Side Story 6: Lin Wei CP(1)
“I really can’t… anymore…” Wei Zhuoning gasped, collapsing onto the desk.
“What do you mean ‘can’t’? We’ve barely started.” Lin Xiaozhi’s warm breath tickled her ear.
Wei Zhuoning opened her eyes, looked back at Lin Xiaozhi, and whispered:
“Xiaozhi, please, I can’t take it anymore, I’ve never studied for this long…”
Lin Xiaozhi, unmoved by her plea, shook her head slightly:
“No can do. We agreed on three hours, not a minute less. Don’t tell me you’re going back on your word, Zhuoning?”
Tears welled up in Wei Zhuoning’s eyes as she bit her lip:
“I did say three hours. But I overestimated myself, I can’t do it. Please, Xiaozhi, let me off the hook? Next time, I promise…”
“No!” Lin Xiaozhi’s voice sharpened as she pulled Wei Zhuoning upright. “We agreed that today’s study session is at least three hours! Stop trying to weasel your way out! Trying to seduce me with sweet words? I won’t fall for it! Get up, get up, we have so much to cover, the college entrance exams are just around the corner, and you’re still trying to play games with me?”
Wei Zhuoning, still not giving up, clung to her sleeve, whining and pleading: “Xiaozhi, Xiaozhi… please!”
Damn, where did this adorable creature come from? Usually so shy and compliant, but her clinginess was lethal.
Lin Xiaozhi’s heart melted, she almost gave in.
“No, no, we agreed on studying, nothing else. I paid for this study room. And you’re already trying to slack off? If you didn’t want to study, I would have taken you to my place, we could be in my bedroom right now. But there’s a bed here too, a bit small, but big enough for you. So, Zhuoning, studying or cuddling? Your choice.”
Wei Zhuoning, hearing the word “cuddling” from Lin Xiaozhi’s lips, immediately fell silent.
With less than a month until the college entrance exams, all the senior students were in a frenzy of last-minute studying.
Weekends weren’t for rest, but for even more intense cramming.
Although Wei Zhuoning’s scores had reached the first-tier university cutoff, she was still on the edge.
Lin Xiaozhi had warned her that she wouldn’t be lenient, she would push Wei Zhuoning, even if it meant being ruthless, to improve her scores.
But Wei Zhuoning was still focused on writing stories to earn money, even during class, her mind on her keyboard, pretending to listen while actually writing.
Lin Xiaozhi, however, saw through her act.
As Wei Zhuoning tried to sneak away after school, Lin Xiaozhi grabbed her bag and dragged her to a secluded corner of the playground.
Wei Zhuoning, like a little rabbit cornered by wolves, cowered, her hands raised defensively.
Lin Xiaozhi took out her phone, the cold light illuminating her expressionless face, making her look like a ruthless assassin.
“Let’s see today’s update. 3:20 pm, during math class, over 5000 words, our Zhuoning is quite productive, isn’t she?”
Wei Zhuoning, hearing Lin Xiaozhi’s sweet voice, her usual teasing tone, joined in the playful banter:
“Over two hundred comments, all praising your steamy scene. So, our great author, inspired by our math teacher’s old, virginal face, decided to write some smut?”
Wei Zhuoning scratched her cheek: “Practice makes perfect.”
“Oh?” Lin Xiaozhi’s expression changed instantly, from sweet to sinister. “Feeling proud of yourself? We just discussed your failing math score, and you’ve already forgotten?!”
Wei Zhuoning’s playful smile vanished, replaced by fear.
“5000 words! You should be studying, not writing 5000 words!” Lin Xiaozhi poked her forehead, and Wei Zhuoning almost doubled over.
Where was the gentle and caring Lin Xiaozhi?
She didn’t want to date a disciplinary director!
Lin Xiaozhi, exasperated, said: “From now on, no more keyboard. I gave you that gift so you could write, but you have to have some self-control! What do you think you’re doing?”
“But…”
“I’ll give it back after the exams. All your free time is mine now, all of it, you’ll study with me, and no more writing, reading, or even thinking about your stories. Just one month, focus on studying, understand?”
With the most important battle of their lives approaching, they couldn’t afford any distractions.
Lin Xiaozhi knew Wei Zhuoning was intelligent, capable of understanding difficult concepts, but her focus was the problem.
