Chapter 58: That Friend You’re Talking About Wouldn’t Be You, Right?

Ji Xiao watched as her own hand, under Wei Qingyu's control, left strokes on the practice paper. Every time the pen tip swept across the paper, it made her heart pound with a thud.

The girl stared at the overlapping shadows of the two projected onto the desk. A fleeting and hard-to-understand emotion flashed in her golden-orange eyes.

She smelled the mint fragrance floating in the air and suddenly remembered that in the original text, the compatibility of her and Wei Qingyu’s pheromones was never high enough for them to detect each other's pheromones.

Ji Xiao didn’t know when it started, but she could easily catch the scent of mint that others could not.

Subconsciously, as an S-level Alpha, she had placed the scent of the Omega behind her in the most important part of her memory. It wasn't until now that she belatedly realized that she might really like Wei Qingyu.

Maybe it was because the girl’s gaze was too intense that Wei Qingyu couldn’t help but notice the look Ji Xiao had been giving her for a while now.

She felt a bit guilty for her bold and reckless behavior. Forcing herself to stay calm, she looked at Ji Xiao with a puzzled expression, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…” Ji Xiao, hearing her voice, snapped out of her thoughts and, not daring to meet Wei Qingyu's eyes, shook her head.

After speaking, she glanced at the piece of paper beneath their hands, trying to calm herself. But the elegant yet free-spirited character “轻”* set another fire ablaze in her heart.

*qīng - light/soft/gentle/neutral/small in number/unimportant/frivolous/rash. Also the ‘qing’ in Wei Qingyu 

Almost instinctively, Ji Xiao associated this single character with the name “Wei Qingyu,” and her cheeks couldn’t help but flush.

The warmth from the girl behind her was filled with ambiguity, causing Ji Xiao’s already unsettled heart to race even faster.

After a brief pause, Ji Xiao finally dared to tap the pen tip and, feigning calmness, asked, “Why… why are you teaching me to write this character?”

“I was left-handed when I was little. Shortly after I learned to write my name, my mom made me switch. Up until now, this is the only character I’m really good at,” Wei Qingyu explained lightly, her gaze unintentionally sweeping over the bouquet on the other side.

The invisible threat from the owner of that bouquet made her, as the only one by Ji Xiao's side, feel uneasy again.

The Omega's possessiveness pushed her to be bold. She wanted Ji Xiao to learn the first character to be from her own name.

Not Jin Nanfeng’s, nor anyone else's.

Bright sunlight filled with early spring vitality shone between the two. Wei Qingyu noticed that Ji Xiao had not responded and added, “Did you forget?”

“I can’t remember some parts,” Ji Xiao replied with a slight smile.

What Wei Qingyu didn’t know was that Ji Xiao had not forgotten at all.

In fact, she couldn’t remember anything.

Her effective memory in this world is only a year.

She did not even belong to this world.

The current “Ji Xiao” was not the same “Ji Xiao” of this world, and this world had never belonged to her.

The invisible sense of disconnection was everywhere. Even if she worked hard to get an A in biology, it could not fill the void.

Ji Xiao looked at Wei Qingyu beside her and suddenly felt envious of the original owner.

She envied the past that the original owner had with Wei Qingyu, a past that she could never experience again. 

Could someone like herself, really like someone like her?

Ji Xiao’s hand, gripping the pen, tightened slightly in Wei Qingyu’s palm, her eyes reflecting a mix of emotions.

It was so easy not to like someone; a single glance could shatter a heart.

How much courage did it take to admit that she had fallen for someone?

….

Source: http://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5896087
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.

The willow trees outside the classroom had already sprouted branches. When the wind blew, it created a sea of green waves. 

This April, when spring returned to the earth, the Affiliated High School celebrated its sixtieth anniversary

With plenty of time until the 3 PM cultural performance, the warm sunlight illuminated the joyful figures bustling through the campus at noon.

