Chapter 74

Just as Shen Shuyu had said to Yu Mo that day on the lawn.

Once Grade 12 arrived, the days passed even faster.

Time was like a fully wound gear, rushing forward tirelessly, without fatigue.

Four months passed in the blink of an eye, like a white horse flashing past a crevice.

In the blink of an eye, it was once again the approach of a new year.

The campus was once again filled with a festive, bustling atmosphere, except, of course, for the Grade 12 students about to take the College Entrance Exam.

Grade 12 was assigned to a single, isolated teaching building, cut off from outside influences, and along with that, cut off from all participation in the school’s entertainment events.

Even the Grade 12 students’ dinner time was staggered from the Grade 11 students.

The school conveniently used the staggered half-hour to slot in an extra self-study session for them.

Night fell early. The entire low-rise Grade 12 teaching building was lit with soft, white light.

An eerie silence suppressed the restlessness the students, unable to contain their energy during the last class of the afternoon, felt floating in the air.

Yu Mo finished the last exam paper the teacher would review tomorrow, put down her pen, and let out a long breath.

At that moment, her phone screen lit up. Shen Shuyu’s profile picture of the night sky full of stars jumped.

Shen Shuyu: 【Already injected the suppressant during the break just now. [Penguin cute salute]】

Looking at the message on her phone, Yu Mo glanced towards the window glass on one side.

The air outside floated with a seeming stagnancy in the corridor, but the classroom was steaming with heat.

The two fronts met on the window, coating the clean glass with a hazy layer of mist.

Since the Winter Solstice, the days had gotten colder one by one. Shen Shuyu, as always, had a cold constitution and her hands and feet must be ice cold right now.

Yu Mo’s fingers tapped lightly on the screen: 【It’s been cold lately, remember to keep warm, especially your gland.】

Shen Shuyu wrapped tighter the white fur scarf Shen Lin had brought back for her a few days ago, replying: 【Mm.】

Then Shen Shuyu looked at the somewhat plain chat, fingering the fine, white, soft fur of the scarf and thought for a moment, then sent another message: 【I’m already wearing my scarf. What about you?】

【I’m wearing mine too, the cold air doesn’t even sneak into my collar outside anymore.】 Yu Mo said, and also sent Shen Shuyu a photo of Wei Lai looking enviously at the scarf on her own desk, with the caption: The kid next door is drooling with envy.

Seeing the photo Yu Mo sent, Shen Shuyu let out a small laugh.

A tiny puff of white mist landed on the glass beside her face.

That red scarf placed on Yu Mo’s desk had patterns Shen Shuyu was very familiar with.

— This was the scarf she had given Yu Mo last Christmas.

Yu Mo and Shen Shuyu chatted back and forth for who knows how long when “tap tap,” two soft knocks on her desk sounded by Yu Mo’s ear.

Yu Mo, thinking it was Wei Lai borrowing her homework to check answers, casually picked up her homework notebook and placed it in Wei Lai’s hand.

“Cough.”

But what came instead was a soft cough.

Sensing something was off, Yu Mo secretly shoved her phone into her desk drawer and slowly raised her head.

Teacher Chang was standing right there, bag slung over her shoulder, smiling at her.

Yu Mo’s throat bobbed with difficulty, she forced a smile: “…Teacher Chang.”

“Very focused, you two?” Teacher Chang tapped on the desks of the two people with the confiscated comic book she had just taken from Wei Lai.

“Hehe…” Both Yu Mo and Wei Lai laughed awkwardly.

“If I hadn’t come specifically to tell you the news that you passed the written test for A University’s autonomous enrollment, I might not have discovered this. Does being a good student mean you can do whatever you want?” Teacher Chang educated the two while also telling Yu Mo this delightful news.

“?!” Yu Mo’s eyes instantly widened.

What what? Had she misheard? She passed the written test for A University’s autonomous enrollment?

“Weren’t the results supposed to be announced the day after tomorrow?” Yu Mo asked.

Looking at the surprise that leaped onto Yu Mo’s face, Teacher Chang put her index finger to her lips, giving a soft “Shh,” and said: “Inside information, you know.”

Yu Mo nodded, smiling.

Basically, when Teacher Chang said this kind of inside information, it was solid truth.

