Chapter 54: Just a Friend
"Why is my mom home today? She usually goes out to play mahjong…"
Chen Cheng muttered unhappily as she walked up the stairs to the seventh floor, carrying her bag of medicine without even looking back.
Even though her stomach was still acting up, she had gotten used to climbing seven floors, so it wasn’t too tiring. As she went up, her mind drifted to all sorts of random thoughts.
Her head, which had felt a bit foggy earlier, like it was wrapped in a thin veil, was finally starting to clear up.
She suddenly stopped, frowned slightly, and rubbed her chin with her fingers.
"Am I… am I seriously a freak?"
She knew she was acting weird! Yet she actually bit An Yuan during night study? And earlier, when she was riding on his bike, she couldn’t stop inhaling his scent like she was savoring it?
She had completely lost control in those moments!
Chen Cheng shook her head hard. At the very least, she can’t let An Yuan notice…
If he ever found out about her insane behavior, she would never be able to face him again!
When she got home, her mom looked up from the TV, surprised. "You’re home early today? Did you buy something?"
"I got sick from bad food, so I stopped by the clinic on the way." Chen Cheng grumbled as she rubbed her stomach. "The food at the school cafeteria went bad, five or six people from my class got food poisoning."
Her mom immediately got up, worried. "Are you okay?"
"I’m fine, the doctor gave me some medicine."
"I’ll get you some water."
Chen Cheng sat down on the couch, opened the bag, and took out a few small packets of medicine, enough for two days.
She still felt a bit dazed, struggling to accept the fact that she was attracted to a guy, to her own buddy, no less.
Even when faced with her current body, which looked like a beautiful young girl, An Yuan had never done anything weird to her… So does this mean she actually likes men?
No way, no way!
Before she got stuck in this body, she had slept in the same bed as An Yuan plenty of times, and nothing ever happened.
It had to be the hormones messing with her!
Her mom soon came back with a cup of warm water and sat beside her.
"What’s wrong? You don’t look too happy."
"How can I be happy when my stomach hurts…"
Chen Cheng took a sip of water to test the temperature, then opened a medicine packet and poured the pills into her mouth, swallowing them with another gulp.
Thankfully, she had barely eaten anything at the cafeteria that afternoon… Honestly, if Chen Shuting hadn’t pointed it out, she wouldn’t even have noticed anything was wrong with the food. She just thought it tasted even worse than usual.
"Mom, you wouldn’t believe it, An Yuan led a whole group of guys to storm the cafeteria today!"
"Stormed it?"
"Yeah!"
Seeing her mom’s curiosity, Chen Cheng got excited and started animatedly recounting what happened.
"A bunch of people in our class got sick, and when he asked around, it turned out they all ate at the cafeteria! So he grabbed a bunch of senior guys and barged straight into the kitchen! And guess what? The kitchen was disgusting! So much of the food was expired. No wonder we all got sick!"
Her mom looked worried. "What happened after that? Is An Yuan okay?"
"I don’t know… He should be fine, right?"
"As a girl, you should stay out of trouble and just focus on your studies. Don’t get involved in those things."
"Mm-hmm! I didn’t go, I stayed in the classroom the whole time!"
Then, out of nowhere, her mom changed the subject. "I saw you two going to school together this morning. What’s that about?"
"Huh?"
From the living room window, Chen Cheng’s mom had a clear view of the apartment complex’s main entrance. So… had she been watching this morning, waiting to see if Chen Cheng and An Yuan left together?
Chen Cheng stiffened for a moment but quickly came up with an excuse. "Oh, we just happened to run into each other on the way down. I mean, I can’t exactly avoid him, right? We’re in the same class, after all."
But her mom wasn’t so easy to fool. She noticed every little change in her daughter’s expression.
Plus, last weekend, Chen Cheng had said she was going shopping with a friend, but in reality, she had gone out with An Yuan. And that day, she had probably argued with him.
Lately, An Yuan’s mom had been in an unusually good mood. Clearly, she knew something. But when asked, she just laughed and dodged the question. On top of that, she had been extra nice to Chen Cheng, always finding excuses to send food over.
"Auntie sent some steaks over today, want me to make you a late-night snack?"
"My stomach still feels off… I don’t really want to eat."
Her mom suddenly asked, "Are you dating someone?"
Chen Cheng’s face changed instantly, and she shook her head so fast it was almost a blur. "No, no way! How could I be dating An Yuan?"
Her mom raised an eyebrow. "I never said who."
Chen Cheng froze.
Her mom smiled knowingly and took both of her hands, preventing her from making a run for it. "Come on, just tell me. I won’t tell your dad. What, you think I’d scold you?"
"I already told you, there’s nothing going on!" But as she said it, she realized she didn’t sound all that convincing. Her face grew hot, and she avoided eye contact. "An Yuan and I are just… normal friends."
Her mom tilted her head. "But do you like him, even just a little?"
She asked in such a gentle and curious tone, more like a close friend than a strict parent.
This removed the distance and generational difference between the mother and daughter, making Chen Cheng give a hesitant nod.
"Maybe… just a little?"
Her mom’s face immediately darkened.
"…Mom?"
Sensing danger, Chen Cheng shot up from the couch. "My stomach hurts!"
Crap! She fell for it again! She had been tricked by her mom so many times in her past life. How had she not learned her lesson?!
"Why are you running?"
Her mom’s face was as dark as charcoal, but she didn’t do much, just pulled Chen Cheng back down. "Can’t we just talk for a bit?"
"It’s not that…" Chen Cheng sat stiffly, awkwardly tucking her hands between her knees. She glanced nervously at the feather duster resting on the shoe cabinet.
Her mom hadn’t hit her since elementary school. But that was when she was still her son.
Now that she was her daughter… who knew?
She kept her gaze darting around the room, never daring to meet her mom’s eyes.
After a long silence, her mom finally spoke in a calmer tone. "It’s not that big of a deal. When I was your age, I was already preparing for an arranged marriage with your dad."
"That young?"
"Things were different back then. I only finished elementary school and had to stay home helping your grandpa take care of the family."
"Oh…"
Now that she thought about it, her mom had never talked much about her past before.
Maybe having a daughter made her feel closer?
Chen Cheng hesitated, then mumbled, "It’s just a small crush. I never really thought about liking An Yuan that way. We grew up together, it’d be kinda weird…"
Her mom nodded. "So how do you feel about him?"
"Well… Sometimes I get jealous." Chen Cheng admitted, her teenage emotions finally spilling out under her mom’s patient guidance. "I don’t even know why, but when I see him hanging out with other girls, I get so annoyed."
Her face turned red as she fiddled with her nails. "That doesn’t really mean I like him, does it?"
Her mom smiled faintly. "Maybe not."
Yes! It didn't count before, that's for sure!
Chen Cheng nodded firmly. "Exactly! We’re just good friends, so stop overthinking it."
But then… why had the past week been so different?
Why had An Yuan suddenly become the center of all her thoughts? Why couldn’t she stop sniffing him? Why did she keep wanting to get closer, to stick to him?
She definitely wasn’t going to bring those thoughts up to her mom.