Chapter 29: I Won’t Miss Sister Lian At All

The afternoon sun was clearly not as scorching as the morning’s, but the oppressive heat in the air still made people not want to go outside.
The white-haired girl, walking under the shade of a tree, gnawed on a cool popsicle.
Beside her, the pink-haired girl ate a strawberry-flavored ice cream cone.
They had left a bit early, so they had the leisure to eat ice cream while heading to the drill ground.

“Is it good?”
Yin Xuelian asked curiously, watching Su Cheng eat with a wide smile on her face.
Su Cheng nodded.
No matter how much she changed, the taste of popsicles in her memory remained exactly the same.

“Let me have a taste too.”
Without a second thought, Su Cheng extended the popsicle in her hand to Yin Xuelian’s lips.
“Here, eat.”

“Then I won’t be polite.”
Yin Xuelian happily bit into the spot where Su Cheng had nibbled.
The cool popsicle instantly gave her mouth a quick freeze, chilling her to the bone.

“It’s nothing special, just the taste of regular sugar water after it’s frozen.”
Su Cheng pulled her hand back, looked at the spot where Yin Xuelian had bitten, and continued eating her popsicle.

“It’s precisely this kind of taste that’s easy to remember.”
Yin Xuelian suddenly gave a sweet smile, teasing, “Then my taste, can you remember it?”
“No.”
Su Cheng replied flatly.
Yin Xuelian bit down hard on her ice cream cone, glancing at Su Cheng: “Then let’s do it a few more times, so you remember.”
Su Cheng gave a slightly flustered, conciliatory smile: “No, no, I remember, I remember.”
Yin Xuelian let out a light hum.
No matter what, today’s kiss should have been memorable enough for her.
If Su Cheng didn’t remember, it would be too unfair to her.

“Want some of my ice cream cone?”
Su Cheng shook her head in reply to Yin Xuelian, explaining, “I don’t like ice cream cones.”
In truth, she simply didn’t want to eat strawberry flavor, because it would remind her of Lin Shiyue.

“You’re not disgusted that big sister already ate it, are you?”
Yin Xuelian feigned sadness with a sigh, her eyes slightly lowered.
“Oh, Little Orange dislikes me.”
“No, no, it’s really not what big sister thinks.”
Without another word, Yin Xuelian handed her the ice cream cone in her hand; she had already licked it all over.

“Then eat it now, prove it to me.”
‘Forced sale, huh!’
Su Cheng stared blankly at the ice cream cone Yin Xuelian offered, somewhat unwilling, yet unable to refuse Yin Xuelian’s serious gaze.
“Alright, alright, I’ll eat it.”
Su Cheng was forced to take a bite of the ice cream cone.
The sweet strawberry flavor, mixed with a faint floral scent, quickly spread through her mouth.

“Hehe, that’s right.”
Yin Xuelian grinned happily, patting the back of Su Cheng’s head.

“Sickeningly sweet.”
Su Cheng again recalled the scene of her “accidental” kiss with Lin Shiyue that night.
Come to think of it, it wasn’t accidental; Lin Shiyue had done it on purpose.
But she absolutely couldn’t let Yin Xuelian beside her know.
If she knew, who knew what even more outrageous things she might do.
Her coming directly to the dorm today was already unexpected enough.

“By the way, Sister Lian, how did you know where my dorm is?
Did those two tell you?”
Yin Xuelian raised her hand and swayed it left and right, saying softly, “No, as the student council president, I naturally have information on newly enrolled students.
It’s easy to look up.”
Su Cheng was speechless.
‘She wanted to report; someone’s cheating!’
The Yin Xuelian of her previous life certainly didn’t have such authority.

“That powerful, huh?
So all my secrets have been found out then?”
Su Cheng said, feigning a very surprised expression.
Yin Xuelian nodded, a sly smile appearing on her charming face: “Of course, you can’t hide anything from me.”

“That’s too much, I feel like I have no privacy in your eyes.”
“I don’t have X-ray vision, at least I can’t see through your clothes.”
Su Cheng: “???”
‘What a lewd comment.’
However, even if Yin Xuelian didn’t need to look up Su Cheng’s information, she was still well aware of Su Cheng’s family situation.
Her parents had passed away early, relatives were estranged, and she had no siblings.
Her only relatives were her maternal grandparents.
Yin Xuelian felt a certain admiration for Su Cheng, who could still get into Xihua University despite such circumstances.

The air between the two fell silent, only the faint “rustling” sound of teeth biting the popsicle occasionally drifted by.
They arrived under the shade of the trees near the drill ground; only a few people had gathered at the drill ground, they were still early.
Since military training hadn’t started yet, Yin Xuelian naturally stayed with Su Cheng for a while longer.

“Little Orange.”
Yin Xuelian moved in front of Su Cheng, slightly lowering her head to look at Su Cheng’s face.

“Hm?
What’s wrong?”
Yin Xuelian gently took her hand, her soft caress like holding a rare and precious piece of jade.

