PANT - Chapter 80
Chapter 80
It was only after transferring schools that Shi Ning remembered something.
She and Su Tianxue had known each other for so many years. While they weren’t exactly close enough to have shared a single pair of pants growing up, they had at least worn the same kindergarten, elementary, and middle school uniforms!
And yet!
And yet!
She didn’t even have Su Tianxue’s contact information!
In an era where QQ was all the rage, she and Su Tianxue weren’t even QQ friends!
To show off how much of a maverick she was in class, Shi Ning hadn’t even joined the class group chat.
So, finding Su Tianxue’s contact info in the group chat was out of the question.
Shi Ning gritted her teeth, clutching her flip phone, unable to understand how things had turned out this way.
But if she had to go wait for her at the school gate or Su Tianxue’s house just to ask for her contact information, Shi Ning wasn’t willing to do that.
That… that would make it look like she was pursuing Su Tianxue.
…Pursuing?
The moment that word popped into her head, goosebumps broke out all over Shi Ning’s skin.
What a joke!
There was no way she would pursue that Big Ice Cube!
Shi Ning gritted her teeth, tossed her phone aside, and buried her head in her books.
The high school entrance exams weren’t far off.
She was going to get into the best high school and then crush Su Tianxue in the city-wide rankings.
This time, she would be number one.
The seemingly endless three months of studying were over.
The moment she walked out of the exam hall, Shi Ning suddenly felt as if all the unbearable practice problems from the past had turned into wind and blown away.
She’d had bad luck and wasn’t in the same exam hall as Su Tianxue.
She had no idea how Su Tianxue had done.
On the day the city-wide results were posted, Shi Ning lived up to expectations and took first place. Her teachers called her one after another, and even the best key high school immediately invited her to enroll.
A red banner with the news of her success was hung on campus.
When Shi Ning heard this, she felt a small flicker of joy for a moment, but then her heart was calm again.
Mostly, she wondered—how did she get first place?
Shouldn’t Su Tianxue be number one?
Why didn’t she get first? Was she not feeling well? Was she distracted by an early romance behind her back?
Oh, that girl was indeed quite popular at school.
With these thoughts, Shi Ning went straight to her family’s desktop computer, logged into QQ, and opened the city-wide ranking list her teacher had sent.
One look, and Shi Ning was stunned.
She was first.
But second place wasn’t Su Tianxue.
She scanned further down the list, but Su Tianxue was nowhere to be seen.
Finally, at the 300th position, she found Su Tianxue’s name.
How could this be?
Shi Ning collapsed into her chair, staring at the results. She recognized every character on the list, but together, they formed only one word: absurd.
Her grandmother happily sliced some pears and brought them to Shi Ning, wanting to celebrate her triumphant victory. But Shi Ning was like a gust of wind, grabbing her keys and rushing out, leaving only an afterimage for her grandmother.
“This child! In such a hurry!” her grandmother scolded with a laugh, picking up a slice of pear and taking a bite.
Ah.
So sweet.
Munching on the pear, her grandmother picked up her Nokia.
“Hey, yes, our Shi Ning got first place.”
“It’s alright, I guess. The kid doesn’t even study that much usually.”
Hmph, her grandmother was doing this for no other reason than to get back at those annoying relatives who always looked down on Shi Ning and nagged about her at every family gathering.
And Shi Ning? She hailed a cab and sped all the way to the teachers’ apartment complex.
The security guard at the gate recognized her and opened it for her.
Shi Ning said thanks and dashed toward the place she remembered.
She rang the doorbell, again and again.
No one answered.
So Shi Ning squatted by the door like a pitiful puppy.
When a neighbor who had just moved in came out of the elevator and saw a big kid squatting by the door, they were startled. After getting home, they sent a message to Su Tianxue’s parents, “Teacher Su, it looks like a student is waiting for you at your door.”
Su Tianxue’s family was out on a trip to the suburbs to relax.
Su Tianxue’s parents were worried she was in a bad mood after her poor exam results, so they had taken her out for some fresh air.
Seeing the message, Mother Su asked the neighbor to take a picture.
The neighbor stealthily snapped a photo and sent it over. Mother Su was shocked.
“Oh my, isn’t that Shi Ning?”
Su Tianxue, who had been sitting by the riverbank reading an astronomy book, looked up, closed her book, and came over.
It really was Shi Ning.
Mother Su muttered, “Why is this child at our door? Did she not do well on the exam?”
Su Tianxue said quietly, “She’s number one.”
Mother Su was taken aback. “Don’t tell me she came all this way just to show off to our Tianxue?”
Father Su: “It’s not impossible.”
