ORCBRB – Chapter 16
Chapter 16
The whistle blew. “Time’s up. Students in charge of counting, please report the scores to me.”
Su Ningyue, who was waiting to switch, squeezed onto the mat and asked Sang Shi'an, “Why is your face so red? Do you have a fever?”
Sang Shi'an was extremely embarrassed. Seeing Su Ningyue’s gossipy expression, she said dejectedly, “Isn’t it because I was in a hurry? How embarrassing would it be for a skinny person like me to have to retake the sit-up test?”
Su Ningyue then seemed to discover something amusing and let out a long “Heyyy.” “You made so much noise during your sit-ups. You even knocked Senior Jian’s neck and made it red.”
Sang Shi'an’s gaze followed. Jian Cenyu had typically fair, cool-toned skin. Perhaps she had been hit by Sang Shi'an's teeth, or perhaps not, but now a faint pink blush colored the area.
If one looked closely, they could even see a trace of clear lip gloss, making it look just like a hickey.
Sang Shi'an grew even more embarrassed. Ignoring Su Ningyue’s teasing gaze, she lowered her head and apologized, “I’m sorry, I was a little anxious just now.”
“As long as it didn’t hinder you,” Jian Cenyu said. “You should have passed.”
Sang Shi'an’s drooping eyes immediately lit up. “Really?”
“They’re recording the scores over there. Go take a look.”
In front of the PE teacher’s registration book, Sang Shi'an found her student number and saw the recorded score of 29.
27 was a passing grade; she had just scraped by.
She finally let out a sigh of relief. “That scared me to death.”
Only then did she have a moment to focus on Jian Cenyu. “Why are you here?”
“I was passing by the field after lunch. Your friend said she needed a favor, so I came to see.”
After a while in the wind, the redness on Jian Cenyu’s neck had faded, and she had returned to being the emotionless ice beauty.
The PE teacher’s whistle blew again, urging the second group to start their sit-ups. Sang Shi'an said, “Wait a moment,” and went to hold Su Ningyue’s legs.
Next was the 800-meter run.
Before the race started, Xu Taotao adjusted her watch several times, afraid it was broken. “The passing time is four and a half minutes, right? I need to keep a close eye on my watch so I don’t go over.”
Sang Shi'an asked casually, “If you have the spare energy to look at your watch while running, are you really worried about not making the time?”
“How is that the same?” Xu Taotao said righteously. “I’m not trying to get a good rank. If I run all out, will my legs even be able to take me to class for the next week?”
Sang Shi'an mercilessly mocked her, “Who told you not to exercise regularly.”
Xu Taotao deliberately squeezed in front of her and said sarcastically, “Of course I’m not like you. After all, you have to leave campus for a secret date every day.”
Sang Shi'an: ...
The 800-meter run officially began.
The university fitness test lacked the passion of high school. After about twenty meters, only a few people were running at the front. A large group was clustered together at the back, some even having the leisure to chat.
A girl deliberately squeezed next to Sang Shi'an and asked while panting, “Is Senior Jian waiting for you, Sang Shi'an? I heard you guys talking about a date off-campus. Are you and Senior Jian really dating?”
Tired of this, Sang Shi'an defended her innocence. “Jian Cenyu is a very, very good senior. The times I was avoiding her or being moody were all maliciously captured photos.”
“I often run into her when I go to Professor Xu for help with questions, so we got to know each other. Just now, Su Ningyue hurt her hand, so she came over to help. I'll thank her properly later.”
A perfectly good 800-meter test had turned into such a gossip session that the group of listeners slowed down.
Two minutes had passed, and they hadn't even returned to the starting point. Worried she wouldn't pass, Sang Shi'an sped up and left them behind.
The students behind her looked at each other, shaking their heads. “I feel like she’s spouting nonsense with a straight face.”
“Even the dog at the gate wouldn't believe that.”
Su Ningyue didn’t try to defend Sang Shi'an; it would only make things worse.
On the last half-lap, Sang Shi'an worried Su Ningyue wouldn't make it in time. She waited from a distance and pulled her along as soon as she arrived. “Hurry up, it’s already three and a half minutes.”
Su Ningyue was already out of breath. “Am I… ha… the same as you? Senior Jian… is… waiting for you at the finish line.”
Sang Shi'an said, “She’s just sunbathing on the field.”
Su Ningyue was exasperated. “What’s so good about sunbathing?”