“If I were to disappear for a few days, would you miss me?”
“Disappear for a few days?
Where are you going, Sister Lian?”
Su Cheng looked up with some surprise upon hearing this.
Yin Xuelian’s lips curled slightly with an elusive curve; her eyes, though smiling, now held a deep emotion.
She tightened her grip on Su Cheng’s hand, her thumb gently stroking the back of the other’s hand.

“The teacher is taking us out for a few days of study, for about four or five days.”
Yin Xuelian’s voice was very soft, but inwardly, she felt a deep reluctance.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, dancing on Yin Xuelian’s pink hair, but it couldn’t fully illuminate the faint, dark shadow in her eyes.
That shadow was the result of past darkness.
It felt as if once she left today, she would never see Su Cheng again.
Su Cheng looked at her; the sickeningly sweet feeling from the ice cream cone earlier seemed to have been replaced by another, more complex taste.

“Oh…”
Su Cheng responded softly, subconsciously trying to pull her hand back, but Yin Xuelian held it even tighter.
Yin Xuelian’s burning gaze was locked onto Su Cheng’s face, her expression serious, not wanting to miss a single reaction from her.

“So, answer me, Little Orange.”
“Look in my eyes!”
“Will you… miss me…?”
Yin Xuelian’s voice lowered considerably, her gaze focused and serious, laced with a hint of barely perceptible tension.
Su Cheng, however, revealed a relaxed smile at this moment, saying slowly, “Of course not, it’s not like we’ll never see each other again.”
“Besides, information is so advanced now, we have WeChat to chat anytime, anywhere, what’s there to be afraid of?”
Yin Xuelian was amused by her words, and playfully scraped her finger over Su Cheng’s upturned nose.

“That’s good, I was afraid you’d miss me so much you couldn’t sleep.”
Su Cheng instantly felt embarrassed, wiping the fine beads of sweat from her forehead.
‘Narcissism should have its limits, even if you’re the campus belle.’

“No way, I won’t miss Sister Lian at all.
Sister Lian, don’t miss me either.”
“But I will miss my Little Orange.”
Yin Xuelian interrupted Su Cheng’s thoughts, pausing mid-sentence.
Meeting Yin Xuelian’s gaze, which was full of countless thoughts, Su Cheng suddenly became nervous.

“Wh-What… Mmmph??”
Yin Xuelian suddenly cupped Su Cheng’s face.
This sudden “face-cupping kill” made Su Cheng even more nervous.
‘She wouldn’t possibly kiss me in this situation, would she?’
Su Cheng swallowed hard, her heartbeat suddenly accelerating.

“Can I call you when big sister misses you?”
“Y-Yes, but I’ll only be able to answer if I’m free.”
Yin Xuelian smiled, narrowing her eyes: “I know, I know roughly when you’ll be free during military training.”

“When are you leaving, Sister Lian?”
As soon as Su Cheng asked, Yin Xuelian’s smile vanished instantly.
“Leaving in a moment, so, before I go…”
“One more kiss…”
Su Cheng’s eyes widened in panic, wanting to stop Yin Xuelian’s dangerous action, but Yin Xuelian’s serious eyes wouldn’t allow her to refuse.
Fortunately, Yin Xuelian only left a kiss on her fragrant cheek, and Su Cheng’s suspended heart finally dropped by half.

“So nervous, were you hoping for that?”
Yin Xuelian asked softly, her playful tone making Su Cheng a bit embarrassed.
“Who… who hoped for that!
Sister Lian is always overthinking things, don’t imagine me to be so strange.”
Yin Xuelian dotingly stroked Su Cheng’s head, her eyes full of smiles.

“Alright, I should go now.
If you miss me, call me anytime.”
Su Cheng snorted softly, glaring at her, with a hint of scolding: “Aren’t you going to class?
Just chatting on the phone all day, can’t you study properly?”
“Chatting on the phone is also studying, because I’ve never done it before.”
Su Cheng stumbled, almost falling to the ground.
Yin Xuelian was clearly being unreasonable.

“Can you say something serious, silly Sister Lian?”
Yin Xuelian approached Su Cheng with a smile, squeezing Su Cheng’s small hand firmly, remembering her warmth and scent.

“When I come back, I’ll give you a surprise.”
Su Cheng frowned, unable to fathom Yin Xuelian’s thoughts.

“What surprise?
It better not be a scare.”
Yin Xuelian pledged with certainty: “No, I promise it’s a surprise.”
Su Cheng looked at Yin Xuelian skeptically: “It better be.”

“Then I’m leaving.
You take care of yourself.”
Su Cheng nodded hard.

“Of course, Sister Lian, you also have to take care of yourself.”
Yin Xuelian replaced her answer with a brilliant smile.
A peculiar glint flashed in her eyes as she turned and left Su Cheng’s side.
She was afraid that the longer she stayed, the less she would want to leave.
She was even more afraid that those who wanted to snatch her Little Orange away would take advantage of her absence and steal her.
Su Cheng, however, wasn’t thinking that much.
She was only thinking about when it might rain, pausing military training, and giving them a day off.