Chapter 4 You Like Him She Discovered Her Secret…

Chapter 4: She Likes Him?

She Uncovered Her Secret...

Yu Kui wasn't very athletic. As soon as she heard "long-distance run," she immediately bowed her head, praying the class president wouldn't call her name.

Seeing no one volunteer, the class president began calling names: "Sun Shuya, Zhou Tingting... You're all quite good at sports. Would any of you like to sign up?"

"Class president, do you think I'm a goddess?" Sun Shuya rolled her eyes. "I nearly died running 400 meters during the middle school graduation exam. I'm not participating."

She was always strong-willed, and the class president couldn't argue with her. He called out a few more names, but the numbers were still insufficient.

"I'll do it," a particularly pleasant voice broke the classroom's silence. "I can run the 1,500 meters. Class president, please sign me up."

Everyone looked up, surprised to find it was Tao Jiang. She seemed so slender and delicate—the thought of her participating in a long-distance race was hard to fathom.

"Are you sure you can do it?" Tao Jiang usually appeared like an ethereal fairy, untouched by worldly concerns. The class president wondered if he'd misheard.

"Yes, I can," Tao Jiang said calmly. "Just put my name down."

The class president said no more, registering her name on the list, finally settling the sports meet arrangements.

Yu Kui's face, however, flushed red. Her best friend had stepped forward like a hero to bring honor to the class, while she herself was acting so cowardly and selfish.

"Actually, I'm not entirely confident either," Tao Jiang said with a touch of worry. "After school tomorrow, I plan to practice running on the field. Yu Kui, would you mind keeping me company?"

"Of course," Yu Kui immediately agreed. "We'll go together then."

"Thank you," Tao Jiang breathed a sigh of relief, a slight smile gracing her lips. "Yu Kui, it's so good to have you."

Yu Kui giggled sheepishly, her eyes bright as she said, "But I think Tao Jiang is very brave—much braver than me."

"Really?" Tao Jiang linked arms with her. "I just feel like I'm part of the class and should step up when needed."

Yu Kui felt even more ashamed. Her physical fitness wasn't great, and a long-distance race would be too difficult for her. Compared to Tao Jiang, she felt incredibly narrow-minded.

On the way home, Yu Kui told Qin You about Tao Jiang participating in the sports meet. Qin You frowned immediately upon hearing it. "Why would she sign up for a long-distance race? Didn't you stop her?"

The three had been friends for nearly half a month. Qin You usually wasn't particularly warm toward Tao Jiang, but at this moment, he didn't hesitate to blame Yu Kui. "Her physical fitness is so weak. You're in the same class—how could you let her sign up...?"

Yu Kui was stunned by his questioning. She stared at Qin You wide-eyed, not understanding why he was blaming her. Participating in the sports meet was Tao Jiang's own decision—she hadn't encouraged or suggested it. Why was he saying this?

It was as if she had become the villain, causing harm to her friend.

She stopped walking, feeling both guilt toward Tao Jiang and indignation toward Qin You.

"Why are you blaming me?" she asked Qin You, her eyes reddening. "I didn't do anything wrong. Why are you accusing me?"

From start to finish, it had all been Tao Jiang's own decision. Yu Kui had never anticipated any of this.

Seeing the tears welling up in her eyes, Qin You seemed to realize how hurtful his words had been. His expression stiffened. "That's not what I meant. Don't cry..."

"I'm not crying," Yu Kui said stubbornly, looking at his face, her voice low. "Tao Jiang is my friend. I would never do anything to hurt her. On the contrary, I'll protect her well—that's how I look out for my friends. But you're my friend too." He was, after all, her best friend since childhood. Why had he started doubting her without even hearing her out?

"I'm sorry," Qin You said with a hint of guilt in his eyes. "I didn't mean to accuse you. It's my fault. Please don't be angry."

Yu Kui didn't say anything and walked past him.

Qin You quickly caught up. In all the time they'd known each other, Yu Kui had rarely argued with him. He didn't know what had come over him earlier—the moment he heard Tao Jiang was participating in the sports meet, he had suddenly taken his anger out on Yu Kui, blaming her for not taking better care of Tao Jiang.

In reality, Tao Jiang was even a year older than Yu Kui. Why should Yu Kui have to take care of her?

Perhaps he had lost his mind. Tutoring Tao Jiang every day meant he focused most of his attention on her, neglecting Yu Kui's feelings.

Yu Kui didn't speak to Qin You all the way to her apartment building.

"Wait," Qin You stepped in front of her and said softly, "Don't be angry anymore. I'll come over tonight to tutor you."

Since that last time, Qin You had stopped tutoring Yu Kui, saying his own studies were heavy and suggesting she message him if she had questions. Afraid of disturbing his studies, Yu Kui hadn't asked him anything else. Instead, she bought many guidebooks and worked hard to complete her assignments on her own.

When Qin You found out she could study independently, he never brought up tutoring again.

What was this now? An apology?

"No need," Yu Kui shook her head. "I already have my own study plan. You should go home and rest."

With that, she left him downstairs.

Qin You was taken aback, seemingly surprised by her coldness. It felt unfamiliar to him.

