With that, Ye Zhiyun felt she had said more than enough.
She had no interest in arguing right or wrong with Lin Zihan anyway.
Nor did she care to dwell on whatever the girl might be thinking.
No matter what Lin Zihan intended, Yun’er would protect her sister.
That was all that mattered.
Yun’er moved with light grace, gripping Ye Zhibai’s hand tightly. Her tone softened into gentle murmurs as she spoke to her sister.
“Sister, you said earlier that she already apologized for what happened before, right?”
“Yes, she said I’m not mute anymore.”
“That was it?”
“And that I’m not a cane.”
“…”
Ahem. Though Ye Zhiyun hadn’t heard the exact details of Lin Zihan’s apology,
it seemed the girl had at least admitted her mistakes.
On that basis, Yun’er tentatively released Ye Zhibai’s hand and spun back around.
When she faced Lin Zihan again, it was with a dramatic face-change worthy of the stage!
Her pretty little face turned icy in an instant!
Yet there was still a touch of warmth in Yun’er’s words.
“Lin Zihan, I hope you’ll think things through. The changes in your family aren’t something you can control. If you and Aunt Elsa face any hardships, the Ye Family has no obligation to help—but we could offer some humanitarian aid to cover basic living expenses. That wouldn’t be a problem.”
Lin Zihan released her side, where her palm still felt a dull ache.
She playfully raised a single finger.
Her smile was as enigmatic as ever.
“Oh ho! In that case, please, mighty Ye Family—grant us 100 million! A million thanks!”
“Sister, let’s go. We don’t need to bother with her anymore.”
Ye Zhibai’s hand was suddenly clasped once more by Ye Zhiyun as they headed out of the classroom.
Eh?! Just ignoring her like that? Sure, no way they’d give her 100 million, but at least some medical fees!
Look at that kick you gave her! She’s still coughing!
Before Ye Zhibai could leave the classroom, hand in hand with Yun’er,
she glanced back at Lin Zihan, who leaned against the desk with a wry smile.
Lin Zihan waved goodbye to Ye Zhibai.
She was clearly smiling.
Yet Ye Zhibai couldn’t shake the feeling that her smile carried a hint of loneliness.
“Take care, Little Bai’er! If there’s a chance, we should hang out sometime—heh heh, of course, only if your Zhibai here allows it!”
Once they stepped out of the classroom, the view opened up.
As they walked down the corridor toward the school gates,
Yun’er commented on what had just happened.
“She still carries that Eldest Miss Lin pride. We offered living assistance to her and her mother before, but Elsa turned it down. That joke Lin Zihan just made? It was her way of telling me—they don’t need it.”
“…”
Eh… the rich really do refuse help in such refreshingly elegant ways.
Still, Ye Zhibai could understand.
“Guang Yu, you get it, right? That’s human pride for you—refusing charity, standing on their own two feet.”
“I get it, I get it~ Hmm? Then how come you happily accepted when your sister wired two million straight to your account!”
“Just tell me—does the soda bought with charity money taste good?”
“It tastes great!”
“There you go.”
Ahem, Ye Zhibai’s situation was a bit different, wasn’t it!
As the two sisters and the fox stepped through the school gates,
Ye Zhibai suddenly remembered something.
“Yun’er, hold on a sec. There’s one more thing.”
“Hm?”
The exam room, where they had battled for three straight days, fell quiet along with the peaceful sunset as the Ye Sisters departed.
Lin Zihan leaned against the desk, tilting her head slightly to gaze at the ceiling.
The smile she’d worn while seeing off Little Bai’er hadn’t fully faded from her face.
For a fleeting moment, perhaps, she gritted her teeth, tempted to slam her fist into the desk.
But that impulse never took hold.
She didn’t even clench her fist.
The anxious frustration soon gave way to her usual poised elegance.
Her only outlet was a quiet, self-mocking murmur.
“Saving face only to suffer for it… I just wanted a steak after the Gaokao… sigh… no face for it, no treat for the taste buds then~~”
Lin Zihan channeled her frustration into action!
With grunts of effort, she righted the desk and chair she’d knocked over, arranging them neatly. Only then did she wipe the sweat from her forehead—and feel a sharp sting in her finger.
Frowning, she looked down and noticed a small scrape on her right thumb.
Probably from hitting the desk edge when she fell.
No big deal. Lin Zihan often nicked herself while cooking anyway—kitchen knives loved to bite her every few days. It would heal in a couple.
More importantly, Lin Zihan didn’t rush to leave school.
Instead, she went to the storage pouch outside the classroom first and retrieved her phone, stashed there before the exam.
Back inside, she sat in a nearby seat and powered it on to check her messages.
As expected, there were some she needed to reply to quickly.
Sure enough.
Lin Zihan swiped open the messages. Mama had sent a bunch already.
The earliest was from ten minutes ago, right around when the Gaokao ended. The latest had just come in.
“Zihan, you done with the exam?”
“Not turning on your phone yet? How’d it go?”
“No questions you blanked on? Did you double-check your answer sheet?”
“Zihan?”
No need to keep her waiting. Lin Zihan carefully avoided her injured finger as she typed a slightly slower reply.
“Mom, exam’s over. Signal was probably still blocked, crappy reception. It went okay. Heading home soon.”
Before Lin Zihan could pocket her phone and stand,
Elsa replied lightning-fast.
Not with text, but a voice message.
Lin Zihan tapped it and held the phone to her ear. Mama’s voice came through, weary from life’s trials and thick with anxiety.
“What does ‘okay’ mean? Good or bad? Did something go wrong?”
Lin Zihan’s lips trembled. She started to reply with voice,
but the words caught in her throat.
She typed instead.
“No, I mean it went really well. Might even have a chance for a superb performance.”
This time, Mama’s reply took a moment.
“Okay then. Mama congratulates you in advance. Hurry home, Zihan. I closed the flower shop early to celebrate your smooth Gaokao. I’ll cook your favorite sweet-and-sour fish.”
“Sure.”
After sending that, Lin Zihan locked her phone.
She sat in the chair, stretching her slender, shapely legs out straight ahead, leaning back in a lazy stretch to unwind.
Whew… sweet-and-sour fish.
Truth be told, Lin Zihan had loved sweet-and-sour fish as a kid.
But her tastes had changed. Now she craved steak.
Unfortunately, Mama was still in low spirits. She had no idea.
After her stretch, Lin Zihan let out a relaxed sigh. She stood, pocketed her phone—
and only then felt something still clutched in her left hand.
Opening her palm, she remembered: the vine ring she’d meant to give Little Bai’er.
Ahh… in the end, she still hadn’t given it away.
Oh well… it was just a worthless little trinket anyway.
Lin Zihan walked alone to the trash bin at the back of the classroom. Without hesitation, she unclasped the vine ring.
It reverted to an ordinary vine.
And, with a tug of gravity, it dropped neatly into the bin.
Just then,
footsteps echoed suddenly from the corridor outside.
Lin Zihan turned toward the door.
Probably a teacher doing rounds, telling lingering students to head home.
With the exams over, it was time for the school to close.
Lin Zihan didn’t wait to be shooed.
She returned to her exam seat, gathered her stationery, and prepared to leave through the front door.
But before she could step out,
someone else walked in.
Lin Zihan looked up.
Even she couldn’t help widening her eyes in surprise at the newcomer!
That icy little face, belonging to someone who should have left long ago but had suddenly doubled back—it was far too unexpected!
“Little… Little Bai’er?!”
Ye Zhibai hurried back in.
In her hand, she held a fresh box of Band-Aids.
