Chapter 11

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Volume 2 + Chapter 11: Going Home And The Escort

“Huh?”

It wasn’t until she subconsciously said it out loud that Ning Caiwei finally realized.

“That’s right.”

At that moment, Ouyang Qianxue smiled.

“It’s because of your love for your idol career and your continuous hard work that you’ve become who you are today. If you deny your current self, then you’re denying your love for the idol career and all the effort you’ve put in before.”

“But in the end, I still lost.”

“Then you need to find the reason. Do you think denying yourself after failure or finding the cause of your failure helps you grow more? The answer, of course, is the latter.”

“Finding the reason for failure… I see now. I understand, Ouyang Qianxue—this is why you’re so strong, isn’t it? Not only are you more hardworking than I am, but your heart is also more determined than mine,” Ning Caiwei said with sudden realization.

“Now I finally understand why my mom said coming to Sakura High wasn’t just for show. It’s precisely because of outstanding people like you that I can truly see myself and realize what I’m still lacking.”

“But I’m curious about one thing. I’m really curious—what was that important thing you once mentioned, the thing that supports you and motivates you to work so hard?”

“That’s confidential.”

“Is that so? That’s a bit of a shame,” Ning Caiwei said a little disappointedly.

“Then let me ask something else. Ouyang, have you practiced martial arts before? The way you handled those thugs just now was seriously too cool!”

“Mm… I’ve learned a bit of self-defense and combat.”

At this moment, when asked this question, Ouyang Qianxue had a dark expression. Ever since being adopted by Wang Shiman, everything he did daily had to follow her discipline. 

Wang Shiman said that ladylike qualities had to be cultivated from a young age, so any hobbies or interests leaning toward masculinity were forbidden—like soccer and basketball.

But martial arts was the one exception Wang Shiman fully supported.

When asked why, Wang Shiman told him.

“Because you’re just too cute. So cute that the men around you might not be able to stop themselves from committing a crime. And since we can’t assign bodyguards to you during our mission period, learning martial arts is necessary.”

At first, he thought Wang Shiman was joking.

But today, when that thug saw him, he actually immediately changed his target from Ning Caiwei to him. Even though he was clearly a boy.

“Ugh…”

Thinking about how, despite being a boy, he was more tempting than a girl idol, Ouyang Qianxue felt his male dignity slowly crumbling.

“You really have practiced martial arts!”

At this moment, Ning Caiwei had already transformed into full sparkly eyes mode.

“Ouyang Qianxue, how can there be such a perfect woman like you in this world? I heard from classmates that you’re talented in all sorts of arts, your grades are top of the class, and now you even know martial arts. There’s seriously nothing in this world that you can’t do, right?”

“It’s not as exaggerated as you say.”

At this point, Ouyang Qianxue looked wistfully out the window.

If she really could do everything, then she wouldn’t have let her mother and younger sister live such a hard life.

“Ouyang Qianxue? Are you okay?”

At this moment, Ning Caiwei looked at the dazed Ouyang Qianxue and asked.

“It’s nothing. I just remembered something after hearing what you said.” 

Ouyang Qianxue smiled.

“I see. I just felt your expression just now looked kind of troubled.”

“I’m fine. And it’s getting late. Shall we go?”

After speaking, the two paid the bill and left the café.

By the time they stepped out, the sky was already full of stars.

Because Ning Caiwei wasn’t a boarding student, she didn’t share the same way home as Ouyang Qianxue.

“Then I guess this is where we part.”

“Mm.”

Ning Caiwei softly replied, her expression carrying a sense of disappointed anticipation.

But just as Ouyang Qianxue was about to leave, he unintentionally noticed that Ning Caiwei’s legs were trembling uncontrollably.

Given that it was nighttime, it seemed she was still frightened by what happened earlier, Ouyang Qianxue thought.

“Sigh, guess I’ll do a good deed to the end. I’ll walk you home,” Ouyang Qianxue sighed.

“But Ouyang Qianxue, aren’t you a boarding student? My house is quite far from school. You really don’t have to go out of your way for me. I’m already super grateful you came to save me today,” Ning Caiwei said in a panic.

But clearly, upon hearing that Ouyang Qianxue would walk her home, her demeanor visibly relaxed.

“But I can’t just leave you alone, can I? Can you really say, in your current state, that you can walk home alone in the dark? Even if you say you can, I wouldn’t feel at ease letting a girl who just went through that walk home at night alone.”

“Then I’ll trouble you…”

Ning Caiwei whispered in a voice as soft as a mosquito.

Actually, while saying these words, Ouyang Qianxue was filled with guilt, because he knew his younger sister always went to and from school alone.

(Now that I think about it, I really am an unqualified big brother. The reason I’m so worried about Ning Caiwei must be because of my sister…)

Under the night sky, the two of them walked side by side down the street.

Because the road from the café to Ning Caiwei’s house was very dark, and due to what had happened earlier, by the time Ning Caiwei noticed it, she realized she was clinging tightly to Ouyang Qianxue’s side.

(Oh no! I’m actually this close to someone! She won’t find me annoying, will she…)

Ning Caiwei covered her face.

So she quietly glanced at Ouyang Qianxue’s face—only to see that she wasn’t showing any signs of annoyance.

Under the white streetlights and moonlight, her fair skin and golden hair looked even more radiant.

At that moment, Ouyang Qianxue truly looked like a goddess descended to the mortal world, making Ning Caiwei stare dazedly.

“Ah… if I were a boy, I’d definitely do everything I could to marry her,” Ning Caiwei murmured.

“What did you say?”

Ouyang Qianxue turned his face toward Ning Caiwei and asked, not having heard clearly due to how softly she spoke.

“N-nothing… I was just thinking, how can there be someone like you, Ouyang Qianxue, so beautiful that even someone like me—a top idol—feels envious?”

“Crack!”

At that moment, a sound as if something shattered echoed in Ning Caiwei’s ears.

“So beautiful even an idol feels envious… But I’m clearly a…”

At this moment, Ning Caiwei suddenly noticed that Ouyang Qianxue was murmuring blankly with a dazed expression.

“Ouyang Qianxue, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Though Ouyang Qianxue wore a smile, it looked clearly forced.

Not long after, the two arrived at a luxurious residential complex.

“My home is just ahead. You can drop me off here. But it’s getting pretty late now, and you’re also a girl—it’s not ideal for you to walk home alone at night either. Why don’t you stay over at my place tonight…”

“N-no need! As you’ve seen, I’m really strong—even if a few more thugs came, they’d still be no match for me.”

Ouyang Qianxue hastily refused. After all, staying at Ning Caiwei’s house carried a huge risk. If she found out his true gender, it would be a disaster. He didn’t want to invite trouble.

“I see. That’s a bit of a shame. But there’s one more thing…” Ning Caiwei said shyly.

“What is it?”

“Can we be friends?”

Ning Caiwei looked at Ouyang Qianxue with pleading eyes.