Give Me Heartthrobs 5

Chapter 5: The Look in Her Eyes

Suddenly, enthusiasm soared, and even the students from the Journalism Department nearby started watching the spectacle.

Among everyone, the calmest person was actually the one involved, Wen Yu. She lifted her head and said unhurriedly to the instructor, “I don’t know how to sing.”

Ye Qizhen watched, thinking to herself, Sure enough, you never see her flustered. But Wen Yu probably sang well, right? Her speaking voice was pleasant enough.

Qi Yun cast an admiring glance at Wen Yu. Wen Yu had always been like this; she flatly refused things she didn’t like, didn’t care about reading people’s expressions, and wasn’t swayed by either persuasion or force. Wen Yu often smiled, but Qi Yun felt she was actually quite cold—a kind of indifference that didn’t care about anything around her.

“Goddess, sing one!” Someone shouted.

“Sing one!” Others chimed in.

Just as it was getting noisy, a voice popped up: “Report, Instructor! I want to sing.”

Tang Xiao mustered up his courage and stood up among the crowd. Seeing that Wen Yu didn’t want to sing, he thought, If I help her out of this jam now, will I score some favorability points? At least it’ll leave an impression, right?

Besides, he felt his singing was decent.

The moment he stood up, Tang Xiao looked at Wen Yu, his heart pounding, having already imagined the beginning of a beautiful campus romance.

“Alright, you sing.” seeing someone volunteer to liven up the atmosphere, the instructor didn’t press Wen Yu further.

Ye Qizhen could tell Tang Xiao really wanted to chase Wen Yu. However, after hearing Tang Xiao sing the first line, she frowned, squinted, and touched her forehead, her habit of feeling embarrassed for others acting up again. The melody was familiar, though she didn’t know the name of the song Tang Xiao was singing, but she could tell he was off-key. Out of three lines, at least two were out of tune, and his voice almost cracked on the high notes.

Quite a few people were snickering, but they still gave him face; the girls in the front rows even helped clap out the beat.

Tang Xiao also knew he was off-key, but he bit the bullet and sang half the song before ending the torment.

“Does he like you? Trying to rescue you?” Qi Yun whispered to Wen Yu. “He’s a bit goofy, but actually looks okay.”

Wen Yu turned her head. “If he’s okay, you go for him.”

Qi Yun added, “You know I’m not interested in men.”

Wen Yu didn’t say anything more. She had accidentally discovered that Qi Yun liked girls when they were training out of town.

**

At twelve o’clock, Instructor Song released the students to the cafeteria for lunch on time. While eating, Ye Qizhen saw the WeChat message Tang Xiao sent her.

[Xiao Xiao Sa Sa(Cool Xiao)]: How was my singing today? It wasn’t too ugly, right?

Ye Qizhen guessed Tang Xiao needed comfort right now, so she sent a reply against her conscience.

[y]: It was okay, pretty good.

[Xiao Xiao Sa Sa(Cool Xiao)]: I helped her out today, that should have scored some points, right? Do you know what type she likes?

Ye Qizhen replied offhandedly: How would I know?

Although rumors said Wen Yu had many ex-boyfriends, she had never seen Wen Yu being ambiguous with any boys, nor did she know what type Wen Yu liked.

Afternoon training started at two o’clock, right when the sun was most vicious. The training content was marking time and shouting slogans—exhausting and thirst-inducing, even more grueling than the morning. Occasionally, seniors would pass by, holding umbrellas or drinking iced beverages. Some would teasingly shout “Good luck, juniors!” before strolling away leisurely, blatantly provoking envy.

around three o’clock, people carrying video cameras and cameras were shooting here and there, probably from the campus TV station.

Ye Qizhen gritted her teeth and persisted until five o’clock. Her physical strength was severely overdrawn, and she really couldn’t hold on any longer. Before she could even report, she nearly fainted. Fortunately, Luo Bei reacted quickly and supported her. But after steadying her, Luo Bei loudly shouted, “Report, Instructor! Someone fainted!”

Instructor Song immediately stepped forward. “Let me see.”

“I didn’t faint, just a bit of heatstroke. I’ll be fine after a rest,” Ye Qizhen explained awkwardly.

“Really okay?”

“Mn, I’m okay.”

“Alright, go rest on the side, don’t train anymore today.” Seeing she was a frail little girl, Instructor Song rarely spoke so softly, but as soon as he turned around, his voice was like a bell again: “Everyone else, continue training!”

Ye Qizhen found a shady spot under a tree and sat down. She took out the prepared Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Shui, put the straw in, and sipped it. She was experienced with heatstroke. It was just uncomfortable, nothing serious.

