Chapter 39: Do You Eat Mangoes

The whole world quieted down, and the sound of the clock ticking on the wall could be heard clearly in the spacious classroom.

A gentle breeze brushed the hem of the girl's skirt, pushing thick clouds to block the rising sun.

Wei Qingyu looked blankly at the girl standing in front of Ji Xiao's desk, her turquoise eyes mysterious in the shadows.

She knew this girl, having heard about her several times in the past few days when she went home with Ji Xiao and the others.

This young girl is Qiao Ni, the recently differentiated Omega whom she and Ji Xiao rescued in the bathroom not long ago. She's Qi Qi's stepsister.

"Qiao Ni." Wei Qingyu called out her name, softly saying, "Was yesterday's little cake also from you?"

"Yeah, can't I?" Qiao Ni looked at Wei Qingyu confidently, her hand on Ji Xiao's desk, slightly tightening.

"No one said you can't, but your actions may cause unnecessary trouble," Wei Qingyu replied. Qiao Ni thought of the note Ji Xiao wrote, that she had ignored under the mango box, and her hand on the desk tightened involuntarily. "What do you mean?”

"Minors can't date, don't you know?"

Wei Qingyu's voice was still light.

Her tranquil turquoise eyes met Qiao Ni's gaze, intensifying Qiao Ni's guilt, her face now filled with embarrassment, her eyes flickering.

Qiao Ni shouted, "What's your relationship with Ji Xiao? Why do you care so much?!"

Wei Qingyu was momentarily stunned by this question.

What was her relationship with Ji Xiao... childhood friends?

Temporary housemates?

Or... enemies?

Various possibilities flashed through Wei Qingyu's mind, but each was marked with a question mark.

Pushing aside the jumbled thoughts piled up in her mind, she finally came up with one answer.

"Classmates," Wei Qingyu replied calmly.

Upon hearing this answer, Qiao Ni chuckled disdainfully. "Then it's nothing."

The girl's mocking laughter, tinged with sarcasm, hit Wei Qingyu's heart hard. She had never imagined that when outsiders drew a rift between her and Ji Xiao, she would feel this way.

A layer of frost covered the girl's eyes as she looked at the girl standing next to Ji Xiao's desk, her voice low: I'm nothing, yet she also comes to me on her own initiative to go home together."

Wei Qingyu seemed to have said everything and yet said nothing at all.

The word "initiative" alone vividly showcased the special treatment Wei Qingyu receives from Ji Xiao compared to others.

"You!" Qiao Ni pointed at Wei Qingyu, but couldn't find a retort.

Wei Qingyu ignored Qiao Ni's reaction and continued, "If I were you, I would never sneak around someone I like. You might think it's romantic, but in reality, it causes a lot of trouble for many people, especially Ji Xiao. By doing this, you're just showing your lack of confidence."

"I like doing it this way! Mind your own business! You're the one lacking confidence!" Qiao Ni was infuriated by Wei Qingyu's merciless exposure of her inner feelings.

Before she finished speaking, she grabbed her backpack from Ji Xiao's chair, lowered her head, and ran out of the back door as if escaping.

At 6:30 in the morning, the classroom was empty. The sound of the girl's footsteps as she fled after being discovered echoed clearly in Wei Qingyu's ears.

From close to distant, gradually fading away.

Wei Qingyu tightened the strap of her backpack on her shoulder and stepped over the low threshold, walking to Ji Xiao's desk.

Looking at the box of mangoes tied with the same bright yellow ribbon as yesterday, except this time, the dark heart-shaped pattern on it was replaced by a bright red one.

Each heart-shaped pattern was adorned with shining red dots as if showing off.

The girl raised her arm, pulling up the sleeve of her white shirt to reveal a slender, pale wrist.

With a touch of pink on her knuckles, her fingers hesitantly landed on the transparent fruit box.

Her pale fingers tightened slightly, and the thin, fragile plastic box emitted an unpleasant, ear-piercing sound as it was squeezed.

Her soft, flowing hair cascaded down her shoulders, brushing against her face and leaving a cold, dark trail.

Underneath her dense eyelashes, her clear pupils transformed into a deep green, as dark as ink. Despite the bright sunlight pouring through the window beside the desk, her eyes remained devoid of any light.

At that moment, Wei Qingyu truly wanted to throw away the annoying box of mangoes for Ji Xiao.

The classroom was quiet, with only the occasional strained groan coming from the plastic box in the girl's hand.

Suddenly, her hand that had been gripping the plastic box loosened its grip.

After a sharp, relieving sound, Wei Qingyu withdrew her hand to her side.

The dark, moody green in her eyes faded away, replaced by a sea of confusion.

This was the first time Wei Qingyu had felt puzzled by her own behavior.

