Chapter 28 Part 2

“I guess I was good for something, huh? Heh.” Huang Xiaoyi grinned. “Someone kept sneaking stuff into Qimian’s desk drawer every couple of days—during morning exercises or PE class, whenever the room was empty. Qimian asked me to track down who it was.”

Huang Mama’s eyes lit up. “Some boy with a crush, right?”

Huang Xiaoyi clapped a hand over her mouth. “A girl.”

Huang Mama blinked. “Huh?”

Huang Xiaoyi nodded. “I was shocked when I saw it, and Qimian was too. So we investigated that girl for ages.”

“We dug into her name, her class, her grades on every exam.

“Watched when she went to the campus store, who her friends were, if anyone passed her water during the sports festival…

“We tailed her for a year and a half, right up until graduation.”

Huang Xiaoyi trailed off.

Huang Mama, hooked, pressed her. “And then? What happened next?”

Huang Xiaoyi shrugged. “Right before graduation, Qimian cornered the girl. The poor thing came running out of the classroom in tears, and Qimian never mentioned her again.”

Huang Mama’s curiosity peaked. “What on earth happened in there?”

Huang Xiaoyi echoed faintly, “Yeah… what did happen?”

To this day, Huang Xiaoyi could only guess at what had gone down in that classroom. As a kid, she hadn’t a clue. But with more life experience under her belt these days, she had a pretty good idea.

What else could it be but the tangled feelings of young love? Moon had been chasing someone, and Qimian had carried a torch for Moon for so long—surely she’d chased her down in the end, one way or another.

Just two people who both had feelings for each other—how did things fall apart between them?

Was it youthful ignorance of love? An issue of sexual orientation that couldn’t be forced? Or had too much time worn away their affections?

In any case, they became complete strangers after that.

Huang Xiaoyi never dared mention Xu Yueliang—Moon—in front of Lin Qimian again. Not until Moon reappeared in their lives.

Moon… Huang Xiaoyi shook her head.

She used to not understand Lin Qimian at all, and now she couldn’t figure out Moon either. She really was hopeless.

After chatting with her mom for a bit and watching some TV, Huang Xiaoyi headed off to take a shower and get ready for bed.

Halfway through, her mom kept banging on the door from outside. “Xiao Yi! Xiao Yi, your phone!”

Huang Xiaoyi rubbed her head. “Just let it ring—I’ll get it when I come out.”

Her mom called back, “It’s nonstop! It’s Qimian!”

Huang Xiaoyi froze for a second, then rushed to rinse the shampoo from her hair. She wrapped a towel around herself and dashed out.

Her mom had heard bits and pieces of the story, so she knew that if Lin Qimian kept calling like that, it had to be something important.

Huang Xiaoyi snatched up the phone, her voice shaky with worry. “Qimian, what’s wrong?”

“Where are you?” Lin Qimian asked. Her voice sounded surprisingly calm.

Huang Xiaoyi blinked. “At home.”

“I’m going back,” Lin Qimian said.

“Huh?”

“I’m going back,” Lin Qimian repeated. “You coming with me?”

“Uh…” Huang Xiaoyi’s mind spun at high speed.

When they’d come back earlier that day, Huang Xiaoyi hadn’t asked Lin Qimian what it was about. She knew Qimian wouldn’t tell her anyway.

But they’d agreed to head back to S City together tomorrow afternoon. And now, just a few hours later—in the dead of night—they were rushing off?

“What’s going on?” Huang Xiaoyi asked cautiously. “Something urgent at the hospital?”

There was a pause on Lin Qimian’s end. “No.”

Then she added, “The house is too dark.”

That finally tipped Huang Xiaoyi off that something was wrong.

Lin Qimian’s calm tone carried a slur she’d never heard from her before.

“You’ve been drinking?” Huang Xiaoyi blurted out, the realization hitting her.

“Yeah,” Lin Qimian admitted. “Drank too much to drive.”

What a good girl—even in this state, she still knew better than to drink and drive.

Huang Xiaoyi was convinced now: Lin Qimian wasn’t just tipsy; she was plastered.

Otherwise, she never would have called. Never would have complained about the house being dark. This was a woman who could stare down haunted house actors stone-faced and haggle for clues.

“I’m in,” Huang Xiaoyi said without hesitation. She’d go to the ends of the earth for a friend. “Heading to your place now… where is it?”

Lin Qimian rattled off an address.

Huang Xiaoyi quickly said goodbye to her mom, grabbed the suitcase stuffed with food, and jumped in a cab to Lin Qimian’s house.

Talk about impressive. The rumors weren’t wrong.

But Huang Xiaoyi had no time to gawk. Lin Qimian was already standing in the courtyard gateway, clutching a box and waiting for her.

The streetlamp washed her face in a ghostly pallor.

