Chapter 63 Part 2

Seeing this reaction, Bai Kou understood and inexplicably laughed in anger. She bluntly pointed at the pile: “Doing this… so you weren’t planning to tell me at all.”

Yang Wanxi opened her mouth but offered no explanation.

Bai Kou’s anger deflated. She let out a long breath and turned to open the door: “Fine, I won’t bother you. I’m going to find Tongtong. Bye.”

Bang.

Yang Wanxi slowly took a step forward in pursuit, but the door had already closed.

She sighed and looked toward the table, where the largest black letters read “Future Media.”

Bai Kou wandered aimlessly alone on the street. Strictly speaking, over these years of conflicts with Yang Wanxi, Lu Tongtong had not been around, so she did not even know how to bring it up with Lu Tongtong.

Her phone rang.

It was Tang Baini, whom she had not contacted in two months.

Bai Kou sat down on the roadside flower bed: “Hey, Tang-jie?”

“We hadn’t heard a peep from you, so I waited over half a month before daring to ask.” Tang Baini said. “How did the school art exam results turn out?”

Bai Kou looked down and smiled: “All passed. Highest score at Central Academy of Fine Arts, ninth in the major.”

“Really?!” Tang Baini’s volume rose. “So no surprises, we’ll be classmates again?”

Bai Kou sat up straight upon hearing this: “Right! So you passed too?”

“Of course!” Tang Baini laughed heartily. “Jin passed too. We’re practically the model dorm!”

“That’s great, that’s great!” Bai Kou laughed. “After the college entrance exam, I’ll come to Beijing to hang out with you all!”

“Sure!”

Just as she was about to hang up, Bai Kou did not know why she called out to stop Tang Baini. She said: “Tang-jie, I have another question. Do you have time to listen?”

“Of course.”

“It’s Yang Wanxi.” She said the name. “Do you remember her?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Previously, when we chatted, I said that after growing up, I had become a little unable to understand her. Now, I suddenly felt it was more than just a little.”

“How so?”

“She might be going abroad. Oh, I didn’t ask in detail either, so I don’t know what she’s going to do.”

Bai Kou confessed frankly, “I discovered it by accident just now. It felt a bit shocking, so I didn’t want to ask. What I couldn’t understand the most was, if she’s going abroad, then go ahead—why did she act like she was hiding it from me? Were all these years of what I thought was reconciliation fake? Had she never truly become the person she was before?”

“When she’s happy, she treats me like a friend. When she’s not, I’m nothing.”

Tang Baini laughed for a moment on the other end of the phone before asking, “Little Kou, did you ever fight with friends when you were little? Like over a toy, throwing a tantrum and saying you’re breaking off the friendship?”

Bai Kou: “Probably…”

“Then do you really think your Little Xi-jie sees you as ‘nothing’?”

Bai Kou fell silent.

“Wait until you’re not angry anymore, then go ask her properly.” Tang Baini laughed. “You might get a different answer.”

Not long after hanging up, Bai Kou received a message from her older sister.

It asked: 【Do you have time?】

Bai Kou: 【Mm.】

Bai Yuqiao directly video-called Bai Kou.

Her hair was tied up, and she was still wearing a white coat, with what looked like lab glass doors in the background.

Bai Kou really wanted to tattle to her sister, but then she thought, since Yang Wanxi hadn’t planned to tell her, she probably hadn’t planned to tell her sister either.

She held back.

She just pursed her lips and looked at her sister for a while before speaking: “Why did you suddenly come looking for me?”

【To see you.】 Bai Yuqiao smiled and gestured.

“Then you’re lucky.” Bai Kou said, “Today is the earliest I’ve gotten out of school in so long. Look, it’s not even dark yet.”

Bai Yuqiao nodded: 【Mm, lucky.】

Bai Kou stood up and started walking: “Sister.” She called softly. “Have you ever fought with friends?”

She looked at the screen and suddenly laughed at herself. “No, wait, how would you fight with others? And Teacher Ruan, Sister Sun Yu—for all these years, you’ve had great relationships with them. You’ve probably never had issues with friends.”

【I have.】 Bai Yuqiao crooked her finger.

“Hm?” Bai Kou stopped in her tracks. “Really? Do I know them?”

【Mm.】

“I know them too?” Bai Kou immediately frowned in thought. “I only know Teacher Ruan and Sister Sun Yu. Is it your roommate? I’m not even familiar with your roommates… So who is it?”

Bai Yuqiao went still in the video for a moment.

“Secret.” She mouthed.

In the days that followed, Bai Kou didn’t pursue the “going abroad” matter with Yang Wanxi.

For one thing, she was very busy. For another… this time, Bai Kou was extremely unwilling to let it go. In short, unless Yang Wanxi bowed her head and brought it up first, she wouldn’t either, nor would she ask.

Every evening when she got home, if she ran into Yang Wanxi, she would say “I’m back” with no expression on her face and head straight to her room.

Yang Wanxi seemed to want to pretend nothing was wrong. Occasionally, she would bring a plate of fruit and knock on Bai Kou’s door, saying in a joking tone, “High schooler, have some fruit?”

Bai Kou truly couldn’t understand why.

Several times, as she watched Yang Wanxi set down the plate, she wanted to say, You’re really not planning to explain?

She held back, holding it in tightly.

She probably used up a lifetime’s worth of holding back on this matter with Yang Wanxi.

And so, the two of them stalemated like that—you don’t ask, I don’t say—until June.

Bai Kou was about to face the most important “battlefield” of her life.

Bai Yuqiao and Bai Xiaochu both rushed back from out of town. The whole family gathered noisily at the Yangs’ house, helping Bai Kou check her ID, admission ticket, stationery…

Yang Wanxi leaned against the outermost doorframe, glancing at the eraser temporarily placed at the foot of the bed, and Bai Kou twisting her head left and right in confusion, searching for it.

