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Tian Youshan didn’t really have any other plans; she was just anxious and awkward, mumbling, “I… I need to go back and do my homework.”
Wang Sasa, who had worked hard to get Tian Youshan out, wasn’t about to let her leave so easily. Glancing subtly at Tan Yixuan, since they hadn’t had much chance to talk yet, she smiled and said, “You can do your homework later! Or do you not want to hang out with us?”
Faced with this moral pressure, Tian Youshan couldn’t resist. She glanced awkwardly at Tan Yixuan and stammered, “Then… I’ll stay a bit longer.”
Tan Yixuan raised her gaze slightly, not looking at Tian Youshan, but seeing Wang Sasa’s high spirits, she reluctantly agreed, “Alright, let’s stay together.”
Wang Sasa was delighted to hear Tian Youshan’s response. She eagerly took her hand, then reached out to take Tan Yixuan’s hand as well, smiling, “Then we’ll all be good friends from now on?” She seemed to casually overlap their hands and then patted Tan Yixuan’s hand, adding, “When I’m not around, Tan Yixuan, you can hang out with Tian Youshan.”
Tan Yixuan, feeling uncomfortable from the hand-holding, forced a stiff smile and quickly pulled her hand away. She grabbed Wang Sasa’s arm and asked anxiously, “Where are you going?”
Tian Youshan felt like a shining light bulb, awkwardly standing aside and silently watching.
Wang Sasa, accidentally revealing too much, hurriedly corrected herself, “I mean, we’re in our senior year now, and we’ll soon be going our separate ways. Everyone will be heading off to different universities, right? We might not see each other again.” Seeing Tan Yixuan’s eyes redden, she was shocked to realize how much Tan Yixuan valued their friendship.
Feeling a bit heavy-hearted, Wang Sasa comforted her, “Don’t worry. Even if we do part ways, you’ll make other friends. Like, you can hang out with Tian Youshan…”
Suddenly being singled out, Tian Youshan shivered and awkwardly waved her hand.
Tan Yixuan, not looking away and staring at Wang Sasa as if trying to imprint her image on her heart, felt a strong urge to hold on tightly, exerting all her strength to keep her from leaving. “We could just go to the same university, right?”
Wang Sasa grasped Tan Yixuan’s hand and spoke earnestly, “Yixuan, I know you care about me. But even the best friends can’t stay together forever.” She thought that Tan Yixuan’s strong attachment might be due to her having only one friend, and suggested, “You should lower your guard and make more friends. It’ll broaden your world!”
Tan Yixuan’s gaze softened as she lingered on Wang Sasa’s face, struggling to suppress her feelings as her eyes turned red. Taking a deep breath, she said slowly, “You don’t understand. My world is small and can only accommodate one person.”
Seeing Wang Sasa look at her in confusion, Tan Yixuan sighed deeply and said, “I’ll try my best, Sasa.”
Wang Sasa was taken aback, realizing only later what Tan Yixuan might have meant. Although she didn’t fully understand Tan Yixuan’s lengthy explanation, she gathered that Tan Yixuan didn’t want to make new friends, which sounded like social anxiety to her.
Shaking her head, Wang Sasa felt her task was even more daunting. She suddenly remembered that she had left Tian Youshan alone while chatting with Tan Yixuan. Turning around, she saw Tian Youshan sitting on a bench nearby, holding a paper bag and munching on something. Wang Sasa asked, “Tian Youshan, why are you sitting so far away? And when did you buy snacks?”
Tian Youshan, startled by the question, almost dropped the chestnut in her mouth. She silently held the paper bag, glanced at the two of them, and said, “Are you done talking? I saw you two engrossed in conversation, so I went to buy some chestnuts. Don’t mind me.”
Wang Sasa immediately apologized, took her hand, and led her to Tan Yixuan, saying, “Let’s continue shopping!”
Tan Yixuan glanced at Wang Sasa’s hand, then looked at Tian Youshan, and finally said to Wang Sasa, “Alright.”
Tian Youshan felt a jolt when Tan Yixuan looked at her. She quickly pulled her hand back, shouldered her small bag, and took the lead, saying, “There was a nice accessory store we passed earlier. Let’s go check it out?”
Wang Sasa, feeling the atmosphere was pleasant and wanting to keep the momentum going, promptly took Tan Yixuan’s hand and followed.
Tan Yixuan grasped Wang Sasa’s hand in return, a faint smile playing at her lips.
After only half an hour of shopping, Tian Youshan made an excuse to leave early. Despite Wang Sasa’s attempts to persuade her to stay, she had to let her go.
Tan Yixuan, seeing how much Wang Sasa cared about Tian Youshan, felt a bit down. The relationship between the two, having progressed so quickly despite only meeting once, made her feel somewhat melancholy. “Sasa, aren’t you happy with me?”
Wang Sasa was taken aback. Though she felt Tan Yixuan’s sensitivity was a bit much, she realized that Tan Yixuan was reclusive and had only one friend. She sincerely replied, “Of course not! Both you and Tian Youshan are my friends!”
Tan Yixuan remained silent.
Seeing Tan Yixuan’s expression become even more dejected, Wang Sasa quickly added, “You’re my best friend, after all.”
At these words, Tan Yixuan’s downcast expression visibly brightened. She smiled and nodded, “You’re also my favorite friend.”
Wang Sasa had long outgrown the childish notion of who was the best friend, but she understood that some people have strong possessiveness over their friends. Seeing Tan Yixuan’s mood improve, she merely smiled in return. She was confident she could work things out with Tan Yixuan.
As Wang Sasa and Tan Yixuan bought hairpins and hair ties and prepared to leave the mall, they unexpectedly ran into Wei Qi at the entrance of the women’s clothing store on the first floor.