As a writer, even a history question could trigger her imagination, and she would start outlining a story.
Her mind, filled with countless universes, was both her greatest strength and her greatest weakness.
Lin Xiaozhi had to be strict, to keep Wei Zhuoning on track.
Even if Wei Zhuoning hated her for it.
She would whip this little spinning top until the exams were over.
After being scolded, Wei Zhuoning quietly followed Lin Xiaozhi towards the school gate.
The temperature had dropped drastically since winter arrived. Wei Zhuoning, wearing the scarf and gloves Lin Xiaozhi had given her, walked with her head down.
“Are you mad at me?” Lin Xiaozhi, her voice softening, took her hand, their fingers interlacing. “Or are you just scared?”
Wei Zhuoning shook her head and mumbled:
“No… I just feel useless, always making you worry.”
She didn’t look up, her gaze fixed on her untied shoelaces.
They walked in silence until they reached the bus stop.
Lin Xiaozhi bent down to tie her shoelaces.
“Huh?” Wei Zhuoning was surprised.
A student from South Lake Third High was staring at them. Wei Zhuoning blushed and knelt down:
“I can do it myself.”
Lin Xiaozhi looked up at her, the streetlight illuminating her beautiful eyes.
Tears streamed down her face, surprising Wei Zhuoning.
“Do you think I’m annoying?” Lin Xiaozhi, her chin resting on her knees, her face hidden, her voice trembling, “I just want you to have a better future.”
The bus arrived, but Wei Zhuoning didn’t get on.
She called a taxi and took Lin Xiaozhi home.
They sat side by side, their hands clasped.
Lin Xiaozhi: “You’re taking me home, then you have to go back alone.”
Wei Zhuoning: “You’ve walked me home so many times, let me do this for you…”
She added: “I’ll finish my homework tonight, I promise.”
Lin Xiaozhi wanted to tease her, but couldn’t bring herself to.
Reaching her community, Lin Xiaozhi looked back at Wei Zhuoning.
Wei Zhuoning stood under the streetlight, fidgeting with her backpack straps, watching her.
Seeing that she hadn’t left, the temperature dropping, Wei Zhuoning waved, urging her to go inside, then, forcing a smile, turned and walked away.
Lin Xiaozhi’s heart felt heavy as she entered her house.
Did everyone need a university degree for a better future?
Shouldn’t she let Wei Zhuoning choose her own path?
But she couldn’t convince herself otherwise.
The college entrance exams were still the easiest path to a better life.
Failing them meant a harder future.
Lin Xiaozhi tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
She felt restless. She got up, opened her drawer, took out a pack of cigarettes, and went to the balcony.
She lit a cigarette, the red glow and the wisp of smoke disappearing into the darkness.
She had intended to quit, since Wei Zhuoning seemed to dislike the smell.
But when she was stressed, she couldn’t resist.
After a sleepless night, having smoked half a pack, Lin Xiaozhi’s mouth tasted bitter, and her throat was dry and scratchy.
Her mother asked, “Are you sick?”
Lin Xiaozhi put on a mask: “Maybe a little. I’m leaving.”
“Breakfast is almost ready.”
“I’ll eat at school.”
“Take care of yourself!”
Lin Xiaozhi was still coughing as she scanned her face at the school entrance. Putting on her mask, she turned around and saw Wei Zhuoning standing behind her.
“You scared me.” Lin Xiaozhi adjusted her mask.
Wei Zhuoning looked at her, silent, stepping closer, as if sniffing the air.
Lin Xiaozhi, feeling guilty, quickened her pace.
Wei Zhuoning followed: “Xiaozhi, have you been smoking?”
Lin Xiaozhi: “No.”
“I smell cigarettes.”
“It’s just my cold medicine.”
As they stepped out of the elevator, Wei Zhuoning pulled her in the opposite direction of their classroom, towards the rooftop.
Lin Xiaozhi: “It’s so cold, why are we…”
As soon as they reached the rooftop, Wei Zhuoning removed her mask and kissed her deeply.
Lin Xiaozhi: “…”
After a while, Wei Zhuoning opened her eyes, her breathing still uneven.
“You were smoking,” Wei Zhuoning’s eyes were slightly red as she looked at her intently, “why didn’t you tell me? Xiaozhi, is it because of me, are you worried about something?”
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