Chapter 9

That night, Su Linye returned to the dorm smelling entirely of hotpot.

Evening self-study ended at eight-thirty. Gu Feng was already lying in bed playing on her phone.

Su Linye said weakly, “Feng, I put your late-night snack on your desk.”

She sat down in her chair, completely drained.

Gu Feng came down in a few quick steps. “Why are you so wiped out? Is working at the hotpot place that tiring?”

Su Linye said, “Not just ordinarily tiring.”

After recovering a bit of strength, she smelled the scent on herself. “I’m going to take a shower first.”

Only after Su Linye went in did someone else in the dorm sneakily poke her head out.

“Gu Feng, what are you eating? It smells so good.”

Gu Feng was slurping the noodles inside, her mouth stuffed full. She mumbled warmly, “Mala hotpot. Want a bite?”

The girl also climbed down quickly and took a deep breath beside her. “It smells amazing! Which place is it from?”

Gu Feng handed her the chopsticks. “Linye bought it. I don’t know either. [bailiantales.com]When she comes out later, you can ask her.”

Lin Xiaoxiao slurped a small bite and was instantly struck right in the taste buds. “It’s delicious!!”

Gu Feng beamed. “Right?”

She leaned back and called to the side, “Qinglang, do you want some?”

Chen Qinglang was the Chinese class representative of Class Five. She especially loved poetry and prose, almost constantly holding them and studying them, completely immersed in another world. Also, because she had read so much poetry, she seemed much steadier than the average chuunibyou high schooler.

But she was still chuunibyou.

At this moment, she was holding a poetry collection and reading, “Alone, untouched by worldly things, I fulfill this quiet dwelling of the heart.”

Gu Feng asked, “What does that mean?”

Lin Xiaoxiao said, “It means she’s not eating. She wants to read.”

Gu Feng said, “All right.”

Lin Xiaoxiao climbed back onto her bed and stared wide-eyed at the top of her bed curtain, worried. “If I ask Su Linye, will she tell me?”

Gu Feng was careless and did not notice her mood. “She definitely will. Linye is really nice.”

Lin Xiaoxiao gripped the railing. “But ​stolen content​she said such excessive things before, and her personality seemed kind of withdrawn too.”

Gu Feng said, “But she’s really nice now. Truly. Believe me.”

Lin Xiaoxiao was still hesitating. “But…”

Chen Qinglang’s calm, gentle, unhurried voice sounded, “Since you sought spring too late at school, no need to grieve or resent the season of flowers. The wild wind has blown away the deep red blossoms, and green leaves now cast shade over branches full of fruit.”

Lin Xiaoxiao suddenly slapped the railing and sat up. “Qinglang, you’re right! I’ll ask!”

Gu Feng held her bowl. “What did she say?”

Lin Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, cheering herself on. “She said I should bravely go for it and not wait until I miss my chance and regret it too late.”

Gu Feng said, “Oh, oh.”

Then she finished drinking the soup too.

At that moment, Su Linye came out.

She was wiping her hair with a towel when she passed by her desk mate. “Gu Feng, you finished eating? That fast?”

Gu Feng lifted her head from the paper bowl. “It was too good. How much was it? I’ll transfer you.”

Su Linye threw herself into her chair, lying there like a boneless lump. “No need. My unauthorized copytreat. Besides, my phone was confiscated, so I can’t accept it anyway.”

Before Gu Feng could speak, a voice suddenly sounded from above.

“Su Linye.”

The voice was fairly loud, but very weak. Listening carefully, there was even a hint of nervousness in it.

Su Linye turned back and saw a girl with short naturally curly hair. It looked especially fluffy, and her face was very small. “What’s wrong?”

Seeing that her attitude really was friendly, Lin Xiaoxiao loosened her grip on the railing a little. “I wanted to ask, where did you buy that mala hotpot Gu Feng was eating? It smells so good.”

Su Linye looked at Gu Feng, who winked at her.

She honestly confessed, “I made it. The hotpot restaurant’s soup base is really good, and I saw they had soup stock, so I took some ingredients and made a little.”

Lin Xiaoxiao was shocked. “You made it yourself?”

