Chapter 8:

Yu Ling played dumb. “What else? Tutoring, obviously.”

“Yu Lingyi messaged me. She said she had dinner with you and Qi Jinyu last night.”

Yu Ling arched a brow and said with a sarcastic lilt, “Oh? My little sister and you are so close she even tells you who she had dinner with.”

Still, Yu Ling wasn’t surprised.

It wasn’t so much that she, Lu Li, and Qi Jinyu were close as that she, Lu Li, Qi Jinyu, and Yu Lingyi all shared a close bond.

Not long ago, before her health had improved much and Yu Lingyi had grown as busy as she was now, the other three had actually spent more time together than Yu Ling had.

After all, she’d spent most of her life bedridden. The time and opportunities she’d had to spend with other people were pitifully few.

Lu Li tightened her grip on Yu Ling’s hem.

“I told you before… don’t get too close to Qi Jinyu.”

Her voice was cool and clear, restrained by nature.

“Then I’ll ask you again: why?”

Yu Ling reached without hesitation to pry Lu Li’s hand off her hem.

But she was far too weak.

Her hand was delicate, with a fine-boned frame and slender fingers. Her skin was paler than most, the faint blue of veins showing beneath the wrist. Her fingertips were a little cold. When she pressed them against the back of Lu Li’s hand, they felt as light as feathers.

Lu Li’s hand was nothing like hers.

Her knuckles were defined, her fingers long, her palm warm. Faint veins stood out on the back of her hand, and her thumb tightened without thought, holding fast to Yu Ling’s hem.

Yu Ling gave her hand a gentle push. Lu Li’s fingers trembled slightly, but didn’t loosen.

After a moment, Yu Ling’s eyes shifted. A sly glint crossed them, and she deliberately said, “If you really want to know what Qi Jinyu and I did yesterday—”

Before she could finish, she noticed the other girl’s breathing hitch. The girl pretending to be asleep had given herself away.

Yu Ling’s lips curled in satisfaction. Lowering her voice, she continued slowly, “Last night, Qi Jinyu pushed me down onto the bed.”

Lu Li stayed in the same position, her face half-buried in the crook of her arm, impossible to read.

Yu Ling sighed as if the thought had just occurred to her. “Then she kissed me.”

The only sign of a reaction was Lu Li’s hand tightening almost imperceptibly on Yu Ling’s hem.

“She kissed me for quite a while this time. After all, you weren’t going to be there to interrupt us. Honestly, my lips are still a little numb.” Yu Ling pursed her lips and complained. Beneath her dark hair, the tips of her ears quietly turned red.

Of course, it was all a lie. Qi Jinyu’s kiss yesterday had been restrained; she’d only kissed Yu Ling on the forehead.

But Lu Li still showed no visible reaction. Even her breathing remained perfectly calm.

“I didn’t expect Qi Jinyu to be such a good kisser.”

Still nothing.

Yu Ling was starting to get annoyed.

She gritted her teeth, resolved to push past her embarrassment, and narrowed her eyes. In a low, unhurried voice, she said, “She slipped her tongue past my teeth and gently ran it—”

A hand suddenly clamped down hard on Yu Ling’s shoulder.

She looked up. Lu Li was close enough to touch, her brows sharply defined and her lashes casting faint shadows. Her lips were pressed together, betraying a tension she clearly tried to hide.

Her expression remained indifferent, but her dark eyes fixed on Yu Ling with a depth like ink.

Too bad Yu Ling wasn’t afraid.

She even smiled, delighted, and prepared to keep provoking her. “My—”

“What else did she do to you?” Lu Li cut in, her voice cold.

“Hm?” Yu Ling blinked, unable to hide her confusion.

“What else did Qi Jinyu do to you?”

Something was off about Lu Li’s mood.

Yu Ling had expected her to look angry, jealous, or at least displeased. She’d thought she could use that to force Lu Li to admit how she felt about her. Instead, Lu Li was unnervingly calm.

The unexpected reaction made Yu Ling’s smile fade a little.

She studied Lu Li, thought it over, then honestly shook her head. “What else? What could there be? Qi Jinyu just asked me to model for her while she painted.”

Lu Li’s eyes shifted. After a long pause, she asked softly, “And then?”

Yu Ling narrowed her eyes. “And then? What else were you hoping would happen?”

Her phone suddenly vibrated. Yu Ling glanced at the table. A message from the driver.

