Chapter Thirteen: Reconciliation

"Ahem, no, it's nothing, you’re overthinking it," Luo Chen retreated a few steps, looking somewhat flustered.

He gazed at the girl before him, unsure whether to call her handsome or beautiful, and memories surged into his mind.

Yan He—Luo Chen’s childhood friend, confidante, and closest companion. Despite being a girl, she always preferred more androgynous clothing, and her slightly boyish voice could, with a little disguise, transform her into a charming young man. Sometimes, she was even mistaken for a cross-dresser. She occasionally amused herself by pretending to be a boy and flirting with other girls, and had yet to fail in her endeavors.

Especially fond of wooing girls who got along well with Luo Chen, Yan He ensured that despite his otherwise excellent qualities, Luo Chen remained single. There was once a beautiful girl who was close to Luo Chen, but Yan He swept her away. Another cute girl had potential to become closer, but Yan He took her too. There was even a girl both beautiful and adorable, who still looked at him with a strange gaze to this day.

Yan He was the cause, but she refused to take the blame. Yet, faced with a steadfast friend who often lent a helping hand, and with her exquisite appearance adding to her charm, Luo Chen could never muster any real anger, even though he had long been troubled by it.

After all, she was his best friend—his closest companion—and a girl, too.

"By the way, Luo Chen, I couldn't come yesterday because I had something to do. Tian Yi didn't starve, did she?" Yan He glanced at Luo Chen, who seemed a bit distant, and spoke apologetically.

Was it because of her absence yesterday that the siblings nearly starved, and now he was angry? But she was certain she had mentioned it beforehand.

Seeing Yan He’s uneasy and guilty expression, Luo Chen finally understood why he had thought of her after his failed attempt at cooking yesterday.

So, it was Yan He who had been preparing meals for them all this time. No wonder his gluttonous little sister hadn’t starved during their half-year of financial hardship—it turned out someone had been taking care of her.

"Hey, how could we possibly starve? At least I’m her brother, right? We were hungry all day, true," Luo Chen recalled that he had indeed been busy all day yesterday, and when he finally managed to cook something in the afternoon, it turned out to be inedible.

Thinking about it, if Yan He were gone for a few days, they really might starve.

But, surely he could still eat outside?

Luo Chen remembered the nearly maxed-out bank card—perhaps not, after all.

So, as a brother, he truly was unqualified, letting his little sister go hungry for a whole day.

Unbeknownst to Luo Chen, his sister had a habit of stashing snacks, just like a hamster, so the only one who had actually starved all day was himself.

"Haha, just kidding. I bought Tian Yi plenty of snacks; she probably hasn’t finished them yet. Besides, if she were really starving, she’d have come to my house," Yan He smiled brightly and patted Luo Chen’s shoulder in reassurance.

Even the snacks that kept Luo Tian Yi from starving were provided by Yan He. Luo Chen realized that his former self was truly destitute.

In the end, it all came down to money. Otherwise, with his former self’s overprotectiveness toward his sister, how could he neglect such a thing? He truly didn’t have any extra funds.

Luo Chen looked gratefully at Yan He, wanting to express his thanks, but in the end swallowed the words.

Because there was no need for such sentimentality—he would remember it in his heart.

Facing the tall girl before him, the slight distance Luo Chen had felt melted away, leaving only closeness and familiarity.

"You’re right, then I’ll leave it to you. Let’s head back; Tian Yi must’ve been waiting a while," Luo Chen smiled in return, no longer concerned with gender distinctions, and wrapped an arm around Yan He, who was nearly his height, as they left together.

Inside the empty classroom, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen stared fixedly in the direction Luo Chen and Yan He had left, her cheeks flushed as she gripped a pencil in her hand, sketching on a sheet of paper atop her desk.

Beside her were several completed sketches, the figures unmistakably Luo Chen and Yan He, depicted in a beautiful style, most showing intimate gestures between the two.

Watching her excellent subjects disappear into the distance, the girl sighed helplessly and began packing up her things.

"Xin Hua, what are you doing?"

As she packed, another girl hugged her from behind. Xin Hua quickly clutched her sketches to her chest and turned around.

"Oh, it’s Sister Ling! You scared me," seeing it was someone she knew, Dai Xin Hua breathed a sigh of relief.

"Drawing comics?" Le Zheng Ling glanced curiously at the papers in Xin Hua’s hands.

"No, of course not," the girl’s face was vividly red, and she tried to discreetly slip her sketches into her bag.

"Hmm? Is it Luo Chen and Yan He again?" Le Zheng Ling wore a knowing expression, watching Dai Xin Hua’s flustered movements with amusement.

"Sister Ling, how did you know?" Dai Xin Hua looked as if she’d seen a ghost—she hadn’t shown them to her, so how?

"You—you didn’t peek, did you?" The girl grew anxious, like someone caught in the act.

"How could I? I just heard about it," Le Zheng Ling turned her face slightly, her gaze evasive.

"Heard about it?" Dai Xin Hua felt she was about to break down—did that mean—

"So everyone knows?" Dai Xin Hua collapsed onto her chair in despair. How could she face anyone now? If Yan He found out—

The girl shivered deeply, fearing she might be beaten to death.

"Actually, it’s not that bad, just a few people—a small portion," Le Zheng Ling turned back uneasily, unable to tell her friend the whole truth.

In fact, the school’s fujoshi had already seen all her sketches, and most other girls had heard about them as well.

"Well, that’s good, you scared me," Dai Xin Hua breathed out and resolved to make those in the know keep quiet. Otherwise, she wasn’t just someone who drew comics.

"But, Xin Hua! You’ve kept this from me for so long—if you don’t explain, you’re doomed today," Le Zheng Ling looked at her friend threateningly, grabbing her before she could escape and giving her a merciless roughing up.

"No, please!" From the empty classroom came the cries of a distressed girl.

"Luo Chen!" Outside the school gate, Luo Tian Yi, who had been waiting a long time, rushed forward, hugging Luo Chen tightly and rubbing against him.

"Tian Yi, you’ve been waiting, haven’t you?" Luo Chen affectionately ruffled the hair on her forehead.

"Yan He, I missed you," Luo Tian Yi turned to Yan He beside her.

"Missed me? Or just craving a meal?" Yan He stepped forward and pulled at Luo Tian Yi’s cheek, expressing her dissatisfaction.