Volume 1 / Chapter 55: Spreading Bedding in the Attic

After the bath—

The warm mist still clung to the air, leaving Mò Xuěyáo's cheeks flushed and pink. She was scrambling to button up a baggy dress shirt—one of her father’s—while awkwardly wearing a pair of shapeless men’s boxer shorts.

Her mom had thoughtfully packed a set of cute blue-and-white girls' underwear, but Xuěyáo had flatly refused to wear them. Or rather, she didn’t feel comfortable wearing them while sharing a room with so many others.

Somehow, slipping into these boxers made her feel like she’d turned back into a guy again.

A silly lie she told herself… but still a lie she clung to.

Just think of it as safety shorts, she thought.

The oversized shirt covered half her thighs easily, but because she hadn’t brought up her sleep pants with her, she now found herself in quite the awkward situation.

“Eh? Xuěyáo didn’t bring sleep pants?” asked Huā Yínyín, tilting her head.

“They’re upstairs…” Xuěyáo mumbled.

And then—whoosh—she bolted out the door like a startled rabbit.

“WAAH! Why’d you open the door so suddenly?! I wasn’t dressed yet!” Huā Yínyín’s panicked shout followed behind her.

Downstairs, the girls chatting on the living room stared in shock as Mò Xuěyáo zoomed past, barefoot, in nothing but a giant shirt.

She made a beeline for the attic, where Lǐ Wǎnyán and the Mo sisters—Mo Xuěxiào and Mo Zhúyōu —were still scrubbing the wooden floors with rags they’d brought from home.

“Eh? Xuěyáo, where is your pants?” Mo Xuěxiào blinked at her pale, bare legs and asked with concern, “You’ll catch a cold like that.”

“Maybe she just wanted to show off her pretty legs,” muttered a plump girl standing on the stairs, her tone sour.

Mò Xuěyáo flushed crimson. She’d only come up here hoping to dive into the blankets right away—but now remembered the bedding hadn’t even been laid out yet…

And her suitcase? Still downstairs.

Unfortunately, the living room was full of girls at the moment.

“Did everyone agree?” she tried her best to change the subject.

“Yup! We’re all sleeping in the attic tonight,” Mo Zhúyōu replied cheerfully. “It’s not every day you get to sleep in one big group like this!”

“Your pants are upstairs?” Lǐ Wǎnyán asked, cloth still in hand.

“No… they’re downstairs…” Xuěyáo said awkwardly, coughing lightly. She wanted to ask someone to grab her suitcase, but couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.

Despite the bags under her eyes, Lǐ Wǎnyán caught her expression right away. “Which one’s yours? I’ll bring it up.”

“The backpack’s the black and red one. The suitcase… the khaki one.”

The khaki suitcase had been her mom’s when she first came to work in Hangzhou years ago. It had served her for more than a decade, and now it was Xuěyáo’s.

The color was plain—borderline old-fashioned—but the quality was solid.

Even the wheels, which should have worn out by now, still rolled perfectly. No doubt thanks to her mom’s careful upkeep.

If her dad had been the one using it? It probably would've fallen apart long ago.

“I’ll go get it for you ” Wǎnyán nodded.

“Thanks…” Xuěyáo gave her a deeply grateful look.

It felt so good having a class monitor like her.

Soon enough, Wǎnyán returned with the suitcase, and Mò Xuěxiào had even helped bring her backpack. That made Xuěyáo the first to officially move into the attic.

The attic ceiling was a lot lower than other floors. If someone was around 1.7 meters tall, they could probably touch the ceiling on tiptoe.

Thankfully, the numerous windows helped the room feel less cramped and stuffy.

Honestly, Xuěyáo kind of liked it here.

There was something comforting about low ceilings. It made her feel… safe.

“Wait,” Wǎnyán called out as Xuěyáo began to roll her suitcase onto the floor. “Let me wipe the wheels clean first.”

“Oh! Right, I almost made the floor dirty again,” she scratched her head in embarrassment.

“It’s fine,” Wǎnyán chuckled. She still looked tired, but being with the group had clearly lifted her spirits. “All done. You can go in now.”

“Thanks.”

Xuěyáo thanked her again, sincerely, and pushed her suitcase into the farthest corner of the attic.

She popped it open—it barely reached her hips in height—and began pulling out her bedding.

They’d been told ahead of time to bring their own sheets and quilts, so at least she didn’t have to worry about not having something to lie on.

The only downside would be the hardness of the floor—if the sheet was too thin, she’d feel it for sure.

Thankfully, her mom had thought of that too and packed two thick quilts—one to sleep under, and one to lay on.

As a result, aside from a pillow, there wasn’t much else she could fit in her suitcase. Her change of clothes, soap, and toothbrush were all stuffed into her backpack.