Wei Qi, tall and imposing, walked with his hands in his pockets and a cold expression, followed by a petite figure.
Wang Sasa and Tan Yixuan crossed paths with them, and both parties froze.
Wang Sasa glanced at Wei Qi, then at the blushing Yu Xiaowen beside him. She raised an eyebrow and said, “Are you rekindling an old love?”
Yu Xiaowen’s face turned even redder. She glanced at Wei Qi but remained silent.
Wei Qi, flustered, quickly explained, “Don’t misunderstand. I’m not on a date with her; we just ran into each other by chance.”
Yu Xiaowen, unwilling, bit her lip and said, “Wei Qi…”
Wei Qi, his face twitching, snapped, “Be quiet!”
If Yu Xiaowen hadn’t insisted on talking again and acted as if he had wronged her, he wouldn’t be seen with her. Wei Qi was reluctant to walk with her, listening to her reminisce, and he was already impatient. He only held back from pushing her away out of courtesy.
Yu Xiaowen’s face went pale, and she lowered her eyes in disappointment.
Wang Sasa raised her eyebrows, saying, “You don’t need to explain to me; it doesn’t concern me.” She then turned to Tan Yixuan, who maintained a calm demeanor without any trace of sadness, and wondered if Tan Yixuan really had feelings for Wei Qi.
Noticing Wang Sasa’s inquisitive gaze, Tan Yixuan suddenly remembered the things she had said to mislead Wang Sasa. Her eyes flickered as she pressed her lips together and said, “Let’s go.” She spoke with a hint of forced sadness as if she couldn’t bear to see her crush with another girl.
Wang Sasa immediately set aside her doubts, embraced Tan Yixuan’s shoulder, and whispered in her ear, “Don’t be upset. I’ll take you somewhere fun.”
Seeing Wang Sasa about to leave, Wei Qi hurriedly chased after her, calling, “Wang Shasha!”
However, Yu Xiaowen grabbed the edge of his coat, halting his steps.
Wei Qi gritted his teeth and, turning to give Yu Xiaowen a cold look, said, “Yu Xiaowen, can you stop being a nuisance?”
Hearing this, Yu Xiaowen’s face drained of color. Had she really become a hindrance? Wang Shasha, whom she had previously ignored, had now become her thorn in the side. She only focused on the outcome and didn’t care about what Wang Shasha had said. Even if she managed to change Wei Qi’s perception, it wouldn’t change the fact that people’s true nature is hard to alter, and eventually, the truth would come out.
On the way back, Wang Sasa was worried about Tan Yixuan and remained silent. Tan Yixuan, unsure of what to say to Wang Sasa, also stayed quiet. When they reached the entrance of Tan Yixuan’s community, a shadow quickly flashed by, startling Wang Sasa.
“What was that? A rat?!”
Tan Yixuan recalled the incident from the beginning of the school year when she had unintentionally disturbed Wang Sasa, leading to an awkward situation. At the time, she was frustrated, but now, reflecting on it, her feelings had changed, and a sweet smile appeared on her lips. She had already had physical contact with Wang Sasa so early on.
“Tan Yixuan… it looks like it’s over there, dark and shadowy… Can you check what it is?” Wang Sasa hid behind Tan Yixuan, cautiously peeking out.
Tan Yixuan liked how Wang Sasa depended on her. With a gaze full of affection, she maintained a serious expression, “It could really be a rat.”
Wang Sasa tightly held her hand, distressed, “Don’t say that… just hearing those words makes me sick. Maybe you should go up alone. I’ll stay here.”
Tan Yixuan, realizing she had shot herself in the foot, quickly changed her words, “Don’t be afraid. I looked carefully just now, and it shouldn’t be a rat. Mice aren’t that big.”
Wang Sasa thought for a moment and nodded, “You’re right. How about… you check again?”
Tan Yixuan, finding Wang Sasa’s fearful demeanor rare and tempting, gently ruffled her hair and said, “Stay here, I’ll go take a look.”
Soon after, Tan Yixuan waved to Wang Sasa and whispered, “Don’t worry, it’s not a rat.”
Wang Sasa cautiously approached, slowly squatting down and peeking. She let out a sigh of relief.
Hidden beneath the bushes, a small black kitten with its back to them was curled up quietly in a pile of grass. Hearing the noise behind it, its fur bristled, and in the blink of an eye, it disappeared.
Wang Sasa watched the kitten’s rapid escape with a hint of disappointment and made a soft “eh” sound.
Tan Yixuan glanced at her and asked, “Do you like cats?”
Wang Sasa withdrew her gaze, looked at Tan Yixuan, and suddenly smiled, “I think it’s very similar.”
Tan Yixuan, puzzled, asked, “Similar to what?”
Wang Sasa smiled and said, “Tan Yixuan, don’t you think the cat’s personality is quite like yours? It looks aloof, but once you get to know it, it turns out to be unexpectedly affectionate and likes to be spoiled. Isn’t that what they call ‘cold on the outside, warm on the inside’?”
Tan Yixuan was taken aback by the word “like.” A delicate flush appeared on her pale cheeks. She opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. After a moment, she gently turned her face away, lowered her eyes, and with a calm demeanor, replied, “I like you too.”
That final confession was carried away by the wind, gradually fading away. Wang Sasa, sensing something, tilted her head and asked, “What did you say?”
Tan Yixuan composed herself and reminded herself not to rush. It wasn’t the right time yet. So she softly replied, “Nothing. You mentioned taking me somewhere fun earlier. What is it?”
Wang Sasa blinked, then slapped her forehead. “Sorry, I forgot…”