Chapter 24 : Coconut Water

Hua Qi’an grabbed Chen Zhiyan’s hand and dashed away at full speed.

Because her action was so sudden, the crowd nearby didn’t even have time to react to what had happened.

By the time Hua Qi’an had already pulled Chen Zhiyan and run quite a distance, only then did someone start trying to chase after them.

“What are you doing?!”

It was the security guard who came over after hearing the commotion.

Perhaps because most people gathered here were just here to watch the excitement, and now the people at the center of it all had run off, the crowd soon dispersed.

Only Wang Chang was still standing awkwardly in place, clutching that bouquet of flowers.

The affectionate look he’d forced onto his face could no longer be maintained, and he looked as if he’d just swallowed a fly.

He cursed a few foul words, “Dare to ruin my plans… Don’t let me find out who you are!”

Then, he turned to the few boys still lingering nearby—the same ones who had been jeering at his side earlier.

“Do any of you know who that girl was standing next to Chen Zhiyan just now?!”

He gritted his teeth, as if he wanted to tear that person to pieces.

…

At that moment, Hua Qi’an had already pulled Chen Zhiyan to the bottom of the teaching building.

Seeing that there was no sign of anyone chasing them, Hua Qi’an let go of Chen Zhiyan’s hand.

That dash from before had already exhausted all of Hua Qi’an’s energy.

She sat down casually on the stone steps at the side of the road, taking deep gulps of fresh air.

A dull ache from oxygen deprivation throbbed in her chest, and Hua Qi’an pressed her hand against her chest with difficulty.

She really had to avoid running like that if she could; her body was still too frail.

Meanwhile, Chen Zhiyan was gazing at the hand Hua Qi’an had just used to pull her along, as if savoring the lingering warmth of that touch.

A moment later, she finally looked quietly at Hua Qi’an sitting on the steps.

“Thank you, Qi’an.”

She truly hadn’t expected Hua Qi’an to actually grab her and take her away from that place.

Looking at Hua Qi’an’s face, now pale from the earlier sprint, Chen Zhiyan pressed her lips together.

“…Just as I thought.”

She mumbled something.

But Hua Qi’an didn’t hear clearly, “What did you say?”

Chen Zhiyan smiled and shook her head, “Nothing.”

“I just think… it’s really wonderful that you’d step up for me in a situation like that, Qi’an…”

As she spoke, the corners of her eyes drooped, revealing a rather lonely expression, “Because I thought you hated me.”

Hearing her words, Hua Qi’an’s forehead twitched, “Why would you think that?”

Although Hua Qi’an had some idea of the answer, she still couldn’t help but ask…

As expected, Chen Zhiyan hesitated for a moment, but still replied.

“Because when you talk to me, you always seem so cold…”

“So if you’d just walked away back then, I wouldn’t have been surprised.”

As she said this, Chen Zhiyan suddenly stepped forward, right in front of Hua Qi’an, and held her hand.

Feeling the warmth from Chen Zhiyan’s hand pass into the back of her own, Hua Qi’an tensed up.

She lowered her eyes and glanced at Chen Zhiyan’s hand holding hers—the red string on her right hand rubbed against Hua Qi’an’s wrist.

“Knowing you don’t hate me, Qi’an, I’m really happy.”

Chen Zhiyan’s eyes were full of Hua Qi’an’s reflection, sparkling brightly, making the latter a little uncomfortable.

Hua Qi’an nodded silently and slowly withdrew her hand from Chen Zhiyan’s grip.

“I don’t have a reason to hate you.”

“It was just a small effort.”

Hua Qi’an turned her head away, not daring to meet Chen Zhiyan’s gaze.

“Besides, I think confessing like that is pretty despicable.”

At most, she just didn’t want to have too much contact with Chen Zhiyan—hate was too strong a word.

After all, they barely knew each other, so how could she hate her?

Not just to her, but to most people Hua Qi’an didn’t find it necessary to socialize with, she always kept a cold, indifferent attitude.

