In the following days, Sheng Qingxi didn’t see Lin Ran again.
Soon, it was Saturday after school.
With her backpack on, Sheng Qingxi had just walked out of the back door when she immediately spotted Song Shiman waiting outside. She seemed a bit unhappy, probably because she’d been waiting for a while, and her little face was tense. If anyone glanced her way, she would glare back at them.
Like a fierce little wildcat.
When Song Shiman saw Sheng Qingxi finally come out, her expression softened, but she couldn’t help but complain in a low voice, “Everyone’s almost gone already. What’s with the boys in your class? Why do they have the girls cleaning the blackboard?”
Song Shiman had been standing by the window for a long time earlier, watching Sheng Qingxi struggle on tiptoes to clean the blackboard. It had taken her quite a while to finish.
Seeing Song Shiman’s adorable, irritated look, Sheng Qingxi was reminded of the little ones at the welfare home and couldn’t help but pat her on the head. “It’s only one day a week, and every cleaning group has their turn. I think cleaning the blackboard is easier than sweeping the floor.”
Song Shiman awkwardly tried to dodge, but remembering she was here to get closer to Sheng Qingxi, she reluctantly endured it. She wasn’t doing this because she wanted to be patted on the head.
These past few days, Song Shiman had been secretly carrying out her second plan: to quietly spread the rumor that Sheng Qingxi liked Lin Ran.
She knew that Lin Ran hated vague rumors like that. Once he found out, he would definitely come forward to deny it, and by then, Sheng Qingxi would surely give up. What a flawless plan!
Song Shiman’s classroom was on the fourth floor, so recently, she’d been coming down every day to pull Sheng Qingxi along to eat together.
After a few days of close observation, she finally understood why Sheng Qingxi was so thin. She barely ate anything, just nibbling on a few leaves of vegetables each meal. No wonder she was so skinny—Song Shiman even felt sorry for her.
Being a fairy is too hard.
Today, to walk home with Sheng Qingxi, Song Shiman had sent her family’s driver away.
Sheng Qingxi’s family didn’t seem very well-off. Apart from meals, Song Shiman hadn’t seen her spend any money, and even the things she used were brands Song Shiman had never heard of.
Following the principle of “know your enemy and you will always be victorious,” Song Shiman was plotting a way to get a look at Sheng Qingxi’s home.
Pulling Sheng Qingxi toward a less crowded staircase, Song Shiman casually asked, “Qingxi, can I come to your house for a while today? My parents aren’t home.”
Sheng Qingxi hesitated for a moment, pursing her lips before asking, “Are you staying for dinner? My house might… it might be a bit noisy.”
Everyone at the welfare home ate together, and the little ones were always chirping away, making it as noisy as the school cafeteria. Song Shiman didn’t seem to like noisy environments much; she always frowned when eating in the cafeteria.
Sheng Qingxi had only learned today that Song Shiman never ate in the cafeteria at all. Her lunches and dinners were always brought to her by the family’s servants.
She was worried that Song Shiman wouldn’t be used to the environment at the orphanage.
Song Shiman glanced at Sheng Qingxi’s expression and, with a determined tone, said, “It’s fine. I don’t mind the noise.”
.
At the school gate.
He Mo was leaning against the wall with a lollipop in his mouth, waiting for Lin Ran with Xie Zhen. A flashy motorcycle was parked beside them, its dark green body gleaming in the sunlight as if it had a faint glow.
Lin Yanyan had finished school on Friday, so Lin Ran had gone to pick her up from home.
Xie Zhen’s family’s garage was in the opposite direction from the school, and they had a game tonight. Lin Ran didn’t feel comfortable leaving Lin Yanyan home alone, so he decided to take her to Xie Zhen’s garage where she could stay safely.
When Xie Zhen saw Sheng Qingxi and Song Shiman walking together, he was stunned. The two of them were side by side, chatting occasionally. He nudged He Mo, who was playing a game on his phone, “Mo, look! Am I seeing things?”
He Mo glanced up briefly and replied casually, “They’ve been having lunch together every day. You didn’t know?”
Xie Zhen was dumbfounded, “How would I know?”
He was baffled, “What kind of development is this? Aren’t the fairy and Song Shiman supposed to be love rivals? How did they end up as best friends holding hands?”
He Mo quipped, “They’re not holding hands.”
Xie Zhen was confused, “Is that the point?”
He Mo responded firmly, “Yes.”
Xie Zhen was speechless, “…”
He Mo continued playing his game while Xie Zhen kept watching Sheng Qingxi and Song Shiman, giving He Mo a play-by-play, “I can’t believe it! Song Shiman is actually waiting for the bus. The fairy just wiped the bench clean with a tissue, and now Song Shiman sat down.”
Xie Zhen was nearly dumbfounded, “What kind of sweet romance is this?”
He Mo couldn’t help but retort, “Isn’t it obvious that Song Shiman is bullying the fairy?”
Xie Zhen was shocked, “Huh?”
Is that really what’s happening?
Were they even seeing the same scene?
At the bus stop in front of the school.
Sheng Qingxi took two yuan out of her coin purse and handed it to Song Shiman, mumbling softly, “You can pay with your phone on the bus, you know. Even I know that.”
Despite her words, her actions were very honest.
Song Shiman reached out and accepted the coins from Sheng Qingxi’s hand.
It had been years since Song Shiman had used cash. She looked down at the two shiny silver coins in her palm, quietly closing her fingers around them.
Sheng Qingxi explained softly, “I don’t bring my phone to school, so I always pay with coins.”
Song Shiman glanced up at her but didn’t respond.
Who knew there were still people who didn’t bring their phones to school?
After spending the last few days together, Sheng Qingxi seemed to embody the traditional ideal of a good student in Song Shiman’s eyes—never late, disciplined, always following every rule society had set.
