The Senior Student (female) Is Not Human - Chapter25

Chapter 25: The Dress

“Stand by my side.”

Le Qiong stared at the scene before her in shock.

She had never known that Jiang Xiyao—this rumored ignoramus, a pretty face who supposedly bought her specialized admission slot—could actually play a musical instrument?

But what stunned her even more was that this cruel beauty, who never gave anyone a second glance, actually had an exception she was willing to touch?

Moreover.

Between Jiang Xiyao and Xie Shiwei, Xie Shiwei was the one who looked more reluctant.

Thinking of how Xie Shiwei had ignored Jiang Xiyao just moments ago, only concerned with rushing to her side with warmth and questions, Le Qiong felt a momentary surge of illicit pleasure.

[If Jiang Xiyao couldn’t win her over, but I did, then wouldn’t I be—]

The instant the thought blossomed.

Le Qiong suddenly felt an intensely chilling draft scrape against her neck.

A sharp pain abruptly erupted in her throat, as if a steel blade was slowly slicing her windpipe. Le Qiong instinctively clutched her neck, yet still felt a hot temperature escaping between her fingers.

Her face was deathly pale as she looked at Jiang Xiyao, who was embracing the person in her lap and looking over at her.

Jiang Xiyao’s palm merely rested lightly around Xie Shiwei’s waist, but her poised demeanor completely showcased the predator’s unique possessiveness and control.

And the first thing this hunter, who had already circled her prey, did was eliminate any other covetous eyes.

Her bottomless black eyes gazed over.

“How would you like to die?”

Le Qiong saw the malicious smile overflowing on Jiang Xiyao’s face. In a trance, she also seemed to see the red mole at the corner of Jiang Xiyao’s lip flicker on and off, each pulsation a burst of killing intent directed at her.

M-monster!

How could a person have such terrifying eyes! How could a person have such a perfect yet twisted face!

Le Qiong suddenly felt that all her dark thoughts were exposed beneath those eyes. In the face of this overly real, slow, murderous intent that felt like she was being sliced piece by piece, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground.

She struggled to breathe, to speak, but her mouth could only open and close fruitlessly. Overcome by fear, the oxygen seemed to have abandoned her.

Jiang Xiyao watched her fall, twitch, and convulse, a cold smile playing on her lips.

Until.

The warmth she felt in her palm shivered inadvertently.

She lazily raised an eyebrow, seeing the girl in her lap cover her mouth in fright, looking to her for help: “S-Sister, Sister Le Qiong, what, what’s wrong with her?”

Seeing Xie Shiwei anxiously reach for her phone to call an ambulance, Jiang Xiyao stopped her without hesitation, answering nonchalantly:

“Respiratory alkalosis, probably? So pathetic. She probably never saw someone as beautiful as me before, became overly excited out of self-consciousness, and fainted. She’ll be fine after a little nap.”

To be scared unconscious just like that—she got off too easily.

Jiang Xiyao clicked her tongue in annoyance, concluding that her intimidation skills were rusty because she hadn’t practiced on prey.

But Xie Shiwei stared at her, eyes wide.

…I heard that question about how someone wants to die loud and clear!

It looks like Sister Le Qiong was definitely scared unconscious!

Jiang Xiyao raised an eyebrow, seeing Xie Shiwei stare at her for the first time: “What’s wrong, are you worried about her?”

Xie Shiwei immediately sensed an approaching storm. There were only three people in the room. With Sister Le Qiong, the punching bag, gone, wouldn’t she be the only unlucky one left?

She shook her head wildly, expertly squeezing out a few tears at the corner of her eye, looking pitifully at Jiang Xiyao:

“Sister, I-I-I’m timid. Don’t, don’t scare me like you did her, okay?”

Her fingers tentatively pinched the corner of the beauty’s sleeve and gave it a shake.

Jiang Xiyao narrowed her eyes, enjoying the attention immensely.

Until the next second, she realized: Xie Shiwei’s act of coyness last night was stiff and unfamiliar. Why had it become so practiced after just one night?