Gu Feng widened both eyes. “You made it yourself?!”

She suddenly pounced over, so moved that words could not describe it. “Desk mate, you personally made it for me? Ahhhhhh, desk mate, you’re way too good to me!!”

Su Linye was hit so hard by her that even the chair shifted back a little. She patted Gu Feng’s head. “Hey, all right, I know you’re touched, but there’s no need to be this touched, right?”

Lin Xiaoxiao bit the corner of her blanket. “I want a desk mate like that too.”

Su Linye said, “If you like it, next time I bring Gu Feng a late-night snack, I can make an extra portion.”

Lin Xiaoxiao’s eyes filled with stars. “Really?”

Su Linye said, “It’s no trouble. I just throw the ingredients in and boil them.”

Lin Xiaoxiao cheered. “Su Linye, you’re so nice!”

“My name is Lin Xiaoxiao, the Xiaoxiao from ‘boundless falling leaves rustle down.’ That one over there is Chen Qinglang, Qinglang as in ‘today’s weather is clear.’”

Su Linye looked toward the girl in the innermost bed.

The latter turned around, adjusted her rimless glasses, and looked at her with gentle, peaceful eyes. “Hello.”

Her voice was soft and unhurried, making people relax without realizing it.

“Hello.” Su Linye smiled. “Late-night snack?”

Chen Qinglang looked at her and smiled. “If it’s not too much trouble.”

The last self-study period the next afternoon, Su Linye put on her work badge and went to the library.

Lu Jiang was organizing forms.

Su Linye greeted her. “You came so early?”

Lu Jiang did not lift her head. “Just arrived.”

Su Linye rubbed her hands together. “What do you need me to do?”

Lu Jiang divided the things clearly and said concisely, “Carry these. We’ll start with Year One.”

Su Linye picked up the thick stack. “Got it. Are we going together, or splitting up?”

They walked outside.

Lu Jiang took half from her. “Splitting up.”

There were fifteen classes in Year One. Su Linye started from Class One.

She handed the forms to the class monitor, and the students immediately began making a racket.

“The school is actually letting us choose books?”

“Whoa, hurry, hurry. What book are you going to choose?”

“Let me see what you wrote.”

A student raised a hand and boldly asked, “Senior, if we write it, will the school really buy it?”

Su Linye said, “Maybe. Depends what book you want to read.”

A burst of friendly laughter followed.

“Then I’m writing it. I want to read Soxifel.”

Su Linye caught a certain word and showed a gratified smile.

Good taste.

And truly brave.

She did not stay there long. After giving the class monitor a few instructions, she went to the class next door and distributed the papers as usual.

Class by class, she handled them one after another.

The two of them met on the third floor.

Su Linye had the filled-out ones in one arm and the blank ones pinched in the other hand. She walked with her head lowered, thinking as she went.

“You walked past it.”

Su Linye lifted her head and saw the sign for Class Eight.

She thanked her and walked back. After taking two steps, she reacted and turned to look.

Sunlight spilled down, and the clean tiled corridor reflected tiny dust motes dancing in the light-filled air.

Lu Jiang held the completed surveys in one hand, walking toward her with a tall, straight posture.

Su Linye said, “Lu Jiang, you’re done? I’ll be right there.”

She quickly walked into the classroom and handed out the final set.

The windows by the corridor were large. The students could see Lu Jiang standing outside, and with school almost over, they all grew restless and could not help whispering.

“Senior Lu from Year Two!”

“She’s here for the survey forms too?”

“What? Senior Lu helps out at the library? I’m going too!”

“You should get into student council first.”

Su Linye quickly collected them all.

Holding the forms, she went into the corridor and returned with Lu Jiang.

“Do you know what I saw the students writing?”

Lu Jiang asked, “What?”

Su Linye said solemnly, “Soxifel. Quite a few people wrote it.”

Lu Jiang was not very interested. “What is that?”

Su Linye looked left and right, then leaned closer. “It’s a comic. The content is, well, you know. It’s been pretty popular recently.”

Lu Jiang: “…………”

Su Linye thought she still did not understand. “It’s that kind. Super, super intimate. Temporary marking, final marking, that sort of thing. Very exciting.”

