Chapter 29

Yue Bai slept soundly that night. When she woke, she was still curled up in the exact position she’d fallen asleep in.

A warm weight pressed against her waist and abdomen. Yue Bai drowsily opened her eyes, her hand instinctively resting on the arm draped around her waist.

The moment her palm made contact, the person beside her stirred. The arm shifted slightly, fingers closing around Yue Bai’s hand. A husky voice, rough from sleep, murmured, “Awake?”

Sang Wan gave Yue Bai’s knuckles a gentle squeeze before pulling her hand back. Her eyes had just opened, yet they held no trace of grogginess—perfectly clear and alert.

Yue Bai nodded slightly.

Sang Wan curved her lips into a smile. “Did you sleep well last night?”

Yue Bai nodded again, burrowing a little deeper under the covers and clutching the edge of the blanket. “Pretty good.”

The smile on Sang Wan’s lips deepened. Truth be told, she’d slept well too.

A slender arm emerged from the blankets, the sleeve of her sleep shirt slipping down in a straight line to hang loosely from her wrist. She picked up her phone and checked the time: eight o’clock.

Well, she was sleeping in now, wasn’t she? Sang Wan rubbed her temples. But the bed was so warm… she wasn’t quite ready to get up.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then sat up slightly, leaning against the bed’s guardrail. With a casual motion, she gathered her loose hair and tied it back. “When are you planning to get up?”

Yue Bai’s mouth, hidden beneath the covers, pouted. On days off, she usually slept until lunchtime.

But… she didn’t want to seem lazy in front of Senior Sister.

“Forget it—why don’t we indulge today? Who wants to get up before noon?” Seeing Yue Bai hadn’t responded, Sang Wan spoke softly, her hand naturally coming to rest on Yue Bai’s head. She savored the fine, soft strands beneath her palm, letting out a quiet sigh of contentment deep in her heart.

“Sure!” Yue Bai cheered. A second later, realizing how overly excited she’d sounded, she tugged the blanket higher and mumbled sheepishly, “Heh heh.”

Something empty inside Sang Wan seemed to fill with an unfamiliar warmth. She said calmly, “Just lie there, then.”

With that, she slid back down, letting the covers envelop her completely.

“Senior Sister, here—take some of the blanket.” Yue Bai eagerly shoved more of the bedding toward her.

“That’s enough.” Sang Wan helplessly caught the persistently pushing hands and held them still.

She lay flat on her back, hands folded neatly over her stomach.

Yue Bai rolled over to face her, scrolling through her phone. Having gone to bed early the night before, she felt wide awake.

For the next several days, Yue Bai woke each morning to the breakfast Sang Wan brought back from her run. They’d head to the cafeteria for lunch or order takeout and eat out, then wander around afterward.

That leisurely routine made Yue Bai lose track of time entirely—until the last day of the National Day holiday, when Xu Nuo messaged her.

“Little Bai, are you out? Haven’t seen you back in the dorm.” From Xu Nuo.

Yue Bai, who had been sneaking glances at Sang Wan’s profile, reluctantly tore her eyes away to reply.

“You back?” Yue Bai.

“Just got in.” Xu Nuo.

“I’ll head back soon, then.” Yue Bai.

She pocketed her phone, her gaze lingering wistfully on Sang Wan’s profile. The other woman was focused on her laptop, clicking the mouse now and then.

“Senior Sister, my roommate’s back. I should go.” Yue Bai pressed her lips together. After staying here for days, leaving suddenly felt strange.

“Mm?” Sang Wan set down the mouse and turned, her eyes settling on Yue Bai’s face. After a moment, a soft hum escaped her throat.

“See you next time, then, Senior Sister.” Yue Bai was still perched on her chair.

Sang Wan met her gaze steadily, her thin lips parting. “Alright. Text me when you get to your dorm.”

“Okay.” Yue Bai stood. “Bye, Senior Sister.”

“Bye.” Sang Wan replied softly.

The door opened and closed. In an instant, the dorm was empty again, just Sang Wan alone. She stared at the chair Yue Bai had occupied, the girl’s faint afterimage lingering in her pupils.

She shook her head, forcing her emotions back under control.

Yue Bai hurried back to her own dorm. The moment she stepped inside, she spotted a large suitcase spread open on the floor. She stepped over it with a grin. “Xu Nuo, you went home for one trip and brought back all this?”

Xu Nuo, who was unpacking, glanced over. “I brought some thick clothes too. Easier than coming back for them later—too much hassle.”

“Fair enough.” Yue Bai shrugged, leaning against her desk. She pulled a yogurt from her drawer, stuck in a straw, and took a sip. “I haven’t brought my winter stuff yet. Guess I’ll have to ask my big sis to mail it.”

She thought of her older sister, always too busy to even show her face. Who knew if she’d actually come through? Yue Bai might end up buying new ones herself.

After resting in her dorm that afternoon, Yue Bai figured it was about time and headed to evening study hall with her roommates.

“Why do we have to do evening study on the first night back? I sat on a bus all day—I just want to lie in bed.” Zhao Yu grumbled.

“I second that,” Chen Han chimed in quickly.

Yue Bai thought they were being ridiculous and refused to join in.

They arrived right on time, as usual. Yue Bai took her regular seat, set down her tablet, opened her app, and dove into studying.

The classroom was a bit emptier than usual. Yue Bai glanced around curiously and nudged Xu Nuo, who was chatting idly nearby. “How come almost ten people from class are missing? They haven’t come back yet?”

Xu Nuo scanned the room casually. “Didn’t you hear? They’re prepping for the Sports Meet. Training starts tonight.”

