Chapter 46: Bite Marks

After finishing one bowl of chicken broth rice noodles each, they even drank more than half of the soup. As Ming You cleared away the after-meal mess, she asked, “Shall we go for a walk later?”

With such nice weather, staying indoors felt like a waste of time. Yan Ningxi wasn’t the type to lie around; she’d spent the entire day yesterday in bed, and her bones felt soft from it. She replied, “Accompany me back to school for a stroll.”

“Sure. I’ll take out the trash, and you go change. The beige coat—the whole set is hanging together.”

S City’s temperature was seven or eight degrees lower than in Huai’an or Hengyuan. The clothes Ming You had bought weren’t just for emergencies; she’d gotten Yan Ningxi a half-high-neck white knit long skirt paired with a beige wool coat, along with matching “bare-leg artifacts.”

The coat had been steamed by the store clerk right in the shop, so there was no need to wash it again after returning to the hotel.

Yan Ningxi had carefully examined the clothes Ming You bought yesterday. Clearly, she hadn’t listened to her advice. None of the items had price tags, but every one looked and felt expensive.

She’d transferred two thousand yuan to her, but she had no idea if it was enough for this outfit.

That morning, Luo Yongjun had also sent a message: 【Junior Sister, good morning! I beg your forgiveness once more. I hope I won’t end up on your blacklist. Take good care of your injuries. See you later—I’ll be waiting for your wedding banquet.】

Yan Ningxi didn’t respond to the content of his message. She only asked him: 【How much did Ming You transfer to you?】

【Luo Yongjun: One thousand eight hundred, in cash.】

【Yan Ningxi: Senior Brother, may you start a family and build a career soon. No need to wait for my wedding banquet.】

The matter of delivering invitations had been passed on by Ming You to Luo Yongjun last night. Ming You had also asked Yan Ningxi another question: Have you ever thought about marrying a man and having children?

Yan Ningxi’s answer was straightforward: No.

No meant no—it was the honest truth, and she wouldn’t lie to her for any reason.

After going out to the hospital to change her dressing, they took a taxi toward the school. Ming You suddenly called out, “Sir, pull over here for a moment.”

“We can’t park here. I’ll go through this light and stop after.”

Yan Ningxi looked puzzled.

Once the car stopped, Ming You winked at Yan Ningxi and said to the driver, “Sir, can you wait five minutes for me? I need to grab something from the roadside.”

The driver replied, “I’ll pull forward to that parking lot entrance instead. Hurry back.”

From the looks of it, the spot he mentioned was about twenty or thirty meters away. “Okay, I’ll get out, and you drive ahead.”

Ming You ran off and ran back, entering an accessories shop to buy Yan Ningxi a lambskin bucket hat in a matching color scheme.

“Yan-jie, put this on.” She’d tried it on in the store—it would cover everything.

Touched by Ming You’s thoughtfulness, Yan Ningxi said, “Thank you.” If this girl had approached her with some ulterior motive at first, she hoped that motive was truly her.

…

Back at her alma mater, Yan Ningxi took the girl on a tour of every building on campus: the teaching building, comprehensive building, arts building, library, gymnasium, dormitory building, cafeteria, and so on.

They paused in front of Canteen No. 2. Yan Ningxi said, “This is the cafeteria I visited the most because it’s closest to our dorm.”

“What a shame it’s not mealtime; otherwise, I could treat you to your favorite dish again.”

“I don’t have a single favorite dish, but there are some treats available here even off-hours.” Yan Ningxi mimicked Ming You’s tone. “The shame isn’t that it’s not mealtime—the shame is that we don’t have campus cards.”

“That’s easy. We don’t have cards, but there are people inside who do.” With that, she linked arms with Yan Ningxi and headed up the steps.

There were plenty of people in the cafeteria—not just one or two.

Ming You stared at the menu in the display window and asked, “What gourmet treat is Yan-jie talking about? Recommend something for me?”

Yan Ningxi guessed Ming You planned to use her “beauty trick” to borrow a card. She pointed to window No. 5 and said, “That rolled pancake is good—the filling is generous. Pick whatever.”

“Just that one? Anything else?”

Yan Ningxi shook her head.

