Chapter 101 p1
Wei Zhuoning felt uncomfortable the entire way home, barely managing to buy groceries.
She realized she had left her purse at the hotel.
Thinking of the hotel, of Lin Xiaozhi, of that terrifying and slightly painful experience, Wei Zhuoning’s face paled.
As an online writer, she had written adult scenes, but the reality was completely different…
The difference between theory and practice was vast…
After last night, she even realized there were many unrealistic and even illogical elements in her previous works.
She was so distracted that she didn’t even notice when she dropped a bag of groceries.
Why did Lin Xiaozhi know so many strange techniques? Why did she have so much stamina?
Over and over… even when Wei Zhuoning was at her limit, Lin Xiaozhi had continued, until she couldn’t bear the pain anymore.
But she had endured it, not wanting to disappoint Lin Xiaozhi.
And that Lin Xiaozhi, completely oblivious to her pain, only focused on her own pleasure!
Wei Zhuoning sniffled, trudged through the muddy streets of the lower district, and entered an old, dilapidated building, climbing the stairs to the sixth floor.
She composed herself before entering, not wanting her mother to notice anything unusual.
Her grades weren’t improving, and if her mother knew she was in a relationship, and had even… done that, she would be worried sick.
Especially if her partner was someone like Lin Xiaozhi.
“Mom!” Wei Zhuoning’s keys were in her purse, so she knocked on the door. A middle-aged woman in a wheelchair opened it.
“You’re back?” her mother asked. “Where are your keys?”
“I left them at a classmate’s place, I’ll get them back tomorrow.”
“Did you have fun with your classmates?”
“Yeah… fun.” Wei Zhuoning mumbled.
“What’s wrong, Zhuoning? You don’t seem very happy, did something happen?”
A mother always knew her child; a slight change in tone was enough.
“I’m just tired after staying up all night.” Wei Zhuoning placed the groceries on the table and, as usual, massaged her mother’s legs. “Are you going to the factory this afternoon?”
“I have to go for a bit. I’m the only one there now, and they just installed new AIs, I need to check on them.”
“Oh.”
Wei Zhuoning put on an apron and started preparing dinner. The chili peppers made her eyes water.
Her mother called out from the living room, “Lower the heat.”
After finishing cooking, Wei Zhuoning said:
“I’m going to take a nap.”
“But you have to eat first.”
“I’m not hungry, I’m really tired.” Wei Zhuoning dragged herself to her room and closed the door.
She heard her mother’s wheelchair stop at her door for a moment, then move away without knocking.
Wei Zhuoning’s body ached. She took off her clothes and collapsed onto the bed, sleeping until evening.
She was woken up by Chi Lin’s call.
“Zhuoning,” Chi Lin’s voice was soft and sleepy, “why are you sleeping at this hour?”
“I’m tired.” Wei Zhuoning rubbed her eyes, her throat slightly sore.
“Are you free? I have some questions about universities and majors.”
“Ask me? Shouldn’t you ask Lin Xiaozhi?”
“Well, Xiaozhi asked me to check on you.”
“…You’re so straightforward, Lin.”
Chi Lin still didn’t understand most modern slang, but she could usually grasp the general meaning.
“Xiaozhi is worried about you.”
“What?!” Wei Zhuoning sat up abruptly. “Did she tell you everything?!”
“Yes.”
Wei Zhuoning: “…”
“It’s perfectly normal, every couple does it, it’s a sign of affection and trust, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
This was what Her Majesty had said to her after… well, after that, and Chi Lin hadn’t expected to use it to comfort a teenager.
“I know, but still…”
“Scared?”
The next day at school, Lin Xiaozhi dragged Chi Lin to the rooftop, skipping morning reading, to ask about Wei Zhuoning.
She had been waiting for Chi Lin’s call last night, but her parents’ friends had insisted on seeing her, and she had been dragged to a social gathering, returning home late and having a fight with her parents.
They hadn’t understood: “You used to enjoy these gatherings, why are you so upset now?”
“I liked them before, I don’t like them now!”
Seeing her genuine anger, her parents quickly apologized and soothed her.
But she was worried about Wei Zhuoning and hadn’t slept well.
“Is she afraid of me? What’s there to be afraid of? Am I a monster?”
Chi Lin, rubbing her aching head, said, “It was Zhuoning’s first time, it’s normal to be scared…”
“It was my first time too!”
Chi Lin looked at her.
“What’s with that look? It’s true!”
“But you have different personalities, different fears. In my time, you could rule a nation, while she’s just an ordinary person seeking simple joys. And there’s another important factor.”
“What?” Lin Xiaozhi asked eagerly.
“She seems to think she’s not good enough for you, worried that you’ll get tired of her after… after that. So she’s been trying to please you, afraid of upsetting you, even when she’s scared.”
“…” Lin Xiaozhi paused for a moment. “Did she tell you this?”
Chi Lin nodded: “She told me, while crying.”
Lin Xiaozhi couldn’t imagine Wei Zhuoning crying, the thought made her heart ache.
“She never told me any of this.” Lin Xiaozhi gripped the railing, her knuckles white.
The sky was clear blue, a warm breeze blowing, but Lin Xiaozhi felt a chill.
