Volume 1 Chapter 46: Ice Queen vs Anime Girl
“Hmph hmph hmph, only kids choose between options. I want them all today! Let’s see if I can pull a few SSR cards when I get home...”
The girl was wearing headphones on her head and seemed completely lost in her music, gently moving her head to the rhythm.
Shen Jingyi quickly adjusted her expression and returned to her usual polite cashier smile.
She placed the large stack of cards on the counter into a shopping bag.
“Thank you for shopping with us. The total is...”
Tang Xingwan looked up at the register, then quickly scanned the payment code and paid.
Seeing that there were no other customers left in the store, Shen Jingyi pressed her lips together and softly said,
“It looks like you’re safe.”
The awkward scene from yesterday came back into her mind.
When the disaster beast appeared, she had been about to transform, only to run directly into this girl.
Too many things had happened yesterday.
At that time, Shen Jingyi had no chance to worry about Tang Xingwan’s safety.
But seeing her now, unharmed, was a relief.
However, when Shen Jingyi spoke first, the girl in front of her only frowned slightly and looked confused.
Did this cashier just say something to me?
And...
Tang Xingwan felt strangely surprised by the cashier girl in front of her.
She looked familiar, yet Tang Xingwan could not immediately remember who she was.
Had they met somewhere before?
But that mixed feeling of familiar and unfamiliar was only one of Tang Xingwan’s thoughts.
Her other thought was much simpler.
Beautiful.
Even though the girl wore an ordinary convenience store uniform, it could not hide her cold elegance and stunning looks.
And although she wore a faint smile, it felt more like a polite smile used to keep distance from others.
She was only standing there quietly, yet Tang Xingwan felt she was graceful and untouchable, distant and impossible to approach.
Uh...
She really is beautiful. At school, she would definitely be one of the popular girls.
But I absolutely do not want to get involved with this kind of cold older-sister type...
And why is she staring at me like that?
Tang Xingwan complained silently in her heart and unconsciously adjusted her headphones, her brows slightly furrowing.
“......”
Seeing Tang Xingwan’s strange expression, Shen Jingyi froze for a moment.
Then she helplessly pointed at her own ears.
Oh right!
I’m still wearing headphones.
No wonder I couldn’t hear her.
Realizing this, Tang Xingwan quickly took them off and stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.
“Um, I didn’t hear clearly just now... What did you say?”
Before Shen Jingyi could answer, Tang Xingwan’s wandering eyes stayed on Shen Jingyi’s face for a moment.
Then the forgotten memory finally returned.
She covered her mouth with her small hand in surprise.
“Wah—it’s you! I didn’t expect to meet you here... What a coincidence! Sorry, sorry, I’m a little face-blind.”
“It’s fine. It looks like you weren’t hurt either.”
Shen Jingyi gave a polite smile and repeated what she had said earlier.
“But no matter what you were trying to do back then, running toward a place where a disaster beast appeared was very dangerous, understand?”
Shen Jingyi’s eyes became serious, like a teacher scolding a naughty student.
“Ahaha, you’re right. It really was dangerous...”
As if remembering the embarrassing moment from before, Tang Xingwan awkwardly scratched her head.
“Mm. I hope you remember that.”
Shen Jingyi gently nodded.
“I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Shen Jingyi... I hope classmate Tang won’t do something so dangerous again in the future.”
Shen... Jingyi?
That name sounded a little familiar too...
Tang Xingwan felt like she had heard it somewhere before.
But after searching through her memory, she still could not find the answer she wanted.
For a girl who cared much more about anime, games, and idol culture, the famous students and top achievers at school were honestly not interesting at all.
And seeing Tang Xingwan quietly twisting her hair around her finger while trying hard to remember made Shen Jingyi feel a little awkward.
...Is there something strange about my name?
Why did she suddenly stop talking?
Could it be that my reputation at school is really bad?
Probably not, right?
I never paid attention to things like that before...
But what made Shen Jingyi feel even more awkward was what happened next.
After thinking for a long time, Tang Xingwan looked at her with an extremely sincere expression and honestly said,
“Shen Jingyi, huh? That’s a very nice name... Are you from our school too?”
Uh.
The moment the words left her mouth, Tang Xingwan instantly realized how silly that sounded.
This girl already knew her name and even called her “classmate,” so of course they went to the same school.
What was I even saying...
A little embarrassment appeared on Tang Xingwan’s pretty face.
She pressed her lips together and said softly, “Sorry, I’d like to take back what I just said...”
Tch.
If real life were like a dating game, that would be so much better.
No need to think about what to say, just choose options and click.
But in real life, how do normal classmates greet each other?
Should I be more energetic?
“Ohayo! What a bright sunny day today! Nice to meet you! Shen... classmate?”
Tang Xingwan blinked her beautiful eyes, gave a lively smile, and raised a thumbs-up toward Shen Jingyi.
Hearing that, even the small polite smile on Shen Jingyi’s face disappeared.
Facing Tang Xingwan, even the usually calm and cold Shen Jingyi could not stop the corner of her mouth from twitching.
This girl named Tang Xingwan...
Being overly dramatic was one thing.
But why did everything she say sound so strange too?
Shen Jingyi had always thought she herself was bad at handling social situations...
Yet today, she had actually met someone even stronger in that area.
Seeing Shen Jingyi’s reaction, Tang Xingwan’s smile became stiffer and stiffer.
The thumbs-up she had proudly raised slowly dropped down weakly.
So awkward...
Can you please say something to help fix this...
An awkward silence spread between them.
Tang Xingwan could even feel the confused looks from the other two workers in the store.
Luckily, more customers entered the convenience store.
That gave Shen Jingyi a chance to escape the awkward moment.
She politely nodded to Tang Xingwan.
“I still have work to do. Let’s talk another time.”
“Oh, oh, okay... We’ll talk next time if we get the chance...”
The moment she heard that, Tang Xingwan quickly came back to her senses, hugged the large bag of cards in her arms, and ran away like the wind.
They said they would talk next time.
But deep in their hearts, both silently agreed…
It would be best if there were no next time, and it would be even better if they never had any connection again.
Forget it.
No need to think about her.
We probably won’t meet again anyway, right?
I should finish work early...
Miss Bai still wants to see me this afternoon.
I can also talk to her about the amusement park incident.
Thinking that to herself, Shen Jingyi let out a deep sigh and returned to work.
But when she thought of that hard-to-read rich young lady, Shen Jingyi suddenly felt that although their personalities seemed completely different...
Bai Muxue and Tang Xingwan...
Seemed a tiny bit similar somehow?
Uh...
That must be my imagination, right?