Chapter 37: Jiang Chan and Wen Yuqiu Hit It Off Even Better Than Bai Shuangshuang Had Imagined

Jiang Chan and Wen Yuqiu got along even better than Bai Shuangshuang had expected.

The two hit it off immediately, especially when it came to cooking skills. It was rare to find someone else who only knew how to make instant noodles, so they naturally had even more to chat about.

Once they boarded the bullet train, Bai Shuangshuang and Bai Tongsheng sat together, as expected.

In the past, Jiang Chan would always swap seats with whoever was sitting next to Bai Shuangshuang, completely oblivious to being a third wheel. But today, the moment she stepped through the door, she waved cheerfully at Bai Shuangshuang. “I’ll go take care of your little underclassman for you!”

Without waiting for a reply, she excitedly dragged Wen Yuqiu off to another car.

Bai Tongsheng watched the pair leave together, a flicker of some inscrutable light passing through her eyes.

Wen Yuqiu, who had been chatting happily with Jiang Chan, suddenly felt a chill creep down her spine.

~~~

“Wen Yuqiu, want to make a bet?”

Bai Tongsheng knew Wen Yuqiu loved betting with people. Over their three years of high school, she’d taken part in every kind of wager imaginable.

These weren’t the sort that would get the cops knocking on your door, of course.

They were more like silly, entertaining stakes—”Which pair of glasses will the math teacher wear today?” or “Will the English teacher show up to class with that pigeon-egg-sized ring on her finger?”

For high schoolers buried in textbooks all day, even dreaming of classes, these were among the few ways to ease the crushing pressure of exams and studies.

Wen Yuqiu had been wondering why Bai Tongsheng had suddenly come to find her, but at the mention of a bet, she forgot all about it. Her eyes lit up. “You actually want to bet with someone? We always tried to drag you in before, and you’d just watch from the sidelines with that icy stare. What, finally decided to join us mortals?”

Bai Tongsheng frowned. “Bet or not? I don’t have the patience for this.”

Wen Yuqiu rolled her eyes. “Bai Tongsheng, be real—your personality is just too unlovable. Besides Shuangshuang, no one could put up with you!”

Bai Tongsheng swept her with a cool glance. “Whether other people like me or not is none of my business.”

Wen Yuqiu clapped her hands to herself inwardly. That’s right, exactly! Bai Tongsheng always had this unapproachable aura. Back at the start of school, their little group had secretly bet on whether anyone could crack that cold mask of hers. She’d gone all in with excitement, only to lose spectacularly, of course.

But Bai Tongsheng’s unwavering aloofness had gradually earned Wen Yuqiu’s admiration. She thought this total indifference to others was so cool! Whenever someone asked her for a favor, she’d cave out of politeness even if she didn’t want to. Bai Tongsheng, though? If she wasn’t into it, tough luck—she’d say no flat out. Living that freely? Pure bliss!

By the time she realized it, Wen Yuqiu had already quietly started thinking of Bai Tongsheng as a friend. She’d even picked up a few life lessons from her along the way.

On a personal level, Wen Yuqiu felt pretty lucky to have crossed paths with someone like Bai Tongsheng.

And the best part? Thanks to her, she’d reconnected with Bai Shuangshuang!

“Are you deaf?”

The icy voice snapped Wen Yuqiu out of her wandering thoughts.

She blurted out, “I was just thinking about Shuangshuang—didn’t catch what you said.”

The words had barely left her mouth when she felt the air in the room turn frigid. She shook her head frantically. “Not like that! I swear! I have zero ulterior motives toward Shuangshuang!”

Bai Tongsheng let out a cold scoff. “Don’t even think about her from now on.”

Wen Yuqiu rolled her eyes inwardly. Damn possessive freak—way too intense! She gave a silent three-second moment of silence for Shuangshuang.

“So, what are we betting on?”

Wen Yuqiu finally recalled why Bai Tongsheng had sought her out and steered the conversation back on track.

If Bai Tongsheng had harbored even a shred of hesitation before, it vanished the instant Wen Yuqiu let slip her fondness for Bai Shuangshuang.

“I’ll bet you can’t win over Jiang Chan within a month.”

Wen Yuqiu: ???

Her face twisted into a comical, exaggerated expression, like she’d just heard something horrifying. “What? Me? Chase Jiang Chan? I literally just met her today! Even shotgun weddings take longer than that!”

Bai Tongsheng replied flatly, “You two don’t look like you just met today.”

“Hey, my people skills are killer. Making a new friend? Piece of cake—takes me minutes.”

Bai Tongsheng cut off her boasting. “So, bet or not?”

Wen Yuqiu hesitated for a rare moment. “We’ve made bets like this before, but last time that girl told the boy, he looked really heartbroken.”

“Are you scared?”

Her eyes widened instantly. “Me, scared? No way. I just feel like it’s kind of wrong. Gives me this guilty pang, you know?”

“Then just don’t go after her.”

“Then why bother betting with you at all? Bai Tongsheng, why drag me into this out of nowhere? What’s your angle?”

“Isn’t it enough for me that you’d leave Bai Shuangshuang alone for a whole month?”

Wen Yuqiu fell silent. This girl really was a freak!

“One last time: you in?”

Wen Yuqiu’s resolve wavered back and forth inside her until she finally clenched her jaw. “Fine. One month. If I win and snag her, what’s in it for me?”

She told herself it was okay in her head. Chase the girl first, then break things off with some excuse that wasn’t too harsh—should smooth things over, right?

She’d agreed to the bet for two reasons. First, Bai Tongsheng had never initiated something like this before. Second, the stakes stirred up this strange sensation she couldn’t quite name.

It was that tantalizing pull between right and wrong, like the serpent in Eden whispering temptation in her ear.

“Anything I have, it’s yours.”

“And if I lose—which won’t happen?”

Wen Yuqiu had full confidence in her charms.

“Then you owe me nothing. A month’s peace is worth more than you know.”

“Bai Tongsheng, if I fail, what’s your next scheme next month? Shuangshuang’s bound to have other friends. You planning to challenge every single one? I get that you adore her, but your possessiveness… it’s straight-up unhealthy.”

Bai Tongsheng pushed the door open. She turned back slowly, meeting Wen Yuqiu’s serious gaze, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

“No one knows my sickness better than I do.”

—If you succeed, perfect.

—If not, she’d tell Bai Shuangshuang without a second thought. Jiang Chan mattered to Shuangshuang far more than Wen Yuqiu ever could. Once the truth came out, things would fall exactly into place.

—Jiang Chan could wait. Her turn was coming.

