Chapter 13

After starting junior high, during the first National Day holiday, Bai Kou originally wanted to reunite properly with her sisters after a long time.

Who would have thought that as soon as she got home from school, she heard Auntie Yang chatting with her mom about how Yang Wanxi had gotten her pass and was going to the film set in Hong Kong to find Li Mengjun during National Day.

Hong Kong. Bai Kou had only heard the name on TV.

She greeted Auntie Yang as she passed by. That afternoon, after Yang Wanxi finished her exam and came home, Bai Kou rushed to the family courtyard. “Yang Kuikui, you’re going to Hong Kong to play during National Day?”

“Mm.” Yang Wanxi set down her backpack and nodded. “What gift do you want? Just say it.”

“Mm…” Bai Kou immediately frowned and cupped her hands over her heart as she thought for a bit. “What’s there in Hong Kong? Rice noodle rolls? Bowl cakes?”

Yang Wanxi said, “Those are a bit hard to bring back.”

The next morning, Bai Xiaochu drove Yang Wanxi to the airport.

Bai Kou had originally promised to go along to see Little Xi-jie off, but when the alarm went off, she could not open her eyes no matter what.

Bai Xiaochu could only pat her daughter’s butt through the blanket and said, “You’re really not getting up? If you wake up regretting it later, I won’t care!”

“I don’t regret it… I want to sleep…” Bai Kou mumbled in a daze.

Several hours later, the well-rested but depressed Bai Kou sat alone in the living room with her hair a messy tangle.

Not long after, the door sounded. Bai Xiaochu and Bai Yuqiao returned together from outside.

Bai Xiaochu chuckled. “Yo, whose little pig finally woke up?”

Bai Yuqiao closed the door from behind, then turned back with a light laugh on her face.

The most aggrieved kid in the world who urgently needed to vent stood up. “Mom, why didn’t you call me? I said last night that I wanted to see Little Xi-jie off…”

“I knew you’d pull something like this.” Bai Xiaochu nodded at Bai Yuqiao. “Yuqiao, show your little sister the video we took this morning.”

Bai Yuqiao nodded, took out her phone, and played the video. A hoarse, muffled voice said, “I don’t regret it… I want to sleep… It’s finally a holiday, don’t bother me… She can just go…”

Bai Kou’s face turned red, and she fell silent.

With Yang Wanxi not at home and Lu Tongtong going back to her hometown with her mom, not returning until the 4th.

Bai Kou wandered around the living room all day. Countless times she tried to sneak into her sister’s room, only to be caught red-handed by Bai Xiaochu, who was also home on holiday.

“No, no.” Bai Kou struggled as she was grabbed by the collar. “I wanted to ask Sis about a math problem.”

“Where’s the problem? Where’s the book?” Bai Xiaochu said. “Didn’t I say you can’t go in and disturb her unless she comes out herself?”

“Aiya, okay, I got it. Let go of me first. I’m so grown up now.”

“How grown up? Even if you’re 100 years old today, you’re still just a kid in my eyes.” Bai Xiaochu let go after saying that and patted her arm. “Go on, play by yourself.”

Bai Kou said oh and walked a few steps away, then turned back. “Mom, when are you going back to the computer mall? There are tons of people during the holiday. Lots of them will buy cameras.”

How could Bai Xiaochu not know her daughter’s little schemes? She smiled. “Don’t worry. Your sis has to go back to school on the 3rd. Once she’s safely off, I’ll head straight to the computer mall. As for you—”

“Once your sis goes back to class, you can turn the house upside down for all I care.”

On the 3rd, Bai Kou, who had failed to see Yang Wanxi off, insisted on sending her sister back to school no matter what.

Mom drove, Sis sat in the passenger seat in her school uniform, and Bai Kou sprawled in the open-window back seat, staring blankly as her long hair was blown into a bird’s nest.

At that moment, she suddenly saw in the front windshield’s rearview mirror that her sister’s face had smiled.

Bai Kou sat up straight. “Sis, what are you smiling about?”

As soon as she said that, Bai Xiaochu turned her head to look, puzzled. “Where did your sis smile?”

Outside the school gate, the two sisters and Bai Xiaochu all got out of the car.

