“……”
Yin Xiaomeng lowered her head, staring at the puddle of water that had already filled up by her feet.
She pursed her lips, her hand holding the umbrella unconsciously tightening its grip.
Perhaps it was because she had a bit too much experience in this area?
Uncontrollably, images of the ‘No. 4 Delicacy’ fantasy flashed through her mind.
She even thought she faintly heard that soft, hesitant, shy, and trusting voice in her ears…
The girl shook her head, her hair hanging over her shoulders swaying slightly with the motion.
“No, no, how can I think about such things out in public?”
“Gotta keep up the persona, gotta maintain the persona…”
Trying hard to temporarily forget those ‘unsightly’ images, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath…
In the cool, damp air, the faint scent of damp earth became especially noticeable after she deliberately shifted her focus.
The soft pattering of raindrops on her umbrella was easily drowned out by passing cars, and the tips of her leather shoes were dotted with glistening droplets.
A gentle breeze blew by.
Her summer clothes were too thin to block out the chill, and the girl waiting in front of the school name monument shivered.
‘Why isn’t Chen Bo here yet…’
‘Hiss… it’s a bit cold…’
Looking up at the busy road with its stream of cars, Yin Xiaomeng slung her handbag over her wrist and rubbed her arm—the one holding the umbrella.
The warmth from her palm slightly dispelled the chill.
She turned sideways, glancing back at the still-open school gate, hesitating whether she should go back inside the school building to warm up…
But going back meant a long walk…
What if Chen Bo arrived at the school gate just as she reached the building?
“……”
“……”
Sigh.
……
Sitting in the back seat of the car, the girl placed her neatly folded umbrella into a small bucket that had been prepared on the floor mat.
The warm air blowing from the car’s heater felt good on her skin.
Yin Xiaomeng couldn’t help but sneeze.
“Ah…”
“I’m not going to catch a cold, am I…”
She regretted her decision not to wear a jacket before leaving for school today.
After the sneeze, her nose felt strangely stuffy.
Watching the scenery recede outside the car window, she rubbed her arm, which was covered in goosebumps.
The desire to vent some stress seemed less important now with this sudden onset of what felt like a cold.
“Rainy days are just so annoying…”
The partition between the driver’s seat and the back seat blocked most of the sound transmission.
In this ‘just for herself’ space, Yin Xiaomeng couldn’t be bothered to maintain her considerate and kind persona.
Poking at the handbag resting on her lap, she lowered her head and muttered unhappily.
Her nose felt stuffy, as if she really was getting a cold, and even her voice sounded a bit weak and listless.
The warm, cozy air conditioning made the girl feel drowsy.
“……”
Should I sleep for a bit?
Better not.
The thought of sleeping in the car, only to be woken up while still deeply asleep and having to ‘enjoy’ the cold air all over again made her quickly dismiss the idea.
Might as well tough it out now and have a really good sleep after getting home, taking a shower, and finishing her homework…
Sighing, her fair, slender hand deftly pulled her phone out of her bag.
Unlock the screen, open the WeChat app.
Among the seven or eight pinned contacts, she found the chat box labeled [No. 4, 163cm, 32B, 94 jin] and tapped on it without hesitation.
— Yin: Babe, what are you up to?
— Yin: Miss you (kitty peeking)
The sound of her carefully manicured nails tapping the screen was like a melody.
Her long fingers moved swiftly across the screen, the keys of the nine-key input method lighting up and dimming.
She even added an anime girl peeking emoji at the end of the message.
After sending the message, Yin Xiaomeng unconsciously tapped the edge of her phone with her thumbnail.
Waiting for a reply.
She leaned forward slightly, propping her left elbow on her knee, her palm naturally cradling her smooth, well-defined cheek.
A sly curve appeared on that very ‘innocent’ face.
For someone like No. 4, whose personality was so ‘timid’ that she sometimes couldn’t even bring herself to refuse others, a direct, straightforward approach without any beating around the bush was always the best offensive tactic.
Yeah, you can tell me all about your family trauma, your psychological trauma.
I’ve already booked a room.
We can talk slowly, and if we get tired, we can just sleep.
Wow, babe, look—every time I touch you here, you make such a nice sound.
You’re just like an instrument!
Staring at the ‘name’ in the top left corner of the screen, just as expected.
Not long after the message was sent, the [No. 4…] label changed to ‘typing…’.
— Yin: Sweetie.
— Yin: It’s been a whole day since I’ve seen you, I’m feeling so down…
Press the advantage.
The blunt words gave off a bit of a creepy-stalker vibe, but in this somewhat ambiguous relationship, it seemed just right.
“Hmm?”
Watching the constantly changing typing status, Yin Xiaomeng could almost picture the other girl holding her phone, looking flustered and unsure what to do in front of the screen.
She was genuinely grateful for her current, unparalleled, beautiful-girl appearance.
If she didn’t look like such a pure, innocent girl right now, it would probably take a long time to lower these girls’ guard—
And the thrill of playing with stealing someone else’s partner wouldn’t be as satisfying as it was now.
“……”
In this looks-obsessed world, a good appearance really is the best medium for communication.
— Bai: …
After a long, long silence, the constantly changing typing status finally settled down.
A pale green speech bubble popped up from the left side of the screen.
— Bai: I miss you too
After struggling for a long time, she didn’t ignore the ‘question’.
The shy girl on the other side of the screen tried hard to ignore the sense of guilt in her heart and responded directly for the first time.
“Yes! Got her!”
Saving a screenshot of the chat history with practiced ease, the girl looked at the four words the other had struggled to send.
Her heart was filled with the joy of finally being about to harvest the cabbage she had planted.
The corners of her mouth turned up involuntarily.
She could already imagine the shy blush on that still slightly baby-faced girl when she pinned her down…
As for the other girl’s ‘girlfriend’?
Just part of the play.
— Yin: Oh? How much do you miss me?
— Yin: Confess and receive leniency, resist and face severity!
Spill it, quick!
Almost an instant reply.
The corner of Yin Xiaomeng’s mouth was still upturned.
Without hesitation, she sent another direct shot.
Compared to the teasing that could advance or retreat in their previous chats, this time, although it still seemed a bit playful, the underlying aggression was slowly baring its fangs.
Pressing step by step.
Harvesting early, huh?
Even though it might be a bit like pulling up seedlings to help them grow, who would refuse to let the fruit that’s almost in their mouth become more ripe and sweet?
“Hehe…”
Wiping away non-existent drool from the corner of her mouth, the girl’s fingers poked at the screen.
— Yin: Huh~
— Yin: Why aren’t you saying anything?
Were you lying when you said you missed me?
Pushing her luck.
Playing with the wavering heart of an innocent girl was something she thoroughly enjoyed.
“Your Sister Yin must be a good girl, right?”
“Pfft…”
“Don’t make your Sister Yin laugh.”