In the seldom-visited northwest corner of the campus, the school song played from loudspeakers. A girl hummed along while sitting on an abandoned desk. Her deep green skirt hung down over her long, well-proportioned legs, swaying leisurely with the melody of the school song.

Ji Xiao had already removed the cast from her arm, but her bone had not completely healed. Her weak right arm still hung against her chest.

Qi Qi had gone out to buy milk tea by herself. Unable to climb out with her, Ji Xiao had to stay here and keep watch.

“Sister Xiao.” Suddenly, Ji Xiao heard a call from above her head.

Five cups of milk tea were neatly placed on the wall, and the owner of the voice, Qi Qi, was already sitting on top of it.

“Why did you take so long?” Ji Xiao said as she reached out with one hand to take the milk tea Qi Qi handed down.

“Don’t mention it. Today is the anniversary. One class in the senior year ordered over forty cups of milk tea and even used fake notes to get out of school. It was another day of witnessing other people’s homeroachers,” Qi Qi said as she prepared to climb down from the wall.

“Right?”  

“Bang!”  

Just as Ji Xiao sighed with envy while holding her milk tea, a loud sound echoed as something slammed onto the table.

Qi Qi lost her balance and fell backward off the desk.

Seeing this, Ji Xiao hurriedly set down her milk tea and rushed to help Qi Qi. “Qi Qi, are you okay?”  

“I’m fine,” Qi Qi shook her head, but when she lifted her head, a red streak of blood appeared under her nose.

Ji Xiao felt a sharp stab from the color of the blood. She nervously grabbed some tissues and said, “Oh my god, you’re hurt and your nose is bleeding. Let’s go to the school clinic.”  

However, Qi Qi stopped in her tracks and waved her hand. “No need. I just stumbled and hit my nose. Let’s just go to the playground.”  

Ji Xiao remained unconvinced and urged, “Is that really okay? You should at least get it checked out. Your knee looks bruised; some medicine would help.”  

“Oh come on, why would I go to the school clinic? I’m not an Omega. It’s embarrassing for an Alpha like me to go to the hospital over a little bump! Look, it’s not even bleeding anymore,” Qi Qi said as she showed Ji Xiao the white tissue stuffed in her nostril.  

The soft paper stood out against her bright, vibrant face, the blood staining it a cherry red, faintly visible outside.  

Ji Xiao glanced at Qi Qi, knowing her stubbornness meant once she decided on something, it wouldn’t change. She followed Qi Qi toward the playground.  

The anniversary celebration brought many students to the once-quiet playground, as they took shortcuts to the auditorium. The midday sun turned what should have been a relaxing atmosphere into a cheerful, lively scene.

“They are so busy,” Ji Xiao said as she sat beside Qi Qi on the concrete ground of the stage, watching the bustling crowd.  

“Yeah, I wonder how Xiao Mingming is doing after being called to help by our homeroom teacher,” Qi Qi replied while sorting through the mixed-up milk teas. She nudged Ji Xiao with her elbow and said, “This one is for Wei Qingyu.”  

Ji Xiao thanked her and took Wei Qingyu's drink.  

In the past two months, Ji Xiao's relationship with Wei Qingyu has not developed significantly. The hands that Wei Qingyu had once held did not experience a second touch from the girl. Ji Xiao felt a mix of relief and a sense of loneliness and loss.

She enjoyed spending time with Wei Qingyu and often thought about her in many situations. However, the word "like" was chained up in her heart, making her afraid to feel that fluttering sensation again.  

The faint taste of tea carried a hint of bitterness, sliding across the girl's tongue while leaving a barely noticeable trace of mint. Ji Xiao released the straw she had been biting and looked at Qi Qi, who was still searching for her milk tea.  

Remembering their heart-to-heart conversation on the rooftop, where Qi Qi expressed insights beyond her years, Ji Xiao felt a sense of reliability from her.  

Nervously biting her lip, she said, “Qi Qi, I have a friend who has been facing some difficulties lately. Can you give her some advice?”  

