Thunder and lightning flashed outside the window. This was the first heavy rain since the semester started.
Chen Yiyi was already lying in bed, but she couldn’t feel sleepy at all.
It was already past ten o’clock, and Cheng Yuexin still hadn’t returned.
Her bare, fair legs tightened around the blanket as her eyes kept darting across the screen.
Her fingertips kept swiping the screen, scrolling through short videos, but she couldn’t focus on any of them.
“How annoying.”
Chen Yiyi sat up irritably, tossing her phone onto the pillow. Her eyes stared intently at the empty bed across the room.
“Didn’t she promise to come back early?”
‘I should have made her bring an umbrella.’
‘Without an umbrella in this rain, she’ll get soaked in no time.’
Her dark eyes were filled with worry.
“You little fool, hurry up and come back.”
Muttering to herself, Chen Yiyi picked up her phone again. After thinking it over, she decided to give her a call.
Click.
Before she could make the call, the locked iron door was opened from the outside with a key.
“Whew, I’m back.”
Chen Yiyi stared at the white-haired girl standing in the doorway.
She was soaked from head to toe. Her thin clothes clung to her skin, revealing the outline of her plain white underwear underneath.
Her face was covered with wet strands of hair. Cheng Yuexin brushed aside the damp hair blocking her view.
Seeing Chen Yiyi’s expression of mixed joy and worry, she stepped inside with her soaked shoes.
Chen Yiyi hurried out of bed and grabbed a dry towel of her own.
Frowning, she began drying Cheng Yuexin’s hair.
“It’s raining so hard. Why didn’t you buy an umbrella?”
“I couldn’t bear to. Even a cheap umbrella costs twenty or thirty yuan.”
Cheng Yuexin took out the things from her pocket—the most important being her phone, followed by an envelope containing her wages.
Money could be dried if it got wet, but a wet phone was another story.
Fortunately, only the screen was wet; no water had seeped inside the phone.
Cheng Yuexin breathed a sigh of relief.
Chen Yiyi didn’t pay attention to the envelope and phone on the table.
She kept drying her hair.
“So you chose to walk home in the rain?”
“Yeah. Ouch! What was that for?”
Cheng Yuexin touched her cheek where Chen Yiyi had just pinched her, pouting in dissatisfaction.
“You little fool. What if you catch a cold from getting soaked?”
Chen Yiyi put her hands on her hips, speaking with a hint of a scold.
Cheng Yuexin was taken aback, then smiled apologetically at her.
“It won’t happen. I’m not that delicate. Don’t worry.”
Ah-choo! Sniff… sniff…
She sniffled hard twice, then met Chen Yiyi’s eyes awkwardly.
Those eyes were brimming with dissatisfaction.
“Your body is naturally weak. Go take a hot shower and warm up.”
Cheng Yuexin scratched the back of her head and smiled.
“Okay. Can you boil some hot water for me?”
Without a word, Chen Yiyi poured a cup of hot water and handed it to Cheng Yuexin.
“It’s already boiled. Drink this to warm up first.”
Cheng Yuexin took the warm cup in surprise.
Her fingertips accidentally brushed against Cheng Yuexin’s cold fingers, making her worried expression even more pronounced.
As she took the half-empty cup, the girl’s delicate body trembled slightly.
“Whew, that’s a bit warmer. Shower time.”
Grabbing her pajamas and a towel, Cheng Yuexin sneezed as she walked into the bathroom.
Chen Yiyi was still worried. She took a new box of cold medicine from the drawer.
“Yuexin, I’ll make you a cup of ban lan gen. Drink it when you get out.”
“Okay~ Ah-choo!”
Chen Yiyi shook her head and sighed. Things were turning out just as she had expected.
She prepared the medicine, stirring it with a spoon to cool it down.
She took a small sip—it was just the right temperature. She placed it on Cheng Yuexin’s desk.
The cracked phone screen lit up. The call ID read…
“Gu Linxue?”
Chen Yiyi’s brow furrowed slightly. She stared at those three characters with displeasure, clicking her tongue softly.
Picking up the phone, she felt it vibrate in her hand. She didn’t hang up voluntarily.
She just wanted to make sure she wasn’t mistaken.
‘Why is she calling Yuexin?’
She really wanted to hang up and keep Gu Linxue from bothering her.
Just as her finger touched the screen, the call ended.
Creak…
The sound of the door opening reached Chen Yiyi’s ears. She quickly put the phone down and stepped away from Cheng Yuexin’s desk.
“Ah, that feels so much better.”
Cheng Yuexin walked out while drying her hair, wearing a short-sleeved top and loose shorts.
The cold air from the air conditioner hit her, making her shiver from the chill.
“Cold? I’ll adjust the AC.”
