The lawn concert continued until 10 PM—extended slightly because it was freshman registration day.
When the speakers finally shut off, everyone felt a faint sense of melancholy.
Carnivals were all the same—whether held on a grassy lawn or in a nightclub, whether filled with thunderous music or graceful dancing. Even someone like Ming Xue kept sighing.
“What’s wrong?”
Su Qingqing found it amusing. It was the first time she had seen Ming Xue looking this mopey. So even this ever-sparkling, sunshine-filled big sister had her moments of melancholy?
“I just didn’t get to enjoy it enough…” Ming Xue muttered. She swayed her head slightly, causing her loose hair to fly up freely. Then, in a single instant, her bright and adorable smile returned to her face. “Hey, Susu, what do you think about me dyeing my hair?”
“Dyeing it?”
“Yeah, what color do you think would look good?”
Su Qingqing blinked and examined Ming Xue’s hair carefully. As a native of the Land of the Brave, of course, white-haired girls were supreme—but white hair suited those with a cold and indifferent vibe. That didn’t really match Ming Xue’s personality.
“Too hard to choose? Then let’s narrow it down to gold or white.”
“Hsss—”
Su Qingqing visibly struggled with the decision, clenching her right fist under her chin, her gaze wavering.
“In the end… white, I think. It fits your name better, Sister Ming.” She brought her fist down into her palm with conviction. As much as she had regrets… white hair was just too beautiful!
“Then I’ll go with gold.”
Su Qingqing had just begun to blurt out “Great,” but the word got stuck in her throat. She stared at Ming Xue with a look of someone who just got betrayed by her senior. “Defend against fire, thieves, and senior sisters, huh!”
Ming Xue giggled and naturally looped her arm around Su Qingqing’s. In an instant, the fragrant scent of her drifted close on the breeze under the shade of the trees.
It was the clean scent of Safeguard soap—simple and popular, but it just happened to be a smell Su Qingqing liked.
She took in a deep, greedy sniff and nodded. “Safeguard smells amazing.”
Ming Xue’s face flushed red under the night’s shadow. She gave Su Qingqing a mock scolding slap on the shoulder. “Don’t sniff me like that! Susu, you really are a little perv!”
“Says who? Pure longing and lewdness have nothing to do with age, please don’t insult the term.”
Su Qingqing’s shamelessness completely dismantled Ming Xue’s teasing. Wearing faint smiles, they strolled slowly through campus at 10 PM.
The moon hung high in the sky, casting its meager light on the world. Even that faint silver glow was broken into patches by the dense leaves, forming scattered patterns that occasionally brushed across the cheeks of the two girls.
Now and then, the sound of a car rolling by echoed from the distance. Other students passed them quickly, eyes glued to their phones, each face illuminated by its own glow and emotion.
Neither girl broke the comfortable silence. They simply walked arm in arm, quietly breathing in each other’s gentle scent under the pale moonlight. But walks always came to an end—at the fork leading to their respective dorms, Ming Xue gently slipped her hand out of Su Qingqing’s.
“You really like observing people, don’t you?”
Su Qingqing nodded. “I do.”
Ming Xue peered at the sky through the gaps in the leaves. The blurry moon painted a faint white mist across the night. “The moonlight’s so beautiful tonight.”
“Can I take that as a confession?” Su Qingqing asked out of the blue.
Ming Xue clicked her tongue and laughed. “Who’s confessing to you, you little brat? I was just stating a fact.”
“Good, then.” Su Qingqing replied vaguely. She was thankful for Ming Xue’s playful denial—at least it saved her a lot of trouble.
Little did she know, her casual response hit some sensitive nerve in Ming Xue. Her voice suddenly carried a hint of fire. “So you don’t want me to confess to you?”
Su Qingqing froze. Honestly, she hadn’t even registered what Ming Xue was trying to say. Her gaze had been idly focused on a couple by the roadside who were hugging and kissing, clearly thinking they were being subtle. She replied half-heartedly.
It was one of her bad habits. When she didn’t want to socialize, she would instinctively deflect any unnecessary questions. Usually, the ever-adaptive Su Qingqing would never make such a slip—but that one song tonight had shattered some emotional barriers. A few feelings were now spiraling out of control.
She furrowed her brows, forcing herself to recall what Ming Xue had said. Then, a mischievous grin slowly spread across her face. She pointed toward the tree and feigned innocence, her pure little face radiating mock sincerity. “But I meant that couple over there! I never said you were confessing to me, Sister Ming~ You misunderstood~”
Ming Xue’s face shifted from red to pale. Gritting her teeth, she glared at the silver-tongued little rascal in front of her. Her long right leg suddenly lunged forward, nearly brushing a very strategic location.
She slapped her hand on the tree trunk beside Su Qingqing’s neck, closing the distance between their faces until there were just a few centimeters left. Their eyes locked, sparks flying in the quiet air.
“Su Qingqing,” she said dangerously sweetly, “Since you love observing people so much, I’m sure you’ve learned a few things. Come, teach your big sister—what exactly did you see just now?”
That smile was the kind you’d hear about in ghost stories—somewhere between devil and demon.
Su Qingqing broke out in a cold sweat. She swallowed hard. Ming Xue’s pressure was overwhelming—her heart was pounding like a drum. What was she supposed to do? Earlier she had seen that couple hugging, twisting, and eventually melting into each other like mozzarella on a slice of pizza.
She couldn’t possibly do that.
Her body stiffened.
Ming Xue noticed of course. She gave a dismissive huff, but with her usual bubbly personality, even a pout like that seemed oddly cute. In the end, she couldn’t help but crack a smile.
“When you secretly smile like that, Sister Ming,” Su Qingqing said softly, “You’re as beautiful as the moonlight.”
Secretly smiling? Me?
Ming Xue blinked, retracting her playful long leg. She caught the curious glint in Su Qingqing’s eyes and suddenly realized—at some point, her own lips had curled up into a grin.
Like when she used to curl under the covers and read romance novels… and couldn’t help but smile when the main couple finally got together.
Only this time, it wasn’t a male-female couple—it was girl and girl.
Ming Xue suddenly realized she had let herself go a little too far. She had been the one who initiated it all, and yet somehow it was Su Qingqing who had taken control. A blush climbed from her neck to her ears. But still, she tried to hold on to her big-sister image and met Su Qingqing’s gaze head-on.
Su Qingqing tilted her head slightly and gazed right back.
Unable to withstand Su Qingqing’s unreadable expression, Ming Xue abruptly turned her back, her fingers fluttering clumsily at her flushed cheeks as she muttered, “So hot… I’m going to take a shower. Susu, go back to the dorm on your own.”
So cute.
That thought popped unbidden into Su Qingqing’s mind as she watched Ming Xue walk away. No matter how much Ming Xue tried to act like a big sister, she could never truly hide her girlish side.
Pan’s voice broke the peaceful mood in Su Qingqing’s heart with impeccable timing, snickering about something. But Su Qingqing ignored her, strolling slowly toward the dorm, one foot after another, in silence.
(End of Chapter)