Chapter 6 She’s Lying She Was Made of Flesh and Blood Too…

Chapter 6: She's Lying. She's Human Too...

Yu Kui looked at the badge on her wrist, her eyes stinging even more.

"Do you need to go to the infirmary?" the class president asked with concern. "I'll walk you there."

"No, I just need to rest." Yu Kui hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Do you know where Tao Jiang went?"

"She left with Qin You," Sun Shuya said as she came down from the bleachers, looking at Yu Kui with a hint of contempt. "Are you an idiot?"

Yu Kui looked confused, not understanding why she would say that. Sun Shuya sat down beside her and lowered her voice. "That Tao Jiang tells you to do something and you just do it—are you stupid? Look what you’ve gotten yourself into."

"No," Yu Kui quickly explained, afraid she would misunderstand Tao Jiang. "She just got her period and couldn’t run, so I..."

"Her period?" Sun Shuya scoffed at the explanation. "Of all the times to get her period, it just happens to come two minutes before the race? How convenient indeed."

Yu Kui froze. Sun Shuya snorted coldly. "Don’t you know when your own period comes every month? And someone as smart as her—would she really lose track of her own cycle? But she just happens to have it on race day. Do you think she did it on purpose, or is she lying?"

Sun Shuya’s voice was soft as she spoke, but her words struck Yu Kui like a thunderbolt.

That's not true, Yu Kui denied in her heart. Tao Jiang is her good friend—how could she lie to her? She didn’t believe it!

"Only a fool like you would believe her excuses," Sun Shuya sighed deeply. "Don’t say I didn’t warn you, as an old classmate. With your intelligence, you’re no match for such a clever girl. What she wants, you can’t hold onto. You should cut ties with her sooner rather than later." With that, Sun Shuya stood up and walked back to the bleachers.

Yu Kui remained seated, watching her lazy, nonchalant retreating figure, her eyelashes slowly lowering. What did Sun Shuya really mean?

Her words left a deep mark on Yu Kui’s heart. Whether it was Qin You leaving her alone on the field or whether Tao Jiang really had her period—for Yu Kui, it was an inner battle. Should she trust her friends, or suspect they were hiding something from her?

She sat on the bench for a long time, until all the sports events had ended, and Tao Jiang and Qin You still hadn’t returned. She felt like a forgotten doll left to gather dust in a corner. Not one of them cared whether she felt unwell after the race.

So, she really wasn’t that important after all...

Yu Kui looked up at the slightly dim autumn sky, tears welling in her eyes. She sniffed, stood up, and returned to the classroom.

She packed her bag, glanced at Tao Jiang’s empty chair, and headed home alone.

That night, Qin You called her. For the first time, she didn’t answer or reply to his messages. Instead, she quietly finished her homework and practiced English speaking with a video.

Seeing that she wasn’t responding, Qin You knocked on her door. Yu Kui’s mom was surprised to see him and smiled. "What brings you here today? I thought you were swamped lately."

Qin You’s expression shifted slightly. "Auntie, I need to talk to Yu Kui about something. Is she asleep?"

"She’s already resting," Yu Kui’s mom said, her smile fading slightly as she recalled her daughter’s distracted state when she returned. "Qin You, was Yu Kui bullied at school? She seemed really down when she came back today and wouldn’t tell me what happened. You’re her best friend—do you know anything..."

Though there was no suspicion in her eyes, Qin You’s heart skipped a beat. He avoided eye contact. "Sorry, Auntie, I don't really know."

"I see," Yu Kui’s mom nodded, her smile returning. "You should go back and rest. If there’s anything, you can talk to Yu Kui tomorrow. She’s been studying very hard lately and is tired now."

"Okay." Qin You turned around, and the door closed softly behind him.

He opened his phone and looked at the messages on the screen—all from Tao Jiang.

Normally, he would reply to her messages immediately, but this time he didn’t move. He stared blankly at Yu Kui’s profile picture—a character from a manga he really liked. Yu Kui had changed it so he’d be happy seeing it and wouldn’t get annoyed by her constant messaging.

Qin You opened the message box. All the messages were from him asking about her, with no reply.

Standing in the dark stairwell, he couldn’t believe he had left her alone on the field. He knew she would feel awful after the race, yet he stayed with Tao Jiang until dark before remembering Yu Kui.

The next day, Qin You purposely went upstairs to wait for Yu Kui, but her mother told him Yu Kui wasn’t feeling well and would take the morning off, advising him to go to school first.

"What's wrong with her?" Qin You asked anxiously. "Can I go in and see her?"

"That's alright," Yu Kui’s mother waved her hand. "You should go to school now. Don’t be late."

Qin You paused, his gaze drifting past the living room to the closed bedroom door. It was so close, but without Yu Kui’s permission, it felt like he could never enter again.

