Chapter 25

The day of the sports meet was truly a rare stretch of good weather. Sunlight blended warmly, the spring atmosphere was gentle.

There was no strong wind over the crowded field. A few plump, round clouds hung still in the sky, the sun shining golden. The entire expanse of the sky was beautiful as a painting.

The athletes’ march played from the speakers in every corner of the field. One class formation after another slowly entered under this azure sky.

Because this was her first time participating in the sports meet, Wei Lai, as the Sports Representative, was especially nervous.

At the staging area, she held Yu Mo’s hand, counting the classmates in their formation over and over again.

“Relax, nothing’s going to go wrong,” Yu Mo reassured Wei Lai.

Wei Lai paced back and forth, looking anxiously towards the distant teaching building. “Ugh, I’m just nervous! Has the Academic Rep not finished changing yet?”

As she spoke, Shen Shuyu walked out of the teaching building, dressed in a uniquely designed light pink dress.

The cool aloofness she carried diluted the inherent sweetness of the pink. Instead, against the brilliant sunlight, it gave her a fresh and refined feel.

On her fair, delicate feet were a pair of seven-to-eight-centimeter light silver high heels. They emphasized the smooth lines of her legs and her elegant posture.

The gradient hem of her skirt was like layers of petals, undulating and rippling with Shen Shuyu’s steps. A pair of milky-white long legs was faintly visible within.

Her long hair was gently gathered, adorned with a silver headband. Her slender neck was gracefully held high.

She was just like a white swan on a lake.

Even though this was the second time Yu Mo had seen Shen Shuyu dressed like this, she still felt Shen Shuyu was more dazzling than the sunlight itself.

Shen Shuyu walked with measured, graceful strides, elegant and composed. The lace on her chest fluttered lightly in the breeze generated by her movement.

Looking closer, one could see the faintly, vaguely exposed delicate, snow-white skin beneath.

It was like the pristine snow of deep winter—cold, beautiful, sacred, and too pure to bear desecration.

Wei Lai tugged at Yu Mo. “Holy crap, sis, my health bar just emptied.”

Yu Mo shot Wei Lai a glance. “Have a little ambition, will you?”

She scolded Wei Lai, and scolded herself.

Shen Shuyu quickly arrived at the staging area, stopping right in front of Yu Mo.

With polite apology, she addressed Wei Lai, “Sorry, the Sports Department needed me for something just now. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“No problem, no problem,” Wei Lai waved her hands repeatedly. Her previous anxiety was completely gone.

Wei Lai was about to chat a bit more with Shen Shuyu when they heard the formation leader shout, “Grade 10 Class 13, get ready!”

Instantly, the class formation members rose from the ground, lining up neatly just as they had practiced.

Shen Shuyu took the class sign from Wei Lai’s hand and stood at the very front of the formation.

Following the leader’s instructions, Shen Shuyu stepped out with composed strides, following Class 10-12, gracefully, elegantly entering everyone’s field of vision.

She gazed straight ahead, her eyes seeming to have no place to settle.

The breeze stroked her face, lifting a few strands of her long hair, yet without a trace of disarray.

Around her flashed the clicking sound of cameras taking pictures, the sound of discussions from the audience stands…

Yu Mo stood within the formation feeling that both sounds were enough to fray one’s nerves.

But Shen Shuyu at the front of the formation remained graceful, composed, showing not the slightest hint of nervousness.

Yu Mo’s disgust for Shen Shuyu was genuine, but she also had to admit — no matter the situation, Shen Shuyu could always maintain this kind of cold, lofty calm.

She truly wondered, who could ever shatter the expression on Shen Shuyu’s face?

Then Yu Mo let out a soft, mocking laugh.

Probably no one.

At least, in the eight years she’d been with her, she’d never seen it.

.

The opening ceremony concluded amid Principal Wu Yuanyong’s announcements. The formations from each class filed back to their designated audience sections in an orderly fashion.

Yu Mo took her sports uniform and Number Bib, sauntering slowly towards the restrooms in the teaching building.

On the first day of the sports meet, she only had one event: Long Jump.

“Yu Mo!” Suddenly, a familiar, sweet voice called from a distance.

Yu Mo stopped at the sound and turned. Qu Wenyao was running toward her.

She held her sports uniform; her small face was flushed red from running.

“Wenyao, you’re going to change too?” Yu Mo asked.

“Mm.” Qu Wenyao nodded. “I have the 400m preliminaries soon.”

Yu Mo was a little surprised. Qu Wenyao looked so delicate and fragile; she didn’t seem like the type to sign up for a middle-distance event. “I thought you’d run the 50m dash.”