Bai Kou was reluctant to part and gave her sis an exaggerated bear hug in front of all the people coming and going. She had not even said the cheesy “I’ll miss you” when—

Bai Yuqiao raised her hand to hug her back, gently stroking up and down her back.

Fortunately, the lonely time did not last too long.

At noon on the 4th, Bai Kou’s treasure Lu Tongtong returned in glory with a pile of local specialties!

They first put the specialties at Bai Kou’s house, then rushed by car straight to the underground amusement center in the city.

Clink clink—

Bai Kou and Lu Tongtong’s eyes gleamed with excitement as they stared at the big sis at the counter filling bags with game tokens for them.

Who was Yang Wanxi? Who was Bai Yuqiao?

Bai Kou did not remember at all!

In any case, their goal was to save up enough redemption coupons during this National Day holiday to exchange for that pair of Relax Bears on the prize shelf!

Dream Fantasy Plaza was the most bustling amusement center in Heyan City. During holidays, basically all the primary and middle school students in the city came here to play.

Bai Kou and Lu Tongtong held hands, each carrying a red plastic basket filled with 50 game tokens.

The two little girls wove through the crowded people and headed straight for their familiar frog clacker machine.

The frog clacker machine was similar to that super popular space pinball game from old computers—insert 2 tokens, press the “GO” button to launch the pinball, which passed through layers of lily pad-like bumpers and fell into grooves worth 10 points, 20 points, and so on.

They were lucky. When they arrived at the frog clacker machine, the two people ahead had just gotten up and left.

Bai Kou sat down, rubbed her fists eagerly, even more nervous than during her first monthly exam a few days ago.

During this, Bai Kou received a call with very poor signal.

The amusement center was full of “ding clang ding clang” noises, extremely loud, and next to her Lu Tongtong was shouting excitedly, “100 points! 100 points!”

Bai Kou plugged one ear. “Hello? Hello? Hello?” After struggling like this for a long time, there was still no sound from the other end.

She hung up, checked the call log—a landline starting with 00852. What area code was that?

“Bai Kou, Bai Kou, look quick! It might hit 500 points!” Lu Tongtong patted her excitedly.

“What?!” Bai Kou immediately set down her phone, her face almost pressed to the machine’s glass.

After spending 100 tokens, the two got up contentedly, hugging a pile of redemption coupons as they headed to the counter. They were the shiniest junior high students in the whole place!

Even the big sis at the counter praised them. “Wow, so many. Let me count them for you.”

Bai Kou and Lu Tongtong exchanged an embarrassed yet extremely proud smile.

Somehow, Lu Tongtong suddenly remembered and asked, “Was that Auntie Bai calling you this afternoon? Did you tell her the wild mushrooms can go in the fridge?”

Bai Kou had been smiling as she answered the second before, “No, not Mom. It was an 8-something number,” but the next second, she patted her bag and went pale!

She had not brought her phone!

Bai Kou bolted toward the frog clacker machine area. Lu Tongtong, baffled, shouted, “Where are you going?!”

Her heart felt like it was about to explode. When she hurried to the frog clacker machine section, from far away it looked like there was no phone.

Bai Kou’s steps slowed more and more. How was she so careless again? She was so annoyed she wanted to cry.

Getting closer, there really was nothing on the machine…

Bai Kou circled helplessly twice, her eyes growing redder.

Then, as she bent down to check the gap between two machines, someone patted her shoulder from behind.

Bai Kou did not feel it at first, so the person patted again very patiently and said softly, “Classmate? Did you lose something?”

Hearing “lose something,” she turned back and saw a familiar yet strange face.

In the dim light of the underground amusement center, the little mole on the other’s nose tip stood out clearly. The nose bridge was very straight, topped by a pair of still indifferent eyes.

Under Bai Kou’s surprised gaze, Pei Yue held up a red-and-white Nokia in front of her and asked, “Is this yours?”

Bai Kou felt a huge stone in her heart “thud!” as it dropped.

She turned straight and reached to take it, her face full of gratitude. “Thank—”

“…” But Pei Yue pulled her arm back. Bai Kou grabbed at air and heard Pei Yue ask again, “What’s the password?”

“Password?”

Pei Yue nodded, her voice extremely cold. “I need to confirm it’s yours before I give it to you.”

“Oh…” Bai Kou felt like she had just survived a disaster, her brain not turning very fast. Meeting Pei Yue’s scrutinizing gaze, she blanked out for a while before reporting the password. “0119.”

