Chapter 16: Mask
He was truly beautiful, becoming more so each day. A straight nose, skin as fair as jade, and thin lips that, when pursed, were as delicate as a line. But what captivated her most were his gentle, water-like eyes, not at all what a boy should have. Looking at them for too long, she even found them somewhat enchanting.
He hadn’t been this dazzling before. But the boy’s youthful features were gradually maturing, like a precious stone shedding its grains of sand, becoming radiant and eye-catching, attracting more and more bees and butterflies.
She was the first to discover this budding flower. Even if it bloomed now, in all its glory, it still belonged to her. No one else was allowed to even glance at it. If anyone dared to harbor any ill intentions, she would gouge out their eyes, forbidding them from looking, making them understand that coveting what belonged to another came at a price!
The evening breeze ruffled the greyish-white curtains and Xia Qian Ge’s hair. She gently smoothed the ends of her hair, his image filling her dark pupils.
The break before evening self-study was long. Most students would walk around the track after dinner, enjoying the breeze and relieving the day’s fatigue. So the classroom was mostly empty, only a few students coming and going, no one noticing Xia Qian Ge’s small actions in the corner.
She just watched, skipping dinner, afraid of missing this perfect opportunity. Su Yu was sound asleep. The basketball game seemed to have exhausted him, as he had fallen asleep at his desk as soon as he returned to the classroom.
Her expression was complex, a mixture of mad adoration and the bitterness of unrequited love.
Xia Qian Ge longed to touch his cheek but was afraid of disturbing his sleep. In the end, she just lightly traced his lips with her fingertip before retracting her hand. She was tired of these days, hiding like a shameful thief. But it wasn’t time yet. Just wait… just a little longer.
Suppressing the throbbing in her heart, the welling bitterness made her clench her thighs, a blush spreading across her fair skin. No… she shouldn’t desire his body, but why couldn’t she resist? Not just his soul, but everything about him, including his body… should belong to her!
After all, she was the first.
Suddenly, Xia Qian Ge’s gaze turned venomous as she looked at the half-empty water bottle on Su Yu’s desk. He had taken a long gulp from it.
The image of that other girl’s equally beautiful face surfaced in her mind. For the first time, Xia Qian Ge felt a sense of crisis. She knew Su Yu liked her. Otherwise, he wouldn’t always steal glances at her profile, wouldn’t always find trivial excuses to chat with her on his phone…
And he wouldn’t… pretend his confession was a truth-or-dare game.
If Su Yu’s change was because of that woman, perhaps… she needed to adjust her plans. No one could touch… what belonged to her.
Jealousy always made people lose their reason, turning them ugly.
Xia Qian Ge stared at the water bottle, her gaze growing more and more hostile. It was like a thorn stuck in her throat, neither going up nor down. She quietly picked up the bottle, walked to the trash can, and coldly threw it inside, covering it with some scraps of paper.
After doing all this, a smile returned to her face. She became the gentle, kind, almost perfect good girl, Xia Qian Ge, once again.
…
In his sleep, a tickling sensation on his neck made him instinctively scratch at it, jolting him awake.
Su Yu opened his eyes, the tickling sensation gone. He looked around the empty classroom in confusion. Most people had left. It seemed he was alone in this corner, except for…
His pupils constricted as he saw a pork floss bun and a new bottle of water on his desk.
Who left these? A wave of confusion washed over him. He looked at Xia Qian Ge, who was working on problems in front of him. Her profile looked serene and beautiful, captivating his gaze.
Su Yu gently poked Xia Qian Ge’s back with his pen, making her turn around. Her beautiful eyes looked at him quietly, waiting for him to speak.
“The bread and water, who left them?”
“Me. I heard you won the basketball game.” Xia Qian Ge pointed to the bread and water on his desk. “I saw you were still sleeping when I came back from dinner, so I brought you some.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Su Yu’s eyes were still sleepy. He couldn’t help but yawn, then suddenly noticed a missing water bottle—the one He Mu Qing had given him. He had drunk half of it, but now it was gone.
“I had half a bottle of water left. Where… did it go?”
“I didn’t see it. The desk was empty when I came back.” Xia Qian Ge shook her head, her face full of confusion. “Someone was cleaning earlier. Maybe it fell on the floor and was thrown away.”
“I see.”
Su Yu didn’t think much of it. His stomach was growling, so he tore open the packaging of the bun and took a large bite.
Xia Qian Ge had bought him dinner? He hadn’t received such treatment in his previous life. Was it truly a case of “to the victor go the spoils”? Did he get this special treatment because he had won the game?
Su Yu didn’t dare to dwell on it. It didn’t matter anyway. He and Xia Qian Ge would go their separate ways after graduation. He would go to Qingchuan, and she would go to Jiangnan, far away from each other. They might never see each other again in this lifetime.
“While you were sleeping, the teacher said we’ll be going to the computer lab next week for a mock university application. Have you really not decided yet?”
Xia Qian Ge looked at Su Yu, her eyes bright, waiting for his answer.
“About that, I…” Su Yu swallowed the last bite of the bun and took a sip of water. “I’ll think about it some more. My grades aren’t as stable as yours. I don’t dare to think too far ahead.”
“Oh, you should decide soon. I’m going to practice my listening comprehension.”
Xia Qian Ge turned around, her back to Su Yu. The smile on her face instantly vanished, leaving only a cold glint in her eyes. She put on her earphones, but she wasn’t practicing listening comprehension at all. She didn’t even have any listening materials on her phone. She was listening to music.
If Su Yu had heard it, he would have been surprised, because he had heard those songs before. It was his playlist.
Xia Qian Ge listened to the music, her heart growing colder. His taste in music seemed to have completely changed. What he used to listen to was typical of a lovesick teenager. But now, everything had changed, just like him.
“Xia Qian Ge, did you… finish the English homework? I forgot, it’s due during evening self-study.”
Su Yu leaned on his desk and poked Xia Qian Ge with his pen. But when she turned around this time, a lingering coldness remained in her eyes, making him catch his breath, confused.
“Are you in a bad mood…”
“Here. Don’t just copy everything. These problems are important, take a good look at them.”
Before Su Yu could finish his question, Xia Qian Ge slapped her homework on his desk, her voice still carrying the same gentle tone she used with everyone.
“Thanks.”
He took the notebook, looking at the neat handwriting, the name he knew so well: Xia Qian Ge.
Girls were all like this, soft as water, seemingly transparent, yet impossible to see through.
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