A Young Woman's Heart

"Ah, thank you, sister!"

Mo Xueyao raised her eyebrows smugly, feeling quite pleased—it would be even better if the other person didn't call her "sister."

Unlike most girls, she prefers to be called older.

In the past, people would have preferred to be called "uncle".

Now, she hopes to be called "Auntie"—this is just a compromise.

The reason I like being called that is because it makes me seem more mature.

Perhaps only immature people want to be praised for their maturity.

Just like children always want to grow up quickly, but adults always want to go back to childhood.

"Do you want me to write anything on the greeting card?"

"Um... um... um... I'll write it myself!"

The boy left after buying his things.

He didn't offer any criticism of the slightly rough-looking flowers Li Wanyan had wrapped; instead, he happily carried them away.

Hopefully, his mother will be pleasantly surprised when he gets back.

Mo Xueyao looked forward to it.

As time passed, the night grew darker, and even the streetlights, which hadn't changed much, seemed to dim.

It was 10:30, time to close up shop.

My mother was sleeping soundly, her face unusually flushed.

Mo Xueyao touched her forehead, but her wrist was grabbed, and she murmured indistinctly, "Yaoyao...tomorrow's clothes...in the closet...school uniform...change into clean little leather shoes...brown...do you understand?"

"Huh? What? Mom?"

When pressed for further details, there was no response.

Li Wanyan brought back the small blackboard that was placed at the door, on which her father had written about Mother's Day discount activities.

She's wiping the blackboard right now.

From right to left.

He paused slightly when he reached the word "mother".

"Happy Mother's Day, Mom!" Mo Xueyao suddenly remembered something, quickly rummaged through her schoolbag, and stuffed the greeting card she had written yesterday into her mother's arms.

"Just be obedient..."

This was the mother's response in her dream.

……

Chapter 72 A Guy Who Likes to Play Ambiguous Games

Monday was an exceptionally sunny day.

The sunlight shining on the earth was like throwing people into a baking oven, and the people walking on the ground were like pancakes stuck to the inner wall.

The morning assembly, where students couldn't move at all, was extremely painful. Many students frowned, squinted, and watched the sweat roll down their foreheads.

It's only mid-May, but the students are already looking forward to summer vacation.

The time is neither far nor near; there's still a little over a month left, but it all feels incredibly long.

The senior high school students have rarely appeared on the playground since the beginning of this month, and they didn't even come to the morning assembly today.

"Ah, senior year is so great, no need to stand here as punishment," Mo Xueyao muttered, pouting.

Ye Wen, who was also standing to the side under the scorching sun, couldn't help but laugh and said, "Do you really think this is comfortable? Most high school seniors are doing practice tests right now, aren't they?"

"I'd rather do test papers..."

"But there's no air conditioning in the classroom, so it won't be very cool."

"Ah—it's so hot." Mo Xueyao stood there listlessly, her neck drooping, like a penguin brought from the south. The principal's speech, which she usually found short, seemed long at this moment.

After finally getting through the morning assembly, the students rushed to the vending machines at the bottom of the teaching building.

Seeing that the place was full, the others hurried to the convenience store.

Having a sip of ice-cold soda at a time like this is simply the most wonderful thing in the world.

"Little Yaoyao—what do you want to drink—!" Hua Yinyin was the first to squeeze in front of the vending machine, tilting her head back and shouting loudly.

She's often the one being treated to drinks, and sometimes she feels embarrassed but finds it hard to refuse, so she usually just asks for the cheapest one.

"Let's have some salted soda!"

It costs 1.5 yuan a bottle, which isn't much more expensive than mineral water.

Although it doesn't taste as good as cola, the feeling of your mouth being filled with carbon dioxide after taking a sip is still the same.

The appeal of iced soda is all about that refreshing first sip, right?

"OK!" Although it's the 'worst-tasting' soda, it always sells out in the hot summer.

After all, it's cheap enough.

The moment she got the drink, Mo Xueyao couldn't wait to unscrew it and gulp it down.

"Phew...that feels so good."

"Oh dear, it's all dripping down to my chin."

"Just wipe it off...wait, where's my handkerchief?"

"Here, use my wet wipes."

"What a waste, you could just go and wash it."

"But—class is about to start!" Just as Hua Yinyin finished speaking, the bell rang for the first class.

Students who hadn't bought drinks could only run back to the classroom disappointed, while those who weren't giving up wanted to wait until everyone else had left before trying their luck again.

