When the Tsundere Rival Turns Into a Cat - Chapter 18

That afternoon during class, Li Xingcan and Jiang Qingyue didn’t exchange a single word. Jiang Qingyue remained at her seat whether during lectures or breaks, occasionally resting her head on the desk when tired. Whenever she lowered her gaze, her eyes inadvertently drifted toward the back row.

Li Xingcan leaned against the wall, chatting with someone standing before her. She sensed a pair of eyes on her but found nothing when she looked up.

Must have imagined it.

“Lucky you, Li Xingcan. You don’t have to worry about any of this. I’m off to training camp this week—what a headache,” her classmate continued.

Li Xingcan hummed in response. “Isn’t that great? No more school.”

“Yeah, right—”

The conversation was cut short by the bell. Li Xingcan glanced out the window—the sky was blue, yet it felt confined.

After two evening self-study sessions, the moment the dismissal bell rang, Li Xingcan was already on her feet and gone. By the time Jiang Qingyue turned around, the seat was empty, leaving an inexplicable hollowness in her chest.

Li Xingcan walked alone along the school’s main path. The night was dark, with only the brightly lit teaching buildings piercing through. The clamor from within felt worlds apart from her solitude.

Her driver waited at the gate. She got into the car silently, suddenly finding school increasingly dull.

Her fingers tapped lightly on her phone screen, and a message was sent.

The next day, everything resumed as usual. Morning passed in a blink.

After lunch, Li Xingcan was dragged to the campus convenience store by Fu Duosui. At this hour, the small shop was more chaotic than a post-apocalyptic scramble for supplies—packed beyond entry, bodies pressed against bodies.

Lin Xie wouldn’t be caught dead here and had already returned to the dorm. Li Xingcan didn’t want to go either, but Fu Duosui, the insatiable glutton, claimed she was still hungry and yanked her inside.

Lost in the crowd, Li Xingcan lost sight of Fu Duosui and grabbed some snacks at random. Realizing the throng was too dense to push back toward the checkout, she had no choice but to follow the current and circle around to exit.

In the household goods section, a familiar figure caught her eye.

Jiang Qingyue stood wedged between two shelves in a corner, clutching a pair of slippers, a handful of hangers, and a tube of toothpaste with a toothbrush. Frowning at the sea of people, she was trapped in that cramped space.

Brave—or foolish—to come at this hour.

Li Xingcan tried to ignore her, but the crowd’s flow wasn’t hers to command. She was swept inexorably toward Jiang Qingyue.

As she was about to pass by, Li Xingcan deliberately fixed her gaze on the adjacent shelf, refusing to glance sideways. Just as she thought she’d made it, someone shoved her from behind. Stumbling uncontrollably, she nearly stepped on Jiang Qingyue’s foot.

Losing balance, she lurched forward—only to throw out a hand at the last second, bracing against the shelf behind Jiang Qingyue.

She steadied herself, but in doing so, pinned Jiang Qingyue between her body and the shelf. Li Xingcan frowned and glanced back, but with the crowd surging, there was no space to retreat.

Jiang Qingyue was now practically encircled in Li Xingcan’s arms, with less than ten centimeters between them. The familiar scent of Li Xingcan enveloped her, lingering at the tip of her nose.

Admittedly, compared to the chaotic mix of sweat and unpleasant odors from the crowded space, Li Xingcan’s clean and refreshing scent was far more comforting. But considering their current relationship, the close proximity made her uneasy. “Move aside,” she said.

Li Xingcan frowned at Jiang Qingyue’s displeased expression, her own mood souring. She tugged at the corner of her lips, her tone equally sharp. “You think I want to stay here? Try moving yourself if you can.”

It was peak time—students flooding out of the cafeteria and into the supermarket—making it impossible to leave anytime soon.

Hearing Li Xingcan’s tone, Jiang Qingyue lowered her head, clutching her belongings tighter without another word.

Trapped in place with no room to maneuver, even turning to follow the crowd was difficult. Li Xingcan could do nothing but avert her gaze, trying not to let Jiang Qingyue dominate her limited line of sight.

Her eyes wandered aimlessly until she caught sight of Ou Jin. Immediately, she looked down, refusing to meet the other girl’s eyes.

Jiang Qingyue was only slightly shorter than Li Xingcan, and with Li Xingcan now bowing her head, the distance between them shrank even further. Jiang Qingyue could even feel Li Xingcan’s breath brushing against her ear, sending a faint itch down her spine.

