Having slept through two exam sessions in a row, Bai Yao felt a bit dizzy.
Yawning repeatedly, she trailed behind Qiu Ye, wiping away the tears squeezed from the corners of her eyes with her fingertips.
Her face was a picture of utter despair, drooping like a flower bud battered by rain, unable to lift its head.
Qiu Ye walked ahead, glancing at the time.
“It’s only a little past eleven. How about I help you review English again during the lunch break?”
“English?”
Bai Yao mumbled, clutching her English textbook to her chest, her face full of confusion.
“Forget it… maybe I’ll just find someone to copy from? I wonder how strict the proctoring will be.”
She was actually quite honest; she had never cheated on an exam her whole life.
But now she was a seasoned university veteran.
Failing meant a make-up exam next semester, and if she failed that, she’d have to retake the whole course.
The thought was terrifying.
“Wait a sec, I’m going to buy a bottle of water.”
Passing by the small shop, Qiu Ye reminded her and turned to go inside.
Bai Yao stopped in place, continuing to yawn sleepily.
Muttering to herself, she idly waited for Qiu Ye and habitually pulled out her phone, swiping randomly to kill time.
Her mother had sent a WeChat message, asking which day and time her train was and when she’d be home.
Gu Wanwan sent a QQ message, asking if she wanted to have lunch together and go shopping.
Friends.
To be honest, she wasn’t very keen on making friends with girls.
Even though she was a girl herself now, Bai Yao still felt instinctively nervous around girls, feeling more at ease around males instead.
“I need to study during lunch, maybe next time?”
Bai Yao wasn’t good at firmly rejecting people, especially since Gu Wanwan had invited her several times already.
She could only type a vague response.
Just after sending the message, Qiu Ye walked out of the small shop.
“Coke?”
“Yeah.”
Qiu Ye had long since figured out Bai Yao’s preferences—Coke, only Coca-Cola, and chilled.
Though it was cool weather now, room temperature was fine too.
The carbonation’s sting made her shiver.
Bai Yao took a sip of the Coke.
The icy, sweet liquid mixed with carbon dioxide instantly perked her up considerably.
“Whew~ it’s so cold.”
She let out a long breath, which turned into a white mist, and did a little marching in place to get moving.
But even so, her feet, wrapped in thick socks, were icy cold to the point of numbness.
“Should we hurry back and hide under the blankets?”
Qiu Ye asked, looking at Bai Yao’s purplish hands with some heartache.
“Why don’t you buy some gloves?”
“Gloves are inconvenient.”
Qiu Ye reached out and wrapped Bai Yao’s small hands in his palms.
His hands were so warm they were almost hot.
Bai Yao trembled, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
Feeling guilty, she looked around and actually spotted a classmate not far away.
“There are classmates…”
Bai Yao instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but Qiu Ye held on firmly.
“Just warming them up.”
Well, there weren’t many days left this semester anyway…
Thinking this, Bai Yao felt justified.
She stuffed her Coke into her coat pocket and put her other hand into Qiu Ye’s coat pocket as well.
She ended up looking like she was hugging Qiu Ye from behind, both hands in his pockets, swaying a bit as she walked, waddling like a penguin.
Bai Yao’s face was also chilled by the wind, so it was just right to use Qiu Ye’s broad frame as a windbreak.
She could feel the gazes of the surrounding students.
Unaccustomed to public displays of affection, she simply lowered her head and buried her face against Qiu Ye’s back, hiding her embarrassed expression.
“Do you really plan to get married right after graduation?”
The two slowly made their way toward the school gate.
Leaning against Qiu Ye’s back, Bai Yao asked.
“Where are you going after graduation? What if we end up in different cities after we settle down…”
She was being a bit too realistic.
“We’ll figure it out. Anyway, I’m definitely not going back home. I can go anywhere.”
“I don’t want to go home either. My hometown is just a small county town.”
Qiu Ye, holding Bai Yao’s icy hands, joked, “It’s just that you’ll have to suffer with me, squeezing into a rented room, saving up to buy a house and pay a mortgage.”
Bai Yao didn’t think living in a rented room was suffering at all; it was fine.
As for buying a house and paying a mortgage? Besides, she used to be a man.
Who knows, she might have ended up shouldering a mortgage alone in the future like before.
Now, with two people sharing the burden, the pressure was literally halved.
“But we need to save up for your surgery first?”
“That… won’t be necessary…”
Qiu Ye still didn’t know that Bai Yao was now completely, thoroughly a girl.
Every time exploration headed downwards, Bai Yao would stop it immediately.
It was not only hard to explain but also a worry that if Qiu Ye found out, he’d want to devour her completely.
Aside from that forbidden zone, other areas had been explored quite thoroughly.
“Uh… I’ll talk to my family about it during winter vacation.”
Bai Yao fibbed guiltily.
Holding onto Qiu Ye’s waist made walking difficult.
Feeling her hands were about warm enough, Bai Yao pulled both hands out of Qiu Ye’s pockets.
Her attention was captured by the entire street of snack stalls—they had left school through the back gate and were passing by Food Street.
“You heading back first?”
Qiu Ye asked.
“I want a roujiamo.”
Bai Yao yawned.
“Okay.”
Qiu Ye watched as Bai Yao first left Food Street, but his mind was on buying her a pair of gloves.
Her hands were as cold as ice cubes.
If the temperature didn’t rise in the next few days, she’d most likely get frostbite.
“Boss, one liangpi, two roujiamo.”
He walked up to a liangpi stall.
While waiting for the order to be made, he started browsing on his phone for gloves for Bai Yao.
Furry, cute ones… hmm, maybe buy earmuffs too.
These cat-ear earmuffs look nice.
He happened to scroll past the game controller Bai Yao wanted.
He bookmarked it, planning to buy it for her as a surprise when it went on sale.
This little skirt is nice too, Bai Yao would look good in it…
Suddenly, from outside Food Street, came the sound of urgent braking and a crash, followed by a collective gasp from a crowd.
Qiu Ye looked toward the sound, feeling puzzled at first, but then his heart skipped a beat.
An intense, inexplicable sense of panic surged within him.
His heart contracted violently in a short span, thudding dully in his ears, making him almost lose his balance.
“…Young man?”
He shook his head hard.
A ringing filled his ears, blocking out the vendor’s question.
In a daze, Qiu Ye instinctively walked out of Food Street and onto the street, looking toward a small car stopped diagonally in the middle of the road.
A crowd of passersby and students was densely packed around the front of the car.
“Hello? 120!”
“She was thrown several meters, it’s awful…”
“She should be okay, right?”
Qiu Ye pushed through the chattering crowd and finally saw the girl lying on the road, along with an English textbook and a phone scattered nearby.
That familiar panic erupted at this moment.
His brain short-circuited, blank and at a complete loss.
He stood frozen in place, pupils contracting violently, filled with panic and emptiness.
“120! Right! 120!”
He had just pulled out his phone when it slipped from his trembling, panicked hand and fell to the ground.
Along with Qiu Ye’s heart, it shattered into pieces.
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