Chapter 44: She Thought She Wouldn't Mind Telling Her About Her Childhood With Ji Xiao

As the sun sets, each person's face reflects different emotions.

Ji Xiao's face was surprised that Qiao Ni would call her name.

Fang Yiming looked astonished.

But Wei Qingyu, with a blank expression, can't help but feel a lot of resistance towards this mango-scented Omega who's calling Ji Xiao's name.

Unlike the others, Qi Qi, with an unclear expression, directly asks, "Why are you here?"

Qiao Ni, however, shows no signs of nervousness. Standing between Qi Qi and Ji Xiao under everyone's gaze, she asks back, "Can't I come?"

She raises the transparent plastic bag in her hand and turns to Ji Xiao beside her, saying, "I heard Senior Ji Xiao got injured, so I came to see her.”

The wind gently brushes over the river, and Wei Qingyu seems to smell that mango scent again, which makes her feel suffocated.

She silently looks at the little bean sprout that appeared in her sight, her eyebrows slightly furrowing.

Ji Xiao feels somewhat pleasantly surprised, not expecting this arrogant little girl to be so caring.

She takes the medicine handed to her by Qiao Ni and says, "It's just a scratch, nothing serious."

At these words, Qiao Ni's face lights up with a big smile, her apricot-shaped eyes curving like two cute cashews.

She points to the medicine bag in Ji Xiao's hand and says, "These are all the medicine I just bought for you, I heard it works especially well, and it's effective for wound recovery too."

Ji Xiao looks at the medicine in the bag as she walks, saying, "Thank you, you're rarely so thoughtful."

"What's there to thank for?" Qiao Ni waves her hand and continues, "Senior Ji Xiao, have you forgotten? We met once in junior high."

The girl's tone carries a hint of pride, and inadvertently, she even brushes past Wei Qingyu's gaze.

In those clearly bright eyes, there's a sense of boasting, as if telling Wei Qingyu, I've known Senior Ji Xiao since junior high, much longer than you have.

It's just that Ji Xiao being a transmigrator, has no idea what Qiao Ni is talking about.

She bypasses Qiao Ni and looks at Qi Qi behind her, appearing as if she doesn't remember: "Is this true?"

“Um... sort of," Qi Qi looks at Qiao Ni in front of her, nodding helplessly. "At that time, I beat that guy quite badly and called you to help me clean up the mess."

Seeing this, Ji Xiao quickly puts on a look of sudden realization. "Oh, I see."

Qiao Ni, seeing Ji Xiao remembering, adds, "I never had the chance to thank Senior Ji Xiao."

As she speaks, the girl puts her hands behind her back, and the deep green skirt sways slightly with her movement.

With a slightly coquettish smile on her slightly plump face, she looks quite charming from afar.

The setting sun casts a warm light behind them, and Ji Xiao holds the medicine Qiao Ni brought with a gentle expression.

The two standing together resemble a beautiful youth painting, so beautiful that Wei Qingyu finds it almost glaring to look at.

"Diii Diii!!”

The jarring sound of a horn interrupts Qiao Ni and Ji Xiao's conversation.

A large truck carrying debris comes from the distance of the cement road, honking aggressively at the five people occupying the middle of the road.

Seeing this, the group quickly splits into two sides to avoid it.

Qiao Ni, pulled over by Qi Qi, tries to reach out to pull Ji Xiao over as well, but she sees a slender, pale hand in her line of sight.

Expressionless, Wei Qingyu pulls Ji Xiao, who hasn't reacted yet, her well-defined hand tightly gripping her wrist.

In the dust, a flash of surprise crosses Qiao Ni's eyes.

The girl notices the red string exposed on Wei Qingyu's wrist, with a small peach basket hanging from it, exactly the same as the one on Ji Xiao's wrist.

How could this be...

The truck roars past, and Wei Qingyu looks at Ji Xiao beside her, asking, "Are you okay?"

The girl's voice remains as calm as ever, and the street lamp casts her slender shadow on Ji Xiao's shoulder.

Her soft fingers fit perfectly on her wrist, and through the thin fabric, warmth seeps through.

Ji Xiao catches a whiff of the minty scent so close by and shakes her head absentmindedly. "I'm okay."

She hadn't expected that Wei Qingyu's immediate reaction in that situation would be to pull her close.

The girl's heart beats wildly.

The indistinct emotions swirling around her are like the scent of mint, ethereal and elusive, lingering around her.

“Oh my god, Wei Qingyu, you reacted so quickly!"

Fang Yiming, who was pushed to the side by Wei Qingyu earlier and stumbled, stands up from the ground, breaking the ambiguous atmosphere between the two with an exclamation.

Brushing off the dust from her body, she looks at Wei Qingyu, who pushed her to the side, and thanks her, saying, "If it weren't for you, I might have been hit by that reckless truck. Thank you so much."

Wei Qingyu quietly releases Ji Xiao's hand that she had been holding, nodding slightly to Fang Yiming, saying, "It's nothing, you don't have to be so polite."

Actually, she doesn't know how she reacted so quickly just now.