“How could she tell you directly? If she were that type of person, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Wei Zhuoning arrived late to class, just as Ms. Qi was starting her lecture.
“Overslept?” Ms. Qi asked.
Wei Zhuoning nodded, head down, and walked towards her seat in the back.
She kept her head down until she sat down and noticed someone beside her.
“You… why are you sitting here?!” Wei Zhuoning, seeing Lin Xiaozhi, didn’t dare to sit down. “Aren’t you afraid of being scolded by Ms. Qi?!”
Lin Xiaozhi smiled and tugged at her sleeve, urging her to sit down: “I asked Ms. Qi, and she agreed.”
“Why…?”
Ms. Qi, seeing Wei Zhuoning still standing, frowned: “Why are you still dawdling after being late? Sit down and don’t waste everyone’s time! You’re in your senior year, every second counts, every second you waste now will turn into tears of regret later!”
Ms. Qi continued her lecture, and Wei Zhuoning, under the disapproving gazes of her classmates, quickly sat down.
She put down her bag, opened her tablet, and coughed a few times.
It wasn’t cold today, but Wei Zhuoning, despite having run to school, was pale, her lips unusually red against her pale skin.
Lin Xiaozhi said, “I’ll be sitting here from now on.”
Wei Zhuoning mumbled a noncommittal response, avoiding her gaze.
“Does it still hurt?”
Wei Zhuoning coughed again.
Lin Xiaozhi took her hand; it was cold.
Wei Zhuoning, aware of her cold hand, tried to pull it back.
Lin Xiaozhi didn’t hold on tightly, just gently held her hand, warming it with her own.
“Does it still hurt?” Lin Xiaozhi asked again, her voice laced with concern, almost a whisper.
Her gentle tone startled Wei Zhuoning, who quickly said, “No, it’s fine, I just… exaggerated a bit to Lin. I have thick skin, I don’t feel pain easily. Don’t worry, it wasn’t your fault!”
Lin Xiaozhi shook her head, holding her hand tighter:
“You’re the one who’s injured, and yet you’re comforting me…”
Seeing Lin Xiaozhi cry, the usually confident and aloof girl shedding tears, Wei Zhuoning was stunned.
“I was just a little…”
Ms. Qi: “Wei Zhuoning! Whispering after being late! Pay attention! Open your tablet and answer this question for everyone.”
Wei Zhuoning: “…”
Was Ms. Qi always this observant…?
Lin Xiaozhi was still crying! How could she answer any questions?!
Wei Zhuoning looked at the politics question on her tablet, completely lost.
Her classmates looked at her sympathetically. Wei Zhuoning’s vision darkened.
Life was hard, being alive was tiring, everything was suffering…
Just as she was despairing, Lin Xiaozhi discreetly wrote the answer in her palm.
Wei Zhuoning carefully deciphered the words and quickly wrote down the answer.
Ms. Qi watched impassively as she wrote the correct answer, then glanced at Lin Xiaozhi:
“Class president, don’t help her during class, you can do that after class.”
Lin Xiaozhi readily admitted her mistake: “Sorry, Ms. Qi, it’s a habit, seeing a blank space, I just had to fill it in.”
The class snickered, and Ms. Qi almost choked.
This class president was too clever for her own good, her quick wit and sharp tongue more than a match for both her classmates and her teachers.
Chi Lin glanced back at them. Lin Xiaozhi was still holding Wei Zhuoning’s hand under the desk, reluctant to let go.
During lunch, Chi Lin deliberately avoided them, wanting to give them some privacy.
Wei Zhuoning didn’t want to leave the school grounds, so Lin Xiaozhi bought her favorite chicken rice from the cafeteria and told her to wait for her on the playground.
Wei Zhuoning, still coughing, sat on the steps, waiting.
She saw Lin Xiaozhi approaching with the lunchbox, then being stopped by a younger student.
The first-year student, tall and slender like a model, was talking animatedly, holding a beautifully wrapped gift for Lin Xiaozhi.
Lin Xiaozhi shook her head, ignoring her, then, with a smile, walked towards Wei Zhuoning.
“I got you extra chicken, remember to take your medicine after lunch!” Lin Xiaozhi’s smile was as captivating as ever.
“Thank you, I’ll transfer you the money later.” Wei Zhuoning took the lunchbox.
Normally, Lin Xiaozhi would refuse the money and make a suggestive comment about “repaying her with her body.”
But today, she didn’t. She sat down beside Wei Zhuoning and just watched her eat, without eating herself.
Wei Zhuoning, feeling self-conscious, asked, “Where’s your lunch?”
Lin Xiaozhi said, “I’m not hungry, looking at you is enough.”
“You have to eat, you have a sensitive stomach, what if you get a stomachache?” Wei Zhuoning’s voice was hoarse with concern.
“If I get a stomachache, will you feel sorry for me?” Lin Xiaozhi sat with her legs together, her hands folded on her knees, her face resting on them, her beautiful eyes fixed on Wei Zhuoning.
“What the…” Wei Zhuoning ran a hand through her hair, exasperated. “You know I’m worried sick about you, and you’re still saying this… Are you trying to kill me?”
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