Su Tianxue sighed. “Mom, I want to go home now.”
Mother Su: “But we only just got here half an hour ago!”
Su Tianxue: “But I want to go home.”
Their daughter rarely made requests. How could her parents not indulge her now?
So Father Su packed up his fishing rod, and they drove back.
On the way, Su Tianxue even said, “Dad, can you drive a little faster, while being safe, of course?”
How rare. Usually, when he drove, his daughter would only ever nag him to “slow down.”
She’d really had a change of heart today.
The car sped along the city highway.
The moment they reached the parking lot, Su Tianxue bolted from the car, even forgetting the astronomy book she always loved to carry.
She left her parents behind and got on the elevator alone.
The elevator reached the tenth floor. With a ding, the doors opened.
The person who had been squatting by her door was gone.
Shi Ning wasn’t there.
Su Tianxue panted, leaning against the wall. She looked up at the voice-activated lightbulb her movements had triggered and murmured, “Did I miss her again?”
“Miss what?”
Shi Ning emerged from what used to be her home and was now someone else’s, a doll-head-shaped ice cream in her mouth and a mung bean popsicle in her hand.
It turned out the neighbor lady had seen how pitiful she looked and invited her inside to rest, even giving her some ice cream.
Shi Ning hadn’t been shy. She took one for herself and even grabbed one for Su Tianxue.
She held out the Green Mood popsicle in her hand.
“For you.”
Su Tianxue lowered her gaze. “I don’t eat ice cream.”
Shi Ning cursed, “Bullshit!”
“Every time I climbed the wall to skip school, I saw you secretly buying Green Mood popsicles at the snack shop!”
Su Tianxue: “…”
The neighbor lady laughed, shook her head cheerfully, and went back into her own apartment, not wanting to disturb the two kids’ conversation.
When Su Tianxue’s parents arrived with all their bags, there was no one at their door.
Because Su Tianxue and Shi Ning had gone up to the rooftop.
The sunlight was perfect—bright, but not scorching.
The ice cream was melting a little, and Shi Ning stuck out her tongue to catch the drips.
Su Tianxue faced away from the building, methodically tearing open the popsicle wrapper. She asked nonchalantly, “Did you need me for something?”
Shi Ning made a sound of acknowledgment. “How come you didn’t get first place?”
Su Tianxue glanced at her. “How come you got first place?”
Hearing this, Shi Ning huffed. “With my own ability!”
Su Tianxue: “Then I also used my own ability to not get first place.”
Her words made Shi Ning’s teeth itch with frustration. She took a vicious bite of her ice cream, only to shiver from the cold.
Su Tianxue’s eyes curved into a smile.
She didn’t tell Shi Ning that she had intentionally controlled her score because she wanted to go to the same high school as her.
Who knew that Shi Ning would soar instead.
It made sense. The girl was naturally smart.
Beating her every single time before hadn’t been an easy task.
While she was studying hard at home, Shi Ning was always downstairs playing with other kids.
Even so, Shi Ning was always a close second.
Su Tianxue never dared to relax for a moment.
“What are you thinking about?” Shi Ning was squatting by the rooftop ledge, drawing on the ground with her finished popsicle stick.
Su Tianxue shook her head and said nothing.
Shi Ning couldn’t hold it in anymore and asked the question she’d been wanting to ask.
“Do you hate me?”
Su Tianxue looked down at her. “What about you? Do you hate me?”
Shi Ning’s drawing hand suddenly stopped.
She turned her head away. “I don’t know.”
But the tips of her ears turned red.
It seemed she didn’t hate Su Tianxue.
She hated what her mother did, but she didn’t have the courage to confront her mother, so she directed all her anger at Su Tianxue, constantly going against her.
But in reality… Su Tianxue was a very good person.
A very good-looking person.
Su Tianxue hit the nail on the head. “In kindergarten, you wouldn’t even let me be your wife.”
Shi Ning’s eyes widened. “That happened?!”
Su Tianxue actually offered to be her wife!
Shi Ning said nonchalantly, “Don’t tell me you like me?”
Girls like her were often confessed to by other girls.
Shi Ning had secretly looked it up. It was called being a lesbian.
But she wasn’t sure if she was one. Could Su Tianxue be one?
The probing, playful tone in Shi Ning’s voice annoyed Su Tianxue. She tossed her popsicle stick at Shi Ning’s head, left behind three words, and turned to leave: “In your dreams.”
Shi Ning picked up the stick and chased after her. “Hey, why are you littering? And you call yourself a model student? You—”
She couldn’t finish her sentence.
Because Su Tianxue had suddenly stopped and turned around. Shi Ning wasn’t paying attention, and their faces collided.
