Minodayz: A new week begins. I have to admit I can"t stop getting those ominous feeling with this new girl. It"s like a timebomb waiting to explode. Oh well, how will LEQ take it all in and what is her reaction now that she is officially girlfriend. I believe our fave knight will appear again. Enjoy the read…
Chapter 51.2
Li Erqin left them halfway en route back to the cla.s.sroom and went to the broadcast studio. As she slowly climbed the stairs, all by herself, she felt that something was off with her. She couldn"t understand why she was so opposed to the letter that Shi Meng had, or why she was so opposed to giving her Rong Si"s number. Clearly, in the past, she had helped to pa.s.s love letters to Rong Si. Anyway, every single time, Rong Si would only glance at the letters without expression and not even bother to read the content.
It was just that, after having confirmed their relationship, she found herself starting to become sensitive about such situations. In fact, she was sensitive about everything.
In truth, she was more uncomfortable than anyone else when Rong Si left school for the compet.i.tion.
Because she missed him.
Even though she had missed him throughout the 2-month long summer vacation, it was nothing compared to the deep sense of longing she felt this morning.
She shook her head self-mockingly and fished out the keys to unlock the broadcast room door. She said to herself, softly, "Li Erqin, look how quickly you"ve come undone."
She was absent-minded and preoccupied during the noon broadcast, and the entire staff and student body was witness to the listlessness of the female student broadcaster. Li Erqin read directly from her script and, after finishing her last sentence, had no clue what she herself had just said.
She lost track of how many times she had looked at her cell phone. The screen was clear, no notifications.
No text from Rong Si.
No idea what he was doing. Was he eating, or still in training?
Or had the compet.i.tion already started?
Li Erqin locked the broadcast room door and turned around to see leaden grey skies that opened up to pouring rain. She wondered if it was the last storm of summer, as the rumbling thunder resonated over her head again and again.
Big drops of rain splashed on the corridor railing, soaking her left sleeve. She was in no hurry to return to the cla.s.sroom so she sat in the corner against the wall, looked out at the autumn rain falling steadily beyond the school building and listened at leisure to the pitter pattering of the rain.
Ruan Mingxian, who had deliberately taken the long way round to see if he would "get lucky", rounded the staircase. In that moment, he caught sight of Li Erqin in her short-sleeved uniform, sitting by the wall.
This autumn rainstorm was both sudden and heavy. Although Li Erqin was sitting in the inmost corner, her pants and legs were very wet.
"Why aren"t you waiting out the storm in the broadcast room?"
Li Erqin heard Ruan Mingxian"s voice coming from somewhere over her head and looked up. Her eyes looked especially radiant, as if the autumn rain had glistened them.
Li Erqin smiled at him, not at all surprised at his sudden appearance. Pointing at the tree branches just outside the corridor, she said, "It"s the first sign of autumn."
Ruan Mingxian looked in the direction she was pointing at and saw a yellow leaf hanging from a branch, battered violently by the rain.
He sat with her. While leaning his head back against the wall, he turned to look at her. "I thought you were sheltering from the rain."
Li Erqin turned to look at him. "Are you sheltering from the rain?"
Ruan Mingxian grinned at her wordlessly. "Nope. I came here on purpose looking for something."
"Looking for me?"
"Yup."
"Something up?"
"Nope."
The rain continued to fall.
The wet patch on her pants was growing bigger, and the autumn chill was spreading up her ankles to her legs. Li Erqin pulled her legs closer to her body and asked, "Is the third year busy?"
"It"s ok." Ruan Mingxian shifted a little towards Li Erqin. "It"s not all that different from second year."
Li Erqin felt the warmth radiating from the boy next to her and clasped her ankles with her hands. "Have you thought about which university you"d like to go to?"
Ruan Mingxian laughed indifferently. "Nope. I"ll go wherever my results can take me. What about you?"
Li Erqin pursed her lips and gave him a look. "Not telling you."
Ruan Mingxian laughed heartily as he said, "Why can"t you tell me? I"ll take the exam a year ahead of you; even if I knew, I wouldn"t be able to pursue you."
Li Erqin looked at him quietly. "You said not to talk about Rong Si in front of you."
Ruan Mingxian was surprised. "That has never stopped you."
Li Erqin smiled. "Well, on the account that it"s almost your birthday."
Ruan Mingxian bent his legs. "However, you mentioning this is no different from talking about him."
Li Erqin once again did not say anything.
It was halfway through the afternoon self-study session before the rain began to let up a little. Li Erqin gauged the possibility of successfully dashing back to the cla.s.sroom and stood up. "I"m going to run back to the cla.s.sroom."
Without the slightest hesitation, Ruan Mingxian said, "Let"s run together."
Li Erqin walked down the stairs to the building exit and rushed out into the rain without a moment"s pause or preparation. Ruan Mingxian was initially stunned by her decisiveness, and then he took a deep breath and chased after her.
(Minodayz: This reminds me of LEQ jumping out her room window! Hahahaha!)
The two of them ran quickly but were still thoroughly soaked by the time they reached the school building. Li Erqin"s bra straps were faintly visible through her now translucent white, short-sleeved uniform blouse.
Ruan Mingxian took one look and turned his head.
"What about . . . why don"t we wait until we"ve dried off a little before going back to cla.s.s?"
Li Erqin looked down at herself and flushed instantly. "Ah . . . ok."
Ruan Mingxian pointed to a corner under the staircase. "Over there? It"s sheltered from the rain and the wind, and there"s no one."
"Actually, it doesn"t matter . . ."
Ruan Mingxian gave her a look of disapproval and pulled her next to him. "The uniform material dries very quickly, just wait a little while."
Li Erqin made no retort and did not reject his suggestion either.
Feeling that she ought to find a topic they could talk about, she whispered to Ruan Mingxian, "Do you know?"
"What?"
Li Erqin dropped her voice even further. Her mysterious demeanour prompted Ruan Mingxian to laugh aloud.
"Usually, when I"m in such corners, I hear people talking about me."
Ruan Mingxian naturally remembered that occasion when he had heard her being talked about in cla.s.s. With a wry smile, he asked, "How do you do it?"
"Huh?"
"Get so many people to talk about you."
Li Erqin pursed her lips. "I"m not saying."
"Is it Rong Si again?"
With a deadpan face, Li Erqin said, "Even if I don"t mention him, you always bring him up."
Ruan Mingxian said helplessly, "Who knew that everything in your life is connected to Rong Si?"
Li Erqin cheerfully agreed.
Ruan Mingxian slapped his hand to his forehead. "What are you so happy about?"
Li Erqin was so happy that the corners of her mouth had lifted up.
"In any case, what does it have to do with Rong Si?"
Minodayz" s Musing :
An interesting interlude with RS away. I have to admit, while I miss RS, this chapter does give insight to LEQ, how she view their relationship, the reality of her heart and how much she has changed. It"s nice that she can still talk with RMX and he is always a source of support too. Someone outside the group. Their conversation always seem to help her focus on the main issue and almost enlightens her. It"s so hard not to love RMX. Well, grateful that there isn"t any drama in this chapter but still…ominous feeling hovering! I"m sensing the calm before the storm.
Translator: shl
Translation Checker: Minodayz
Editor: maripaz
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