At the end of the month, the Youth Association's charity event went ahead as scheduled.
A total of twenty members were attending—not too many, but not too few either—so the school rented a bus to pick everyone up.
The trip was only one day, so Ye Qingli didn't bring a backpack. She glanced at her desk, slipped a small power bank into her pocket, and was about to leave.
Just as she was about to go, Xu Yan called her back and checked the time. "Hey, Qingqing, there's still plenty of time. Why aren't you wearing makeup?"
Ye Qingli had a very pure look. Although she was an adult and had lost some of her childishness, her face was still full of collagen. Even without makeup, she stood out in a crowd.
But Xu Yan was used to seeing her with lipstick on; suddenly without it, she looked a bit pale.
Ye Qingli glanced at her reflection in the full-length mirror on the door. "The elderly have weak immune systems. If I sit close to them, makeup inevitably has some scent. I'm worried they might not like it."
Even though they had only been getting along for two months, she habitually prioritized others' feelings, and Xu Yan noticed.
Xu Yan always felt that one day, this habit would put her at a disadvantage.
But this time the recipients were elderly, so Xu Yan quite approved of her approach. She smiled. "True, you're more thoughtful."
"I'll head off now. Bye!" Ye Qingli waved at her with a smile.
Xu Yan raised her hand. "Bye."
...
When Ye Qingli got on the bus, half of the people had not arrived yet. She looked down at the time; there was still half an hour before departure.
Huang Xu was leaning against the front of the bus. Seeing her come up, he immediately smiled. "You're here so early! Where do you want to sit? There are still seats up front."
At the sound of his voice, the people already sitting in the bus all poked their heads out. When they saw who was standing opposite Huang Xu, they suddenly felt that their excitement to watch the show was a bit unnecessary.
Their Minister Huang, after all, had always been very enthusiastic toward Ye Qingli.
Ye Qingli caught the looks from the corner of her eye. She clutched the hem of her shirt, then smiled at Huang Xu. "Let's leave the front seats for people who get carsick. I'll just sit in the back."
"Mm... okay." Huang Xu straightened up, giving her room to pass.
Ye Qingli nodded and turned to walk to the back. As she passed by a group, one girl grabbed her, propped her chin on her hand, and grinned mischievously. "Minister Huang specially saved a seat for you. How come you're not appreciating it?"
Zhang Qian blinked a couple of times, her already overly pink eyeshadow made even more jarring by the movement.
Was that some kind of moral coercion?
How ridiculous. Ye Qingli gently shook off her hand, forcing herself to forget her sarcastic tone, and smiled politely.
"I already said that seat should be left for someone who gets carsick. I don't get carsick."
With that, Ye Qingli was about to leave, but Zhang Qian grabbed her again, her scrutinizing gaze unabashed. She persisted. "You wouldn't be planning to sit with Xiao Yu, would you?"
She had seen the posts: Ye Qingli used her looks to string people along, yet pretended to be aloof, acting like she wasn't interested in anyone.
She felt tired just watching her.
"That's none of your business—"
"I'm the one who wants to sit with her."
A voice came from behind, cutting off what Ye Qingli was about to say. She turned around and saw Xiao Yu standing behind her, hands in his pockets, his eyes as cold as ice.
Zhang Qian had been so focused on taunting that she hadn't even heard him come in. Instantly, she stiffened, and her words became stammering. "Xiao... Xiao Yu..."
She remembered the day school started, when he had beaten Huang Xu, the veins on his arms standing out. The ferocity between his brows was overwhelming, just like now.
Xiao Yu leaned against the seat behind him and raised an eyebrow. "I just want to sit with her. Is there a problem?"
"No, no problem." Zhang Qian held her breath, silently swallowing, and sat up straight.
With so many people watching, Ye Qingli didn't want to become a spectacle. She secretly tugged at the hem of Xiao Yu's shirt and said softly, "Forget it."
Then she went to sit in the back row.
A place far from the crowd.
Xiao Yu withdrew his gaze and followed her, sitting down beside her.
Huang Xu watched from the front and furrowed his brow slightly.
Xiao Yu's protective tone didn't seem fake.
Now, was he doing this just to keep Huang Xu from getting what he wanted, or had he actually fallen for her?
The bus was stuffy, but it was too cold outside. Every breath formed a cloud of vapor. Ye Qingli reached out and rubbed her finger across the glass, leaving a few streaks. She looked at them, then pulled the curtain shut.
Xiao Yu turned his head to watch her fuss. Ye Qingli rubbed her hands together and turned to meet his gaze.
"...What is it?"
"Are you cold?"
So he had noticed her closing the curtain and rubbing her hands.
Ye Qingli shook her head. "No, I just touched the frost on the window. There's water on my hands."
"See," she said, showing him her hand, where beads of water still lingered, not yet dried.
As if to say, she wasn't lying.
The frost was too cold, and her fingertips were tinged pink. Xiao Yu could smell the fragrance from her sleeve if he lowered his head a little—a camellia scent, light and pleasant.