Chapter 35: The wind drifting towards my hometown

Bai Ranran stood at the entrance of the cake vendor’s stall, pointing at the Chicken Cakes and gesturing several times to the owner.

The owner of the Chicken Cake stall thought Bai Ranran was deaf or mute, so he gestured back at her.

After struggling for a while, neither had any idea what the other was trying to say.

Jiang Ran finally couldn’t watch any longer and stepped forward.

“I’m her fri — classmate. Give us 10 yuan worth of Chicken Cakes.”

Jiang Ran pulled 10 yuan in change from her pocket.

She glanced at Bai Ranran’s slightly dissatisfied expression but chose to ignore it.

The owner handed over the weighed Chicken Cakes.

Jiang Ran took one, and gave the rest to Bai Ranran.

“Here. Next time you want something, just tell them directly.”

Hearing this, the owner scratched his head.

So she wasn’t mute after all.

Bai Ranran nodded and took the bag, looking at Jiang Ran gratefully.

This complex shift in expression left Jiang Ran unsure of what to say.

She always felt there was something strange about the way Bai Ranran made her feel.

Scenes from the bus station earlier flashed through her mind, specifically the moment after Bai Ranran claimed she could beat her in a fight.

The atmosphere fell into an eerie silence.

Neither of them said a word.

By the time they snapped out of it, they realized they had already arrived at the entrance of the Chicken Cake stall.

“You’ve got your food now, so we’re even for me being mean to you. Let’s go.”

Jiang Ran pointed at the bag of Chicken Cakes, her implication being as obvious as possible.

Bai Ranran nodded.

“Okay. Then, can I contact you on VX if I need something?”

“Whatever. Just don’t act like we’re close. Of course, if it’s a real emergency and you can’t find anyone else, you can call me.”

Jiang Ran felt she had made things clear enough.

This was the limit of what one could do as a classmate.

Anything more would be no different from becoming a live-in nanny.

“Okay. Jiang Ran, you are a good person.”

“Ah, say whatever you want. You talk to me plenty, but I noticed you didn’t say a word to anyone else the whole way here.”

“Well…”

“If you’re feeling unwell, you can see a doctor. The school isn’t… forget it. You’d better not go to the school’s psychologist.”

Jiang Ran seemed to remember something.

“Listen to me. No matter how bad you feel, do not go to the school’s psychologist. If things get really bad and you feel like you’re going to die from the distress, I’ll find a doctor for you.”

Just thinking about Bai Ranran looking for Gu Ge made Jiang Ran sense the scent of danger.

Hiss—

‘If Gu Ge actually ends up stabbing someone, who would be the one to clean up the mess? It’s not hard to guess.’

Jiang Ran thought about it and simply took a pen and paper from her bag to write down a rough plan.

“If all else fails, just follow this fixed route back in the future. If anything happy happens, find a diary to vent in. Just don’t wander off.”

Bai Ranran took the Route Map and saw it was the path from the School to the Cat Shop.

“Okay, thank you.”

“And another thing. There are all sorts of people on the internet. It doesn’t look like you’re short on money, so just share some cat videos normally. There are all kinds of creeps these days, so be careful someone doesn’t dox you…”

Jiang Ran lectured her like an old father, covering basically every tragic trope she had ever read in novels.

Although she didn’t want to get too involved in Bai Ranran’s affairs, given her current mental state, if something really happened, Jiang Ran would be the one suffering right along with her.

Jiang Ran felt a bit helpless.

She actually had an unrealistic thought:

‘If only Bai Ranran were a sweet girl with a hidden dark side. At least then she could protect herself.’

Bai Ranran gripped the strap of the bag on her shoulder, a puff of warm air escaping her pink lips.

“You’ve told me so much.”

“Well, yeah. Since you won’t go to your parents, and I’m sure they already know everything I’ve said… anyway, that’s all I’m going to say. What you do after this is your business.”

“Mm, you’re so kind.”

Bai Ranran bit her lip, a look of intoxication on her face.

Jiang Ran shook the dazed Bai Ranran.

“I’m not kind. If I were actually being nice to you, I’d stay and play. I’m telling you this because I think you’re a troublesome person, and I don’t want your problems reaching me.”

“Okay… I’ll try my best to do what you said.”

Bai Ranran tucked away the paper.

To Jiang Ran’s shock, Bai Ranran stepped forward.

This time, without activating any skills, she wrapped her arms around Jiang Ran’s slender waist.

She looked up at Jiang Ran’s delicate features and said word for word.

“I saw on a Short Video that people really like hugs. Do you like them, Jiang Ran?”

Jiang Ran froze.

Bai Ranran’s warm body was pressed against her without reservation.

She could feel the tingling itch of their clothes rubbing together.

She hurriedly pushed Bai Ranran away.

“I don’t like it. Don’t do that again.”

“But the Short Video also said that if the other person’s face turns red, you should keep hugging them. Why is that?”

Jiang Ran was speechless.

‘What kind of nonsense are they teaching people in those Short Videos?’

“Don’t ask me, I don’t know. Besides, my face isn’t red.”

“Liar.”

“How would you know if my face is red?”

Bai Ranran pulled out her phone and took a selfie of the two of them.

In the frame, the two were very close.

Jiang Ran’s face was bright red, looking like she was cosplaying a gorilla’s backside.

“It’s only because you suddenly hugged me and made me overheat from the shock! Delete that photo immediately; it’s pure dark history.”

“I won’t. I’m not going to show it to anyone else.”

“You were actually thinking about showing it to people? That’s even more reason to delete it!”

The two of them played and bickered as they slowly walked to the entrance of the Jewelry Store.

Jiang Ran had finally lost the battle of wills with Bai Ranran.

If she kept pushing her away, she probably wouldn’t have the strength left to stand and would end up collapsing into a heap on Bai Ranran.

‘Why hasn’t the APP given me any Stamina or Strength?’

Perhaps thanks to her Jujitsu Talent, Jiang Ran’s body pressed against Bai Ranran’s with almost zero clearance.

The heat from her body transferred perfectly to the other girl.

Bai Ranran’s eyes sparkled.

She hadn’t expected Jiang Ran’s body to be so soft, making her want to hold her even tighter.

It wasn’t until they reached the intersection that Jiang Ran, having fully recovered, pulled away from Bai Ranran and cleared her throat.

“I’ll leave you here. I need to head back.”

“Okay. Can I ask for one last favor?”

“Good grief, what is it now?”

Jiang Ran sighed helplessly, wanting nothing more than to go home.

“It’s nothing much. I just want to hear you say you’re willing to be my friend, even if it’s just acting. I was really happy today. If I could hear… those words, it would be even better.”

Bai Ranran bit her lip, her cheeks flushed.

The wind lightly blew through her golden hair.

When her gaze met Jiang Ran’s, she instinctively looked away.

She was still clutching the Chicken Cakes Jiang Ran had bought for her.

The 9.9 Yuan Shipped Soap also lay quietly in its own separate bag.

The two stood in the twilight as the number of cars on the street noticeably increased.

Jiang Ran’s lips moved.

“Sorry… I can’t.”

The sharp honk of a passing bus drowned out Jiang Ran’s voice.

Bai Ranran frowned.

“What did you say?”

Jiang Ran looked at Bai Ranran’s small hands clutching the bags, then her gaze drifted up past her coat to her expectant face.

She spoke softly.

“I’m willing to be your friend.”