“I was just making a suggestion.” The one who’d spoken first hadn’t expected such a mild-mannered person to snap back at him. He bristled. “What’s your name?”
“Alright, alright, no more talking. We’re almost done—hurry up and finish,” the League Branch Secretary interjected, smoothing things over.
Yue Bai huffed inwardly, puffing out her cheeks as she worked on the final details.
Sang Wan half-lowered her eyes, looking serene and detached from the little spat, as if it had nothing to do with her. Her deep gaze settled on the girl whose face was hidden behind her drawing board.
She suddenly wondered what expression the other girl was wearing right now.
Probably a mix of annoyance and barely contained frustration.
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the clock hanging in the front-left. Less than half an hour until the end.
Yue Bai set down her charcoal pencil and took a deep breath, using her sakura eraser to wipe away the smudges around the portrait.
She was the first to hand in her work.
As she turned in her paper, she deliberately walked around her easel, passing right in front of Sang Wan. The beige sketch paper bore a portrait instantly recognizable as her.
After handing it in, Yue Bai returned to her seat.
“Anyone who’s finished can leave,” the teacher announced.
Yue Bai stayed put. She moved her easel aside and rested her chin on her hand, staring at Sang Wan without blinking.
The intense, burning gaze made it impossible for Sang Wan to look away. With the drawing board no longer blocking them, their eyes met in midair.
The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and all the sketches were collected.
Sang Wan stood, stretching her wrists, then walked to the front of the room.
The teacher laid out the stack of sketch papers on the desk. “Take a look and pick your favorite. You can keep it.”
Sang Wan smiled faintly, her fingers flipping through the sheets, lingering on each for several seconds.
“This one.” Her finger landed on the very last one—the first to be turned in.
It was Yue Bai’s.
The teacher pulled it out, glanced at it, and mentally assigned a grade before handing it to Sang Wan. “Here you go.”
“Thank you, Teacher.” Sang Wan accepted it politely with both hands.
“No need to thank me. I should be thanking you for stepping in as the model—you really saved me.” The sketching teacher gathered the remaining drawings and left the classroom.
The students who hadn’t left yet cleaned up the charcoal dust under their seats and departed as well.
Soon, the art studio was empty except for Sang Wan standing at the podium and Yue Bai still seated at her spot.
“Senior Sister, you could’ve told me you were coming to model,” Yue Bai said, pouting as she stretched out her arms for a hug.
Sang Wan affectionately tapped her nose. “I wanted to surprise you. A few days ago, your sketching teacher asked the Student Council to help find a model for your class, so I volunteered.”
“But it wasn’t for nothing—there’s two hundred yuan in it.” Sang Wan waved her phone. “Milk tea on me?”
“I want the full set, extra-large.” Yue Bai put on an arrogant front.
“Done.” Sang Wan agreed with a smile.
“Are you tired? Three hours without moving.” Yue Bai had noticed how Sang Wan had tucked her calf back earlier. She crouched down and began massaging the muscle.
Sang Wan held the sketch paper in one hand and ruffled Yue Bai’s hair with the other. “Not too bad. I’d done it once before, so this time wasn’t as rough.”
Yue Bai looked up. “So last time I was drawing Senior Sister, were you really uncomfortable?”
“You’re twisting my words.” Sang Wan chuckled.
The door creaked open again, and Xu Nuo rushed in, flustered and out of breath.
She nearly collided with the two still at the podium.
Xu Nuo’s legs seemed rooted to the spot. She scanned them up and down—Yue Bai was still kneeling, rubbing Sang Wan’s leg. Spotting Xu Nuo, Yue Bai instinctively stood up.
“You two…” Xu Nuo pointed at them, speechless.
“Why’d you come back?” Yue Bai frowned.
Xu Nuo’s eyelid twitched. “You really are…”
She couldn’t finish the sentence. Beneath her carefree demeanor lay a sensitive heart, and she’d long suspected their relationship wasn’t ordinary.
The timing of Sang Wan’s appearances, the emotions flickering in Yue Bai’s eyes whenever she saw her—they all pointed to something more.
But stumbling upon this scene still shocked her.
Sang Wan’s eyes darkened. She stepped forward, positioning herself in front of Yue Bai.
Her fingers trembled slightly. She was afraid.
In an environment where same-sex love wasn’t widely accepted, Sang Wan feared Yue Bai might not withstand the outside pressure and pull away from her.
“My leg went numb earlier. Thanks for the help, Yue.” Sang Wan strode toward the door with her long legs, ready to leave the classroom.
From behind, Yue Bai grabbed her wrist and boldly laced their fingers together. “You’re welcome. Helping my girlfriend is what I should do.”
Under Sang Wan’s surprised gaze, Yue Bai raised their joined hands toward Xu Nuo. “Hey, meet my girlfriend, Sang Wan.”
Sang Wan’s knuckles paled as she turned to the girl proudly introducing her to her friend. Her earlier worries eased with the gesture.
A joyful curve lifted the corners of Sang Wan’s lips.
Her girl was giving her a sense of security in her own way.
Xu Nuo’s expression froze.
“Hey, what’s with that look? Don’t tell me you’re jealous I snagged such an amazing girlfriend.” Yue Bai lifted her chin proudly and leaned closer to Sang Wan.
Xu Nuo gradually recovered from her shock. With her prior suspicions, she accepted it fairly well.
She rolled her eyes teasingly. “No wonder you were out all night last semester. Turns out you latched onto the big tree that is Senior Sister Sang.”
“Nice to meet you, Senior Sister. I’m Xu Nuo, Little Bai’s former roommate.” Xu Nuo extended her hand.