She thought for two seconds, released her arms, and wanted to walk over to hand it to Bai Kou.

But as Yang Wanxi took a step, someone else’s hand reached out first, picked up the eraser, and deliberately teased Bai Kou by placing it on top of her head.

“…” Yang Wanxi stepped back and left the room.

On the day of the college entrance exam, it was just like all those years ago when a car full of people went to send Bai Yuqiao off for her exam.

Unexpectedly, when they gathered again, the person in the passenger seat had become Bai Kou.

Yang Wanxi was still the one in the back seat by the left, looking at the scenery outside the window. Occasionally snapping back, she would turn her head and gaze thoughtfully at Bai Kou’s profile for a while.

Over these years, everyone had changed a great deal.

Bai Kou, the youngest sister among them, had gone from a mushroom-head hairstyle as a child to slowly, gradually growing it into today’s neat black ponytail.

The childishness on her face had completely faded, turning into the clear brightness unique to a young person.

Only those eyes, much the same as in her childhood, were especially cute when she smiled.

“Sis—” As she watched, Bai Kou happened to turn her head to speak to Bai Yuqiao.

Their eyes met first, but Yang Wanxi chose to look away. A moment later, when she looked back, Bai Kou had stopped talking to her sister, turned away, her shoulders visibly lifting and then sinking.

Bai Kou was sighing.

Yang Wanxi’s hands resting on her lap clasped together, and she silently let out a sigh as well.

Bai Yuqiao, sitting on the right side of the back seat, took in the whole scene.

Through the center rearview mirror, she saw Yang Wanxi’s dejected face, her five fingers on her lap slowly clenching.

For a moment.

Everyone in the car except Bai Xiaochu had their own concerns.

Fortunately, Bai Kou was someone who could separate life from the exam. As she climbed the stairs to the classroom, she took two deep breaths, casting all improper worries aside.

As she entered the exam hall, she only said to herself silently in her heart—

“Good luck, Bai Kou!”

The two-day exam ended. On the second day at noon, before sending Bai Kou out, Bai Yuqiao pulled her aside privately.

Yang Wanxi continued to open the door gently, very slowly.

“Can’t say it now?” Bai Kou’s questioning voice came.

“Alright.” A moment later, Bai Kou agreed. “Then tonight when I get back. But our class is done today and we’re going to the end-of-term banquet. If you and Yang Kuikui come pick me up, you can say it on the way.”

Creak—

Yang Wanxi pushed open the door and headed first for the stairs.

The last time getting out of the car toward the exam hall.

Bai Kou took two steps, then suddenly stopped. She turned around and ran back to her two sisters.

Whether it was Bai Yuqiao looking at her or Yang Wanxi staring blankly, she spread her arms and said with a smile.

“Sis! Yang Kuikui! Let’s hug!”

“Cheers!!”

The three cans clinked together, splashing beer foam.

With the exam finally over, Bai Kou completely let loose. Not only did she down two glasses of wine with her classmates at the end-of-term banquet, but on the way home after being picked up, she insisted that Bai Yuqiao and Yang Wanxi take her to buy beer.

“Starting today! I! Am no longer a child!” Bai Kou declared. “Whatever you can do, I can too!”

With that, she threw her head back and chugged half a can in one go…

Then shuddered because it tasted so awful.

Yang Wanxi started to drink but stopped, unable to hold back as she tugged Bai Kou’s arm: “Take it easy, okay? Do you even have the tolerance for this? Copying people toasting.”

“Hmph.” Bai Kou shook off Yang Wanxi’s hand. “Mind your own business, liar.”

“…”

Yang Wanxi felt a lump in her chest. On the way home, she had finally bowed her head first and explained to Bai Kou—it was arranged by Future Media, one year abroad, then two more back home.

But Bai Kou got even angrier: “I just don’t believe going abroad to study acting is better than doing it domestically!”

Yang Wanxi didn’t believe it either. She probably just wanted to escape, so she felt guilty. After Bai Kou snapped at her, she didn’t snap back like she used to.

She just fell silent.

Bai Yuqiao heard Bai Kou call her “liar” and grew even more silent amid the silence. On the way, she had listened to Bai Kou vent the whole time about their cold war these past months. Bai Kou had even gotten so mad she said, “Let her go! Go! I’ll never speak to her again!”

Bai Yuqiao supported her little sister and turned to look at the person walking on the far right, staring at the ground.

In that instant, she thought of many things. The last one was, why was Bai Kou so angry?

Just because of the secrecy?

Bai Kou had always been reasonable since childhood. If it had been explained clearly, she absolutely wouldn’t stay mad.

Of course, Bai Yuqiao knew there were some things Yang Wanxi couldn’t explain clearly either, which was why Bai Kou stayed mad.

But why so mad?

Not long after, the fast-drinking Bai Kou felt the alcohol hit her, but her tolerance was decent—no crying or fussing. She just flopped her head onto Bai Yuqiao’s lap and said, “Sis, my head’s dizzy.”

Bai Yuqiao set down her can and gently rubbed Bai Kou’s temple with her thumb pad.

“Bai Yuqiao-jie, I’ll go out and buy some hangover remedy for Bai Doudou.” Yang Wanxi stood up at that moment.

Bai Yuqiao opened her mouth, wanting to say “It’s too late, it’s dangerous,” but she couldn’t make a sound. She could only watch helplessly as Yang Wanxi left the living room without looking back.

Bang.

The living room was left with only Bai Yuqiao and Bai Kou slumped on her lap.

It was very quiet.

Bai Yuqiao could almost hear the sound of her own clothes rubbing against Bai Kou’s head.

Should she say it now?

To what extent?

…

She blinked, her mind racing.