The gossiping students caught up, looking at them curiously. Sang Shi'an covered Su Ningyue’s mouth. “Save your energy. If you keep talking, you’ll really have to run again!”
In the end, Sang Shi'an crossed the finish line at the four-minute mark. After recording her score, Su Ningyue leaned on Sang Shi'an’s shoulder and suggested, “Let’s go buy some ice water?”
Just as Sang Shi'an was about to speak, she saw Jian Cenyu’s gaze turn towards her. Jian Cenyu then raised her hand in her direction, a delicate bracelet on her wrist shimmering in the sunlight.
As if drawn by some force, Sang Shi'an subconsciously pushed Su Ningyue away and walked a few steps toward Jian Cenyu. Then she said to Su Ningyue, “Go find Xu Taotao and the others.”
Under Su Ningyue’s watchful eyes, Jian Cenyu twisted open a bottle of mineral water and held it up to Sang Shi'an’s chin the moment she approached.
Sang Shi'an was startled. As she hesitated whether to take it, she heard Jian Cenyu’s voice by her ear, “You can’t drink anything cold right after running. Make do with this.”
Sang Shi'an looked at the newly opened bottle of water. So Jian Cenyu had gone to buy it for her just now?
Seeing Sang Shi'an’s pursed lips and awkward expression, a hint of confusion appeared in Jian Cenyu’s light-colored eyes. “What’s wrong? Do you want me to feed you?”
Before she could finish, Sang Shi'an snatched the bottle in a fluster. “Who wants you to feed them!”
Jian Cenyu’s gaze lingered on Sang Shi'an’s parted lips for a second before she discreetly looked away, a hint of something like a smile in her eyes.
After the fitness test, everyone went to buy water, and the field was soon filled with a new group of people.
Sang Shi'an and Jian Cenyu walked off the field. As they passed the basketball court, Jian Cenyu glanced at Sang Shi'an’s pulled-open collar and the sweat on her forehead, asking, “Are you hot?”
Sang Shi'an nodded. “I want to go back and take a shower, but I don’t want to walk that far. I’ll just make do in the dorm. There’s hot water there anyway.”
Jian Cenyu suggested, “My car is parked at the school gate. Want a ride?”
Sang Shi'an didn’t ask why Jian Cenyu drove today but felt a bit embarrassed. “Forget it. I’m all sweaty. I’ll get the car seat dirty.”
Jian Cenyu paused, then said, “It’s just a car.”
She asked in a slower tone than usual, “Aren’t we friends?”
The voice entered Sang Shi'an’s left ear, ticklish and spreading like ripples.
Sang Shi'an twisted open the bottle and took a sip of water to suppress the strange feeling in her heart. “...Alright then.”
After the fitness test, almost every university student who hadn’t exercised in a long time suffered from muscle soreness, some even dramatically spraying Yunnan Baiyao. Sang Shi'an, the delicate one, found the smell of the spray unpleasant and refused to use it. When she returned to the dorm for a nap at noon, she climbed the stairs as slowly as a turtle.
But by the weekend, she could no longer hide it.
Fortunately, the driver still came to pick her up to go home on Saturday, so Sang Shi'an didn’t have to walk much. Getting into the car, she casually asked, “Uncle Wang, my brother didn’t come today?”
The driver signaled a turn and glanced at the rearview mirror to tell her, “Madam was afraid the young master would come and not go home again, so she specifically kept him at home.”
Sang Shi'an imagined the scene and burst out laughing.
It was one thing for her parents to control her at her age, but her brother was already twenty-seven and a respectable figure outside. Why was he still so oppressed?
Sang Shi'an asked curiously, “Did my brother deliberately avoid Mom last time?”
The driver shook his head. “I’m not sure about that.”
Sang Shi'an leaned against the window and hummed in acknowledgment, staring blankly at the bustling streets outside and dozing off.
When the car stopped, the driver woke Sang Shi'an. She groggily rubbed her eyes, her gaze sweeping past the car window before suddenly freezing.
Outside, Jian Cenyu was dressed in a white, structured long dress with a tweed-style jacket. Even her square-heeled shoes were coordinated. Her long, dark hair cascaded down her straight back, with a single strand falling over her chest.
So… Jian Cenyu had come to their house all dressed up to put on a show?
Ren Li walked over and opened the car door. “Why aren’t you getting out now that we’re here? I specially invited your Cenyu Jiejie’s family over for dinner today. Aren’t you happy?”
