Chapter 118: Jiang Xueli Speaks Her Heart

Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Jiang Xueli Speaks Her Heart

Jiang Xueli returned home with the medicine she had bought. Her parents weren’t off for the National Day holiday, so she was home alone again today.

She saw the note and allowance her mom had left on the coffee table.

Just like any other day, she dropped her schoolbag, intending to head straight for the shower the moment she got home.

Zhengran was coming over soon, but the pain in her abdomen left her with no desire to shower.

She stood at the bathroom door, hesitating for a moment.

Staring at her reflection in the mirror, her willpower finally won out over the pain. ’I should just take a shower. I’ll smell nicer and look a little better afterward. After all, any time I get to spend alone with him is precious.’

’Besides, it’s just cramps. A shower shouldn’t be a problem.’ Reassuring herself, she heated some water and first took the painkillers the doctor had prescribed before heading to the bathroom.

She took off her jacket and pulled the ties from her pigtails, letting her long hair cascade over her shoulders.

Jiang Xueli padded barefoot into the bathroom and let the hot water run for a while before closing the door to shower.

But even though the doctor had told her to be more cheerful and not to dwell on unhappy things, how could Jiang Xueli stop herself? While she showered, her mind was filled with the image from that morning: He Qing cupping Lin Zhengran’s hands and blowing warm air onto his palms.

She frowned slightly.

’Zhengran... you big idiot...’

Another wave of pain shot through her abdomen, and she quickly squatted down, clutching it.

After a quick shower, she cleverly tucked the key under the doormat by the front door. That way, she wouldn’t have to get out of bed to let the dummy in later. Only then did she go lie down on her bed.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhengran had nothing much to do after getting home. He took a shower, ate breakfast, and double-checked the competition’s location and date to confirm there were no changes before heading over to Jiang Xueli’s house.

When he got to her front door, he knocked.

There was no answer.

Hearing the knock, Jiang Xueli, still curled up in bed, gave Lin Zhengran a call.

When he answered, she explained the situation:

"Zhengran? The key’s under the doormat. Just let yourself in."

"Under the mat? Huh? Aren’t you home? Why’d you leave it there?"

"I... my stomach’s hurting a little today, and I don’t feel like getting out of bed. But..." She didn’t want Lin Zhengran to leave. "I’ll be fine after a little rest. We can still practice our song."

"Your stomach hurts?"

Lin Zhengran found the key, opened the door, and walked inside. He saw her schoolbag and clothes tossed casually on the sofa and remembered that her stomach had started to hurt on the bus earlier, though it hadn’t seemed so bad at the time.

He headed straight for Jiang Xueli’s bedroom.

When he opened the door, he saw Jiang Xueli curled up on the bed, clutching her stomach, her long hair fanned out around her. The usually proud and aloof girl looked somewhat haggard today.

Her brow was slightly furrowed and her lips were a little pale, but she was still very beautiful.

Seeing Lin Zhengran approach, Jiang Xueli, tucked under the covers, struggled to lift her head and force a smile, putting on a brave face.

"Zhengran, you’re here? Have a seat. My stomach’s hurting, so just let me rest for a bit. There’s no rush to practice or anything. Or... you could tell me about the competition in the meantime."

As she spoke, she clutched her stomach again. The effort of forcing that smile had even brought a fine sheen of sweat to her forehead.

Lin Zhengran walked to the bedside and sat down. "Forget about the competition for now. What’s wrong with you? Have you seen a doctor?"

Though Jiang Xueli seemed stubborn on the surface, she was just like any other girl. When she was feeling vulnerable, just a few words of concern from the boy she liked were enough to make her feel much better.

But because of what had happened that morning, she found it a little hard to talk about.

"Mm... I did. The doctor said it’s..." She looked down at her bedsheets, a little embarrassed. "Cramps. It’s nothing, just a minor problem."

"Cramps?"

Jiang Xueli clutched her stomach, murmuring, "What? I’m a girl, you know. Lots of girls get cramps. It’s no big deal."

Seeing her haggard state, Lin Zhengran was about to get up to go buy her something.

But the moment she saw him move to leave, she instinctively grabbed the hem of his shirt. "Zhengran, where are you going?! Don’t go home! I really can practice today!"

She sounded anxious, forcing a pained grin. "I feel better already, my stomach doesn’t hurt anymore. Look, see? I’m sitting up right now!"

With that, she tried to push herself into a sitting position with her arms.

But as she sat up, not only did her stomach still ache, but she suddenly felt a chill as the part of the blanket covering her upper body slipped down.

It revealed a large expanse of her smooth shoulder. She turned her head and realized that, in her rush to get into bed after showering, she’d forgotten...

She’d forgotten everything.

And now her body was completely bare.

"Ah!" Jiang Xueli flushed red and hastily yanked the blanket up. "Don’t look! How could I forget..." She remembered that she’d left all her clothes by the bathroom door.

Her face turned an even deeper shade of red, but then another pang from her stomach made her want to clutch it.

She was in a flustered panic.

Lin Zhengran had no idea what she was doing, flailing about like she was performing a lion dance.

He moved back to her side and pulled the blanket over her. Jiang Xueli, thinking he was about to do something, squeezed her eyes shut.

"What are you doing?! Stay back! I’m telling you, even though I can’t fight back right now, I *will* get angry! I will! And I’m terrifying when I’m angry! I’ll never let you live this down!"

Lin Zhengran rapped her on the head. "Shut your mouth!" he warned.

The sting on her head finally made Jiang Xueli calm down a little. Lin Zhengran asked, perplexed, "Why are you being so weird when you don’t feel well? Just lie down and rest. Have you eaten breakfast?"