A Young Woman's Heart

The art club also offers photography lessons. You can borrow the school's camera to shoot whatever you like, as long as you pay a small printing fee.

And what about the Snow Music Band?

There were few people, the theme wasn't particularly interesting, and most importantly, musical instruments have a learning curve.

Not everyone can learn from scratch so quickly.

It's not a matter of talent, but rather that many people may not have that much patience.

If you have extra time, you might as well do something else.

Unless you are really interested in the instrument, the practice process is almost always tedious.

Mo Zhuyou bent down and pulled out her drumsticks from the drawer, muttering, "If I hadn't been paid, I definitely wouldn't have been able to keep going... I practiced drumming every day, and my hands hurt from playing so much, and they were covered in blisters."

“It’s really hard for most people to stick with it.” Mo Xueyao agreed, but she was clearly not one of the ordinary people; she could usually get the hang of it after just a few repetitions.

Even so, a lot of practice is still needed to maintain the level and make steady progress.

"Are we practicing today?" Yu Shu asked softly, but her gaze remained fixed on Mo Xueyao, not looking away.

"Ahem... Okay, let's practice!" Mo Xueyao stood up abruptly.

There is less than an hour left before lunch break ends.

Previously, we could practice in the morning, at noon, or after school in the afternoon. Now, we only have one session at noon, which makes us feel like time is suddenly very tight.

"Ah—if only I had Doraemon's time-stopping clock, I could stop time now, rest properly, and then practice leisurely for a while." Mo Xueyao sat on her piano bench, gently stroking the simple electronic keyboard in front of her.

Although it doesn't have the same striking black and red look as Teacher Qiu Yi's, it still possesses a serene beauty.

Mo Xueyao is a sentimental person. Over time, she always feels that her own things are better than others'.

Perhaps it's because it holds my emotions and the marks left by time.

"Practice!" Hua Yinyin raised her hand high. "Um...can I have a cup of tea first?"

Just then, Mr. Xue walked in from outside, carrying a large pile of snacks, which he dumped onto the table.

"What's this?" Mo Xueyao asked疑惑地, "Where did this come from?"

"Given by Gao Yuan."

"He bought so much?"

"Hehe, it's a thank-you gift from before."

Why thank us?

Mr. Xue smiled but did not answer.

In this respect, Mo Xueyao felt that he was somewhat similar to Li Wanyan.

Sometimes, I just laugh it off and leave it at that, but if you're really curious, you'll be driven crazy by it.

Mr. Xue is a little better, because sometimes his lack of response can be considered as tacit agreement.

"Although we just had lunch, well... how about we sit down and chat for a while?" Mo Zhuyou handed the drumsticks back and quietly sat back down in the chair.

"Then...then..." Yu Shu stammered a little, subconsciously pinching the hem of her clothes.

"Let's practice tomorrow! Today is only the first day of formal classes, we haven't adjusted yet, we need to rest!" Hua Yinyin shouted.

Wang Jiale glanced at Yu Shu, then at Hua Yinyin, and finally chose the large pile of snacks on the table.

Mo Xueyao glared at her: "Hey, didn't we agree to practice? If we're not going to practice, I might as well go take a nap!"

"Mmm-hmm!" Yu Shu nodded vigorously, as if she had found her pillar of support.

"Xiaoyao, Gao Yuan gave us a box of matcha-flavored cookies among the snacks. Do you want some?" Mr. Xue asked suddenly, looking down.

"Um--"

"Little Yaoyao, come here~" Hua Yinyin immediately opened the cookie box and stuffed a green matcha cookie into her mouth.

Mo Xueyao kept her face tense, but when the cookie was placed on her lips, she finally couldn't help but open her mouth slightly.

"Mmm...delicious..."

"See, it's definitely time to rest!"

"No, Yu Shu, she..."

Mo Xueyao turned her head, about to say something, when she saw that Yu Shu had also been 'subdued'. Mo Zhuyou was feeding her a brightly colored gummy candy, and judging from her satisfied expression, she had obviously fallen for it.