“Then find us a seat. I’ll buy them—one for each?”

“One is enough; I can’t eat too much. Have Auntie cut it in half.”

“What filling?”

“You choose.”

Ming You made an OK sign and began scouting for someone to borrow a card from. Up ahead was a girl wearing glasses and a low ponytail, dressed in black. She’d do.

“Classmate, hi. I forgot my card. Can I borrow yours to buy a rolled pancake? I’ll transfer the money to you.”

The black-clad girl hadn’t quite processed it when a boy rushed over. “I have my card! Here, borrow mine.” He pulled out his card while asking, “Which department are you in, classmate? Is your dorm over here, or do you have classes…”

Ming You raised her hand to push away the boy’s offered card without even looking at him. She held up her phone to the black-clad girl. “We can add each other on WeChat. I’ll transfer the money first.”

The girl pushed up her glasses and handed over her card. “Go swipe it first.”

“Thanks.”

With the card in hand, Ming You selected the fillings and swiped it.

The girl had just finished her noodles and returned her bowl and tray. She came over to Ming You. “Need anything else?”

“No, thanks. Sixteen yuan—I’ll transfer it.” Ming You handed back the campus card with one hand and opened the payment code with the other, but the girl took the card and trotted off.

Yan Ningxi, who had watched the whole scene, covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

Ming You sat across from Yan Ningxi with half a pancake in hand. “Teacher Yan, this one’s free. It’s courtesy of your unknown little junior sister.”

“It’s not exactly free.” Yan Ningxi took her half. “This half in my hand is worth one and a half photos.”

Ming You: “???”

“Your half plus my half together—they’re worth three photos.”

The someone suddenly realized. “She took photos of me?”

Yan Ningxi smiled faintly. “Classmate Ming You, I have to thank you. You’ve given me a whole new understanding of the terms ‘brush face’ and ‘rely on looks’ today.”

“If my face is that useful, can I brush face with you too from now on, Teacher Yan?”

“No face works on me.”

“Hmph! Heart of wood, heart of stone, oblivious to romance, iron-hearted…” With each phrase, huffed out in anger, Ming You took a big bite of her pancake.

Seeing sauce on her mouth corner, Yan Ningxi pulled a tissue from her pocket. “Wipe your mouth.”

The girl didn’t take it. She puffed out her cheeks, continuing to chew the food that was nearly overflowing her mouth—three parts comical, seven parts adorable.

Yan Ningxi smiled indulgently, wrapped up her rolled pancake, set it on the table, and used a tissue to wipe Ming You’s mouth. “Eat slower. Chew thoroughly and swallow carefully—don’t choke. Do you know what animal you look like right now? A cute squirrel stuffing food into its mouth.”

The adorably dumb kind.

The girl swallowed her food and grinned, revealing two neat rows of white teeth. “Rodent animals are cute, but when angry, they still bite.”

Yan Ningxi wasn’t afraid of her bite anyway—she’d been bitten lightly and heavily twice already.

…

That evening, the two traveled lightly back to Huai’an City. Yan Ningxi had asked for Ming You’s ID info and bought the tickets together. Whatever money Ming You had spent on her, she could pay back a little secretly.

With no luggage—just the bags of clothes, which Ming You had shipped via logistics from the hotel—only the specialties for Qi Xuexin came with them on the plane.

To avoid a lecture from Qi Xuexin later, Yan Ningxi called her before boarding to ask if she had time to pick them up at the airport that evening.

Qi Xuexin was reliable when she needed to be. She arrived at the airport half an hour early, figured out the route, and waited at the exit holding a bouquet of lilies.

Spotting them emerge, Qi Xuexin hurried forward and shoved Ming You aside. “Hold the flowers.”

Then she hugged Yan Ningxi and inspected her from every angle—up, down, left, right, front, and back. “All clear, no damage to that pretty face of yours. Didn’t you say you busted your head? Why isn’t there even a bandage on your forehead?”

“We took it off to avoid questions from airport staff. There’s gauze on the back of my head. Want me to take off the hat and show you?”

“No, no—keep it on.” Qi Xuexin linked arms with Yan Ningxi, chattering nonstop along the way. “The wound isn’t big, right? They didn’t shave around it? Will the hair grow back where it broke the skin? If not, you’ll be bald—how ugly would that be?”

