Volume 1 / Chapter 13: Lunch Break

The twelve-person long table was occupied by twelve boys. While two girls could technically squeeze in, it remained a tight fit.  

Crucially, the boys showed gentlemanly consideration, deliberately leaving ample space to avoid making the girls uncomfortable.  

Thus, Mò Xuěyáo and Wáng Jiālè managed to sit facing each other.  

"Holy crap, there's enough space! Why are you shoving into me?" The average-looking Zhōu Yǒng rolled his eyes, planting his hand on the face of the wiry, slightly shifty boy beside him and shoving him away.  

Opposite Zhōu Yǒng, a tall, burly boy moved with the speed of a man long deprived of female company. His chopsticks darted out, snatching a piece of braised pork from the other’s tray.  

By the time Zhōu Yǒng turned back, something was amiss.  

"My pork! Where’s my big piece of braised pork?! Lǐ Hóngrǎn! You stole it!"  

"I know nothing," Lǐ Hóngrǎn mumbled through a mouthful of rapidly chewed pork, staring innocently at the ceiling.  

The table erupted in laughter.  

"Damn it, you owe me that pork!" Zhōu Yǒng protested loudly.  

"Fine, I’ll trade you my sweet and sour pork," Lǐ Hóngrǎn offered, never intending to actually cheat anyone—this was just typical boyish banter.  

"Make it two pieces!" 

"On what grounds?"

"compensation for emotional damages!"  

"That’s extortion!" Lǐ Hóngrǎn cried out, but two pieces of sweet and sour pork were already whisked from his tray.  

Before he could retaliate, the chubby Gāo Yuán—monitor Lǐ Wǎnyán's deskmate—plopped onto Lǐ Hóngrǎn’s lap. "I’ve nowhere else to sit. Your lap’ll do."  

"Damn you—" Lǐ Hóngrǎn groaned. "You’re too heavy! Get off!"  

"Heavy? I’m light as a feather, okay?" Gao Yuan said shamelessly.

"Pfft—!" Wáng Jiālè, listening in, finally burst out laughing, spraying rice and vegetables. Only her quick hand over her mouth saved Mò Xuěyáo’s tray.  

"Was it that funny?" Mò Xuěyáo asked, bemused.  

While nostalgic, she didn’t find it that hilarious. Perhaps she was just accustomed to this roughhousing among guy friends.  

Boys communicating this way was perfectly normal.  

"Hmm… boys are so amusing," Wáng Jiālè whispered. "They seem happy all the time."  

"Aren’t girls?"  

"Well… interactions between girls… aren’t quite so simple. Things are… a bit more complicated among girls?"  

Mò Xuěyáo didn’t know how to respond.  

She wanted to say her interactions with Wáng Jiālè seemed straightforward enough. But fearing she might miss underlying complexities, she stayed silent.  

"Quite lively here," Xuě Xiānshēng remarked smoothly as he approached the boisterous group. He held a substantial-looking pork floss bun, generously coated.  

Likely made in-house, it came in a simple food-grade plastic bag, not commercial packaging.  

"Xiao Xuě, no lunch today?" Zhōu Yǒng eyed the bun. "Wow, that’s a lot of pork floss!"  

"Mm. Saw these today and couldn’t resist trading a coupon," Xuě Xiānshēng replied with his characteristic, serene smile, exuding the poise of a seasoned scholar.  

Lunch was lively. Mò Xuěyáo and Wáng Jiālè enjoyed the impromptu comedy show, which seemed to improve their appetites.  

The boys lingered until the girls were nearly finished. Most had eaten quickly but stayed longer, drawn by the presence of the two pretty classmates.  

Lunch ended, but the lunch break stretched long ahead.  

From 11:30 dismissal until 12:40 was free time. Finishing around 11:45 meant nearly an hour remained for personal pursuits.  

Most boys naturally headed for basketball. Those less inclined chose badminton or table tennis instead. The indoor ping pong tables were just as packed as the basketball courts.  

