Little Duckling - Chapter 35

How could time pass so quickly?

In the days leading up to the start of school, Jian Xin pondered this serious question daily.

—She hadn’t touched her homework at all.

This was truly terrible. She had made a plan to do a little bit of homework each day during the first few days of vacation, but in the end, she had somehow let the entire break slip by in a daze.

Upon reflection, she realized that most of her vacation, apart from attending her tutoring sessions, had been spent playing.

Wandering around outside was fun, the summer TV dramas were captivating, and chatting online with her friends who did covers was also a blast.

She had even recorded several songs and spent a considerable amount of time mixing them herself!

For each mix, she would drag Yan Lu to listen with her, identify issues, and revise repeatedly.

Once she was satisfied, she would upload the song to music platforms, copy the link, and start promoting it across various online forums, groups, and social media.

On Weibo, she would tag nearly a hundred mutual followers, begging them to retweet and help her reach a wider audience.

She had ten to twenty thousand followers, and each of her songs garnered thirty to forty thousand plays. When a platform recommendation came her way, her plays would surge to two or three hundred thousand. The comments section overflowed with praise.

Jian Xin firmly believed that she would become incredibly famous someday!

But to be honest, she was always alone, meticulously refining every song she created.

She knew all too well that Yan Lu wouldn’t be able to find any flaws.

Yan Lu hadn’t listened to much music and lacked her own musical taste. No matter what Jian Xin recommended, she would simply say, “It sounds good!”

So whenever Jian Xin asked for feedback, Yan Lu would only offer, “This version already sounds great!”

Jian Xin understood that this wasn’t just lip service; Yan Lu’s understanding of music was genuinely limited.

When Jian Xin dragged Yan Lu to listen to her songs and asked for her opinion, it was purely because she cherished a certain feeling.

It was the feeling that someone else was accompanying and participating in the creation of a song—that its birth was witnessed together by two people.

Just as she had watched Yan Lu’s novel grow page by page, she secretly hoped Yan Lu would witness her own musical growth every step of the way.

But the growth Yan Lu witnessed wasn’t the kind she had imagined. Instead, Yan Lu saw her cowering at the dinner table, silenced by Huang He’s sarcastic remarks about her unfinished summer homework.

How could Huang He treat her own daughter like this?

Couldn’t she at least spare her some dignity in front of her classmate?

The cruelest thing in the world isn’t realizing summer vacation is almost over and you haven’t touched your homework.

The real cruelty is knowing your homework remains untouched while the classmate who shares your bed finished it long ago—and your parents know all about it!

This meant she was the worse performer in the control group!

Jian Xin couldn’t wrap her head around it. Was Yan Lu born with some innate homework-completing ability?

Yan Lu worked at the bubble tea shop every day, yet she still managed to write several pages of her novel daily, never missing a beat.

So how had Yan Lu silently finished all her summer homework ahead of time?

What an enviable skill! I really want to learn it…

But before she could learn it, she needed to finish her summer homework first.

Students who often rush their homework in the last day or two of vacation know that to finish quickly, you need more than just scribbling answers.

The trick is to take a close friend to KFC, find a spot under the air conditioning, and order a large fries, two sundaes, egg tarts, and popcorn chicken.

Then, launch your attack!

“Yan Xiaolu, please…” Jian Xin grabbed Yan Lu’s slender wrist and gently shook it. “You’re the best to me! I really can’t finish it all!”

After that, you can achieve twice the results with half the effort!

Jian Xin knew this wasn’t ideal. Seeing Yan Lu say goodbye to the milk tea shop manager two days early for her sake made her feel a little guilty.

But Yan Lu didn’t complain at all. She took the homework booklet and immediately buried herself in writing.

This little desk mate was always so diligent, whether she was writing novels or doing homework.

Quiet and composed, Yan Lu managed to accomplish even the most challenging tasks without a word, radiating an aura of reliability that put Jian Xin at ease.

As Jian Xin wrote, she couldn’t resist glancing up to steal a furtive look at Yan Lu.

Despite knowing her for so long, she realized she had never truly observed her classmate closely.