The only variable between last night and now was the irritating presence collapsed on the floor.

Realizing this, Jiang Xiyao’s face darkened again: “Well done, Xie Shiwei. Now your tears can even flow for other people, is that right?”

Xie Shiwei was stunned.

She didn’t understand what the statement meant.

The next moment, she saw Jiang Xiyao lower her eyes indifferently: “Very good. Let me see what lengths you’ll go to for others.”

Xie Shiwei’s lips moved uneasily. She was just about to say something when the plucked sound of a zither interrupted her.

In an instant, Xie Shiwei’s attention was completely captured by the hands gliding over the Guzheng.

Before, she had been nervously debating what Jiang Xiyao meant by suddenly having her sit on her lap. Was she bothered by the image of indifference she had cultivated, unlike other suitors?

Did she want to expose her seemingly lofty, unmoved pretense?

What new idea was Sister thinking of to torment her?

But the strange thing was.

Xie Shiwei, who usually couldn’t bear even harmless words and pranks, felt not just fear of the unknown when it came to Jiang Xiyao’s teasing, but also a hidden anticipation.

She found that she really loved Jiang Xiyao’s closeness and touch under the guise of teasing.

She loved that Jiang Xiyao always hid with her during their games of hide-and-seek.

She loved those long fingers lightly stroking and flicking her glasses.

She loved the unpredictability of the other’s hand, unsure whether it would next grab her wrist or her ankle.

Including this moment, sitting where no one else had ever sat, watching Jiang Xiyao play the zither from such a close distance, Xie Shiwei felt a bubbly, soda-like joy welling up in her heart.

Perhaps the essence of her body’s addiction to Jiang Xiyao was that her body really liked this person.

[Like… I like her so much…]

As the lively notes rang in her ears, Xie Shiwei realized there wasn’t a single impure thought in her heart. She just wanted to embrace the cheerful music and savor the moment.

She had previously thought that not understanding Le Qiong’s music meant she lacked artistic sense. Now, although she also didn’t understand Jiang Xiyao’s piece, she could feel a bittersweet sensation, like first love—

Was it just that Sister Le Qiong’s skill level was too poor?

As the music stopped, Xie Shiwei cast a sympathetic glance at the unconscious Le Qiong.

It was a good thing Le Qiong didn’t hear this piece. Wouldn’t a music major be devastated to realize her years of hard study were less naturally talented than an amateur from the art department?

“Dang!”

A zither string suddenly snapped as she looked at Le Qiong.

The plain white string shot towards the corner of her eye but was caught mid-air by a pale hand.

“Drip.”

A drop of bl00d red fell onto the instrument as a chilling whisper breathed by her ear: “Do you like her that much?”

Jiang Xiyao was incredulous. Xie Shiwei had flushed in pleasure and felt utterly happy listening to Le Qiong’s grating performance, yet showed no reaction at all to her playing?!

Oh.

It wasn’t that she had no reaction. It was that she was constantly and anxiously looking at Le Qiong.

Those few whispers of “like” must have been directed at that damnable person—

Jiang Xiyao clenched the zither string in her palm, seemingly feeling no pain, letting the bl00d spatter freely.

Xie Shiwei, recovering from her initial daze, suddenly jumped up: “S-Sister, you’re hurt! I-I’ll get you medicine…”

The hand that had been resting on her waist now suddenly clamped down, holding her firmly.

“I asked.”

“Do you like Le Qiong?”

The chilling words rang out, one by one, carrying a dangerous tone.

Xie Shiwei nervously grabbed Jiang Xiyao’s injured hand, shaking her head instinctively, her answer given without thought:

“I don’t like her… Sister, let go quickly. The wound needs to be cleaned immediately. I don’t know how deep the cut is…”

If it was too deep, she might need stitches at the hospital.

The more Xie Shiwei thought about it, the more worried she became, desperately trying to pry open Jiang Xiyao’s tightly clenched hand.

