Bias

Xu Jiao raised her head at once and sharply glanced at Yang Jian, and felt gratified seeing him turn his eyes away without meeting her gaze head-on.

[It finally came…]

"Ah'Jian, what do you mean?"

"I- that's, I mean… little Min, she- she was crying when she told me ah! I mean- you know that she treats you as her best friend, right?" Even Yang Jian didn't know why he felt so nervous and edgy at this moment.

Considering how he gallantly promised Yu Min to discuss this matter with Xu Jiao, if she saw him acting cowardly in this manner, Yu Min would have surely popped a vein from sheer anger.

"What are you trying to say?" Xu Jiao sat up straight on the chair, which made Yang Jian even more nervous. "I didn't scold her or fight with her– so, why is she complaining to you?"

"Aai… you don't know. She told me that her mother was hospitalized this summer– apparently, she wasn't well for some time ah!" Seeing her keep silent, he boldly pressed on.

[Xu Jiao had always been soft-hearted. This time too…]

"She said that's why she couldn't contact you that time! Jiao'ah, don't be angry with her anymore and talk to her… She was also having trouble, just like you!"

[Mother was sick? Heh! Yu Min really exploits this mother of hers every chance she gets, ne?]

She heaved a sigh and then looked directly at Yang Jian, which somehow dredged up that anxious feeling he had been forcing down all this while.

"Ah'Jian… I'm not angry at her only because of that! Ok, let's say her mother was sick at that time so she couldn't contact me… My family also had some trouble but I didn't forget to drop her a message or two even then." Xu Jiao raised a hand to stop the other from interrupting what she was going to say.

"Fine! Let's say that the problem I had might not be as severe as hers. But, this is not what I'm angry about! I'm angry only because this is not the first time!!!"

Yang Jian looked at her in open-mouthed silence while she breathed deeply to force down the anger, aware that others sitting closer to them had looked at her questioningly.

[Damn! I nearly lost it there for a minute. I even forgot this is the library.]

After mouthing a "sorry" to the occupants of their table, she got up and walked away quickly, eager to get away from this place and this eye-sore. From the corner of her eyes, she could vaguely perceive the outline of Yang Jian, who also got up from his chair to chase after her, but she pretended not to notice.

"Jiao'ah– wait!" Just out of the library entrance, he caught up with her, and Xu Jiao also stopped, feeling a detached sense of curiosity like that of an outside observer to know what other absurd excuses this guy would bring up.

"I know you're angry, but– she's your friend ah! I'm sure- I'm sure she won't do something like that… Maybe you didn't remember correctly?"

Hearing her scoffing laugh, Yang Jian flinched unconsciously.

"She contacts you at least occasionally, right? But, do you know that she never contacts me unless she needs something from me?"

[You also do that, but let's just forget it for now.]

"I-"

"Do you know that she always hangs around with that Tang Xuan these days? She really looked fine going to play with her, so how would I know if she was sad or not?"

"Xu Jiao!"

[Oh, back to Xu Jiao I see?]

"Ah'Jian, let me tell you this now… You treat little Min really well, like a close friend, But, did you ever pause to think if she treats you in the same manner? If she treat me as her best friend, why didn't she come to me directly and explain? Instead, she ran over to you and complained. Do you know why?"

"That's not–"

"Alright, I don't want to argue about this with you any longer. You just think slowly by yourself… Realizing it or not is your problem. Anyway, I already told you, and as your friend, I think I did my best to help you…"

She turned around ignoring the stunned expression on Yang Jian's face, but after walking a few steps, she stopped and turn around again to face him.

"Ah… another thing! You know what Tang Xuan is like, right? Unlike us, she's rich and has a lot of money…" She paused for a moment to appreciate the slight change in the other's expression and drawled the rest after a meaningful silence. "Anyway… even her boyfriend, big brother Song is rich… It's only natural for little Min to associate with them rather than with poor people like us!"

Staring at Yang Jian, whose face now had a slightly twisted expression on it -he is probably not even aware of it-, Xu Jiao took two steps back, the expression on her face looking forlorn and tired, and then squeezed out a smile that somehow looked uglier than crying.

"Ah'Jian… You take care!"

Yang Jian stood frozen on the spot, watching the slender back moving further and further away from him, his heart suddenly feeling a peculiar ache. The back view of the other looked lonely and fragile, and he suddenly had this feeling in his heart like he lost something extremely valuable, while he stood watching the figure that disappeared in the distance.

It was uncomfortable and heavy and made his chest feel tight and his eyes sore. And, he didn't like it; Yang Jian bit his lips and turned around to walk away in the opposite direction, all the while trying to push back the unsettling feeling in his heart.

***

The evening was gradually approaching, and the cloudless sky was slowly starting to display different shades of colors than it did during the daytime. Guo Shen leaned on the window sill near the table where they were sitting and stared outside absentmindedly, his posture one of graceful indolence.

Girls sitting at nearby tables were giggling under their breaths and secretly shooting glances his way, while some boys would occasionally throw envious or admiring looks in his direction. Wang Jin finally couldn't take it anymore and poked Guo Shen with a ruler, which not only managed to earn him the other's attention as well as an icy glare, which then smoothed out into a charming smile, which somehow looked eerier than that earlier frown.

Wang Jin gulped with some trepidation, but still pressed on after a few seconds of hesitation, reminding Su He of the saying 'fools know no fear'. Shaking his head slightly, Su He settled into a more comfortable position, readying himself to watch the good show that's about to air in front of him; nothing more amusing than seeing this devil dissing others, except of course when he makes you the target of his poisonous attacks.

"Eh, Old Guo… why are we still here? See all those girls looking over here!"

"So?"

"What do you mean by so? It's so uncomfortable having people peeping at you here and there! How can we even study like this!?"

"They're not looking at you anyway… Even I don't mind, so why are you acting up?"

"..."

"And you say it disturbs your studies? How come I didn't know you like studying so much, hmm?"

Wang Jin felt attacked, both physically and mentally. Why does this guy always speak in this manner; even enemies don't treat each other this way ah, much less people who're friends!

"You– did you have to put it this way?"

"What?"

"Fine! I get it– those girls are staring at you… but it's so damn uncomfortable! You might not mind, but I do! And, what about my studies?"

"Then you go sit somewhere else… end of the problem."

"..."

"Ah, I forgot… we came here because you asked me to tutor you… What should we do now?"

Guo Shen sounded genuinely remorseful and worried if you ignore the lazy drawl in his voice and the devilish glint in his eyes. Su He stifled a peal of laughter that threatened to bubble forth and patted the head of Wang Jin, who was crying without tears on his shoulder.

"Second… what he said has some truth. Ignore those people."

Then ignoring the other's accusing glance, he schooled his features into the habitual gentle smile and turned his gaze over to the person half leaning over the window sill; old second naturally possesses this slightly excitable personality, which always clashes with old Guo's terrible nature with its sadistic tendencies.

[Well… they're amusing for one.]

[It's fun seeing Old Wang hopping mad like this on- Hmm… What's that?]

Su He also peered out of the window, seeing the sudden change in Guo Shen's face; yet, except for a few dozens of students milling about on the library grounds, nothing out of the ordinary could be seen. Feeling curious, he turned towards the other wanting to ask what interesting thing he saw down there but then froze right in his tracks while his eyes lost that gentle smile in them to be replaced by unadulterated shock.

[What is that!?]