Chapter 104

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"Yu Yu...?"

"..."

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly like this?"

He leaned closer, bringing his face close.

"Don't look at me..."

She drooped her head and turned her face aside.

"No, I didn't..."

He hesitated and withdrew his hand.

"Idiot..."

...

...

"What's wrong?"

Bell Tong glanced at Roxie Lin, who had been silent since a while ago.

"Xiao Yu... Are you okay?"

She held the chocolates she had just bought in her hands and spoke softly.

"Oh, who let you be so curious? Mind your own business?" Bell Tong paced and said indifferently.

"..."

She bit her lip with some self-reproach, looking at the ground.

A thoughtless remark had caused trouble, something she probably never expected to happen.

"It's all my fault..."

"Well, it's not entirely your fault."

Bell Tong rested her chin on her hand, thought for a moment, and spoke again.

"Blame that dog for being in heat and messing around. He deserves it."

"It's not what you think. I just saw Nan Gege and Teacher Yun sitting together on the playground..."

She said in an excited voice, but her voice became much quieter.

"Tsk tsk, you think they're fine, but Yu Yu won't think so."

"..."

Suddenly stopped by her words, Roxie Lin lowered her head.

There was no sound.

"What should we do then..."

Bell Tong sighed and turned around.

"I was joking... Besides, Yu Yu isn't so petty."

"..."

Roxie Lin paused for two seconds, then muttered softly, "That's because you don't understand her."

"Tsk, it seems like you're the only one who understands her, huh?"

Bell Tong poked her cheek with her finger displeasedly.

"I understand better..."

"Heh, want to argue?"

She smirked and hugged Roxie Lin.

"Hehe, let me show you!"

"No, don't mess around! I'm feeling upset..."

...

...

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"Have you heard? It was yesterday..."

"Really?! What does her brother look like?"

"I haven't seen him either. Little Mei said he's in the junior high section..."

...

"Shh, here she comes!"

Someone whispered, and the discussions in the classroom immediately quieted down.

...

Raina Nan walked into the classroom with her head down, as usual.

"..."

The suddenly silent classroom only had the sound of her footsteps.

She seemed to have noticed the strange atmosphere around her.

Hesitating, she sat down at her seat.

Her gaze occasionally wandered to her surroundings.

"..."

She turned her head and glanced at Roxie Lin sitting next to her.

Roxie Lin, who didn't speak much to begin with, seemed to have noticed she was being looked at, panicked a bit, and lowered her head.

"..."

She didn't ask further, took out her textbook from her bag.

It was impossible to hide the incident that happened... It was also impossible to think about it.

...

The first class quickly ended.

She walked out of the classroom.

Usually, she would stay in the classroom after class.

"Phew..."

But the strange atmosphere in the classroom made her feel suffocated.

She walked alone and came to the balcony in the corridor.

"Um, um..."

A weak voice came from behind.

She turned around.

"It's you..."

Roxie Lin stood behind her, a little nervous, looking at her toes.

After a short while, she raised her head and spoke softly:

"Yesterday, are you okay...?"

"..."

She hesitated for a moment.

"...I'm fine."

"Really? That's great..."

Roxie Lin seemed relieved, patting her chest.

This new classmate, whom she had only recently gotten to know and even felt a little uncomfortable calling her name, always sat silently at the edge of the classroom.

In her impression, she was a well-behaved student who never arrived late but had a faint presence.

"Um, yesterday I... "

She hesitated for a moment, then continued:

"I wanted to stop you, but..."

"Hey~ isn't this our class's super popular topic person~"

A sharp voice interrupted her words.

Raina Nan turned her head towards the direction of the voice.

"Hehe, don't glare at me like that~"

Walking towards them was Xiao Mei, who had some conflicts with her a few days ago.

"You're a big star now~ shouldn't you be happy?"

Xiao Mei sneered and walked up to Raina Nan.

"..."

Roxie Lin's body trembled slightly, she averted her gaze and dared not speak.

"~"

After a glance in Roxie Lin's direction, Xiao Mei looked at Raina Nan again.

"..."

Raina Nan ignored her, turned her head and looked outside the balcony.

"Tsk"

Xiao Mei clicked her tongue and looked at her.

It's this attitude again...

"Haha, she's ignoring you~"

"Xiao Mei~ I think you better not bother her~"

At this moment, three or four girls who were with Xiao Mei covered their mouths and smiled flatteringly.

"Yeah, her brother might come over and beat you up later~"

"Hehe~ I almost forgot about that~"

Xiao Mei clapped her hands, laughed, and leaned closer.

"I heard your brother got into a fight in the junior high department yesterday~ so impressive~"

"..."

Sure enough, news of yesterday's incident has spread here...

"But oh well, I heard he got suspended by the school because of you~"

She said, her voice suddenly becoming a bit gloomy.