~~~

“Why do I feel like Little Qiu’s been acting off around Jiang Chan lately?”

Wen Yuqiu was being way too attentive, even if they did hit it off. Less than a week in, and they were already this tight?

Bai Tongsheng cradled her milk tea and leaned in, offering Shuangshuang a sip before replying. “No idea. They’re close—you jealous? Hoping Wen Yuqiu sticks to you instead?”

Bai Shuangshuang shot her a glare. “Can you quit with the random jealousy? I’ve told you a dozen times: Little Qiu’s like a little sister to me!”

She buried her face in Bai Tongsheng’s chest. “Doesn’t matter, Bai Shuangshuang. I don’t like it.”

Bai Shuangshuang sighed and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Bai Tongsheng, can’t you trust me a little?”

“I know you like me. But I can’t help it, Bai Shuangshuang. I just can’t.”

“Alright, alright. I know. I get it.”

No one understood this near-pathological possessiveness better than the one caught in its grip.

“But A-Sheng… these are my only two friends.”

Bai Tongsheng’s eyes flickered. She said nothing.

~~~

“Shuangshuang! I need to talk to you! Come straight after class! Waiting in the dorm!”

Jiang Chan’s message came with four exclamation points—she had to be freaking out.

Bai Tongsheng had a packed morning schedule. Shuangshuang could head to Jiang Chan’s place right after her own class ended, chat for half an hour, and still make it back to the teaching building in time to meet up.

She fired off a quick “On my way,” and as the bell rang, she stuffed her books into her bag and hurried to Jiang Chan’s dorm.

The door hung wide open. Stepping inside, Bai Shuangshuang found Jiang Chan alone at her desk, eyes glued to her phone screen. Anxiety etched her face, mingled with helpless confusion.

It was such an uncharacteristic look that Bai Shuangshuang couldn’t help but tease. “What happened? Someone confess to you? Isn’t that cause for celebration? Why the shock?”

Jiang Chan whipped her head around. “Wen Yuqiu told you too?”

Bai Shuangshuang dragged over the chair beside her and plopped down. “Huh? Little Qiu? Told me what?”

Jiang Chan mumbled the words so quietly they were barely audible. “About… her confessing to me.”

Now it was Bai Shuangshuang’s turn to reel.

“What did you say? Little Qiu confessed to you?!”

Jiang Chan saw that the surprise on her face was genuine and felt a little better. It seemed she wasn’t the only one freaking out over something like this.

She simply handed her the phone. “Here, see for yourself.”

Bai Shuangshuang glanced at it. Sure enough, it was a confession—one that explicitly hinted at wanting to date her.

She quickly came to terms with the fact that one of her friends had fallen for another. Calming down, she asked Jiang Chan, “What are your thoughts on this?”

“What thoughts could I have? I’ve always seen her as my little sister!”

“Not even a tiny bit of anything else?”

Jiang Chan started to hem and haw. “Pr-probably not?”

“It’s just… no one’s ever chased me, from childhood right up to now. I always thought she treated me so well because she saw me as a big sister. But now that she’s said this, I honestly don’t know what to do.”

Bai Shuangshuang sighed. Jiang Chan really was a bit dense when it came to matters of the heart. Now that the truth was out in the open, she couldn’t help recalling certain details she hadn’t thought much of before. “Do you remember that time you were craving Lansha taro balls and asked me to go buy some with you? It was so hot that day we barely made it out of the dorm before you changed your mind?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“But you still ended up eating them that day, right?”

“Yeah, Wen Yuqiu happened to be out shopping with her roommate nearby. Didn’t she buy a portion for you and Bai Tongsheng as well?”

“I’d gone to find Little Qiu for something that day. When I got to her dorm, her roommate said she’d been playing on her phone and then suddenly headed out on her own. Thinking back now, it must’ve been right after you mentioned the taro balls to her. The key point is, A-Sheng and I didn’t get any.”

“Uh…” Jiang Chan suddenly felt like she’d been trapped in a web all along—and now, the one who’d spun it was finally drawing it closed.