Volume 1 / Chapter 42: Gradually Settling into High School Life

"I'm... heading back to the dorm now. Lights will be off soon" Ān Ruòsù gently pinched his earlobe, speaking softly with that gentle voice of his, a little awkward.

“Wait... what about your coat?” Lǐ Wǎnyán glanced down, a bit embarrassed, at the thick jacket draped over her shoulders.

"Oh, you can keep it for now. I only brought one quilt, so I couldn't bring you an extra. That coat’s just something I packed in case the weather suddenly turned cold. It's pretty thick, but it's not that chilly yet, so I haven't used it."

"Thank you."

"It's nothing, really. We're classmates—helping each other is just what we do." Ān Ruòsù smiled. "I'm heading off then. Oh right, here's the lighter. If the candle goes out and you need to relight it for anything, just use this."

"Got it."

Once Ān Ruòsù left, the dormitory lights across the building flicked off all at once—right at 10 p.m.

Though Yǔkōng High School's dormitories were smaller than those of most boarding schools, the number of students living on campus was also low, so there were more than enough rooms to go around.

So much so, in fact, that it wasn’t rare to see students living two or three to a room—or even one person per room.

Students were mostly housed on the fourth and fifth floors—girls on the fifth, boys on the fourth.

Ān Ruòsù lived alone on the third floor. Not because of any special privilege, but simply because all the rooms on the fourth and fifth floors had already been “lavishly” divided up.

Despite being a high school, Yǔkōng offered quite comfortable living dorm. Ān Ruòsù’s room, for example, was practically a studio apartment, complete with a private bathroom.

Other students had similar setups—just with two or three people sharing the same space.

From his window, you could see the teaching building across the courtyard.

Ān Ruòsù glanced that way—it was pitch black. The faint candlelight from earlier must’ve been blocked completely by the curtains.

That eased his mind a little. Slowly, he closed his eyes.

That night, Lǐ Wǎnyán spent the night inside the school classroom.

====

Student life—at times, it crawls; at others, it flies.

Once Mò Xuěyáo began adjusting to the unfamiliar school environment—and, more critically, to a body that still felt foreign—time started to move noticeably faster.

Her classmates gradually warmed up to her, though she still couldn't remember most of their names.

Her closest connection was, of course, her deskmate Wáng Jiālè . It was largely thanks to this cheerful, lively girl that Xuěyáo found it relatively easy to blend into the class—even if it was mostly with the girls' circle.

But with her current identity, integrating into the boys’ group was no longer a realistic option.

Even if she could, wouldn’t that just come off... weird?

—

Early in the morning, Wáng Jiālè was already lounging at her desk with her breakfast, one pair of short, stubby legs casually propped across Mò Xuěyáo’s knees as she idly swung them.

“Xuě~ Yào~”

“What...” Even after a whole week of this, Mò Xuěyáo still couldn’t get used to that sugary, saccharine tone. Every time she heard it, her skin practically crawled.

“What day is it today?”

“October 15th.”

“What day of the week?”

“Friday... Wait—don’t tell me you didn’t know?” Mò Xuěyáo looked helplessly at Wáng Jiālè, who—for once—had arrived at school on time.

“Hehe! It’s Friday! Friday, you know! Why do you look so gloomy?”

“...Isn’t that pretty normal?” Mò Xuěyáo said, speechless. Sure, Friday was nice and all, but there was no reason to be this ecstatic about it.

“We get two whole days off! Plus, we get to leave early today!” Jiālè stuffed the last piece of her egg pancake into her mouth, her cheeks puffing up like a chipmunk. “We can sleep in all weekend!”

“Pfft.” Mo Xiǎoxiào reached over and pinched Wáng Jiālè’s chubby cheeks. “Ignore her, Xuěyáo. She always gets like this on Fridays.”

“She needs to calm down a little,” Xuěyáo deadpanned, glancing out the window.

“Mm-hmm~ Lèlè, don’t forget—next Monday, military training starts! Five full days~”

“Ahhhh! Don’t remind me!” Wáng Jiālè instantly slapped her hands over her ears in horror.

“Five days isn’t even that long,” Mò Xuěyáo said. “My middle school military training lasted two full weeks.”

“Two weeks?! That’s insane! Five days is already too much! Xuěyáo, you’re so pale—don’t tell me you actually want to get roasted by the sun!” Wáng Jiālè shook Mò Xuěyáo by the shoulders in protest. “How are we supposed to survive that long?!”

“Hey, hey—stop shaking me... I’m getting dizzy...” Mò Xuěyáo peeled her hands off. “How’d you even survive your middle school training?”

“Because it was so awful, I don’t want to go through it again!” Wáng Jiālè pouted. “Wait—you don’t like military training, do you?”

“I don’t mind it, honestly. It’s good exercise.”