Amidst her distress, Jiang Xiyao’s congealed killing intent suddenly eased.

For some reason, even though she knew Xie Shiwei was lying to her, hearing that answer gave her a sudden feeling of relief, as if everyone was starting at the same baseline.

In the moment her mind relaxed, her palm involuntarily lost its resistance, allowing the girl to pull it open.

Xie Shiwei saw the string embedded in her flesh and gasped in alarm.

“Sister!”

Jiang Xiyao quickly came to her senses and clenched her hand again.

She had been too distracted earlier, so she hadn’t controlled her skin. If Xie Shiwei found out that the wound was no longer bleeding, she might notice other abnormalities.

Jiang Xiyao didn’t care for herself, but she was too lazy to deal with a frightened, fainting coward.

“Don’t worry about it.” She said lightly, lowering the palm clutching the broken string, and instead pursued the question with interest: “Tell me, why don’t you like Le Qiong?”

After a pause, she added: “Speak ill of her. No sugarcoating or vague pleasantries allowed.”

Even if they were lies, she wanted to hear the palatable ones.

Xie Shiwei: “…?”

She stared blankly at Jiang Xiyao, wondering why Sister had the leisure to care about such a strange question at a time like this.

However, the force gripping her waist was too tight. Several attempts to struggle free failed, and her waist began to ache instead.

Xie Shiwei could only anxiously confirm that the hand Jiang Xiyao lowered wasn’t dripping bl00d anymore, thinking that since Jiang Xiyao was a germaphobe and the zither was spotless, there shouldn’t be a serious bacterial infection.

She then intermittently followed Jiang Xiyao’s tricky line of thought: “I don’t like her… I just don’t like her. There’s no particular reason…”

Her muttering stopped abruptly when she caught sight of the beauty’s cooling expression.

Only then did Xie Shiwei see that a drop of the splattered bl00d had traced a line across the corner of Jiang Xiyao’s eye. Her already alluring eyes were adorned by this streak of red, like a mesmerizing, blooming flower.

She unconsciously held her breath, swallowing audibly.

Jiang Xiyao, however, glared at her irritably: “Dare to give me a vague answer again?”

Ugh.

She looks even hotter when she’s mad. I really want to lick that drop of bl00d off.

Xie Shiwei instinctively clamped her legs together, her back stiffening. Fearing she would flood if she relaxed, she actively and cooperatively shifted her focus.

Although she was not the type to badmouth others behind their backs, perhaps the presence of the unconscious person right in front of her, coupled with Jiang Xiyao’s direct coercion, gave her a sense of self-righteousness.

“Sister Le Qiong is acting very strange.”

Xie Shiwei began clumsily: “She’s different from when I first met her.”

She still remembered Le Qiong’s helpful smile when they met during the fitness test and she offered to help. Although she often saw Le Qiong smile at her now, something felt changed.

Jiang Xiyao: “…?”

Who asked for details on their relationship change? Who asked?

The hand on her waist moved down. Jiang Xiyao pinched the plumpest part of Xie Shiwei’s lower back without a real smile:

“If I hear one more thing I don’t want to hear, you won’t be walking out of this door standing up today.”

Xie Shiwei bit her lower lip, letting out a stifled sound, and quickly raised her hands to cover her face.

She didn’t know why, but she always felt that Jiang Xiyao would be the type in bed who was too lazy to move, demanding that others take the initiative, and would even harshly spank them if she wasn’t satisfied.

The stinging pain in her lower back, combined with the image that flashed in her mind…

In the despair of her abdomen tightening, Xie Shiwei spared a thought to console herself: Thank goodness I remembered I was about to get my period and put on a pad this afternoon, just in case.

As long as it’s only to this extent—

She painfully steered her thoughts back. Unable to figure out what Jiang Xiyao wanted to hear, she started guessing answers.

“She, she clearly doesn’t like girls, but every time she talks to me, she gets very close, and she suddenly grabs my hand.”

She doesn’t like that.

