WG - 36

Xie Ye entered the living room. On the sofa, Jian Yazhi had just finished a call and looked up. “Finished your exams?”

“Mm.” Xie Ye casually set down his backpack and walked to the sofa.

Jian Yazhi looked at him and said, “Your second uncle just called. He asked if you’d go back to your grandpa’s place now that exams are over.”

Xie Ye lowered his gaze and poured himself a glass of water. “Not going.”

Jian Yazhi sighed. “Your grandparents must miss you. There’s nothing keeping you here—go visit them.”

Xie Ye poured her a glass of water too and replied in his usual tone, “Not seeing them.”

Jian Yazhi was amused by his attitude. “Then next time, you can tell them that yourself.”

Xie Ye didn’t react. “We’ll see.”

“What’s there to see? You’re still their grandson—how can you just not visit them?”

“They already have a grandson,” Xie Ye said indifferently. “They don’t need me.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Jian Yazhi gave him a look. “Fine, if you really don’t want to go, then don’t. But after the college entrance exams, you’ll have to go. Got it?”

Xie Ye frowned. “And you?”

“I’m a university professor here, of course I won’t leave,” Jian Yazhi looked at him. “But you’ll go to university, and that means going back to the Xie family.”

“I’m not going back.” Xie Ye’s expression cooled.

With that, he didn’t wait for a response and went straight upstairs.

He entered his dim room, turned on his computer, and paused when he heard voices from across the street.

“Ye-ge.”

A soft voice called out.

Xie Ye curled his lips slightly, went to draw back the curtains, and squinted at the sunlight.

The girl stood by the window, her figure slim and graceful. When she saw him, the cool elegance in her expression softened, and she asked with a teasing tone, “Wanna be a cowherd?”

“……”

Chi Zhiyu blinked. “Not me—Wu Xuan said that—”

Startled, Wu Xuan quickly stepped up and clamped a hand over her mouth.

“Mmff!”

Wu Xuan faced the boy across the way and solemnly waved. “No, no, I meant the Cowherd from the Cowherd and Weaver Girl story! Absolutely nothing else!”

Chi Zhiyu pried her hand off. “What nonsense. I didn’t mean anything else.”

Wu Xuan gritted her teeth. “You tell me.”

Chi Zhiyu looked innocent. “I was just talking about the folk tale.”

Right then, the curtains across the street swished shut.

They both turned to look. The figure across the way had disappeared, hidden by the curtains.

Only the edge of the curtain still swayed from the force it was pulled with.

Wu Xuan blinked, turned to Chi Zhiyu, and whispered, “Is he mad?”

Chi Zhiyu chuckled. “No.”

Wu Xuan: “Then what was that?”

Chi Zhiyu opened her curtains again and tilted her chin. “It means he can’t be bothered with us.”

“Oh.” Wu Xuan understood, then added, “Wait a sec, this was your nonsense. Why am I getting dragged into it?”

“I wasn’t wrong.” Chi Zhiyu shrugged. “You all are just overthinking it.”

Wu Xuan scoffed. “Yeah, right. Like I believe that.”

“But actually…” Chi Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. “I did mean it that way.”

“……”

“You’re filthy.”

“It’s just to let him familiarize himself with the concept.”

“When you say it like that…” Wu Xuan propped her chin in her hand and narrowed her eyes. “It actually sounds kinda… appealing.”

Chi Zhiyu gave her a look. “You’re the dirty one.”

“?”

Wu Xuan: “You said it first. And if Xie Ye did become a cowherd, it’s not like you’d get a turn.”

“I’m the one closest by,” Chi Zhiyu blinked. “I’ll have the first chance to try.”

Wu Xuan scoffed. “You got the guts?”

Chi Zhiyu answered realistically, “Nope.”

“……” Wu Xuan turned back to search the bookshelf. After skimming a few shelves, she grumbled, “Your books are a mess. Can’t you organize them?”

Chi Zhiyu lifted her glass. “That’s called organized chaos.”

“Organized?” Wu Xuan looked at her. “Then find the book for me.”