They didn’t kiss, because Shi Ning put a hand out to brace herself against the rooftop door, controlling the distance.
But Su Tianxue’s face was suddenly so, so close to hers.
The wind blowing between them seemed to carry the sound of their heartbeats.
So her eyelashes were this long.
So her lips looked this soft.
So…
She didn’t seem so cold after all.
Shi Ning puckered her lips to kiss her, but was slapped away by Su Tianxue.
Su Tianxue glared at her. “Are you crazy?”
Shi Ning was unfazed. “We’re both girls. What’s wrong with a little kiss?”
Su Tianxue: “Get lost!”
Watching Su Tianxue flee in disarray, Shi Ning stood there and thought: Oh, it seems Su Tianxue isn’t a lesbian. I am.
Shi Ning and Su Tianxue didn’t end up in the same high school.
However, their two high schools were right across the street from each other.
A High and B High, mortal enemy schools.
On Shi Ning’s first day, she overheard the teachers saying, “I heard that Su Tianxue who flunked the entrance exam went to the school across the street. They’ll probably be giving our school a run for its money from now on.”
“It’s fine, we have the city’s number one.”
“But I heard this city’s number one could only ever get second place in elementary and middle school.”
Shi Ning: “…”
Could you please not gossip in front of the students!!
Shi Ning was competitive.
She felt she carried the hopes of her school, so she was determined to beat Su Tianxue academically.
However, this resolve turned to bubbles during high school swimming class.
A High and B High actually shared an indoor gymnasium and swimming pool, and the fight for usage rights was the main source of conflict between the two schools.
As luck would have it, Shi Ning’s and Su Tianxue’s classes were scheduled for swimming at the same time.
Shi Ning was bold, wearing a standard two-piece swimsuit that showed off her defined waist and faint abs, attracting the gazes of many girls.
Su Tianxue was dressed very conservatively in a long-sleeved one-piece, looking like she was about to go diving. But even so, the curves of her figure were still clearly visible.
Su Tianxue couldn’t swim. Shi Ning knew this.
After all, the two of them had taken a swimming lesson together in kindergarten.
Seeing Su Tianxue clinging to the side of the pool practicing her breathing, a male classmate of hers was about to go over and offer some pointers. But Shi Ning dove into the water with a freestyle stroke, sending a huge splash into the guy’s face.
Then she swam a quick lap, came up beside Su Tianxue, wiped the water from her face, and looked at her, tilting her chin up. “Still haven’t learned?”
Su Tianxue stared at her coldly.
Shi Ning’s lips curved into a smile. “Call me Jiejie, and I’ll teach you.”
Su Tianxue: “I’m a month older than you.”
Shi Ning huffed.
She pulled her goggles back down, ready to swim away, when she felt her swimsuit being tugged in the water.
A gentle pull, swaying with the ripples.
The person behind her called out, “Jiejie.”
Shi Ning’s heart sped up.
Standing in the water, she suddenly didn’t know how to move.
Su Tianxue: “Are you going to teach me or not?”
Hearing her voice return to normal, Shi Ning blinked, turned around, and placed her hands on Su Tianxue’s shoulders to adjust her posture.
“Your form is wrong.”
Shi Ning’s mouth opened and closed, but she had no idea what she was saying. All she knew was—Su Tianxue had called her Jiejie.
Ai.
She didn’t want her heart to flutter.
But Su Tianxue had called her Jiejie.
For the rest of the swimming lessons, Shi Ning was like a peacock spreading its tail, circling Su Tianxue and frantically showing off her swimming skills.
After class, her classmates all said, “Shi-jie, that was a powerful move.”
Shi Ning was stunned. Did everyone figure out what I’m thinking?
A classmate remarked with admiration, “You’re using your own strengths to attack her weaknesses and crush Su Tianxue’s confidence.”
Shi Ning: “…”
Get lost!!!
Classmate: “You two really are worthy of being lifelong rivals. Looks like the rumors were true.”
Shi Ning: “…”
She really wanted to go back in time and slap herself.
At three years old, she had a wife right in front of her and didn’t know how to cherish her.
Now… Heh.
Shi Ning had always been a person of action.
After realizing her feelings and attraction, she began pursuing Su Tianxue without a second thought.
For example, she brought her milk tea before a chemistry competition, which resulted in Su Tianxue having to turn in her paper early to go to the bathroom.
Classmate: “Shi-jie, that move was so devious.”
Shi Ning: “…”
Another example: during the joint school sports meet, Shi Ning would win a crazy number of gold medals, then take her stack of honors and present them to Su Tianxue.