She was obviously distracted a moment ago…

“Yeah, that reckless truck really should be reported," Qi Qi says, bringing Qiao Ni over to join everyone.

Ji Xiao suppresses the fluttering in her heart and casually agrees, "Exactly, it's too dangerous."

As they speak, the bright lights of a cotton candy stand not far away catch the attention of several people.

The sweet, saccharine scent of sugar wafts through the air, soothing the emotions that were startled by the truck earlier.

Seeing Qiao Ni looking a bit absent-minded, Qi Qi, thinking she was scared by the truck just now, asks, "Do you want to buy some cotton candy to calm your nerves?"

At Qi Qi's suggestion, Qiao Ni snaps back to reality, glancing at the stand, and arrogantly says, hands in pockets, "If you buy it, I'll eat it."

Qi Qi: "Pink?"

Qiao Ni: “Mm."

Qi Qi looks at Qiao Ni, who can't seem to forget about food, and smiles, ruffling her hair.

Then she walks towards the other side of the road, saying to Ji Xiao and the others, "Wait here, I'll go buy her some cotton candy."

Hearing Qi Qi's conversation with Qiao Ni just now, Ji Xiao and Fang Yiming clear their throats and say, "Sister Qi Qi, we were also scared. We want some too—"

Listening to the two of them with their artificial voices, Qi Qi couldn't help but laugh.

She waved her hand and said, "Alright, big sister will buy for you two as well."

Watching Qi Qi approach the cotton candy stand, Ji Xiao remembered what Fang Yiming had said to her.

—The only one who can rein in Qi Qi is Qiao Ni.

Just as she was about to joke with Fang Yiming, she suddenly noticed Wei Qingyu, in her peripheral vision, seemed to be staring at the cotton candy stand across the street.

However, her jet-black hair hung down in front of her chest, perfectly obscuring half of her face, revealing no emotions whatsoever.

The dim light from the streetlamp behind them cast a faint glow, and Ji Xiao, emboldened by the moonlight, stole a glance at the girl beside her.

The rotating colored lights reflected in her turquoise eyes, and with each blink, the white cotton candy inside seemed to grow larger.

Wei Qingyu rarely showed her thoughts, but Ji Xiao saw a hint of longing on her face.

Just now, she and Fang Yiming had also asked Qi Qi for cotton candy, so wouldn't she be the only one left without it later...

Perhaps sensing the gaze of the person beside her, Wei Qingyu tilted her head slightly and looked at Ji Xiao.

The girl's golden-orange eyes couldn't react in time and were directly met by hers.

“Why are you staring?" Wei Qingyu stared directly into Ji Xiao's eyes, asking in confusion.

"Nothing..." Ji Xiao quickly averted her gaze, coughing lightly and bowing her head to conceal her embarrassment at being caught peeking. Then, she casually said to the group, "Um... you guys wait here. I'll go check on Qi Qi."

With that, Ji Xiao hurried towards the cotton candy stand where Qi Qi was.

Wei Qingyu watched her slender figure retreating, feeling a hint of fleeing from something inside.

With a hint of mystery in her eyes, Wei Qingyu didn't have a chance to look at her more before she felt someone tug at her coat.

Qiao Ni shed her arrogance, quietly asking Wei Qingyu, "Senior Wei Qingyu, can I ask where you bought this from?"

Following Qiao Ni's gaze, Wei Qingyu noticed the small peach basket on her wrist, which had somehow become exposed.

She glanced at Fang Yiming, who was lost in thought nearby, then at Ji Xiao in the distance, and felt an inexplicable selfishness welling up inside.

Driven by this emotion, she whispered softly to Qiao Ni, "It's not something you can buy."

Still unaware of the significance of the peach basket, Qiao Ni still thought it was just something ordinary from a temple, and persisted:

"Is it something difficult to buy? Please tell me."

The young girl was not good at hiding things, her eyes filled with an imminent purpose.

Under Qiao Ni's gaze, Wei Qingyu touched the small peach basket on her wrist and said, "This was carved by my mother specifically for the two of us.

“There are only two in the world.”

Her voice remained calm, but Qiao Ni could hear the faint sound of shattered hope in her heart.

Clearly, this time Wei Qingyu didn't mention anything about her relationship with Ji Xiao, just like the last time they met in the classroom. Yet, Qiao Ni could sense an irreplaceable bond between the two of them from her words.

Suddenly, Qiao Ni felt silly for deliberately mentioning the tiny, almost imperceptible bond between herself and Ji Xiao while holding the medicine.

Wei Qingyu looked at the silent Qiao Ni, not adding anything further.

If Qiao Ni still wanted to ask anything, Wei Qingyu didn't mind telling her about their childhood with Ji Xiao.

A breeze brushed against Wei Qingyu's forehead, and the turquoise eyes that had just been filled with a hint of satisfaction momentarily froze.

She looked at Qiao Ni standing in front of her, her expression complex.

What was she doing?

Why did she want to do something so childish?

"What are you two talking about?!"

At that moment, Ji Xiao's voice came from nearby, interrupting Wei Qingyu's thoughts.

She looked up at Ji Xiao, only to see her holding two cotton candies bigger than her head standing in front of her.