“You’re joking.” Jiālè looked at her, utterly unconvinced.

Mo Xiǎoxiào couldn’t help but giggle. “Xuěyáo only has to stand at attention, right? She’s not allowed strenuous activity.”

“Oh right!” Jiālè’s eyes lit up. “She can’t do too much anyway—so that means she’ll get extra breaks! She just wants to watch us suffer! You’re evil, Xuěyáo! Take this—tickle attack!”

“I didn’t mean it like that!” Mò Xuěyáo said seriously.

“Yeah, right~” Jiālè pouted, clearly unconvinced.

“Believe what you want.” Mò Xuěyáo rolled her eyes. “Move. I need to go to the bathroom.”

“The bathroom? I’ll come too!” Jiālè immediately stood up. Mo Xiǎoxiào nudged Lǚ Bólún beside her to make way.

Going to the bathroom in groups—it really was one of girls' favorite rituals.

Now an experienced veteran, Mò Xuěyáo pulled a few napkins from her backpack. Getting stuck air-drying your hands again was just awkward.

As they stepped into the hallway, a blur of motion came barreling straight at them. Before she could react, someone latched onto her thigh and rubbed against it with exaggerated affection—earning stares from every direction.

“Wheee~ Xuěyáo’s snow-white thighs are too comfy!”

Mò Xuěyáo looked down, eyelids drooping. She’d long since gotten used to this lunatic’s antics.

“Huā Yínyín, can’t you not be weird for one day?” she said, exasperated.

“I am being normal! Beautiful girl legs are the treasure of the world! Hugging them makes me happy! Want to hug my legs and see?” Huā Yínyín grinned, patting Xuěyáo on the shoulder.

“No thanks. I’m not a pervert...”

“Exactly! Our Xuěyáo isn’t some pervy creep like you!” Wáng Jiālè protectively pulled her away, as if afraid Huā Yínyín’s shamelessness might rub off on her.

Mò Xuěyáo silently sighed. You’re barely better than she is...

“Girls touching girls’ legs—how’s that pervy? It’s called appreciating beauty. You all just lack artistic vision!” Huā Yínyín said dramatically, brushing past Xuěyáo and giving her a cheeky slap on the rear before cackling her way back to class. “Another joyful day~ wheee~”

“She really is that joyful every day.” Mo Xiǎoxiào chuckled.

“And Xuěyáo’s her newest victim,” Wáng Jiālè added. “Before you transferred, she already terrorized every girl in class.”

“Yup. But now she seems to have a special fondness for you,” Mo Xiǎoxiào observed, eyeing Xuěyáo’s legs. “Her tastes are... unique.”

“You mean horrible,” Jiālè muttered.

“Hey! You went to the bathroom without me again!” Mo Zhúyōu came sprinting out from the classroom. “Ever since Xuěyáo showed up, you don’t ask me to go with you anymore!”

“Well, we’re always glued together at home. A little space outside isn’t so bad, is it?” Mo Xiǎoxiào ruffled her sister’s hair. “Didn’t you say you wanted personal space?”

“When did I ever say that?” Mo Zhúyōu glanced up dramatically at the sky. “Sis, what’s for lunch today?”

“It’s not even first period yet and you’re already thinking about lunch?” Wáng Jiālè teased. “Aren’t you afraid of gaining weight?”

“I wish I’d gain weight,” Mo Zhúyōu mumbled.

Mo Xiǎoxiào gave an awkward smile.

Xuěyáo looked at the sisters, sensing something a little... off in the exchange. But naïve as ever, Jiālè didn’t pick up on anything strange.

As they bantered, the class monitor walked past them alone. Her face was pale, her steps unsteady.

“Something’s off with the class rep lately. You guys notice that?” Jiālè whispered, like sharing some scandalous secret.

“Maybe something happened at home,” Mo Xiǎoxiào said, sounding like someone who’d seen it all.

“Rumor says her parents are divorcing,” Jiālè said quietly—no one knew where the gossip came from.

“If it’s not confirmed, don’t go spreading it,” Mò Xuěyáo said softly, smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt from Huā Yínyín’s earlier ambush.

“I heard Ms. Yè Wén is helping her deal with it,” Mo Zhúyōu added cryptically.

“Really?” Jiālè’s eyes widened. “So it is a divorce?”

“Maybe worse...” Zhúyōu glanced at her sister. “Sis knows more than me.”

“Well... I overheard something outside the teacher’s office the other day. Her dad’s in debt, and some gangsters came knocking. I didn’t catch much, but... sounds like things at home are a mess. No wonder she can’t focus in class.” Mo Xiǎoxiào shook her head. “Still, Ms. Yè is involved now. I’m sure she’ll help sort it out.”

The four of them fell silent, watching as Lǐ Wǎnyán’s figure faded into the distance.