A Young Woman's Heart

Although Mo Xueyao was staring intently at the blackboard, the veins on her forehead couldn't help but throb.

These two guys are really never going to stop.

Even the usually honest Duanmu Ji seemed to have been persuaded.

However, although the words were spoken, there was no response for a long time.

Just when Mo Xueyao thought they had given up, she suddenly felt a hand carefully pinch the end of her hair.

Hair does not have any sensory organs, but the problem is that touching hair involves the scalp, and Mo Xueyao has a lot of hair, so she is more sensitive to it.

Although it doesn't hurt, the itching is quite uncomfortable, making you want to scratch your scalp all the time.

If the girl reacts in this situation, the boy will definitely get even more excited.

Mo Xueyao, who used to be a boy, knew this all too well.

So she just endured it.

Just wait until Duanmu Ji gets bored.

Speaking of this kid... was he really that mischievous?

Mo Xueyao pretended not to react, and Duanmu Ji did not push his luck by touching her harder, but he still did not let go.

This guy, could he be addicted to touching it?

Besides, does this ponytail really feel that comfortable to the touch?

My hair is all messed up from being touched.

I need to go find Li Wanyan to comb my hair again later.

Mo Xueyao's thoughts were in turmoil at this moment. The class was already halfway through, and Duanmu Ji showed no sign of stopping.

Could it be that they're using her hair as a prop to pass the time?

Just like some people unconsciously spin books and pens while listening to lectures.

"Hey—" she finally couldn't help but turn her head and shout without trying to lower her voice, "Stop touching me!"

The classroom, which had been quite lively, suddenly fell silent.

Ye Wen was the first to focus her attention on Duanmu Ji, and the other students also turned their heads in unison.

Duanmu Ji awkwardly grabbed Mo Xueyao's hair, as if frozen in time, unsure whether to let go or continue holding on...

Then, like a robot, he stiffly lowered his hand little by little, and sat up straight as if nothing had happened.

"Ahem." Ye Wen cleared her throat, drawing the students' attention back. "Alright, let's continue the lesson. Everyone, please pay attention and don't get distracted."

Monday's Chinese class consisted of the third and fourth periods, which could actually be held consecutively, but when the bell rang, Ye Wen still left class as usual and leisurely walked out of the classroom.

The only difference from a regular class was that the supplementary teaching materials weren't taken away.

"Hey, Xiao Ji!" The moment Ye Wen stepped out of the classroom, Mo Xueyao immediately turned around and slapped his desk in annoyance. "Why do you keep touching my hair during class? Is it that easy to touch? You've messed up my ponytail! And it's affecting my class too, really."

"cough……"

Normally, she would run outside to get some fresh air after class, but today she didn't 'move from her spot.' She held her chin with both hands, her mouth wide open, revealing teeth that were much whiter than her wheat-colored skin.

"Since you like touching me so much, I'll let you touch me." Mo Xueyao tilted her head, grabbed Duanmu Ji's wrist, and placed it on her ponytail. "Look, are you enjoying touching me now?"

"Haha, hahaha—" Letingfeng, standing to the side, was unusually gloating.

Mo Xueyao glared at him: "Laugh, laugh, what's so funny? Wasn't it you who encouraged it?"

"I didn't!"

"Tch, you really think I didn't hear you?" Mo Xueyao reached out and pinched their cheeks hard, gritting her teeth as she said, "Let you touch me, let you touch me—are you happy now!"

"Ah—hiss—" Yue Tingfeng rubbed his cheeks, raised his blank draft notebook, and surrendered.

Duanmu Ji scratched his head sheepishly and looked out the window.

Is this guy trying to escape reality?

"Hey, come here." Mo Xueyao grabbed his collar. "If you like me, just say so. Why do you always have to do these little tricks?"

"Wow—" Leng Feng finally screamed, looking no different from Wang Jiale when he heard the gossip.

Several classmates nearby heard this and turned around. Wang Jiale even went straight to Le Tingfeng's table, looking like he was expecting something big to happen.

Mo Xueyao didn't really think much when she said that.

Because when I was a boy, I often said that to girls.

It's mostly just playful banter...

For example, if someone is being chased and "beaten" by a girl for being naughty, they would use this phrase to stop being beaten. Of course, it would usually be preceded by a witty saying such as "beating is a sign of affection, scolding is a sign of love."

Girls are easily embarrassed, so it's usually time to stop at this point.

The problem is that if a girl says this, the meaning is completely different.

At least in this day and age, girls generally wouldn't say such things unless they also like the other person.

