Volume 1 Chapter 7: Huh? Do I Have to Take It Off? Here?
The strong wind howled, and the white birch trees around them shook loudly.
From a distance, Shen Jingyi watched the girl walking quickly toward her. When she noticed the girl’s red eyes, she quickly looked away and hurried forward as well.
But Qin Xiyao seemed to notice Shen Jingyi looking at her.
She raised her head slightly, and for one brief moment, their eyes met.
“Huh... this girl...”
Shen Jingyi’s heart stirred, and the small box in her pocket gave off a faint glow.
But as they passed each other, they continued in opposite directions.
Soon, Shen Jingyi was left alone on the empty park path.
The weather in Wangdu had become especially strange these past few days.
It had been sunny in the morning, but by noon, dark clouds filled the sky.
Now, silver lightning tore across the clouds.
Before Shen Jingyi could react, heavy rain poured down.
She had not brought an umbrella, and there was nowhere nearby to hide.
In an instant, she was soaked from head to toe.
Rainwater slowly dripped down the sides of her face, and her plain white dress became completely wet and clung to her body.
Her phone vibrated again.
It was another message from Bai Muxue.
“It’s raining. Where are you?”
Shen Jingyi brushed the rain from her face.
Without thinking further, she quickly walked toward the silver luxury car parked in the distance.
The back window was opened halfway.
Miss Bai sat quietly inside, resting one hand against her forehead.
She had a lollipop in her mouth and leaned near the window, staring blankly at the swaying birch trees.
Shen Jingyi stopped walking.
She thought of the crying girl from earlier.
It was hard not to connect that scene with Bai Muxue’s cruel behavior.
Could that girl... be in the same situation as me...?
Why do I feel something familiar about her...?
What kind of person was Bai Muxue?
She was one of the richest young ladies in Wangdu. Arrogant, proud, and used to getting her way.
Back then, Shen Jingyi had never imagined she would become involved with someone like Bai Muxue.
Even though she had excellent grades and was a magical girl with special powers, her pride and dignity meant nothing in front of harsh reality.
Maybe one day, she would become like that girl from before. Full of pain, with no one to listen, only able to cry alone in some hidden corner.
Rain fell quietly.
Only then did Shen Jingyi realize that the fist she had clenched tightly was shaking.
At that moment, Bai Muxue noticed her standing there.
She rolled down the window and waved.
“What are you standing there for? Aren’t you cold? Get in.”
Seeing Bai Muxue call to her first, Shen Jingyi pressed her lips together.
Her hand instinctively touched the neck accessory that was already wet from the rain.
After hesitating for a moment, she got into the car.
Once she entered, Bai Muxue closed the window and turned on the air conditioner.
Then she frowned slightly.
“Did something happen?”
“...No.”
Shen Jingyi quickly noticed that Bai Muxue’s voice carried deep tiredness.
Her skin was already pale, but now her face looked even whiter, almost sickly.
But Shen Jingyi did not look much better.
Her face was pale, her lips slightly blue from the cold.
Rainwater ran down from her long hair, and her clothes clung tightly to her soaked body.
If yesterday’s Shen Jingyi was a shy but proud beauty who seemed hard to approach, then today she looked like a fragile and pitiful girl.
“Teacher Shen, did you just see... cough cough!”
Bai Muxue turned around without thinking and wanted to ask if Shen Jingyi had seen Qin Xiyao, but before she could finish speaking, she quickly looked away.
Shen Jingyi’s long dress was soaked and stuck to her body, showing how thin and delicate she was.
One glance was enough to make Bai Muxue’s pale face turn slightly red. She lowered her head and coughed a few times.
“How did you end up like this? Did you run into some kind of... rain monster?”
“...There is no such thing.”
Shen Jingyi lowered her eyes slightly and ignored Bai Muxue’s awkward joke.
“It just happened to start raining.”
She looked out the window at the lightning and thunder. The heavy rain was getting worse, and the strong wind kept hitting the car windows.
She actually wanted to ask Bai Muxue about the girl from earlier...
But what would be the point?
Their relationship only existed because of that contract. Maybe to Miss Bai, she was just someone to entertain herself when bored.
Thinking of that made Shen Jingyi feel even colder inside, with a deep sense of helplessness in her chest.
“I see.”
Bai Muxue nodded, then sat up and opened the storage compartment in the front.
“Look at you, your dress is completely soaked. Take it off and dry yourself.”
The moment Bai Muxue said that, Shen Jingyi suddenly froze and slowly turned her head.
“...!”
Her whole body tensed. Her nails nearly pressed into her palms as she stared at Bai Muxue for a long time without moving.
Bai Muxue was still searching through the compartment. Not noticing the silence, she asked without turning around.
“What’s wrong?”
“Do... do I have to do that... here?”
Her pretty face turned red. Shen Jingyi bit her lip lightly, her eyes shaking with embarrassment, while tightly holding the edge of her dress.
“Hm? Annoying... my arms are too short to reach it... What did you say?”
Her voice had been too soft, so Bai Muxue did not hear clearly. She was still stretching forward, trying to reach something deeper inside the compartment.
Shen Jingyi stayed silent for a long moment and looked outside again at the storm.
The car was quiet, with only the sound of Bai Muxue searching for something.
In the tense silence, the blush on Shen Jingyi’s face became deeper, and her fingers trembled.
She secretly looked at Bai Muxue, who was still busy searching, then took a deep breath.
Slowly and nervously, she began to loosen the ties of her dress.
She closed her eyes, her trembling eyelashes showing how uneasy she felt.
But in the next moment, something soft and heavy dropped over her head and covered her completely.
Shen Jingyi froze in surprise.
She reached out and touched only warm, fluffy fabric.
It was... a thick blanket.