Chapter 83: 83. The Trampled School Bully (13) Part 3

She and Gu Wanching were bitter rivals, which meant they knew each other inside and out.

Time ticked away, second by second, but their scores stayed neck-and-neck.

Midway through, Lin Erxing’s shouting paused for a moment. Jiang Yusheng didn’t think much of it, figuring the girl had just tired herself out.

She had already made a bet with that little cat in her heart: she had to win today, no two ways about it. A tie wouldn’t count.

Time was running out. The ball was in her hands now. If she could sink this shot, the game was hers.

Jiang Yusheng squared up for the shot. She was just about to release the basketball when Lin Erxing—fully recharged—suddenly yelled in excitement: “Sheng Jie! I brought the underclassman! She’s watching too! You’ve got this!”

Her motion faltered. The angle shifted just a hair. The ball that should have swished cleanly through the hoop slammed into the backboard instead—bang—and bounced straight to the floor.

“Beep—”

Game over. Scores tied.

Gu Wanching wiped the sweat from her brow and clapped Jiang Yusheng on the shoulder. “Happy now? I’m heading out. Gonna grab a nice hot shower and wait obediently for Teacher Weng.”

“…”

Jiang Yusheng wished she were a venomous snake. If she were, she’d coil right around Lin Erxing and sink her fangs into the girl’s neck.

Useless meddler!

But she couldn’t even blame her. After all, no one else knew just how “important” this game was to her.

With the match over, the spectators—still buzzing with excitement—said their goodbyes to Jiang Yusheng and started to disperse.

Lin Erxing bounded over, practically vibrating with energy. “Sheng Jie, that three-pointer was insane! I really thought it was gonna brick! Watching you two go at it is pure eye candy. Oh, Sheng Jie, you must be wiped after that game. Wanna hit the hot springs with me to unwind? The underclassman’s here too—we could all go together!”

Jiang Yusheng was already irritated just hearing her voice. “Go without me. I’ve got stuff to do.”

Oblivious as ever, Little Dog Star kept pressing. “What stuff? Is it super important? C’mon, hot springs first—you can do it after. The underclassman’s right here, Sheng Jie—”

Afraid she’d lose her temper if she stuck around any longer, Jiang Yusheng grabbed the silent girl standing nearby and marched off toward her place without another word.

Lin Erxing started to follow on instinct, but Xu Zhiyu yanked her back just in time, sparing her a tongue-lashing.

“What are you doing following her? Not satisfied with how pissed Sheng Jie already looks?”

The girl, dense as a brick, blinked in confusion. “Sheng Jie’s pissed? Why? Oh, ’cause she didn’t win? That’s normal, right? They’re evenly matched—sometimes she wins, sometimes she loses.”

Xu Zhiyu: “…”