Of course, Mo Xueyao couldn't possibly like a boy right now. She just said that purely to tease him, and it was also out of habit, so she didn't think before she said it.

"Ah...ah?" Duanmu Ji stammered, "I...I...like...you?"

"What? Am I so ugly that you actually dislike me?" Mo Xueyao calmly maintained her joking expression, deliberately drawing out her words as she considered how to continue. "Hmph—"

"Yes, yes, I like it."

"Tch, lots of people like me, but if everyone wanted to touch my hair, I'd be bald already! Hey, Lele, don't touch my hair!"

"Together, together, together—" Lu Chengyuan leaned against Lü Bolun, stirring up trouble as if she didn't want the world to be in chaos, "Our class is going to have another couple!"

"Ha...haha..." Duanmu Ji laughed out loud twice in a very abnormal way, like a parrot that had just learned to talk and couldn't even speak properly, "I like all the good-looking people in the class..."

“That’s right, we boys are very loving!” Le Tingfeng nodded vigorously, seemingly trying to help Duanmu Ji out of a tight spot.

"Well, Xiaoxi is also very pretty. You don't like Xiaoxi, do you?"

"As long as it looks good, there's no problem!" Duanmu Ji shouted, forcing himself to speak.

"Damn it, you womanizer, you even went after Xiao Xi!" Le Tingfeng laughed and punched his shoulder.

Duanmu Ji, who usually had a gloomy face and seemed unable to express himself, suddenly started acting like Gao Yuan, saying, "What? Le Tingfeng, the person I love the most is you!"

"Damn it! Get away from me!" Le Tingfeng pretended to be scared and took a step back, but Duanmu Ji grabbed his neck as if he wanted to kiss him.

"Holy crap—"

The two of them lost their balance on the chairs and fell to the ground with a 'thud,' causing the other students to burst into laughter.

Mo Xueyao, who was still thinking about how to explain, breathed a slight sigh of relief, because it seemed that what she had just said had passed, and others probably thought that she was just joking with Duanmu Ji.

No, it really was just a joke, but I'm not going to let anyone misunderstand anymore.

Many habits are hard to change. When facing a boy you know well, you can't help but make jokes like you used to.

But the change in identity made some jokes less funny.

She sat on the chair with a touch of melancholy, somewhat nostalgic for the days when she could joke around however she wanted.

Boys are much freer than girls in many ways because they don't have as many constraints.

In fact, girls have many freedoms that boys have.

But for her, the freedom that belonged to boys was what she felt more used to and comfortable with.

"Wanyan—" Mo Xueyao took a deep breath and called out to Li Wanyan, who was sitting there doing her homework, "Help me tie my hair up, it's all messed up!"

"Ah."

"Should I come out?"

"it is good."

Mo Xueyao just wanted to escape this embarrassing place for the time being, so she went to the corridor with Li Wanyan, who was holding a comb.

She leaned over the railing and looked down, while Li Wanyan untied her hair tie and carefully combed it again.

"Still a single ponytail?"

"Hmm, a single ponytail, I guess."

"it is good."

She didn't ask what had happened earlier, nor did she make fun of it, which calmed Mo Xueyao down considerably.

Boys...girls...

What gender do you associate with?

It's something we'll eventually have to face.

But until then, it's best not to think about it if you can avoid it.

People are naturally inclined to escape.

……

Chapter Ninety-One: Nora's Letter - It's Been a Long Time

June 6, 2001, Grain in Ear (芒种).

The urban village that used to have the word "demolish" written on it has now been razed to the ground. The iron sheet and foam fence next to it is dilapidated and has many holes that people can pass through.

It's unclear whether this place will be developed into residential buildings or a commercial area in the future. In any case, construction hasn't started yet; all you can see are piles of yellow mud and all sorts of household garbage scattered everywhere.

The few one- or two-story blue makeshift houses were empty, with thick dust on the windows, indicating that no one had lived there for some time.

There is a small pond in the middle. It should have originally been a puddle, but it has become a pond after accumulating rainwater.

Seeds, seemingly from nowhere, had drifted into the pond, which was now covered with duckweed and lotus leaves. A frog croaked as it darted past, creating ripples.

"This place has been demolished for a long time, why hasn't construction started yet?" Mo Xueyao muttered as she glanced into the large hole in the fence.

"Hmm." Li Wanyan reached into Mo Xueyao's shirt pocket and pulled out a small packet of dried plums. "There are two in this packet."

"Huh? Really?" Mo Xueyao turned her head excitedly. "Haha, I won the lottery!"