Volume 1 / Chapter 14: The Smitten Zhōu Yǒng

After free time came the indoor rest period.  

Often, this slot was taken over by the homeroom teacher for a lesson…  

But perhaps because it was early in Grade 10, the schedule wasn't too intense yet. Today, no lesson was scheduled. The young, beautiful homeroom teacher Yè Wén, clad in white tights, simply sat at the podium writing her lesson plans.  

Sweaty, pungent boys returned after sports, fanning themselves wildly with textbooks.  

They wanted the ceiling fans on, but the girls wouldn’t allow it.  

The weather was already slightly cool; the fans would make it cold.  

Girls generally felt the cold more than boys, especially those in skirts with bare legs. A breeze made them shiver.  

Only the fan at the back row was allowed to run, since that’s where the boys sat.

Mò Xuěyáo yawned, laying her head on the desk for a nap. School afternoons always seemed to induce drowsiness.  

The forty-minute rest period flew by. Mò Xuěyáo was still groggy when Wáng Jiālè shook her awake.  

"Wake up, wake up, Mò Xuěyáo? Time for Home Economics~!"  

"Hmm… huh…!" Mò Xuěyáo blinked open her eyes to find Wáng Jiālè’s face inches from hers. She instinctively recoiled, her pale face flushing crimson.  

"What's wrong? Did I scare you?" Wáng Jiālè looked puzzled. "Is my face that terrifying?"  

"Uh… it was just… sudden. Being so close…" Mò Xuěyáo fumbled for words, then smoothly changed the subject. "So… Home Economics… what's that about?"  

"Home Ec? We’ve always treated it as part of Chinese class—today is the first time we’re actually having it, It’s a new course at Yǔkōng High," Wáng Jiālè explained, tilting her head and biting her finger thoughtfully. "Hmm… heard that from some seniors."  

Mò Xuěyáo was surprised Wáng Jiālè knew seniors. She’d never known any upperclassmen from elementary to middle school. She usually only knew her own classmates and had no interest in others, let alone seniors.  

"Everyone, line up at the door! First time going to the Home Ec classroom. Line up properly; we'll go together!" Lǐ Wǎnyán stood at the doorway, hands on hips, her voice carrying undeniable authority.  

She practically radiated teacher-like authority… Truly befitting the class monitor.  

Mò Xuěyáo admired her inwardly. She always thought class monitors were extraordinary people – good grades and leadership skills. It wasn't easy; they handled more responsibilities than regular students while maintaining top marks, requiring immense self-discipline and efficient learning.  

Since it wasn't a formal drill, the "line" was chaotic and scattered, more a loose cluster than an orderly queue.  

The monitor sighed but didn't fuss over it. She led the noisy crowd to another building.  

Floors three and above housed specialized classrooms: science labs, music rooms, computer labs for IT classes… and now, the newly designated Home Economics classroom.  

Mò Xuěyáo had never taken Home Ec, nor heard of friends or relatives taking such a class.  

This made Yǔkōng High’s new principal seem truly unique. Most principals wouldn’t establish a "pointless" course like this that offered no advantage on the college entrance exam.  

But life wasn't just about grades.  

With so many differences from ordinary schools, the public Yǔkōng High gave Mò Xuěyáo a strange sense of attending an elite private academy.  

The Home Ec room layout was vastly different. Instead of individual desks, there were large worktables, each roughly the size of six standard desks.  

Each table had a sink on the right side and an induction cooktop. Large range hoods were installed along the side walls.  

Looking closer, the tabletop material was different too – slightly soft yet sturdy, similar to the playground surface, even marked with measuring units. Clearly, it doubled as a cutting board.  

"Alright, everyone, don’t touch the tables yet. We need to form groups first," said the young female teacher already waiting at the podium.  

"Groups?" Murmurs of confusion rippled through the class.  

Mò Xuěyáo groaned internally. Being grouped with strangers would be trouble… Best to stay with Wáng Jiālè.

