Sweet Kiss - Chapter 6.2

Bai Tingzhou glanced at her but didn’t say anything else. This was as far as he could go in helping Qi Jinyang.

Nearby, a busy teacher noticed them still talking and couldn’t help but call out, “Bai Tingzhou, Song Wannin! Get ready—ten minutes until we start!”

Both of them answered at the same time, “Got it, teacher.”

But truthfully, they had memorized their speeches ages ago.

For Song Wannin, these ten minutes were still prime gossip time.

“I heard our school got a new transfer student. Is that true?” She had been absent due to personal matters and had only arrived today.

Still, she was well-informed about everything that happened at school. With Xu Mu, the walking news outlet, by her side, there was no way anything would escape her knowledge.

“Yeah,” Bai Tingzhou replied before asking, “Who told you?”

Song Wannin grinned proudly. “That’s a secret.”

Song Wannin was one of the few girls Bai Tingzhou was willing to hold a conversation with.

There were three reasons for this:

One—because they were classmates.
  Two—because of Qi Jinyang.
  Three—because every time the school needed students to represent them in major events, the two of them were always chosen.

Over time, Bai Tingzhou’s usual reluctance to chat with girls had been worn down by Song Wannin’s relentless love for gossip.

At this point, he was completely unfazed by it.

“You know that girl, don’t you?” Song Wannin asked curiously.

“Secret,” Bai Tingzhou retorted without hesitation.

“Fine, don’t say it then,” Song Wannin shrugged nonchalantly. “But I’ve seen her before.”

At those words, Bai Tingzhou frowned and turned to her. “You’ve seen her? Where?”

The tension and unease in his voice didn’t escape Song Wannin’s notice.

“Why are you so nervous?” she teased.

Bai Tingzhou was momentarily stumped. He rubbed his nose awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.

Song Wannin couldn’t help but bend over in laughter.

Bai Tingzhou scowled and turned away. “Forget it.” He pretended not to see her amused expression, staring straight ahead.

“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore,” Song Wannin waved a hand and returned to a more serious tone. “Do you remember me telling you guys that I met a really nice girl when I went to Shengzhe?”

“Yeah, I think I remember something like that.” Bai Tingzhou nodded.

“That girl was Li Yansui.”

Back then, the finals of a dance competition were hosted by Shengzhe. On the day of the event, Song Wannin was on her way to the venue when a group of rich, idle boys blocked her path. They tried luring her with different topics, coaxing her to go out with them. Song Wannin had wanted to turn around and leave, but they outnumbered her, so she had no choice but to endure and deal with them patiently.

Just as the boys were running out of patience, Li Yansui suddenly appeared behind her.

She grabbed Song Wannin’s wrist and pulled her behind her, shielding her completely.

Even though she was shorter, she still stood firmly in front of her.

At that moment, Song Wannin felt a strong presence—one that made her feel both safe and warm.

Because Li Yansui was blocking her, Song Wannin couldn’t see the expression on her face.

But she did see the way those boys glared at Li Yansui with irritation before one of them pointed at her and sneered, “Just you wait.” Then, they walked away.

After the incident, Song Wannin had wanted to properly thank Li Yansui and even invited her for a meal.

But Li Yansui didn’t give her the chance.

“It was nothing. No need to thank me,” she had replied indifferently. Her detached tone was a stark contrast to the person she was now.

Song Wannin still wanted to say something, but Li Yansui had already put on her earphones and turned to leave.

However, after walking a few steps, she suddenly stopped and pointed in a direction.

“Swan Princess, the competition venue is that way. If you don’t hurry, you’ll be late.”

Her tone remained distant and unreadable.

Song Wannin followed the direction Li Yansui had pointed at—and sure enough, it was exactly where she needed to go.

For some reason, she suddenly had the urge to get to know this girl who had protected her.

But when she turned around again—

She was already gone.

She didn’t even get her name.

At the time, Song Wannin had felt frustrated.