Lu Jiang glanced at her. In her calm expression, there seemed to be a faint, indescribable subtlety.

Su Linye remembered that she was an omega disguised as an alpha and looked serious. “When I get my phone back, I’ll send it to you so you can take a look.”

Lu Jiang repeated, “Send it to me?”

Su Linye nodded. “Learn from it.”

“…………” There was no emotion in Lu Jiang’s voice. “Learn what?”

Su Linye clicked her tongue. “You know, temporary marking and stuff.”

Knowing how that kind of thing was done was the only way to better protect yourself from an alpha invading your boundaries.

The loose strands of hair beneath Lu Jiang’s eyes cast a shadow, making her features look even deeper. “You think I don’t know how?”

Su Linye recalled that they seemed to have physiology classes and the like, but didn’t novels often write that protagonists slept through physiology class? Without realizing it, she showed a little suspicion. “You do?”

Lu Jiang stopped and turned sideways. Looking down at her from above, her meaning unclear, she asked, “Do you want to try?”

Su Linye: ??

Try what?

Before she could understand, Lu Jiang had already strode away.

Su Linye chased after her in a fluster. “Wait for me.”

The Year One surveys still had to be sorted after being collected.

It was mealtime now, and there were not many people in the library. The marble [Read on BaiLianTales]counter at the service desk was piled full of papers.

These collected surveys first had to be sorted by book category, then passed to the library teacher for review, entered into the system for screening and checking, and finally used to determine which books would be purchased.

It was a relatively big project.

The books were divided into different categories. While Su Linye buried herself in hard work, she was left utterly confused by the titles her classmates had written.

What were all these things? Weren’t there a bit too many novels?

Titles like The Beta Is Not Right, Her Pheromones Are the Moon, and Mint Undercurrent were still fine.

But wasn’t there something not quite right about Heat-Period Transaction, The Alpha’s Cage, and Too Sweet, My Gland Is About to Explode?

And My Pheromones Smell Like Cumin really wasn’t body odor?

As Su Linye recorded them, she asked, “Will the school really buy these books?”

Lu Jiang spun her pen once between her fingers. “Maybe.”

Su Linye asked, “Even novels?”

Lu Jiang gave an “mm.” “Online literature, as long as it isn’t too excessive.”

Su Linye’s heart itched, and she could not hold back. “Then what about the excessive ones?”

Lu Jiang lifted her eyelids. “Don’t even think about your Soxifel.” As she spoke, she added another mark after that book title.

Su Linye felt slightly regretful. “I thought the school might be able to snag a signed copy or something.”

Only after Lu Jiang finished organizing that class’s forms did she reply, “Very good at dreaming. Unfortunately, it’s not bedtime yet.”

At the mention of this, Su Linye glanced at the night sky outside the window.

“What time is it?”

Lu Jiang lifted her wrist. “Seven-oh-three.”

Su Linye said, “I need to go to my hotpot part-time job.”

Lu Jiang said, “You have another part-time job?”

Su Linye said, “Yes. I have to leave first.”

Lu Jiang said carelessly, “Mm.”

Su Linye walked two steps out, then looked back and saw Lu Jiang lowering her head to work hard. She felt a little guilty. “When are you leaving?”

Lu Jiang finished entering that class into the computer and shut it down. “Now.”

After the two of them came out, they parted ways. Su Linye saw Xi Panpan.

“Boss.”

Su Linye walked over. “Little Potato Chip, why are you here?”

Xi Panpan said, “Waiting for you.”

Su Linye asked, “Not going to evening self-study?”

Xi Panpan shook her head. “If Boss isn’t going, I’m not going either.”

She paused. “Boss, you and Lu Jiang…”

Su Linye did not react for a moment. “What about us?”

The night was very deep, and Xi Panpan’s face was hidden in the darkness, her expression unclear. “Before, Boss, you always couldn’t stand her. Now your relationship seems really good.”

Su Linye knew this was a good opportunity to explain. “There were some misunderstandings before. After interacting with her a few times now, I feel like she’s actually a pretty good person.”

Xi Panpan said, “If Boss thinks she’s good, then I think she’s good too.”

Su Linye laughed despite herself.