The teacher, with her waterfall of black hair, smiled gently. "I've looked at the class list. The gender ratio is perfectly balanced. We can form seven groups of six – three boys and three girls each."  

Girls pouted slightly. Boys’ eyes lit up.  

Many gazes landed on Mò Xuěyáo. Though unfamiliar to most, her mixed Soviet heritage gave her exceptionally fair skin with Asian smoothness. Her large, clear, bright brown eyes stood out, making her look like a girl stepped out of a painting.  

Even without knowing her name, she drew attention.  

"Hope I get grouped with the new girl," one boy whispered.  

"Hmm… tsk, but she seems hard to approach?"  

"Yeah, kinda cold."  

Mò Xuěyáo heard them clearly. She kept her expression neutral but cringed inside, desperately focusing her gaze elsewhere, pretending deafness.  

"Alright, that’s settled. Form your own groups – three boys together, three girls together~" The teacher on the podium smiled. "To save time, I’ll introduce myself and explain what Home Economics involves while you group up."  

Form our own groups?

Students exchanged uncertain looks.  

Girls, reserved, wouldn’t actively approach three boys. Boys, despite their bold talk, suddenly turned shy.  

Mò Xuěyáo looked helplessly at Wáng Jiālè beside her.  

"Relax, relax! You don’t know other friends yet, right? I’ll be with you," Wáng Jiālè declared, happily thumping her chest. "For the third… let’s get Xiào Xiào!" Her eyes landed on a girl with naturally wavy hair, the tips slightly golden in the sunlight.  

"Lèlè!" the girl called out simultaneously, as if reading her mind. They shared a knowing smile.  

The girl had two dimples that made her smile as sweet as honey.  

"Lèlè, who else did you pick?"  

"My deskmate, Mò Xuěyáo." Wáng Jiālè pointed at the dimpled girl. "This is Mo Xiào Xiào (注①) – sounds like your surname (莫/Mò), but it’s 墨, like ink. She sits right behind you; you recognize her, right?"  

"Recognize her face… just didn’t know the name. Now I do." Mo Xuěyáo unconsciously licked her lips. This girl seemed so effortlessly feminine; talking to her felt less easy than with the lively Wáng Jiālè. "Ah, I'll go find the boys then."  

"Eh?!" Wáng Jiālè’s eyes widened.  

"Huh—?" Mo Xiào Xiào covered her mouth in surprise. "Th-this… really? She’s going to find three boys by herself?"  

"Seems serious," Wáng Jiālè said, trying to close her gaping mouth. "I thought she didn’t like talking to people much… Didn’t expect her to be so… so…"  

"So proactive?" Mo Xiào Xiào finished for her.  

"Exactly!" Wáng Jiālè nodded vigorously.  

Mò Xuěyáo scanned the room, looking for suitable boys.  

The one who felt most comfortable? Surprisingly, it was the most ordinary-looking Zhōu Yǒng.  

Xuě Xiānshēng’s refined aura felt like they inhabited different worlds.  

Having lived sixteen years as a boy, interacting with boys triggered her most natural, comfortable mode.  

She strode over to Zhōu Yǒng and thumped him on the shoulder with casual familiarity, her voice slightly husky and androgynous: "Zhōu Yǒng!"  

The gesture felt like she’d known him for years.  

It reminded her of how she’d met her best friend in middle school – walking up, slapping a shoulder, and asking, "Lemme copy your homework."  

Yes, even the academically inclined Mò Xuěyáo had resorted to copying sometimes… usually due to unexpected circumstances forcing a last-minute scramble.  

Now, lost in her own world, Mò Xuěyáo stood before Zhōu Yǒng seemingly smiling at him – though her eyes were slightly unfocused, making it a bit odd.  

For Zhōu Yǒng, an utterly unremarkable boy in every way, when had a beauty ever smiled directly at him?!  

It felt like a dream.  

Had he done something to earn the goddess’s favor?

Zhōu Yǒng thought dizzily, utterly enchanted.