She couldn't understand why she had such an impulse, nor why she harbored such unfounded hostility towards Qiao Ni and the things she had given to Ji Xiao.

These were gifts from Qiao Ni to Ji Xiao; what right did she have to make decisions for Ji Xiao?

‘Then it's nothing.’

Qiao Ni's words echoed in Wei Qingyu's ears once again, and the familiar yet unfamiliar sense of oppression gathered in her chest.

The girl looked at the packaging box that she had both tampered with and restored to its original state, her gaze murky and unclear.

She couldn't understand why a simple "nothing" could evoke such a strong adverse reaction from her.

Clearly, in the past, she had wanted nothing more than to break free from all kinds of ties with Ji Xiao.

At that moment, the sound of classmates outside the classroom opening the door and reciting vocabulary interrupted her thoughts. Wei Qingyu quickly forced herself to regain her composure and left the place.

The sunlight gradually became warm, and more and more students gathered in the classroom.

It wasn't yet time for morning self-study, and without the pressure of being in the senior year, the classrooms were filled with chatting students.

On Wei Qingyu's desk was a glass bottle of milk with a straw inserted, neatly stacked under a sandwich wrapper.

She quietly recited English words, appearing completely calm now.

"Hey, Sister Xiao, good morning.”

Sun Min's call made Wei Qingyu's slightly parted mouth pause.

Ji Xiao lazily entered the classroom with her backpack slung over her shoulder and greeted Sun Min, "Good morning."

The sound of a plastic box being tapped twice came from Ji Xiao's desk, while Sun Min grins mischievously. “Sister Xiao, take a look."

"Again?" Ji Xiao frowned at the box of fresh mangoes.

Yesterday afternoon, after school, she had left a note on her desk to persuade this unnamed Omega. 

The note ended up being placed under the mango box.

"Do you want some?" Ji Xiao still refused to accept this anonymous kindness, pushing the mangoes towards Sun Min. "If you don't want them, I'll throw them away."

Seeing Ji Xiao was about to throw the mangoes into the trash behind her, Sun Min hurriedly said, "Hey hey, it's not mango season right now. It would be such a waste not to eat them."

Ji Xiao smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble you to finish them off."

"Got it!" Sun Min gave Ji Xiao an OK gesture and happily began to enjoy the box of mangoes.

At that moment, the bell for morning self-study rang, its urgent tone calming the restless classroom.

Wei Qingyu, holding her English vocabulary book, casually glanced back at the box of mangoes now in Sun Min's hands and inexplicably felt relieved.

Perhaps due to being caught by Wei Qingyu, Ji Xiao's desk had not received any more anonymous gifts from the Omega for three consecutive days since that day. 

While this should have been a reason to rejoice, Ji Xiao found it uncomfortable that Wei Qingyu had been leaving early in the mornings and showing a somewhat cold attitude towards her until the end of the week.

The sunset dyed the sky a cotton candy pink, gently marking the end of a busy week for the students returning home from school.

Ji Xiao, as usual, walked home with Wei Qingyu, but the absence of Fang Yiming and Qi Qi made the journey quieter. 

Their conversation remained sparse, maintaining a friendly distance as they walked forward. Only the faint outline of a small peach basket peeking out from under their shirt sleeves hinted at their deep relationship. Ji Xiao, watching their shadows cast on the ground, couldn't help but ask, "Is there something going on at school?"

"What?" Wei Qingyu was puzzled.

Ji Xiao asked, "Why have you been leaving so early these past few days?"

"Just wanted to memorize more vocabulary," Wei Qingyu explained lightly, with an added unspoken thought in her mind: no other reason.

Not noticing the subtle change in Wei Qingyu's expression, Ji Xiao hurriedly said, "You can never finish memorizing vocabulary. Don't leave so early. It's getting brighter later in the mornings, and it's unsafe on the road."

"Yeah, I know," Wei Qingyu nodded, then after a moment of thought, she added, "When you're done, leave your backpack in my room. I'll help you plan your biology exam study schedule."

"Really?" Ji Xiao looked at Wei Qingyu with hopeful eyes.

Ever since Monday when Liu Yue assigned them to be study partners, everyone else had been enthusiastically helping each other out. Yet Ji Xiao felt as though Wei Qingyu had forgotten about her completely, as nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

There was even one time when Ji Xiao opened Wei Qingyu's notebook while studying biology, thinking it was her way of tutoring her.

She nodded and said, "I mean it."

"Listen to me, follow my steps, and you'll score an A in the mock exam at the beginning of the month."

Ji Xiao nodded in agreement and replied, "Of course, I'll listen to you. Why else would I choose you?"

The girl's eyes reflected the light from the streetlamp, her confident gaze as bright as day.

Wei Qingyu looked at her with a momentary distraction.

How long had it been since Ji Xiao had trusted her?