“What are you doing?” Jiang Qingyue’s frown deepened as she tried to pull away, but the cramped space made it futile.

“Quiet,” Li Xingcan hissed under her breath. “There’s a gossip behind us. If she sees us like this, the whole school will know by evening self-study that we have some ‘shady’ relationship.”

“Who has a shady relationship with you?” Jiang Qingyue snapped back instantly.

“Oh? Then why don’t you step out of my arms right now?” Li Xingcan ground out the words through clenched teeth, laced with spite.

Jiang Qingyue’s face flushed visibly with anger, yet she had no retort.

Before Ou Jin could approach, Fu Duosui arrived first. Initially, she only spotted Li Xingcan leaning against the shelf, but upon squeezing closer, she noticed Jiang Qingyue as well. Her mouth fell open in an exaggerated “O.” “You two—”

“Shut it!” Li Xingcan didn’t need to guess what Fu Duosui was about to say and cut her off preemptively.

Fu Duosui clamped her mouth shut, but her darting eyes betrayed the wild scenarios playing out in her mind.

“We got shoved here by the crowd. Now make some space so I can get out!” Li Xingcan wished she could rinse Fu Duosui’s brain with cold water on the spot.

“Oh, right, right.” Fu Duosui stepped back just enough to let Li Xingcan turn around.

Li Xingcan withdrew her arm from the shelf and turned to leave with Fu Duosui. But after just one step, she glanced back at Jiang Qingyue, still frozen in place.

Did I owe her in a past life?

She reached out, gripping Jiang Qingyue’s wrist, and pulled her along. “Keep up. Or do you want to keep standing there like you’re in detention?”

Jiang Qingyue parted her lips but swallowed her refusal.

Li Xingcan followed Fu Duosui, never letting go of Jiang Qingyue’s hand until they reached the checkout. After paying, she released her grip and stepped out of the supermarket first. The moment she exited, the outside air felt refreshingly crisp and precious.

Li Xingcan grabbed Fu Duosui beside her and threatened, “If you dare come to the supermarket at this hour again, I’ll embed you into the shelves.”

“Got it, got it,” Fu Duosui waved dismissively. After all, Li Xingcan had made this threat countless times before, and she’d still dare to do it again. “But speaking of which, are you really okay with Jiang Qingyue? Why does she look so flushed?”

Taking a deep breath, Li Xingcan shouted right into Fu Duosui’s ear, “That’s obviously from anger!”

Covering her ears, Fu Duosui ran off, “Alright, alright!”

As Jiang Qingyue stepped out of the supermarket, she saw Li Xingcan and Fu Duosui fooling around. Just as she was about to look away, Li Xingcan happened to glance in her direction. Their eyes met briefly before Li Xingcan averted her gaze, said something to Fu Duosui, and walked away.

Fu Duosui headed toward the dormitory with most of the crowd, while Li Xingcan went in the opposite direction toward the teaching building.

Jiang Qingyue carried her purchases and followed the same path as Li Xingcan—not for any particular reason, but simply because the faculty apartments were located beyond the teaching building, making their routes coincidentally align.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Li Xingcan subtly slowed her pace. By the time she reached the teaching building, the footsteps had grown closer. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to turn around at the perfect moment to face Jiang Qingyue. Although she had helped her again earlier, she didn’t need any thanks.

Just as Li Xingcan paused to turn, a gust of wind brushed past her. Looking up, she saw Jiang Qingyue stride past without even a glance in her direction.

Li Xingcan: “…”

How infuriating! Couldn’t she even say thank you?!

Glaring at Jiang Qingyue’s retreating figure heading toward the faculty apartments, Li Xingcan let out an exasperated laugh before turning to enter the teaching building. Fine, if Jiang Qingyue wanted to be like that, she wouldn’t speak another word to her from now on!

As if sensing something, Jiang Qingyue turned around—only to catch a glimpse of Li Xingcan’s back disappearing up the stairs.

She quickly averted her gaze and continued walking briskly. Having just moved into Zheng Wenbai’s apartment, she needed to pick up some missing essentials during lunch break. She hadn’t expected it to take so long, leaving her with little time for her midday cultivation session.

By the time Li Xingcan reached the fourth floor and leaned against the railing to look down, Jiang Qingyue’s figure had already vanished behind the front buildings.