Classmate: “Shi-jie, that’s some next-level taunting.”
Shi Ning looked at the single participation award next to Su Tianxue and fell silent.
Did pursuing a wife have to be this difficult??
Summer was almost over. Shi Ning still didn’t have a wife.
During the last swimming lesson, Su Tianxue changed her swimsuit.
She wasn’t wearing the conservative one-piece; she had changed into a blue, floral-print two-piece.
Her long black hair was tied up. She sat by the edge of the pool, slowly rinsing her goggles and preparing to put on her swim cap.
Shi Ning grabbed a nearby towel and walked over without a word.
She had originally intended to cover Su Tianxue with the towel to block the lecherous gazes of those annoying boys.
Who knew that her foot would slip on the towel, sending her crashing straight into Su Tianxue.
—Fuck.
The two of them fell into the two-meter-deep water together.
Shi Ning choked on water.
Su Tianxue actually dragged her out.
While the teacher scolded Shi Ning for her carelessness, her waterlogged brain had only one thought.
—Su Tianxue… seems to know how to swim.
When the class ended, Shi Ning, who was supposed to leave through a different door, insisted on following Su Tianxue’s class through their exit.
She grabbed Su Tianxue’s arm. She didn’t say anything, but her eyes were full of persistence.
Everyone else had gone to change.
By the shimmering pool that smelled of chlorine, only Su Tianxue and Shi Ning remained.
Shi Ning had wanted to ask, “Do you know how to swim?”
But Su Tianxue spoke first. “I do know how to swim. Any other questions? If not, I’m leaving.”
Shi Ning’s one-track mind got stuck. She said, “Yes.”
“Do you like me?”
Before Su Tianxue could answer, Shi Ning said, “Su Tianxue, I think I kind of like you.”
“Do you think I could be your girlfriend?”
Su Tianxue raised an eyebrow slightly, unable to suppress a smile.
Seeing her expression, Shi Ning’s heart leaped with joy, thinking victory was within her grasp.
Who knew Su Tianxue’s next words would be—
“No.”
“You can’t.”
Shi Ning’s entire face fell, like a puppy that didn’t get its bone.
“Eh? Eh? Eh??”
“Why? Why??”
She relentlessly followed Su Tianxue, chasing her all the way to her school’s changing room.
“Why not?”
Su Tianxue pushed Shi Ning’s approaching face away with one hand. “I’m going to change. Are you planning on staying here?”
Shi Ning’s face flushed, and she said coyly, “If you insist.”
Su Tianxue: “Get lost.”
Shi Ning sighed and headed back to her own school’s changing room.
After changing and leaving the swimming pool, just as they were about to part ways, Su Tianxue suddenly called out to her.
The other students all looked over curiously.
Shi Ning ran over to Su Tianxue without a second thought.
“What is it? What is it! Did you decide to say yes!”
Her eyes were shining, full of expectation.
Su Tianxue held her swim bag. “Give me your QQ number.”
Shi Ning: “Huh?”
Su Tianxue was a little impatient. “When you pursue someone, don’t you take the initiative to ask for their contact information?”
Shi Ning: “Oh!”
She quickly recited her number. “Should I find a piece of paper for you? Can you remember it?”
Su Tianxue gave Shi Ning a look that said, obviously, and turned to leave.
That night, Shi Ning clutched her phone, waiting for a little red notification dot.
When it lit up, Shi Ning could only think—
Oh.
My. God.
Her love had arrived.
Su Tianxue: Shi Ning?
Shi Ning: Yes, it’s me!!!
Shi Ning: Hehehehe.
Shi Ning: So can I start pursuing you now?
Su Tianxue: If you promise not to bring me milk tea before an exam.
Shi Ning: Are you lactose intolerant?
But back in kindergarten, when she didn’t like drinking milk, Su Tianxue would always drink it for her. At the time, she thought Su Tianxue was just greedy for her milk.
Looking back now… that girl was clearly greedy for her!!
Shi Ning tossed and turned in bed for a long time before she couldn’t resist calling Su Tianxue.
“What.” Su Tianxue’s voice was cold.
“Just wanted to talk to you.”
Su Tianxue: “I have nothing to say to you.”
Shi Ning’s voice grew serious.
“I have something to say.”
“Su Tianxue.”
“Hm?”
“I’m going to pursue you properly.”
“I’ll make up for the past ten-plus years. I’ll pursue you for as long as you want. Even if you don’t want me to pursue you anymore, I won’t give up.”
—Anyway, Shi Ning always felt there was a kind of fate between her and Su Tianxue.
It was as if they had already fallen in love in countless universes.
This time, it was simply a matter of falling in love all over again.
The End
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