Volume 1 / Chapter 37: Mo Zhúyōu Who Refuses to Get Out of Bed

Rain poured down like spilled ink, pelting every surface in the city with a relentless rhythm—a percussive symphony unique to rainy days.

In a cramped rental room barely big enough for a single bed and desk, a girl with slightly dry, sun-bleached hair gently nudged another girl who looked very much like her, though this one had thick, jet-black hair—neither dull nor curly.

"Zhúyōu, wake up. Wake up—it's time to get up."

"So… tired… just… five… more… minutes…"

Yep. The two girls were sisters—Mo Xiǎoxiào and Mo Zhúyōu

"It's already six-thirty. Time to rise and shine." Mo Xiǎoxiào lightly pinched Zhúyōu’s cheeks, her tone gently scolding.

"So sleepy… I stayed up way too late last night…" Mo Zhúyōu mumbled, clutching her blanket tightly and refusing to budge.

"Come on—up—now. It’s raining today!" Xiǎoxiào tugged her sister’s ear with mock urgency. “If we don’t leave early, we’re definitely going to be late.”

"Rainy… days… I hate going out in the rain…" Zhúyōu rubbed her eyes and finally cracked them open with great reluctance.

Her eyes were bloodshot—clearly running on too little sleep.

"Alright, alright. Up and wash your face."

"Fiiiine…" Zhúyōu drawled, raising her arms weakly. "Sis~ give me a hand… I can’t get up…"

"Alright, up you go!" With a grunt, Mo Xiǎoxiào pulled her up by the arm and out of bed.

"Whew… is it raining hard?" Zhúyōu peered out the window.

"Not really, just a light drizzle."

"Ugh, drizzle’s the worst," she muttered, still half-asleep as she blindly reached for some clothes.

"Stop, stop—those are mine!"

"Huh…?"

"Never mind, never mind~ I give up. Just sit still, I’ll dress you."

"Okay~~~" Zhúyōu responded with a feeble smile.

"Arms up." Xiǎoxiào sighed, half amused and half exasperated, as she dressed her sister layer by layer. Then she pulled out a pair of nude-colored stockings from the pile of clothes worn yesterday and slid them onto Zhúyōu’s legs. They had several runs and tears—clearly not high quality.

Once the stockings—or rather, tights—were on, Xiǎoxiào helped her into a skirt, then flicked her forehead. "Falling asleep again? Get up! Go wash your face!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know…" Zhúyōu dragged herself off the bed. "But I’m seriously exhausted… I was washing dishes till midnight… only got six and a half hours of sleep..."

"Then what would we eat? Where’s the money going to come from? Without it, we wouldn’t even have a roof over our heads."

"Just let big sis take care of you~"

"I should’ve let you go to high school alone," Xiǎoxiào sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if I made the wrong choice."

"No, no, of course not!" Zhúyōu instantly perked up at her sister’s serious tone. "Come on, having you at school makes it worthwhile. Without you nagging me, I’d have zero motivation."

"Is that so—?"

"Absolutely! I’ll go wash up now!"

Like a fugitive on the run, Zhúyōu grabbed the washbasin with their towels, toothbrushes, and mugs by the window and bolted out the door.

Their tiny rental room didn’t come with a private bathroom.

If you needed the toilet or wanted to wash up, you had to use the communal facilities down the hallway.

And on a rainy day, heading there without an umbrella meant you’d probably end up soaked.

"Wait up! You forgot the umbrella!" Xiǎoxiào, now fully dressed, hurried after her with the umbrella in hand.

At the entrance to the communal bathroom was a row of faucets. Even this early, quite a few people were already there fetching water and brushing their teeth.

Everyone took turns in orderly silence. As soon as one person finished, they stepped aside without blocking others. It was an unspoken rule, practiced with efficiency.

The wash area was open-air, with no cover from the rain. So Mo Xiǎoxiào held the umbrella over her sister, letting Zhúyōu wash first. Only once she finished did Xiǎoxiào begin her own routine.

By the time they were done, over ten minutes had passed.

"Zhúyōu, bring my backpack down. I’ll go ready the bike." Xiǎoxiào handed off her washbasin and repeated the same instruction she gave every morning.

"Got it—don’t say it every day, please." In fact, Zhúyōu probably said this line every morning too.

By the time she came downstairs, carrying both their schoolbags, Xiǎoxiào was already on the bicycle waiting.

One bag went in the front basket. The other was on Zhúyōu’s back.

She swung her legs wide and sat sideways on the rear seat.

The rain made the roads slick. It took Xiǎoxiào longer than usual to find her balance, wobbling a bit before the bike finally rolled smoothly toward Yǔkōng High School.