Teacher Chang was genuinely happy for this student of hers, whom she had watched grow up the whole way. She tapped Yu Mo’s desk with Wei Lai’s comic book, reminding her: “Alright, prepare well for the interview during the winter break. Don’t keep playing on your phone. Come to my office during tomorrow’s morning self-study, and I’ll talk to you about the interview matters.”

Yu Mo: “Yes, Teacher.”

Teacher Chang nodded with satisfaction.

Just as she was about to lift her foot and leave, she tilted her head slightly towards Wei Lai, who was pretending to do homework: “And you, don’t keep reading comic books. You’re not allowed to drop out of the top hundred in the grade on the upcoming first mock exam.”

Wei Lai took back the almost-confiscated comic book from Teacher Chang and gave her a very professional Western salute: “Yes, sir.”

Watching Teacher Chang walk away, the class seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief, and the rustling whispers started up again.

Feng Ruoyu also put down her schoolwork and turned back to look at Yu Mo: “Not bad, Yu Mo.”

“Hey hey hey! Listen to me, everyone.” Wei Lai, now interested, rested her chin on her rolled-up, recovered comic book. “Let’s use these three days off for New Year’s Day to go pray at Guangyuan Temple! I heard from my mom it’s very efficacious there. Look, you and Zhou Qin are going abroad, you’re also not far from the final interview hurdle, and our Academic Rep is going for guaranteed admission to A University – we can all go pray! And also, we can stay there for a few days along the way. I heard the snowy scenery at the guesthouses there is especially beautiful!”

Feng Ruoyu caught the key point and teased: “You asked for blessings for all of us, so you and Li Qingqing don’t need to pray for your College Entrance Exams anymore?”

Wei Lai “tsked,” pulling up a short video the Guangyuan Temple Scenic Area’s official blog had posted a few days ago when it snowed, while saying: “Of course we’ll pray for that too. I’m just getting you guys on board. Look, isn’t it beautiful?”

Feng Ruoyu looked at the vast, white mountain range in the video and was deeply captivated: “So beautiful!”

“Wanna go?” Wei Lai nudged Yu Mo’s arm, asking.

Looking at this fairyland-like post-snow mountain villa, Yu Mo was also somewhat tempted. She thought for a moment and said: “Let’s go. After class, I’ll also go ask Shen Shuyu if she’s going.”

Wei Lai and Feng Ruoyu exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but make “tsk tsk tsk” sounds.

Yu Mo felt a flush of embarrassment on her face. Hearing the teasing, she raised her hand in a feigned gesture of about to strike: “Tsk again, you two.”

.

Not long after the last class bell rang, the teaching building went from noisy to silent.

A few students still occupied the vast classroom, continuing to study. Everyone else had already gone to the cafeteria to enjoy the warmth of winter.

A tall, slender shadow was cast in the quiet corridor. Yu Mo, in no hurry to eat, walked in the opposite direction of the cafeteria.

Just before class ended, she heard from Wei Lai that Shen Shuyu was feeling unwell during her heat, and Li Qingqing had stayed in the classroom to accompany her and wasn’t going to eat.

Yu Mo was a bit worried and wanted to take a detour to check on Shen Shuyu first.

Through the window glass, Li Qingqing saw Yu Mo approaching. “Why are you here?”

Hearing this, Shen Shuyu couldn’t help but feel a surge of surprise in her heart.

Then she suppressed the leaping heart in her chest and followed Li Qingqing’s line of sight, looking back towards the opened back door of the classroom.

First, long legs clad in small black leather shoes stepped into the classroom, followed by a yellow-and-black checkered skirt entering Shen Shuyu’s view.

Yu Mo had only peeked half her body in; Shen Shuyu hadn’t even seen her face yet, but she could already confirm the visitor was Yu Mo.

She actually came? Because of her heat?

Yu Mo wore a short, black padded jacket and stood with her hands in her pockets, sighing somewhat casually: “Your classroom is so warm.”

Saying this, Yu Mo casually pulled out the chair next to Shen Shuyu.

The faint scent of sea salt caramel pheromones floating in the air was more effective than ten pieces of candy.

Just a little bit filled the sense of emptiness in Shen Shuyu’s heart caused by her heat.