“I said don’t look around, yet you’re still looking around! Do you have any discipline?! I’m talking to you, step out.” The one throwing a fit was the Fine Arts Department instructor. He was quite handsome but had a fiery temper. “What’s your name?”

“Damn, hit the jackpot again,” Qi Yun stared straight ahead, humming softly.

Wen Yu had already stepped out and answered, “Wen Yu.”

“Wen Yu, is it?” The instructor put his hands on his hips, his tone heavy. “Don’t think just because you’re a girl, I won’t dare to punish you.”

Wen Yu’s expression didn’t change. “I didn’t think that.”

“You…” The instructor originally wanted to say something harsh, thinking if this girl just lowered her head and acted soft, he would spare her. Who knew her temper was so hard? Now he had to punish her whether he wanted to or not. “Go stand in military posture over there. Half an hour. Not a minute less.”

Hearing the roar of the instructor from the class next door, the Journalism students rejoiced one after another. Our instructor has a good temper. Low looks aren’t a problem, as long as the temper is good.

Wen Yu silently stood to the side, facing the sun, her back straight as a ramrod, sweat trickling down her cheeks.

Ye Qizhen was sitting in the shade not far from Wen Yu. She felt Wen Yu’s face was somewhat pale and she didn’t look well. He said thirty minutes, and Wen Yu really stood motionless for nearly thirty minutes. Ye Qizhen wanted to praise her; her stamina was really good.

After a while longer, Wen Yu’s face became increasingly pale. Her lower abdomen hurt terribly, and her body swayed slightly.

Ye Qizhen vaguely sensed something was wrong and kindly walked over. She originally intended to give Wen Yu a hand, but as she got close, Wen Yu collapsed directly toward her. Ye Qizhen had quick eyes and hands; her right arm tightened around Wen Yu’s waist, and only then did she feel how thin her waist was under the loose uniform.

Wen Yu was half a head taller than her. Ye Qizhen was afraid she couldn’t hold her steady with one hand, so her left hand quickly embraced Wen Yu too, holding her tightly. Having trained all afternoon, she didn’t have much strength left, using it all right here.

Wen Yu fell completely into Ye Qizhen’s arms. Her vision went black for a moment, and she buried her head on Ye Qizhen’s shoulder. It took several seconds to recover, fortunately, the person beside her held her firmly.

Ye Qizhen felt amazed. Even though girls sweated, they didn’t seem to have that smell boys had. And the scent on Wen Yu felt more comfortable and pleasant than on average girls.

When Wen Yu recovered, the first thing she saw was Ye Qizhen’s cheek close at hand.

“What happened?” The instructor walked over.

“She’s not feeling well, she can’t hold on anymore,” Ye Qizhen said to the instructor, turning her head while still holding Wen Yu.

The instructor stepped forward to check the situation, then grumpily threw out: “If you’re not feeling well, don’t you know how to speak up? Is it so hard to be soft? Stop standing.”

After the instructor left.

“Are you okay?” Ye Qizhen asked softly. Her voice was naturally gentle, even more so when speaking in a low tone. Wait, something’s wrong. This was the first time she had spoken to Wen Yu like this; she had been used to treating Wen Yu as a “love rival” before.

Wen Yu shook her head. Her physical fitness had always been good, but she was on her period these two days, and the pain was unbearable.

Ye Qizhen also realized they were too close, so she asked Wen Yu again, “Can you stand steady by yourself?”

Saying this, she prepared to let go.

Being so close, and hearing those soft whispers, Wen Yu felt an inexplicable tingle in her heart. Looking at Ye Qizhen’s brows and eyes, she frowned again, looking uncomfortable. “…Dizzy.”

Seeing this, Ye Qizhen’s hand, which had just retracted, quickly embraced her again, holding her securely once more. “I’ll help you sit over there.”

Wen Yu stared at the face in front of her. “Thanks.”

Such close eye contact was embarrassingly intimate. Ye Qizhen looked calm on the surface but was complaining internally. However, she didn’t miss the chance to look at a beauty, staring back shamelessly. Wen Yu’s eyes were very beautiful, with a slight upward curve at the corners, making them look affectionate and alluring.

It seemed the nickname “Vixen” wasn’t without reason. If she stared at a boy like this, even without saying a word, she could charm him into losing his bearings.

Helping Wen Yu sit under the shade, Ye Qizhen judged from Wen Yu’s condition that she probably had heatstroke like herself. She took out the last small bottle of Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Shui, inserted the straw, and handed it to Wen Yu. “Here.”