Hearing Yu Mo say that, Qu Wenyao’s cheeks puffed up as if she were a bit annoyed. “All of us Omegas like running the 50m. I couldn’t beat them to sign-up.”

Seeing Qu Wenyao looking so aggrieved, Yu Mo laughed. She reached out a hand and couldn’t resist pinching her plump little cheek, consoling her. “Oh, come on, the 400m is over quickly too. Don’t be sad.”

Qu Wenyao, having her cheek pinched by Yu Mo, didn’t get annoyed as usual. Instead, her cheeks felt slightly warm.

She looked at Yu Mo with a hint of expectation and asked, “Then, Yu Mo, can you come cheer for me?”

Yu Mo: “What time does your heat start?”

Qu Wenyao held up two fingers. “9:20. Twenty more minutes.”

Yu Mo understood and agreed with a smile. “No problem then. My long jump is at 10:30. I can watch your 400m first, and it won’t be late for my event.”

“Really? Promise you’ll be there!” Qu Wenyao extended her pinky finger.

Yu Mo was truly amused by how childish Qu Wenyao was. Leaving aside that she herself was mentally an adult in her twenties,

even Qu Wenyao was a teenager of fifteen or sixteen. Why was she still playing these games meant for little kids?

But then, looking at Qu Wenyao’s round, doll-like face, she couldn’t bear to disappoint her.

Fine. Fifteen or sixteen… that was still a child.

She relented, extending her pinky and linking it with hers in a pinky swear.

“Then it’s a promise!” Qu Wenyao happily hopped a little, pulling Yu Mo by the hand, and walked with light, airy steps toward the restroom.

Yu Mo didn’t notice that on the other side of the square, Shen Shuyu had taken in everything.

Shen Shuyu’s thin lips were pressed lightly together. Sunlight filtered through the green shade, casting dappled spots of light upon her.

And shadows.

Li Qingqing gently tugged Shen Shuyu’s hand. “Shuyu, are you okay?”

Shen Shuyu stood rooted to the spot, her gaze tightly chasing the two figures about to leave her line of sight.

Without the barrier of the hallway glass, the sunlight was even more dazzlingly bright.

Qu Wenyao had easily, effortlessly taken Yu Mo’s arm, doing something Shen Shuyu could only achieve in her dreams.

She drew a long, trembling breath. “I’m fine. Come with me to get changed.”

Her voice was hoarse, not sounding fine at all.

Li Qingqing didn’t have the heart to call her out on it. She linked arms with Shen Shuyu and accompanied her towards the teaching building restrooms.

The teaching building was empty and quiet, lacking the usual boisterous sounds of laughter, eerily silent.

Inside the undifferentiated/unpartitioned restroom, several people who had already changed and were putting on their Number Bibs were animatedly discussing a post that had been boosted to the top of the forum.

“Shen Shuyu is truly beautiful.”

“Tell me about it. Look how the wind messed up everyone behind her. How can she still look so refined?”

“You think since she’s in Reserve Class A, she’s definitely going to differentiate as an Alpha, right?”

“What, are you thinking of being with her?”

“Oh, don’t you want to?”

“We can only just think about it. She’s the acknowledged budding Untouchable Beauty of the Upper City. So many noble Omegas from wealthy families are waiting to marry her!”

……

The people outside chattered one after another, describing the Shen Shuyu in outsiders’ eyes.

Yu Mo gave a cold laugh. So what if she was the Untouchable Beauty? So what if she was the Eldest Miss of a wealthy family? So what if she was a budding flower waiting to bloom?

In the end, didn’t she shock everyone and differentiate into an Omega?

On every night of her Heat period, she would drape her long arms lightly around hers, and lose herself in abandon with her.

Crimson flowers bloomed on snow-white skin, and those cold, clear eyes—deep as winter pools—would be covered with a dense fog of passion.

Sacred yet bewitching, restrained yet decadent.

No one else had seen it. Only Yu Mo knew.

“Heh, interesting…” Yu Mo laughed as she thought this and pushed the stall door open to leave.

But as she looked up, she came face-to-face with Shen Shuyu, who was just walking in.

“Classmate Yu Mo.” Shen Shuyu greeted her calmly with a nod.

“Yeah.” Yu Mo replied coldly, turning on the faucet.

At the same moment, Qu Wenyao’s voice sounded from outside the door, knocking on it. She stood at the entrance to the undifferentiated restroom area, a bit shy yet anxious. “Yu Mo, I know I shouldn’t be in this restroom, but I’m running out of time. I just found out there’s check-in! Could you help me put on my Number Bib first?”