In Jian Xin’s memory, Yan Lu had always been a thin, pale girl who looked malnourished, forever wearing a single ponytail and a baggy school uniform. Ordinary, not particularly pretty.

But looking at her now, Jian Xin felt a different impression.

Yan Lu was actually quite beautiful. It was only because Jian Xin had seen her every day that she hadn’t noticed the subtle changes over the past year.

Her face was small and delicate, her features refined. Now that she was no longer underfed, her complexion had improved significantly, appearing fair and healthy with a hint of rosy blush, like a porcelain doll.

Jian Xin couldn’t help but wonder: if Yan Lu dressed up, wouldn’t she have plenty of admirers?

At that moment, Jian Xin rested her cheek on her hand, tilted her head slightly, and gazed intently at Yan Lu, who was diligently working on her homework across the table. She found herself unconsciously lost in thought.

Yan Lu: “Why are you spacing out? Aren’t you running out of time?”

The sudden question snapped Jian Xin out of her reverie. She rubbed her temples awkwardly. “Homework is so painful. It’s normal to want to procrastinate a little…”

“There’s so much summer homework this year,” Yan Lu murmured. “If we keep putting it off, we’ll never finish it all, even if we work together.”

“Oh—” Jian Xin replied, quickly burying her head in her work.

With Yan Lu’s help, Jian Xin managed to finish all her summer homework before school started, no longer having to fight sleepiness until dawn.

Of course, even though Jian Xin had specifically invited Yan Lu to KFC rather than “committing the crime” at home, her parents weren’t fools. They could easily see that Yan Lu had played a significant role in her finishing the work ahead of time.

They simply chose to see through the charade without calling her out on it.

On registration day, Jian Xin dragged Yan Lu to the hair salon to trim her bangs and shorten her hair. While they were there, she conveniently had the stylist give Yan Lu a haircut as well.

It was Yan Lu’s first haircut, and she was visibly nervous under the hairdryer. Her knuckles, covered by the salon cape, gripped the armrests tightly, her brow furrowed slightly. Her light brown eyes darted around, as if unsure where to look, giving the impression that she desperately wanted to escape.

The process was nerve-wracking, but the result was surprisingly good.

The stylist was gentle and steady-handed, giving Yan Lu bangs that perfectly framed her face. Her long hair was trimmed to remove split ends and add layers, so when she tied it up, it no longer resembled a messy, unkempt broom.

Yan Lu stared at her reflection in the mirror, feeling somewhat unaccustomed to the change. Her gaze had become noticeably more reserved.

“Don’t be shy! You look beautiful!” Jian Xin said, taking her hand and leading her home for lunch.

After lunch, Jian Xin sat at her computer, chatting on Q/Q and checking new comments on her music posts. Then, she and Yan Lu took a nap together. Finally, with Huang He’s urging, she packed her bags, got into the car, and hurried to school to register.

The dormitory bed was made, and Jian Xin’s parents waved goodbye. Sitting on the bed, she fanned herself with a small round fan, the muggy heat finally bringing the reality of the new school year crashing down on her.

Before she knew it, they were already in their second year of high school!

With the division into humanities and sciences, the class roster had undergone significant changes.

But by sheer coincidence, all the girls in Room 509 were humanities-oriented, with not a single one opting for the sciences. As a result, the dormitory’s occupants remained exactly the same.

As her roommates gradually returned to school, the conversation flowed effortlessly after a summer apart. Their cheerful chatter seemed to make the oppressive heat more bearable.

The roommates noticed Yan Lu’s transformation but offered neither excessive praise nor undue attention. Their casual remarks struck just the right balance, avoiding both disappointment and awkwardness.

Yan Lu seemed to have become more beautiful, a sentiment privately shared by many classmates.

Yet she remained the most inconspicuous presence in the class, always walking with her head bowed, eyes fixed on the ground, clutching a small notebook. Whenever she was in the classroom, she sat quietly at her desk, head bent over whatever she was writing.

To most of her classmates, she was merely Jian Xin’s sidekick—a decent student who might have once had a crush on Qi Xia. That was all.