“Perfect timing. Go get Shuyu a cup of hot water,” Li Qingqing said to Yu Mo, seeing her arrive, operating on the principle of ‘don’t waste a helping hand while it’s here’.

“Okay,” Yu Mo took the cup from Li Qingqing and asked her: “Wei Lai went to eat alone. Aren’t you going to keep her company?”

Li Qingqing glanced at Shen Shuyu. Shrewd as she was, how could she play the third wheel? “Then I’ll leave Shuyu to you. Take good care of her. I’ll bring you back something to eat. What do you want?”

Yu Mo held the cup, thought for a moment: “Just get me a flatbread. And, for helping you and Wei Lai out, can you keep an eye on Wei Lai’s mouth for me?”

Li Qingqing smiled, probably knowing what Wei Lai had said, and agreed readily: “Alright, you got it.”

After Li Qingqing left, although there were still a few scattered people in the class, this half of the classroom was left with only Yu Mo and Shen Shuyu.

It was their quiet little world.

Yu Mo saw that Shen Shuyu’s cheeks, wrapped in the white fur, were pale and bloodless, and even her usually bright eyes were dull and spiritless.

Feeling a pang in her heart, Yu Mo asked with concern: “Is it very painful?”

Shen Shuyu rallied a bit of energy and shook her head: “I’m not really…”

Before she could finish, Shen Shuyu felt a warm sensation covering the back of her hand.

Electricity surged. Shen Shuyu felt the icy coldness in her fingertips slowly being melted by this warm current.

Yu Mo had placed her own hand on Shen Shuyu’s without any warning.

Yu Mo frowned slightly, serious: “Still cold constitution, huh. I’ll go get you hot water. Wait for me a moment.”

Saying this, Yu Mo let go of Shen Shuyu’s hand, took the cup Li Qingqing had given her, and walked out of the classroom.

The warm current that dispelled the cold was thus withdrawn by Yu Mo.

Shen Shuyu slowly curled her five fingers, gathering the quickly fading warmth in her palm.

She watched Yu Mo’s gradually receding back.

When could she finally tell her, that her palm was the best thing to warm herself?

The water room doors were wide open. The hot water flowing from the dispenser met the continuously intruding cold air, creating layers upon layers of white water mist.

Just as the cup was about to be full, Yu Mo pressed the button above it one more time.

The flow of hot water stopped abruptly. Sparse steam lingered around the mouth of the cup.

The water level was perfectly just a little below the rim.

Smiling with satisfaction, Yu Mo capped the cup and walked back lightly towards Shen Shuyu’s classroom.

It was these somewhat boring little moments in life that gave Yu Mo a sense of quiet happiness.

“Here.” Yu Mo handed the cup to Shen Shuyu and sat down beside her without any formality.

“Thank you. When I was organizing materials for the A University guaranteed admission interview a few days ago, I also organized a set of interview questions for the autonomous enrollment for you, just in passing,” Shen Shuyu took the hot water Yu Mo offered and pushed a stack of papers on the desk towards her.

Yu Mo took the materials and, with a quick flip, saw that Shen Shuyu had, as always, marked key points on them.

Where was any “just in passing”? It was just saying it lightly.

The Omega classroom had its heating set a few degrees warmer than the Alpha classroom, making Yu Mo’s cheeks slightly flushed.

Her heartbeat also quickened for some unknown reason.

Putting the materials away, Yu Mo pressed down the abnormal heartbeat in her chest and asked, as if diverting her own gaze: “For the New Year’s Day holiday next week, we’re planning to go to Guangyuan Temple to pray and stay there for a few days. Are you coming?”

Shen Shuyu held the cup of water, her jade-white chin lightly resting on it.

Under the white fur, Shen Shuyu’s cheeks were flushed slightly red, like Yu Mo’s, from the warm steam.

She leaned slightly against the desk near Yu Mo, just like a little snow-white fox, her silver eyes rippling: “Of course I’m going.”

Whether it was the concentration of camellia pheromones exceeding the standard, or some other reason…

Looking at Shen Shuyu’s gentle and well-behaved appearance, Yu Mo unconsciously tightened her ten fingers slightly.

Thump thump.

Yu Mo’s heart beat even more fiercely.

Oh no.

It seemed like… she was starting to feel a little flutter.