Time passed quietly. Su Yun had arrived at two in the afternoon, and it wasn’t until after five that she finally put down her pen.
It wasn’t because she was tired, but because—
“Wah, I studied so hard this afternoon. I’m exhausted!”
“Sis, stop teaching and get me some cookies to eat~”
On the other side, Zhou Yiyi stretched and then collapsed onto the desk, looking like she’d die if forced to study one more second.
Though Qin Xue didn’t look as pitiful, it was clear she also wanted a break.
“Then... let’s rest a bit...” Su Yun carefully raised her head and glanced at Zhou Yuyu.
But the serious expression on the older girl’s face remained unaffected by the lazier atmosphere around her.
“Did you understand this part?”
Her stern tone made Su Yun sit up straight again.
“Ah, yes, yes! So… this line here means…”
Su Yun began explaining the purpose of each line of code on the page. Ten minutes ago she hadn’t understood a word of it, but after listening to Zhou Yuyu’s breakdown, everything had clicked.
In the past, she might’ve barely understood it and still struggled to write it out on her own. But now, thanks to her enhanced memory and improved comprehension, she was progressing rapidly.
“Not bad.” Zhou Yuyu’s brows finally relaxed, a look of satisfaction, mixed with a bit of surprise crossing her face.
“Sis~ Cookies~ And juice, I’m really thirsty too…”
Zhou Yiyi’s whiny voice interrupted them, drawing a very clear look of disdain from Zhou Yuyu.
“I’ll get them. What do you and your friend want to drink? Juice or milk tea?” she asked Su Yun.
“Uh…” Su Yun glanced toward Qin Xue, only to find her collapsed on the desk too.
“Juice, I guess.”
“Cheers with orange juice, Sister Xue~!”
“Cheers, Xiaoyun~!”
A few minutes later, the four girls gathered around the TV on the living room sofa, forming a small circle.
Now that Zhou Yiyi was freed from studying, her energy returned immediately.
They clinked their juice cups together and drank happily.
“Oh right, Sis, didn’t we buy a bunch of clothes last time? Help me grab a few from my room~”
“They’re in your room. Get them yourself.” Zhou Yuyu firmly rejected her sister’s request.
“But I don’t want to leave Xiaoyun~ Pretty please~”
Zhou Yiyi set her cup down and leaned to the side like she was drunk, resting her head on Su Yun’s shoulder.
Their posture now was very intimate, and Su Yun could even smell the light fragrance on the girl.
It wasn’t like Sister Xue’s milky scent—it was more like fresh oranges.
“...”
Zhou Yuyu didn’t say much, but her face clearly showed disapproval as she got up to retrieve the clothes herself.
Things weren’t going well on Su Yun’s left.
“Zhou Yiyi!”
“Do you not understand what I said? Xiaoyun is mine.”
Qin Xue gritted her teeth and wrapped her arm tightly around Su Yun’s.
“But Xiaoyun never said she was yours,” Zhou Yiyi shot back, now emboldened by the juice.
Su Yun’s arm was being tugged from both sides. It was going numb.
“If you keep this up, next rehearsal I’ll make you wear the ‘Three-Hole’ costume.”
A chilling threat came from her left. Zhou Yiyi responded sweetly, “Fine, I’ll wear it!”
Sitting in the middle, Su Yun’s cheeks were flushed pink. She really just wanted to say—
“Three holes”... the two up top and the one below? If that’s the case, please let me be the first to see it!
No—she had to stop. She needed to deescalate the situation.
“Stop pulling me!”
Su Yun squeezed forward, slipping out from between them. She now stood before the two older girls with a serious expression.
“Ahem… I’m my own person, not someone else’s!”
Immediately, she caught the icy gaze from Qin Xue and the fiery stare from Zhou Yiyi.
“...”
“Were you two fighting just now?”
Zhou Yuyu walked back into the room, a stack of clothes in her arms.
“Here. And stop talking nonsense.” She tossed the clothes at Zhou Yiyi, ending the ridiculous drama.
Truthfully, if it had been anyone else, Qin Xue wouldn’t have even bothered arguing. But Zhou Yiyi was her best friend—not just in their class, but the entire school. (Su Yun wasn’t a “friend.”)
When Qin Xue had started her club, Zhou Yiyi was her very first member.
After everyone calmed down, Su Yun returned to the center of the couch.
“You. Come here.”
Qin Xue's tone was nearly commanding. She was clearly upset.
“Okay.” Su Yun didn’t resist and scooted back over to lean against her.
