A Young Woman's Heart

Otherwise, that taut string could snap at any moment.

At the school gate, Mo Xiaoxiao rode her much-worn pink bicycle, carrying her younger sister into the school.

Mo Zhuyou sat sideways on the back seat, leisurely swinging her legs, enjoying the golden fried rice dumpling in her hand.

"Look, Xiaoxiao and Youyou are the kind of people who are very relaxed even though they are busy with life. I feel that you, Wanyan, are always too tense, as if you are under a lot of pressure. But actually... no one is putting any pressure on you, right?"

Li Wanyan pursed her lips, gently closed the book, and her usually calm eyes now showed a slight ripple: "Does Yaoyao want to hear it?"

"Ok?"

"Only by becoming a useful person will you be respected and not be abandoned."

"Huh...?"

"I have to keep moving forward, or I'll fall behind."

"It must have been really tough..."

She sighed, adjusted her glasses, and pressed her back against Mo Xueyao's: "Sometimes I envy you and Mo Zhuyou."

"What's there to envy? Huh, why are you comparing me to Mo Zhuyou?"

"...They are all optimists."

"Although I also yearn for a carefree life... I don't have to be that optimistic, do I? I still worry about other things occasionally!" Mo Xueyao felt that she was indirectly saying that she was silly. "Well, besides, it's good to be a little silly."

"When you see things too clearly but lack self-confidence, this is what happens." The speaker was not Li Wanyan, but Mr. Xue, who was walking down the stairs from upstairs.

—The rooftop is upstairs.

"Hey! When did Xiaoxue arrive? I didn't even notice!"

"A little after four o'clock."

"You're here so early?"

"Enjoy the gentle breeze at dawn occasionally."

"So what did you do? Just stood up there enjoying the wind all morning?"

"I took a nap."

"Isn't it better to sleep at home..."

"Change is essential; it's the spice of life."

"Smack!" Mo Xueyao flicked Mr. Xue's forehead in annoyance. "Hey, Xiao Xue, stop talking nonsense. Can't you speak properly? People would think you've been possessed by a philosopher!"

"Haha—" Mr. Xue burst into laughter, "Has your debate come to a conclusion?"

"It's not a debate... just a discussion." Mo Xueyao had already heard the 'thump thump thump' of people coming upstairs and didn't want to continue discussing the issue with Li Wanyan.

Anyway, nothing will come of it.

Unless you change your mind, what others say is useless.

Winning a debate is often not about convincing the other side, but simply about silencing them.

The two of them have such a good relationship, why do they have to do things that look like they're arguing?

Besides, Mo Xueyao didn't think she was necessarily right.

After all, her mother always said that she was too lazy, that she could only do a few things a day before complaining of being tired, and that it would be difficult for her to survive in society...

People live different ways, and as long as they don't break the law, there's nothing to interfere with.

"Hey~!" Just then, Mo Zhuyou ran up the stairs in one breath and skipped over to greet the three of them, "You're all here!"

"Youyou went to bed at 6:30 yesterday because she wanted to come to school early today."

"That's really early, it's only about 6:10... It must have taken you at least an hour to ride here from there, right?"

This also means that the two of them probably got up around 4 a.m.

"It's exam time, so arriving early will make you more alert!"

"Be careful not to fall asleep later."

"No problem, I've had enough sleep!" Mo Zhuyou tossed her hair a little shyly. "Actually... I just wanted to enjoy the morning breeze on the rooftop. Usually, I only go up there after school in the afternoon or around noon."

"You and Xiaoxue both just wanted to come here for some fresh air..." Mo Xueyao was somewhat speechless.

Perhaps this is the little change in life they are looking for.

Even doing it just once in a while can bring new feelings.

Li Wanyan's face was expressionless. She slowly looked up at the azure sky above and suddenly said softly to Mo Xueyao, "Yaoyao, let's go up and feel the breeze."

"Huh?"

“It’s more energizing to recite from above.”

But clearly, this is just a flimsy excuse.

Mo Xueyao was very good at playing dumb; she knew when to act as if she hadn't thought of anything.

This ability proved extremely useful when faced with advances from boys.

And precisely because I used to be a boy, I am more sensitive to these kinds of things.

Because she knows very well how boys express their feelings.

