CH 1.2

Chapter 1.2:

About a month ago, the day her asshole father brought his mistress and illegitimate daughter home, her brain was suddenly filled with a ten year long memory. Thinking about the memory from ten years ago, especially the past relating to what she did after the mistress and illegitimate came home, Xu Youyou grew worried. But rather than thinking about whether to worry or not, she first thought about her past life. After the shock, she just rebelled for a few years and it didn’t hinder her college application. How could being reborn cause yourself to get sick out of thin air?

While the moment of her rebirth was a coincidence, her mother had mistakenly thought she had been triggered by the divorce. And the chill in her body could not be explained by science, so she could only use the excuse of a mysterious psychological issue.

It wasn’t that Xu Youyou hadn’t thought about explaining, but if she ran to her mother to tell her the truth — that she was like this because she was reborn, then Li Leyao would believe even more that she had a psychological issue. If it went wrong and she was sent to a psych ward then what?

She had miraculously been able to be reborn, she did not want to try spending her life in a place like that. 

As soon as a gust of wind blew, Xu Youyou’s whole body would feel cold and she would subconsciously pull her thick jacket tighter around her body. Her face was full of worry: “Right now it is only mid September and I’m already like this. When it becomes winter in a few months, I won’t freeze to death again, right?”

Why “again?”

Because in her last life she froze to death. 

Sixteen year old Xu Youyou really could not understand herself in ten years, why would she randomly go climb Mt. Everest? What else is up there besides thin air and disastrous snow and ice?

So hungry, let’s first eat something. 

Xu Youyou didn’t know if it was the cause of her whole body feeling cold, but recently she was always hungry. Everyday she would eat four to five meals and when she went out she would have to prepare snacks. She stuck her hand into her pocket and fished around, pulling out a small cake. But just as she was about to open the packet and eat two bites, a gust of wind passed. Xu Youyou shivered, her hand shook, and the cake fell to the ground with a “pa” sound and rolled rapidly away from her. 

Xu Youyou stared at the cake which had rolled far away from her for awhile, and suddenly did not feel like eating. 

It was so cold, she felt like eating a steaming hot bowl of noodles, or even just a cup of hot tap water was fine, the type that just finished boiling. 

“Student, your cake.”

Suddenly, a light youthful sound rang in Xu Youyou’s ear, and she snapped out of her thoughts. She saw a fair hand holding the cake that she had just dropped right in front of her eyes. She did not know when it started but the air now had a smell of ink, light and pleasant to smell, emitted from the body of the youth.

“Student?” The youth saw that Xu Youyou had no reaction and could not help but call out again. 

Xu Youyou lifted her head, her gaze fell into a pair of kind eyes and became dazed. 

This pair of eyes, why were they so familiar?

The youth’s eyes were beautiful — the smooth arc encompassed the ink like pupil, which had a thin halo and the face of the stunned girl. 

The youth saw that Xu Youyou was still distracted and helplessly repeated once again, “Your cake, I saw you drop it earlier. Here.”

He was going to the teacher’s office to turn in the homework booklets when he walked by and saw the girl holding the cake unsteadily and drop it on the ground. He watched as the girl didn’t pick it for a long time and decided to conveniently help her pick it up. 

“Oh, thanks,” Xu Youyou answered, but did not grab the cake and continued to stare at the youth. 

Why did she feel she had seen him before? How strange. 

The youth saw the girl had no reaction and blinked uncertainty. And the girl just blinked back at him, her expression even more confused than him. 

“Then, I give it back to you?” The youth took the initiative to pass the cake forward. 

“Can you help me open it? I cannot tear the package open.” Xu Youyou’s voice was soft and weak. She really could not open the package, the two gusts of wind from earlier made her fingers feel numb. 

The youth stared blankly for a few seconds. He was a bit suspicious that the girl was purposely teasing him, but he noticed the girl’s heavy jacket along with her deathly pale face and understood something. 

Does she not have the strength because she is sick?

The youth put down the homework booklets he was carrying on the other side of the bench, freeing his hands so he can help the girl tear open the cake’s packaging. And he passed it back over, “here.”

“Thanks”

Xu Youyou lifted her hand to retrieve it. Her fingers accidentally brushed against the back of the youth’s hand and the ice-cold touch surprised the youth. There was currently a hot spell this autumn and she is wearing such a thick jacket, why was her hands so cold?

But they were strangers and the youth did not feel comfortable asking. He began to gather up the homework booklets getting ready to leave. But just as he was turning to go,  his arm was suddenly pulled, catching him off guard and the books he was carrying fell to the ground with a “pa la la” sound. Immediately after, something icy cold grasped his palm. 

The youth glanced back in surprise at the two palms tightly clasped together. Almost instinctively, the youth shook off the girl holding his hand.

“What are you doing?”

The youth crouched down to pick up the fallen homework booklets one by one. There was only a 15 minute break between classes, if he didn’t deliver them to the office soon he would be late to class. 

Xu Youyou looked down at her hand which was just shaken off, her expression was one of disbelief. 

It was finally nice and warm, not a bit cold. 

It wasn’t her own delusion. 

Earlier when she went to grab the cake from the youth, her fingertips accidentally touched the back of the youth’s hand and she then felt a warm current flow through her fingers through her body. The feeling was so warm, so when the youth was leaving, without thinking she grabbed onto the youth’s hand. And when she held the hand, the warm feeling returned again, fiercely and strongly dispersing the chill in her body. 

“What is your name?” Xu Youyou squatted down and asked excitedly. 

The youth looked at her and did not respond, continuing to pick up the homework booklets. 

“Let me help you” Xu Youyou helped pick up some books. When handing them to the youth she couldn’t help but seize the opportunity to touch the back of his hand again. 

How warm! (#^.^#)

The youth looked at the girl suspiciously. 

Completely unaware, Xu Youyou happily announced, “Classmate, your hands are so warm.”

Warm? Soft? *

Is she…flirting with him?

“My name is Xu Youyou, the “You” from the word pomelo. I’m a transfer student that is reporting in today. I lived abroad most of my life. What is your name? What class are you in? Are you also a tenth grader?” Xu Youyou’s eyes scanned over the tops of the homework booklets, reading the words “Grade 10, Class 8.”

Grade 10, Class 8. Which class was she in? Xu Youyou was a bit annoyed, earlier in the office she just stared off into space not paying close attention to the conversation. 

“Youyou,” Li Leyao came out of the office calling her daughter over.  

Teacher Song stood beside Li Leyao, saw the youth and also called out, “Qiao Mu, come over here.” 

“Qiao Mu? Your name is Qiao Mu?” Xu Youyou was startled when she heard the youth’s name, immediately her expression looked as if she had seen a ghost. She held onto his arm not letting go, “Which ‘Qiao?’ Which ‘Mu?’”

Qiao Mu frowned, extracting his arm and quickly walked towards Teacher Song. 

Xu Youyou did not follow and just stood in place staring blankly, her heart tumbling in terrified waves. 

She seemed to know where this strange chill came from. 

It was most likely the debt from her previous life. 

————————Translator’s Note————————

* “Warm” and “Soft” in Mandarin rhyme  — nuǎn vs ruǎn