Chapter 54: From Once Every 2 Weeks to Once Every 3 Weeks

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: From Once Every 2 Weeks to Once Every 3 Weeks

The air seemed to freeze.

Han Wenwen almost suspected she had misheard and asked again, "Qingqing... what did you say?"

Xiao Heqing had only mustered that immense courage for a split second; if asked to say it a second time, she wouldn’t be able to get the words out.

Her face flushed bright red. She stammered and hesitated, unable to utter another word. It wasn’t until she sat back down on the bed and wrapped herself tightly in her quilt—bundled up like a snug little cocoon with only her cute head poking out—that she finally dared to speak.

"I said... I plan to confess my feelings to Lin Zhengran this winter... I want to be with him..."

Han Wenwen blinked at her, leaning close, and asked curiously, "I still didn’t catch that. Say it again."

Xiao Heqing was so embarrassed that her head was practically smoking. She buried her face completely in the quilt, her voice muffled to a faint whisper. "I mean... I plan to... this winter... I want to be with... Ugh, Wenwen, stop asking! I can’t say it anymore. You clearly heard what I said."

This amused Han Wenwen so much that she covered her mouth and giggled. She poked the quilt with a slender finger, prompting Xiao Heqing to peek out at her through a tiny gap.

"Want to chat inside?" Han Wenwen asked softly.

Xiao Heqing nodded. The two best friends ducked under the covers together, forming one large, incredibly secure-feeling cocoon.

Sitting inside, Han Wenwen’s invisible fox tail swished back and forth behind her. She looked at her best friend with a gossipy glint in her eyes. "How did Qingqing suddenly get so brave? Are you planning to end the game once and for all?"

Xiao Heqing crouched on the mattress, tracing little circles on the bedsheets with her finger. "It’s not that I’m brave, I just don’t have a choice. Ever since we started middle school, haven’t you noticed everyone talking about dating, Wenwen? No one talked about these things in elementary school, but now there’s so much of it."

She stared blankly at the Little Fox. "It’s all about who is dating whom, who likes whom, who confessed to whom, and stuff like that."

Han Wenwen poked her own cheek. "I’ve noticed that too. Books say it’s because of puberty, right? This is the age when girls are emotionally the most sensitive. Besides, if we were in ancient times, we’d already be old enough to get married."

Looking shy, Xiao Heqing said, "I guess so... I’m not really sure about that. But there are just so many conversations like this lately. I’ve heard a lot of people talking about childhood sweethearts where one of them had a change of heart and fell for a girl in another class. And haven’t there been a few really popular TV shows lately?"

She grew a little scared. "I watched them when I had some free time, and I noticed that in those shows, the childhood sweetheart is always the one who loses... The one who wins in the end is always the girl who suddenly appears out of nowhere!"

Han Wenwen didn’t deny this. She read a lot of novels and watched plenty of anime and TV shows; the trope of the childhood sweetheart losing to the sudden arrival was practically a universal law.

Xiao Heqing whimpered in grievance. She rested her head on her knees and pouted unhappily, muttering, "Why is that? Logically, childhood sweethearts should have the highest chance of winning. Why would two people who grew up together lose to someone who just suddenly showed up?"

"It might be what I mentioned before—they are just too familiar with each other," Han Wenwen explained. "But Jiang Xueli doesn’t really count as a sudden arrival, does she? She and Lin Zhengran are also childhood sweethearts. Strictly speaking, you’re the sudden arrival."

Xiao Heqing jolted, her mind thrown into chaos. "Huh? I’m the sudden arrival? But I’m his childhood sweetheart!"

The Little Fox held up two fingers. She tapped the first one and started, "You’re the childhood sweetheart." Then she tapped the second finger, "Plus the sudden arrival. You have double the attributes because you didn’t pop up until middle school!"

Xiao Heqing suddenly looked absolutely thrilled. She popped her head out of the covers with wide eyes. "You’re right! Now that you mention it, Wenwen, I really am the sudden arrival!"

Han Wenwen also popped her head out from the quilt with a POP. "It’s not ’also,’ it’s ’only’ you. Jiang Xueli has always been by Lin Zhengran’s side. How could she possibly have the sudden arrival attribute?"

Xiao Heqing beamed. "If you put it that way, doesn’t that mean I have a huge advantage?!"

Han Wenwen closed her eyes and smiled. "That’s exactly why I’ve always thought Qingqing would win."

However, Xiao Heqing’s newly ignited fighting spirit deflated as she remembered how she had kept making Lin Zhengran angry over the past year. "But that’s not right... If I have the advantage, why hasn’t my relationship with him progressed at all? Why is he getting closer and closer to Jiang Xueli?"

