Chapter 53

“Xu Zhou, take a look at that lovesick look on her face!”

Zhou An and Meng Bai had been friends for so many years, but she had never seen her like this before.

In the past, Meng Bai had always been far too indifferent toward everything.

She had no interest in gossip, never acted cute with anyone, and rarely made any requests of others.

Her emotions were steady as a taut string, showing little fluctuation.

But with Miao Bai, everything was different.

Xu Zhou replied, “That’s normal. It’s just another side of her.” She paused, then added, “The side she shows when she likes someone. You’ll get used to it.”

Zhou An wrinkled her nose. “As if there’s any choice but to get used to it.”

Meng Bai’s feelings were so obvious. She had probably never fallen for anyone before, so now that she was truly in the thick of it, she had no idea how to hide them.

Even though the words “I like you” never left her lips, her eyes and gestures laid everything bare.

Zhou An figured Miao Bai had to know.

Which made Miao Bai’s refusal all the more predictable: “No more playing. You all have school tomorrow. Head home early.”

~~~

By the time the three of them emerged from the Old Courtyard, night had fallen deep.

The air hung heavy with damp chill, as if rain was on the way.

“A big storm’s brewing,” Xu Zhou said. “My mom mentioned it.”

Meng Bai’s feet crunched through the thick grass, the pollen from roadside wildflowers tickling her nose. She suspected autumn thunder was coming.

Sure enough, lightning flashed just a few steps later.

“Whoa! Thunder!” Zhou An grabbed their hands. “Come on, let’s hurry.”

On the way home, Zhou An griped some more about the whole Miao Bai situation.

“Little Meng, you get all coquettish when you talk to Miao Bai. You know that, right?”

Meng Bai couldn’t stand hearing it. “How can you call me coquettish?”

“But you are! And you were acting cute with her, too!”

Acting cute…

A shiver ran down Meng Bai’s spine, goosebumps prickling her skin.

“No way. I would never act cute.”

Zhou An swallowed her retort. Fine, she wouldn’t admit it. The bystander always saw clearer than the person involved, after all.

The day flew by, and everyone headed home on time.

When Meng Bai got back with her schoolbag, Lin Li had dinner ready and on the table. It looked like it had been sitting for a while.

Meng Xingzhong wasn’t home, so it was just the two of them eating.

Meng Bai set down her bag, and Lin Li told her to wash up.

Dinner was simple home cooking, but Lin Li was a skilled cook—her dishes always tasted like they came from a restaurant.

“String beans! My favorite.” Meng Bai came back from washing her hands, rubbing them as she sat down. Lin Li had already slid a bowl of rice her way.

“Where were you after school? You’re two hours late today,” Lin Li asked softly.

“Uh, I—” Meng Bai glanced up at Lin Li. Their eyes met, and Meng Bai’s face turned beet red.

She wasn’t good at lying to Lin Li, but the truth was hard to explain.

“I, I…”

“You went to find the Lunatic.”

“You knew! Please don’t tell Dad!”

“I won’t.” Lin Li stayed calm, as if she’d suspected as much all along. Still, she asked, “But I don’t get what’s so appealing about the Lunatic.”

“Mom, she’s not like you think. She’s actually pretty fun.”

“Fun?” Lin Li raised an eyebrow, as if the word seemed a bit much, but she didn’t dampen Meng Bai’s enthusiasm. “I don’t get it, and I can’t control you young people. Just don’t let it mess with your studies.”

“Got it!”

“And don’t sneak off to see her at night—it’s not safe. Don’t play so late you forget the time and come home at nine for dinner.”

Meng Bai’s face burned even redder. So Lin Li knew everything!!!

But Lin Li was the best mom in the world. She understood Meng Bai, knew she wouldn’t go too far, and never lectured her from some lofty adult pedestal.

~~~

After dinner, the temperature plummeted. Rain began to fall outside, punctuated by sudden claps of thunder that rumbled without warning.

Meng Bai hated thunderstorms. They always felt like the heavens were furious, the whole world trembling on the brink of apocalypse.

She took a quick shower and dove into bed, pulling the covers tight and shivering.

Cold air seeped through the window cracks, chilling the entire room.

Meng Bai burrowed deeper into the blankets but still felt the bite of the cold.

She rubbed her feet together under the covers, listening to the rain patter against the glass.

Patter, patter—

Then.

Thump.

Something had knocked against the window.

Meng Bai bolted upright. She was sure it was a walnut.

Miao Bai was here!

She padded across the soft bedding and reached for the window. The moment she pushed it open, a gust of cold wind rushed in. A voice came from behind her:

“Silly, I can phase through walls. Why’d you open the window?”

The wind whistled in her ears as Meng Bai whipped around. There stood Miao Bai, right behind her.

Meng Bai shut the window and grinned. “Hey, it was just instinct.”

Miao Bai saw how delighted she was and asked, “Rain’s blowing in, and you’re grinning like that?”

“Is it?” Meng Bai belatedly realized she hadn’t reined in her smile and decided not to bother. “Well, yeah, I’m a little happy.”

“Hm?” Miao Bai gestured to the edge of the bed. “Mind if I sit?”

“Of course!” Meng Bai wondered why Miao Bai suddenly seemed so reserved. Hadn’t she lounged here so casually before? It’d only been a few days. “Sit wherever. Make yourself at home.”