Huang Xiaoyi tilted her head for a better look. Qimian’s eyes were a little red around the edges, but otherwise she seemed fine.

“Keys.” Lin Qimian tossed a ring of them into Huang Xiaoyi’s arms. “Car’s in the garage. Garage is to the left.”

Huang Xiaoyi found the garage and backed the car out.

Lin Qimian yanked open the passenger door and climbed in, still hugging the box.

“Why didn’t you wait in the car? It’s still pretty warm out…” Huang Xiaoyi eyed the box. “Put the stuff in the back?”

Lin Qimian fumbled with her seatbelt. With her arms full, it took her a few tries to click it shut. “Nope.”

It came out downright sulky—a side of her Huang Xiaoyi rarely saw. She couldn’t help cooing like she would to a child. “Baby’s gotta hold onto her treasure, huh?”

Lin Qimian nodded. “Yeah, Baby~”

The word trailed off in the cutest way.

Huang Xiaoyi grinned, punched in the navigation, and pulled out onto the road. “Never knew you had treasures.”

“I have lots,” Lin Qimian said.

“Whoa, lots?” Huang Xiaoyi echoed.

Lin Qimian turned to her. “Don’t believe me? I’ll show you.”

Huang Xiaoyi glanced over. Qimian’s eyes sparkled with uncontainable glee, the kind of eager show-off vibe she was dying to unleash.

If she’d ever looked at anyone like that back in Middle School, Huang Xiaoyi wouldn’t have spent half a semester terrified of her.

“Sure, show me,” Huang Xiaoyi said. “But I’m driving, so no suddenly shoving it in my face.”

“Relax,” Lin Qimian said. “I’m not stupid.”

Huang Xiaoyi: “…”

You kinda look stupid right now.

Lin Qimian popped open the box and pulled out the first item. “This is my mom.”

Huang Xiaoyi slammed on the brakes in fright. She turned her head and saw a face strikingly similar to Lin Qimian’s, gazing quietly at her from inside a picture frame.

“Auntie,” Huang Xiaoyi called out, her heart pounding.

“Good, Xiao Yi,” Lin Qimian replied, imitating her mother’s tone. Then she carefully slid the frame back into place. “This is a candy wrapper.”

It was a far more normal introduction than the abrupt one from before.

Huang Xiaoyi started the car again and drove slowly. “Why are you collecting candy wrappers too?”

Lin Qimian said, “Xu Yueliang gave it to me.”

Lin Qimian added, “Xu Yueliang bought me tons and tons of yummy snacks. At first, I threw a bunch away.”

Huang Xiaoyi nodded. “Right, you thought some boy had slipped it in and chucked it straight in the trash.”

Lin Qimian sighed. “What a waste. They were really good.”

Huang Xiaoyi asked, “Did you eat the ones that came later? I never saw you eating them at school, and you never shared any with me. Were you sneaking them home?”

Lin Qimian murmured, “Mmm-hmm.”

Mmm-hmm? Huang Xiaoyi burst out laughing. “Stingy.”

Lin Qimian explained, “I ate them when I got hungry at night.”

Lin Qimian went on, “There’s one pack I didn’t eat.”

She pulled out a bag of potato chips. “She slipped it in while we were taking the graduation photo… I was planning to share it with her once I caught her.”

Huang Xiaoyi fell silent.

It was hard for her to hold back. “And then?”

Lin Qimian didn’t answer her question. Instead, she tucked the chips away and started rifling through the letters.

She pulled out one—a pink envelope printed with cute little animals. “A letter she wrote me.”

Huang Xiaoyi said, “Mm-hmm.”

Lin Qimian offered, “You’re driving. Want me to read it to you?”

Huang Xiaoyi hesitated. “…Sure.”

Lin Qimian read aloud:

“Dear Lin Qimian, how are you? It’s Tuesday—how’s your mood today?

“Probably pretty good, right? I saw your photo on the honor roll board. I heard your exam questions were super tough this time—everyone else failed, but you got first place. You’re amazing.

“I wish I could be half as smart as you. Math class is so boring; it makes me want to fall asleep.

“It’s a beautiful sunny day today, but the weather report says snow tomorrow. Do you like snow?

“If it snows, remember to have snowball fights and build snowmen. Get up early so the snow on the roadside hasn’t been cleared yet—you can flop right into the fresh powder and leave a big imprint!

“But bundle up thick. Wear a hat, scarf, and gloves. Snow feels cold at first, but afterward your hands burn, and that’s how you get frostbite.

“I don’t want your hands to get frostbitten, but if it happens by accident, I can give you my frostbite ointment.

“I really hope tomorrow brings the first snow.

“Let’s watch the snow together.”

Huang Xiaoyi stared. “…”

She glanced at Lin Qimian. “She was so cute as a kid…”

Lin Qimian looked down at the letter. “She’s cute now too.”

