To be honest, she truly hadn’t expected it. Her relationship with Jiang Wan wasn’t all that close; some days at school, they barely exchanged a few words.
So why had she stepped in so decisively to shield her?
Or was Jiang Wan just that kind of good Samaritan, ready to block for anyone?
The mere thought of that scenario sent a surge of anger roiling through Bei Huai’s chest.
“Because it was you.”
The girl’s soft voice drifted like a feather from the clouds, like sweet spring water from the mountaintops. In an instant, it doused the flames of anger in her heart.
“Wha… what?”
“My body just moved faster than my brain, I guess. Deep down, I really didn’t want Classmate Bei Huai to get hurt.”
“Mm… but I still want to thank Classmate Bei Huai.”
Bei Huai’s brows knitted tightly. “Why are you thanking me? You took a pool cue for me. If anyone’s saying thanks, it’s me. Are you stupid?”
Called stupid without mercy, the girl showed no sign of offense. Instead, she simply smiled.
“I overheard your conversation with them from behind.”
“The ones who tailed me last night were Qin Xiang’s lackeys. I figure he was avenging Chen Keshan and came after me for it. And you, Classmate Bei Huai—you only clashed with Qin Xiang and his crew because of me.”
“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have had to fight them.”
“As if. Don’t flatter yourself. We scrapped with them for reasons that had nothing to do with you.” Bei Huai turned her head away, squirming with discomfort. Her heart was profoundly moved, yet her mouth refused to cooperate.
Jiang Wan, who had long seen through Bei Huai’s so-called “true nature,” paid her words no mind. She simply smiled with good-natured patience. “Right, right. I was being overly sentimental.”
Fine, she’d humor the tsundere ghost a little.
Catching the blatantly perfunctory tone, Bei Huai grew even more ill at ease.
She averted her gaze and muttered under her breath, “It’s the truth.”
White clouds floated across a vast blue sky, sunlight filtering through the green canopy.
A gentle breeze caressed their faces.
The bowl of preserved egg and lean pork congee in her hand still radiated warmth. Jiang Wan gazed out at the patients undergoing rehab training in the distance, her mood suddenly lifting.
Today hadn’t unfolded as she’d imagined. Mishaps had piled up, and she’d even broken an arm.
But… sitting here like this with Classmate Bei Huai didn’t feel half bad.
And the congee was pretty good, too.
Still… she’d forgotten something.
“Right!” Then it hit her.
“I promised to treat you to a meal today, but I flaked again.” Jiang Wan rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
“Tch, let’s talk after your hand heals.” Bei Huai fired back without restraint, hands clasped behind her head as she leaned against the wall.
“You got it. Just wait.”
~~~
She’d gone out for one errand and come back with a broken arm.
Jiang Wan’s excuse was that she’d been accidentally smacked by a flying racket.
She could hardly tell her mother that her daughter had witnessed a brutal brawl and taken a pool cue meant for someone else.
Her mom would lose her mind.
Even so, Mother Jiang had lectured her at length.
With Guanguan, though, she’d come clean. That flimsy excuse wouldn’t fool the girl anyway—if she hadn’t fessed up, Guanguan would’ve hounded her endlessly.
Guanguan’s eyes went wide with shock. “No way! I thought my crush on Cen Jin was wild enough, but you broke your arm for Bei Huai?!”
“Confess! You like her, don’t you?”
“What are you on about?” Jiang Wan shoved away Guanguan’s prying head, rolling her eyes in an utterly unladylike fashion.
“I didn’t overthink it. Besides, Bei Huai and I are friends.”
At least, that’s what she figured.
“Friends? Something’s fishy, Jiang Wan. You’re off.” Guanguan narrowed her eyes, studying her with exaggerated suspicion.
Jiang Wan tensed under the scrutiny.
“You’ve got a new pup on the side! I’m not your one and only little baby anymore!”
Jiang Wan: “…”
Amused yet a touch heartbroken, she threw up her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Relax—no one’s taking your spot.”
“Say no more. I get it. I’m cramping your style. I’ll just go.” Guanguan launched into full drama mode, clutching her face as her voice cracked with feigned sobs.
Jiang Wan watched the performance with cool detachment, then cleared her throat.
“Hey, isn’t that Cen Jin?”
In a flash, the girl’s head whipped up. She frantically straightened her clothes while mouthing frantically: Where? Where?
Jiang Wan offered a faint smile. “Kidding.”
Guanguan: “…”
“Jiang Wan! You’re heartless!”
Jiang Wan’s fracture was in her left arm, so homework was still on the table—though her classmates cut her some slack.
Skipping PE class was the silver lining.
These past two days, Bei Huai had been acting completely out of character. She stayed at school without skipping a single class.
Jiang Wan teased her. “Did the sun rise from the west? Is Classmate Bei Huai planning to buckle down and study now?”
“Who are you looking down on?” Bei Huai shot her a sideways glance.