Truth be told, Meng Bai wished Miao Bai would come every single night. She’d give her the whole bed if she wanted.

Miao Bai sat down, and Meng Bai didn’t lie back. Instead, she sat shoulder-to-shoulder with her.

Earlier, she’d been freezing under the covers. Now, sitting side by side, the cold vanished, replaced by a warm comfort that spread through her whole body.

Miao Bai said, “I didn’t want to say too much with your friends around. I have a plan. Want to hear it?”

Meng Bai folded her hands neatly in her lap and nodded eagerly. “Absolutely.”

“Tomorrow night at nine, we’ll go check out what Zhang Gou and the others are up to. Bring the camera I gave you. Maybe we can capture something.”

That was it.

“Oh, alright.” Meng Bai replied absentmindedly, staring straight at Miao Bai. The close proximity gave her a better chance to observe the person before her.

Miao Bai’s features were exquisitely refined. That faint, indifferent emotion lingering in her eyes as she spoke stirred an urge to draw even nearer.

To peer deeper into those unchanging pupils and discover what other feelings they might conceal.

“Do you have any thoughts?” Miao Bai turned her gaze sideways, their eyes meeting.

In Miao Bai’s clear, limpid depths, Meng Bai caught sight of her own reflection.

“I don’t mind either way.” Meng Bai’s throat bobbed slightly, her voice low and husky. “You decide. I’ll go along with whatever you say.”

“Alright then, no objections. I’ll head out first.”

Miao Bai started to rise, but Meng Bai’s hand shot out quick as lightning, grabbing her wrist.

“Why are you leaving already?!” Meng Bai’s grip tightened on Miao Bai’s wrist, the coolness of her skin making it hard to let go.

She couldn’t let her leave. No way.

Meng Bai gave the wrist a gentle squeeze. “Stay a little longer, okay?”

Miao Bai glanced back, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. “Shouldn’t you be getting to bed? Don’t you have school tomorrow?”

She’s always emphasizing that you’re just a student.

“I do have school, but with all that thunder outside, I can’t sleep anyway.”

Meng Bai fixed her with an unwavering stare, the plea “don’t go” practically brimming from her eyes.

Logic urged Miao Bai to refuse, but her gaze refused to budge.

She’d admitted it before: Meng Bai was beautiful, with a unique, vibrant allure that was utterly captivating.

Forget romance—even if Meng Bai were a total stranger passing by, Miao Bai would steal a second glance.

Right now was a perfect example. Meng Bai’s soft hair tumbled casually over her shoulders, her features lively and expressive, her skin glowing with a porcelain sheen. A pert nose, pink lips—the full bloom of girlish charm laid bare. And those eyes, bright and soulful, speaking volumes without a word.

Few words had passed between them, yet Miao Bai heard a chorus of entreaties to stay.

“So?” The words rasped dryly from Miao Bai’s parched throat. She hadn’t meant it that way; she simply didn’t know how to respond.

“So, will you stay and sleep with me?” Meng Bai threw back the covers and patted the bed invitingly. “You’d just be bored heading back anyway. Let’s tell each other stories.”

Stories.

It actually sounded nice, or so Miao Bai thought.

Stories were fun, sure. But there was more to it: deep down, she didn’t want to return to that Old Courtyard.

No one enjoyed boredom. No one could stomach an endless, monotonous existence. Miao Bai was no different.

So she didn’t turn Meng Bai down.

“You’re impossible.” Miao Bai murmured, drawing closer despite herself.

That rainy night, they huddled together on the narrow bed, the thin quilt their only shield against the chill. Miao Bai rummaged in the book box beneath the bed and pulled out a poetry collection at random, asking Meng Bai to read it aloud to her.

“Why?” Meng Bai asked.

“Because your voice is so lovely.”

Lovely? True or not, the praise filled Meng Bai’s heart like clouds of cotton candy—soft, sweet, and yielding to the slightest touch. Miao Bai’s words held some kind of spell.

“Which part?” Meng Bai opened Stray Birds, the book they’d shared before, her eyes scanning the close-packed lines.

A stirring yet melancholic autumn night.

Beside her: Miao Bai’s warm breath and faint scent. Outside: the sporadic roar of thunder, and the rain—kissing the cracked windowpane without end, season after season, every stormy day.

Meng Bai realized she wasn’t merely reading poetry. Every moment with Miao Bai was poetry in itself.

“Miao Bai, this one’s for you.” Her finger traced the paper tenderly. In the faint glow, her unspoken feelings wove into the words, and she read: “My heart is a bird of the wilderness that found its sky in your eyes.”

My heart is a bird of the wilderness.

That found its sky in your eyes.

Miao Bai turned the words over in her mind. The meaning was plain as day, no need for overthinking. She understood at once.

Was this Meng Bai’s confession? If so, what a choice of line—Miao Bai had to admit, she loved it.

Of course, it might just be a random pick. But please, let it not be.

A subtle warmth trickled through Miao Bai’s chest, a feeling she couldn’t quite name.

“Your voice is perfect for poetry.” It was all she could manage without stepping over the line.

“And the content?” Meng Bai snapped the book shut and turned to study Miao Bai, candlelight gilding her cheeks and eyes. “What did you think of it?”

“It’s wonderful—” Miao Bai looked away for the first time. “Never mind. No more poetry. Let’s tell stories instead.”