She stacked her bags in the corner, spread the bedding, and then happily dove under the covers.

Now that she was “in bed,” there was no need for pants anymore.

She pulled out an alarm clock from her backpack and set it beside her pillow.

But it was still early—just shy of six o’clock.

Military training had ended around 4:30, and dinner started at about 4:50. They’d finished eating around 5:10. The walk back to the villa took maybe ten minutes. Add in the chaotic bath with Huā Yínyín…

It was surprising how much time had passed already.

She thought it was barely past five.

By now, the sun was setting fast. With autumn approaching, the daylight hours were shorter, and a few gray clouds had gathered in the sky.

The attic door now had an unspoken rule—only clean girls allowed inside. The rest could only peek through the entrance curiously.

With only her bed laid out, Xuěyáo stood out like a sore thumb.

“Xuě~yáo~!” Huā Yínyín burst in again, excited as ever, dragging her freshly cleaned suitcase behind her.

She and Xuěyáo were still the only ones who had bathed.

Xuěyáo didn’t even look up—she coolly pulled a book from her bag, one she’d borrowed from the library the day before the trip.

The title: Will Future Book Titles Keep Getting Longer Until They’re Longer Than This One?

She hadn’t even read the summary. She picked it purely because the name was so absurd it made her laugh.

You could check out three books per visit. The other two were normal. This one? Not even close.

Now she was bathed, relaxed, and in bed—perfect time for a weird read.

…Or it would’ve been, if not for Huā Yínyín’s existence.

“Xiǎo Yáoyáo~” That nickname again. Somehow she’d evolved from “Xuěyáo” to “Xiǎo Yáoyáo.” It sounded like someone calling a baby… or a pampered pet.

“Let’s sleep together~!”

“I refuse.”.

“Awww~ Why is my face scary? That’s not cute at all! I liked the shy, blushing Xiǎo Yáoyáo much better~” Huā Yínyín said, fluttering her eyelashes while mimicking Xuěyáo’s earlier embarrassed expression.

Xuěyáo’s whole body stiffened in discomfort.

But Huā Yínyín didn’t stop—she even mimicked her lines from the bath earlier: “Ehh~! Here too? Do we have to scrub this spot too?”

“What are you two playing at?” Wáng Jiālè suddenly poked her head in through the attic door—just in time to see Huā Yínyín trying to climb into Xuěyáo’s blanket.

“Waaah! Caught in the act! You’re trying to steal my Xuěyáo!”

“Hmph! First come, first served, okay? Who told you to run off to the shop? Tonight, Xuěyáo is mine~” Huā Yínyín puffed out her cheeks proudly.

“Xuěyáo! I’ll buy you a drink later—let me sleep with you tonight!” Wáng Jiālè said.

…Xuěyáo had no idea how to respond anymore.

Why were they all fighting to sleep next to her?

Even Mò Xuěxiào joined in with a wink: " Xuěyáo~ wanna sleep with us sisters instead?”

“Hey! Jiālè! Didn’t you say you’d sleep next to me?” Chá Lí shouted from the hallway, clearly upset.

Mò Xuěyáo sighed, placed the book over her face, and pretended none of them existed.

“Hey, Xiǎo Yáoyáo, is your bedding thick enough?” Huā Yínyín asked out of nowhere.

“…Why?”

“If not, I’ll add mine to yours. Make it extra fluffy.”

“Wait—”

“C’mon, scoot over! I’ll lay it down for you.” She didn’t even ask—just lifted Xuěyáo’s quilt and shoved her own underneath it.

Still not satisfied, she tossed her own comforter on top too.

The result? A bed as soft as a marshmallow.

“Mmm~ Since we’re sharing, might as well use my blanket too!” Huā Yínyín mumbled and wriggled under the covers, dragging the flustered Mò Xuěyáo in with her.

…So much for sleeping alone.

Outside, the last sliver of sunset dipped below the clouds. A cool breeze slipped in through the cracked window, carrying the scent of approaching rain.

Drip drip… drip drip…

A soft rain began to fall.

“Yay! It’s raining!” Huā Yínyín clapped with glee. “No more training tomorrow!”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Xuěyáo muttered. “It might stop by morning.”

“No way! This kind of rain always lasts at least two, three days!”

“…If it rains, where would they even make us train?”

“What do you mean ‘train’?! Obviously we stay inside and rest!” Huā Yínyín huffed.

“…I bet they already have a backup plan,” Xuěyáo said darkly. “Indoor gym… or maybe some tarp-covered area…”

“There’s no such place! Absolutely not!” Huā Yínyín denied it with all her heart, scooting over to peer at the book in Xuěyáo’s hands. “This cover’s so weird… What’s it even about?”

“…Actually,” Xuěyáo flipped a few pages, “turns out it’s… a cookbook.”

“?!”