“Hi, Sang Wan—Yue Bai’s current roommate… and girlfriend.” Sang Wan reached out.
Smack. Yue Bai intercepted their hands just before they met. “What are you doing? Girlfriend shaking hands with someone else right in front of me?”
Xu Nuo tsked twice and withdrew her hand. “Didn’t peg you for having such a strong possessive streak.”
“Come on, if there’s nothing else, get lost. Don’t you feel like a third wheel the size of the Three Gorges Dam stuck between me and Senior Sister?” Yue Bai waved her off disdainfully.
Sang Wan helplessly pulled Yue Bai back and gave Xu Nuo an apologetic smile.
“Forgot my water bottle. I’m out now.” Xu Nuo snatched it up quickly, waving to them. “Senior Sister Sang, keep Little Bai in check—she’s such a bully.”
“Will do.”
Sang Wan’s smiling voice sent Yue Bai’s heart fluttering. She pretended to be displeased and tugged free from Sang Wan’s hand. “So how’s Senior Sister planning to keep me in check?”
“Take you home and give you a proper lesson.” Sang Wan emphasized the last four words.
“Who lessons who is still up in the air.” Yue Bai huffed playfully, taking Sang Wan’s hand again.
Back at the Teachers’ Apartment, Sang Wan shrugged off her light blue coat and hung it on the rack.
“Fried veggies for lunch okay?” She pulled some from the fridge and asked Yue Bai’s opinion.
“Sure.” Yue Bai changed into slippers and followed her into the kitchen.
“It’s smoky in here—you wait outside.”
“I want to keep you company.” Yue Bai wrapped her arms around Sang Wan from behind, playing the nagging overseer.
“Then can you cook the rice?” Sang Wan handed her a bowl of pre-rinsed rice.
“OK.”
After the rice was done, Yue Bai wandered back into the kitchen.
Sang Wan bent over, chopping vegetables.
She lit the flame and poured oil into the wok.
“Little Bai, are you scared of what other people think?” Sang Wan stirred the dish as the green vegetables wilted bit by bit, soaking up the oil and seasonings.
“Nope.” Yue Bai shifted her stance, leaning against the sink with her hands braced behind her on the counter. “I haven’t done anything wrong by anyone. Why should I care what they think? Besides, my business is none of theirs.”
“Are they gossiping and pointing fingers?” Sang Wan asked softly.
“Let them gossip. It’s not like it’s going to cost me a piece of flesh. There are always idle people who love sticking their noses into others’ business. My own family hasn’t said a word—why should I care what a bunch of strangers think?” Yue Bai shrugged indifferently.
As a child, she and her sister had relied on each other for survival. Even being called a “bastard” back then hadn’t fazed her much. This was nothing compared to being with the person she loved.
“I only know one thing: in the life ahead, I’ll be by Senior Sister’s side, and she’ll be by mine. That’s enough. Life is short—if I had to worry about everything and care about every little thing, I’d probably be sick with anxiety from the moment I was born.”
Yue Bai hugged Sang Wan from behind, pressing her cheek against the other’s back. Feeling the body in her arms gradually stiffen, she nudged her chin lightly. “I only care about what Senior Sister thinks.”
Sang Wan’s heart gradually filled with warmth. Ripples spread through her eyes, shimmering outward.
“I only care about what you think, too.” Sang Wan placed her hand over the back of Yue Bai’s, which was wrapped around her waist.
After dinner, Yue Bai glanced at the time. There was still a while before class, so she pulled out her tablet and opened an anime to watch.
Sang Wan sat beside her, keeping her company.
For several days in a row, Sang Wan didn’t experience that awkward moment from their lunchtime nap again.
“Little Bai, who’s messaging you?” In bed, Sang Wan lay on Yue Bai’s chest, lightly tapping the phone screen.
The linked account showed unread messages.
From the interface, she could see the message sent by the other person.
“Don’t forget to send me those pictures.” The contact was saved as “Fang.”
Yue Bai caught her breath, her fingers sliding upward slowly and rhythmically.
Sang Wan let out a muffled hum.
“Senior Sister, you’re not focusing.” Yue Bai nipped at her earlobe in dissatisfaction but, worried about hurting her, switched to gentle sucking instead. “Or am I just that bad, leaving you with enough energy to play on your phone?”
“The screen lit up on its own. How is that my fault?” Sang Wan protested.
“That’s the phone’s problem, then.” Yue Bai laughed freely. After a few days of workouts at the gym, she’d seen some results—her stamina was better than before.
“Mm… Who’s this guy? His messages… even have an ‘oh’ in them.” Sang Wan’s words came out fragmented amid the rhythm.
Yue Bai smiled with satisfaction at the sound of Sang Wan’s voice, her usual gentle tone weaving into an enchanting melody.
As she moved, Yue Bai explained, “It’s Fang Zhou. We’re in a group competition together—something about national trends. I found some reference images, and he asked me to send them over. His QQ nickname is just ‘Fang’; I didn’t change it.”
“I’ve… heard that name before.” It surfaced in Sang Wan’s memory.
“Yeah, it’s that guy who accused me of freeloading earlier. He apologized later. This time, the counselor assigned us to team up for the competition.” Yue Bai clarified.
Sang Wan nodded in understanding.
“So… can Senior Sister focus now? The night is still young. It’s the weekend tomorrow, so rest up properly.” Yue Bai’s warm breath brushed Sang Wan’s ear, sending shivers through her.
A storm gathered as passion surged.
This time, Yue Bai took her time, drawing out the moment with care. Even as her hands ached, she didn’t stop, switching to the other one to continue.
Alternating between them, a captivating masterpiece slowly took shape.
