Li Chunhua's mood was foul all day. She actually didn't want to fight with Li Caiyi, but she just couldn't accept the fact that her sister was trying to separate from her.
It reminded her about the first time Li Caiyi said they should keep some distance from each other, but she could sense that Li Caiyi's seriousness this time was on a whole different level. If only she restrained herself the second she noticed Li Caiyi's change, their relationship probably wouldn't be in this state. She had underestimated her sister this time.
Li Chunhua could still live with it if Li Caiyi hated her, but she might die if her sister ignored her. Only when she acted brattily would her sister respond to her.
When the school bell signaled the break time ring, Li Chunhua thought about 'bothering' her sister again, so she went to her classroom. Then, she saw Li Caiyi had fun chatting with her friends.
Li Chunhua remembered her sister's warning not to get too close to her friends again, and it made her feel sad. There was no way they would welcome her after what she had done, so Li Chunhua aborted her plan.
She wasn't in the mood to eat in the cafeteria, so she bought some bread plus a box of strawberry milk and went to the school backyard to organize her thoughts.
S International High School had a beautiful garden in the backyard. The students could use the benches and spend time with their friends while enjoying nature. Bringing food and drinks inside this area was prohibited since many students didn't clean up after their trash. Still, Li Chunhua used 'everything is permitted unless you get found out' wisdom here.
Li Chunhua deliberately chose a secluded spot behind a gigantic tree and sat there by herself. She chewed on her bread with a bored expression on her face.
Days without Li Caiyi beside her felt long and tedious. She wanted to go home as soon as possible so she could bother her sister again.
This place was tranquil with little distraction, so Li Chunhua felt relaxed while spending time here.
"Oh? There is someone here first?"
However, the tranquility was broken when she heard someone calling her. The disturbance annoyed Li Chunhua, so she pretended not to hear. She hoped this boy could quickly take a hint and leave far away.
"Sure enough, it's Li Caiyi's sister!"
When she heard someone mentioning Li Caiyi, her head raised automatically. A boy with a familiar face stood beside the tree behind her.
He was pretty short with slightly curly hair, which rustled slightly with a tilt of his head. A pair of big and playful-looking eyes that stared at Li Chunhua was brimming with curiosity. A hint of smirk adorned his thin lips. His appearance gave off a defiant vibe, with those piercings twinkling under the sunlight in his ears and his black-painted nails.
Li Chunhua's brain worked in a split second and immediately identified the person in front of her. "You are… from the cafeteria?"
Shao Jingfei grinned widely as he sat on the other edge of the bench. "Yeah. Did you come here often? I used to come here from time to time, but I have never seen you here before."
Li Chunhua frowned, seeing how he invited himself to sit on the bench. She came here to enjoy the tranquility, but she just had to bump into this cheeky boy here. This boy got a smart mouth and irked Li Chunhua to no end whenever he said something, so she preferred if he didn't call out to her at all.
"Can you go somewhere else? I kind of want to be alone here, and I found this spot first," Li Chunhua said snarkily.
"Can't we just share the same spot? I usually sit here every time I come here, so this is like my designated seat."
"I don't care. I sit here first today, and that's final."
Shao Jingfei paid her no heed and casually opened his bread package. "Now, don't say that, and let's get along. Anyway, aren't you going to eat with your sister today? Why are you eating here alone?"
Li Chunhua realized that Shao Jingfei had no intention of leaving. Fortunately for him, although she was annoyed and wanted to yell at him, she just didn't have the energy to argue.
"If I had a promise like that, I wouldn't be here sitting by myself, right? And don't talk about my sister in front of me. I'm not in the mood to hear about it."
"Why? Are you guys fighting or something?"
"Are you even listening properly? I already said I don't want to talk about her."
"You clearly don't look well at all. If you're having a bad day, I can listen to your problem."
Unlike Li Caiyi, she had a short fuse and was easily angered if she met someone whom she disliked, so she stood up with gritted teeth, "Forget it. I don't want to eat here anymore."
This time, Shao Jingfei reacted instead of just blatantly ignoring her. "Hey! Where are you going? You haven't finished your lunch yet!"
"How can I eat when you keep running your mouth and force me to talk?" Li Chunhua glared resentfully at him, and Shao Jingfei scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"That is… My bad. I saw you looking absentmindedly at the sky earlier, so I thought I could cheer you up by hearing your story, but it seems I was being too nosy. It's my bad habit."
"Why do you want to know so badly, anyway?"
"Well, your sister seems to be worried sick about you when you were kidnapped by those scary people, so I wonder what kind of fight you have with her since she is very nice and all."
Li Chunhua's corner of mouth twitched after hearing that. When she regained consciousness, she only listened to a bit about what happened to those loan sharks from Meng Renshu, but she never actually heard about how Dai Zhiqiang and her sister could find that place. Now that Shao Jingfei mentioned it, she suddenly got curious.
She slowly sat down on the bench again while clearing her throat, "Ahem. I guess I can listen to you if you want to talk about it so much. What happened after I was gone? And why did you know about it?"
Shao Jingfei liked to share information he knew with other people, so he didn't restrain himself and told Li Chunhua everything, from the first time he witnessed her going with those suspicious people until he parted ways with Li Caiyi and Dai Zhiqiang.
"So that's the story. You were absent for a few days after that. I asked Li Caiyi, and she told me you collapsed and have been hospitalized ever since the incident."
"I see." Li Chunhua felt happy inside, knowing that her sister was worried about her. Although she wanted to be around Li Caiyi 24/7, her sister didn't wish the same. It discouraged her so much she felt so drained of energy. But she felt better after hearing this Shao Jingfei's story.
"From the way I see it, you seem to be troubled about something. You can tell me about it if you want. I work as a side counselor for all my friends.. I offer any kind of advice, from love advice to lottery advice!" Shao Jingfei grinned widely.