After eating, Wáng Jiālè was whisked away by other girls. Mò Xuěyáo wandered the playground alone.  

On her previous visit before term started, the grounds felt empty. Today, they buzzed with energy.  

A football match unfolded at the center, boys chasing the ball while spectators cheered. Though less than an hour remained, they played with competitive spirit—a student-organized game.  

Along the track, tables served as sign-up points for newly formed clubs. Curious students gathered, with basketball and football clubs drawing the biggest crowds.  

Despite the vibrant scene, Mò Xuěyáo felt listless.  

"Wonder if there’s a napping club? …Probably not," she muttered self-deprecatingly. Wandering alone felt dull.  

She longed to join the basketball game but hesitated due to her new identity. Basketball involved physical contact. Adding a girl would restrict the boys’ play—they’d avoid collisions, fearing tears.  

Though she wouldn’t cry, the boys wouldn’t know that. Not wanting to impose.

she decided to head upstairs for a nap, to recharge. Her studies weren’t too demanding yet, and there was plenty of midday leisure.

Catching herself daydreaming, she wondered whether she might start bringing a book from home to pass the time during lunch break.

Just then, a startled shout came from behind—she turned before a black-and-white soccer ball flying toward her.

Mò Xuěyáo didn’t play. Her middle school lacked a proper field.  

But she felt confident. Bored walks home often involved kicking an empty can all the way. A football was bigger—easier, surely?  

Thinking this, she instinctively stepped back, pivoting sideways. Her reflexes were sharp; most girls wouldn’t have dodged.  

Not only did she dodge, she lifted her leg high behind her, gauged the ball’s descent, and launched a powerful kick forward.  

Her pale leg swung high. Her skirt obeyed Newton’s laws, lifting dramatically.  

THWACK—!

The ball shot away perfectly. The boy sprinting to retrieve it momentarily stared, distracted, and took it full force in the face, leaving a bright red mark.  

"Oof…" Mò Xuěyáo, who’d just been playing around, panicked. She rushed over. "Are you okay?!"  

"I’m… I’m fine…"  

"But your nose is bleeding!"  

"Really, it’s nothing. Nosebleeds happen all the time." The boy tilted his head back as others gathered.  

"Sick kick!" a boy exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up. 

"Sorry…"  

"Don’t worry! If you hadn’t kicked it, it might’ve hit you instead."  

"Yeah, boys can take a hit. Don’t sweat it."  

"Are you sure you’re okay?" Mò Xuěyáo pressed. "Maybe go to the infirmary?"  

"Haha, going for this? That’d be embarrassing!"  

Laughter erupted. The boys, including the one hit, brushed it off. Someone grabbed the ball, others helped the boy up, and they returned to the field as if nothing happened.  

Faintly, Mò Xuěyáo caught their words:  

"Pure white!"  

"Great legs!"  

"Bless the new principal for the short skirts."  

Mò Xuěyáo watched their retreating backs, eyelids drooping, a vein pulsing on her forehead.  

So that’s why his nose bled?

"Idiots… Hope all of them bleed out," she grumbled, kicking a pebble aside. She walked back to the classroom with a slight swagger.  

The classroom held mostly girls and a few non-sporty boys—including Xuě Xiānshēng. He seemed engrossed in a different book from the morning.  

Mò Xuěyáo wondered if his desk concealed a small library for idle moments.  

With nothing else to do, she flipped open a blank exercise book and began doodling. Soon, her mind wandered.  

She stood, propped her chin on her hand, gazed out at the playground, and sighed deeply.  

"I wanna play basketball…" she murmured.  

The football players seemed to notice her. One even waved.  

Mò Xuěyáo pointedly ignored him.  

====  

"Which class is that girl from?" a boy on the field asked.  

"Judging by the window… Class 2, Grade 10?"  

"She’s a real beauty!"  

"Definitely a knockout."  

"Heh heh…"  

"Think you’d date her?"

"Nah—can’t even afford to feed myself, let alone a girlfriend."

"Gotta have lofty ambitions, young man!"