Let's Do Some Questions - Chapter 44

Because Song Man was fair-skinned, the red bumps from the mosquito bites were particularly noticeable.

“These mosquitoes are too annoying. I just got bitten again.”

Song Man had just discovered a few more bumps on her shoulder.

She had been wearing a top that exposed one shoulder, and now the exposed part had two or more new bumps.

Damn, they were vicious.

“There might be more mosquitoes in the garden. I’ll help you put some on there too.”

The garden was beautiful, but it really attracted mosquitoes.

“But my garden has sonic mosquito repellent technology, and there are still mosquitoes that slip through.”

Song Man grumbled a few words, watching Chu Fengqiu apply medicine to her feet.

Her ankles had also suffered. When Chu Fengqiu’s fingers, carrying the medicine, gently rubbed her ankle, Song Man resisted the urge to pull away.

It felt a little itchy, and also a strange, indescribable sensation.

“Chu Fengqiu, maybe I can do this part myself. I’ll get you a cotton swab.”

The feeling of fingers sliding on her skin was really too weird. Song Man’s voice was slightly shaky.

“It’s okay, it’s quick to apply. You can do your stomach yourself?”

Chu Fengqiu wanted to linger a bit longer but didn’t want to arouse Song Man’s suspicion, so she handed the medicine over.

Song Man lifted her shirt to apply the medicine to the bumps on her stomach, then handed the medicine back to Chu Fengqiu. She turned her back to Chu Fengqiu, keeping her shirt lifted, so Chu Fengqiu could apply the medicine to the bumps on her back.

As she turned her back, Song Man’s mind was filled with thoughts about how effective the medicine was. She wondered about its ingredients; it smelled good, and applying it felt cool and comfortable.

She thought for a while, but didn’t feel the person behind her move.

“Lao Chu?”

As soon as she spoke, she felt Chu Fengqiu’s fingers and stopped talking.

The green ointment turned into a thin, transparent layer when applied to the skin, reflecting the light, making her back seem to glow.

Song Man’s back was smooth and clear, with no obstructions, allowing Chu Fengqiu to apply the medicine smoothly from the bottom upwards.

Sleeping in a tank top wasn’t as comfortable as sleeping without restraints, which felt much better. Chu Fengqiu was also a girl and naturally knew this, as she would also unhook her bra before sleeping. However, Song Man was clearly more unrestrained.

“Done. Pull down your shirt at the shoulder there, and I’ll help you apply it behind your shoulder.”

“Okay.”

Song Man didn’t hesitate, pulling down the fabric at her shoulder to make it easier for Chu Fengqiu to apply the medicine.

Chu Fengqiu was kneeling behind Song Man. At this moment, with her back straight, she could look down and see the view of the peaks.

Song Man waited for a while, and Chu Fengqiu’s fingers were still rubbing back and forth on her shoulder.

She remembered there should only be two mosquito bumps there. Why was she applying it for so long?

“Chu…”

Song Man turned her head to ask but suddenly froze.

Chu Fengqiu’s face was only inches away from hers. A hot, tingling sensation suddenly swept up from her back, even causing her face to feel slightly unnaturally hot. Song Man quickly turned her head back.

She must have been startled, Song Man thought to herself.

It was like being suddenly hit over the head with a club, completely caught off guard.

And Chu Fengqiu’s skin was really damn good. Looking so closely just now, she didn’t see a single pimple.

Song Man didn’t think she was a face-con, but who didn’t like good-looking people?

White light filled the entire room. Song Man didn’t make a sound, just looked at the shadow of the desk on the floor.

A strange atmosphere seemed to mix and intertwine with the cold air flowing in the room, slowly creeping up Song Man’s feet, wrapping from her ankles little by little to her fingertips.

Song Man vaguely felt that Chu Fengqiu behind her seemed to be leaning closer, pressing against her back, bringing an unfamiliar heat that wasn’t hers, causing even her heartbeat to become irregular. She lowered her head, her eyes darting around, feeling a bit unnatural.

The room was so quiet that only the ticking of the wall clock broke Song Man’s daze. She suddenly turned around and found Chu Fengqiu sitting not far from her. The feeling of closeness just now was just an illusion.

