Chapter 14: Made a Girl Cry
Hogman? Director? Helper?
…No, what came out of teacher’s mouth was indeed, zhu (third tone) ren (second tone).
In my vocabulary, the only word that fits this condition should be “master.”
Although I’m very interested in maids, because the voice acting in games is mostly in Japanese, I was suddenly unable to react when I heard the Chinese version of “master”… Well, but Chinese sounds pretty good too.
…
Nooooooooooo!
That’s not the point! What’s with this title!
How did it suddenly become “master”!
Teacher Lili Yang, calling me master?
This is a joke, right?
I pointed at myself, completely bewildered, and parroted foolishly, “Master is calling me?”
Then I suddenly remembered that this was a language trap. Normally, after I say this, the other party would use a format like “Yes, I am your master.” to take advantage of me.
However, Teacher Yang didn’t seem to be joking at all. She said with a stern expression, “Of course, I’m calling you. You are my master. We have already signed a master-servant contract.”
“Wait, wait, wait! What do you mean ‘we have already signed a master-servant contract’! I don’t remember signing any contract at all!”
After my rebuttal, the teacher also showed a look of shock, covering her mouth with one hand and pointing at me with the other.
“You… you… just now you weren’t…”
But before the teacher could finish her sentence, the library door was opened.
It was one of the students who usually studies with me at the library during evening study sessions. She looked a little familiar, but we had never spoken. This girl with glasses and a short ponytail looked at me and Teacher Yang, who were lying on the ground, and asked, adjusting her glasses with her index finger, “Excuse me, has something happened?”
Before I could react, Teacher Yang immediately replied, “Ah, it’s nothing. We just accidentally bumped into each other.”
Her reaction was prompt, her expression change was natural, and she lied effortlessly. It seems the teacher is very good at handling such situations.
“Your clothes?”
“Er…”
Right, Teacher Yang had torn my clothes…
“I accidentally grabbed him reflexively when I fell, and ended up tearing it by accident… Ahaha, the quality of school uniforms nowadays is really poor…”
“…I see. Then I’ll help you pick them up. Classmate An Juncheng, could you come and help?”
“Uh, oh oh! Coming right up.”
Suddenly being called by my name, I stood up nervously and quickly went over to help pick up the scattered documents.
She… actually knows my name? That’s really rare. I thought that someone with such a low presence as me would only be known by their teachers.
Since she knows my name, I should at least learn her name, right?
With this spirit of reciprocity, I picked up the documents while secretly looking up at the girl’s head. Regardless of the titles, the name below the title seems to be correct.
【Reincarnated Childhood Friends】
【Yuhui Bai】
“…”
Yuhui Bai… A strange name.
The title is also quite strange. What does “reincarnated” mean? And who is it referring to as childhood friends? Speaking of which, she shouldn’t be in our class, right? I didn’t expect such a peculiar title to exist outside of our class.
And her title is blue. This title is really colorful…
Well, dwelling too much on these things won’t do any good. I’ll just pretend I didn’t see it.
Yuhui Bai put the scattered documents back on the service counter, and I also placed the documents scattered all over the floor back on the table.
“Ah, that’s fine. I’ll take it from here. You two go back to your studies.”
“Okay, I understand. Thank you for your help, Classmate An.”
Yuhui Bai didn’t mention the teacher’s transformation at all. Was she pretending not to see it? Or… only I can see the teacher’s transformed appearance? Analyzing the teacher’s nonsensical words from before, it’s very likely the latter. Only I can see it… just like those titles.
Have I really awakened some kind of ability?
I’ll ask Teacher Yang after the evening study session. She seems to know a lot of things.
“No, it’s a small matter. Thank you for your hard work, Classmate Bai.”
I also politely exchanged pleasantries, but unexpectedly, this politeness caused a problem.
Yuhui Bai suddenly looked up, stared sharply into my eyes, and asked, “You… know my name?”
“Er? That, you should be called Yuhui Bai… Did I make a mistake?”
Hey, hey, hey, what’s with this reaction! Don’t tell me she’s like Teacher Yang, and has a hidden name!
“No, my name is indeed Yuhui Bai… But why do you know my name? You don’t know me at all, right? No, you’ve never asked for my name directly. That means you heard my name from someone else? Then why were you asking for my name?”
Yuhui Bai aggressively moved closer to me, and I stepped back step by step until I was against the bookshelf. I was speechless.
“Uh…”
Why are both of them reacting like this? Teacher Yang was like this, and this Yuhui Bai is also like this! I just called out a name, is it that big of a deal! And I didn’t even get it wrong! It seems like from now on, not only titles, but even names can’t be spoken casually…
“You…”
“Sit down and study. Be quiet.”
Just when I didn’t know how to respond, Teacher Yang said something like this in time.
Yuhui Bai clearly wanted to say more, but in the end, she pouted and left.
Phew~ You really helped me out, Teacher Yang.
As she left, she gave me a lingering look, her expression complex and hard to decipher, before turning to grab a book from another bookshelf. I also took out the continuation of the manga I was reading last night and sat in my usual spot.
