Chapter 24

“Little Bai, Little Bai.” Xu Nuo shifted her seat and scooted over to Yue Bai’s side. She rested her cheek on the desk, peering at her curiously. After a moment, she whispered, “Senior Sister Sang’s last few words were deliberate, weren’t they?”

Yue Bai glanced at her in confusion. “Why do you say that?”

Xu Nuo lightly thumped her arm in exasperation, as if disappointed by her denseness. “Senior Sister Sang is always so gentle and soft-spoken. But those words she said earlier, combined with what Fang Zhou’s been accusing you of these past few days—they were dripping with sarcasm. I wouldn’t believe it if you told me it wasn’t on purpose.”

“Though Senior Sister Sang really knows how to stick up for her own,” Xu Nuo added with a click of her tongue. “She said it in front of the whole class without giving Fang Zhou any face at all. When did you tell her? No wonder you were so calm today.”

Yue Bai flexed her fingers helplessly and shook her head. “I didn’t tell Senior Sister Sang about it myself.”

It had only happened that Fang Zhou had come looking for trouble with her when Senior Sister Sang had coincidentally run into them. But being protected by Senior Sister Sang… it felt really nice.

The curve of Yue Bai’s lips widened as she lowered her head and leisurely continued practicing her line art.

Sang Wan gripped her phone a little tighter, a flash of disgust and aversion hidden in her eyes. She stood silently facing the person who had suddenly appeared before her.

“Little Wan, why are you here alone under the Art Building?” Li Ci couldn’t contain his excitement. The area beneath the Art Building was deserted, and the dim lighting created an almost perfectly staged atmosphere.

Half of Sang Wan’s face was shrouded in shadow, but the other half still bore a mild smile. She leaned back a bit, her back pressing against the wall to put some distance between her and Li Ci.

“I had something to do,” Sang Wan replied indifferently.

Li Ci nodded and reached out to take her wrist. “There’s a wind tonight. How are you wearing so little? Don’t catch a cold.”

Sang Wan shifted her body slightly. She didn’t miss the instant change in Li Ci’s expression. Casually, she said, “No need. I’ll head back soon.”

“What are you doing at the Art Building?” Sang Wan had no interest in talking more with him, so she changed the subject and walked toward a brighter spot.

Li Ci followed behind, laughing. “I had something to do too.”

“Then go take care of it.” Sang Wan turned around, tilting her head up slightly to look at him. “I’m heading back to the dorm first.”

“Hey, Little Wan.” Seeing her about to leave, Li Ci hurriedly called out. When Sang Wan turned back, he quickly fished a piece of candy from his pants pocket and offered it to her. “I bought it on the way.”

Sang Wan stared at the pink-wrapped candy for several seconds before declining. “You keep it for yourself. I don’t really like sweets.”

Li Ci stood there, his gaze following Sang Wan’s retreating figure until she vanished from sight. He clenched the candy in his palm, his expression shifting uncertainly. Finally, he walked over to a trash can and tossed it straight in.

Yue Bai practiced five or six sheets of line art before finally lifting her head. She glanced at the time on her graphic drawing tablet—less than half an hour until evening study hall ended.

Her fingers itched as she opened WeChat. Her chat with Sang Wan was still paused at noon. She licked her lips.

“Senior Sister, are you in the dorm right now?” – Yue Bai.

“In the dorm. Are you coming over now?” – Sang Wan.

“Yeah, it won’t bother you, right?” – Yue Bai.

“No.” – Sang Wan.

Yue Bai packed up her things and stopped by the League Branch Secretary’s desk. She bent down and lowered her voice. “Wang Yi, I have something to do, so I’m heading out first.”

“Mm, okay.” Wang Yi looked up and glanced around before whispering even softer, “Are you going to see Senior Sister Sang?”

Yue Bai let out an “ah” and gave a shy smile. “Yeah, I’m going to pick up my graphic drawing tablet.”

Wang Yi didn’t pry further. “Alright, got it.”

Leaving the classroom, Yue Bai walked down the corridor and out of the Teaching Building. A few scattered students passed by on the road, the streetlights casting a faint glow.

Yue Bai quickened her pace a little—walking alone on the wide, empty road made her a bit scared. She turned on her phone’s flashlight for some psychological comfort.

After about ten minutes, she finally spotted the familiar dormitory building. Yue Bai turned off the flashlight, her steps lightening as she jogged inside.

Sang Wan’s dorm door was half-open. Through the crack, Yue Bai saw her sitting in a chair, holding a tablet. She steadied her breathing.