“All right, go back to sleep. I need to head home.”

She was about to wheel herself away when she realized Lu Li still had a tight grip on her arm.

Yu Ling frowned and looked up, meeting a pair of eyes like a shadowed ravine: dark, sharp, and silent.

Lu Li watched her quietly, her fingers still clasped around Yu Ling’s wrist. The grip wasn’t hard, but it held a stubborn insistence.

“You’re holding me too tight…” Yu Ling couldn’t help complaining, a hint of hurt in her voice. “It hurts.”

“…Sorry.” Lu Li apologized, but her grip didn’t ease at all.

A moment later, she lifted her arm and drew Yu Ling effortlessly into her embrace.

The motion wasn’t forceful. If anything, it was almost tender, but there was no room to resist.

Lu Li’s warm breath brushed Yu Ling’s neck. She rested her forehead in the hollow of Yu Ling’s shoulder and drew a deep breath, then sighed in a low, hoarse voice. “Yu Ling…”

“I can’t sleep… I can only fall asleep when I’m with you.”

Her voice had lost its usual coolness, carrying an exhaustion and plea she made no effort to hide.

But the girl held tightly in her arms was completely oblivious to the moment.

Yu Ling leaned back a little, frowning. “Lu Li, what’s gotten into you?”

“Qi Jinyu’s waiting at my place for tutoring right now. Usually, I’ve already finished dinner by this time.”

Silence settled over the classroom.

The evening breeze drifted in through the half-open window, carrying the faint chill of summer.

At last, Lu Li spoke, so softly and slowly that it was almost a whisper. “…You think I’m acting crazy?”

Her breath fell against Yu Ling’s neck, trembling almost imperceptibly.

Yu Ling had no answer.

Outside, the sky had darkened. The last orange light of sunset burned along the horizon.

Lu Li gently let her go, and the space between them returned to normal.

Yu Ling looked up at her without thinking.

The lights were off, and the fading daylight left half of Lu Li’s face in shadow. The corners of her eyes were faintly red, her lashes trembling. Yet the look in her eyes was almost coldly calm.

Oh no. Did I push her too far?

The room was softly lit. A thick workbook lay open on the desk, with several pens scattered beside it. Crossed-out marks on the pages showed that the problems had taken a few tries.

“Do you understand this solution?” Qi Jinyu sat nearby with a pen in hand, tapping a key step in the problem. Her voice was patient and gentle.

Yu Ling propped her chin on her hand, eyes fixed on the scratch paper. Frowning, she nodded impatiently. “Do you really think I’m a little kid?”

Qi Jinyu chuckled. “Your midterms are tomorrow.”

Teitan Academy didn’t give a steady stream of little tests and quizzes. Each term had only two standardized exams: midterms and finals.

The grade president election for the senior class obviously couldn’t wait until the end of the term, so the midterm results would be used to assess their academic standing.

Yu Ling’s irritation was plain in her voice. “So what?”

She sat up straight, tapping the desk idly with one finger. Her brows lifted, and she put on an air of disdain. “Sure, I’ve only been back in class for half a month this term, and today’s technically my first proper tutoring session with you.”

“But so what?” She tilted her chin up, all innate elegance and pride. “I can still come in first.”

As if schoolwork—or her disabled body—were anything capable of tripping her up.

The woman with chestnut curls across from her watched Yu Ling quietly, then laughed under her breath. “Of course. Our Little Ling is bound to win the grade president election.”

Warm light shimmered in Qi Jinyu’s amber eyes as she lowered her head, taking in every detail of Yu Ling’s expression.

As if to encourage her, Qi Jinyu’s smile widened. “Our Little Ling can do anything.”

Yu Ling gave a quiet huff and picked up her pen, bored, to work on the problem.

But as she wrote, Lu Li’s face suddenly appeared among the mathematical symbols and formulas.

Thinking back to Lu Li’s strange behavior earlier that day, Yu Ling hesitated. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Qi Jinyu looking down, tapping something into her laptop.

Yu Ling bit the cap of her pen, her gaze wandering despite herself.

Why wouldn’t Lu Li admit she had feelings for me?

She clearly cared about me. She even got jealous of Qi Jinyu. Why wouldn’t she just say so?

And besides… Yu Ling stared gloomily at the test paper. Why did Lu Li keep backing away?