Song Man somehow felt relieved and rubbed her face.

“Then I’ll go back to my room first.”

Chu Fengqiu got up from the bed to put on her slippers. The moment she turned around, the corner of her mouth curved up.

It seemed Song Man wasn’t completely oblivious, nor entirely unaffected.

“Okay, good night.”

Song Man waved at Chu Fengqiu, watching her leave the room.

The door closed with a soft click. Song Man exhaled and flopped onto the bed, rolling around twice with the blanket.

Speaking of which, Song Man wasn’t very good at remembering faces. It wasn’t face blindness; she just didn’t look at people very carefully.

The faces she could describe with her eyes closed were Song Qinglan and Chu Fengqiu. She hadn’t studied her parents’ faces that closely.

As for Song Qinglan, after Song Man discovered the truth, she always wanted to study Song Qinglan’s expressions, so she would stare at Song Qinglan’s face daily and looked at their photos together many times.

As for Chu Fengqiu, it was simply because she was good-looking.

Putting aside Chu Fengqiu’s personality, which Song Man found great, Song Man really liked Chu Fengqiu’s looks. She thought Chu Fengqiu’s appearance was more than enough for the entertainment industry. Of course, Song Man was just making a comparison; Chu Fengqiu wasn’t suited for that place. She could clearly rely on her ability, so she didn’t need to rely on her looks.

At first glance, Chu Fengqiu seemed like a very gentle person. If you looked again, you would feel she was like spring water mixed with crushed ice. The ice mixed in the water made it unclear to see, and if you touched it, you would definitely get frozen.

Putting aside her aura, just looking at her eyes and brows, you could see the graceful charm of a girl from a water town.

As if carrying misty waves, capable of dispersing raging fires into clouds.

So beautiful, Song Man smacked her lips and rolled around on the bed with the blanket again.

After sighing about how damn good-looking her friend was, Song Man lay on her stomach and played on her phone.

It was only eleven o’clock. Her bedtime was twelve, so she could still mess around for an hour.

Song Man put away the Question Bank app and planned to see if Chuanlin was online, wanting another death match PK.

Winning or losing was important, but learning from others’ strengths and knowing her own weaknesses was more important. Nothing could highlight these shortcomings more directly than a competition.

Chuanlin was online, but when Song Man invited her to PK, she refused.

Song Man found it a bit strange. Refusing a PK was normal for others, but for Chuanlin, it was quite unusual.

After all, Chuanlin was a PK maniac, and having narrowly lost to her last time, she should be eager for a rematch.

However, since she refused, Song Man didn’t ask why. Instead, she browsed the Question Bank app, planning to see if Zhuazhua was streaming.

Zhuazhua sometimes taught methods to speed up memorization. Although naturally gifted with a good memory, Zhuazhua didn’t squander this skill and had been doing related training to ensure her memory only improved.

Just as she clicked into the streaming section, Song Man saw that Lingnan was streaming. She decisively gave up on clicking into Zhuazhua’s stream and went to Lingnan’s.

After all, Lingnan had opened a door for her, and she was a bit curious about it. Moreover, her feelings towards Lingnan were a bit complex. Not to mention the PK she lost to her two years ago, Lingnan actually gave off a feeling of being easy to get along with and comfortable. If Lingnan hadn’t said it herself, Song Man would have found it hard to imagine she could do such a thing.

She sympathized with her physical condition but not with her relationship choices.

After all, the relationship was her own decision, and it even hurt others. But the cancer, Song Man felt a bit regretful about that.

Song Man didn’t particularly hate Lingnan, probably because she wasn’t overly deranged. If Lingnan had been the other party in the story’s position, what would be the difference from drugging someone? That would be unforgivable in Song Man’s heart.

Instead, Lingnan used a different approach, making Song Man feel that it was a messy situation that others shouldn’t get involved in.

Clicking into the stream, she saw Lingnan’s gaunt appearance.

She seemed more haggard than last time, with an undeniable sick look on her face, but she wasn’t ugly. Song Man thought she must have been quite good-looking when she was healthy.