[I like it…]

Jiang Xiyao’s temple twitched. She suddenly wondered if she was out of her mind for sitting here listening to this.

She also didn’t expect Xie Shiwei to be quite the challenger, enjoying the thrill of pursuing a straight girl.

The palm resting on her lower back dangerously began to roam her lower back. Having already experienced the force of Jiang Xiyao’s hand, Xie Shiwei, who was slightly afraid of pain, was terrified, her voice starting to tremble:

“I just, I just don’t like her. She said she’d fix my glasses, but when she went into the shop outside the South Gate with me, the owner didn’t remember her ever being there; and she always stares at the things my friends gave me…”

“I’m, I’m already so poor, wuwuwu… I don’t have anything to give her…”

Including the attack at the department entrance.

Xie Shiwei knew that it was human nature to abandon ship in the face of disaster, but she wouldn’t want to be good friends with someone who hid behind her when danger struck.

Although Le Qiong later explained that she had tried to reach out and save her, but accidentally pushed her instead.

Perhaps the old her would have believed Le Qiong wanted to be her friend, but after experiencing Zhong Chuyao’s true friendship, having seen the real deal, she would never be easily moved by others’ flowery words again.

Xie Shiwei didn’t want to overthink the sincerity of others. If Jiang Xiyao hadn’t mandated her to participate in this campus singer final, she wouldn’t have even wanted to pass by this activity building again.

In any case, Xie Shiwei rattled off a lot of thoughts, not knowing if Jiang Xiyao liked any of it. She only cared about pulling Jiang Xiyao’s hand back to the area below her waist, pleading tearfully with her:

“Sister, I’m so afraid of pain. Please don’t pinch me, okay? If you, if you really want to pinch, why don’t you pinch here?”

As Jiang Xiyao’s palm was guided back to that plump, soft, and fleshy spot below her waist.

Jiang Xiyao suddenly let out a laugh.

She never knew that the main reason Xie Shiwei cared so much about Le Qiong was actually due to money.

Ha—

Right. The girl who was so afraid of death previously had unhesitatingly refused her invitation, but then changed her mind and agreed to explore the old school building late at night for a mere 20,000 yuan from Tang Hui.

Later, she entered the Tang family’s door again resolutely because You Jiayi was willing to pay for a funeral.

How could she forget how miserly this little pauper was?

Jiang Xiyao lightly patted her bottom: “If you don’t want your string of… cheap goods to completely shatter, it’s best to stay away from her.”

“Get up. I’ll let you off this time.”

Xie Shiwei: “…”

She didn’t know why.

That very light tap, which landed like a feather, ironically stirred a deep itch inside her, making her wish Jiang Xiyao had hit her harder.

The girl, realizing what she was thinking, bounced off the beauty’s lap, her face scarlet. As she frantically wiped the tears from her face, she felt a stronger urge to wipe the ‘tears’ from another location.

So, she whispered, “Can I go to the bathroom?”

Jiang Xiyao lazily gave an assent, watching her turn and run away eagerly. Then, as if she remembered something:

“Stop. Take the things in that box and go change.”

When Xie Shiwei had walked into the music room today, she had seen a collection of ancient and modern instruments from various countries and had assumed the boxes piled against the wall were all instrument cases.

Hearing Jiang Xiyao’s words, she was confused, still wondering what strange instrument it was.

The moment she opened the brown leather box, Xie Shiwei’s breathing stopped.

Inside was a set of luxurious clothes—a top and a short skirt—with material and patterns similar to the cheongsam Jiang Xiyao was wearing.

However, from the sheer lining to the silver thread embroidery of the galaxy on the red silk of the top, the clothes were undoubtedly from the same design as Jiang Xiyao’s cheongsam.

Xie Shiwei turned around helplessly: “…Sister?”

Didn’t Sister hate it when people wore similar clothes to her?

Jiang Xiyao looked at her slowly: “Performance outfits need to be tried on. This set is yours.”

She was very certain that this outfit perfectly matched Xie Shiwei’s figure and temperament.

