My Straight Girlfriend with Skin Hunger Syndrome - Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Ying Yuan exploded.
Her inner world erupted like a collapsing volcano.
Her already flushed face turned crimson, as red as a shrimp boiling in hot water.
She desperately wanted to curl into herself, to shrink into an infinitesimally small point and vanish into a crack in the floor, disappearing from everyone’s sight.
But she was such a massive presence, her head firmly where it should be, limbs rooted to their positions, and her hand still clasped in Yi Shanshan’s palm. With Yi Shanshan’s clear, sweet shout, nearly every eye in the room turned toward them—the lecturer on stage, the journalists in the front row, even the cameras recording the conference.
Ying Yuan couldn’t escape; she was trapped in place, like an overloaded robot.
Yi Shanshan, on the other hand, beamed radiantly, never flinching under the crowd’s scrutiny. As all eyes converged on them, she grew even more lively, swinging Ying Yuan’s hand back and forth.
Ying Yuan: “……”
The lecturer noticed them immediately, her smile warm as she gestured in their direction. “The young ladies over there seem eager. Let’s have them ask the next question.”
Yi Shanshan finally lowered Ying Yuan’s hand, but at the same moment, Ying Yuan’s ingrained habit of immediately standing up whenever a teacher called on her kicked in.
And so, the figure now standing rigidly in the center of the conference hall was none other than Ying Yuan herself.
Yi Shanshan remained seated, her eyes brimming with amusement. Without missing a beat, she declared, “Teacher, my classmate is a huge fan of yours! She came to the exhibition just for your sharing session. She even wrote down a whole bunch of thoughts and questions before it started.”
“I’m truly honored to have earned the admiration of young friends,” the lecturer replied, offering Ying Yuan an encouraging smile. “Don’t be nervous—feel free to ask whatever’s on your mind.”
Ying Yuan opened her mouth to speak, but found her throat parched, as if it were smoking.
Her mind was in chaos. She couldn’t remember a single thing from the lecture, let alone recall the calm and rational demeanor she had possessed when she first entered the hall.
Lowering her gaze, she took a deep breath, desperately trying to regain her composure.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her hand still clasped tightly in Yi Shanshan’s.
Ugh… Ying Yuan felt so nervous she wanted to cry.
Yi Shanshan suddenly raised her other hand. Reaching across most of the table, she pushed Ying Yuan’s notebook into her line of sight and flipped the page for her.
The previous page was densely filled with Ying Yuan’s handwriting, the characters still neat and orderly from when she had written it.
As Ying Yuan looked at the words, a clear path finally formed in her mind. She had prepared so thoroughly that she could practically read straight from the notebook.
“Ms. Shen…” Ying Yuan’s voice trembled slightly. “I’m a first-year materials science student, and I’m deeply interested in the machine learning algorithms you’ve proposed for predicting material properties and optimizing material structures…”
She continued in this vein.
Ying Yuan’s questions were simple and naive, but this suited her status as a university freshman perfectly. In her subsequent explanation, she articulated her sincere dreams and aspirations, which proved to be the most moving part of her presentation.
Ms. Shen was delighted. She answered Ying Yuan’s questions in detail and praised her as a rare student who truly loved the field she had chosen.
Their conversation concluded amidst applause. Ying Yuan sat down, realizing that the suffocating tension and embarrassment that had been gripping her had vanished.
She sat upright, lost in thought, as the sounds and images of the venue gradually re-entered her senses with renewed clarity. A sense of calm washed over her.
Yi Shanshan tilted her head, observing Ying Yuan.
The blush on Ying Yuan’s face had faded, leaving her expression serene as she gazed ahead, radiating a water-like tranquility and gentleness.
Her hand was still clasped in Yi Shanshan’s palm, but its temperature had cooled, and the muscles were no longer tense. Yi Shanshan gently massaged Ying Yuan’s hand, gave her back a reassuring pat, and then released her.
Ying Yuan remained oblivious.
She sat quietly until the Q&A session concluded and the audience began applauding. Only then did she raise her hands, realizing she had regained her freedom.
Her left hand, which Yi Shanshan had held for so long, now looked no different from her right.
Yet as she clapped, Ying Yuan brought her hand close to her nose and caught a faint, sweet fragrance.
The sharing session had completely ended, and the attendees began to rise and make their way out of the venue.
Ying Yuan packed up her backpack, straightened her clothes, and glanced at Yi Shanshan. Yi Shanshan remained motionless, the pen twirling between her fingers once more. She gazed at Ying Yuan, waiting for her to speak.
Ying Yuan naturally hadn’t forgotten what she’d said earlier, but she couldn’t bring herself to discuss it with Yi Shanshan. Just thinking about it brought back that suffocating sense of embarrassment.
“Let’s go,” she murmured softly.
The pen spun rapidly between Yi Shanshan’s fingers. She raised an eyebrow. “What makes you so sure I’m leaving?”
Ying Yuan turned to walk away. “Then stay, if you prefer.”
Yi Shanshan sprang to her feet with a snap, casually sweeping all the items on the table into her bag in one motion. Slinging the sparkly pink purse over her shoulder, she fell in behind Ying Yuan.
“You’re the one who begged me to pay attention to you,” she said.
Ying Yuan clenched her jaw, remaining silent.
Yi Shanshan pressed on: “Besides, you admitted you were wrong. You said you were wrong. So tell me, where exactly did you go wrong?”
Ying Yuan: “……”
Ying Yuan stopped abruptly, and Yi Shanshan bumped into her back.
My mistake was ever getting to know you, Ying Yuan thought.
But when she turned her head, she saw Yi Shanshan’s face just inches away. This girl, who was always so good at throwing tantrums and acting entitled, was now using this accidental collision to press herself against Ying Yuan, refusing to budge.
Ying Yuan: “……”
Yi Shanshan blinked her beautiful eyes, returning Ying Yuan’s gaze with her dazzling beauty.
Ying Yuan: “……I apologized, but only because you did something completely outrageous.”
Yi Shanshan: “Outrageous? All I did was hold your hand for a bit. That’s perfectly normal! Ask any other female college student.”
She spoke with such righteous confidence, her voice carrying across the area. Passersby glanced their way.
Ying Yuan nearly clamped her hand over Yi Shanshan’s mouth.
I refuse to argue with her in public, she thought, turning and resuming her walk, leaving Yi Shanshan stumbling.
Ying Yuan picked up her pace, Yi Shanshan trailing closely behind.
As Ying Yuan hurried past the registration table at the entrance, Yi Shanshan called out, “Hey, Ying Yuan, want to get Ms. Shen’s autograph?”
Ms. Shen was indeed nearby, chatting with attendees. Without even looking up, Ying Yuan surged forward, almost at a sprint.
Yi Shanshan froze for a moment, then instantly picked up her pace.
She had trained specifically for the school’s sports meet, boasting explosive power and a lightning-fast start.
Ying Yuan stood no chance of escape.
And so, a drab-looking Ying Yuan was pursued by a glittering Yi Shanshan, the pair weaving through the venue, dodging most of the crowd.
Just as Ying Yuan was about to burst through the exit, Yi Shanshan grabbed the hood of her sweatshirt, yanking her back.
“Aren’t you going to keep looking around?” Yi Shanshan demanded, her gaze piercing. “You haven’t seen everything yet.”
Ying Yuan refused to meet her eyes, shaking her head. “I’m done.”
“You love this stuff so much,” Yi Shanshan pressed. “Are you just giving up because I’m here?”
Yi Shanshan tilted her head, forcing eye contact. “Ying Yuan, am I really that important to you?”