How could Sang Shi'an be happy? But Ren Li’s voice was so gentle that, as usual, she lost her temper. She called out “Mom” and then put on a smile. “Happy, of course I’m happy.”
During the four years Jian Cenyu was abroad, Sang Shi'an had met her parents many times and was not unfamiliar with them. She politely greeted them as “Uncle” and “Auntie.” Then, Jian Cenyu’s mother pulled her over, stuffed a gift box into her hands, and asked as if coaxing a child, “I brought this especially for you. See if you like it?”
Sang Shi'an opened it to find a diamond-encrusted Patek Philippe ladies' watch. Although the two families often exchanged gifts, this one seemed overly expensive.
Sang Shi'an quickly refused. “Auntie Luo, I can’t accept this. It’s too valuable, isn’t it?”
Luo Wei teased her, “I bought it especially for you, so just accept it. This watch isn’t Cenyu’s style anyway. Are you going to make your auntie shamelessly return it?”
Sang Shi'an looked to Ren Li for help, but unexpectedly, Ren Li didn’t stop her either. “Your Auntie Luo and I bought it together. I also bought one for your Cenyu Jiejie. Aren’t you usually quite thick-skinned? Why are you being so well-behaved today?”
“Then I won’t be polite.” Sang Shi'an put the watch on in front of everyone and smiled at Luo Wei. “Auntie Luo, does it look good?”
“It looks good. An'an is pretty, and you look even prettier wearing this watch.”
The group entered the house together. Sang Shi'an walked beside Jian Cenyu and, as they entered, specifically whispered a reminder, “Don’t forget, we have a really, really good relationship, just like when we were kids.”
They absolutely couldn't let anyone see they were acting.
But Jian Cenyu didn’t respond as she usually would.
Sang Shi'an grabbed her in the entryway. “Did you hear me?”
Jian Cenyu’s gaze lingered on the hand holding hers for two seconds before moving away. Her tone was profound. “They won’t be paying attention to us today.”
Sang Shi'an: ?
Sang Shi'an thought Jian Cenyu was deliberately trying to make things difficult for her. All the way to the living room, she kept her voice low, trying to sweet-talk her.
“Are you unhappy because I was blunt these past two days? Can I apologize? I didn’t mean it. I just really don’t want to talk to people. My legs have been killing me since the fitness test, and they still hurt so much today…”
Jian Cenyu, who had been ignoring her, suddenly spoke up. “Your legs hurt?”
Sang Shi'an seized the opportunity to play the victim. “Yeah, I haven’t run in a long time. It must be a muscle strain.”
Jian Cenyu asked again, “Why didn’t you apply any medicine?”
“…I forgot.”
Jian Cenyu gave her a disapproving glance. “I’ll help you later.”
When it was just the two of them, Sang Shi'an resisted having medicine applied. This time, however, she wished everyone in the house could see the intimate scene of Jian Cenyu applying medicine for her. She immediately said, “Okay, okay, I’ll go get the medicine now.”
As she left the living room, she bumped into Sang Shiyue coming downstairs. Sang Shiyue was also in a suit at home today, a more casual style than the black one from last time, which softened his sharp edges. The red embroidered tie added a touch of unrestrained charm.
Sang Shi'an let out an exaggerated “Wow!” “Bro! I was wondering why you didn’t come to pick me up. Turns out you were at home getting all dressed up?”
Sang Shiyue didn’t look very happy but didn’t explain either. “The guests are here. Where are you going?”
“I’m just going to get something. I’ll be right back.” Sang Shi'an waved at him, humming a popular song as she headed towards the storage room.
She chose a medicated cream with a milder scent, ready to return and play the part of a loving sister with Jian Cenyu.
As she turned back towards the living room, Jian Cenyu’s mother was speaking, sounding like she was praising her brother for being handsome and talented. Sang Shi'an thought to herself that her brother was just a big-tailed wolf, two-faced.
Then, her brilliant smile froze on her lips.
Sang Shi'an almost dropped the cream. It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, chilling her to the bone.
Because Jian Cenyu’s mother’s next sentence was—
“…Your mother mentioned it to me last time, and I thought it over when I got home. It’s a good idea. Cenyu is single right now, and our two families have been close for so many years. If we could unite through marriage, it would be the icing on the cake.”
Sang Shi'an almost suspected she was hearing things. She rushed in, her voice drowning out everyone else’s. “Who’s getting married to whom?”
Even the end of her sentence cracked.
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