Chapter 26: Thank Goodness!

Tong Xiangyu had no idea they’d all come. The door was well insulated, so she could barely hear the voices outside, but the knocking came through clearly.

Three knocks.

That isn’t Song Ge, Tong Xiangyu thought—then she heard Song Ge’s voice outside.

“Little Milk Tea, I heard you’re not feeling well. Everyone’s here to check on you.”

Everyone?

Who was “everyone”?

At the thought that Fan Mingyuan might be there, Tong Xiangyu went white. Her heart began racing, and she clutched the hem of her clothes as she went to the door. “I’m much better. I don’t want to make everyone sick…”

A man’s voice cut in, blunt and impatient. “Open the door. We’ve got a doctor here!”

Tong Xiangyu bit her lip. After a long hesitation, she cautiously unlocked the door.

A dozen or so people crowded the entrance.

When Fan Mingyuan saw Tong Xiangyu, his face lit up. He rushed into the room, reaching for her hand, but she dodged him and backed away.

Song Ge hurried forward, putting herself between them and keeping a wary eye on Fan Mingyuan. “What are you doing?”

Fan Mingyuan ignored Song Ge and looked only at Tong Xiangyu. “Yuyu, it’s me. Mingyuan. What did she do to you? Did she threaten you? Tell me. Don’t be afraid.”

Tong Xiangyu’s face was pale. She gripped a corner of Song Ge’s clothes and kept her eyes down, refusing to look at Fan Mingyuan. Her body trembled slightly. There was no mistaking her fear.

But Fan Mingyuan wasn’t the only one who noticed how fragile and lovely she looked.

Wu Senjun saw it all too clearly as well.

He was surprised that someone as unlikeable as Song Ge had such a beautiful classmate: a curvy figure, delicate features, and a pair of big, dewy eyes.

Wu Senjun’s gaze wandered over her waist and chest. He even swallowed.

Seeing him ogle her, Liu Qian’s face darkened. She walked over and stamped hard on his foot.

Wu Senjun yelped.

Liu Qian turned and entered the room with a smile. Taking Tong Xiangyu’s hand warmly, she said, “I’m a doctor, sweetie. What’s bothering you? You can tell me.”

“My stomach’s been bothering me.” Tong Xiangyu looked at her. People naturally trusted doctors, and she relaxed a little. She even let go of Song Ge’s hand. “I often get diarrhea after eating, even if I only have a little. And I haven’t been sleeping well.”

Liu Qian was already pretty, and her smile made her seem even kinder. “The diarrhea is probably because your stomach’s sensitive. And our food has been sitting around for a while, so it isn’t as fresh as it used to be. Don’t worry. I just saw some medicine for diarrhea in Grandma Tian’s medicine box. As for your sleep, that’s probably stress. Try getting some exercise before bed. If you’re tired, you’ll find it easier to sleep.”

“Thank you, Sister.”

“You’re welcome.” Liu Qian smiled and found two medicines in Grandma Tian’s kit. She handed them to Tong Xiangyu. “If you get diarrhea again, take one of these pills. And you can have a spoonful of this syrup before you eat.”

“Okay.”

“Yuyu,” Fan Mingyuan said again.

Tong Xiangyu knew she couldn’t avoid him forever when they were living under the same roof. Talking with the doctor had helped her relax a little, so she looked at Fan Mingyuan and managed a faint smile. “Fan Mingyuan.”

“I knew it!” Fan Mingyuan grabbed her wrist. In front of everyone, he asked, “Were you being controlled by Song Ge? Was that why you couldn’t talk to us? Don’t be afraid! We’re all here now!”

Tong Xiangyu stared at him in shock and pulled her hand free. “How could you think that? Song Ge saved me.”

Fan Mingyuan turned to look at Song Ge.

Song Ge returned his gaze, calm and expressionless.

Fan Mingyuan clearly wasn’t happy about it, but with so many people watching, he could only reluctantly say, “Looks like I misunderstood you. Thank you for saving Yuyu.”