Since she stepped into the Ji family's mansion six months ago, since she became an Omega, since that incident when she was ten.

Wei Qingyu lowered her gaze slightly and softly said, "That's for the best."

The cool autumn breeze passed through the flower beds on either side of the road, brushing past the girls walking side by side on their way home.

Ji Xiao caught a hint of mint in the air, the coolness tinged with a sadness she couldn't quite grasp.

Though it wasn't particularly dark yet, the streetlights in the villa area had already been lit on both sides.

Ji Xiao glanced sideways at the girl beside her.

Standing in the yellowish light, her black hair haloed with a bright aura, illuminating her somewhat gloomy expression.

The pink sky peeked through the pine trees behind her, casting a light pink hue on her pale skin.

The cool and romantic atmosphere intertwined, making one want to capture this moment.

With one class less on Friday afternoon, there was no more playfulness on the way home with Qi Qi and Fang Yiming. The two of them returned home early.

Aunt Wu watched Ji Xiao pass through the living room as if heading to her room, then hurriedly came out of the kitchen and said, "Miss, the mangoes you ordered a few days ago have arrived. They're very sweet. Shall I make a fruit platter for you?"

Upon hearing these words, both Wei Qingyu and Ji Xiao stopped in their tracks.

A smile lit up on Ji Xiao's face even more.

A few days ago, that anonymous Omega had sent her mangoes. Although she hadn't accepted them, it had sparked her desire to eat mangoes. Since it wasn't mango season, finding good ones was a matter of luck. Eventually, they arrived today.

Seeing Wei Qingyu stopping as well, Ji Xiao thought she might also be interested in the mangoes and asked, "Hey, Wei Qingyu, do you eat mangoes? Shall I ask Aunt Wu to send you a portion too?"

But before she could finish her sentence, Wei Qingyu's brows furrowed slightly.

Her turquoise eyes took on an even cooler hue.

"I won't eat."

The girl's voice was cold and indifferent, showing no favor towards the fruit called "mango" whatsoever.

Ji Xiao felt a bit disappointed and continued to persuade, "But this type of mango is really delicious. Aunt Wu spent a long time finding them."

Wei Qingyu looked at the expression of delight that Ji Xiao unintentionally revealed when talking about mangoes, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

In her line of sight, Aunt Wu brought out several beautiful mangoes from the fridge. The golden color reminded her of Qiao Ni.

That day, that girl had brought mangoes.

And her pheromones seemed to smell like mangoes too.

Now, Wei Qingyu's brows furrowed even tighter.

She muttered, "I'm going upstairs first," then briskly walked towards her room without looking back.

With a "click," the door to her room closed, leaving behind only the quiet space and her slightly heavy breathing.

Perhaps it was the mention of mangoes that triggered an unusual switch within Wei Qingyu. She suddenly felt her chest tightening.

As if a huge stone were pressing down on it repeatedly, making her brain feel slightly drowsy.

Clutching the doorknob tightly, the girl attributed this abnormal feeling to walking too fast and not getting enough oxygen.

Leaning against the door for a moment, Wei Qingyu felt slightly better and then returned to her desk. She took out the biology study plan she had prepared for Ji Xiao over the past few days.

As the sun gradually descended, the peach-colored sky faded away. The room lost its romantic ambiance, leaving only the quietness of flipping pages.

Just as Wei Qingyu stood up to retrieve her biology textbook from the shelf, another wave of dizziness hit her head. The sudden weakness in her limbs almost caused her to collapse, but she managed to steady herself by gripping the table with all her strength.

The warm white light gently enveloped the girl, casting her current state of extreme weakness onto the nearby mirror.

Even Wei Qingyu herself didn't notice that her lips were as pale as if drained of all color.

‘Tok, tok.’

Two knocks sounded from outside the door, signaling Ji Xiao's arrival.

Wei Qingyu shook her head slightly, trying to shake off the discomfort as she made her way to the door.

However, before she could take more than a few steps, her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the hard wooden floor without any carpeting.

‘Thud!’

A heavy object falling sounded from outside the door causing Ji Xiao's heart to skip a beat.

She knew that sound too well.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival at the Wei family's home, she had heard this sound before.

Back then, Wei Qingyu, exhausted, had collapsed in her room.

Ji Xiao immediately placed her hand on the door handle. "Wei Qingyu, I'm coming in."

With that, she didn't wait for Wei Qingyu to respond. She simply pushed open the door.

In that instant of opening the door, a faint scent of mint wafted out of the room.

The cool fragrance carried a subtle ambiguity, very tempting for Alphas.

Ji Xiao looked at Wei Qingyu kneeling on the floor not far from the doorway and instantly understood everything.

Wei Qingyu's heat cycle hit her once again.

Author’s Note:

Happy Qixi Festival!