It was always the same: that push and pull, the way Lu Li showed her special attention, then immediately withdrew, leaving nothing but an impossible silence.

Should I be a little more affectionate with Lu Li? Take the initiative more often?

“You’re distracted,” Qi Jinyu said suddenly, her fingers still tapping away on the keyboard at an even pace.

Yu Ling stiffened, then turned to her, trying to cover it up. “Why are you watching me? I’m thinking about a problem.”

“Is it about A-Li?”

Qi Jinyu had seen right through her. A quiet note of insight colored her voice.

“She didn’t seem to be doing very well when I saw her today.”

She paused, leaving Yu Ling a moment to think, then smiled. “Little Ling sits next to A-Li, so our kind Little Ling is worried about her and can’t help thinking about her. Am I wrong?”

Qi Jinyu stopped typing and turned her gaze to Yu Ling. Her amber eyes were still filled with gentle warmth, as if she understood exactly how Yu Ling felt.

But beneath Qi Jinyu’s smile, Yu Ling sensed a hint of danger. She blinked and denied it. “Not at all. How could I think about another woman when I’m with you?”

The chestnut-haired woman sighed, then stood and walked around the desk to Yu Ling.

She leaned down and wrapped her arms around Yu Ling from above.

The embrace felt familiar, like the one Yu Lingyi had given her last time.

Qi Jinyu rested her chin lightly on Yu Ling’s head, enveloping her in her arms.

“Little Ling, I’m not sure if I should tell you…” For once, Qi Jinyu sounded hesitant.

“What?” Yu Ling’s curiosity was piqued.

“A-Li… has been under a lot of pressure from her mother lately.”

Qi Jinyu spoke slowly, but her arms around Yu Ling tightened little by little. Their bodies pressed close, and a faint warmth passed between them.

“You know the Lu Family is a powerful clan. Her relationship with her mother is complicated. A-Li has been under a lot of pressure lately.”

“So, Little Ling, you don’t need to blame yourself for everything.”

Her fingers quietly found Yu Ling’s waist and brushed across it, sending a fine shiver through her.

“A-Li has to work things out herself. Little Ling doesn’t need to pay her special attention. That could only distract her. Don’t you agree, Little Ling?” Qi Jinyu’s voice was soft, her words murmuring in Yu Ling’s ear like a gentle coax.

At last, Qi Jinyu leaned back slightly and cupped Yu Ling’s face. Their eyes met, their breaths almost mingling.

“Why don’t you focus on what’s right in front of you, Little Ling?”

Qi Jinyu lowered her head, her gaze shimmering. Her amber eyes seemed to hold the light, and her lips curved in their usual smile. In this moment, that smile was like honey laced with poison, alluring and dangerous.

“Like me…”

The lie she’d told Lu Li that afternoon had somehow become reality.

Two days later.

On the senior-year rankings, Lu Li’s name appeared directly above Yu Ling’s, the two names impossible to miss.

The bell rang at Teitan Academy, and the classroom quickly filled with students.

Before the teacher came in, the students were already buzzing on the school forum:

[Student: As expected. It’d be strange if the Yu Family’s Eldest Miss actually came in first.]

[Student: But if it were the Yu Family’s second young lady, she probably could.]

Yu Lingyi had always had an excellent reputation at Teitan Academy. Among the lower grades, she was even more admired than the Student Council President, Qi Jinyu.

Another student chimed in:

[Student: If it’s Yu Lingyi, then she can definitely do it.]

By the time class started, neither of the two main characters had shown up. The students grew bolder and began whispering to each other.

“Lu Li and Yu Ling aren’t here today.”

“Maybe they won’t come back at all. They took over their family businesses ages ago. They’re not like the rest of us, still fighting for the right to inherit.”

The atmosphere in the classroom turned strange.

When it came to real power, one’s own blood relatives were the fiercest rivals.

Meanwhile, Yu Ling’s room was still dark, with only the small lamp by her bed giving off a faint glow.

She slept until late morning, when the dizziness in her head finally began to ease.

Her health had only just started to improve, but now it seemed to be getting worse again.

Dazed, she rubbed her eyes and picked up her phone. In the glare of the screen, she opened the rankings that had been posted some time ago.

As expected, her name was in second place.

She tossed her phone aside, not even bothering with the unread messages marked by red dots, then pulled the covers around herself and drifted back into a deep sleep.