Volume 1 / Chapter 16: Self-Introduction in Homeroom

Mò Xuěyáo rested her chin in her hand, gazing out at the empty playground.  

A frosty breeze brushed her face, making her squint at the vast emptiness of the sky.  

A beam of golden sunlight fell on the windowsill, illuminating dancing dust motes.  

Suddenly, a light tap on her back jolted her from her daze.  

Turning, she saw Mo Xiào Xiào smiling at her.  

Those deep dimples naturally drew attention.  

"What is it?" Mò Xuěyáo asked.  

"Just wanted to ask—why did you pick Zhōu Yǒng? Did you know him before?" Mo Xiào Xiào blinked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.  

Of course. Girls were always curious about gossip.  

"No… just picked randomly." Mò Xuěyáo quickly clarified to avoid misunderstandings. "He seemed ordinary. Probably easier to get along with."  

"Oh… makes sense. Unlike Lèlè, I don't always focus on handsome guys. Some good-looking boys are way too arrogant or self-absorbed. It can be exhausting to deal with them." Mo Xiào Xiào covered her mouth with a light laugh, agreeing with Mò Xuěyáo.  

"Yeah… that’s… exactly what I meant." Feeling understood, Mò Xuěyáo nodded emphatically, her impression of Mo Xiào Xiào improving.  

"Mò Xuěyáo, mind if I call you Xuěyáo?"  

"Sure."  

"Hmm… your skin is so fair…" Mo Xiào Xiào blurted out after a moment’s thought, leaving Mò Xuěyáo licking her lips, unsure how to respond.  

"Is it natural? Or do you take care of it?" Mò Xiào Xiào pressed.  

"Natural." Mò Xuěyáo answered honestly.  

"Ahh… so jealous." Mo Xiào Xiào slumped onto her desk dramatically.  

She wasn’t dark either—just the typical light golden tone of East Asian skin, which suited her perfectly.  

"By the way, did you dye your hair?" Mò Xuěyáo asked this time.  

"Natural. Probably malnutrition or something." Mo Xiào Xiào tugged at her hair, grumbling. "Just the ends are a bit yellowish. Teachers are always giving me grief over it."  

"Ha…" Mò Xuěyáo almost burst out laughing but remembered her current identity. Such a hearty laugh might seem unrefined. She managed one chuckle before reining it in.  

Malnutrition?

But her chest isn't small…

Mò Xuěyáo’s attention drifted somewhere inappropriate.  

"What’s wrong?"  

"Nothing." Mò Xuěyáo shook her head quickly. She certainly couldn’t voice that thought. That would be mortifying.  

The class bell rang.  

The final period every Friday at Yǔkōng High was Homeroom—conducted by the homeroom teacher.  

In Mò Xuěyáo’s experience, homeroom often morphed into an extra class for the homeroom teacher’s subject. If the teacher taught math, it meant an extra math lesson each week…  

Yè Wén walked in with a crisp click-clack of her flat heels. She pointed at the boys still lingering away from their seats.  

"Hurry back to your desks. Homeroom is starting."  

"Gāo Yuán, if you keep dawdling, I will get angry. Want your homework doubled tonight?"  

Gāo Yuán immediately sprinted back to his seat at Olympic speed. But the moment he plopped down—  

CRASH!

A cacophony of clattering metal echoed as his chair collapsed. He sat on the floor clutching his backside, unable to get up.  

"You okay?" Lǐ Wǎnyán was the first to offer help, but Gāo Yuán hesitated to take her hand. Instead, he grabbed the leg of the boy behind him—who was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle—and hauled himself up.  

"Stop pulling! You’ll yank my pants off!" the boy complained.  

Ahem! Watching from afar, Mò Xuěyáo nearly choked on her own saliva.  

"Teacher! My chair’s broken!" Gāo Yuán yelled, hand raised.  

“See? Even your chair doesn’t want to deal with you,” Yè Wén shrugged. "Stand for today’s class. Hmm… actually, I’ve got a better idea—come up here. You’re my secretary for today.”

“Teacher, I think I’d rather be the boss than the secretary.”

"Enough backtalk. Up here. You’re on blackboard duty—writing on the board and cleaning it."  

"That’s being an secretary.? Teacher, how about a female secretary? I’ll take her seat?" Gāo Yuán suggested cheekily, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret, though the whole class heard.  