Pei Yue said okay, then in front of her, brought the phone to her face, flipped open the slider, and quickly pressed a few buttons.

“Mm, it’s yours.” Pei Yue handed the phone to Bai Kou after saying that. “Here.”

Bai Kou hurriedly took it. Her fingertip touched Pei Yue’s for a second. Just as she was about to say thanks again, Pei Yue withdrew her hand. “Be more careful next time.”

She turned to leave.

Bai Kou was not really sure what she was thinking. She had not had such a dazed moment in a long time. She did not know if it was the relief of getting her phone back that made her heart race, or because of the name she was about to call.

“Pei, Pei Yue!”

Pei Yue turned back, puzzled. “You know me?”

Bai Kou hesitated and nodded.

She took two steps closer, just about to continue, when Pei Yue asked again, “You’re from No. 1 High too?”

Bai Kou said, “Mm.”

Pei Yue frowned and looked her up and down twice. She must have found her unfamiliar. After looking, she just smiled indifferently and said, “Okay then.”

Then she turned unceremoniously.

And left.

Bai Kou blinked. For the first time, she suffered such cold treatment.

She had even been thinking that since Pei Yue had helped her twice now, she should treat Pei Yue to something to eat…

Not even two days after National Day ended, Bai Kou ran into Pei Yue again in the homeroom teacher’s office.

She had gone to get the monthly exam grade rankings, and Pei Yue was standing by the next desk getting scolded. “Are you treating my words like air? I said no school uniform, no entering the school! And you secretly changed?!”

Secretly changed?

Bai Kou glanced at Pei Yue without thinking. Oh, no wonder it felt off. All the students in the office now, including her, were wearing the autumn school uniforms—except Pei Yue, who wore a knitted white sweater and stuck out like a sore thumb.

Facing the teacher’s anger, Pei Yue’s expression remained calm. After the teacher finished and took a sip of tea, she said flatly, “Sorry, Teacher Li.”

“You say sorry every time? You need to change! Pei Yue! You’re not sorry to me!” Teacher Li sighed angrily.

“Bai Kou?”

Bai Kou had been watching intently. The former homeroom teacher’s call felt muffled through a screen.

She did not react at first. Instead, Pei Yue’s gaze turned from over there, glanced at her, then slowly turned back.

That look seemed…

Like she still did not recognize her.

“Bai Kou?” The homeroom teacher called again.

“Ah, Teacher Chen, you called.” Bai Kou came back to herself.

“Take this sheet back and post it on the front board in the classroom for everyone to see. Then bring Tang Qianwen over for me.”

“Okay.” Bai Kou took the A4 paper.

“Also, even though you got first place this time, you got a super easy Chinese multiple-choice question wrong. Still too careless. Be careful next time.”

“Yes, Teacher Chen.”

“Mm, okay, you can go back now. Tell Tang Qianwen to come quick.”

“Okay.” Bai Kou agreed, gripped the paper tightly, and headed to the office door. At the doorway, she paused and looked back.

Pei Yue was still expressionless, quietly listening to the scolding.

Bai Kou returned to the classroom with her heart pounding like thunder. As she approached the bulletin board up front, classmates swarmed behind her.

“Wow, how are the scores so high!”

“Aiya, I knew I got that math problem wrong…”

“Class rep, you got 355? Only 5 points off in three subjects! God tier!” Someone patted Bai Kou’s shoulder.

Bai Kou smiled distractedly, posted the grade sheet, and slipped out of the crowd.

Her seat was in the first row by the window. After sitting, sunlight hit her cheek, illuminating the fine fuzz on her face.

In those few seconds, Bai Kou suddenly decided she would not drag it out anymore. She should have thanked Pei Yue properly, but because she felt the other might not want to bother with her, she had hesitated and not done it.

That would not do!

She at least needed to express her thanks clearly.

Bai Kou quietly checked the time on her phone. Six minutes until class.

She got up straight away and left the classroom. Back at the office door, she peeked inside and happened to see Pei Yue coming out.

So she took a deep breath. As soon as she saw Pei Yue step out of the office, just like at the amusement center, she called.

“Pei Yue.” But this time her voice was much calmer.

Pei Yue turned to look at her for two seconds.

“You’re…?”