what she was up to this time.

Chen Feng remained utterly confused.

“…and she’s currently pursuing me.”

Yue Can delivered the line with such conviction, after all, everything except that last part was objectively true.

Chen Feng was stunned. “What?!”

Bo Wanzhao, upon hearing those words, remained perfectly composed.

Chen Feng, flustered and stammering, blurted out, “But you’re both girls…”

Yue Can retorted forcefully, “And what’s wrong with that?”

Chen Feng scratched his head. “So… you like girls?”

“Exactly!” Yue Can nodded, mimicking Zhong Ran’s usual infatuated tone. “Who wouldn’t adore gentle, kind sisters?”

Her opponent was left speechless.

Bo Wanzhao waited until Yue Can had finished speaking before giving her a look. “Let’s go.”

Yue Can’s fake smile remained plastered on her face. “Okay.”

Having successfully shaken off the clingy pest, Yue Can continued walking off campus. After her impromptu performance, she expected Bo Wanzhao to say something, but Bo Wanzhao remained completely silent the entire time. Finally, Yue Can couldn’t hold back any longer. “Aren’t you going to ask me anything?”

Bo Wanzhao turned to look at her, responding with detached curiosity, “What should I ask?”

No matter what Yue Can said, Bo Wanzhao wouldn’t be surprised. After all these years, she knew Yue Can’s impulsive, shameless nature well—the girl could say anything without batting an eye.

Yue Can was taken aback by the question. “…Never mind.”

She wondered what this woman had experienced to maintain such unwavering composure, her emotional stability bordering on the abnormal. Yue Can even suspected that if she ran naked in front of Bo Wanzhao, the woman wouldn’t react at all.

Bo Wanzhao remained silent for a moment before saying, “You’re praising me too much. I’m not used to it.”

Yue Can: “……”

A familiar car was parked outside the school. Yue Can usually lived in the dormitory and only went home on weekends. Every Friday evening, her family would send a driver to pick her up.

Bo Wanzhao saw Yue Can into the car, completing her task. She turned to leave…

“Bo Wanzhao.”

Yue Can rarely called her by name, and her voice sounded awkward.

“Is there anything else?” Bo Wanzhao asked.

“Come with me…” Yue Can invited her into the car. After all, Bo Wanzhao had helped her earlier, and she had eaten her cookies. Though her conscience wasn’t particularly strong, she still felt a little guilty.

Bo Wanzhao gave her usual reply: “No need.”

Gusts of wind swept through, intensifying the chill. Yue Can ignored her and abruptly grabbed Bo Wanzhao’s wrist, tugging her along.

The warmth of Yue Can’s palm suddenly enveloped her wrist. Bo Wanzhao trembled almost imperceptibly as the other woman’s body temperature seeped into her skin, slowly, slowly, the sensation amplified by her hypersensitive nerves…

“Get in. The wind’s too strong.”

Yue Can impulsively pulled Bo Wanzhao into the car.