She gave up trying to reason with her.

~~~

Jiang Yusheng dragged her all the way to the elevators. She jabbed the button and waited for the car to descend from the top floor before finally speaking. “Can I shower at your place?”

Bai Qian blinked, then nodded. “Sure.”

“And lend me some clothes?”

“Okay.”

She’d barely finished agreeing when the doors slid open.

Jiang Yusheng let go of her hand. “You go up first. I’ll follow once you’re there.”

Bai Qian: ?

A little embarrassed, she explained, “I just played ball. I’m covered in sweat.”

The girl didn’t say another word. She stepped obediently toward the elevator—but then reached back, grabbed Jiang Yusheng’s wrist, and pulled her inside.

Jiang Yusheng’s reaction came a beat too late. By the time it sank in, the doors had already shut in front of her.

Tensing up, she said, “Why’d you drag me in? I told you, I’m all sweaty.”

She shuffled to the side in a hurry, trying to put some distance between them.

But Bai Qian wasn’t having it. She mirrored the move, sticking close.

Little Rabbit had run out of room. She ended up backed into the corner with nowhere to go.

“Back off. I stink.”

Bai Qian gazed at her, eyes narrowing slightly the way they always did.

“How long are you going to keep dodging me like this, Senior Sister?”

Not picking up on the deeper implication, Jiang Yusheng shot back, “Dodge how? You’ve got me cornered. I can’t go anywhere.”

The girl curved her lips into a faint smile. “Is that so? So you know you can’t dodge forever, Senior Sister?”

It was only then that Jiang Yusheng caught the double meaning in her words. She opened her mouth to ask—but the elevator doors chose that moment to open.

Being pinned like this in the corner felt strangely precarious. She wanted out, but before she could budge, the girl’s hand shot forward, planting itself on the wall beside her cheek.

Meanwhile, her other hand pressed backward, forcing the elevator doors—which had already begun to open—shut once more.

Little Rabbit’s voice trembled involuntarily. “Aren’t we getting out?”

The hand that had controlled the elevator now pressed against the wall as well.

—The rabbit already securely in the bag had no chance of escape.

Bai Qian didn’t answer. Instead, she posed a completely unrelated question. “Senior Sister, when you’re working on a problem and no matter what you try, you just can’t solve it, what do you do?”

“Change my approach?”

“Senior Sister really is clever.”

Jiang Yusheng: ?

The girl’s hand withdrew from the chill of the elevator wall. Rather than dropping back to her side, it turned and pinched the other’s chin.

Her fingertips were icy cold against Little Rabbit’s warm skin, sending an involuntary shiver through her.

Jiang Yusheng had always thought of Bai Qian as gentle, like the moon—something one wanted to pluck from the sky and keep all to oneself.

But now, pinned like this, with that faintly amused, not-quite-smiling expression on the other girl’s face, she felt an unexpected hint of danger.

—The moon was gentle, but it shared the sky with the fearsome night.

The other hand, braced against the elevator wall, withdrew as well.

Little Rabbit’s clothes were already damp with sweat. Slender fingers settled on her waist, and even through the thin fabric, they seemed to sense the exquisitely smooth, tempting skin beneath.

“Don’t wear this shirt when you play basketball anymore, Senior Sister.”

She had arrived at just the right moment to catch sight of the hem lifting in the breeze as Jiang Yusheng rose for a shot.

That glimpse of pale skin underneath had been exposed to everyone.

—That was the first time Bai Qian realized she possessed something called possessiveness.

The hand on her chin eased its grip but didn’t release her. Instead, it slid slowly to the right, caressing the other’s cheek, soft as polished jade.

Bai Qian leaned in closer, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Let me ask you one more time, Senior Sister. Do you really not like me?”

Jiang Yusheng’s eyes flickered.

How was she supposed to answer that?

She didn’t want to confess in an elevator!

Didn’t Zhao Lanzhao say there had to be a sense of ceremony?

She hadn’t even won their bet yet!

How could she confess now?

The girl’s thin lips curved slightly. “You’re going to deny it again, aren’t you, Senior Sister? I gave up asking before when you denied it, but now… I won’t let you dodge anymore.”

Her slender fingers pressed into the soft skin, leaving faint marks, just as her warm lips boldly claimed Jiang Yusheng’s.

Little Rabbit had bluffed so many times, but in the end, the girl seized the initiative.

Her back pressed against the wall—heat before her, chill behind.

Caught in the intoxicating fusion of ice and fire, she tumbled into a vortex of inescapable indulgence.

Bai Qian finally released her.

Little Rabbit, thoroughly teased, had eyes brimming with misty allure, cheeks flushed with shy embarrassment. Her expression was utterly transformed from her usual self, resembling a delicate begonia flower on the verge of blooming.

It made one wonder just how captivating the sight would be if she were truly ravaged and shattered.

Dazed, Jiang Yusheng was led back home by Bai Qian.

Bai Qian fetched a clean set of clothes, pulled her into the bathroom, laid everything out for her, and then closed the door.

“Go ahead and shower first, Senior Sister. I’ll wait for you outside.”

The door shut with a bang, snapping Jiang Yusheng back to reality.

She stared in disbelief at her reflection in the mirror—the face flushed crimson.

She’d been kissed?

She’d been kissed?!

She’d been kissed?!!

Wait!

This time it had lasted so long!

Why hadn’t she gotten a nosebleed?

Could it be that she only avoided nosebleeds when Bai Qian kissed her?!!

Jiang Yusheng refused to accept that reality.

But there were more pressing matters at hand.

She showered quickly. While changing, she spotted the fresh pair of underwear Bai Qian had prepared, and her face heated up again.

In the end, they were sharing these too.

…

Bai Qian wasn’t in the living room. She sat on the edge of the bed in her room, reading. Hearing footsteps, she set the book aside and turned her head.

Jiang Yusheng had just started to calm down, but under that unabashed gaze, memories of the elevator kiss flooded back unbidden. Her face flushed anew.

“Senior Sister, help me find something in my schoolbag. It’s a jewelry box.”

Bai Qian broke the silence.

Jiang Yusheng let out a breath of relief and hurried to the desk.

She found it quickly and was about to hand it over when the girl continued, “Open it for me, Senior Sister.”

Doing as asked, Jiang Yusheng peered inside at the lone bracelet lying there. She hesitated, then held up her left hand to compare—and immediately uncovered its secret.

“So you’ve liked me for a long time?!”

Bai Qian countered with a question of her own. “Surely not as long as you have, Senior Sister?”

Little Rabbit hemmed and hawed, desperate to retort but unable to squeeze out a single word after racking her brain for ages.

The girl didn’t wait for her. Instead, she lifted her left hand, just as Jiang Yusheng had done that day when she’d asked for help putting it on. “Senior Sister, help me put it on too.”

The cool bracelet brushed against her slender white wrist. Jiang Yusheng was just about to clasp it shut when realization suddenly hit her. She froze, her eyes locking onto the girl with intense focus.

“Once it’s on, that means we’re officially dating.”

Bai Qian let out a soft laugh. “Don’t tell me Senior Sister thinks I was drunk earlier?”

That casual remark instantly shattered Little Rabbit’s fragile confidence all over again.

With trembling fingers, she fastened the bracelet. “You’re not allowed to bring up what happened before anymore. It makes me nervous!”

“Aren’t you usually so badass, Senior Sister? Why are you being such a coward today?”

Little Rabbit bristled in an instant. “I’m not a coward! How could I possibly be a coward!”

—Now that they were dating, even the things she blurted out when she got her hackles up had changed.

Bai Qian teased her. “So how’s Senior Sister going to prove she’s not a coward? Right now, you still look pretty—”

The rest of her words were cut short as the other girl suddenly shoved her down onto the bed.

Jiang Yusheng was equal parts timid and fierce. “I’m not a coward! If you don’t believe me… I’ll kiss you!”

A rabbit like this was just too adorably irresistible.

Bai Qian had been planning to ease up on the teasing, but the other girl was simply too entertaining to hold back from now.

With a light chuckle, she issued the invitation. “Then why don’t you give it a try, Senior Sister?”

Determined to prove her boldness, Little Rabbit actually leaned in. Their lips were on the verge of meeting—

The door was gently pushed open.

Bai Qian had told her there was no need to knock anymore, so Shen Chenyun walked right in as she always did.

Little Rabbit instinctively whipped her head around.

And locked eyes with the woman’s stunned gaze.