"Oh?" Yè Wén planted her hands on her hips, unamused. "Feeling bold? Get up here now, or you’re staying after school for remedial lessons!"  

"No no no! We only get one early dismissal a week! Don’t make me stay…" Gāo Yuán scurried to the podium, standing dutifully beside Yè Wén. His plump, grinning face looked exceptionally sycophantic.  

"Alright, today’s homeroom is simple: introducing a new classmate. You’ve probably met her after a day of classes." Yè Wén beckoned to Mò Xuěyáo. "Come on up, Mò Xuěyáo~"  

Before Mò Xuěyáo could stand, Wáng Jiālè had already pulled her chair forward, clearing a path.  

The gaze of the entire class fell on her, making her uncomfortable. Especially in a skirt, with everyone seated. Boys’ eye-level views would land directly on her smooth thighs below the hem.  

The thought made her skin crawl. Her steps faltered as she walked to the podium. Only the podium’s bulk offered slight relief.  

Then came a wave of guilt. Am I judging them too harshly?

"Mò Xuěyáo isn’t strictly new. She enrolled with you all," Yè Wén explained to the class, smiling.  

Mò Xuěyáo stood stiffly, her delicate hands fidgeting. Wherever her eyes landed felt awkward.  

"She was hospitalized for a month due to illness, hence the late start." Yè Wén handed her a piece of chalk. "Write your name on the board and introduce yourself?"  

"Do I… have to?" Mò Xuěyáo’s voice was barely louder than a mosquito’s hum.  

"Of course! Everyone did a self-intro. Though you missed seeing the others since you arrived late."  

"Fine…" Mò Xuěyáo turned to face the blackboard. How I wish I were wearing pants right now. The thought might ease her nerves.  

Deep down, she still felt like a boy dressed in girls' clothes—the root of her anxiety, terrified someone might see through her.  

An impossible fear.  

Nervousness made her handwriting wobble, uglier than usual, but thankfully legible.  

"Turn around, turn around to introduce," Yè Wén patted her shoulder and stepped off the podium.  

"Uh…" Mò Xuěyáo pinched the hem of her blouse. Facing the sea of eyes, she took a deep breath.  

Then, in a startlingly casual tone completely at odds with her previous demeanor: "Heh… so, name’s Mò Xuěyáo. That’s what’s on the board. Hobbies are drawing and reading. Heh… haha…"  

The start held some bravado, but it dissolved into strained laughter.  

"Um… I also like Ultraman and Kamen Rider… Ah!" She clapped a hand over her mouth, flushing crimson. "Th-that’s it! Nice to meet everyone!"  

Without waiting for Yè Wén, she bolted back to her seat.  

They must think I’m childish.

A high schooler still into that stuff?  

The classmates’ laughter confirmed her suspicion. Her face burned. She wanted to vanish into the floor.  

Panic had made her blurt out the wrong things, rambling incoherently…  

As a boy, I wouldn’t have been this nervous.

Could one surgery really change your personality?

She buried her face in her arms on the desk, stewing in misery.  

"Ahem. Our Mò Xuěyáo is quite shy. Be kind to her, everyone. Alright, the rest of the period is self-study."  

Hearing "self-study," some boys promptly put their heads down. Others pulled out extracurricular books. Most took out homework, but efficiency varied wildly. Those chatting while working might not finish a single subject’s assignment.  

Click-clack— Yè Wén, likely having changed shoes at noon, walked over in her flats. She leaned half her body onto Wáng Jiālè’s desk, looking at Mò Xuěyáo.  

"Mò Xuěyáo? Mò Xuěyáo?"  

"Ah… yes?" Mò Xuěyáo lifted her head, forcing composure. She feigned a yawn to mask her embarrassment. "Sorry… a bit sleepy…"  

Her flushed face betrayed her completely.  

"I heard you can draw?"  

"J-just a bit."  

"Interested in doing the class bulletin board? We’re missing a Propaganda Committee Member."  

"I’ve seen Xuěyáo's doodles! They’re really good!"  

Since when did you get so familiar? — Mò Xuěyáo shot Wáng Jiālè a helpless look.  

"Then it’s settled! Think about the theme tonight. This month’s theme is ‘Autumn Ambience.’" Yè Wén immediately appointed Mò Xuěyáo as Propaganda Committee Member.  

Wasn’t that a bit rash? 

Mò Xuěyáo thought internally. She didn’t want the extra hassle, but she had no choice but to nod.  

A teacher’s request was impossible to refuse!