Because last night, she had measured every inch of the girl’s form with her eyes.

Seeing that the girl was about to say something, Jiang Xiyao’s eyes deepened: “Are you disobeying me?”

Xie Shiwei had no choice but to swallow her protest of “I don’t want to go on stage.” She carefully held the pile of beautiful, obviously expensive, handmade clothes and walked toward the bathroom.

After changing her pad and putting on the clothes—she rarely wore skirts and felt completely insecure—she only managed a quick glance in the mirror. Confirming she hadn’t worn anything wrong, she scurried back to the music room guiltily.

Jiang Xiyao was currently looking at the split skin on her palm, considering how much to control the wound.

When she heard the movement, she casually lifted her eyelids—

The next moment, her gaze froze.

The girl who ran in with a flushed face, unaware that her hair was disheveled, nervously twisted her fingers together, pressing them against the pleated short skirt. Her red fingertips were like peach blossoms decorating the black skirt.

The strap neckline exposed her soft, pale shoulder. The skirt, which didn’t reach her knees, accentuated her straight, white legs. Even the shy pink of her knees was clearly visible.

Although she had witnessed the girl’s entire body flush yesterday, seeing her in clothes now gave a different sensation.

Jiang Xiyao suddenly pressed her tongue against her teeth.

A surge of desire to bite something rose in her.

Xie Shiwei, used to wearing long sleeves and long pants even in summer to block the sun and avoid strange stares, felt a raw, cold exposure. Standing under Jiang Xiyao’s gaze for a while, she couldn’t help but speak:

“S-Sister, does it look bad? I, I don’t really have any talent, so I don’t need to go on stage.”

“Should I go change back now?”

Jiang Xiyao drew out her tone, asking her: “Who said it looks bad?”

Then, she beckoned to her: “Come closer.”

Xie Shiwei shuffled two small steps in her direction.

Until she was urged to come closer again, finally inching forward until she heard a displeased “Tsk.”

She felt tears welling up again, her legs so weak that she clutched the Guzheng, as if crouching would give her more security. She looked up at Jiang Xiyao pitifully, begging:

“Sister, I’m not used to wearing a skirt. Let me change back, please, I beg you QAQ.”

Jiang Xiyao looked down at her.

The gold-framed glasses added a layer of fragile restraint to the girl’s pure and charming appearance. This wasn’t a look of “do not touch,” but rather an invitation for others to roughly rip it off—

Jiang Xiyao, born from lust and an expert in following her desires, naturally raised her hand and rested it on the edge of the glasses frame.

She suddenly felt that Xie Shiwei should be adorned with more. Just taking off the glasses wasn’t enough.

So, she asked, “Where is the hair clip from before?”

My skin is still better; it can be transformed into any decoration I like.

Xie Shiwei’s body trembled, her peripheral vision constantly focused on the hand resting on the glasses frame. Absentmindedly, she replied: “That clip wasn’t easy to use. It kept catching my hair, so I didn’t wear it…”

Jiang Xiyao suddenly called her name: “Xie Shiwei.”

The girl instinctively followed the sound and looked up.

“Stand by my side, and no one will point fingers at you.”

Jiang Xiyao looked at her constantly shifting eyes, as if she could hear the anxious beating of her heart. On a whim, she said this.

But in the next second, her tone grew certain.

No matter how beautiful Xie Shiwei was, she couldn’t compare to her own flawlessly enchanting looks.

Jiang Xiyao wasn’t trying to compare them, as the fact was undeniable. She just wanted to tell Xie Shiwei that standing by her side, all those ugly malice and stares would be directed only at Jiang Xiyao.

Therefore.

“You can confidently and boldly wear a skirt. You can wear these glasses, or even ones more beautiful than these.”

“You can be unrestrained, because no judgmental gaze will fall upon you.”

Jiang Xiyao hooked her finger under Xie Shiwei’s chin, forcing her to look up at her, and only at her.

“The condition is—”

“You must stay close to me. Closer.”