“That’s more like it.”
Qin Xue reached out and pulled her into a snug side-hug, wearing a smug little grin.
It was clearly aimed at Zhou Yiyi.
“...”
Zhou Yiyi was visibly affected.
She silently set down the clothes she had picked out for Xiaoyun and said nothing more.
Why is getting a cute little sister so hard…
“You two go to Summer End University, right?” Zhou Yuyu turned to Su Yun and Qin Xue.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
They started chatting about school, and only after a while did Zhou Yiyi lift her head again.
“Xiaoyun, did you know? Before you, Sister Xue had lots of other little sisters!”
She stood up and declared loudly, drawing all three sets of eyes toward her.
Especially her sister, Zhou Yuyu—her gaze was sharp enough to lift someone off the floor.
“In sophomore year—just a few months ago—Sister Xue changed little sisters every three days! Sunny types, frail types, cute types—she had them all!”
“Oh, and—”
“Mmph!”
Zhou Yiyi’s words were cut off mid-sentence by Zhou Yuyu, who clamped a hand over her mouth.
“...I see.”
Su Yun stared blankly, nodding slowly. She couldn’t pretend it didn’t affect her.
She vaguely remembered hearing something like that back when she first met Qin Xue.
At the time, she brushed it off—it made sense that a campus belle would know lots of people. But now...
Su Yun felt suffocated, like she couldn’t breathe.
And Qin Xue didn’t even deny it.
“Xiaoyun, listen—those were just normal friends! Just friends! I haven’t talked to any of them since then—I even deleted all their contacts!”
Qin Xue began frantically explaining, sweat forming on her forehead.
Honestly, there wasn’t anything that needed explaining. Same-gender friendships weren’t anything bad.
“Really…?”
“Really! I swear!”
“Okay,” Su Yun replied flatly.
“Ugh! Xiaoyun, be careful… I’ve never even seen Sister Xue talk to a guy! What if she’s… you know… totally into girls…?”
“Shut it!”
“If you spent half as much time studying as you do yapping, I wouldn’t have to beat you with a ruler!”
Zhou Yuyu wrestled her sister down onto the sofa, bringing peace to the room once more.
“Xiaoyun, I…”
“Sister Xue, you don’t need to explain. I trust you.”
Su Yun slipped out of her arms as she spoke.
“Sis, let her go. You’re gonna suffocate her.”
“Waaah… Xiaoyun is the best!” Freed, Zhou Yiyi immediately latched onto Su Yun’s waist with an emotional hug.
Scared stiff, she didn’t dare say another word.
…
What followed was more normal conversation. Zhou Yuyu led the group in chatting about school and academics.
It helped Su Yun relax a little—though just a little.
For the next half-hour, she felt as if something were lodged in her chest, making even speaking feel like a chore.
And as it turned out, her sixth sense was right. Zhou Yuyu was a teacher.
She’d moved in with Zhou Yiyi recently because she was going to start teaching at Summer End University.
“Bye-bye, Xiaoyun! Remember to come play tomorrow~!”
“It’s called studying!”
“Agh—Sis, that hurts!”
Zhou Yuyu tugged on Zhou Yiyi’s ear, producing a surprisingly pleasant yelp.
“Bye-bye, ha~!”
After saying their goodbyes, Su Yun and Qin Xue left together.
“Xiaoyun, do you want something to eat? I’ll go buy it for you,” Qin Xue asked gently as they strolled through the lively snack street.
“No thanks. I only drink blood.”
Su Yun answered calmly.
“Right, right… then drink mine,” Qin Xue replied in a bit of a panic.
But Su Yun stayed quiet.
“No need. I’m full.”
They didn’t speak much afterward. Once they got home, Su Yun quietly crawled under the covers without saying a word.
Truthfully, she thought she could handle it, but after hearing Qin Xue’s attempted comfort, she realized just how fragile she felt.
Under the blanket, Su Yun bit her lip as warm tears silently trickled down her cheeks.
“Xiaoyun…”
“Don’t call me that…”
“I’m sorry. But could you come out? I want to show you something.”
…
“Yuan’er, why aren’t you eating candy today?”
“Don’t squeeze in!”
Xia Rou was hugging Xiaoju as she sat beside Qin Yuanyuan.
No matter how many times she tried to stick a lollipop in Qin Yuanyuan’s mouth, the girl would always spit it out right after.
In the end, she had no choice but to eat all the candy herself.
“I’ve grown up. I don’t eat candy anymore!”
(End of Chapter)