Chapter 55 - Friends and Lovers

Throughout the afternoon classes, Xia Xinya seemed preoccupied, her expression troubled. Tang Huaijin, unaware of the reason, chose not to provoke her and continued writing his book, occasionally sharing a laugh with Bai Yuerou as they discussed the plot.

Bai Yuerou appeared somewhat concerned about her best friend and asked a few questions, but Xia Xinya merely mumbled that it was nothing.

During the language class, Shen Yiqiu was explaining the exam paper when she noticed Tang Huaijin with his head down, seemingly engrossed in something. She set the paper aside and walked over, her high heels clicking sharply on the floor.

Seeing Tang Huaijin hurriedly putting something away, Shen Yiqiu frowned and extended her hand, saying calmly, “Hand it over.”

With so many people watching, Tang Huaijin had no choice but to sheepishly hand over the draft.

Shen Yiqiu nodded in satisfaction, flipping through the pages casually before asking, “Where’s the rest?”

“That’s all I’ve written,” Tang Huaijin replied hastily.

“Hmm?” Shen Yiqiu’s gaze shifted from the draft to Tang Huaijin, her voice soft but with a hint of sarcasm. “Incomplete, do you think the teacher is foolish?”

Tang Huaijin could sense a trace of mockery in her slightly narrowed eyes and helplessly glanced at Bai Yuerou.

Bai Yuerou blinked and reluctantly pulled out the draft hidden beneath her exam paper, handing it to Shen Yiqiu, adding weakly, “Teacher, I haven’t finished reading it…”

“Come see me after school,” Shen Yiqiu said to Tang Huaijin before returning to the podium with the draft.

Watching Shen Yiqiu walk away, Bai Yuerou noticed Tang Huaijin’s peculiar expression and quickly comforted him, “Don’t worry, Teacher Shen may seem stern, but she’s actually quite nice. Just be polite later.”

Tang Huaijin nodded awkwardly, thinking to himself that Teacher Shen was more than nice; she was exceptionally kind…

And that’s precisely why he was nervous…

Throughout the entire self-study class, Shen Yiqiu was engrossed in Tang Huaijin’s manuscript, clearly enjoying it.

When the bell rang, Tang Huaijin packed his things, bid farewell to the two girls, and followed Shen Yiqiu, who was waiting at the classroom door, to the office.

For some reason, Shen Yiqiu had stopped wearing her conservative counselor suit and now donned an OL teacher’s uniform every day. It was autumn, yet Tang Huaijin couldn’t help but internally comment on her straight, slender legs clad in black stockings.

They say women dress to please themselves, but Tang Huaijin hadn’t seen anyone around Shen Yiqiu, not even in her private office.

“…” After hesitating for a moment, Tang Huaijin asked, “Teacher, aren’t you cold?”

Shen Yiqiu paused, turning her head to look at Tang Huaijin with a calm expression, her voice slightly puzzled, “Doesn’t it look good?”

“Uh… it looks good, really good,” Tang Huaijin admitted, unable to deny that the outfit seemed tailor-made for someone as naturally gifted as Shen Yiqiu.

“Mm.” With a faint response, Shen Yiqiu turned back around, her graceful figure continuing to sway as she walked.

Upon entering the office, Shen Yiqiu sat in her chair, crossing her shapely legs as she retrieved a draft from the handout rack and handed it to Tang Huaijin, commenting, “You’ve written quite well.”

Tang Huaijin was momentarily stunned, instinctively taking the draft.

Was that it? Shen Yiqiu didn’t seize the opportunity to lecture him?

Seeing Tang Huaijin’s bewildered expression, Shen Yiqiu narrowed her eyes, her tone slightly sharp as she asked, “What, are you dissatisfied?”

“No, no, not at all,” Tang Huaijin quickly shook his head, cautiously asking, “Can I leave now?”

“Yes,” Shen Yiqiu replied. Just as Tang Huaijin reached the door, she called out, “Come back.”

When Tang Huaijin returned with a blank expression, Shen Yiqiu pulled out a document from her drawer and handed it to him, explaining, “I used your previous calligraphy piece to apply for the calligraphy association.”

“This Saturday, there’s an entry assessment. Would you like to participate?”

Calligraphy association? He thought he didn’t have much use for that. Tang Huaijin pondered.

Ding~

The long-silent system finally chimed.

Important task: Join the calligraphy association

Task reward: Entry qualification for the national calligraphy exhibition (master level)

Failure penalty: None

Master level calligraphy?

Could I sell a piece for tens of thousands in the future?

Hmm… sounds tempting.

After a moment of contemplation, Tang Huaijin nodded, accepting the task while looking at Shen Yiqiu, asking, “Teacher, is the entry assessment difficult?”

“As long as you write another piece at a similar level to the previous one,” Shen Yiqiu explained, “With my recommendation, as long as the other presidents agree, you’ll be fine.”

“I should be able to manage that. This Saturday?” Tang Huaijin asked.