Qin You went to school alone. As soon as he entered the building, he saw Tao Jiang. She was wearing her loose school uniform, her long hair tied into a neat ponytail, looking fresh and energetic. She seemed to be waiting for him deliberately. When he approached, she asked softly, "Why didn’t you reply to my messages yesterday? Were you with Yu Kui?"

"Yu Kui is sick," Qin You said. "Did you know?"

Tao Jiang looked startled. "How would I..." She didn’t finish her sentence. She hadn’t contacted Yu Kui at all yesterday, so how could she know?

"What do you mean?" Tao Jiang immediately understood, her eyes reddening. "Are you blaming me?"

Qin You didn’t answer. Tao Jiang said tearfully, "But I wasn’t feeling well yesterday. You know how bad I felt..."

Seeing how red her eyes were, Qin You realized he had misspoken. "Sorry, I’m not blaming you." He was blaming himself for not noticing Yu Kui’s condition, not her.

Tao Jiang’s eyes flickered. "So, she’s not coming to class today?"

"Just taking the morning off."

Seeing how clearly he knew Yu Kui’s schedule, a shadow crossed Tao Jiang’s eyes. So, he didn’t reply to her messages because of Yu Kui.

His childhood friend was more important than she had imagined.

"I’m worried about Yu Kui too. I’ll message her," Tao Jiang said, taking out her phone and typing unhurriedly: "Qin You told me you’re sick. It’s all my fault for making you help me yesterday. I’m sorry I dragged you into this."

Yu Kui didn’t reply to her message either.

The night before, Yu Kui had tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The result of staying up late was catching a cold—headache, stuffy nose, too sick to get up. Her mother took her to the doctor early in the morning, and they didn’t finish until noon.

In the afternoon, her mother dropped her off at the school gate and touched her daughter’s face. "I’ll pick you up after school. Come out early."

"Okay."

Yu Kui walked into the classroom and immediately saw Tao Jiang, who was flipping through a book, her expression cool and detached, no different from usual.

"Yu Kui," Tao Jiang said, noticing her gaze, a hint of delight in her eyes. "Are you feeling better?"

Yu Kui nodded and sat down in her seat, noticeably less warm than before. Tao Jiang’s eyes darkened slightly. She stood up and walked over, reaching out to take Yu Kui’s arm, but Yu Kui subtly avoided her.

Tao Jiang froze, surprised by her reaction.

"Are you angry about yesterday?" she asked in a low voice.

Yu Kui didn’t speak, but her eyes were full of sadness.

"I’m really sorry," Tao Jiang said, seeming anxious, her eyes red. "I really didn’t mean it. I apologize, okay? It was my fault." She tried to take Yu Kui’s hand again.

"Class is about to start," Sun Shuya said, looking at her with a mocking smile. "Can you go back to your seat?"

Tao Jiang met her gaze. The girl’s eyes were narrow but sharp. "Whatever it is, talk after class."

Tao Jiang had no choice but to stop pressing and returned to her seat.

"With such poor health, you still joined the sports day," Sun Shuya rolled her eyes at Yu Kui. "Who else would get sick if not you?"

Yu Kui: "..."

After school, Yu Kui packed her bag and headed to the third floor to wait for Qin You. But as she reached the staircase, she realized she didn’t need to go after all—just like how Qin You hadn’t waited for her yesterday.

Yet her crush on him hadn’t died; it still beat stubbornly, making her painfully aware that she would go on liking him anyway.

So pathetic.

Yu Kui wanted to slap herself. At the moment when emotion nearly overwhelmed reason, she hurried downstairs instead. Fine, she thought. She couldn’t bring herself to say those accusing words, afraid that speaking them would ruin both friendships.

But she was made of flesh and blood too—she could feel hurt and wronged, unable to act like nothing had happened.

When Qin You arrived at the classroom door, he only saw Tao Jiang packing her bag inside and immediately frowned. "Where’s Yu Kui?"

"She’s already gone home," Sun Shuya said with a smile. "She wasn’t feeling well today, so her mom came to pick her up specially. What, she didn’t tell you something that important? I thought her mom might’ve taken you along too."

Qin You’s eyes narrowed slightly. He turned to head downstairs.

Tao Jiang had already finished packing and walked over, her fair, delicate features showing a hint of displeasure. "I tried talking to Yu Kui, but she ignored me. She doesn’t even treat me like a real friend."

She acted two different ways in front of Yu Kui and Qin You.

In front of Yu Kui, she was aloof and melancholy—the new transfer student who needed care, making Yu Kui willing to accept and help her wholeheartedly.

But in front of Qin You, she acted like a clingy, spoiled princess, playing up every emotion so that Qin You would indulge her endlessly.

"She’s sick," Qin You said. "She didn’t mean it."

"And what about me?" Tao Jiang retorted. "I wasn’t feeling well either—was it on purpose for me, then?"