“I already thanked her myself,” Tong Xiangyu said. She didn’t need Fan Mingyuan thanking Song Ge on her behalf. She backed away from him, keeping as much distance between them as she could. “I still want to rest, so I’ll let you all go.”

Tong Xiangyu was beautiful. The two boys weren’t the only ones to notice.

Zhu Lulu had never imagined she would get to live under the same roof as her role model. She was so excited she could hardly stand it, but Tong Xiangyu wasn’t feeling well, and they didn’t know each other, so she had to hold back.

The girls from No. 2 High School finally understood why Fan Mingyuan had ignored all their attention. He’d liked someone like this delicate, beautiful girl all along.

They knew they couldn’t compare.

But Yuyu didn’t seem interested in Fan Mingyuan at all. If anything, she seemed uncomfortable around him.

Fan Mingyuan had brushed off the girls who’d fawned over him, but he was no better than a lovesick puppy in front of another girl. Suddenly, he didn’t seem so appealing anymore.

Even outsiders could see how much Tong Xiangyu wanted to avoid him. How could Fan Mingyuan not know?

In the end, she’d still been polite to him.

But that was nothing like the closeness they’d once shared.

Fan Mingyuan’s anger burned hotter as he went over what had happened. Tong Xiangyu had been the first to climb out the window using the curtains. Later, when Chu Qiao had tried to jump, she’d called out for Tong Xiangyu to catch her.

And he’d pushed Chu Qiao away.

Fan Mingyuan remembered clearly how Chu Qiao’s blood had run beneath his sneakers after he landed. Her eyes and fingers were still moving. Her bloodied mouth opened and closed, as if she were trying to say something.

He hadn’t wasted so much as a glance on her. He’d just escaped.

At the time, he hadn’t paid attention to where Tong Xiangyu had gone.

Was she disappointed in me?

Fan Mingyuan’s expression darkened. He’d worried about whether she was alive for all these days, and now she was afraid of him?

Did she think he was horrible?

If he hadn’t led everyone in standing against the monsters that day, they would all have died in that classroom!

The more Fan Mingyuan thought about Tong Xiangyu rejecting him in front of everyone, the more humiliated he felt.

Although Tong Xiangyu had met everyone at lunch, she still didn’t want to eat with them. Everyone already knew she was “unwell,” so she might as well keep using that excuse.

Her only worry was that she was causing trouble for Song Ge.

Song Ge had to bring her food every time.

Song Ge didn’t mind. If Tong Xiangyu didn’t want to go, she didn’t have to. She only said, “I thought you’d like the lively atmosphere. There are lots of girls your age here.” They even seemed like the sort who loved dressing up.

Tong Xiangyu lowered her voice. “I don’t want to make friends anymore…”

Song Ge raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Tong Xiangyu lowered her eyes and continued, “Besides, apart from the doctor and Grandma Tian, I don’t think I have much to talk about with the others.”

“You used to seem to love making friends.”

Tong Xiangyu had been about to explain, but she stopped short and looked at Song Ge in surprise. “Used to? Song Ge, did you pay attention to me before?”

“…”

Song Ge said, “I remember your side of the classroom was always noisy. People were always saying bad things about me.”

Tong Xiangyu hurried to explain. “No, Chu Qiao didn’t mean any harm. It was mostly the first person who spread a ridiculous story. And you never came forward to deny it, so people kept repeating it, and it just got worse…”

“So it was my fault?”

“Of course not!”

Seeing the subject of whether Song Ge had paid attention to her fade away, she added, “There was nothing to deny.”

Tong Xiangyu looked at Song Ge and began carefully, “But…”

Song Ge said, “It’s true that my parents are dead, my grades are bad, I don’t talk to people, I keep to myself, I’m gloomy, and teachers are always calling me out.”

“That’s not true! I know you’re a good person!”

Song Ge’s mouth curved faintly as she looked at her. “You’re the first person to say that.”