People are strange like that. Fate is strange too.

Quiet types always have a chatty friend nearby; skinny people have fat friends; short ones have tall friends.

Yan Ningxi was very patient with Qi Xuexin. She answered whatever she asked.

“Not talking, and walking so slow—did you go mute? Or break a leg?” Qi Xuexin turned back and shouted to Ming You, “Hurry up! I ordered takeout for you two. Don’t let the food arrive before you do. It’s chicken soup—gotta drink it hot.”

Ming You didn’t mind her wording and quietly picked up her pace.

At the parking lot, Ming You placed the flowers and specialties on the passenger seat. “This box of treats is something Yan-jie and I specially bought for you.”

Qi Xuexin, buckling her seatbelt in the driver’s seat, glanced at the gift box. “Haven’t had this in years. Good on you for having a conscience. But why buy it in such fancy, impractical packaging? What a waste of money.”

Her words hit Ming You like a blow to the head.

Yeah, Qi Xuexin and Yan Ningxi were college classmates. Yan Ningxi had stayed on for grad school at their alma mater—so wasn’t Yan Ningxi’s school also Qi Xuexin’s?

Ming You felt glum and depressed. She’d spent the whole afternoon without realizing it! And Yan Ningxi hadn’t mentioned Qi Xuexin all afternoon either!

“If you don’t want it, don’t take it.”

The girl’s tone was sharp. Both Yan Ningxi and Qi Xuexin were taken aback.

Qi Xuexin quickly plastered on a smile. “I want it, I want it! I was just heartbroken over the money you and Yan-jie spent.” Quick to bristle like that—should’ve called her Little Fluffball instead of Little Youzi.

In the car, the girl pursed her lips in silence. Yan Ningxi took her hand. “Are you mad at me?”

“No.” The girl pulled her hand away.

“Little Youzi, that’s not right of you.” Qi Xuexin turned to lecture her, but one look from Yan Ningxi shut her down.

“Fine, precious treasure who’s in high demand—I won’t mess with her. I’ll drive. You two do whatever.”

Yan Ningxi said she and Ming You were the kind of argumentative pair that grew closer with fights? From what she saw, they were more like “dog meets sheep.”

Ming You was the dog! She barked the second she saw her.

…

Once home, Qi Xuexin busied herself with the delivered chicken soup. Yan Ningxi pulled Ming You into the bedroom, rolled up her sleeve to reveal her forearm, and said, “Bite me to vent your anger?”

Ming You didn’t hold back. She opened her mouth and bit down, leaving only faint teeth marks.

How could she be mad at Yan Ningxi? Yan Ningxi wasn’t talkative to begin with and rarely mentioned others.

She was mad at herself. Mad that she’d lost her head amid the flower sea.

Qi Xuexin shouted from the living room, “You two aunties, stop dawdling! You’ve got all evening for lovey-dovey stuff. Is fighting over these few minutes worth it? Come out and eat while it’s hot. This shop’s chicken soup and meat are top-notch. If I hadn’t ordered three hours early, we wouldn’t have scored this pot. So, not a drop of soup or scrap of meat gets left behind!”

Under the premise that none of the three were big talkers, the soup was great soup and the meat great meat. They polished off most of the pot.

“Ming You, go to the kitchen and grab that little soup pot. Scoop out some chicken soup and meat—we can make noodles with it tomorrow morning. Dump the rest of the scraps.”

“Oh.” Ming You always listened to Yan Ningxi.

As Ming You ladled the soup, Yan Ningxi wiped the table.

Qi Xuexin, stuffed and slumped in her chair, suddenly spotted a highly suspicious mark on Yan Ningxi’s rolled-up sleeve exposing her forearm.

While Ming Yu headed into the kitchen to dump the scraps, she grabbed Yan Ningxi’s arm and stared at the marks over and over. “Tsk tsk tsk, you really are such a dog, huh!” Under Yan Ningxi’s warning gaze, she changed her tune. “Little milk dog, cute little milk dog.”

Geez, so protective of her little one already. Her status as bestie in Yan Ningxi’s heart was in dire straits.