“If anything comes up, you can always give us a call right away.”
Fu Qianping had still been harboring some worries, but when she saw Bai Shishi sidle up to Mo Xiangwen’s right side, chatting away with him in high spirits—a complete reversal from how she’d been back in the office—she began to doubt whether her concerns were unnecessary after all.
Perhaps Shishi simply had trouble dealing with older people, but got along swimmingly with those her own age.
It seemed asking Mo Xiangwen to serve as a bridge between Bai Shishi and Yan Nuoya had been the right call… though now it felt a little too right, stirring up a whole new kind of worry in her.
Still, as long as Shishi was happy, that was what mattered.
Fu Qianping let out a quiet sigh in her heart and cast a complicated glance at Mo Xiangwen.
“Then I’ll leave Shishi in your hands, Yan Nuoya and Mo Xiangwen.”
“Don’t worry, Teacher,” Mo Xiangwen said with a serious nod. “Bai Shishi’s my friend. Of course I’ll do everything I can to make sure she has a great time today, and I’ll keep an eye on her health too.”
Yan Nuoya gave a similarly complicated nod but said nothing more.
“And you too, Shishi—if you need any help,” Fu Qianping said, ruffling her daughter’s hair. “Don’t push yourself. Tell Mo Xiangwen or Yan Nuoya.”
Bai Shishi nodded vigorously, but from the look on her face, it was clear she hadn’t taken her mother’s words to heart.
Fu Qianping shook her head with a wry smile and handed her a parasol.
The three of them had just stepped out of the classroom building when Bai Shishi pulled out the umbrella. Mo Xiangwen immediately reached for it.
She looked up at him and shook her head. “I can hold it myself.”
“Better let me do it,” Mo Xiangwen said, giving her a wink. “You’re frail and tire out easily, aren’t you?”
It had nothing to do with putting on a gentlemanly air—he didn’t think of himself as a gentleman anyway.
She was just an old friend he’d known for a long time, and he’d been aware of her health issues from early on. Helping out with something small like this felt like the least he could do.
“I think you should accept his kindness too, Bai Shishi,” Yan Nuoya said softly. “You’re friends, after all. It’s no big deal.”
“It’s only a little bit,” Bai Shishi insisted, shaking her head firmly. “I can handle this much.”
Mo Xiangwen and Yan Nuoya exchanged a glance and decided to drop the matter.
Mo Xiangwen nodded. “All right, then. Just let us know if you get tired. We’ve got plenty of time—a quick break won’t hurt.”
“Mm.”
Bai Shishi smiled in agreement, popped open the parasol, and stretched her arm as far as it would go, trying to shelter him too.
But she was short to begin with, and the umbrella was a compact, lightweight model designed for easy carrying. There was no way it could cover him.
Bai Shishi frowned, looking troubled.
Mo Xiangwen noticed and gave the umbrella a gentle push. “Don’t worry about me getting some sun, Bai Bai… I mean, Bai Shishi. Just take care of yourself.”
Bai Shishi glanced at the umbrella, then at him, and secretly resolved to swap it out for a larger one next time.
“So,” Mo Xiangwen asked, “is there anywhere in particular you want to check out, Bai Shishi?”
“No, I just came to H University to see everyone,” she said, shaking her head with a brilliant smile. “I don’t care what the school’s like. What matters is getting to meet up with friends.”
“Then let’s go find the President and the others first, and wander around after that.”
“Mm.”
Should she go? Yan Nuoya hesitated for a moment, but in that brief instant, the other two had already taken a couple of steps ahead.
She sighed inwardly and quickened her pace to catch up.
Feeling a bit more at ease with Mo Xiangwen, Bai Shishi deliberately circled around to his other side. That left him walking sandwiched between the two girls.
Fortunately, they both kept a respectful distance, so it shouldn’t draw too much attention or lead to misunderstandings… or so he thought.
With their rare hair colors, the pair already stood out, but appearing together like this was even more eye-catching.
Yan Nuoya had a cool, aloof beauty about her, while Bai Shishi was petite and adorably cute.
They were different flavors of gorgeous, but no less striking for it.
By the time they reached Little Square, Mo Xiangwen had felt the weight of nonstop stares the whole way.
Neither he nor Yan Nuoya paid them any mind, but poor Bai Shishi.
She was naturally introverted and didn’t have much experience being out and about.
She still struggled to get used to people looking at her and kept trying to duck behind him or the umbrella to avoid their eyes.
Most students were too polite to gawk openly, but there was always a fresh wave of passersby who couldn’t resist stealing a glance for a few seconds.
Mo Xiangwen came to a sudden stop. The other two halted as well, looking at him in confusion.
“How about you walk behind me instead?” he suggested after a moment’s thought. “I can block the stares from the front, and your umbrella will handle most of the rest. Should make things easier for you.”
Bai Shishi hesitated, glancing at Yan Nuoya and mulling it over for a long while. In the end, she chose hiding from prying eyes over getting closer to the other girl.
She moved behind him with the umbrella in hand, and sure enough, the number of glances aimed her way dropped sharply. She let out a relieved breath.
The unwanted attention had simply shifted to him instead, of course. If glares could kill, he’d have been cut to ribbons by a thousand blades by now.
Too bad dirty looks couldn’t do a thing to him.
They finally made it to Little Square and circled around once, but there was no sign of the Anime Club’s tent.
Even that short loop around the square had left obvious color in Bai Shishi’s previously pale cheeks, and her breathing had grown ragged.
Mo Xiangwen, walking ahead, hadn’t noticed.
Yan Nuoya, however, had been keeping a close eye on Bai Shishi. The moment she spotted something off, she gave Mo Xiangwen a light poke.
He turned to her in puzzlement.
Yan Nuoya tilted her head slightly and shot him a meaningful look. He instantly understood it was about Bai Shishi and came to a stop.
Bai Shishi, walking right behind him, bumped gently into his back. Fortunately, none of them were moving quickly, so it didn’t cause any real issue.
She merely swayed for a moment before steadying herself, without making a sound.
Mo Xiangwen whipped around and half-crouched to peer at her face. Up close, he could see her color really wasn’t good.
“How about we head to the shade under a tree and sit for a bit first? I’ll give them a call…”
The sun was brutal that day. Even with the parasol, the heat was taking its toll on Bai Shishi’s frail body.
Her head was already swimming a little when Mo Xiangwen’s face suddenly appeared right in front of her. A rush of blood—and embarrassment—surged through her. She instinctively tried to step back and nearly lost her balance.
Mo Xiangwen hadn’t even finished speaking when he saw her wobble. He reached out and steadied her at once.