Tong Xiangyu thought their conversation had grown a little serious. We went through life and death together. We’re not like those people outside. After a long silence, she glanced at the door and leaned close to Song Ge’s ear. “I saw Fan Mingyuan kill someone.”

She covered her mouth with one hand.

Her warm, sweet breath slipped between her fingers and brushed Song Ge’s cheek. Song Ge shifted her eyes and leaned away, a little uncomfortable. “Don’t get so close. I can hear you.”

“I know, but this has to be whispered.” Tong Xiangyu didn’t know why, but usually thinking about it made her sad and sick. Song Ge’s interruption had ruined the mood. Somehow, she didn’t feel quite so awful now.

She lowered her voice. “Why aren’t you surprised?”

Song Ge looked at her, perfectly calm. “What’s there to be surprised about? If we stay here, you’ll see people do even worse things.”

Tong Xiangyu blinked, clearly unable to imagine it. “Like what?”

Song Ge looked at her innocent, pretty face and shook her head. “You don’t need to know. I’ll take you away tomorrow. There’s an old electric scooter in the backyard. I asked the landlady about it, and she said it still works. She gave me the key, too. The battery might be low, though. We’ll see how lucky we are.”

Tong Xiangyu bit her lower lip.

Song Ge sensed she wanted to say something but had stopped herself. “You don’t want to leave? That’s okay, we don’t have to—”

“No, no!” Tong Xiangyu said quickly. “I’ll go wherever you go.”

At those words, Song Ge felt her heart give a strange little flutter. She didn’t show it. She only looked at Tong Xiangyu, waiting for the young lady to continue.

Tong Xiangyu blinked her beautiful eyes. “I just wanted to know why you call Grandma Tian ‘Grandma’ when she’s around, but call her ‘the landlady’ when she’s not.”

“Because she’s not my grandma.”

“But it’s just a way of addressing her, isn’t it?”

“No.” Song Ge said, “I don’t like giving people or things emotional attachments or special meanings. Then, when I lose them, it won’t hurt.”

“But if you don’t care about anything, life gets so cold.” Tong Xiangyu said, “Feelings go both ways. You have to give them to get anything back.”

“I don’t need anything in return.”

“And you’ve been so good to me!”

They spoke at the same time.

Song Ge glanced at Tong Xiangyu. “I haven’t been good to you.”

At the same time, Tong Xiangyu said, “I’ll repay you.”

In the bright, sunlit room, the two girls sat facing each other, their eyes locked.

After a moment, Song Ge asked, “Weren’t you going to say something?”

Tong Xiangyu had already begun to feel shy. She touched her reddening ear and murmured, “I was afraid we’d speak at the same time again…”

Song Ge said nothing more. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was time to go upstairs for dinner. She stood and said to Tong Xiangyu, “This might sound cold, but…”

Tong Xiangyu looked at her expectantly!

Song Ge looked into the young lady’s bright, almond-shaped eyes. The harsh words she’d been about to say suddenly wouldn’t come. After a pause, she forced out, “I haven’t had a friend in a long time.”

“That’s okay!” Tong Xiangyu’s eyes curved into a smile. “I can be the first friend you’ve had in a long time!”

Song Ge was silent for a long while.

At last she said, “Suit yourself.”

She turned and left the room, but didn’t forget to remind Tong Xiangyu, “Lock the door.”

“Oh, right! I remember!” Tong Xiangyu fluttered to the doorway like a little butterfly and watched Song Ge walk away. For some reason, her heart was pounding.

She closed the door, locked it, then patted her chest and let out a long breath.

That was close. I thought Song Ge was going to say something cold and humiliating like, “Although this sounds cold, I haven’t been good to you, and I don’t need you to repay me.”

But…

Thank goodness!

Tong Xiangyu hurried over and flopped onto the big bed. She hugged the blanket tightly. For some reason, a strange, unfamiliar joy filled her. She buried her face in the blanket, then hugged it close and lay on her side, lost in thought.