Maybe I can rush into the classroom with a drink before the teacher arrives.

Others would snatch a sip from their companions and share the joy amidst noisy laughter.

The second school bell rang again, like a death knell, causing the students who hadn't yet reached their classrooms to sprint away.

As soon as Mo Xueyao sat down, a cold wind rushed over like a gust of wind. She was holding three bottles of salted soda, and she tossed two of them to Duanmu Ji and Le Tingfeng behind her.

"Wow, that's awesome!" Le Tingfeng gave her a thumbs up and handed her the money for the soda.

Thank you.

"No problem, I went downstairs to the lab building to buy it. There are fewer people there, but it's a little far away." Leng Feng rubbed his nose smugly. "Anyway, I was going to buy some too, so I just brought some for you two."

"I'm counting on you next time too!"

“No problem!” Leng Feng readily agreed, showing no displeasure at being treated as a ‘tool’.

Monday's first period was English class, and everyone was in a relatively relaxed mood. Especially when they saw the short English teacher wearing a strawberry cake dress walk into the classroom, the whole day felt exceptionally beautiful.

Li Wanyan sat upright, but her right hand was on the cap of the water glass. It was probably too tight in the morning, and because it had been filled with hot water, she could hardly open the cap no matter how hard she tried.

She placed the water glass on the table, gently pressed her slightly weak left hand, and frowned slightly.

This time, she tried to unscrew the cap with her left hand, but since she is not left-handed, it was quite difficult for her to exert force with her left hand.

Wang Qianyu had already opened her textbook, and the English class had officially begun.

She could only place the water cup on the corner of the table and try to unscrew it after class.

But as soon as she put down the water glass, Jun Ruohuan picked it up and twisted it open.

He looked at Li Wanyan with what he thought was a charming smile: "If you can't open it, just ask me for help. It's normal for girls to be a little weak, isn't it?"

"Thank you," Li Wanyan said flatly, her expression seemingly conveying no gratitude whatsoever.

Jun Ruohuan wasn't exactly a bad student, but he wasn't exactly a good person either.

To put it nicely, he's a womanizer; to put it bluntly, he's a scumbag who plays with girls' feelings.

A guy who changes girlfriends more often than he changes clothes is simply impossible for Li Wanyan to like.

The teachers might not know why he never went home after school, but many boys actually did, and she, as his deskmate, had heard it a few times.

This guy would run to one of those KTVs hidden in secluded corners as soon as school was over—not a proper one, more like a bar with karaoke rooms.

He went to those kinds of places to hunt for women. Even though he was still a high school student, he was already wandering among those intoxicating flower gardens.

The place is a mixed bag, teeming with gangsters and thugs; any woman who goes there is clearly not innocent.

I've heard that there are even people selling cheap, mildly effective drugs there, but it's always just a rumor and there's no evidence.

Although Jun Ruohuan was a bit dissolute, he didn't seem to have any signs of drug use.

"Ha, class monitor, you actually look quite pretty when you smile. Why do you always have such a serious face?" Jun Ruohuan rested his chin on his hand with interest, squinting at her profile. "Don't be so serious, we've been doing this for so long—"

He paused deliberately before continuing, "My deskmate, you haven't really talked to me much."

Li Wanyan ignored him and simply lowered her head to take notes.

Whether it was a rumor or the truth that he frequented those shady places, she had no interest in getting involved with him.

If it were the old her, she might have investigated thoroughly, because it would have been her responsibility as a class monitor to her classmates.

But many things that happened from her first year of high school to her second year changed her a lot.

As long as it doesn't happen at school, there's no need for her to meddle. Otherwise, if Chen Cheng and his father smoke in front of the noodle shop every day, does she have to go and tell them every day?

Taking too much responsibility for certain things will only arouse resentment from others; those who don't know better might think she just has a morbid lust for power.

"Jun Ruohuan," Wang Qianyu said, hands on her hips, cheeks puffed out in annoyance, "Why are you always staring at Li Wanyan? Even if your class monitor is pretty, it's class time now, please look at me too!"

"Teacher Qianyu is the prettiest!" Gao Yuan shouted.

"That's not necessarily true. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My attractiveness varies from person to person." Wang Qianyu made a small joke, making the atmosphere in the classroom more relaxed. "Okay, pay attention in class, and don't make me remind you again."

Thankfully it was Wang Qianyu's class; if it were a math class, Jingdie's chalk would have already hit Jun Ruohuan on the head.