The next day at lunch, Yu Kui still ignored Qin You, which made him even more upset. He tried bringing up several topics, but Yu Kui acted as if she didn't hear him.

Tao Jiang sat beside Yu Kui, watching Qin You’s barely concealed anxiety with a hint of surprise. She looked thoughtfully at Yu Kui and asked, "What’s going on between you two?"

Yu Kui shook her head. She didn't want to tell Tao Jiang the whole story and risk upsetting her. She simply said, "Don’t mind him."

"How can I get you to stop being angry?" In less than a day, Qin You couldn’t stand Yu Kui’s distance. "I was wrong yesterday."

Tao Jiang’s eyes flickered. She picked up her phone and leisurely sent a message. The phone in Qin You’s pocket vibrated. Normally, he would have checked it immediately, but today he didn’t even glance at it, keeping his eyes fixed on Yu Kui and completely ignoring Tao Jiang.

Childhood friends—

Was this what they called childhood friends?

No matter how well they got along at night, whenever Yu Kui wanted, he would return to her side without hesitation, like a loyal dog.

Such a bond was truly enviable.

Tao Jiang lowered her head, looking at the gradually cooling food on her plate, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Yu Kui, don’t be angry. I’ll treat you to bubble tea."

No sooner had she spoken, Qin You stood up and bought two bottles of bubble tea. He carefully handed one to Yu Kui. "I know I was wrong."

Only then did Yu Kui look up at him, snorting, "I don’t like the honey flavor."

Hearing this, Qin You immediately exchanged it for a matcha-flavored one and even opened the cap for her. Yu Kui finally took it, a smile finally appearing on her fair face. "If you make me angry again, it won’t be this easy next time."

"Okay," Qin You secretly sighed in relief and handed the other bottle of honey-flavored tea to Tao Jiang—the flavor Yu Kui disliked.

"I don’t like this flavor either," Tao Jiang met his gaze, the unspoken understanding clear only between them. "I want matcha flavor too."

"Ah!" Yu Kui immediately handed her the already opened bottle. "I haven’t drunk from it yet. Here, you can have it. I don’t mind honey flavor."

Her eyes were utterly pure, completely unaware of Tao Jiang’s underlying meaning. To her, Tao Jiang was her friend, and if she could do this for her friend, she was more than willing.

"Are you sure?" Tao Jiang was taken aback, not expecting Yu Kui to give hers away. Her fingers curled unconsciously. "You’re really giving it to me?"

"Mm," Yu Kui pushed the bottle into her hand, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "You have it first."

"I’ll go buy another one," Qin You said, standing up again. "Wait here for me."

"Don't worry about it," Yu Kui said, not wanting him to run back and forth, opening the other bottle of milk tea. "Honey flavor is pretty good too."

"Thank you, Yu Kui," Tao Jiang took a sip of the milk tea, her lips curling into a smile. "It's so nice being friends with you." Despite being younger than both her and Qin You, she was like a little sun, always able to care for everyone's feelings.

Qin You remained silent, his eyes fixed on the message Tao Jiang had sent him on his phone—"Do you like Yu Kui?"

Qin You's gaze met Tao Jiang's, her expressive eyes carrying a hint of questioning—asking why he hadn't replied, asking what exactly his feelings were toward Yu Kui.

Pursing his lips, Qin You quickly replied with four words: "How could that be?"

Yes, how could that be?

How could he possibly like the girl who had followed him around like a shadow since they were kids?

After reading the message, Tao Jiang's eyes shifted to Yu Kui's carefree face, and the smile in her eyes deepened.

After school in the afternoon, both Yu Kui and Qin You stayed behind to accompany Tao Jiang as she practiced running. However, Yu Kui wasn't in great physical shape and could only manage half a lap. After that, it was Qin You who stayed with Tao Jiang while Yu Kui sat on the sidelines doing her homework.

Occasionally, she would look up at the two of them and notice how close they were. Tao Jiang seemed to be saying something to Qin You, and the boy responded with intense focus. Under the fading sunset, the two seemed bathed in a warm golden glow, like an eternal scene from a youth-themed movie.

They look perfect together.

The moment these three words surfaced in Yu Kui's mind, she immediately raised her hand and slapped her cheeks lightly. One was the person she had a crush on, the other was her good friend—how could that be?

When Qin You came over to Yu Kui, he told her he was going to the restroom. Tao Jiang stood beside Yu Kui to rest and, noticing her staring blankly at Qin You's back as he walked away, even forgetting about her homework, said, "Yu Kui, you like him, don't you?"

"Huh?" Yu Kui slowly looked up, not catching her meaning.

"You like Qin You, right?" Tao Jiang said again, her beautiful eyes filled with understanding.

"What are you talking about!" Yu Kui's face instantly flushed red. She jumped to her feet, flustered, her face red. "Don't talk nonsense! How could I, how could I like..." But she couldn't finish the sentence.

She couldn't deny her feelings for Qin You, nor did she want to.

She liked Qin You.

Even if she couldn't muster the courage to confess to him face-to-face right now, she still really liked him.

She had never told anyone about this, but in front of Tao Jiang, her good friend, she could no longer hide it.

Author's Note: