Waking Ling Yan

“Ling Yan, you’re awake.”

I looked at her with a mix of surprise and relief.

Thank goodness she was awake. If I had to face a crying Xiao Lu alone, I wouldn’t have known what to do. My mind would have been completely blank.

“Mm. But why is Xiao Lu crying? Did something happen?”

Ling Yan nodded at me, then sat up. She glanced at me with a hint of confusion before turning her gaze to Xiao Lu. She reached out a hand, gently wiping the tears from Xiao Lu’s bowed face.

“This…”

I was at a loss for words.

“I’m fine.”

Xiao Lu stopped sobbing and lifted her head. Her eyes were red, and her fair cheeks were streaked with tears—clearly not the face of someone who was fine. But she still forced a smile at the worried Ling Yan and shook her head.

Watching Xiao Lu put on a brave face left a bitter taste in my mouth, but I really couldn’t explain this to her.

“But Xiao Lu…”

Ling Yan clearly didn’t believe her and wanted to press further. Xiao Lu, however, gently moved Ling Yan’s hand away, stood up, and said flatly, “Don’t say anything more. I really am fine.”

Ling Yan was startled. She didn’t speak, just pressed her thin lips together in a hurt pout. She had never been treated like this by Xiao Lu before.

Come to think of it, Xiao Lu and Ling Yan were like fire and ice—complementary personalities that had always been harmonious.

But this really wasn’t my fault. The misunderstanding was clearly Xiao Lu’s doing, yet I couldn’t explain it. It was so unfair. Still, seeing Ling Yan like this, I couldn’t bear it.

“Actually, I think this might be a misunderstanding. How could anything happen between Ling Yan and me?”

I rubbed my head and put on an ingratiating smile.

But Xiao Lu turned her gaze to me, and a bone-chilling coldness made my scalp tingle.

“Hah, so you’re saying I’m just being paranoid and unreasonable?”

Xiao Lu glared at me with resentment, looking like she wanted to devour me.

Startled, I quickly waved my hands in front of me. “No, I really don’t.”

“Who’d believe you? But I’ve figured it out. This is between Little Yan and Chenzi. Why should I, an outsider, care so much? That would just make me look stupid.”

Seeing my panicked expression, she seemed to calm down a bit. She rolled her eyes and spoke in a low, subdued voice.

Was it… okay now?

I let out a breath. I didn’t know what Xiao Lu had figured out, but at least she wasn’t crying anymore. That was good, because otherwise I wouldn’t have known what to do—I’d rather she just hit me to vent her anger.

“So, I won’t meddle in your affairs anymore.”

Xiao Lu paused for a moment, looked toward the club members gathering in the distance, took a deep breath, and said.

“Haha, that’s great! We’re still good friends, right?”

I rubbed my head and laughed nervously.

“Yeah, we’re still good friends.”

Xiao Lu glanced at Ling Yan, who had remained silent the whole time, and her words seemed to carry a double meaning.

Just as I thought everything was returning to normal, Xiao Lu suddenly crashed into me with her body, sending me stumbling. With a splash, I fell into the pool.

“Zhou Chen, are you okay!”

I surfaced, wiped the water from my face, and saw Ling Yan crouching by the pool, looking at me with concern. Xiao Lu had already run off toward the training area.

Ah, she’s still holding a grudge. Well, if it makes her feel better, I don’t mind.

Then I thought about Ling Yan’s worried face and almost laughed. I’d been on the swim team long enough—even if I wasn’t as good as the regular members, drowning wasn’t exactly a risk.

But seeing Ling Yan so concerned warmed my heart. Even though I knew it wasn’t special attention for me, I couldn’t help feeling happy.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.”

I waved my hand and smiled.

“Good. Let me help you up.”

Seeing I was all right, Ling Yan pressed a hand to her chest in relief, then stood up, bent down, and stretched out her arm—pale, delicate, like warm jade.

I froze. Not because of her hand, but because from this angle looking up, her voluptuous curves were especially prominent. The hair under her armpit was also exposed as she extended her arm.

My nose tingled. I quickly averted my gaze and swam away from Ling Yan.

(Don’t look, don’t look!)

“Ah, um, I’ll get out myself. No need to trouble you, Ling Yan.”

“Mm, then…”

Her voice trailed off, making me glance at her involuntarily.

Ling Yan was now sitting upright on the bench, wearing my jacket. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her eyes were fixed on the club members who had already started training.

My heart sank. What terrible luck. She must have noticed where I was looking. I was done for—she would hate me now.

I slowly swam to the edge, carefully watching her. As if sensing my gaze, she shifted her body slightly to the side.

Seeing her reaction, the last shred of hope in my heart vanished.

“Um, Ling Yan, I didn’t mean to.”

I quickly climbed out of the pool and bowed to her in apology.

As long as I apologized promptly, with her gentle nature, she would surely forgive me.

“…Mm.”

A faint voice, barely a whisper, reached my ears after a moment. That was enough. I breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at her.

She was still sitting upright like before, but her expression had returned to normal, and her eyes gazed at me calmly.

She’s still a bit bothered, but she’s probably forgiven me.

Embarrassed, I rubbed my head and carefully sat down beside her. She wasn’t sleeping this time, which made me nervous. I didn’t dare strike up a conversation.

And there were probably a bunch of questions she wanted to ask, which gave me a headache.

“Zhou Chen, what was wrong with Xiao Lu just now?”

But to my surprise, after a moment of silence, she didn’t ask about anything else—just that.

Xiao Lu had asked me the same thing before. Back then, I thought Ling Yan was also hiding the fact that I had snuck into her locker. But maybe that wasn’t what Xiao Lu had been asking about?

“Well, Xiao Lu came over and asked if anything happened between us. I pretended not to know, and that made her cry.”

I finished speaking with a hint of guilt and stole a glance at Ling Yan to see her reaction. To my surprise, she just nodded and handed me her towel from the bench.

“Zhou Chen, dry yourself off, or you’ll catch a cold.”

Strange. Why was she so indifferent?

And looking at the towel, my mind went blank. Remembering that she had just used it to dry her underarms, I quickly refused. I would definitely not be able to resist sniffing it. (I’m just as perverted as Xiao Lu—I suddenly realized that truth.)