The Awkward Aftermath

“See, Ling Yan, I told you I’m fine.”

Exiting the infirmary, I breathed a sigh of relief and looked helplessly at Ling Yan.

Back in the infirmary, Ling Yan had stayed by my side the whole time, and the school nurse had kept glancing at us with a teasing look, which had made me quite nervous.

“Mm.”

Ling Yan nodded without saying much, then reached out to support me again.

What was this? Hadn’t I just said I was fine?

I quickly sidestepped, dodging her outstretched hand.

Ling Yan looked at me in confusion, as if she didn’t understand why I was avoiding her.

Maybe she hadn’t caught my meaning? Looked like I had to spell it out.

“Ling Yan, I’m really okay now, so you don’t need to help me anymore.”

I hopped in place and rotated my arm to show I was perfectly healthy and needed no assistance.

Seeing my reaction, Ling Yan finally realized how flustered she had been. A faint blush crept across her already pale cheeks. She withdrew her hand midair and clasped her hands nervously in front of her.

“Mm, I understand.”

Ling Yan said softly.

“Haha, so should we head back to class now?”

Watching her awkwardness, I scratched my head, also embarrassed, and tried to change the subject.

I had only meant to remind her, not make things weird. But honestly, Ling Yan looked kind of cute like this—so different from her usual assertive self…

“Mm.”

At my words, the blush on Ling Yan’s face gradually faded. She nodded at me and returned to her usual demeanor.

For the rest of the walk, neither of us spoke. But I was used to it; it didn’t feel awkward—instead, there was a faint sense of comfort.

“Hey, Ling Yan, what happened between you and Xiao Lu earlier?”

As we neared the classroom, I struck up a conversation.

Earlier, Ling Yan had been so assertive that I hadn’t dared to ask. But now that she seemed less intense, I thought I’d try—after all, the awkward tension between her and Xiao Lu had me worried.

“Nothing.”

Ling Yan glanced at me, her tone icy.

“Uh, that’s good then.”

I rubbed my head awkwardly and fell silent.

As expected, Ling Yan still wouldn’t share anything about herself. Though I had mentally prepared for it, her cold refusal still stung a little.

(I had thought maybe she was warming up to me. I sighed inwardly.)

“Chenzi, what did the nurse say?”

When Ling Yan and I returned to the classroom, Xiao Lu, who had been listlessly sprawled on her desk, immediately perked up. She sat up straight and asked me.

“Nothing serious. Ling Yan was just overreacting.”

I waved my hand and glanced at Ling Yan, who had already taken her seat.

“O-oh, that’s great, haha…”

Xiao Lu looked at Ling Yan, her once-cheerful voice trailing off. She hung her head slightly, looking guilty.

Ling Yan ignored Xiao Lu entirely. She simply took out the textbook for the next class from her drawer and placed it on the desk, her attitude quite cold.

Watching them, I felt a headache coming on. What should I do? This had never happened before. Maybe I should just ask Xiao Lu directly.

“Hey Xiao Lu, why do you seem so afraid of Ling Yan? Did something happen?”

I pretended to tidy my desk casually, trying to fish for information.

“N-no, nothing. Ling Yan and I have always been like this. You must have seen wrong, Chenzi.”

Xiao Lu forced a stiff smile and glanced at Ling Yan again.

Any normal person could tell something was off with that guilty look. But since Xiao Lu didn’t want to talk, I had to drop it.

“Maybe I did see wrong.”

As soon as I said that, Xiao Lu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled out her textbook to read.

(Ah, I couldn’t get anything out of Ling Yan, and Xiao Lu won’t talk either. How am I supposed to play peacemaker like this?)

I opened my textbook and stared blankly at the words. For a moment, the three of us settled into a strangely harmonious atmosphere.