Even after a year, some couldn’t even remember her name.

Jian Xin, on the other hand, was naturally outgoing and could strike up a conversation with almost anyone, as long as there was no animosity between them.

After the start of their junior year, the previous literature committee member transferred to the science class. Jian Xin proactively took over the position. Coincidentally, less than a month into the semester, the school organized a school-wide choir competition. While other classes scrambled for the music teacher’s limited time, Class Eight had her available to play the piano and lead the singing whenever they needed. They ultimately achieved an outstanding ranking.

The Home Room Teacher was naturally overjoyed when the school’s award certificate was posted on the bulletin board at the back of the classroom. During the competition review, he showered Jian Xin with praise.

As a result, her classmates began to see her in a new light.

Everyone now knew that Jian Xin had studied music—she sang beautifully, played the piano, came from a well-off family, had a warm and cheerful personality, and was strikingly beautiful.

If only her academic performance were a bit stronger, she would be the perfect female lead straight out of a novel.

But where in the world does true perfection exist?

Yan Lu thought Jian Xin was perfect just as she was.

Jian Xin possessed a unique radiance that shouldn’t be defined by any label.

Even with her inevitable flaws, Jian Xin would always be the star surrounded by a constellation of admirers.

And Yan Lu was content to be a dimmer star, orbiting Jian Xin along an unwavering path, forever at her side.

She loved this life, cherished every ordinary day and night.

She loved the sudden offering of half an earbud, and the small speaker that played music in their dorm room every evening.

She loved having Jian Xin snoring beside her in class, or the occasional notes they passed back and forth. She loved the breathless sprints to the cafeteria after school, hand in hand, to grab food.

She loved Jian Xin tapping the table, urging her to write down the stories in her heart, and the weekends they spent at home, meticulously tweaking the mix of a song.

It all felt so surreal, yet it was undeniably real.

As if their existence had banished all the darkness that once surrounded her.

Had she finally escaped the winter night?

Yan Lu wondered blankly, her pen unconsciously writing down everything she longed for.

Lin Xiaoshuang gripped Li Xia’s hand tightly.

Running, chasing the coastline—

The sky was scorching, their palms slick with sweat, yet neither would loosen their grip even slightly.

She would never forget that day.

The dawn pierced through the long night, melting the icy plains and gifting this place with an endless expanse of azure blue.

A summer breeze swept across the sea, causing waves to crash and bloom like thunderous blossoms, as if capable of washing away every inch of the world’s ugliness.

She gazed at Li Xia, who returned her gaze.

After a long, silent moment, they suddenly smiled at each other.

Li Xia asked, “Are you getting used to this kind of life?”

Lin Xiaoshuang shook her head. “Not yet.”

A smile danced in her eyes as she closed them and took a deep breath.

“But I love it,” she murmured, her lips curving upward. “I’ll adapt slowly.”

She thought, she would get used to all of this.

For Li Xia, and for herself.

New Year’s over! Time to go back to the grind!

Smooth Sailing Duck

After posting the message on WeChat, Jian Xin immediately switched to Q/Q, found Yan Lu, and sent him the exact same message and emoji.

Yan Lu replied quickly, but his response was perfunctory, simply copying and pasting the  Smooth Sailing Duck  emoji.

Picked Up a Heart: Hey, do you remember our movie date before New Year’s?

Yan Lu Er Qi: Yeah.

Picked Up a Heart: I’m heading back tonight. When are you free to catch a movie, our esteemed author?

Yan Lu Er Qi: Whenever works for you.

Picked Up a Heart: Any cravings? We could find a theater nearby.

Yan Lu Er Qi: Anything’s fine.

Picked Up a Heart: No cravings? Then let’s pick a central location—not too far from either of us, so it’s easy to get home!

Yan Lu Er Qi: Just make the arrangements.

“Sir, please open your window shade.”

Then it’s on me! I’ll check when I get back…

“Ma’am, please switch your phone to airplane mode or turn it off.”

“Okay, okay!” Jian Xin replied, hastily finishing her message.

Picked Up a Heart: Then it’s on me! I’ll check when I get back and let you know.

