Chapter 42: The Faint Scent Of Peach Brandy And Mint Mixed As Their Pinkies Hooked Together

The secluded bleachers were rarely visited and the iron mesh fence separated the distant basketball and volleyball courts, isolating them like two different worlds.

Wei Qingyu's gaze lifted slightly, incredulously looking at the girl who had thrown herself over her.

Ji Xiao's face was unusually calm, her golden-orange eyes filled with a reassuring sense of safety. The scent of peach brandy faintly wafted in the wind. The usually somewhat spoiled girl now displayed unparalleled reliability.

Thump, thump...

Wei Qingyu looked dazedly at the girl in front of her, clearly hearing her own heart pounding like a drum.

"Classmate, are you alright?!" Several hurried footsteps approached, as members of the card club, who had been practicing nearby, rushed over.

T/N: I initially thought that the card club (纸牌社团) mentioned was a poker or tabletop card club but then they were practicing at the playground. So maybe it's something like those trading cards RPG games where you need to flip over the opponent’s card to score a point by throwing your own card on it, like ttakji? Or Yu Gi Oh and stuff or it could be for magic tricks? Not really sure.

Ji Xiao got up from Wei Qingyu, about to shake her head, but then she reached back and covered her own neck. A sudden pain tore through her nerves, causing her to involuntarily gasp, "Hiss."

Wei Qingyu suddenly looked up at Ji Xiao upon hearing the words.

In her blurred vision caused by the light, she saw a streak of red slipping through her fingers.

The scarlet line twisted and wound around Ji Xiao's neck and fingers, staining the pure white collar.

It was like a poppy flower blooming in a pristine world, its deadly allure seeping into the girl's heart.

"Blood..."

A girl below the audience seats, who had been retrieving a card accidentally thrown by a club member, spoke tremblingly.

The bright red blood had soaked into the stiff, hard card, its sharp edges glinting with red, constantly warning everyone present of the danger.

The guilty young boy clung tightly to the club president's arm, terrified, while Wei Qingyu gasped in shock.

She quickly pulled Ji Xiao, who hadn't yet realized the severity of the situation, her usually calm eyes now filled with urgency.

Right at the back of Ji Xiao's neck, there was suddenly a bright red gash.

It was dangerously close to the Alpha gland, almost slicing through that fragile protrusion.

"Senior sister, I'm really sorry, he didn't mean to. This is his first time coming out to play cards after joining the club. He was always fine before, never made a mistake. We didn't expect the wind to pick up. Actually, this can't be blamed..." The president of the card club on the side hurriedly explained to Ji Xiao.

But before he could finish explaining, Wei Qingyu turned to look at him and coldly asked, "Blame who? Just because there was a gust of wind, you can use it as an excuse to shift blame and avoid responsibility?

Wei Qingyu, who was used to people shirking responsibility and avoiding accountability, thought she could remain indifferent.

But perhaps it was the red of the blood in her gaze that tainted her usually calm mind, as the restrained voice was filled with burgeoning anger.

"As the president, seeing people here, you shouldn't be training here. I remember the northwest corner of the playground is the designated area for club activities, isn't it?" Wei Qingyu looked coldly at the president of the card club and asked.

The calm restraint and intimidating dominance that would only emerge later were displayed to the fullest by her at this moment.

No one from the card club dared to make any more excuses or shift blame, not even Ji Xiao, who was just a bystander, couldn't help but submit to Wei Qingyu's overwhelming presence.

"Yes, we were wrong. We shouldn't have been greedy and trained here just to save some distance," the president of the card club acknowledged their mistake, repeatedly apologizing to Wei Qingyu. "I'm truly sorry, senior sister. I promise there won't be a next time."

Wei Qingyu: "You shouldn't be apologizing to me, you should be apologizing to her."

Light and shadow depicted Wei Qingyu's cold and aloof figure.

Her voice remained icy, but Ji Xiao felt a warm current rising in her heart.

In the same boiling water room not long ago, a similar incident had occurred.

This time, however, the person being stood up for was herself.

"Sorry, senior sister, we know we were wrong. We're truly sorry for causing you such harm.

"We're really sorry, it won't happen again."

Ji Xiao, who had never received such sincere and humble apologies before, suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. She looked at the card club members in front of her, their faces full of remorse, then glanced at Wei Qingyu's still icy profile. Gathering some courage, she cautiously hooked her finger around Wei Qingyu's and advised, "It's okay, I've forgiven them. You don't need to be so harsh."

