A Morning of Confusion and Unexpected Encounters

Almost the entire morning passed in a daze of sleep for Ye Xingmian. It wasn’t until the final bell of the last class that the chaotic and muffled cheers subsided, and the crowd dispersed, leaving the classroom almost empty.

The girl was still asleep, her face unnaturally flushed with a sickly red, and her brows furrowed in discomfort.

“Um… this is PE class. Do you want me to go get your brother so we can go together?”

Standing by the lectern at the front of the classroom, Liu Yinuo hesitated, her fingers tapping nervously as she glanced worriedly at the girl in the corner. Why was she still sleeping? Was it because she hadn’t slept last night, or was she feeling unwell?…

No one seemed to care, and even as PE class was about to start, no one bothered to wake Ye Xingmian.

“No need, Yinuo. You go ahead. I’ll handle it.”

“Really? Are you sure? Ye seems to be feeling quite unwell. Should we ask the teacher for a pass?”

“No, she already took two passes in the past few days. How can she keep missing school like this?”

“You’re right… Well, then I’ll leave it to you, Lin.”

There was a hint of worry in the girl’s voice because she knew the relationship between Lin Ziyan and her brother wasn’t good. She was concerned that Lin Ziyan might take advantage of the situation to bully Ye Xingmian. But then she thought, after all, they were family, so there shouldn’t be any such problems. Besides, even if she wanted to intervene, it would likely be ineffective.

Despite her hesitation, Liu Yinuo eventually nodded in agreement with Lin Ziyan’s suggestion and went downstairs to the playground.

Lin Ziyan remained standing, watching until the other’s footsteps faded and they wouldn’t return. Only then did she turn her attention back to the corner of the classroom.

Standing by the desk, she quietly admired the sleeping girl’s face. Actually, from her angle, she couldn’t see the girl’s face, only her long hair cascading over her shoulders, and a glimpse of her pale neck, emitting a unique, girlish fragrance. She could see the girl’s small, delicate ears, slightly trembling with discomfort, and the alluring pink earlobes.

The girl’s sleep was both innocent and restless, like a soft, fluffy cake that anyone would want to bite into. Lin Ziyan’s gaze flickered, and she felt a strange warmth in her heart. Looking at the girl before her, she suddenly wanted to freeze time in this moment. She never imagined that her ‘brother’ could be so adorable and cute…

Gently raising her hand, she slowly, slowly, reached out to the girl’s pink ear. Her chilled fingers trembled, and for a moment, she felt the girl’s hot skin, mixed with her scent, like an electric shock. She quickly pulled her hand back, her heart racing uncontrollably.

What… what was happening to her?

She couldn’t understand her own confused actions or motives. She felt as if she had been bewitched, drawn to the girl, her attention completely focused on her, unable to look away.

She stood stiffly for a long time, and when she looked at the girl again, it felt like her perspective had shifted. The ‘brother’ she once knew, with poor grades and a weak personality, suddenly seemed irresistibly charming, so… soft and adorable?

She pursed her lips, forcefully shaking her head to dispel the chaotic thoughts. Her gaze returned to its usual cold and harsh expression.

Raising her hand, she patted the girl’s back to wake her up, turning away unnaturally as she listened to the painful coughing from behind.

She felt like something had changed, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

“Cough… cough…!”

Startled by the pat on her back, Ye Xingmian’s insides seemed to shake, and she woke up with a start. Covering her mouth, she coughed violently, her face turning red, and tears welled up in her pink eyes.

Looking around, her blurred vision finally focused on the culprit.

“Ah… Ziyan…?”

Her voice was hoarse and faint, almost inaudible.

She felt terrible, having suffered through the morning, her cold not only not improving but worsening. Her head felt like it was on fire, making it hard to think, and she could barely keep her eyes open.

Looking at Lin Ziyan’s back, she hesitated, then asked, “Ziyan… is something wrong?”

Lin Ziyan turned to look at her, but when she met those confused pink eyes, she quickly looked away, trying to hide the unnatural nervousness in her voice.

“This is PE class. Hurry up and go to the playground!”

Only then did Ye Xingmian realize that the classroom was almost empty, leaving just the two of them. She hurriedly stood up, using her arm to support herself on the desk.

“Oh… thanks…”

Usually, her sister wouldn’t bother with her, but today something seemed off. The girl thanked her, not thinking much of it.

She watched Lin Ziyan’s back, her sister as cold as ever, not even sparing a glance for her.

“Umm… are we not leaving?”

The girl grew tense, thinking her sister must have something to say, and whatever it was, it was likely to be trouble.

Looking at her sister’s unmoving back, the girl nervously clutched her chest, stepping back to the wall.

“Of course, I just have something else to tell you.”

The girl’s heart raced, biting her lip as she nervously stared at the floor.

“What… what is it…?”

“…”

After a pause that felt like an eternity to Ye Xingmian, Lin Ziyan finally spoke calmly.

“You’re out of money, right? Come find me after PE, and I’ll take you to eat.”

“What?”

Her voice was filled with surprise, never expecting such words from her sister. Her gaze at Lin Ziyan was stunned.

“What, you still have some left? Qin Haiyue didn’t take it all?”

“No… it’s not that…” the girl hesitated.

“Then listen to me! Don’t skip lunch, or else…”

Lin Ziyan snorted and left with large steps.

Something was off, something was wrong with her. She initially just wanted Ye to follow her, to prevent others from taking advantage. But why did her heart race so fast just now?

Lin Ziyan quickly disappeared from view, and the girl was left standing there, confused about what had happened.

Strange, her sister was so strange… But in any case, eating lunch with her sister was a good thing, better than going to the cafeteria and enduring those strange looks while eating plain porridge alone.

But why did her heart feel so uneasy?

The girl pressed her hand to her chest, deep in thought as she walked to the door, leaning against the frame.

Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, she remembered someone she had completely forgotten since morning.

Qin… Qin Haiyue… she had forgotten about her. What should she do? What should she do?

The girl felt like the sky was falling, desperately trying to think of a solution. But nothing came to mind. Eventually, she gave up, covering her burning forehead in resignation.

“Maybe… I should just skip the afternoon classes too…?”