Ye Qizhen habitually took care of others, but this subtle, thoughtful gesture seemed strange to Wen Yu, causing her to daze for a moment.

“Don’t worry,” Ye Qizhen said helplessly seeing Wen Yu not taking it. “I didn’t poison it.”

Wen Yu was amused. She took the small bottle from Ye Qizhen and drank from the straw. She frowned after the first sip—it tasted terrible. “What is this?”

“Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Shui, you haven’t had it before?” Seeing Wen Yu’s expression of disgust, Ye Qizhen wanted to laugh for no reason. She turned her head away and pursed her lips in a secret smile.

Regardless, Wen Yu accepted her kindness today, so they were even. Last time on the playground, she felt she owed Wen Yu a favor.

After the brief conversation, silence fell again. Ye Qizhen thought there must be something called a “Love Rival Magnetic Field” at work between them. Not far away, others were still practicing marking time; the uniform footsteps were thunderous and dull.

Although Ye Qizhen was cheerful, it was on the premise that others were cheerful to her first; she would only take initiative if others did so first. So if Wen Yu didn’t talk to her, she would absolutely not lower her pride to chat with Wen Yu.

Wen Yu watched Ye Qizhen from the corner of her eye. Seeing the other party ignoring her, she didn’t say anything either. Her head was still dizzy, so she lowered it, resting her forehead on her knees.

Ye Qizhen was actually watching Wen Yu from her peripheral vision too. She pretended to turn her head casually and asked, “Do you… want to go to the school hospital to check it out?”

Hearing Ye Qizhen speak first, Wen Yu slowly lifted her head, looked at her, and then pushed her luck, asking, “Will you go with me?”

Ye Qizhen didn’t expect Wen Yu to say that. She pondered, How can this person be so shameless?

Ultimately soft-hearted, just as she was about to answer “Okay”—

“Wen Yu, are you alright?”

“Are you okay?”

…

Both classes had been dismissed, and several people surrounded them. Rushing to the front was Tang Xiao, anxiety and worry written all over his face. Seeing this setup, Ye Qizhen realized there were plenty of people wanting to accompany her; she didn’t need to worry at all.

“Now you have people to go with you,” Ye Qizhen said to Wen Yu in a moderate voice.

Wen Yu didn’t have time to say anything.

“Ye Ye, are you feeling better? Let’s go back,” Zheng Qianyu and the others walked over at this moment. Ye Qizhen said she was fine, glanced at Wen Yu again, then got up and returned to the dorm with her roommates.

Wen Yu watched Ye Qizhen’s retreating figure, her gaze lingering for a long time.

“Let’s go, Goddess. Do you want to go to the school hospital?” Qi Yun urged from the side.

Wen Yu came back to her senses. “No need.”

“Really no need?”

Wen Yu nodded. “Just need to rest.”

For dinner, Wen Yu and Qi Yun ate at the school’s food court. Qi Yun was a chatterbox; her mouth didn’t stop even while eating, crackling like firecrackers.

“I guess your military training will be tough. The instructor’s eyes are glued to you, staring at you all day. I suspect he’s taken a fancy to you. You too, if you just lowered your head and said something nice, he wouldn’t make things difficult for you…”

That was easy to say, but Wen Yu was extremely proud; how could she act soft? Qi Yun understood.

“Haven’t seen you for two months, you’ve become even more long-winded,” Wen Yu commented on Qi Yun. “Good condition.”

Qi Yun: “…”

Quiet for less than half a minute.

“Student Wen, let me interview you. What does it feel like to be hugged by a love rival?” Qi Yun started gossiping again.

Recalling the scene in the afternoon, Wen Yu raised an eyebrow and spoke honestly: “Very comfortable.”

Very comfortable. Qi Yun was speechless. She looked at Wen Yu thoughtfully. Although the whole school had rumored that Wen Yu and Ye Qizhen were love rivals, looking at it today, it didn’t seem like it. And she was fairly close to Wen Yu, yet she had never seen a single one of Wen Yu’s rumored boyfriends.

Qi Yun suddenly had a bold idea.

Wen Yu ate a mouthful of noodles slowly. Seeing Qi Yun hesitating as if she wanted to say something, she said, “Say what you want to say.”

“Wen Yu.” Qi Yun lowered her voice a bit. “Can I ask you a somewhat private question?”

Wen Yu was silent. She never liked discussing her privacy with others.

Qi Yun leaned closer to Wen Yu, her voice even smaller: “Are you bent?”

She felt that the way Wen Yu looked at Ye Qizhen today wasn’t the look a straight girl should have for another girl.