“Okay, come ov—” Yu Mo nodded, about to call Qu Wenyao over. But seeing how bashful and self-conscious she seemed, Yu Mo shook the water droplets off her wet hands and walked over. “I’ll come out there.”

Shen Shuyu, who had just exchanged glances with Yu Mo, felt as if she were nailed to the spot. Her gaze followed Yu Mo’s back as she walked towards the door.

The green bamboo in the small courtyard swayed in the wind. Sunlight, filtered through the dense bamboo, spilled onto the two figures standing at the doorway.

Yu Mo slightly bowed her head, carefully and attentively pinning the Number Bib onto Qu Wenyao’s back.

Once upon a time, Yu Mo had also zipped up the back of Shen Shuyu’s dress just like this.

Back then, her eyes had been more affectionate.

But not as bright as they were now.

Shen Shuyu bit her lip gently.

She had, with her own hands, extinguished the light in Yu Mo’s eyes, leaving her drifting and unsupported.

Shen Shuyu lowered her long lashes, feeling forlorn and lost.

Out of the corner of her eye, two overlapping white Number Bibs entered her line of sight.

It was Yu Mo’s Number Bib!

“I’m off then, Yu Mo.” Qu Wenyao’s footsteps hurried away.

“Okay, I’ll come cheer for you later.” Yu Mo waved to Qu Wenyao and was about to leave as well.

……

Hearing this, Shen Shuyu rushed out and called after her, “Yu Mo.”

Yu Mo stopped abruptly and turned back, puzzled. “What is it?”

“You forgot your Number Bib on the sink,” Shen Shuyu said, showing the Number Bib in her hand to Yu Mo.

“Oh, thanks,” Yu Mo said flatly, nodding, reaching out her hand to take it.

But Shen Shuyu pulled her hand back. Her desire spurred her forward. “Let me help you put it on.”

Yu Mo’s brow furrowed.

She looked at Shen Shuyu and saw a faint trace of expectation and stubbornness in Shen Shuyu’s eyes.

This wasn’t the first time Yu Mo felt that this Shen Shuyu wasn’t quite the Shen Shuyu she knew.

Noticing no revulsion in Yu Mo’s eyes, Shen Shuyu bolstered her courage further.

She lightly pursed her lips, and for the first time, tried to ask Yu Mo for something. “May I?”

Shen Shuyu’s voice was soft, gentle within its aloofness.

Like a light feather, it landed on Yu Mo’s utterly unprepared heart.

“…Alright, fine.” Yu Mo gave up arguing with Shen Shuyu.

It was just a Number Bib. What harm could it do to let her put it on?

This was the first time Shen Shuyu had done something for someone else with her own hands.

Carefully and clumsily, she pinched a corner of the back of Yu Mo’s clothes, awkwardly threading the safety pin through the fabric, then piercing the slightly stiff material of the Number Bib.

Just as she was fastening the last safety pin, Shen Shuyu exerted force. The needle tip pricked her fingertip. The newly opened safety pin was extremely sharp. A plump drop of blood welled up, landing precisely on the upper left corner of the white Number Bib.

“Ah…” Shen Shuyu pressed her fingertip, inhaling sharply in pain.

“What’s wrong?” Yu Mo heard the faint sound and habitually turned her head to ask.

A flash of urgency.

But Shen Shuyu didn’t see it.

She just shook her head, pretending nothing was wrong, holding her injured finger together as she finished fastening Yu Mo’s last safety pin.

Shen Shuyu knew that if she said she’d pricked her finger, or showed even a slight complaint now,

not only would Yu Mo not feel the same heartache as before,

but from now on, she probably wouldn’t be allowed to do things like this for her again.

“Done.” Shen Shuyu held her pricked index finger as she secured the last safety pin.

“Thanks.”

Yu Mo walked over to the full-length mirror on the other side and looked sideways at the Number Bib on her back.

Positioned correctly, fabric flat.

She hadn’t expected Shen Shuyu, whose hands had never touched spring water, to actually do a decent job at this.

Yu Mo found it rather novel. She chuckled, and left on her own.

“Y—” Shen Shuyu, still greedy, wanted to ask Yu Mo to help unzip the back of her own dress. But when she walked over to the mirror, she found that Yu Mo’s figure had already vanished long ago.

A draft blew in through a window on one side and slipped out the door not far away.

In the mirror, Shen Shuyu’s light pink skirt fluttered like layers of airy flower petals.

The syllable “Mo” remained on Shen Shuyu’s lips, lingering alone, with nowhere to land.