Chi Zhiyu shook her head. “It’s organized, but I forgot how.”

Wu Xuan was speechless. She turned left and kept looking. There were lots of poetry collections. When she looked up, she spotted two books sitting alone on the top shelf.

After seeing the titles, she froze, then took them down and turned to Chi Zhiyu. “Why the heck did you buy these?”

Chi Zhiyu glanced at the covers and responded with an “oh.” “Xie Ye gave them to me.”

“?”

Wu Xuan was confused and looked at them again. “He gave you a complete guide to plant species… and a book on how to identify crops?”

“……” Chi Zhiyu nodded. “Yep. You’re seeing right.”

“What.” Wu Xuan said, “Why would he give you these?”

Chi Zhiyu thought for a moment. “He said… it’s my early eighteenth birthday gift.”

Xie Ye’s gifts were never really normal, but the most ridiculous to date were those two books.

When he gave them to her, they were even wrapped up. He silently placed them on her desk. Chi Zhiyu eyed him suspiciously. “What is this?”

Xie Ye: “Your eighteenth birthday present.”

“Huh?” Chi Zhiyu blinked. “I’m not even eighteen yet. I still have two years.”

Xie Ye glanced at her. “Don’t want it? Fine.”

“Who said I didn’t?” Chi Zhiyu quickly picked it up. “Then I’m unwrapping it, okay?”

Xie Ye lounged on the sofa and lazily said, “Mm.”

Chi Zhiyu untied the ribbon. The moment she pulled out the books, she sensed something was off.

Once fully revealed, seeing the printed titles on the covers, she was speechless.

She picked them up and looked at him, expressionless. “One book about plants. One about crops. What’s that supposed to mean?”

Xie Ye’s eyes darkened. “What do you think?”

“What do I think?” Her brain froze. “Are you saying I should give up studying and become a farmer?”

“……”

Xie Ye held back. “Can’t you read more books?”

“?”

Chi Zhiyu: “Are you saying I’m illiterate?”

Xie Ye didn’t look too pleased. He clicked his tongue in irritation. “What about all those poetry books in your room—what are they for?”

Chi Zhiyu blinked and admitted honestly, “Decorations.”

“……”

She remembered that after she said that, Xie Ye seemed genuinely pissed. His eyes held back emotion as he gave her a look and walked away.

At the time, she thought there was some hidden message, so she studied and flipped through the books for a while but found nothing. In the end, she lost interest and stuck them on the shelf.

To collect dust.

…

Wu Xuan was a bit in disbelief. “His eighteenth birthday gift to you was these crappy books?”

Chi Zhiyu nodded and walked over, flipping through one.

“What did he mean by that?” Wu Xuan speculated. “Telling you you’re so bad you should just go farm?”

Chi Zhiyu shook her head. “I thought that at first too, but it doesn’t really sound like him. He’s not the type to go out of his way to insult someone with a gift.”

Wu Xuan blinked. “So you think there’s another meaning?”

“Maybe.” Chi Zhiyu casually put the books back. “I can’t figure it out anyway, so I’m just leaving them there.”

Wu Xuan asked, “He didn’t give you any clues?”

“Nope.” Chi Zhiyu bent down and pulled a dance book from the lower shelf, handing it to her. “Here. Found it.”

Wu Xuan looked down—it was exactly the one she needed. “You could find it—why didn’t you help me earlier?”

“I really didn’t remember just now,” Chi Zhiyu patted her hand. “I just happened to remember it now, so I brought it to you.”

Wu Xuan exposed her, “Liar, you were just too lazy to look for it.”

“……”

Wu Xuan looked at her and thought of what happened that afternoon. “But I want to ask you something else.”

Chi Zhiyu nodded, “Go ahead.”

“You said you like Xie Ye. That probably didn’t happen all of a sudden, right?” Wu Xuan blinked. “But why haven’t you confessed to him? You two have known each other for so many years.”

Chi Zhiyu paused.

“Are you afraid Xie Ye doesn’t like you back?” Wu Xuan guessed. “But he treats you really well. I don’t think it’s possible that he doesn’t like you.”

