Chapter 4: Meeting My Wife: Day 4

During the break the next day, Guanguan dragged Jiang Wan to the school convenience store to buy some bread.

She had overslept that morning again and sat through two classes on an empty stomach, nearly passing out from hunger.

“Early to bed and early to rise is a good habit. I hope you can pick it up sometime.” Jiang Wan bought a bottle of water and shot a sidelong glance at Guanguan, who was devouring her bread. She spoke without much enthusiasm.

“No chance. Don’t even dream about it in this lifetime.” Guanguan forced down a mouthful of bread, her expression utterly serious.

Jiang Wan was at a loss for words.

“Cough cough, Wanwan, water… I’m choking to death here…”

Jiang Wan thought: Choke already.

The two headed back, trading jabs and jokes along the way.

As they passed by the small sports field, a girl suddenly called out to Guanguan, saying the Discipline Director wanted to see her.

The Discipline Office lay in the opposite direction from their classroom. Guanguan wolfed down the rest of her bread, said a quick word to Jiang Wan, and hurried off.

Watching Guanguan’s whirlwind departure, Jiang Wan suddenly recalled their childhood: Guanguan imitating a duck’s waddle, only to tumble straight into a mud pit. Her brand-new clothes were ruined on the spot. When she got home and her mom found out, she’d gotten a thorough thrashing—”bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork.”

Amused by the memory, Jiang Wan lost herself in thought and failed to notice the basketball hurtling toward her from the side.

“Watch out!”

At the sound of the shout, Jiang Wan sensed trouble. She instinctively threw up her arm to shield her head.

The ball grazed her arm, sending a sharp, burning pain through it.

“Damn, classmate, you okay? Let me take you to the infirmary.”

The boy wore a basketball jersey. He jogged over in long strides, wiped the sweat from his brow, and scooped up the ball from the ground.

“Really sorry, senior sis. I wasn’t paying attention.” He scratched his head sheepishly. Up close, he could see her uniform marked her as from the Senior High Division.

No. 13 Middle School oversaw both the Junior High and Senior High Divisions, with distinct uniforms that made it easy to tell them apart—though uniforms weren’t required, and plenty of students skipped them altogether.

Bei Qi felt glum. Last time he’d accidentally bumped into a junior girl; this time he’d gone and hit a senior. His luck was unreal.

The boy was tall and lanky, with a bright, handsome smile—the kind that made all the younger girls swoon.

Jiang Wan felt nothing of the sort. She just thought he looked vaguely familiar, though she couldn’t place where she’d seen him before.

“It’s nothing serious. I’ll head to the infirmary and patch myself up.” She glanced at her arm. The injury wasn’t bad, but she needed to disinfect it to avoid infection.

Her easy forgiveness only made Bei Qi feel worse.

“Let me come with you,” he insisted quickly. “It’s my fault, after all.”

Jiang Wan gave him a look but didn’t argue.

Better to get it treated and back to class than waste time on polite back-and-forth, she figured.

What she didn’t expect, though, was running into a familiar face the moment they stepped into the infirmary.

The girl had bold red hair that stood out starkly against the room’s predominant white tones.

She perched on the medical bed, head bowed, sleeves rolled up twice to bare her slender white wrist. Gauze wrapped her right palm, faint bloodstains seeping through, while her other hand idly swiped at her phone screen.

“Sis?!” Bei Qi blurted out in astonishment. From his expression, he was just as surprised to find Bei Huai there.

Sis?

Jiang Wan quietly studied their faces, flicking her gaze from one to the other.

No wonder the boy had seemed familiar. His features bore a clear resemblance to Bei Huai’s.

She hadn’t realized Bei Huai had a little brother.

Bei Huai glanced up, bypassing the pair in the doorway without a flicker of expression. “I told you not to call me that,” she said coldly.

“But you are my sis. What else am I supposed to call you?” Bei Qi rubbed his nose and muttered under his breath.

“Little sister?”

Bei Huai fixed him with a single look, and Bei Qi caved instantly. “Kidding, kidding.”

He kept up the playful tone, but his eyes had caught sight of Bei Huai’s right hand. His brows furrowed ever so slightly.

It had been fine just a few days ago. How had it ended up like this? He had a pretty good guess, though.

Bei Huai hadn’t shown up to Dad’s birthday banquet yesterday. Aunt Yun had left looking far from pleased—probably sparked a fight when she got home.

With strangers around, though, he couldn’t pry. And even if he did, Bei Huai probably wouldn’t tell him anyway.

The doctor emerged with a medical kit and waved for Jiang Wan and Bei Qi to have a seat. He needed to change Bei Huai’s bandage first.

Jiang Wan settled onto another bed and watched in silence as the doctor unwrapped the old gauze.

The girl’s hand was pale and delicate, but her palm bore a web of ugly gashes. The wounds had clearly been treated before, yet something had torn them open again. Fresh blood welled up, making for a gruesome sight.

The doctor showed no mercy for the fairer sex. He swabbed alcohol directly onto the wound without a hint of gentleness. Just watching made Jiang Wan’s heart clench, and even Bei Qi, a sturdy guy, felt a shiver run down his spine.

Yet the girl’s face remained utterly calm, her eyelids not even twitching, as if she couldn’t feel the sting at all.

She’s one tough cookie, Jiang Wan thought to herself.

Once the wound was disinfected, the rest was straightforward. As the doctor rewrapped Bei Huai’s bandage, she suddenly turned her head and fixed Jiang Wan with an indifferent gaze.

“New girl, didn’t anyone tell you it’s rude to stare at people?”