The unexpected affectionate gesture made Wei Qingyu pause.

She looked at Ji Xiao beside her, her heart, which had been a bit agitated, now beat even faster.

The cool wind brushed over their intertwined fingers, leaving a tingly sensation like tiny electric currents.

The faint scent of peach brandy mixed with mint, and their soft pinkies hooked together, creating a childish yet unique atmosphere.

Ji Xiao's fingers were warm, leaving the scent of peach brandy in Wei Qingyu's heart.

Despite being a sharp, intense liquor, the warmth of the peach scent soothed her agitated emotions.

A strange feeling lingered in her chest, making it hard for Wei Qingyu to find an appropriate word to describe it.

This inability to clearly understand her own true feelings reminded her of the events of the past few days.

Always adept at understanding her own emotions, Wei Qingyu suddenly felt a bit off balance.

Ji Xiao, seeing Wei Qingyu's somewhat dazed expression, assumed she was still thinking about how to handle the situation. She added, "It's really okay now. Consider me, the injured one, and accompany me to the school clinic. It hurts a lot..."

With that, Ji Xiao tugged at Wei Qingyu's finger again.

The slight movement brought the girl back to her senses.

Wei Qingyu looked at Ji Xiao, who was holding her neck, and reluctantly pushed aside her chaotic thoughts, nodding, "Let's go."

Perhaps for convenience, the school clinic was very close to the playground.

In just a few minutes, Wei Qingyu and Ji Xiao arrived at the clinic.

A faint smell of disinfectant lingered on the first floor of the clinic, and the illuminated sign at the emergency room entrance was still not repaired.

Ji Xiao and Wei Qingyu once again entered the emergency room where they had met Hao Hui. This time, however, Ji Xiao sat on the chair.

Hao Hui was nowhere to be seen, and an older lady doctor had taken her place.

She didn't look easy to deal with. After briefly examining Ji Xiao's wound, she sternly took out iodine and a cotton swab, saying, "Young student, I'm going to apply the medicine now."

"Okay." Ji Xiao nodded, feeling a little uneasy.

The cool iodine wiped over the thin wound, gradually removing the dried blood while the pain followed.

The girl tightened her grip on her ponytail.

"Hiss... Doctor, could you be a bit gentler?" Ji Xiao asked politely with a frown.

After all, she wasn't Wei Qingyu and the original owner's body was especially delicate. Even a small cut could cause her prolonged pain.

But this doctor was different from Hao Hui. Despite Ji Xiao's request, her method didn't soften. Instead, she reprimanded Ji Xiao, saying, "If you know it hurts, you should be more careful. This is already very gentle. This time, let it be a lesson for you. Be more cautious in the future. This is the gland area, a very fragile spot..."

The continuous scolding filled Ji Xiao's ears. This old lady hadn't understood her explanation upon entering.

Ji Xiao thought that if the original owner were sitting here now, she would definitely flip the table and leave, maybe even punch this presumptuous old lady before going.

But she couldn't do that.

She was now the law-abiding Ji Xiao, especially with Wei Qingyu beside her.

"The one who needs to learn a lesson isn't her. She got injured while protecting me."

A clear, cold voice echoed in the small space.

Wei Qingyu looked expressionlessly at the old lady doctor, unexpectedly interrupting her chatter.

"What did you say, young student?" The elderly female doctor paused, her face showing some displeasure.

Those seemingly light-colored eyes stared straight at Wei Qingyu, with a bit of shadowy intent.

Ji Xiao glanced sideways and couldn't help but shudder internally.

However, Wei Qingyu was not intimidated by this gaze at all. She calmly said, "Please do not lecture people based on your own assumptions. As soon as we entered, she said she got cut by the card while protecting me."

The elderly female doctor looked at Wei Qingyu's cold eyes, pursed her lips, and then turned her face back to Ji Xiao's neck, muttering a quiet "oh."

The clinic became instantly silent, and the elderly female doctor stopped her incessant lecturing.

The window facing Ji Xiao allowed the sunlight to pour in unobstructedly, warming Ji Xiao's heart.

She secretly looked at the reflection of Wei Qingyu in the clean glass, with a hint of a smile in her golden-orange eyes.

It felt like a mint candy was rolling around in her heart, cool and sweet.

Was Wei Qingyu speaking up for her just now?

She actually stood up for her!

Miss Rabbit was right after all.

If she puts in the effort, Wei Qingyu will notice.

Even though the pain near the gland was still persistent, Ji Xiao felt that her gland had never been so safe before.