Qi Qi twirled the straw in her hand, her expression teasing, “That friend you’re talking about wouldn’t be you, right?”  

Ji Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and her golden-orange eyes trembled slightly.

Then she feigned a carefree and reckless demeanor and retorted confidently, “How could that be! Does this Miss have a problem asking you directly? Why go around in such a big circle?”  

Qi Qi observed Ji Xiao's reaction, and her peach blossom eyes curved slightly as she smiled and said, “Alright, then tell me. Let me see if I can help analyze your friend’s situation.”  

Ji Xiao still felt a bit nervous. She took a sip of her milk tea and then spoke slowly, “Well… my friend, she has recently developed feelings for someone. But… she doesn’t know if she should like this person…”  

“Go for it.”  

Before Ji Xiao could finish her sentence, Qi Qi interrupted her.  

Her voice, already bright and cheerful, became firm, and those simple syllables were filled with determination.  

Ji Xiao's heart fluttered, feeling that it was a bit hasty since she hadn't finished speaking. So she continued, “But if she ends up pursuing that girl and it turns out to be a waste of time for her, then should she still…?”  

How could she take responsibility for an uncertain future with Wei Qingyu? 

“Go for it,” Qi Qi still insisted with a firm tone as she listened to Ji Xiao.  

“Why not?” Qi Qi retorted, “Are you going to wait until you see Wei Qingyu marrying another Alpha?”  

As soon as these words left her mouth, the straw Ji Xiao was about to bring to her lips poked sharply against her mouth.  

It wasn't only her lips that suddenly turned red, but also her cheeks, which were slightly fleshy under her eyebrows.

"That's not it. The person I mentioned is not Wei Qingyu," Ji Xiao quickly denied.

Realizing that she seemed to have given herself away, she hurriedly corrected herself, "No, no, I mean the person my friend likes is not Wei Qingyu. I am not my friend!"

The sunlight fell into the girl’s golden-orange eyes, where shame and nervousness occupied a large part of the luster.

Ji Xiao looked at Qi Qi, who regarded her with eyes full of knowing smiles, and despairingly denied, "It's really not what you think."

"How is it not?" Qi Qi retorted. "Sister Xiao, you weren't like this before. Where did the daring and passionate Sister Xiao go?"

Hearing this, Ji Xiao lowered her gaze and shook her head. "You don't understand. I am not your Sister Xiao from before."

Qi Qi patted Ji Xiao's shoulder and smiled, "I know. You have turned over a new leaf."

"But Sister Xiao, no matter whether you are still the old you or not, how long have you lived your life? Do you have to see through every step before taking it? If you already know the ending, wouldn’t it be too boring? Spoilers in novels nowadays are like a family dying!"

"If you like her, just go for it. What if she likes you back?"

The warm spring breeze brushed against Ji Xiao’s cheeks. In the distance, a group of students chased and played on the playground.

Their laughter mixed with the lively energy of youth.

Ji Xiao’s deep eyes showed envy but quickly shifted to a bright smile.

She forgot that she was also a sixteen-year-old girl.

Maybe she really should not worry so much.

Whether in the world of books or reality, this was the place where she lived now.

She did not know how long she would stay in this world, but if she lived through the ending yet feared loneliness and death for the rest of her life, wouldn’t that be a regret?

"Wei Qingyu!"

Qi Qi’s bright voice rang in Ji Xiao's ears. A pure white figure stopped not far from them on the playground.

Wei Qingyu held the excellent student’s speech manuscript, preparing to go to the auditorium for the final rehearsal.

"Qi Qi?"

"What a coincidence, Wei Qingyu." Qi Qi greeted Wei Qingyu and pointed to Ji Xiao beside her. "Um... Ji Xiao wants to go to the auditorium early but can't find your class's location. Can you take her there?"

Wei Qingyu looked at Ji Xiao, who was sitting next to Qi Qi, and a hint of a smile flashed in her eyes. 

Without pausing, she gently nodded in response, "Okay."

Author's Note:

Qi Qi (akimbo): proud