So in their eyes, did she really look like she hated them?

“Hehe…”

Chen Zhiyan suddenly let out a soft laugh.

“But I don’t dislike the way you act cold toward me, Qi’an…”

Chen Zhiyan smiled, tilting her head to look at Hua Qi’an, her voice gentle and light.

At the same time, she slowly clenched her now-empty hand into a fist and held it in front of her chest, savoring the lingering warmth in her palm.

Hua Qi’an looked up at Chen Zhiyan’s soft features and recalled the way those people acted earlier.

Just thinking about it made Hua Qi’an a little nauseous.

“Do you run into this sort of thing often?”

Of course, Hua Qi’an was referring to being confessed to in public like that.

After all, Chen Zhiyan was a well-known figure, surely she had countless admirers, and being confessed to must be nothing out of the ordinary.

Chen Zhiyan shook her head, “Being confessed to is common, but it’s the first time it’s ever turned into a scene like that.”

“After all, besides going to class, I hardly ever stay on campus.”

Because she never lingered on campus, nobody really knew her whereabouts except herself.

So naturally, there was no chance of being cornered for a confession.

This time she was just unlucky, probably got spotted by Wang Chang’s group, and ended up being blocked.

“So, Qi’an, you really helped me out a lot this time…”

As she spoke, she winked at Hua Qi’an.

Then she remembered that there were vending machines on the first floor of the teaching building. “Qi’an, just wait here for a bit.”

With that, she ran into the teaching building.

Hua Qi’an watched her back as she left, lost in thought.

If she hadn’t grabbed Chen Zhiyan’s hand and pulled her away earlier, what would Chen Zhiyan have done?

From her point of view, Chen Zhiyan’s personality didn’t seem as hard to get along with as she’d imagined…

She actually seemed pretty easy to talk to.

If she hadn’t pulled Chen Zhiyan away, would Chen Zhiyan have agreed to that boy out of sheer embarrassment?

But Hua Qi’an’s sixth sense told her that Chen Zhiyan wouldn’t have done that…

Lowering her eyes, Hua Qi’an sighed.

Forget it.

No use thinking about things that never happened.

She hadn’t planned on having any more dealings with Chen Zhiyan, yet things had turned out this way by a strange twist of fate.

She thought of the culprit behind it all—that boy with the tinfoil-permed hair…

Hua Qi’an frowned; though it had only been a few minutes, she already couldn’t remember his face.

Maybe he just looked too ordinary.

But she still remembered his name.

It seemed to be Wang Chang.

He looked like he came from a wealthy family.

After what she did today, there was a good chance she’d made an enemy.

But Hua Qi’an didn’t really care.

She didn’t think being resented by someone was worth worrying about.

In the distance, Chen Zhiyan seemed to have finished shopping and was running back from the vending machines toward Hua Qi’an.

“Here.”

She handed the coconut water in her hand to Hua Qi’an.

“This is a thank-you gift.”

Taking the coconut water, Hua Qi’an was a little surprised.

Feeling the coolness of the liquid inside through the bottle, Hua Qi’an’s eyes widened.

How did Chen Zhiyan know…

Drinks had always been a luxury for Hua Qi’an in the past, so she usually just watched when others had them.

What she saw most often was coconut water.

There was once when Lin Yanqiu had given her some unfinished coconut water, and Hua Qi’an had remembered that taste ever since.

But she couldn’t bear to buy it for herself, so she only ever looked.

Was this just a coincidence?

Looking at Chen Zhiyan’s sincere smile, Hua Qi’an twisted open the bottle cap.

“Thank you.”

Chen Zhiyan just smiled silently, watching Hua Qi’an drink the coconut water.

Her bright eyes stayed fixed on Hua Qi’an, as if she wanted to burn this image deep into her memory.

Hua Qi’an drank half the coconut water, then screwed the cap back on, feeling that she’d recovered enough.

She got up from the steps.

“I’m planning to head back to the dorm through the side gate.”