“I’m not feeling very well today. I lost energy after doing a few problems, so I’ll probably end the stream soon.”

Lingnan turned off the other half of the screen that showed the problems and put away the problem book on her desk.

“Huh? Asking about the offline meetup at the end of November? I received an invitation, but the official staff told me not to force myself to attend if I’m not feeling well. I really want to go, but I don’t know if…”

Lingnan smiled but didn’t continue.

Everyone understood what she wanted to say. She didn’t know if she would still be alive by then.

“Actually, I’ve held on for quite a while. Two of my fellow patients have already passed away. The doctor didn’t expect me to last this long either. Before ending the stream, I’ll play the piano and sing a song for everyone. But I haven’t played or sung in a long time, so I hope I’m not too rusty.”

Lingnan picked up her phone and switched the camera.

Song Man seemed to see a photo flash across the screen. With her good eyesight and having seen that person’s photo before, she felt certain she hadn’t seen wrong.

Lingnan opened the door to her room and walked into the living room.

A couple was sitting in the living room. Seeing Lingnan come out, they quickly stood up.

“This is my dear dad, and this is my dear mom.”

Lingnan gave a close-up shot with the camera, then the camera shook slightly.

The couple smiled at the camera, but their smiles clearly held bitterness.

“Dad, can you hold this for me? Put it here. I’m going to play a song.”

“Okay.”

Lingnan sat down at the piano, sliding her fingers across the keys as if getting a feel for it.

Her fingers were thin and bony, which was a bit startling to see.

“Okay, I can start now. I’m going to play. Don’t mind if I sing badly.”

“In the alley where you live, I rented an apartment, hoping to run into you unexpectedly. For three years of high school, why, why didn’t I study hard and get into the same university as you…”

Lingnan sang “Waiting For You After Class.” Song Man, who knew Lingnan’s story, knew this was by no means just a random song Lingnan sang.

“The plaza next to the school, I’m waiting here for the bell to ring, waiting for you after class, okay? Playing the piano and singing the song you love, unrequited love isn’t painful at all, the painful part is that you don’t even look at me…”

Lingnan’s voice unconsciously choked up, but she seemed unaware, continuing to play and sing.

“One day, one year, you’ll realize, someone has been quietly by your side. Maybe I shouldn’t be in your world. When you receive the love letter, it also means I’ve already gone far away.”

Only after she finished singing did she touch her tears in a panic.

“Ah, I’ve been feeling emotional lately.”

Lingnan closed the piano lid and took the phone back from her dad.

She hugged her parents, returned to her room, and turned the camera back to herself, though she didn’t show her face. The camera was just pointed at her desk.

Song Man watched the person in the camera say goodnight and then watched the phone screen gradually dim.

She felt a bit heavy-hearted but didn’t know who to discuss it with.

Song Man’s eyes lit up, remembering someone. She and Ah Q both knew about it. She should quickly say a few words, otherwise, her heart would feel blocked.

【A Man】: I’m so conflicted. Did you see Lingnan singing?

【Ah Q】: I saw it. Actually, feelings like this are never one-sided.

Chu Fengqiu had only just realized when Ke Lingyu messaged her. Ke Lingyu, such a proud, arrogant, and even somewhat inconsiderate person, should particularly hate threats. If she truly hated it, she wouldn’t have tolerated it even for a moment.

According to Ke Lingyu’s personality and ability, she didn’t need to stay in that high school at all, but she chose to stay there until the Gaokao ended.

【Ah Q】: She’s too self-loathing. Fundamentally, she hates herself.

Lingnan’s words earlier also carried an undisguised self-deprecation.

She didn’t beautify her actions as being all for love. Her words were as if she wished the bystanders would also scorn her actions.

【A Man】: Sigh, maybe she felt too hopeless.

Song Man felt that feelings were incredibly complicated because everyone wasn’t a template; they were different individuals with different reactions to the same thing.

【Ah Q】: Actually, from the very beginning, she didn’t believe she could get love and took the wrong path.

But she was different. She believed she could conquer Song Man.

Step by step, slowly but surely.