The Unspoken Distance

Walking back to the classroom, Liu Yinuo felt a surge of confidence.

After all, she had just done Ye Xingmian a huge favor. In theory, the girl should be grateful to her, giving her the perfect chance to extract information.

“Ye Xingmian, don’t you have anything to say?” She turned her head, a smile on her face.

However, Ye Xingmian’s expression was wooden. She slowly lifted her head, and Liu Yinuo saw a shadow in the girl’s eyes.

“Class monitor… thank you…” Her voice was hoarse and muffled, carrying little gratitude and more guilt.

Liu Yinuo then noticed the girl’s eyes were slightly red, as if she had just been crying.

“Ye Xingmian… is there something on your mind…?” Liu Yinuo’s heart tightened. Although the girl rarely smiled and always wore a gloomy expression like a little bitter gourd, she felt something was different this time. But what exactly was different, she couldn’t say.

She could feel the complex gaze the girl fixed on her, laced with emotions she had never seen before.

“No, class monitor. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going back first…” Although it was phrased as a question, before Liu Yinuo could respond, the girl hurriedly fled. Her back rushed away, as if escaping from a monster.

Watching her retreating figure, Liu Yinuo froze.

It wasn’t an illusion. She really was avoiding her.

But why? What had she done wrong? Everything she had done so far had been for the girl’s benefit. So why?

No, she had to find out.

……

All afternoon, Liu Yinuo tried to approach the girl. But every attempt met with little success.

She tried to approach the girl after class under the pretext of catching up on homework, but the girl used going to the bathroom as an excuse to slip away. In reality, she didn’t go to the bathroom at all; she hid somewhere unreachable and only returned when class started.

She tried passing notes during self-study, but the girl acted as if she hadn’t received them at all, showing no reaction.

All afternoon, she engaged in these futile efforts, to the point that many classmates found it strange. Why was the class monitor so concerned about that little nobody in the corner?

The sun gradually slanted, painting the sky a desolate crimson gold. The gorgeous fiery clouds were scattered by the cold wind, turning into an empty void.

The temperature dropped gradually. The snow by the roadside hadn’t melted; instead, under the sun, it froze from soft flakes into hard piles of ice.

Before she knew it, school was over for the afternoon. Liu Yinuo had made no progress.

Her mood grew more and more irritable. Gazing at the sunset, her tea-colored eyes were coated with a layer of loneliness by the blood-red light.

She knew this was her last chance today.

It was impossible to expect Ye Xingmian to take the initiative to tell her the reason. The only way was for her to make the first move.

But she couldn’t understand what the girl was thinking. Ye Xingmian was always avoiding her. Even if she caught her, it was useless—she would just escape in silence, saying nothing.

This was definitely not a solution. Even if she had to force it out of her, or use some other method, she had to make Ye Xingmian speak up. If she didn’t, the problem would never be resolved.

After school, the classroom buzzed with noise as students left, leaving only a few on duty. Among those leaving was her deskmate Lin. Clearly, waiting around wasn’t her style, and for once, she didn’t have Ye Xingmian carry her backpack on the way back.

“Class monitor, aren’t you going home?” A girl who was usually on good terms with Liu Yinuo approached. It was her turn for duty today, and seeing Liu Yinuo unusually lingering, she asked with a frown.

Liu Yinuo smiled. “No, I’m waiting for someone.”

“Waiting for someone?” The girl’s frown deepened. She leaned in, her expression turning serious, and said in a low voice, “Hey, class monitor, you’re not waiting for that Ye Xingmian, are you?” As she spoke, she glanced at the girl sitting in the corner, her tone strange.

“Mmm…” There was no point in denying it; covering it up would only seem more suspicious. Liu Yinuo decisively admitted her guess. At the same time, she casually glanced toward the corner. Although the other girl was looking down, their eyes coincidentally met—those timid eyes. She was waiting for the girl to leave first so she could chase after her and demand an answer. But apparently, the girl had the same idea. They were locked in a stalemate.

“Tsk, I was wondering why you seemed off today. Class monitor, you don’t have a… thing for her, do you?”

“Huh?” Liu Yinuo turned back in surprise, her expression odd. “Why do you say that?”

“Oh, class monitor, you don’t think others can’t see it? Defending her, passing notes, running over to see her every free moment all afternoon—if that’s not having a thing, what is it?” The girl looked as if this was obvious, with gossip burning in her eyes. “Hey, class monitor, who knew you swung that way? How’s it going? Some guy lucky enough to be chased by our class monitor—he must have fallen for you already, right?”

Liu Yinuo was silent for a moment, then turned away. “It’s nothing like that. We’re just ordinary classmates. I’m just a bit concerned about her.”

“Oh, come on, you don’t even believe that yourself, do you?”

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.” She picked up her backpack and stood. She knew this wasn’t the time to defend herself; such matters only got worse when explained. The more you argued, the more it seemed true in others’ eyes. To avoid the girl’s pestering, she had to abandon her original plan and leave first.

“Tsk, I really don’t know what’s so good about that one. What exactly draws you to her?” Behind her came the girl’s slightly jealous tone. She stiffened for a moment, then walked away with a composed expression.

After hearing the girl’s words, she felt confused. Did she like that girl? Could it be that she was actually a lesbian? She had always thought she was helping Ye Xingmian out of sympathy. But now, she wasn’t sure. Had her actions and thoughts already crossed the line beyond mere help? Had something already veered beyond normal bounds?

She didn’t know. She only felt her mind in disarray, her carefully laid plans tangled into a mess. She had to reexamine her motives, her purpose.

It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. Her previous agitation cooled down significantly. Silently, she descended the stairs and headed toward some secluded place.