Song Shiman, on the other hand, couldn’t stand staying in the classroom after class. Sometimes, she’d buy milk tea and go to Sheng Qingxi’s class, and Sheng Qingxi would always either be taking notes or doing homework.
To her, that kind of life seemed dreadfully dull.
Sheng Qingxi and she were completely different people.
Song Shiman couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. Would Lin Ran like a girl like Sheng Qingxi?
She knew that she could never become someone like Sheng Qingxi. Even if it were for Lin Ran, she just couldn’t do it—because Song Shiman really liked who she was now. She loved herself just the way she was.
The No. 113 bus, which headed toward the suburbs, had only a few scattered passengers inside when Song Shiman and Sheng Qingxi got on. Although the stop was crowded with students, only three people boarded, including the two of them.
After they got on, Song Shiman didn’t directly ask how many stops they would ride. Instead, she tried to subtly inquire, “Qingxi, how many stops do we have? How long will it take?”
Sheng Qingxi thought for a moment and replied, “Fifteen stops, about an hour.”
Song Shiman was speechless, “…”
She counted on her fingers and asked in disbelief, “What time do you get up every day?”
Sheng Qingxi answered calmly, as if she were talking about the weather outside or having a stomachache, “I wake up at five in the morning. After getting up, I go for a half-hour jog. After taking a shower and having breakfast, it’s about six o’clock, and then I wait for the bus. I get to school around seven.”
Song Shiman frowned as she calculated for a while, realizing that Sheng Qingxi slept around five hours a day.
Initially, Song Shiman wanted to ask why she didn’t just rent a place near the school since she lived so far away, but when she pinpointed the fifteenth stop on the map, she abruptly shut her mouth.
The fifteenth stop: Shengkai Orphanage Home.
Song Shiman couldn’t stop her mind from wandering. Where exactly did Sheng Qingxi live?
.
When it was time to get off the bus, Sheng Qingxi had to wake Song Shiman up. For a moment, she was still dazed.
She, Song Shiman, had actually fallen asleep on the bus without realizing it.
Instinctively, Song Shiman asked, “Qingxi, did I drool while I was sleeping?”
Sheng Qingxi held her wrist and guided her off the bus, “No, you still looked great.”
Song Shiman felt a whirlwind of emotions—had her rival unintentionally just flirted with her?
Although Song Shiman had already suspected something, when Sheng Qingxi really led her into Shengkai Orphanage Home, she froze, stammering, “Qingxi, we… are we…?”
What are we doing here? Do you live here?
Sheng Qingxi glanced at her and calmly said, “I’m an orphan. I grew up here, and this is my home. All the kids here share the same last name as the director. We all go by Sheng.”
Song Shiman didn’t know what to say.
In that moment, she felt a little disgusted with herself.
What kind of ridiculous plan was this?
She should have treated Sheng Qingxi the way she had treated others who liked Lin Ran, by being straightforward and telling her directly that she liked him too. Not like this, not by scheming behind her back.
When Sheng Lan saw Sheng Qingxi bringing a classmate back, she almost thought she was imagining things. In her memory, this child had never brought a classmate to the orphanage before.
It was already dinnertime, so Sheng Lan hurried to grab bowls and chopsticks for their guest.
The dining hall at Shengkai Orphanage Home resembled a kindergarten cafeteria—small, colorful tables and chairs covered in graffiti, with rows of children sitting neatly, spooning food into their mouths obediently.
Sheng Qingxi, Song Shiman, and Sheng Lan sat at a different table.
However, not long after Sheng Qingxi sat down, one of the children accidentally choked, prompting her to put down her chopsticks and rush over.
That left only Sheng Lan and Song Shiman at the table.
Song Shiman could sense that the middle-aged woman was looking at her cautiously. After a moment of hesitation, she asked tentatively, “Is Qingxi… happy at school? Is she eating well?”
Song Shiman found the question strange. Most parents asked about how their children were doing in class, their grades, or how they were getting along with their classmates.
She answered as best as she could, “She’s very studious and mostly eats vegetarian meals. She doesn’t spend much money.”
Song Shiman thought her words would put Sheng Lan at ease, but instead, the woman’s expression became even more worried.
After calming the little one down, Sheng Qingxi returned to the table, noticing the odd expressions on both of their faces. She paused for a moment. “What’s wrong?”
Sheng Lan forced a smile, “Let’s eat.”
After dinner, Sheng Qingxi took Song Shiman to her room. Only when the children were out of sight did Song Shiman begin to feel somewhat relieved.
She quietly observed the room, which was smaller than even half of her own walk-in closet, and casually suggested, “Qingxi, let’s add each other on WeChat, so it’ll be easier to keep in touch during the holidays.”
Sheng Qingxi responded with a simple “Mm,” and took out a basic brand smartphone from her drawer.
As Song Shiman had hoped, she added Sheng Qingxi as a friend on WeChat.
Sheng Qingxi’s profile picture was of a small yellow flower growing by the roadside, and her username was “Shengkai.” When Song Shiman checked her Moments, she saw that the cover photo was of the entrance to Shengkai Welfare Home.
Fearing Song Shiman might overthink, Sheng Qingxi explained, “This is my WeChat account, and it’s also the welfare home’s WeChat account.”
Song Shiman silently scrolled through her Moments, which were filled with pictures of the children or messages of gratitude for charitable donations. Aside from posts about the welfare home, there was no personal information about Sheng Qingxi herself.
At the same time, Song Shiman’s WeChat started blowing up with notifications.
She glanced at them—they were all about Lin Ran having a race at the garage tonight, asking if she was going to attend.
Could Song Shiman not go? Absolutely not!
But today, Song Shiman hesitated. Should she go alone, or should she bring Sheng Qingxi with her?