"All because of you~"

"...!"

Raina Nan's lips finally twitched.

She stood still, but remained silent.

"Let's go, she might really call her brother later~"

"Hey~ isn't it great? As long as you act nice in front of your brother, you can have anything~"

"I wish I had a brother like that~"

"..."

It's not like that...

"It's not like that!"

But the voice in her heart came out of someone else's mouth.

"Roxie Lin...?"

Xiao Mei turned her head and looked at Roxie Lin.

"What did you just say~?"

"I..."

She was a little nervous as she raised her head, then lowered it again after a while.

Her gaze wandered left and right, not knowing where to look.

"..."

"Let's go."

At this moment, Raina Nan took her hand, pulled her, and walked past them.

"Tch"

Xiao Mei stared at her back, kicking the nearby trash bin.

Clasping her teeth, she muttered.

"Raina Nan, remember this..."

"Calm down, she already had a taste of bitterness yesterday~ she should behave now~"

"Hmph..."

...

"..."

Raina Nan sat at her seat and glanced at the still somewhat shaken Roxie Lin.

"Just now...thank you."

"Huh?!"

Roxie Lin was stunned for a moment, then quickly lowered her head.

"N-No..."

"But if you get too close to me, there might be trouble..."

Raina Nan said softly and opened her textbook.

"So..."

"I-I won't!"

She exclaimed.

Everyone around looked their way.

With a flushed face, she lightly covered her mouth.

In a whisper, Raina Nan said, "I should be... thanking you."

"Me?" Roxie Lin was taken aback.

"..."

As Roxie Lin spoke, she lightly tapped the corner of the desk with her finger.

For someone who had been isolated for half of the semester, this was the first time she had spoken so much to someone.

"Thank you for agreeing to be my desk mate..."

"Well..." Raina Nan hesitated for a moment.

She thought about the incident a few days ago when she had moved her seat next to Roxie Lin, under the gaze of the whole class...

"Well, I just didn't want to continue sitting next to Xiaomei..."

As soon as she finished speaking, she realized something and slightly covered her mouth with her hand.

She could have gone along with what the other person said...

Awkward.

"Haha... you blurted out your true feelings, huh?" Roxie Lin covered her mouth and laughed.

"..."

Feeling embarrassed, Raina Nan pinched her fingers together and remained silent.

"Well," Roxie Lin said, squinting her eyes.

"I quite like Raina Nan's personality."

"..." Raina Nan was taken aback, blushing slightly as she turned her head.

Was this a compliment...?

"Um... Can I call you Xiaoyu?" Roxie Lin asked.

"Huh?" Raina Nan turned back, momentarily not responding.

"I guess not. It's weird to be calling you that when we're not that close..."

Seeing that Raina Nan hesitated for a moment, Roxie Lin smiled awkwardly.

"Sure," Raina Nan said, her eyes fixated on her textbook as she softly spoke.

"Um... huh?" Roxie Lin paused and looked at her.

"So... Xiaoyu?"

"Hmm."

With her head tilted to the side, Roxie Lin rested her head on the desk and pursed her lips, smiling.

"What's so funny?" Raina Nan asked.

"Hehe..." Roxie Lin chuckled.

"..."

Raina Nan suspiciously looked at Roxie Lin. She had never seen this person smile before...

While staring at her for a while, Raina Nan spoke softly again:

"By the way, there's something I've been curious about..."

Pointing to her palm, Raina Nan said, "What's that on your hand? Is it a callus?"

"?!" Roxie Lin's face froze as she was asked this question.

"Well... it's..." Roxie Lin hesitated and brought her hand behind her back.

"..."

"A guitar?"

"Huh? No... it's not that..." Roxie Lin's instincts were quite subtle...

"Is that so..."

"..." Seeing that she didn't want to say, Raina Nan didn't ask any further.

It wasn't good to bombard someone with questions when they had just met...

Thinking this, she closed her book.

...

...

"Um... what kind of person is Xiaoyu's brother?" Roxie Lin lowered her voice, leaning on the desk and asking quietly.

"..." Raina Nan thought for a moment.

"I don't know..."

"Huh? He's your brother, how could you not know?" Roxie Lin looked at her in surprise.

"My brother and I..." Raina Nan hesitated for a moment before speaking softly.

"We don't have a good relationship..."

This was the first time she had ever spoken about this to someone outside of her family.

"If you don't have a good relationship, why would he fight for you?" Roxie Lin asked.

"..." Raina Nan was lost in thought.

"Yu Yu... I'll make the bad person disappear now."

Her brother's words echoed in her ears, just like before.

What did her brother, who had always bullied her, really think?

Since yesterday, she had been a bit confused...

...

...

She has never wasted time on things she can't figure out.

Since she can't figure it out, why bother thinking about it...

She thought it would be the same this time too...

...