The question came out of nowhere.

Jiang Wan froze, her cheeks flushing.

Of course she knew it was rude, but there was something about Bei Huai that drew her in, making her eyes drift her way without thinking.

“Sorry,” she said quickly.

“Wait, sis, you two know each other?” Bei Qi blinked curiously from the sidelines.

Bei Huai ignored him.

“We’re in the same class,” Jiang Wan explained.

“Same class…” But then why no hello at first? Bei Qi didn’t get to finish before the class bell rang.

He froze, realization dawning as his face fell.

“Crap! It’s the Old Witch’s class.”

Their class’s Old Witch had a million rules, endless ways to mess with students, and despised tardiness above all.

He was toast.

“Is it that important? You should head back,” Jiang Wan said, picking up on his distress and offering a helpful nudge.

“That… wouldn’t feel right,” Bei Qi hesitated. He’d come to help with the injury, not ditch them to save his own skin.

“It’s fine. Go to class—being late sucks,” she insisted. It wasn’t like her feet were hurt.

Bei Qi wavered for a few seconds, then gritted his teeth and turned to Bei Huai with a sheepish grin. “Hey, sis, mind doing me a solid?”

“No,” Bei Huai replied without lifting her eyes.

Unfazed by the rejection, Bei Qi shrugged, double-checked that Jiang Wan was good, and bolted off like a rabbit on the loose.

Watching him sprint away, Jiang Wan figured he really was desperate.

Once Bei Huai was done, the doctor waved Jiang Wan over for her turn.

His touch was as heavy-handed as ever, and she couldn’t help sucking in a few sharp breaths.

“Whoops, forgot—after seeing how Bei Huai took it, I figured you could handle a little pressure,” the doctor chuckled, easing up a bit.

“Don’t lump me in with some dainty little miss,” Bei Huai snorted.

Surprised by the girl’s voice, Jiang Wan glanced over. She’d assumed Bei Huai had already left.

“What’s wrong with a dainty little miss? They’re adorable,” the doctor teased. “You’re just too sharp around the edges—no one dares get close.”

It was clear Bei Huai and the doctor knew each other well.

Bei Huai just let out a scoff.

Catching sight of the new girl’s bright, dewy eyes sparked an idea in her. A rare mischievous urge bubbled up, and she decided to have a little fun.

“Keep staring, and it isn’t free. I charge by the minute,” she said, brazenly shaking her down.

Not every kid at No. 13 Middle School came from money—plenty got in on brains alone.

This girl’s poise screamed good breeding, and From what Old Qin had let slip yesterday, her grades were stellar.

She looked all soft and plush. Wonder if her personality matched.

Bei Huai rubbed her chin, eyeing Jiang Wan’s reactions with keen interest.

The girl didn’t get mad or scared. She just looked right at her and asked, “Why haven’t you left yet?”

It caught Bei Huai off guard—she had no comeback for once. After a beat, she shot her a cool glare. “What’s it to you?”

“Oh.” Jiang Wan nodded and turned away, no longer watching.

As if she’d only asked out of simple curiosity.

Bei Huai felt like she’d swung at a pillow—totally deflated.

She felt like a total idiot. She could’ve walked out anytime, but something had kept her rooted there. Sure, Bei Qi was part of it.

That klutz had admitted he’d beaned Jiang Wan with the ball by accident. Annoying as the kid was, he was her brother. She couldn’t let him owe someone a debt.

Still, when Jiang Wan finished patching up and looked at her in surprise, Bei Huai felt an inexplicable heat creep into her ears.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just covering for Bei Qi.”

“But he never even said what he needed. How’d you know he was waiting to walk back with me?” Jiang Wan asked, her clear eyes cutting straight to the heart of it.

“Besides, didn’t you just turn it down?”

Bei Huai irritably ruffled her hair, her expression growing even colder. She strode to the door and turned her head, impatience clear in her voice. “So much chatter—are you coming or not?”

The girl stood blocking the doorway, backlit by the light, the hint of irritation between her brows bringing her features sharply to life. The silver stud in her left ear caught the gleam, sparkling prettily.

“Still, thanks anyway.” Jiang Wan stepped forward and flashed her a smile—clear and sweet, with dimples just peeking at the corners of her cheeks.

Bei Huai’s brows furrowed faintly. She whipped her head away, unconsciously brushing her earlobe, her tone sharpening with annoyance. “What a hassle.”

She’s embarrassed.

The thought bubbled up out of nowhere in Jiang Wan’s mind.

The sudden contrast was striking. She even started to think Bei Huai’s earlier prickly attitude was nothing more than the usual tsundere stubbornness.

Jiang Wan: …It was like watching a school bully’s tough-guy image shatter right before her eyes.

As she followed Bei Huai out of the infirmary, Jiang Wan glanced at her right hand. She couldn’t help but think such a beautiful hand really shouldn’t be wrapped in bandages.

A dull ache bloomed in her chest—an unexpected surge of unhappiness.

And yet she had no idea why.

“Hey, Bei Huai… is your hand okay?” After a moment’s hesitation, she ventured the question carefully.

It was someone else’s private business, of course. But as a classmate showing basic human decency, she felt she ought to ask.

“It won’t kill me.” Bei Huai shot her a glance, her voice edged with sarcasm. But the bite wasn’t aimed at Jiang Wan.

Jiang Wan pressed her lips together and stole a few covert looks at the girl’s cold expression.

Maybe it was just her imagination.

But she could’ve sworn she caught a flicker of sadness in those eyes.

Everyone carried hidden scars from their past, she mused. Classmate Bei Huai was no exception.