She hugged her legs and shrank gloomily into the corner. "I regret everything I did in the first half of the year. I only wanted to take the initiative to get closer to him, but I ended up constantly making him mad... He’s been even fiercer lately than before."

"Well..." Han Wenwen broke into a slight sweat. "Regarding that matter, even now, I still don’t understand why my methods made Lin Zhengran angry. Logically speaking, even if they didn’t help you make progress, they shouldn’t have completely backfired."

He Qing didn’t say anything, because she knew that she could never perfectly execute the things in their plans.

"Maybe they just don’t suit me. I think I still need to use my own methods. That’s why I plan to knit him a scarf this winter and then... confess my feelings." She recalled the sweet and romantic topics her classmates had been chatting about.

The mere thought of being kissed and hugged by him filled her with excitement. "I want to date him too. I want him to spend more time with me."

Han Wenwen stared at Xiao Heqing’s seemingly timid yet resolute expression and leaned against her. "Qingqing has really grown up, hasn’t she? Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll cheer you on. I hope your wish comes true soon."

Xiao Heqing blushed, murmuring as quietly as a mosquito, "Thank you, Wenwen..."

After saying that, her composure began to crack, and she finally voiced the anxiety welling up in her heart. Closing her eyes and clenching her two little fists, she burst out, "But I really don’t have much courage! Mostly because he’s been spending less and less time with me lately. It used to be once every two weeks, but now it’s once every three weeks. There are even a lot of other girls in our class who like him! I’m really getting more and more scared that he’ll be taken by some other girl..."

Han Wenwen smiled as she listened to her best friend vent. She thought to herself that Qingqing truly liked Lin Zhengran. Even someone as naturally timid as her was constantly trying to find ways to take the initiative.

It was just...

Han Wenwen turned her gaze toward the window. Who knew what was going through her foxy eyes.

The weekend arrived quickly. This was the week Xiao Heqing had mentioned—the one week out of three where Lin Zhengran wouldn’t spend time with either her or Jiang Xueli.

No one knew what he was off doing.

On Saturday morning, the four of them gathered together. Lin Zhengran grabbed his backpack and headed home, tossing over his shoulder, "I won’t be accompanying you two this week. Practice on your own, or just treat it as a rest week."

Jiang Xueli stared curiously at Lin Zhengran’s retreating figure. "What on earth is that big idiot so busy with lately? Didn’t he use to hang out with us once every two weeks? Now it’s once every three weeks. It’s been like this ever since last summer vacation..." She turned to ask He Qing, "He Qing, do you know what the big idiot has been up to lately?"

Xiao Heqing shook her head. If only she knew. It was precisely because she was in the dark that she had decided to use her ultimate move. Otherwise, if she didn’t confess her feelings soon, it might turn into once every four weeks, or maybe she wouldn’t even get to see him at all in the future.

"I don’t know either. I didn’t dare to ask him."

Jiang Xueli let out a long sigh. She had haughtily demanded an answer before, but questioning him like that never yielded any results. She waved at the two of them. "Well, I’m heading home too. See you next week, He Qing, Han Wenwen."

Han Wenwen and He Qing waved goodbye.

After Jiang Xueli left, He Qing asked Han Wenwen, "Are you still making videos this week, Wenwen?"

Xiao Heqing knew about Han Wenwen recording gaming videos; the Little Fox had told her right at the beginning of the school year. As her best friend, Xiao Heqing had a rough idea of Han Wenwen’s financial and family situation, so she never disturbed her while she was working to earn money.

Han Wenwen smiled. "Yeah, I still have a few to record this week. I won’t be able to stay in the dorm and keep Qingqing company during the day."

"That’s okay. But I never asked before—where do you actually record your videos, Wenwen? In an internet cafe? But we aren’t of age yet, so we can’t go in, right? Plus, I always feel like internet cafes are super scary places..."

"No, my uncle rented an apartment for me. I use it specifically for recording videos. When I’m not so busy, I can take Qingqing to visit."

Xiao Heqing was surprised. "So you rented an apartment? Great! Then whenever you’re not busy, take me to see it."

Han Wenwen nodded, assuring her it wouldn’t be a problem, and bid He Qing farewell. "I’m heading out too. Be a good girl in the dorm, Xiao Heqing. See you tonight."

"Okay, see you tonight, Wenwen."

Han Wenwen waved goodbye to her. Then, she sneaked off to meet up with Lin Zhengran in the rented apartment.