Actually, the wind on the rooftop was quite strong, and the pages of the book were constantly being turned with a rustling sound.

……

By the time Mo Xueyao snapped out of her jumbled thoughts, she was already sitting in the examination room.

As far as I can remember, it was Li Wanyan who brought her here; she seemed to be lost in thought the whole time.

"Xiao Yao." Leng Feng, sitting behind Mo Xueyao, quietly poked her back, scratching his cheek with a finger somewhat embarrassedly. "Um... can I borrow your phone later... to copy the answers to the multiple-choice questions?"

It's better to do it yourself.

But Mo Xueyao is not Li Wanyan; she wouldn't say such a jarring thing to a classmate with whom she has a good relationship.

"Won't we be found out...?" So her refusal was tactful.

It's interesting that Li Wanyan's name contains the character "Wan," yet she seems to have never been very flexible, or rather, unwilling to be flexible?

After all, flexibility often means giving up what you originally insisted on.

"It's okay, just... move to the side a little, and put the multiple-choice section on your right. I'll copy a few if I can see them." Leng Feng chuckled awkwardly, his tone pleading. "Even though I'm cramming at the last minute, I'm still a little worried..."

"Okay, okay." Mo Xueyao didn't ask her why she didn't study properly. Anyway, whether she could get the answers by copying or not was not important to her, so there was no need to say anything meaningless at this moment.

"Thank you so much, Xiaoyao is really easy to talk to."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"Because I heard that someone who took the exam in the same room as you before also received your answers."

"Ahem..." Mo Xueyao awkwardly poked her chin with the pen cap. "Although I'm glad you trust my answers, it's not right to keep copying, is it?"

Mo Xueyao couldn't help but say those words.

Perhaps he was too influenced by Li Wanyan?

"Sigh, I'll definitely try harder next time!"

A blush crept onto Leng Feng's wheat-colored face.

Clearly, she herself didn't believe what she said.

"Actually, I planned to get into university based on my athletic talent."

"Oh, that's pretty good too." Mo Xueyao felt inexplicably relaxed, and the guilt she felt for worrying about others becoming dependent on her dissipated considerably.

……

Chapter 47 Daily Life at School

(One)

Thursday, June 2001, 4.

This is another school day after the midterm exams.

Aside from the slight anxiety of waiting for the results, everything was the same as usual.

Mo Xueyao returned to the classroom to the strains of the athletes' march that marked the end of morning exercises. The Chinese textbook for the first class was already laid out on her desk.

Outside the window, there were still a few scattered students on the playground who hadn't returned. Even though the first class was about to start in just five minutes, they still seemed quite relaxed.

Only after the bell finally rang did a series of slightly trembling footsteps echo down the corridor.

Leng Feng was also among those who rushed into the classroom after the bell rang.

A light sheen of sweat glistened on her forehead, which, combined with her wheat-colored skin, made her look quite healthy.

The drink in his hand was clearly something he had managed to buy from a vending machine with great difficulty.

The vending machines are just as busy after morning exercises as they are during the long break.

(two)

"Actually, the article 'Lin Daiyu Enters the Mansion' won't be on the test. There are just a few new words to memorize, but since I just finished my exam yesterday, I'll read some ancient romance novels today to cheer myself up—this is probably the most famous 'romance' novel in the world." On stage, Ye Wen winked playfully, cleared her throat, and opened her textbook.

What students like most about her is that she's not overly utilitarian when she teaches.

Many language arts teachers, when faced with articles that are not on the exam, tend to skip over them after explaining the new vocabulary, even though some of the texts are actually quite interesting.

As for Ye Wen, she would talk whenever time allowed. Sometimes, if the conversation got going, she would elaborate. Unless you had absolutely no interest in Chinese, you would generally not feel bored in her class.

However, there are exceptions—for example, boys might have some difficulty concentrating on books like Dream of the Red Chamber.

Even though the stories were interesting, the scheming and backstabbing within the inner chambers still gave them a headache.

Mo Xueyao was one of them.

On this point, Leng Feng, who was sitting next to her, reached a consensus with her.

"So Lin Daiyu was actually lacking in exercise," Leng Feng muttered, resting his chin on his hand, glancing sideways at Mo Xueyao, who had turned the page and was engrossed in reading the next excerpt from Water Margin.