Maybe noticing her emotional shift, Wu Xuan gently patted her head and softly said, “It’s okay, don’t worry. The college entrance exam is only a few months away. Don’t be afraid.”

Chi Zhiyu responded half-heartedly.

Wu Xuan didn’t want to dwell on the topic, so she changed the subject. “So, are you planning to keep not saying anything to Xie Ye?”

“……”

“I just don’t think Xie Ye could be completely indifferent to you,” Wu Xuan analyzed. “He treats you so well—everyone thinks so. You really haven’t felt it?”

Chi Zhiyu nodded. “Yeah, he is good to me.”

Wu Xuan frowned. “Then why…”

Chi Zhiyu said calmly, “But what if he’s just used to treating me well?”

“What?”

“We’ve known each other for so many years. We understand each other so well. There are things we don’t even need to say out loud—we automatically help each other. That’s all become habit, instinct.” Chi Zhiyu looked up. “So what kind of feelings do you think he really has for me?”

Wu Xuan understood what she meant and offered a suggestion, “You could ask him. Maybe he does like you.”

“If I ask…”

Chi Zhiyu blinked. “What if we can’t even be friends after that?”

Xie Ye wouldn’t let someone who liked him stay by his side.

Because he doesn’t like them.

And her current identity was the only way she could stay close to him.

She didn’t dare to gamble.

She was afraid that the boundary they’d always maintained would be shattered by her greed—

And she’d be left with nothing.

“So my cowardice,” Chi Zhiyu was quiet for a moment, “makes me want to keep things the way they are.”

“But you can’t go your whole life without saying anything,” Wu Xuan tried to persuade her. “Sure, it’s risky, but if you never even try, how will you ever know the outcome?”

“And, I mean, just what if—” Wu Xuan looked at her, “What if Xie Ye likes you too, but he’s also afraid of losing your friendship, and he’s thinking the same way you are? Then you two would miss the chance completely.”

“So someone has to take the first step. How will you know if you never try?”

“……”

Chi Zhiyu didn’t respond. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked, “Do you know what kind of person my mom is?”

Wu Xuan was stunned for a second. “Did she do something to you again?”

Wu Xuan spent the most time with Chi Zhiyu—same class, same desk—so she knew all about the constraints around her. What she could eat, what she couldn’t. Her weight had to stay within a certain number—not more, not less.

Aside from studying, she had to attend dance practice. And the standard was: be the best.

All of these demands came from her mother.

Wu Xuan hadn’t met Bai Li often, but every time she did, even though Bai Li spoke gently and often smiled, there was something cold about that smile. It was uncomfortable.

Chi Zhiyu also seemed guarded around Bai Li, like she didn’t want her to get close to anyone.

A daughter who’s wary and guarded around her own mother—

That’s obviously not normal.

“My mom,” Chi Zhiyu picked up her water glass, “is someone who doesn’t care what means she uses. As long as she can achieve her goals, she’s satisfied.”

Wu Xuan asked, “She wants you to become the best dancer?”

At that, Chi Zhiyu let out a small laugh. “She wants to use me to fulfill her goals.”

“……”

“So if anything—or anyone—around me becomes an obstacle,” Chi Zhiyu said softly, “she’ll do whatever it takes to remove them.”

Wu Xuan was stunned. “What do you mean? She sees you as a tool?”

“Maybe.” Chi Zhiyu’s voice was calm. “So if she finds out I like Xie Ye, and she thinks all my attention is focused on him… what do you think she’ll do?”

Wu Xuan involuntarily imagined the scenario and frowned. “No way… right?”

“In her world, there’s no such thing as ‘no way.’ Right now, aside from Chi Yan, my mom’s entire focus is on me. Only if I get into the university she wants will she finally ease up—stop being so…” Chi Zhiyu searched for the right word, then finally said, “...insane.”

She didn’t dare provoke Bai Li.

Xie Ye and her—

This was a game of strategy.

But she couldn’t afford to gamble. She didn’t even dare to place a bet.

So.

She would wait.

Just hang on until the college entrance exams are over. Endure this period.

Then everything would get better.