Now, as the memory replayed vividly in her mind, warmth and gratitude filled her heart.

However, she didn’t let it show.

“Later, I happened to find out her name was Li Yansui. I never expected her to transfer here.” Song Wannin paused slightly, then added with firm determination, “This time, I will get to know her!”

She waited for Bai Tingzhou to say something, but after a long moment of silence, she turned her head—only to catch an unexpected emotion in his eyes.

Was that… pride? And a hint of happiness?

“Aren’t you going to say something?” she asked.

Bai Tingzhou snapped out of his thoughts and, as usual, maintained his composure.

“What is there to say? She’s always been a great person.”

This time, his voice carried a pride that was impossible to hide.

Song Wannin was momentarily stunned.

She didn’t refute him.

Instead, she softly repeated, “Li Yansui really is a great person.”

Just as they finished speaking, the backstage teacher called for them to prepare to go on stage.

Sunlight streamed into the hall, illuminating everything in a golden glow.

A soft light fell upon them, coating their figures in gold.

The beauty of the moment made it impossible to look away.

As soon as Bai Tingzhou and Song Wannin stepped onto the stage, the audience erupted into thunderous applause.

“They look amazing!”

“Senior Song Wan Ning is so beautiful! Oh my god, I want her WeChat!”

Cheers erupted from the audience as Song Wan Ning and Bai Ting Zhou took the stage, surprised by the enthusiastic response.

However, they paid no mind to it.

The two of them recited their speech seamlessly, working in perfect sync. Their delivery was fluent and natural, effortlessly completing the script.

As their speech ended, the audience broke into thunderous applause and excited cheers.

Since they still had to cue the next part of the program, Bai Ting Zhou didn’t return to the classroom until the second period was nearly over.

Song Wan Ning had something else to attend to, so they parted ways backstage.

As soon as Bai Ting Zhou sat down, Qi Jin Yang leaned in, covering his mouth as he whispered in his ear, “Did she agree?”

Bai Ting Zhou frowned slightly. “What are you talking about?”

Qi Jin Yang immediately panicked upon hearing that response. He straightened up, his voice rising uncontrollably, “The thing I asked you to tell her—did you forget?!”

Before Bai Ting Zhou could answer, a piece of chalk hit Qi Jin Yang squarely on his body.

The math teacher adjusted his glasses and shouted in a firm voice, “Qi Jin Yang, what are you doing?! You were already distracted before, and now that Bai Ting Zhou is back, you’re even more unruly! What exactly did you ask him to do? Come on, share it with the whole class!”

Qi Jin Yang instantly shrank back, lowering his head in surrender.

“S-Sorry, teacher. I was just talking nonsense. It’s nothing important.”

“Talking nonsense is still not allowed!” The math teacher scolded with a stern face. “If you have something to say, wait until after class. You’re in your senior year now—focus on your studies! Understood? That goes for everyone else, too…”

Bai Ting Zhou glanced at Qi Jin Yang’s pitiful expression and couldn’t help but smirk slightly.

The silent loss he had suffered at Song Wan Ning’s hands earlier—he had now taken his revenge on someone else.

Feeling a bit guilty for teasing him too much, Bai Ting Zhou tore off a small piece of paper, wrote down four words—She agreed.—and tossed it to Qi Jin Yang.

Qi Jin Yang, who had been slouching in defeat, suddenly perked up as he read the note. His eyes lit up with excitement. “She agreed?!”

“Mm.” Bai Ting Zhou nodded. “For real.” He confirmed it right away, preventing Qi Jin Yang from pestering him any further.

Qi Jin Yang nudged Bai Ting Zhou with his elbow, feigning annoyance. “And you tricked me just now!” But the joy in his voice was unmistakable.

The summer sun bathed the classroom in warm light, making people feel drowsy. Bai Ting Zhou leaned against the window, his mind drifting back to Song Wan Ning’s words.

“Li Yan Sui really is a wonderful person.”