What was so wrong with staring at Zhou Yiyi’s sister for a while?
Why did she have to get smacked for it…
Feeling wronged, Su Yun silently followed behind Qin Xue up the stairs.
Zhou Yiyi lived on the fifth floor. They chose to take the stairs straight up.
“Whoa… it’s huge.” The moment Su Yun entered the apartment, her eyes were drawn to the bright and spacious living room, complete with a TV and blanket-covered rug in the center. Compared to her current rental, this place was at least twice the size. Back at home, fitting in just a couch and a table already felt like pushing the limits.
“If Xiaoyun likes it, you can move in with me anytime~ You’re always welcome~” Zhou Yiyi turned around cheerfully—only to see Qin Xue standing right behind her. She immediately pouted.
“Sister Xue is so rich. If she really likes Xiaoyun, why won’t she spend a little money on her?”
The casual remark brought the room into a sudden silence.
It was clear Zhou Yiyi had no idea that the two were technically on the run.
“It’s fine. We don’t need that much space. As long as we can live, that’s enough,” Su Yun quickly stepped in to explain.
She didn’t want Qin Xue to think she was hinting about wanting a bigger house.
“Besides… small rooms feel warm and cozy when you’re together.”
“Eh…” Zhou Yiyi blinked, momentarily stunned by the gentle smile on Su Yun’s face. But then her brain finally caught up with what she’d just heard.
“Wait a second, you two!? You’re living together!?”
She froze in place, blocking the hallway behind her, her big beautiful eyes stretched wide in disbelief.
“Mm.” Su Yun was startled by the reaction, but still nodded obediently.
“Then… you must have two rooms, right? You’re sleeping separately, right?”
“Nope. Just one bedroom. We’re too poor for two…” Su Yun’s soft voice was as soothing as ever, but the words within it hit Zhou Yiyi like a freight train.
“Ahh…” She slumped her shoulders, looking like a soul had just left her body.
“You…”
Su Yun noticed how the girl’s thighs were tightly squeezed together while her calves pointed outward—one wrong step and she looked ready to collapse right onto the floor.
She wanted to offer some comfort, but she didn’t dare move.
“What are you all doing standing there? Come over here.” A stern yet calm voice cut through the tension.
If Su Yun hadn’t turned around and seen it was Zhou Yiyi’s sister, she would’ve thought a schoolteacher had shown up.
Once everyone was seated around the circular table in the living room, Zhou Yuyu—Zhou Yiyi’s sister—began assigning study groups.
Zhou Yiyi would study with Qin Xue, while Su Yun would pair up with Zhou Yuyu.
They dove into studying right away, although Zhou Yiyi looked listless at first…
…
“Tingting, Tingting! Did you hear? That Snow White from the school performance is gonna be in our class!”
“Mm?”
In the dormitory of the IoT Class 2 girls, Chen Tingting had been quietly studying when her roommate’s loud voice cut through her focus.
It had taken her an entire week to finally recover from the mental trauma of Shi Lezhi’s creepy nasal congestion.
“What are you talking about? What Snow White?” she asked softly.
“The one who meowed during the sports festival last week!”
“Oh, right! Tingting, weren’t you always obsessed with the rankings? She’s ranked number one now! Surely you know that?”
Her roommate’s voice was so excited, you’d think she had become the campus belle.
She spent ages scrolling through her WeChat mini-app to find the so-called beauty ranking. Not that most girls really cared much about those lists.
“Tingting, look! It’s her!”
But when the excited roommate shoved the phone in front of her face, Chen Tingting’s expression turned sour.
“I don’t know her! Don’t show me!”
She shoved her roommate’s hand aside, almost knocking the girl over.
“Hey… come on, Tingting. That’s no way to react. Why are you so mad?”
“What, are you jealous she’s in our class and gonna steal your spotlight?” The roommate’s tone grew increasingly sarcastic.
Chen Tingting glared at the girl behind those thick black-rimmed glasses. She wanted to shout but held back.
“Oh, sure, you ‘don’t know her’? Didn’t you brag to us all the time about being number one? What now, you got dethroned and conveniently forgot?”
“You—!”
Chen Tingting shot up, her rage nearly launching her into a full-blown hair-pulling fight.
“Alright, alright, that’s enough. Nothing worth fighting over. Get back to studying,” another roommate stepped in to mediate.
Reluctantly, they all returned to their seats.
From the outside, their dorm might’ve seemed lively, the kind of place where girls could gossip all night. But in truth, everyone had their own agendas.
That was why Chen Tingting, the supposed “favorite” of the group, always walked to class alone.
She sat back in her seat but couldn’t focus anymore. She pulled out her phone instead.
Sure enough, someone had been added to the class group chat by the counselor about an hour ago.
An anime girl profile picture.
At first glance, Chen Tingting thought it was a weeb boy.
But she knew exactly who it was—this was the girl who had almost ruined her face a few days ago.
Thank god she had covered her face during the fall and only scraped her chin, or else it would've been a disaster.
(“Wow, goddess! Can I add you as a friend?”)
(“Hey, are you staying in the dorms? Want to go to the library together? @...”)
Chen Tingting opened the other class group (the one without the counselor). It was exploding—99 unread messages.
Everyone was talking about this “Snow White” girl. Most of them were girls, all eager to jump in and block her from making friends.
Just because the boys weren’t saying anything didn’t mean they didn’t care. Chen Tingting knew the moment class started, all eyes would be on her.
No one had ever cared this much when she joined.
Why?
Why did this girl get everything handed to her?
Chen Tingting’s eyes reddened as she stared at the screen.
“…Ugh…” She propped her head on her arm and quietly sobbed.
Why? Why did some people just have attention from the start?
She worked so hard...
…
It had always been like this—even as a child.
Why?
Why did their parents only buy pretty clothes for her younger sister?
Why did she always have to wear the hand-me-downs?
Why…
Why?
…
About a kilometer from campus stood a large two-story shopping center.
It was the same mall where Su Yun had once bought her spatula. She still remembered not being able to reach it because her arms were too short.
Zhou Yiyi’s home was just behind that mall.
“Su Xiaoyun, do you understand this now?”
“Yes, yes!”
Su Yun was currently buried in her notebook, taking diligent notes. The elegant older sister beside her was an excellent tutor.
It was… a little awkward.
She hadn’t expected this coincidence—the woman who helped her get the spatula that day turned out to be Zhou Yiyi’s sister.
And now that embarrassing stomp of hers had been seen!
Thankfully, the other party seemed to have forgotten and hadn’t brought it up.
“How can you be this dense? Weren’t you the one who said you’d help teach me? Why am I the one teaching you now?”
“I forgot, I forgot! What can I do~”
Compared to the calm and productive atmosphere on Su Yun’s side, the other end of the table—where Qin Xue sat—wasn’t going so well.
“Stop getting distracted. Focus.”
A quiet but stern voice came from beside her.
“Ah, okay…”
And just like that, with Zhou Yuyu’s guidance, she started studying again.
Her teaching style was actually really effective—so much so that Qin Xue almost mistook her for an actual teacher.
(End of Chapter)