Chapter 61: Unexplained Kindness

A Cryptic Warning

“You…” Yu Li frowned, looking at the young school doctor who had suddenly spoken, her face full of confusion.

Ignoring her bewilderment, the school doctor, Long Yan, maintained his cold demeanor, seemingly intent on leaving without further explanation.

“Little Ai’s checkup wasn’t done by you, was it?”

“Cough, cough.” Caught off guard by Yu Li’s question, Long Yan stumbled slightly, nearly tripping.

He turned back, looking at Yu Li with some embarrassment. Though he tried to keep his face impassive, the twitching corners of his mouth betrayed his less-than-calm state.

“It wasn’t me,” he replied coolly.

“Good, then.” Satisfied with his answer, Yu Li turned away, no longer looking at him.

Watching Yu Li’s unpredictable behavior, Long Yan sighed helplessly.

“You’re walking a rough path that’s not accepted. This is as far as I can help you.” He spoke words Yu Li couldn’t comprehend, then reverted to his cold demeanor and walked away briskly, like a cryptic riddler.

“So weird…” Yu Li’s eyelids drooped, her face full of bewilderment. She wasn’t close to the school doctor and didn’t know his intentions, but for now, she decided to focus on finishing her checkup.

With that thought, she pushed open the inner door.

An Awkward Encounter

As soon as she stepped inside, Yu Li froze at the sight before her. Ai Xinglan, who had just finished her checkup, was half-dressed, her skin mostly exposed to Yu Li’s view.

Ai Xinglan also noticed Yu Li’s sudden entrance, freezing in place and staring at her blankly. For a moment, the air grew silent.

“Mm… nice figure, Little Ai,” Yu Li said with a teasing smile.

“…Yu, Li!”

“Little Ai… if I said it wasn’t on purpose, would you believe me?”

“Then stop looking and get out!”

Ai Xinglan’s face flushed bright red from being seen. In a panic, she clutched her chest and instinctively used her ability, sending small objects around her flying toward Yu Li—some of them dangerous.

“Whoa!”

Yu Li barely dodged the objects by twisting aside, then quickly opened the door and fled.

“Phew… that was close.” Leaning against the door, Yu Li placed a hand on her chest, her heart pounding fiercely.

A Suspicious Assist

“His ‘helping me’… it couldn’t be about this, could it?” Recalling Long Yan’s odd expression, the corner of Yu Li’s mouth twitched. “No wonder he told me to come in early.”

“But that guy… he’s so strange.” The school doctor seemed to always be helping her in some way. The first time they met, he saved Lin Mu but only gave her a look to warn her not to go too far. The second time, he cautioned her about the Disaster Beast Studies teacher and even set up this odd “assist.”

“Why, though?” Yu Li’s eyes flickered with confusion.

“What’s why?”

“Eek!” Startled by the sudden voice, Yu Li instinctively stepped back, looking up to see Ai Xinglan, now fully dressed, glaring at her with a mix of embarrassment and anger.

“Little Ai…”

“Speak! What’s why?” Ai Xinglan’s eyes narrowed, her gaze filled with shy indignation.

“Uh, Little Ai, I really didn’t mean to~” Yu Li smiled awkwardly. She couldn’t explain—nobody would believe a stranger tricked her into walking in on someone changing.

“Is that so!” Ai Xinglan clearly didn’t buy it.

Turning the Tables

Seeing Ai Xinglan’s expression, Yu Li feigned hurt and stepped forward quickly. “Does Little Ai not trust me?”

Without waiting for a response, she grabbed Ai Xinglan’s hand. “Well… since that’s the case, I’ll make it up to you, Little Ai~” With that, she started pulling her back inside.

“Wait, wait, what are you doing, you idiot?”

Yu Li tapped her lips as if thinking, then said casually with a smile, “Mm… since Little Ai feels bad about being seen, how about you see me back to make it fair?”

“W-what?”

“Yup, but… with me, Little Ai can look anytime~ I’ve long been ready for you to see.”

Yu Li’s expression was earnest, her lips curving into a gentle smile as she gazed into Ai Xinglan’s cherry-red eyes, her tone sincere and genuine.

Ai Xinglan, still being pulled, instinctively avoided Yu Li’s intense gaze, muttering with a flushed face, “Ugh… saying stuff like that again.”

A Familiar Dance

Admittedly, Ai Xinglan fell for this every time. Yu Li always turned the tables, shifting from passive to active. Her one attempt at taking the lead seemed to exhaust all her courage, leaving her once again vulnerable to Yu Li’s teasing.

“So… to make sure Little Ai doesn’t feel cheated, let’s go in together?” Yu Li grinned, pulling Ai Xinglan toward the room.

“Wait, hold on!” Ai Xinglan broke free, stepping back with a flushed face.

Though she looked flustered, she put on a haughty expression. “Hmph, who wants to look at you, idiot? I-I’m leaving. I’ll deal with you later!”

Without waiting for Yu Li’s reaction, she fled the infirmary like she was escaping.

A Fond Reflection

“Hm… Little Ai was… super cute today too.” Yu Li stared at Ai Xinglan’s retreating figure, chuckling to herself before turning to start her checkup.

Meanwhile, Ai Xinglan, who had gone from confronting Yu Li to being teased into fleeing, stood outside the infirmary, covering her face.

Whether from anger or embarrassment, her face was as red as a ripe tomato, caught in a strange mood. As if recalling something, she stomped her foot twice in frustration.

“Ugh… damn idiot…” she muttered through gritted teeth.

A Moment of Clarity

In that moment of being seen changing, Ai Xinglan had felt intense shame. But after Yu Li left, facing the nurse’s odd look, she realized being seen by another girl like Yu Li wasn’t a big deal.

Even she didn’t know why she felt so shy about it, but she knew neither her reaction nor Yu Li’s was normal.

So, pretending to still be angry, she confronted Yu Li to see how she’d react.

“That idiot definitely noticed… ugh!” Recalling Yu Li’s response, Ai Xinglan grew annoyed. Once again, Yu Li had turned the tables, making her flee in embarrassment.

“She’s not afraid I’d actually agree?!”

Fuming at the thought of what Yu Li’s reaction would be if she had agreed, Ai Xinglan unconsciously imagined it.

The image of a petite girl slowly shedding her clothes flashed unbidden in her mind. Even as she tried to banish the thought, it lingered stubbornly.