Chapter 3
Yu Zhao had a vague inkling of where the problem lay, but she wasn’t entirely certain.
Directly asking Bo Chi was out of the question. As the pampered princess of the Bo family, the girl was arrogant and aggressive. If annoyed, she might even slap her—a perfectly normal occurrence.
Yu Zhao always kept her distance from such people. Not out of fear, but disdain.
Yet, when it came to Bo Chi, for some reason, she didn’t want to simply brush it off. Instead, she tossed and turned in bed that night, her mind preoccupied with how to discern the other girl’s true intentions.
Insomniac until dawn, she recalled the girl’s sparkling, bright eyes and finally made up her mind to test the waters indirectly.
The next day.
As the sun began to rise, Yu Zhao arrived at the classroom, her gaze sweeping across the faces until she located Bo Chi.
The other girl seemed to have slept poorly as well. Listlessly holding a lipstick, she was half-heartedly trying to revitalize herself. Her features were delicate, and her lip shape was particularly beautiful. With a slight press and release, her lips looked temptingly inviting, as if beckoning a kiss.
Yu Zhao’s eyelashes flickered, and she averted her gaze, returning to her seat with a calm and indifferent expression. However, the tips of her ears, peeking through her flowing black hair, were faintly flushed.
**
Today, Yu Zhao was as aloof as ever.
Bo Chi put away her compact mirror and looked up to see Yu Zhao had entered the classroom at some point and was quietly reading with her head down. Observing her cold demeanor, which contrasted sharply with the surrounding atmosphere, Bo Chi affirmed her assessment while involuntarily recalling their reality.
In reality, Bo Chi was also a rich second-generation heiress, but she hadn’t attended any prestigious schools. Instead, she attended an elementary school near her parents’ workplace.
It was then that she and Yu Zhao forged their ill-fated connection. Throughout middle school, high school, university, and even until her brother’s wedding—they were always together, inseparable until death.
Living and dying with her nemesis was obviously not a pleasant way to go. Coupled with the fact that Bo Chi still hadn’t figured out why Yu Zhao had suddenly pushed her head in the car, she felt even more resentful.
—This resentment manifested in her immediately rushing over when she saw Yu Zhao gracefully rise and walk towards Lin Ye.
Yu Zhao turned to look at her, not ignoring her and talking to others as she usually did, but instead scrutinized her meaningfully, speaking first. “What are you doing here?”
Bo Chi froze, clumsily searching for an excuse. “I, I… It’s none of your business!”
She had somehow mastered the original host’s ability to be unreasonable. To avoid appearing guilty, she put her hands on her hips, trying to project an air of dominance.
Yu Zhao glanced at her clumsy acting, then at her undeniably ample curves, before nonchalantly looking away and giving a noncommittal hum.
Only after humming did she calmly remember her plan. Turning to Lin Ye, she said indifferently, “I have two movie tickets. I couldn’t find anyone to go with, so…”
She deliberately trailed off, her peripheral vision entirely focused on the girl beside her.
As expected, the girl’s almond-shaped eyes widened, round with disbelief, her reaction even more dramatic than the lovestruck Lin Ye. She vehemently interjected, “No! You’re not allowed to invite him to the movies!”
Before Yu Zhao could respond, Lin Ye spoke impatiently, “I’ve told you countless times, I don’t like you! You think you’re so great just because you have a bit of money? I, Lin Ye, am not the type of person who sponges off women!”
“Yes, you don’t sponge off women, you force-feed yourself their soft rice!” Bo Chi retorted mercilessly. Because she was short, in Yu Zhao’s eyes, she looked like a newly hatched chick, flapping its fluffy little wings as it pecked at people’s heads. “Anyway, I absolutely forbid you from going to the movies!”
Lin Ye was about to speak again when Yu Zhao reached out and placed her hand on Bo Chi’s soft, black hair, stroking it inconspicuously. “In that case,” she said, “I’ll give the movie tickets to you two. You and Lin Ye can go.”
Bo Chi’s face was filled with horror. Without thinking, she refused, “I’d rather take a dog to the movies than go with him!”
Lin Ye almost choked, nearly rolling his eyes.
Yu Zhao’s lips curved slightly. She now understood.
So Bo Chi wasn’t targeting her all this time because she was jealous of her relationship with Lin Ye.
It was because she was… jealous of Lin Ye’s relationship with her.
Understanding this, Yu Zhao felt an inexplicable surge of joy. Her slender fingers moved, following her heart’s desire, pinching Bo Chi’s soft cheek. She asked again, “Then do you want to go to the movies with me?”
Bo Chi froze, hesitating. “Just the two of us?”
Yu Zhao raised an eyebrow and pinched her cheek again. —This awkward little girl had quite the possessive streak.
Strangely, Yu Zhao didn’t find it annoying.
She nodded readily, repeating, “Just the two of us.”
Although watching a movie with her nemesis felt strange, to avoid giving them a chance to develop feelings, Bo Chi gritted her teeth and resolutely decided to make the sacrifice. “Fine, I’ll go with you.”
“Thank you.” Yu Zhao reluctantly withdrew her hand. Before leaving, she smiled faintly. “If no one goes with me, I’ll have to ask Lin to help me sell these tickets to someone else.”
Bo Chi was stunned. Only after Yu Zhao walked away did she realize, in a state of utter confusion, that Yu Zhao had never intended to go to the movies with Lin Ye!
Ah…
Ah, how is this possible?!
Then why did she rush over to interfere?
To trap herself?!
Bo Chi was dumbfounded. She spent the day in a daze, listening to classes absentmindedly. When school ended in the evening and she saw Yu Zhao had already packed her textbooks and was waiting for her in the corridor, she couldn’t bring herself to go back on her word. With a sullen expression, she shuffled over.
The two walked side by side out of the school and towards the nearby commercial street. Entering the nearest cinema, they stared at the list of movies showing that night.
“Which movie do you want to see?” Yu Zhao asked Bo Chi patiently, suggesting, “I used to work here part-time and found this youth romance campus drama to be highly acclaimed. You can try it if you haven’t seen it.”
Bo Chi glanced at it and saw the movie poster depicted a boy and a girl smiling sweetly at each other.
What if Yu Zhao was moved by it and went to pursue a relationship with Lin Ye?
A chilling thought struck her, and she quickly refused. “No, no, I want to watch a movie about two girls!”
Yu Zhao’s expression faltered. “Two girls… there’s only Twin Flowers. Are you sure you want to watch that?”
Bo Chi nodded vigorously. “Yes, that one!”
Yu Zhao turned to look at her, her gaze darkening.
Bo Chi felt uneasy under her stare, a little bewildered. “What? Is there something wrong with that movie?”
Yu Zhao looked at her for a long moment, then chuckled softly. “Nothing wrong.”
It was just a yuri film that had once been a nationwide hit, held dear by every closeted girl as a beacon of hope.
It was also a secret code understood by all these girls, even if unspoken.
—If you want to confess, but are afraid of rejection, exclusion, or even isolation, invite her to watch this movie.
Let these tender, unspoken affections be conveyed through someone else’s story.
Leave a Reply to Meui Cancel reply