Chapter 6: That Delicate Flower (6)

“I just felt like changing it. No particular reason.”

Song Qi rested her chin on Gu Si’s shoulder, bringing their faces much closer. The corner of her mouth curled up.

“What? Does that make you unhappy?”

She was smiling, but there was a hint of pressure in her voice now.

“No.” Gu Si shivered despite herself. “Yangnuan, did Brother Qin Xiao make you mad?”

At Gu Si’s words, Qin Xiao turned to look at Song Qi, his eyes narrowing in an unmistakable warning.

“No.” Song Qi glanced at Qin Xiao, then ruffled Gu Si’s hair. “I don’t get upset over people I don’t care about.”

Qin Xiao scowled and turned away. He should’ve known he wouldn’t hear anything nice from her.

Song Qi loved Gu Si’s hair. It was black, glossy, and silky smooth—so pleasant to touch, even more so than the pelts of five-star beasts on Hunting Star A.

“Stop it. You’re going to make my hair greasy.” Gu Si dodged Song Qi’s hand. As she did, she glanced at Song Qi’s face and froze when she caught her expression.

Song Qi smiled as if it were nothing and lowered her hand. “All right. It’s getting late, and class is about to start.”

“Then I’d better go. The teacher for next period is terrifying.” Gu Si gave Song Qi a perfect smile, then almost immediately got up and hurried out of the classroom.

Song Qi watched her go.

The system only answered, “…”

“When the heroine takes on the villainess, she’s supposed to use a few tricks. You scared the poor girl right out of the room.”

“Mm. But she’ll still come back to see me, won’t she?” Song Qi turned her pen between her fingers, remembering Gu Si’s expression.

So cute.

They had PE that afternoon, and Song Qi and Gu Si were both in the second class.

The day’s event was the dreaded 800-meter run.

According to the plot, Song Qi was supposed to get tripped during class. Then the male lead would rush over and carry her to the infirmary in full view of everyone.

What a tired old cliché.

With limited space on the track, several classes had to run together. It was the perfect setup for someone to get tripped in the chaos.

Song Qi and Gu Si were in the same heat.

“Yangnuan, you’re fast at the 800, right? I’ll run with you. Give me a hand, okay?” Gu Si stood beside Song Qi and smiled at her.

“Sure. Do your best to keep up.” Song Qi smiled back, though the warmth never reached her eyes. There was a playful glint in them, too.

The teacher blew the whistle, and everyone surged forward. Half the runners nearly fell in the scramble to claim the innermost lane.

Song Qi ran at her own pace, starting around the middle of the pack. Once the others began to tire, she gradually worked her way into first place.

The steady breathing beside her surprised her. She’d assumed Gu Si would fall behind.

Song Qi glanced over.

Gu Si’s face was red, and she was panting hard, her lips clenched tight.

“You can slow down,” Song Qi said.

“No.” Gu Si shook her head. “I want to keep up with you.”

Song Qi raised an eyebrow. This girl was really pushing herself just to trip her up.

She picked up the pace again. She was nowhere near this body’s limit.

“Come on, Class Monitor!” Qin Xiao called, catching up from behind. Then he quickly passed Song Qi.

Song Qi’s mouth twitched. Were boys this age all so childish? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gu Si’s expression sour. A few seconds later, Gu Si stumbled and lurched toward her.

Song Qi sped up at once, dodging her perfectly.

With no one there to catch her, Gu Si went straight down.

For a moment, Gu Si sat on the track in a daze.

“Just a little farther. I’ll come back for you when I’m done,” Song Qi called.

Gu Si looked up at her, disbelief on her face. She clutched her ankle, but there was nothing to be done. Song Qi was already running off, and shouting probably wouldn’t stop her. The runners behind her were closing in, so she quickly moved off the track.

She couldn’t stop wondering whether she’d imagined it—Song Qi suddenly speeding up—or if it had really happened.

A few boys saw Gu Si fall and rushed over to check on her, but she soon sent them away. A few girls asked if she was all right as they passed, but none of them stopped and gave up their own 800-meter run.

Running another 800 meters would kill them.

Everyone agreed on that.

Song Qi reached the finish line, told the teacher what had happened, then turned around to look for Gu Si.

From a distance, she spotted the girl sitting in a tiny heap beside the track, her back looking rather pitiful.

“Does it hurt?” Song Qi asked as she walked over and looked down at her.

Neither of them brought up why Gu Si had fallen.

“A little.” Gu Si looked up. Her eyes were red, and after she took a deep breath, her tears seemed ready to spill over at any moment.

“Can you walk?” Song Qi asked with a frown.

“I don’t know.”

Song Qi held out a hand. Gu Si took it and stood, but when Song Qi pulled her up, she stumbled straight into Song Qi’s arms.

The girl smelled lovely, and her waist was soft.

Song Qi quickly let go.

“Come on.” She put an arm around Gu Si to support her. Gu Si leaned almost all her weight against her.

Qin Xiao noticed Song Qi struggling along in the distance. He said something to the person beside him, put down his water, and ran over. He looked Song Qi up and down.

“You’re okay, right?”

“I’m fine. She fell.” Song Qi looked at him. “Can you carry her?”

“No.” Qin Xiao rejected the idea without a second thought. “A guy and a girl shouldn’t be that physical. She can hop. It’s only one foot, and the infirmary isn’t far.”

Gu Si looked up at Qin Xiao. “???”

“Brother Qin Xiao.” Gu Si’s voice turned wounded, and tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Don’t call me that. Hearing it takes years off my life.” Qin Xiao glanced at the people around them. “Class Monitor, if she’s too heavy, I can find someone to carry her over.”

Why carry me? And I’m not heavy at all!

“It’s fine. She’s light. Go back to class.” Song Qi walked around Qin Xiao, then glanced at Gu Si. “Stop crying.”

“I can’t help it.”

“Does it hurt that much?”

Gu Si nodded. “I’m really scared of pain. Even a little pain feels like a lot. And there was barely any left to run. Now I’ll have to run the whole 800 meters again.”

The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to cry.

“It’s only 800 meters.”

Gu Si looked up at Song Qi, indignant. “It’s not ‘only’ 800 meters! It’s 800 meters!”

There were tears at the corners of her eyes, and she looked adorably fierce. It was kind of funny, too.

Song Qi couldn’t help laughing, though the smile lasted only a few seconds.

Gu Si frowned at her, unable to understand what was so funny.

When they reached the infirmary, Song Qi helped Gu Si onto the bed. The sunlight outside was harsh. Seeing Gu Si squint, Song Qi drew the curtain without thinking.

“It’s nothing serious, just a mild sprain. Rest for a few days and you’ll be fine. I’ll write you a note. No running for the next three days.”

Gu Si relaxed at the school doctor’s words.

“Do you want to rest here or go back to the track?” Song Qi checked the time and asked.

Gu Si swung her uninjured leg and looked at Song Qi. “Will you stay here with me? I’ll get bored by myself.”

Song Qi was quiet for three seconds. “If you want me to, I can stay.”

The school doctor glanced over. “Rest? For what? It’s not a big deal. Get going. Don’t skip class. You can sit by the track.”

Gu Si: “…”

Song Qi: “…”