She picked up the remote, turned up the temperature, and set the fan to the lowest setting.
“Ah-choo! Whew… I think I really am catching a cold.”
She touched her forehead—it felt a little warm.
“Your hair is still wet. Come here, I’ll blow-dry it for you.”
Chen Yiyi held a hair dryer, turning it on to test the temperature.
Cheng Yuexin wiped her nose and sniffled hard.
“A little runny nose.”
Chen Yiyi sighed.
“Once your hair is dry, drink the medicine.”
Cheng Yuexin nodded and stood in front of Chen Yiyi, turning her back to her.
“Woo woo woo…”
The hot air from the dryer dried her snow-white hair.
Warm fingertips kept running through her hair. Occasionally, Cheng Yuexin let out soft, muffled sounds.
The texture of her white hair wasn’t very smooth—not as silky as it looked.
Occasionally, split ends could be seen.
Chen Yiyi was a bit worried about the health of her frail body.
Her eyes sparkled with concern, and her movements became even gentler.
“Yiyi, are you done yet?”
“Not yet. Almost.”
Cheng Yuexin muttered.
“It’s been five or six minutes. Why isn’t it done?”
When Cheng Yuexin dried her own hair, it’d only take three minutes at most.
Chen Yiyi gently rubbed the top of her head. The soft hair felt nice after being dried.
“Don’t rush. Dry it thoroughly so you don’t catch another chill.”
Cheng Yuexin pouted but said nothing. She didn’t feel uncomfortable.
But with the AC at 28 degrees, she still felt a little chilly.
The sound of the hair dryer stopped.
Cheng Yuexin was about to leave, but Chen Yiyi unexpectedly put an arm around her waist.
“Huh? Yiyi?”
Confused, she turned her head, and along with her body, their eyes met.
Without a second thought, Chen Yiyi leaned in.
Cheng Yuexin’s eyes widened in panic and surprise.
‘Is this going to be a kiss?’
‘Aren’t we just roommates?’
‘What happened to our pure friendship?’
“Yi… Yiyi?!”
Warm breath brushed against her face. Cheng Yuexin held back the breath she was about to exhale.
“Don’t move. Let me check if you have a fever.”
Falling into Chen Yiyi’s embrace, her face quickly grew closer.
“Whoa…”
The moment their foreheads touched, she felt the warmth of Chen Yiyi’s forehead.
Cheng Yuexin blinked rapidly, unable to control the rising temperature of her cheeks.
The image of that accidental kiss from the other day surfaced, making her blush even more obvious.
But those clear black eyes so close to hers held only concern.
‘Is this… right?’
“Mmm…”
Cheng Yuexin pressed her lips together, not daring to move.
The smell of Chen Yiyi filled her nose, and her heart pounded like a deer bumping around in her chest.
“Mm, your fever isn’t as bad as I thought. Drinking some medicine should help.”
“Oh, oh… that’s good…”
Cheng Yuexin tried to step back, but Chen Yiyi didn’t let go as she had expected.
On the contrary, the pressure around her waist increased.
Until she was pulled into an embrace.
Warmth and fragrance enveloped Cheng Yuexin.
Her already racing heart beat even faster.
“Yiyi…”
“You little fool, can you take better care of yourself for once?”
Arms tightly wrapped around the girl’s small frame, using her own body heat to drive away the chill from Cheng Yuexin’s body.
Hearing the words full of worry, Cheng Yuexin gently hugged her back.
Her small hand patted her back softly, speaking in a soothing tone.
“I know. Thank you, Yiyi.”
Chen Yiyi hummed in response but didn’t let go.
Taking advantage of this moment, she recharged herself.
Greedily inhaling the faint gardenia scent mixed with rose—it was so comforting.
‘This is what it smells like when you’re precious to someone.’
Buzz… Buzz…
Her phone rang. It was from Cheng Yuexin’s phone.
Cheng Yuexin patted Chen Yiyi’s back one last time and let go.
“Yiyi, I’ll take this call.”
“Mm, go ahead.”
Cheng Yuexin walked unhurriedly to the table.
But as soon as she saw the character “Gu,” the smile on her lips disappeared.
Sniffling, she quickly grabbed her phone and left the dorm room.
Chen Yiyi watched her leave, the doubts she had been harboring growing thicker.
“Even when taking a call from Gu Linxue, she has to turn her back on me to answer?”
Chen Yiyi’s eyes turned cold, staring at the darkness outside the door, as if it had already swallowed Cheng Yuexin.
“What secrets do you two have?”
The cup of ban lan gen that hadn’t been drunk was already cold to the touch.
Chen Yiyi’s joyful mood had vanished completely.
Her hands quietly clenched into fists as she murmured.
“One day, I’ll find out.”