Since they didn’t have any ingredients at home, nor the tools to cook, by the time Su Yun finished studying and it was already 9 PM, the two of them had no choice but to go out for dinner.
Qin Xue was dressed in men’s clothing, while Su Yun had been forced to wear a little dress.
Hand in hand, they walked along the street outside the school. At this hour, most students had already finished their meals, so the people outside were mostly locals just getting off work, with only a handful of students still around.
“What do you want to eat?”
Su Yun looked at the street bathed in warm light, then glanced up at Qin Xue beside her.
Qin Xue was staring back with a smile on her face.
“Whatever Sister Xiaoyun wants to eat, I’ll eat too~”
“Ugh…” Su Yun frowned at her answer, giving her a look as if she were looking at a pig.
“I can’t taste anything anyway. Do you want noodles or rice? I’ll find it for you.”
“Hmm… noodles, I guess,” Qin Xue answered after a moment’s thought.
“Alright.” With that, Su Yun held her hand tightly and began weaving through the crowd in search of a place to eat.
Though the moonlight above was faint and hazy, the streetlamps lit the roads brightly. Passersby could see their faces clearly—and they certainly noticed Su Yun’s long, snow-white hair.
They looked at the two girls with admiration. Even after they walked past, many still found themselves recalling the beautiful scene they had just witnessed.
Su Yun stared at the lively street beneath the moonlight and felt a bit more secure inside.
Back in her hometown, she’d never dare let Qin Xue go out at night by herself. But here—it felt safer.
Still, just to be safe, they should stick together. Besides, she didn’t trust this big piglet to not sneak off or get tricked away by someone.
You’re not allowed to run off anymore.
Following her memory, Su Yun quickly led them to a lamb noodle shop. She’d eaten there before, and it was pretty good—no strong mutton smell, either.
“Do you eat lamb?”
“Mhm~ I do.”
There was only one other table occupied inside. After they ordered, the two of them sat down in a quiet corner.
While they waited for their food, Qin Xue didn’t sit still. She clung to Su Yun, burying her face against Su Yun’s chest and sniffing her.
“…”
Su Yun seemed to have gotten used to it. She didn’t say anything—just quietly looked around at the familiar environment.
They were back in Summer End City—this noisy little place.
The good news was that strangers weren’t out to get them anymore, but now her family was actively hunting them down.
They were still technically in “runaway” mode. If it weren’t for Qin Yuanyuan and the maids helping so diligently, Qin Xue would’ve been dragged back long ago.
Right now, Su Yun figured the only way to truly fix things… was to get first place in the final exams.
That might be her only shot.
But the finals were just a little over ten days away, and after a week of slacking off, she was only barely passing in all her subjects. A few that required understanding—like Language, Advanced Math, or Electronics—might be okay. But the rest, especially the memorization-heavy humanities subjects, were still a mess.
“Sister Xiaoyun!”
As Su Yun was thinking about all this, a loud voice suddenly called out beside her.
“Whoa… why are you yelling so loud? You scared me.”
“Well, you ignored me earlier,” Qin Xue said as she tightened her grip around Su Yun’s arm.
“I was just thinking. Sorry.”
“Were you thinking about another girl? You looked so deep in thought.”
Qin Xue pouted as she said it, her tone tinged with jealousy.
“I was thinking about the exam… What are you even saying?” Su Yun couldn’t even muster the energy to complain.
At this point, she really couldn’t tell if Qin Xue was into girls or not.
After all, some girls were just super close with their best friends—like her and Qin Xue.
All this stuff could just be teasing. Tricks to mess with a fool like her.
It was the classic “straight-girl trap.”
But Su Yun didn’t dare ask outright. She just wanted to quietly enjoy the moment.
“Oh, I believe Sister Xiaoyun. I’m sorry—I misjudged you.”
“…”
“Apologizing means you have to roll on the floor and show your belly… Well, maybe not, since we’re in public.”
Su Yun gave up on all the messy thoughts and simply closed her eyes, leaning against Qin Xue’s shoulder.
Soon, she felt something rest gently against her head. When she opened her eyes, she saw a cascade of beautiful black hair.
Their heads were pressed together, black and white hair tangled sweetly.
It looked like a picture of love.
“If only time could stop right now…”
“Then I could stay with Sister Xiaoyun forever.”
Su Yun had just started to drift off when she heard Qin Xue murmur something tinged with melancholy.
“If time stopped… we wouldn’t be able to move either.”
She didn’t think much of it and just replied casually.
“Mhm… but, Sister Xiaoyun, you’re different from me. You’re not human.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Nothing.” Qin Xue didn’t elaborate, and Su Yun didn’t press her.
She couldn’t figure it out either, so she simply rested on Qin Xue’s shoulder for a bit.
About ten minutes later, their lamb noodle soup was finally served.
The owner, who brought the bowls over, didn’t say a word.
He seemed afraid of disturbing their sleep—or perhaps, he just didn’t want to ruin the beautiful scene.
Even the other table, which had been chatting earlier, went completely silent.
Su Yun didn’t notice anything strange. She just bowed her head and quietly ate with Qin Xue.
“Um…”
Midway through the meal, a timid male voice interrupted her thoughts.
She looked up and saw a boy with a center-part hairstyle standing across from them.
He was a little over 170cm tall and looked pretty clean-cut.
“What do you want?”
Qin Xue reacted before Su Yun did. Her voice turned cold and distant.
This was how the campus belle usually spoke to guys.
“I…”
The boy flinched at her tone but didn’t back down. He stood there, visibly nervous.
Even though he was handsome, he clearly lacked confidence. Every word he spoke made him fidget with his lips and take a small step back.
“Princess, can I… get your autograph?”
“…Ah.”
Su Yun was so surprised, the piece of lamb in her mouth dropped straight into her bowl.
“Princess? What does that even mean? Is that some new way of complimenting girls?”
“Pfft, Princess?”
Qin Xue burst out laughing and reached over to pinch Su Yun’s cheek.
Su Yun, seeing her laugh, suddenly remembered something.
Right. Snow White was her codename… even if she hadn’t picked it herself.
“This is my first time seeing you in person on campus, so I was wondering if…”
The boy held out a pen and a notebook, but midway through, he got scared and pulled them back.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
Su Yun took the book and signed her name.
She almost wrote “Su Yun” by accident, but caught herself in time.
Her handwriting, unfortunately, didn’t quite match her appearance. It was very square and rigid—like a guy’s handwriting.
“Thank you!” The boy didn’t seem to mind at all. He took the notebook, bowed deeply, and returned to his seat—very polite.
“…Hmm.”
Su Yun was slightly surprised.
She actually had a fan?
She’d thought it was just another guy trying to flirt with her.
“Pfft.”
As soon as he walked away, Qin Xue started laughing again.
“Stop laughing.”
“Princess~ Can I get your autograph too? Sign it right here—on my heart.”
Qin Xue leaned closer and pressed her soft chest against Su Yun’s shoulder.
“You’re toxic…”
(End of Chapter)