“Huh?” Yue Bai blinked in surprise. How had she missed that?

Seeing her blank expression, Xu Nuo kindly explained, “The League Branch Secretary posted about it in the group chat during break. You didn’t check?”

Yue Bai’s mouth twitched. If she remembered right, she hadn’t paid much attention to the group messages.

“You’re slacking a bit as Academic Commissioner,” the person chatting with Xu Nuo teased.

Yue Bai just smiled without responding.

About halfway through the second evening study session, someone knocked on the classroom door. Five or six people entered, one holding a clipboard. “Is the Academic Commissioner here?”

Yue Bai recognized the familiar voice and stood. “That’s me.” As she looked up, her eyes met the speaker’s smiling gaze.

“Senior Sister?” Yue Bai wondered silently.

“Student Council headcount. Academic Commissioner, could you come up here?” Sang Wan clicked her pen and continued.

“Oh, right.” Yue Bai set down her pen and approached the front.

“Where are the rest of your class?” Sang Wan asked in her official tone.

The Student Council members had been counting heads since entering.

“They’re at Sports Meet training,” Yue Bai summarized what Xu Nuo had told her.

“Any leave slips?” Sang Wan jotted a few notes on her clipboard and looked up.

“Leave slips?” Yue Bai was caught off guard. She’d only just learned about the training herself—how would she have slips? “I’ll check with them.”

She pulled out her phone to message them, but no one training would be glued to their screen. After two minutes, still no replies.

“Not hearing back yet?” another Student Council member asked, a hint of impatience creeping in.

Yue Bai’s face flushed with embarrassment. “Not yet.”

Sang Wan shot the speaker a glance, her tone softening reassuringly. “No worries. I’ll check with the Sports Department later—they have sign-in sheets. If they’re marked present, it’s fine.”

Yue Bai nodded eagerly, relieved. “Thanks, Senior Sister.”

Sang Wan smiled and turned to leave.

Before reaching the next classroom, she handed the clipboard to the person behind her. “You handle the rest.”

She hadn’t planned to help with Student Council roll calls anyway. Tonight was just a quiet evening, so she’d dropped by to see her underclassman.

“I’ll message Sports Department shortly,” Sang Wan added, her voice firm. “Next time you’re checking classes, be more patient. The Student Council’s here to serve the students.”

With that, she took the nearest stairs down.

Back in the classroom, Yue Bai had just sat down when Xu Nuo leaned over, eyes gleaming with gossip. She whispered, “Little Bai, got a question for you.”

“Yeah?” Yue Bai replied.

“Do you know if Senior Sister Sang is performing at the Sports Meet opening ceremony?” Xu Nuo’s tone brimmed with anticipation. “Her Freshman Welcome Party show was amazing—clips are still blowing up on the school’s video channel.”

Yue Bai raised an eyebrow, twirling her pen. “No idea. When does the Sports Meet even start?”

“Early November, with the opening ceremony the night before,” Xu Nuo said.

“You’re so close with Senior Sister—why not ask her?” Xu Nuo urged.

“That feels kinda intrusive.” Yue Bai frowned slightly.

It would be too pushy, and Sang Wan hadn’t mentioned it…

“No big deal, just a quick question.” Xu Nuo pressed.

Yue Bai hesitated, curiosity winning out. She unlocked her phone and sent a message.

“Senior Sister, are you performing at the Sports Meet opening ceremony?” From Yue Bai.

“Unless something comes up, yeah.” Sang Wan.

“Wow, gonna hear you sing again.” Yue Bai.

Sang Wan read the message, her lips curving uncontrollably. She twirled an errant strand of hair from her forehead, amused.

She wondered what her underclassman would think when she saw the performance. She was looking forward to it a little.

“Sang Wan?” At the far end of the rectangular table, a coolly beautiful girl called out to her.

Sang Wan turned toward the voice.

“Take a look and see if you have any suggestions or changes,” the girl continued.

“None,” Sang Wan replied bluntly.

“Alright, then the schedule is finalized. If anything needs adjusting later, I’ll post in the group chat to let everyone know.” The girl straightened her notes and added, “If there’s nothing else, you’re all free to go.”

Sang Wan started to rise from her seat.

“Tch.” The girl sitting beside the cool beauty made a clicking sound with her tongue. She slouched lazily in her chair, legs crossed and chin propped on the back of her hand. “Look at you, totally spaced out. What’s on your mind?”

“What kind of description is that?” Sang Wan’s fingers danced across her phone screen as she replied to Yue Bai’s message.

“You’ll find out when the day comes.”

Sang Wan sent the text, then locked her phone and locked eyes with the girl across from her. “How am I spaced out?”

The girl shrugged. “Wen Mo called your name so many times, and you didn’t hear a thing. Isn’t that spaced out?”

The others still lingering around the long table turned curious gazes toward Sang Wan. What could possibly distract someone as meticulous as her?

Sang Wan tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her face impassive. “I think Wen Mo should keep a tighter leash on you. Maybe cut back on those shady links you’re always checking out.”

Zhou Qingyan’s expression tightened. “You’ve got some nerve. You asked me for it, I sent you the link out of the goodness of my heart, and you turned around and snitched to Mo Mo.”

Sang Wan stood with a light laugh. “Because you’re unreliable. Come on, let’s go.”

“Wait, Sang Wan.” Wen Mo spoke up softly. Once everyone else had filtered out of the Student Council meeting room, leaving just the three of them, she asked, “Who is it you want to develop a sense of dependency toward you?”