“As your classmate, of course I support you studying hard. There’s a little physics quiz tomorrow. Here, these are my notes—borrow them and take a look.” Jiang Wan picked up a notebook and set it on Bei Huai’s desk.
“There’s a test tomorrow? Who said?”
“…Last class.”
“Oh. I was asleep.”
Jiang Wan shook her head helplessly. She started to stand, but Bei Huai called her back.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting some water.” She shook the cup in her hand and looked at Bei Huai in confusion.
Bei Huai stood up, snatched the cup from her, and scolded with a stern face. “What can you do with one hand? Don’t you know to ask someone for help?”
“It’s just getting water… I’m not that helpless yet,” Jiang Wan said weakly.
“Wait here!” Bei Huai glared at her and strode off.
“Jiang Wan, Bei Huai is really good to you,” Mi Shuyun whispered while Bei Huai was gone.
Jiang Wan blinked. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
Just like that morning, when Jiang Wan—as the group leader—had to collect homework.
The moment Bei Huai arrived, she told Jiang Wan to sit still and went around gathering the assignments herself, one by one.
Good grief, no one wanted the grim reaper collecting their homework. Even the laziest slackers didn’t drag their feet. In a historic first, everyone handed theirs in at top speed, and Bei Huai carried the whole stack straight to the office.
Word on the street was that the teachers in the office were so stunned to see Bei Huai with the homework that they were speechless.
It was only when Bei Huai asked where to put it that the homeroom teacher stammered, “J-just leave it there.”
Because of that, plenty of people in class noticed Bei Huai treated Jiang Wan differently from everyone else. It was special—exclusive, even.
“Jiang Wan, I really envy you sometimes. You didn’t do a thing, and yet someone like Bei Huai gives you special treatment,” Mi Shuyun said, her face full of envy.
Jiang Wan just lowered her gaze and smiled, saying nothing.
Had she done nothing?
Outsiders thought getting close to Bei Huai had been easy for her, but they overlooked all the cold shoulders and cutting sarcasm she’d endured beforehand.
She might not have minded, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t put in any effort.
Maybe that was exactly why Bei Huai kept her heart guarded so tightly—because of everyone else’s assumptions.
That evening, back in her room, Bei Huai was rummaging through her bag when she realized she’d brought Jiang Wan’s notes home and forgotten to give them back.
She flipped through them idly. The girl’s handwriting was elegant and refined, a pleasure to behold.
One glance showed they came from someone who’d actually paid attention in class.
Bei Huai sent Jiang Wan a message.
Tree: Your notes are with me.
A full half hour passed before she got a reply.
No need to guess—she knew the girl had been doing homework.
Annoying Pest: Oh, no problem. Classmate Bei Huai can give them back tomorrow.
She stared at “Classmate Bei Huai” for a long time, then slowly typed.
Tree: Why… do you always call me Classmate Bei Huai?
She’d heard Jiang Wan call Guanguan with real warmth, and address other classmates politely by name. But with her, it was always those stiff, formal words: Classmate Bei Huai.
It left her feeling shut out, every time.
The reply came quickly this time.
Annoying Pest: “So… what do you want me to call you?”
Tree: Whatever.
Annoying Pest: Then… Little Bei?
Bei Huai pursed her lips. Her fingers trembled faintly as she typed.
She drafted a message, only to delete it at the last second.
Back and forth she went, several times. Finally, she sent just two words.
Tree: Whatever.
She set her phone down quietly and covered her flushed cheeks.
Little Bei…
Even just reading it felt mortifying.
As far as she could remember, no one had ever called her that.
Meanwhile, Jiang Wan—dressed in her nightgown, chin propped in one hand—gazed thoughtfully at the message.
Whatever?
Did that mean it was fine?
A lovely smile spread across the girl’s face.
When Bei Huai had asked, the first name that popped into her head was Little Bei.
It felt so familiar, as if… she’d said it a hundred times before.
A deep, instinctive familiarity welled up.
But that couldn’t be. She’d never called her that.
Jiang Wan chalked it up to an illusion.
The next day’s quiz came as no surprise: Bei Huai fell asleep again.
The instant it ended, Jiang Wan leaned over to wake her.
“Hey, Classmate Bei Huai, didn’t you say you were going to study hard? How come you’re sleeping again?” By now, Jiang Wan had zero qualms about rousing her.
“Go stand over there.” Still grumpy from being woken, the girl waved her off, rolled over, and went right back to sleep.
A moment later, she lifted her head again, eyes still heavy-lidded with sleep and glaring fiercely. “Classmate Bei Huai? Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”
Jiang Wan blinked, testing the waters. “Then… Little Bei?”
That clear, sweet voice pierced straight to the heart.
Bei Huai’s drowsiness vanished in an instant.
She coughed affectedly a few times to mask her awkward expression.
“Don’t… don’t bother me while I’m sleeping.” With that, she flopped back onto the desk, hiding her face.
Little Bei—what an embarrassing nickname.
But somehow… it sounded pretty nice.