Picked Up a Heart: Plane’s taking off now! See you soon!

Yan Lu Er Qi: Smooth Sailing Duck

Picked Up a Heart: Smooth Sailing Duck

Jian Xin couldn’t help but smile as she looked at the cartoon cauliflower on her phone, its leaves ruffled by the wind. She swiped down to open the menu and activated airplane mode.

With a faint ringing in her ears, the plane slowly began to ascend.

Jian Xin watched as everything outside the window gradually shrank, the boundless blue sky and white clouds stretching endlessly. Her mood inexplicably brightened.

To prevent herself from accidentally transforming into a duck mid-flight, she clutched her phone and began re-reading Yan Lu’s Endless Rain.

Endless Rain was one of Yan Lu Er Qi’s earlier works.

The first time Jian Xin read it, she had simply cried intensely. Later, after seeing others’ reviews, she felt a twinge of knee pain. Now, on her second read, she felt as if she were staring into a mirror.

The longer she stared, the more her knees seemed to rot.

No wonder Yan Lu had once criticized her behind her back, saying she only saw the surface of things. Once she finished a story, she was done with it…

Jian Xin was the one who should have understood Yan Lu’s stories best, yet she had always been the one who understood them least.

Fortunately, understanding now might not be too late.

Jian Xin thought she probably didn’t need to visit the temple for now.

Turning into a duck, even if it were truly the work of evil spirits, wasn’t such a terrible thing. She didn’t want to accidentally pray away the Great Duck Immortal, which would only lead to more misunderstandings between her and Yan Lu.

Back in Jin City, back in her familiar home, Jian Xin set aside her crutches and collapsed onto the bed, closing her eyes.

Her return flight had been at 3 PM. She’d slept in late that morning, so she wasn’t tired at all now, just curious. If she fell asleep now, would she be able to visit Yan Lu? What was that stubborn guy doing?

But her luck probably wasn’t good enough. She fell asleep quickly, but when she opened her eyes, it was dark, and she was still lying in her own bed.

Without her mother’s cooking or a private chef, her stomach growled. She could only lie in the dark, clutching her phone, agonizing over takeout options.

She really hated making these decisions.

For the past few years, she’d either eaten at the company cafeteria or simply hadn’t had time to eat at all.

Choosing takeout was just too difficult.

Maybe she should ask for a recommendation.

With that thought, Jian Xin opened Q/Q.

Picked Up a Heart: Hello duck!

Yan Lu Er Qi: Hello duck!

Good, even though it was a copy-pasted reply, at least he used an emoji.

Jian Xin looked at the perfunctory response and felt inexplicably satisfied.

Picked Up a Heart: What did you eat this afternoon, duck?

Yan Lu Er Qi: Why do you ask?

Picked Up a Heart: Takeout is so hard to choose! I’m looking for ideas.

Yan Lu Er Qi: I made noodles myself.

Picked Up a Heart: Sigh

 Picked Up a Heart:  That’s completely useless as a reference!

 Picked Up a Heart:  I’ve been back in Nanjiang for over a month, and now my fridge is completely empty.

 Yan Lu Er Qi:  Any options? I’ll help you decide.

Jian Xin pressed her lips together tightly, unable to suppress the corners of her mouth from curving upward. She quickly screenshotted a few options and sent them over.

 Yan Lu Er Qi:  Image How about this? It’s more nutritious.

 Picked Up a Heart:  Okay, okay, okay!

 Picked Up a Heart:  Thank you so much! I’m such an indecisive person!

 Picked Up a Heart:  Love youLove youLove you

Jian Xin switched back to the food delivery app and, without hesitation, opened the restaurant Yan Lu had chosen. She ordered a single-person coconut chicken meal.

This was a national chain located in a large shopping mall, known for its cleanliness, reasonable distance, and decent taste.

The only downside was the price—the single meal, including delivery fees, came to over sixty yuan.

A slight pang of guilt struck her.

The moment the thought of it being too expensive flashed through her mind, Jian Xin froze. When she snapped back to reality, she couldn’t help but laugh self-deprecatingly.

The world truly is a strange place.