The long table in the library has six seats on each side. I usually sit in the innermost seat, and Yuhui Bai usually sits in the seat diagonally opposite me… meaning the farthest seat from me.
But today, for some reason, she sat opposite me!
Yuhui Bai casually flipped through a few pages of the book and started reading… but her gaze didn’t seem to be on the book.
Stare…
For some reason, only Yuhui Bai and I are here for evening study today. Usually, there are four or five people. Why aren’t they here today?
Please don’t just not come today! Although we don’t know each other, we are still good companions who hang out in the library!
Stare…
You know… just read your book, why are you looking at me? Is there something special about me? Does my face have flowers on it?
Stare…
“…”
Teacher! Someone is staring at me!
Why are you looking at me like that! I’m not some rare animal! This gaze is making me so uncomfortable! Did I just say your name! Is there anything strange about that!
And you know my name too! You’re allowed to know my name, but I’m not allowed to know yours? That’s unreasonable!
Hoo hoo… This is making me so angry!
Ahhh! So frustrating!
I really want to shout it out!
To vent all the ridiculous things that happened today!
I’ve had enough! What is all this!
Of course, if I could actually shout it out, I wouldn’t be An Juncheng.
At most, I’d just vent in my heart. If I’m stared at, I’m stared at. Just imagine being stared at by a doll.
I’m used to being ignored. Suddenly being stared at so brazenly makes me very uncomfortable and restless.
I can’t concentrate and am very aware of her gaze. I never knew that a person’s gaze could be so piercing. That saying “eyes can kill” might be true… Or perhaps it’s just my overthinking, but it feels terrible.
After a while, the feeling of irritation subsided by more than half. Indeed, time soothes everything… I cleared my mind and put all those messy thoughts behind me. It’s much easier when you don’t worry about things. They say fools have good fortune, and I think it’s very reasonable.
This way, as long as I go home and get a good night’s sleep, I’ll definitely be back to normal tomorrow!
Yes, as long as I get a good night’s sleep… a good night’s sleep… younger sister!
Ahhhh! I forgot about that!
Speaking of which, didn’t I come to the library precisely because I didn’t want to go home! Why did I forget something so important!
If Xinran sneaks into my room again tonight, I won’t be able to sleep at all!
It’s over, I’m really going to get neurasthenia now!
I hugged my head and moaned silently, feeling immense panic about facing my sisters after the evening study session.
Now I can only pray that Mom or Dad has already come home…
Chaotic thoughts once again surfaced in my mind. I feel like my hair is going to turn gray… It was only then that I realized how happy I was in the past. Simple and carefree days are the most precious! What was I complaining about before?
A slip of paper slid across the desk and appeared in my line of sight.
I looked up at Yuhui Bai. There was only her near me now, so she must be the one passing me a note.
She’s probably going to keep questioning me about why I know her name, right? How annoying! Don’t add to my troubles at this critical juncture! It’s just a name, why should it be so important!
Although my mood was terrible, I still unfolded the note.
The result was different from what I expected. It didn’t mention why I knew her name. Although it was still a question… this question left me completely confused.
What the heck…
A question without a beginning or an end, making no sense.
Did I dream? Dream of what?
I didn’t even sleep last night? Well… if I had to say, I lost consciousness yesterday evening when I was knocked out by an unidentified flying object, but I didn’t dream then…
I frowned deeply and looked up at Yuhui Bai again.
She was gazing at me with an expression of utmost seriousness. She took off her glasses and unraveled her ponytail, her eyes filled with anticipation.
It was then that I realized how beautiful she actually was… She had the pure aura of a girl next door.
She must be expecting an affirmative answer, but I really didn’t dream of anything. I can’t lie, even if it disappoints her.
In the end, I could only shake my head.
Yuhui Bai’s face instantly lost all color, turning ashen. Her fingers, tightly gripping her book, trembled slightly, and she bit her lower lip, as if restraining something.
Finally, she slumped over the long table, burying her face in her arms…
Hey, hey, don’t tell me she’s crying…
As a result, Yuhui Bai didn’t lift her head until the end of the evening study session.
As soon as the bell rang, I couldn’t help but stand up and reach out to her… I don’t know why I reacted this way, but a vague sense of premonition urged me to comfort her.
I walked over to Yuhui Bai, gently patted her shoulder, and asked, “Are you okay?”
“…Sniffle…”
The sound of sniffing filled the air. Yuhui Bai looked up, hastily wiped away her tears, and then, without looking at me, grabbed her backpack and left the library.
She… really cried…
Although I had no idea what was going on, I felt a strong pang of guilt. My instincts told me to chase after her, to grab her hand. However, I ultimately did not chase after her, but stood frozen in place. For some reason, I felt that even if I went after her now, I would definitely not be able to catch up to her…
Was it my answer that made you cry? Why do I feel a sense of “familiarity” from you, a “stranger”?
Yuhui Bai, who exactly are you?