Wei Qingyu hadn't realized what Ji Xiao was up to yet.

But she saw a hint of a smile in the girl's eyes as she held out the slightly larger cotton candy towards her.

"Here."

"What's this?" Wei Qingyu asked knowingly.

Although the girl's voice was usually calm, it trembled slightly with excitement this time.

"It's cotton candy I bought for you, original flavor. Take it, my arm is getting sore."

With that, Ji Xiao unceremoniously stuffed the cotton candy into Wei Qingyu's hand.

Just like the skewer of grilled squid without added spice she had given herself last time, or the warm cup of milk tea.

The slanting sunlight cast their shadows overlapping each other, as Wei Qingyu took a gentle bite of the pure white cotton candy under Ji Xiao's gaze.

The dense texture melted slowly on her tongue, a sweetness she had never tasted before.

With the fine granules of sugar slowly sliding down her throat, it adorned the desolate wilderness of her heart like cotton candy clouds.

Night fell, a crescent moon hung in the dark sky, and the wind gently blew over the already yellowed grass, swirling a few fallen leaves up and then down again.

Ji Xiao, who had just finished showering, emerged from the bathroom with steam rising around her, her slender figure concealed by a pure white bathrobe, only revealing delicate wrists and ankles for imagination.

"Dang dang."

Two crisp knocks echoed in the quiet room, and Ji Xiao, with her freshly blow-dried hair, walked over to open the door.

Opening the door, Wei Qingyu stood there as agreed, holding the medicine given by Hao Hui: "I'm here to apply your medicine.

“Just in time, I just finished showering," Ji Xiao said as she let Wei Qingyu in, "When I was showering just now, I deliberately wrapped a plastic film around my neck. Look, not a drop of water on it."

With that, Ji Xiao proudly sat on the windowsill and showed off her achievement to Wei Qingyu.

The girl lifted her long hair with one hand and gently pulled down the collar of her bathrobe that draped around her neck with the other. Her slender fingers ran through the wet, messy hair, creating a sharp contrast between her fair skin and the black long hair.

Through the casually elegant eyes and nose, one could see the intact gauze on her neck.

The gentle light fell from above Ji Xiao's head, and her steamed skin had a faint pinkish hue, giving it a fragile sense of battle scars.

Wei Qingyu was caught off guard by the sudden sight, a lump forming in her throat, and her hand holding the bag tightened involuntarily.

"Oh right, the ointment that Qiao Ni gave today looks pretty good. Let's use this later," Ji Xiao said as she picked up the ointment from the small table nearby and handed it over.

Wei Qingyu took the ointment handed to her by Ji Xiao, feeling the stark simplicity of the white-on-black packaging.

Her mind inexplicably replayed the interaction between Qiao Ni and Ji Xiao on the way home, and once again, an inexplicable sense of resistance piled up in her chest.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew outside, rustling the pine trees and fallen leaves.

Standing behind Ji Xiao, Wei Qingyu twisted open the lid of the ointment in her hand, the bright foil seal waiting to be broken.

"You know, Qiao Ni, this kid,  is quite interesting. She knew I was injured and still bought medicine for me." Ji Xiao enthusiastically discussed the events of this afternoon's return home with Wei Qingyu, completely unaware of Qiao Ni's feelings for her.

“Mm, she has a bad temper and is too spoiled. Qi Qi really has no temper with her. But thinking about it carefully, if I had a step-sister like her, and we grew up together... If she occasionally throws a tantrum, it's also understandable..."

Listening to Ji Xiao's words, Wei Qingyu paused in her unsealing motion.

Her soft fingertip traced the sharp cone on the lid of the ointment, hesitating to open it.

Indescribable emotions once again enveloped Wei Qingyu's heart, her green eyes murky and unclear as she gazed at the girl in front of her.

Although neither of them had moved, Wei Qingyu had a feeling that Ji Xiao was gradually drifting away from her.

"Hey, didn't she seem much better today than when we rescued her last time? I don't know if you noticed, but she was quite obedient when she talked to me..."

Ji Xiao's discussion about Qiao Ni continued, but behind her, there came an extremely subtle "poof."

The tube of ointment which had been squeezed and twisted on Wei Qingyu's hand, couldn't withstand the pressure from the girl anymore and instantly broke through the sealed foil.

The pure white and contorted ointment, like a snake spitting venom, hung on the back of the girl's hand, with its vicious desire winding around her slightly strained veins.

The wind outside the window suddenly ceased, and the yellowed leaves lay silently on the lawn.

The once emotionless word, existing only in dictionaries, gradually became clear in Wei Qingyu's mind.

All the emotions beyond her control these days surged and condensed into one place, extracting the purest drop, injecting the girl's most genuine feelings into this unfamiliar word.

Ripe fruits fell from the lush trees, thudding, thudding to the girl's feet.

This girl, who ignored human emotions, finally tasted the forbidden fruit called "jealousy" at the age of sixteen.

Author's Note:

You think I’m Cold Wei, but I'm actually Monstrous • Vinegar • Wei!

A little Qiao Nini is all it takes to open the vinegar essence!