“Senior Sister.” Yue Bai called from the doorway before entering.

Seeing her arrive, Sang Wan set down her laptop and patted the chair beside her, gesturing for Yue Bai to sit.

“Senior Sister, I’m just here to grab my graphic drawing tablet.” Yue Bai scratched her head. The implication was clear: she wouldn’t stay long.

Sang Wan raised her eyebrows in surprise. She placed a hand on the chair for support as she stood, then retrieved the tablet from a compartment on the desk.

“Here.” Sang Wan said softly.

Yue Bai took it with both hands, still embarrassed. “Um, Senior Sister, thanks for evening study hall today.” She’d already thanked her over WeChat, but she wanted to say it in person too.

Sang Wan helplessly tapped her forehead, her tone laced with concern. “You got bullied right at the start of the semester. What are you going to do for the next few years?”

Yue Bai leaned back a bit, feeling even more awkward. She wanted to defend herself, but she really hadn’t resisted much back then, letting Fang Zhou spout nonsense.

“Sometimes you have to be a bit tougher, got it?” Sang Wan looked at the girl who was about her height with uncharacteristic seriousness. “If you can’t handle something, come to me. Don’t keep it all bottled up inside.”

“Got it.” Yue Bai pouted. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

Sang Wan lowered her gaze to the floor, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. She hesitated, words on the tip of her tongue. Not every promise could be kept.

Whatever. She’d just have to keep a closer eye on her from now on. Sang Wan steadied her twitching arm, her gaze toward Yue Bai gradually filling with resolve.

Yue Bai didn’t linger long in Sang Wan’s dorm. After grabbing the graphic drawing tablet, she headed straight back to her own room.

Evening study hall had already ended by then. Yue Bai figured her roommates would be back soon. She grabbed her pajamas and went to take a quick shower.

When she emerged, her three roommates were either lounging on their beds or sitting in chairs.

Yue Bai greeted them casually. “You’re back? The water’s nice and hot right now—go wash up quick.”

The three acknowledged her with murmurs.

After a simple skincare routine, Yue Bai climbed into bed and scrolled through videos on her phone.

A new week was about to start. As she browsed, Yue Bai suddenly remembered she still owed Sang Wan a meal. She bit her lip, dithered for a moment, then decided to message her.

“Senior Sister, when do you have time?” – Yue Bai.

“National Day. I’ve got some stuff going on this period. What’s up?” – Sang Wan.

“Nothing much, just wanted to treat you to a meal. Since you’re busy, we can do it next time.” – Yue Bai.

“Okay, National Day work for you?” – Sang Wan.

“Sure, sure.” – Yue Bai.

Yue Bai checked her calendar. She had nothing planned during National Day. She’d originally intended to go home, but with her older sister swamped at work and no time for her, she couldn’t be bothered with the round trip. Better to stay on campus.

“What good eats are around here?” Yue Bai muttered to herself. She didn’t go out much and wasn’t familiar with the local food scene.

She spent over half an hour flipping through guides but found nothing appealing. Yue Bai irritably ruffled her hair—those so-called guides were clearly just store promotions with no real value.

She couldn’t just ask Senior Sister Sang directly, could she?

“Senior Sister?” Inspiration struck, and Yue Bai opened her chat with Zhou Qingyan, starting politely.

“Good evening, Senior Sister.” – Yue Bai.

“??? What do you want?” – Zhou Qingyan.

“…” Yue Bai pursed her lips. “Senior Sister, any good food recommendations around?”

“None.” Zhou Qingyan replied almost instantly.

A cascade of black lines slid down Yue Bai’s forehead—this speedy response clearly meant no thought put into it. She curved her lips and typed, “If you don’t know, Senior Sister, I’ll just ask Senior Sister Wen then.”

“Go left after the north gate—there’s a snack street. Right when you enter, there’s a hotpot place. Tastes great.” Zhou Qingyan’s reply came quick this time, followed by, “Your Senior Sister Wen’s busy with Student Council stuff. Don’t bother her if it’s nothing. Ask me if you need anything.”

“Tch.” Yue Bai stifled a laugh inwardly: I came to you first! You wouldn’t say, so I was going to ask Senior Sister Wen.

As expected, bringing up Wen Mo was the most effective way to deal with Zhou Qingyan.

Yue Bai typed smugly, “Got it, Senior Sister.”

With a spot in mind, next she needed to know if Sang Wan liked hotpot. Should she ask directly?

She started agonizing over it again.

Would Senior Sister Sang think she lacked initiative?

So annoying.