After autumn arrived, the sky began to darken earlier each day.
A cool wind whistled, rattling against the windowpanes.
The club room felt a bit dim, so Jiang Ling stood up and turned on the lights.
The classroom instantly brightened.
Jiang Ling’s throat was dry from all the explaining.
As she prepared to pour herself some tea, Ji Qingyan noticed and turned to pick up the kettle, pouring a cup of hot tea for her.
“Thank you.”
Jiang Ling took a sip.
The fragrant, slightly bitter tea flowed down her throat, making her feel much better.
She finally let out a sigh of relief and looked at Xia Yu and Ding Rui, who were sitting in front of them.
“So, do you understand my explanation now?”
The two of them nodded slowly.
Ding Rui still looked hesitant, as if she didn’t quite believe what Jiang Ling had said.
“You’re saying that it was just a coincidence that you two fell, and Xia Yu and I just happened to pass by and see it?”
Jiang Ling nodded.
She felt she had made everything clear.
She had even briefly told Ji Qingyan about the love letter.
In reality, there wasn’t much to explain; she and Xia Yu had never actually met face-to-face until now.
Their only connection had been those letters.
No, it would be more accurate to say that only Xia Yu had seen her from a distance.
According to Xia Yu, she and Ding Rui had been exploring the fifth floor during the club recruitment period.
They were curious when they saw a classroom without a nameplate, so they peeked through the window and happened to see the two of them.
Just like Ding Rui, Jiang Ling felt everything was a bit too coincidental, but that was exactly how things had played out.
Jiang Ling had rejected Xia Yu’s confession on the grounds that she had no intention of dating for the time being.
After witnessing the “intimacy” between Jiang Ling and Ji Qingyan with her own eyes, Ding Rui had felt indignant on Xia Yu’s behalf.
While chatting with others, she had accidentally let the story slip.
And that was how the rumor had started.
The gloom in Xia Yu’s eyes gradually faded, replaced by a glimmer of hope.
Jiang Ling and Ji Qingyan had bumped into each other by accident; they weren’t a couple.
Out of everything Jiang Ling had explained, those were the only two points she cared about.
Ji Qingyan also nodded, though she seemed only half-convinced.
Like Xia Yu, she was more interested in the love letter Jiang Ling had mentioned.
She looked at Xia Yu, her mind wandering with unknown thoughts.
Now that everything was cleared up, there was no longer a misunderstanding.
However, since the rumor had started, the primary responsibility lay with Ding Rui and Xia Yu.
Ding Rui remained silent for a moment before standing up and bowing to Jiang Ling and Ji Qingyan.
“I’m sorry, seniors. We’ve caused a lot of trouble for you. I’m truly sorry.”
Xia Yu also stood up in a flurry, her small face flushing red.
She always seemed so shy; Jiang Ling hadn’t seen her calm down since she entered the room.
Xia Yu apologized as well.
“I… I’m sorry, senior Jiang Ling, senior Ji Qingyan!”
Jiang Ling and Ji Qingyan exchanged a look, both feeling that the matter was settled.
The two juniors were so sincere in their apology that being petty would make them look bad.
Besides, the situation hadn’t actually caused them that much trouble.
“It’s fine. We accept your apology. Just be careful in the future—don’t go spreading things around even if you see something you shouldn’t,”
Jiang Ling said jokingly, trying to lighten the atmosphere in the classroom.
The tension in Ding Rui and Xia Yu slowly dissipated as they sat back down.
Ding Rui stole a glance at Jiang Ling, realizing that the older girl was different from what she had imagined.
“To make up for our mistake, I want to join the club!”
Xia Yu suddenly declared, her eyes filled with determination.
“Um… if it’s just to apologize, there’s no need. We aren’t angry anymore,”
Jiang Ling said hesitantly, looking at Ji Qingyan and seeing her shake her head.
Xia Yu’s cute twin-tails bounced as she spoke seriously.
“The apology is one thing, but I’m also very interested in your club, senior. I want to apply to join.”
“…”
“Me, me too,”
Ding Rui chimed in.
Ding Rui seemed to have a certain obsession with Xia Yu; whatever Xia Yu did, she would always follow along.
Ji Qingyan’s gaze locked onto Xia Yu.
Instinct told her that this cute junior with twin-tails likely had other things on her mind.
Ji Qingyan narrowed her eyes, about to say something, but Jiang Ling interrupted her.
Jiang Ling looked quite happy as she turned to Ji Qingyan.
“That would be great. After all, we’re pretty short-handed right now.”
Jiang Ling blinked at Ji Qingyan, as if saying that the thing she had been worried about finally didn’t have to happen.
It should have been a good thing, but Ji Qingyan turned her head away and said nothing.
Jiang Ling froze.
‘Is she happy or unhappy?’
Jiang Ling simply assumed Ji Qingyan was being shy, as she had always been poor at communicating with others.
Jiang Ling gave a sheepish laugh and accepted Xia Yu and Ding Rui’s request.
“However, senior Ji Qingyan is the club president. You’ll need to fill out a form; we have to follow the procedure.”
As she spoke, Jiang Ling pulled two club application forms from a drawer and handed them over.
The two girls nodded and began to fill them out.
“Then we won’t bother you anymore, seniors. We’re going home now.”
After finishing, Xia Yu looked out the window and noted the late hour.
Jiang Ling nodded and waved goodbye to the two of them.
She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but Xia Yu’s eyes seemed to linger on her as they left.
Jiang Ling shook her head and smiled at Ji Qingyan.
“There we go. The club crisis is resolved!”
Who would have thought that even before she could post the club recruitment notices, she would already receive so many applications?
This whole rumor hadn’t been entirely bad for them.
However, noticing Ji Qingyan staring blankly into her teacup, Jiang Ling frowned.
“Qingyan? Qingyan?”
Ji Qingyan snapped out of it and looked at Jiang Ling.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“What’s wrong with you today? Are you feeling unwell?”
Jiang Ling asked worriedly.
“You seem so distracted.”
Ji Qingyan’s grip on her teacup tightened.
She didn’t know what was wrong with her either.
Ever since she heard the explanation about the love letter and the misunderstanding, she hadn’t been able to muster any energy.
Even receiving so many applications couldn’t make her happy.
Specifically, seeing the way Xia Yu’s eyes lit up when she realized they weren’t a couple made her chest feel tight, as if something were blocked.
Ji Qingyan suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and shook her head at Jiang Ling.
“It’s nothing. I’m probably just a bit tired. It’s late; let’s head back.”
Jiang Ling nodded.
They really had stayed quite late today.
She had been so busy clearing up the misunderstanding that she’d completely forgotten about her writing.
It looked like she would have to work some overtime once she got home.
***
Jiang Ling was in such a good mood that she put even more effort into dinner, making it even more delicious than usual.
Lu Yuyao could certainly tell.
Lu Yuyao picked up a fresh shrimp and popped it into her mouth.
The sweet and savory flavor spread across her tongue, making her eyes narrow in delight.
Lu Yuyao’s love for shrimp was extreme; she usually had Jiang Ling cook them in all sorts of different ways.
But more than the shrimp, she was currently interested in Jiang Ling, who was humming a tune.
“I heard that you’re in a relationship?”
Lu Yuyao hesitated, thinking that asking it this way might be more polite.
“What?”