Chapter 22: He Likes Me

The air was filled with chalk dust, the faintly sour scent of sweat, and the squeaky turning of the ceiling fan. The open windows let in a sticky wave of oppressive summer heat.

Su Wanqing lowered her head, staring at the once-transparent hand that now belonged to Li Xiaoran—a hand where she could even see the fine blue veins beneath the skin.

“I… I can feel it?!”

An indescribable joy instantly flooded her mind, washing away all reason. She almost leapt from her seat.

That clammy, sticky sensation she once hated so much now felt deliciously real.

Su Wanqing let out a string of muffled cries, stomping her little feet in rapid excitement.

This—this was living.

ε＝ε＝ε＝(#>д<)ﾉ

Only…

The classroom was silent, and curious glances from her classmates turned toward her.

On the podium, the petite Teacher Zhou paused her patrol, frowning at the suddenly-standing “Li Xiaoran.”

“Uh…”

Su Wanqing’s cheeks flared red, Li Xiaoran’s delicate features flushing with embarrassment. Like she’d been burned, she quickly sat back down.

“Xiaoran?”

Lin Cheng, sitting beside her, was startled by her sudden outburst and looked over in confusion. She had just been seriously taking notes—why the sudden excitement?

In his memory, Li Xiaoran was a gentle, steady girl.

“N-no problem!” Su Wanqing waved her hands quickly, her voice pitching higher with nervousness and excitement.

“Just… my leg went a bit numb, so I stood up.”

She blurted out the excuse, but her gaze was irresistibly drawn to Lin Cheng’s face.

It was Lin Cheng.

Lin Cheng alive.

The living, breathing Lin Cheng.

Su Wanqing blinked lightly and, almost without thinking, stretched out her hand—five slender, delicate fingers slowly brushing against his cheek.

Warm.

Comfortable.

Lin Cheng, I can finally touch you.

Su Wanqing let out a quiet sound of happiness and cupped his face fully with her hand, savoring the joy as though she’d just won a long-awaited prize.

Lin Cheng was stunned.

What Li Xiaoran was doing was completely out of character for her, leaving him momentarily unable to react.

“Good boy.”

Li Xiaoran grinned and pinched his cheek.

Wait—Li Xiaoran, what are you doing?

Lin Cheng was even more puzzled.

But he didn’t pull away.

Her hand was soft… and honestly, it felt kind of nice.

“Ahem… Lin Cheng, I have a question for you… do you like Li Xiaoran?” she asked softly.

“Huh?” Lin Cheng looked at her in surprise.

“Ahem, I mean, what do you think of me? We’ve been desk-mates for… well, months now, always sitting together. So I was wondering… maybe you like me or something?”

Li Xiaoran’s cheeks flushed pink, and she quickly added,

“Oh, it’s just that I don’t like moving my stuff, so I’ve never changed seats,” Lin Cheng explained.

Only then did Li Xiaoran’s soft hand slowly leave his face, her chin now propped in her palm as she watched him with curious, almost probing eyes.

“Really? But… it feels like you’re really nice to me.”

“Because you’re a good person. Gentle, kind girls always get good karma.”

“Really?”

Li Xiaoran’s expression dimmed slightly at his words.

“Then… does that mean Su Wanqing’s death was… deserved?”

“In a way, yes.”

“What???? Why? I—what did she even do wrong?” Li Xiaoran’s face was full of disbelief.

“She made some huge mistakes. Anyone else wouldn’t have been hit by that car. Even someone just a little clever would have realized the truth that day. And even if they were slow-witted, nothing would have happened as long as they stayed home—at least until after the college entrance exams.

If she had stayed home, she’d probably still be alive.”

Lin Cheng sighed.

He didn’t like talking about this failure, but he did want to call Su Wanqing an idiot.

“…She… she didn’t even know there was a car.”

Li Xiaoran’s voice was tense.

Lin Cheng only shook his head. “Car or no car, it doesn’t matter. When the police investigated, they found the surveillance on that street had lost power that day. If Su Wanqing had been smart, she wouldn’t have pulled some TV-drama stunt and let Zhou Mingyuan drive after her.

I wanted to save her, but I couldn’t.”

He had phrased it as gently as possible.

Before, he didn’t understand “plot correction” and thought maybe if he had arrived earlier, or if Su Wanqing had walked faster or slower, it could have been avoided.

But now he knew—the only way she could have survived that day was by going straight home. That was the only way to avoid her death.

The moment she left her parents that day, she was doomed.

“I…”

Su Wanqing’s fists clenched. Hearing his words stirred her heart, and she wanted to say more about what really happened that day—

Suddenly—

An unbearable, soul-rending pain surged up from her ankle—not physical pain, but a deep, icy agony from the depths of her being.

“Ah!”

She only had time to let out a short, almost inaudible cry before darkness swallowed her vision. Her body went limp, collapsing forward.

“Careful!”

Lin Cheng’s reaction was purely instinct.

Li Xiaoran’s body fell softly into his arms, but the suddenness caught him off guard, and she ended up tumbling onto his lap instead.

Her silky hair carried the faint fragrance of shampoo. The warmth of her body pressed firmly against his legs.

Su Wanqing’s dizziness came as quickly as it went. That cold sensation seemed to exist only to stop her from speaking the truth.

The first thing she felt when she woke was the firm, warm sensation beneath her—her hand began to feel around.

Whose thigh is this?

Then she caught the coarse fabric under her cheek, along with the clean, slightly sweaty scent unique to a teenage boy.

This is…

Su Wanqing took a deep breath and exhaled sharply, pushing the dizziness out of her mind.

She had just fainted—and now she was lying on someone’s lap.

Her head had even bumped something.

She lifted her head.

What she saw—

Was Lin Cheng’s face, close enough to touch, his expression a mix of confusion and worry.

His strong brows were furrowed, and in his deep eyes was the reflection of Li Xiaoran’s face.

Su Wanqing froze in that intimate, awkward pose, staring blankly at him.

Lin Cheng, too, was at a loss from her sudden collapse and the way she was now gazing up at him so intently.

He looked down at the flushed cheeks and hazy eyes of the girl in his arms, completely baffled.

Lifting his uninjured left hand, he gently ruffled the soft hair on her head.

“Hey, Li Xiaoran, you okay? You scared me. Why are you lying on my lap? Looking for food or something?”

The warmth of his palm through her hair, combined with his gentle pressure, carried a teasing tenderness.

That affectionate, slightly exasperated gesture was like a switch.

Boom!

Li Xiaoran’s eyes flickered—

The moment she regained clarity, she looked dazed, and then her face instantly turned red enough to drip blood.

Ahhhhhh!!!

How did I end up in Lin Cheng’s arms?!

And he’s patting my head!

He likes me!!

Her whole body went soft. She let her head drop back down, face-first, onto Lin Cheng’s lap.