In the past, buying whatever she wanted had been as simple as a whim. Despite her limited monthly allowance, she had always been extravagant, eager to shower Yan Lu with the finest things.

Now, even ordering takeout chosen by Yan Lu felt like a painful extravagance.

“Is this all you’re capable of? And you want to buy a big villa and invite her to live there?” she murmured, lying on the bed, lost in thought.

This is terrible. Look at me now… no car, no house, no money, no fame.

Yan Lu is so wonderful. Do I even deserve her?

The bedroom was dark, and Jian Xin’s gaze drifted aimlessly.

After a moment of contemplation, she clenched her fist.

Yes, I do deserve her!

I’m going to be a superstar!

The money will come, the fame will come, everything I want will come!

And if it doesn’t, I’ll find a way to compromise… but I definitely deserve her!

Her phone suddenly rang, and she bolted upright in bed.

“Hello?”

“Your delivery!”

“Oh, oh, oh!” Jian Xin replied hastily. “Just hang it on the hook to the left of the door!”

Yes, that’s right, even the takeout would come.

Since things had come to this, she might as well eat her fill first!

After finishing the warm meal and drinking plenty of the slightly sweet, comforting soup, she felt a renewed sense of motivation.

She was about to start creating!

To make it in music, the first step to earning big money was writing songs!

With this thought, Jian Xin sat down at her computer, brimming with determination.

Perhaps it was the afternoon nap, or perhaps she’d been inspired by something, but she felt particularly energized. She sat at her computer for hours, only realizing it was past 2 a.m. when she finally snapped out of her focus.

Staring at the half-finished project in the software, Jian Xin saved her work and exhaled deeply.

She tilted her head, pondered for a moment, then opened Yan Lu’s private chat.

Picked Up a Heart: Who’s still awake at this hour?

Picked Up a Heart: Oh, it’s just me. Never mind.

Yan Lu Er Qi: Why aren’t you asleep yet?

Picked Up a Heart: Aren’t you the same?

Yan Lu Er Qi: I’m always like this.

Picked Up a Heart: Good point

Picked Up a Heart: If I start staying up late every day too, can we stay up together in the future?

Yan Lu Er Qi: Messing up your sleep schedule is hard to fix.

Picked Up a Heart: Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal!

Yan Lu Er Qi: It’s still better to be healthy.

Picked Up a Heart: Don’t just lecture me! What about you?

Yan Lu Er Qi: It’s too late for me to change.

Picked Up a Heart: See? That’s what I’m saying!

Picked Up a Heart: Actually, just getting enough sleep every day is enough. No need to stress so much—we don’t have to clock in and out at fixed times every day, you know.

Jian Xin sent the message, but half the day passed without a reply.

She pursed her lips, shut down her computer, went to the bathroom to wash up, and then returned to bed with her phone.

Great, Yan Lu still hasn’t replied.

Deflated, Jian Xin turned off the electric blanket, tossed her phone aside, and gritted her teeth as she closed her eyes.

After a brief silence, she opened her eyes, groped around on the bed for a few seconds, and snatched her phone back.

Picked Up a Heart: Good night!

Yan Lu Er Qi: Good night.

Ah, that’s better!

Jian Xin sighed in relief, tossed her phone aside, snuggled under the warm covers, and drifted off to sleep with a smile.

It was a wonderful dream.

In the dream, the old-fashioned grandfather clock chimed on the hour.

Yan Lu sat on the living room sofa, reading a book.

Jian Xin, legs crossed and propped up on her elbows, lay beside her, pressing against a large goose plushie. Her fingers gently poked the soft flesh of Yan Lu’s slender arm, one tap at a time.

“If you poke me again, I’ll get angry.”

“You’re just reading and not even looking at me, and I’m not angry!”

Yan Lu set down her book, tilted her head, and looked at Jian Xin, her gentle eyes brimming with amusement.

Xin Xin chased Cauliflower around the coffee table, circling it several times.

Outside, the locust flowers were in bloom…

Yan Lu arched her eyebrows and put down her book.

Leaning down, she pressed a kiss to Jian Xin’s lips.