Lin Qimian added, “Wasn’t there a rumor back then that people who watch the first snow together stay together forever?”

Huang Xiaoyi replied, “It’s still going around.”

Lin Qimian suddenly shook the letter. “But she didn’t write this for me.”

Huang Xiaoyi blinked. “Huh?”

Lin Qimian said, “One hundred and twenty-four letters. She wrote them for her brother—to give to me.”

Huang Xiaoyi hit the brakes again. “What? What???”

Lin Qimian smiled, though it looked like she might cry. “Bet you didn’t see that coming. She was chasing me on her brother’s behalf.”

Huang Xiaoyi protested, “But we compared her homework—we know that’s her handwriting! Did she copy it over? Or… write it for her brother?”

She smacked the steering wheel hard. “Damn it…”

Lin Qimian folded the letter neatly and put it away, then pulled out another one.

Her cheeks were flushed with the clear signs of drunkenness now, her voice growing slurred. “Let me read one more. Let’s see how much of the real Xu Yueliang is in this one…”

Huang Xiaoyi didn’t respond. She was starting to feel as depressed as Lin Qimian.

They drove on like that, Lin Qimian reading aloud until her voice grew hoarse, while Huang Xiaoyi listened as if she’d just been through a breakup herself.

By the time they reached S City, Lin Qimian finally fell silent.

Huang Xiaoyi pulled up to her doorstep and couldn’t hold back. “Qimian, you used to be so aloof—no, really, everyone was too intimidated to talk to you. You’re still aloof now; you just pretend to be a little friendlier.”

Lin Qimian looked at her, and Huang Xiaoyi spilled it all. “With your looks and everything going for you, there should be a line of people chasing you. But all these years? Hardly anyone even dared to strike up a conversation.”

“Have you ever wondered why?” Huang Xiaoyi asked. “Because you’re like a fairy from the heavens. Ordinary folks feel like dirt under your feet when they stand next to you. Totally unworthy.

“So no matter who it is, you think a clump of mud could ever climb up to the fairy?”

“Since you like her so much and still can’t let her go, why not swallow your pride and chase after her?

“Anyway, you’re not even friends anymore. How much worse can it get?

“If you want her, you’ve got to take off that mask.”

If you want her, you’ve got to take off that mask.

Lin Qimian carried a box of things into the house, leaned against the door, and slowly squatted down.

She wasn’t some lofty fairy princess. She was just scared.

Scared that she’d reach out for it and come up empty, scared of losing that last scrap of self-respect, scared that love and affection were things she could never truly claim as her own.

She pulled out her phone and tapped into Xu Yueliang’s live streaming room. Today, Xu Yueliang was dressed in a pink-and-green lotus child’s hanfu, beaming as she chatted with her viewers.

“Yeah, the weather’s cooled off a ton…

“I like every season, honestly.

“My favorite? Snow, hands down. There’s so much fun stuff to do when it snows~~~”

“S City doesn’t get much snow. Yeah, not these past few years.”

“If it does snow, I’m definitely heading out with friends to check it out—snowball fights, snowmen, the works…”

【Don’t forget the snowball fights and snowmen. Get up early before they clear the snow from the roadside—you can flop right into the fresh powder and leave a big imprint!

But bundle up thick: hat, scarf, gloves. Snow feels freezing at first, but once you’re done playing, your hands heat up like fire, and that’s when frostbite can sneak in.

I don’t want your hands getting frostbitten, but if it happens anyway, I’ve got frostbite ointment for you.

I’m really hoping for that first snow tomorrow.

Let’s watch it together.】

Let’s watch it together. Lin Qimian wanted it so badly.

Even after losing it once, she still wanted it. Even if it cost her everything, she wanted it.

Xu Yueliang only touched on snow for a couple of sentences before letting it drop. Instead, she started talking about the hospital, mentioning she’d be taking a friend to the dentist in a couple days.

“Of course I’ll track down that gorgeous doctor sister.”

“What’s her name? No clue.” She put on a troubled face. “She wasn’t my original appointment—they switched her in midway. She had a mask on, so I couldn’t get a good look.”

“Super pretty. Yeah, even masked up, you could tell.”

“She’s got that high-cold, untouchable vibe—the ascetic beauty that makes you want to tackle her and yell, ‘Sis, I’m game!’…”

Lin Qimian blinked, wondering how many times Xu Yueliang would circle back to the topic before moving on.

Finally, she couldn’t hold back any longer. Clutching that box of treasures to her chest, she typed: 【Lin Qimian.】

A streak of colorful barrage scrolled by, vivid and glaring. Lin Qimian couldn’t stop her fingers from going rigid and shaking.

She fired off another: 【When can it be?】

Before the snow fell—when could it happen?