Chapter 27: Don’t Worry
Senior year was dull and exhausting.
Every day was the same. Endless practice tests, piles of worksheets, and even the short breaks between classes were often taken over by teachers extending their lessons.
It was just like the nightmare Chen Cheng kept having...
"The school sports day is coming up soon~"
By the time lunch break rolled around, she was already drained. She bought a bread roll from the snack shop and, spotting the large sports day banner in the distance, planned to take it back to the classroom to eat slowly.
But just as she turned, she saw someone waving at her from the field.
She adjusted her glasses and squinted slightly to see more clearly. It was her two best friends.
Her eyesight might be getting worse…
After a brief hesitation, she walked over to the artificial grass field.
"Come, sit, sit!" Chen Shuting got up excitedly, grabbing her arm and pulling her down. "What'd you buy?"
"Meat floss bread."
Chen Cheng glanced at Hu Wei sitting nearby. Even though this small, cute girl was totally her type, ever since that one P.E. class, she couldn't help but feel a little annoyed by her.
"What are you two doing out here?" She sat cross-legged, looking over at the teachers and students preparing for the event.
"The weather's nice, so we're just chatting and soaking up the sun."
"Oh..."
It really was a beautiful day, around 27 or 28 degrees, warm sunlight, and a gentle breeze that played with her bangs, making the slight heat feel more bearable. It was actually kind of relaxing.
"Aren't you with An Yuan?"
Chen Cheng pointed toward the basketball court in the distance and grumbled, "The moment he has free time, he runs off to play. He hasn't even had lunch yet."
For some reason, her childhood friend had developed an obsession with basketball, almost like he had to burn off all his extra energy every day.
She had no idea where he got all that stamina from. Meanwhile, she was always exhausted, especially after classes. All she ever wanted to do was find a cozy spot to lie down and clear her mind.
"Chengcheng, isn't this outfit cute~?"
Chen Shuting was playing a dress-up game and proudly held up her phone to show off her "daughter."
"Yeah, yeah, it looks nice…"
"You should download it too! Play with us~"
"I don't like mobile games."
She had zero interest in dress-up games. Yawning, she lay down flat on the grass, staring up at the vast, cloudless blue sky.
Seeing this, Chen Shuting naturally lay down too, resting her head on Chen Cheng's lap.
"..."
Hu Wei glanced at them, then shifted her position to lie down as well, forming a stable triangle between the three of them. With a friendly smile, she offered, "Chengcheng, you can rest on my lap if you want?"
—She had to admit, girls' thighs were incredibly soft, way better than any pillow.
But Chen Cheng still felt a little awkward, her body stiffening. She had never really gotten used to close physical interactions between girls.
"Is our class participating in the sports day?" Hu Wei asked eagerly. "If we do, that means no classes, right?"
"We're in our final year already. The sports day doesn't concern us."
"How do you know that, Chengcheng?"
Because back in my world, seniors didn't get a day off for this!
"At most, a few people will be picked to compete. The rest of us will still have regular classes."
Taking off her glasses, Chen Cheng adjusted her position slightly and found the softest spot on Hu Wei's thigh. Closing her eyes, she settled in to make the most of the two-hour lunch break.
Girls always smelled nice… I wonder if I smell nice too?
She wanted to empty her mind, but random thoughts kept creeping in.
What should she do once she gets into college and has more free time? Where was her life supposed to go?
Even though this was a parallel world, a lot of things followed familiar patterns, like the booming live streaming industry that was just starting to take off.
But becoming a streamer? No way. She hated being in the spotlight, wasn't particularly funny or talkative, and wasn't a gaming pro either.
Writing novels? Even worse. That would've made crossing into this world completely pointless.
"Hey! Chengcheng! Chengcheng!"
Someone shook her arm. She groggily opened her eyes, seeing Chen Shuting's nervous expression as she pointed into the distance.
"What's wrong?"
"An Yuan is with some girl I don't recognize! And she's super tall!"
Chen Cheng rolled her eyes. "So what if they're together..."
Why are you more concerned about An Yuan's love life than I am?
Even though she said that, she still couldn't stop herself from putting on her glasses and quickly sitting up. Following Chen Shuting's gaze, she spotted An Yuan chatting and laughing with an unfamiliar girl as they walked into the snack shop.
Huh?
"An Yuan, playing two sides?" Hu Wei crawled over excitedly, eyes practically sparkling with gossip. "Chengcheng, are you just gonna let this slide? No way, right?"
"What does this have to do with me?" Chen Cheng turned away, refusing to look. "I've already told you, An Yuan and I are just friends."
"Really?"
"Of course."
But despite her words, a familiar burning sensation welled up in her chest, like getting splashed with concentrated vinegar. Her expression stiffened slightly.
She always knew that An Yuan would eventually date someone.
Sooner or later, the two of them would go their separate ways.
But knowing it didn't make it any easier...
"That's probably just a friend," she analyzed rationally. "They don't seem that close."
Besides, An Yuan had never mentioned any other girls before.
"See? You do care, Chengcheng~" Chen Shuting teased with a grin.
"Exactly, exactly!"
"Exactly, my foot!"
Chen Cheng flopped back onto the grass. She admitted she had a bit of a possessive streak when it came to her childhood friend, but it was purely in a best friends kind of way. Anyone would feel annoyed if their closest friend ditched them to hang out with someone else, right?
"They're coming out! Looks like they bought two packs of water and are heading to the basketball court!"
Hearing Hu Wei's update, Chen Cheng propped herself up on her elbows and glanced over at An Yuan.
She felt a little restless. Grabbing her still-unopened bread, she stood up.
"Where are you going?" Chen Shuting asked.
"Back to the classroom to do homework."
"You're not gonna check on An Yuan?"
Chen Cheng shot her a glare.
She wasn't that nosy, she didn't need to know every single person An Yuan hung out with!
—-Though, she kind of wanted to ask.
"We're coming too!"
Her two friends trailed behind her, whispering to each other. She didn't need to hear to know they were gossiping again.
Ugh, it's senior year, shouldn't they be focusing on studying instead of spreading rumors?
By the time they got back, there were only six or seven students left in the classroom. Some were napping at their desks, while others were quietly working on assignments.
Chen Cheng sat down, checked her phone, no messages, then finally opened her bread and started eating.
But after just a couple of bites, she found herself absentmindedly propping her chin up, staring at the hallway outside the window.
If An Yuan was going to date someone, couldn't he at least wait until college? Dating in senior year would totally mess with his studies. And if they ended up at different universities, long-distance relationships sucked...
Wait, why did she even care so much about An Yuan's love life?!
She sighed softly, then heard footsteps approaching. Looking up, she saw Gao Dong strolling in through the back door, carrying his autumn uniform jacket. He was only wearing a white tank top underneath, looking completely laid-back.
Clearly, he had just finished playing basketball.
"Gao Dong, come here for a second," Chen Cheng waved him over.
Gao Dong paused, then walked over to her desk hesitantly. "What's up?"
Lowering her voice, she leaned in slightly and asked, "Tell me, who's that girl with An Yuan?"
At the same time, she shot a wary glance at Hu Wei and Chen Shuting, worried they'd overhear.
She highly suspected that most of the rumors about her and An Yuan had come from those two.
Gao Dong glanced at her, then suddenly seemed to realize something. Changing his tone, he smirked.
"Oh, she's just someone who plays basketball with us a lot… A sports student from Class 3. She's pretty average-looking, don't worry."
Phew, that's a relief!
"What do you mean 'don't worry'? I was just curious, okay? And don't tell An Yuan I asked!"
"Don't worry, my lips are sealed!"
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