“Yes, I’ll contact you via WeChat,” Shen Yiqiu said, her gaze holding a subtle meaning as she added, “Your running script is excellent. Once you join, I’ll help you apply for the national calligraphy exhibition.”

Then, as if speaking to herself, she murmured softly, “As long as you achieve certain results, it should silence those old folks.”

“…Teacher?” Tang Huaijin asked, puzzled, as he hadn’t caught her words.

“Nothing, you can leave now,” Shen Yiqiu, seemingly preoccupied, waved him off without further conversation.

Tang Huaijin left the office with a sense of resignation. He had long noticed Shen Yiqiu’s odd behavior and didn’t dwell on it, heading home after school.

…

Inside a milk tea shop.

Bai Yuerou absentmindedly stirred her milk tea with a straw, glancing at her phone for a while. Seeing that the contact labeled “Jin” hadn’t replied, she set her phone down.

She looked up at Xia Xinya, who was sipping her milk tea with a somewhat gloomy expression, and voiced her dissatisfaction in a playful tone, “Xinya, you insisted on dragging me here right after school to talk, but now you’re silent. What’s going on?”

Xia Xinya took a big sip of her milk tea, looking pitiful as she said, “Today, Tang Huaijin’s ex-girlfriend bullied me.”

“How did she bully you?” Bai Yuerou asked, both amused and a little concerned.

“She asked me if I liked Tang Huaijin, and I said no,” Xia Xinya recounted, recalling the scene with frustration. “Then Lin Ruoxi said that whether I could be friends with Tang Huaijin after they got together was up to her.”

She looked at Bai Yuerou with a pitiful expression and asked quietly, “Is that how it works? Do friends leave too?”

“…Friends don’t leave,” Bai Yuerou forced a smile and added, “But I guess if Jin and Xi get back together, he might not have much time for us.”

Xia Xinya seemed a bit upset, asking angrily, “Why? Does he just do whatever she says?”

“It’s not that he does whatever she says, but Jin might be more considerate of her feelings,” Bai Yuerou sighed, her expression complicated. “Friends and couples are different, after all…”

“So couples don’t leave?”

“No, couples don’t. They can stick together, fall in love, get married, have a baby, and watch them grow up, get married, and have kids of their own, living a full life together,” Bai Yuerou’s eyes sparkled with the youthful dream of a sincere and everlasting love.

Every woman, in her youth, dreams of a love that lasts forever, but these dreams often fall apart due to reality or a player, leaving nothing but illusions.

Xia Xinya nodded, somewhat understanding, but she grasped the key point: friends and couples are different, and couples don’t leave.

She looked at her best friend’s hopeful eyes and asked softly, “Rou, do you want to fall in love too?”

“Well…” Bai Yuerou seemed a bit embarrassed, stammering, “If… if it’s the right person, maybe I would…”

A flash of panic crossed Xia Xinya’s eyes as she asked cautiously, “Then, if you fall in love, what about me?”

“Silly girl, even if I fall in love, we’ll still be best friends. I might have less time for you, but the quality won’t change,” Bai Yuerou smiled gently and continued, “But you’ll fall in love too, you know.”

“I’m not going to date any stupid guys…” Xia Xinya felt a pang of anxiety at the thought of having less time with her, and she cautiously probed further, “So, Rou, what are your standards for a partner?”

“Well…” Bai Yuerou hesitated for a moment and said, “He has to be good-looking because I don’t want my future daughter to be ugly.”

“He should be tall, for a sense of security.”

“And he should be smart, preferably with similar interests.”

As she spoke, Bai Yuerou’s cheeks gradually turned pink, and she stopped talking.

Good-looking, smart, tall, loves reading… Xia Xinya nodded thoughtfully.

…Doesn’t Tang Huaijin fit all those criteria?

Panic set in for Xia Xinya. What should she do? Even if she didn’t want to admit it, she knew Tang Huaijin was an outstanding person and exactly the type Rou liked.

If this continued, Rou would definitely be taken away by Tang Huaijin. If they became a couple, Tang Huaijin, being so bad, would never let Rou hang out with her again.

The thought of being alone again made Xia Xinya feel a wave of sadness and bitterness.

She didn’t want that. If that’s the case, then she wanted to be a couple with Rou too.

With this thought, Xia Xinya bit her lip, looked at Bai Yuerou, and tentatively asked, “Rou, have you ever thought about that kind of relationship between girls…” Her voice trailed off to a whisper.

Fortunately, the milk tea shop was quiet enough for Bai Yuerou to hear. She gave Xia Xinya a curious look and said, “No, I haven’t thought about it…”

Xia Xinya stood up, her face flushed red from holding back her words, and finally blurted out, “Rou, I like you.”

Bai Yuerou was taken aback, then burst into laughter, saying playfully, “I like you too, Xinya.”

The courage Xia Xinya had mustered for her confession was taken as a joke by Bai Yuerou.

This feeling of hitting a soft spot with no impact left Xia Xinya slumped in her chair.

Exhausted.

Forget it, let it all end.