mental note to self | meteor garden [REVAMPING]

04 | 放

Yuxin was sat on the rooftop crates yet again. She had a textbook propped open, brow furrowed as she attempted to make sense of the intimidating blocks of medical jargon.

She had just finally gotten to the end of the chapter when none other than Dong Shancai walked through the rooftop entrance.

Shancai nervously fixed her clothes, patted her hair into place, and took a black-trimmed white handkerchief out of her bag.

Slowly, she walked in the direction opposite to Yuxin, not having noticed the older girl's presence. She peered around the corner, deflating in obvious disappointment when she didn't find what she was looking for. She dejectedly turned back around, gaze downcast.

Yuxin thought she would make her presence known. "Looking for something?" she called.

Shancai shrieked in surprise, hand flying to her chest. "Yuxin xuejie! You scared me!"

Yuxin covered her mouth as a few giggles escaped her at Shancai's expression. The two girls laughed together for a good few minutes before they calmed down.

Regathering her wits, Yuxin remembered her question wasn't answered yet, "So, were you looking for something?"

"Er... I was..." Shancai squirmed, her cheeks flushing. "I need to give something back to Huaze Lei. Have you seen him?"

Yuxin looked at the object in Shancai's hands. It was a handkerchief identical to the freshly laundered one she had snuck back into Lei's coat pocket while he napped the other day. He may not "take back what he'd given away" but she didn't keep what she had borrowed either.

Helping two crying girls in less than a month. Yuxin was vaguely impressed. Had he told Shancai about the rooftop, too? No one else ever came up here otherwise. 

She was tempted to save the girl the trouble and tell her that he probably wouldn't be taking it back (willingly, at least). Something about the expression painted across Shancai's features made her decide against it though. She was never one to meddle anyway.

Yuxin checked her watch, biting her lip in thought before speaking again. "I think he mentioned that he had a piece to practice. He's probably in one of the music rooms right now."

Yuxin watched the younger girl's face immediately brighten. Does she...?

Shancai thanked her and started jogging away, but suddenly stopped. Turning around with sheepish expression, she asked, "Do you and he... talk often?"

Oh, she definitely does. 

Yuxin raised a brow at her poorly feigned indifference, shrugging. "Lei isn't one to talk much," she joked. A non-answer if she'd ever heard one. But for some reason she didn't know how to answer what should have been a fairly simple question.

It still seemed to satisfy Shancai, who smiled in suppressed happiness and relief and scurried off with thanks. Yuxin watched Shancai hurry away, recalling the expression on Lei's face when they had talked about Jing.

Poor girl.

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Yuxin walked across campus to her next class. It was a general elective, which meant the classroom was in a building on the opposite end of the university from her Histology lab. She had an entire period free before it started though, so she often chose to walk herself instead of calling for a car. Along the way, she said hello to and returned waves or smiles from acquaintances she passed by. There were quite a few of them whom she was pretty sure she'd never met in her life, but it would be rude to ignore them, right?