As long as she maintained this, it wouldn’t be long before she could get through to the end with her gland intact!

“All done,” the elderly female doctor said impatiently, throwing the cotton swab into the trash can. She glanced at Wei Qingyu standing beside her, pointed to the already cut gauze on the tray, and said, “Let the wound air out a bit, then you can use the medical tape to stick the gauze on her, and you can go.”

Before she finished speaking, the elderly female doctor grabbed her health tea cup from the table and left without waiting for Wei Qingyu’s response.

Watching her leave, Ji Xiao couldn't help but complain, “She’s so arrogant, not even afraid we might file a complaint and get her salary deducted.”

“Just taking advantage of her age,” Wei Qingyu said as she walked behind Ji Xiao.

Worried that the elderly female doctor might have skimped on treating Ji Xiao's wound out of spite, she carefully examined Ji Xiao's treated wound.

The brown-yellow iodine thinly coated the area around the wound, and a thumb-length cut quietly stretched across Ji Xiao's neck.

It was really too close to the gland. If the card had flown just a bit more, Ji Xiao's gland would have been cut.

That warm breath unexpectedly fell on Ji Xiao's neck, and then she felt something soft pressed near her wound.

It was like a mint leaf landed on the wound, slightly cool with a touch of warmth, magically easing the pain caused by the iodine and making it feel exceptionally comfortable.

"Does it still hurt?" Wei Qingyu asked calmly.

"It stopped hurting a while ago," Ji Xiao shook her head, pretending to be relaxed.

She looked at Wei Qingyu's shadow on the ground, as if she could see her furrowed brows.

And from the bottom of her heart, she didn't want Wei Qingyu to frown because of her.

Looking at the wound, Wei Qingyu's emotions were complex as she reminded Ji Xiao, "Although that doctor was wrong to scold you, you really need to remember this and not do it again next time."

Ji Xiao was silent for a second after hearing this.

Protecting Wei Qingyu wasn't a decision made by her brain, but her body's first reaction when it sensed danger.

A reckless first reaction.

Would she do it again if it happened in the future?

Ji Xiao thought, slightly raising her head to look at the slender figure of the girl reflected in the window.

The sunlight was faint, and she was also calm.

The girl's brows and eyes were full of resilience, yet in places the light didn't reach, there was a hint of fragility.

Ji Xiao quietly lowered her gaze again.

Although she didn't understand why she reacted this way, she thought she probably would do it again.

She couldn't simply stand by and watch, especially when it was Wei Qingyu involved.

The bell for the end of classes rang outside the window, and the students swarmed out of the teaching building, heading towards the playground, bringing the noise into the quiet emergency room.

Ji Xiao felt her pocket and unsurprisingly found a few candies inside. Without addressing the previous question, she asked, "Want some candy?"

Wei Qingyu looked at the small candies lying quietly in Ji Xiao's hand, understanding the implication behind her words. She couldn't express her attitude towards Ji Xiao's choice, nor could she confidently ask for a definite answer.

She simply accepted the candy silently, and in the barren and obscure wilderness of her heart, a flower of iridescence quietly blossomed.

Like the only color in a world of ruins, it warmed the nearby scorched earth with its radiant glow.

"Huh, you even brought candies. Looks like your injury isn't serious," Hao Hui appeared at the door, clutching her white coat pocket, teasing Ji Xiao and Wei Qingyu.

Ji Xiao glanced at Hao Hui and mimicked her tone, saying, "Huh, so you're still at the school clinic?"

"I was dealing with other students just now and missed you. When I heard you came, I hurried over after finishing my tasks," Hao Hui said, walking over to stand behind Ji Xiao without any reserve. "Why did you provoke our head nurse? Her face was so stiff."

"Really?!" Ji Xiao felt particularly pleased as she looked at Wei Qingyu's still calm demeanor and explained, "She scolded me without understanding the situation, and Wei Qingyu just rebutted her."

Hearing this, Hao Hui smiled with special admiration and gave Wei Qingyu a thumbs up, and then said: "I heard our head nurse say it too. You really are lucky this time, just scratched near the gland. If it had scratched the gland itself, I don't think you'd be laughing later."

"But it didn't get scratched..." Ji Xiao didn't want to talk about it anymore and joked.

Hao Hui snorted, "You're just being lucky."

Then, she glanced at Wei Qingyu who was standing aside, and said, "Student Wei Qingyu, you will 

 be responsible for Ji Xiao from now on.”

Author's Note:

Guess if there is a second update~