She reached back, adjusted the backpack so it rested on her chest, and pulled the rain poncho over both of them.

From the back seat, you couldn’t see the road ahead—just the street flying by underneath. Even though they were going slower than usual, it still felt fast, like speeding through the city.

"Xiǎoxiào-jie, what time is it now?"

"Hmm… just before seven."

"Looks like we’ll get to school around seven-thirty."

"As long as we’re not late. You finished all my homework, didn’t you?" Zhúyōu yawned. "Once I get to class, I’m going straight to sleep. It’s raining today—no morning exercises, I hope. Let’s just pray the homeroom teacher doesn’t pick on me during morning reading."

"Relax, she’ll probably go after Gāo Yuán first."

"True… or maybe Liú Xiǎowěi. He deserves it." Zhúyōu nodded. "I hope she really gives it to him."

"What’s with the grudge?"

"Tch, you don’t even know how gross he is. His hair’s always greasy, and there’s dandruff everywhere. Sometimes he even turns around on purpose to scratch his head in front of us—sending flakes flying like confetti!"

"Pfft! When did that happen? I’ve never noticed."

"Usually right before or after class starts. The guy’s unbelievably bored—and shameless." Zhúyōu tucked her hair behind her ears. "I don’t get how he can not wash his hair. I go two days without washing and feel disgusting."

"Boys, I guess… A lot don’t care about hygiene."

"That’s just filthy!" Zhúyōu’s voice sharpened. "It’s torture sitting behind him! When are they going to switch our seating groups?"

"Probably after military training."

"Ugh—don’t remind me. Didn’t the homeroom teacher say we have to bring our own bedding?"

"Yep."

"What a hassle, dragging bedding back and forth. And what if it gets dirty?"

"Well, renting bedding is a waste of money."

"Those training camps are probably ghost towns until they cash in on this one event." Zhúyōu grumbled. "I hate military training!"

"Who doesn’t?" Xiǎoxiào chuckled dryly. "But like it or not, we still have to go."

"Ugh, my skirt’s wet."

"Really wet?"

"Just damp. Got a bit of a chill." She wrung out the fabric. "How much farther?"

"Almost there—once we cross this traffic light."

"Finally! Rainy school days are the worst."

Honestly, their idle chatter along the way made the ride feel much shorter.

Otherwise, it would’ve felt like an eternity.

Every student arriving that day was at least a little wet, and nearly everyone was griping about the weather.

Although a light drizzle wasn’t exactly rare…

At the back of the classroom, umbrellas piled up in a colorful mound like mushrooms sprouting from the concrete floor.

Once inside, Zhúyōu and Xiǎoxiào parted ways to head to their own seats.

"Morning, Xiǎoyáo ~" Xiǎoxiào greeted Mò Xuěyáo with a pair of sweet dimples.

"Ah—morning," Xuěyáo responded, clearly in the middle of writing something. She looked up quickly at the sound of her name.

"What’re you working on?"

"An article for the class bulletin board. You have to help me write it out later, Xiǎoxiào. My handwriting’s awful."

"Hmm…" Xiǎoxiào leaned over for a peek, then giggled behind her hand. "Yeah… not the best. But it’s tiny and kind of cute."

Xuěyáo gave her a skeptical glance. She was impressed by how boldly Xiǎoxiào could lie through her teeth.

These scratchy mosquito-like scribbles—cute?

"Is Lèlè not here yet?" Xiǎoxiào glanced at Wáng Jiālè's desk—the chair was down, but her backpack wasn’t there.

"Probably the rain." Xuěyáo said while continuing to scribble furiously.

As the clock ticked closer to the bell, students trickled in, many later than usual. But as if by silent agreement, a big crowd all rushed in right before it was too late.

"Looks like Lèlè is running late." Xiǎoxiào eyed the clock above the blackboard.

"If she enters the gate now, it technically doesn’t count as late." Xuěyáo said while checking her draft for typos.

"Huff—huff—" Speak of the devil: Wáng Jiālè burst in, flustered, backpack still on, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk—clearly still chewing something.

It reminded Xuěyáo of the very first time she saw her.

Same chaotic energy.

"Ahh…" Jiālè plopped into her seat and finally swallowed the last of her breakfast. "So close—I almost got marked late."

"You should’ve left earlier on a rainy day," Xuěyáo offered, full of wise senior energy. She, after all, had left nearly two hours ahead of time…

"Blame the traffic jam," Jiālè said, matter-of-fact.

"You’re always rushing like this every morning." Xiǎoxiào shook her head.

"If I can sleep a bit more in bed, why would I get up so early? A morning with a bit of tension gives me motivation to go to school!"

What truly... amazing logic.