She looked at Chen Zhiyan. “Those people might still be looking for you. You should call someone to pick you up, just in case?”

Judging by the way Chen Zhiyan looked, she always seemed like a rich young lady—maybe she even had a driver who could come pick her up at a message’s notice.

But Chen Zhiyan shook her head. “No need. I’ll just find somewhere to wait it out.”

She’d wait until those people had left, then go.

Since Chen Zhiyan said so, Hua Qi’an nodded and didn’t say anything more, preparing to leave.

“Wait.”

Chen Zhiyan suddenly called out to her.

Hua Qi’an turned back in confusion.

She seemed a bit shy and hesitated before finally asking the question she’d been holding back:

“You said you gave me a love letter and flowers just now?”

“Is that true?”

Hua Qi’an blinked, puzzled by the question.

“Why would I lie?”

“The elective classroom.”

Did Chen Zhiyan have as bad a memory as she did?

After saying that, seeing Chen Zhiyan didn’t seem to have any other questions, Hua Qi’an headed off toward the side gate.

This time, Chen Zhiyan didn’t call after her.

After watching Hua Qi’an walk away, Chen Zhiyan took out her phone, checked the location of the elective classroom, and quickly walked into the teaching building.

That sprint earlier hadn’t made her heart pound as wildly as it did now.

The gentle mask Chen Zhiyan usually wore on her face slipped away, revealing an infatuated look.

“Qi’an… Qi’an… Qi’an…”

“You like me too? Yes, I love you too.”

She savored every subtle expression Hua Qi’an had made earlier, the scent of her body wash still seeming to linger on her wrist.

Chen Zhiyan touched her face, trying to cool the heat.

So she wasn’t unrequited after all?

Did Hua Qi’an like her too?

Was that why she gave her a love letter?

Thinking again of Hua Qi’an’s cold demeanor, Chen Zhiyan’s breathing quickened.

Before she knew it, she’d already reached the elective classroom.

Bang!

The door slammed open with such force that the sound echoed down the corridor, activating a whole row of sensor lights.

Chen Zhiyan turned on the classroom light; inside, there wasn’t a soul.

She immediately noticed that on the seat she’d occupied earlier in the day was a pink envelope and a bouquet of flowers.

Her lips curled up instinctively as she walked closer and picked up the envelope.

The cheap perfume had faded quite a bit over time, but she could still detect a lingering scent.

Bringing the envelope to her nose, Chen Zhiyan suddenly sensed something off; her smile faded, and her brows furrowed.

She tore open the envelope on the spot.

Unfolding the white letter paper.

[To my beloved goddess]

It was not Hua Qi’an’s handwriting.

The flame in her heart was doused like a bucket of cold water.

But, since this was the letter Hua Qi’an had sent her, even if it wasn’t truly Qi’an’s feelings, she had to finish reading it.

As she read line by line, the coldness in Chen Zhiyan’s eyes turned to disgust, then finally to outright loathing.

“Disgusting…”

The whole letter was full of empty clichés.

How could such trash have been handed to Qi’an to deliver?

“Zhao Yingying…”

A look of revulsion flashed in Chen Zhiyan’s eyes.

That person was Qi’an’s roommate, wasn’t she?

How could someone like that get to sleep under the same roof with Qi’an every night?

Just thinking about it made her so jealous she could hardly stand it.

Her earlier excitement was quickly cooled by reality, sinking into a pool of dead water.

Chen Zhiyan’s eyes fell on the bouquet of flowers on the desk.

Expressionless, she tossed the bouquet to the floor and ground it under her foot.

“Honestly… why does everyone like giving flowers?”

Wang Chang’s face also flashed in her mind; she remembered he’d been holding a huge bouquet, too.

A dull light filled Chen Zhiyan’s eyes.

She frowned, picked up the flowers from the ground, and crushed them together with the letter, tossing them into the classroom’s trash can.

Only a few people knew—

Chen Zhiyan was allergic to pollen.

The thing she hated most was fresh flowers.