In the end, everyone sat back down at the desks that had been pushed together.

"Well, well, that's how it should be!" Hua Yinyin nodded in satisfaction.

"It ended up turning into a tea party again, huh?" Mo Xueyao sighed helplessly. "Well, we can't do this every day, can we? Do you have any plans, Yinyin?"

"Huh? You're asking me?"

"Of course you're the captain!"

"Then—let's take a break at noon this week!"

Mo Xueyao stared intently at her, her sky-blue eyes already narrowed.

The cold band room seemed to be filled with murderous intent.

"At least spend more time with Yu Shu."

"Doesn't this count as paying compensation?"

"...If we're not here, who will guide her? We brought her in because we wanted her to play together, didn't we?"

"The performance has already taken place—"

Mo Xueyao's gaze grew increasingly cold.

Hua Yinyin felt like she was about to be frozen by her gaze.

"Ahem! Then let's rest for four days, and start practicing again on Friday—! Well… how about three days? Two days? Two days then… let's rest tomorrow too—"

“Okay, then two days it is.” Mo Xueyao’s tone softened a little.

"Phew, Xiao Yaoyao really looked exactly like Wanyan just now..." Hua Yinyin wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

Wang Jiale and Mo Zhuyou nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Mmm! She really looks exactly like the class monitor!"

"Could it be that the soul has been replaced? Is the one standing in front of us now actually the class monitor?" Mo Zhuyou asked jokingly.

Wang Jiale got excited: "It's simple, just try to see if anyone has perfect pitch. The class monitor probably doesn't have perfect pitch, right? Only Xiaoyao does!"

"Alright, alright, since you're going to rest, then rest properly." Mo Xueyao slumped into a chair. "If I could turn back time, I'd want to go back to my first year of high school."

"How about we ask the principal for permission?" Hua Yinyin joked, handing the bag of matcha cookies to her desk.

"Tch, forget it, it was just talk."

"I understand, it's like Lord Ye's love of dragons—he was terrified of them all!"

"Is senior year of high school tough?" Yu Shu couldn't help but ask, holding a piece of chewing gum in her hands. She couldn't bite it off, so she could only lean back and pull it with all her might.

"Anyway, the break time is basically only five minutes, and it's tiring and busy." Mo Xueyao crunched on a biscuit, propped her cheek on one hand, and said lazily, "I haven't even finished digesting the knowledge from the last class, and the next class is already here."

"Is it the same as in the third year of junior high?"

"Yeah, more or less, but the pressure is much greater because graduating from high school means going to university. Don't adults always say that the quality of university you go to determines your life?"

"That's what the teacher said during the high school entrance exam..." Yu Shu couldn't help but pout.

"Well, that's different. Whether you go to a regular high school or a top-tier high school, you have a chance to get into a good university. But after the college entrance exam, unless you want to pursue postgraduate studies or something, there won't be such a big and fair exam anymore."

“It’s like the imperial examination. If you succeed, you’ll be a superior person.” Wang Jiale took a cookie from Mo Xueyao. “That’s what my dad always tells me. He hopes I’ll have a decent job in the future, and that my salary will be higher than his.”

"It must be difficult." Mo Xueyao had roughly heard about Wang Jiale's family income.

Her father is a businessman and is much richer than many white-collar workers.

"That's right."

Hua Yinyin tilted her head, seemingly deep in thought. Now, she finally realized something and exclaimed excitedly, "That's it! Let's go read that!"

"what?"

“Ginkgo Women’s University!!” Hua Yinyin seemed to want to pull out the newspaper, but there were only some old test papers in the drawer. “It was under construction last year, and it was completed this year and started enrolling students again. It has also recruited some students from other places, from freshmen to seniors.”

"Huh? Never heard of it."

"It's super famous! And it's a top-tier university! A top-tier women's university, the only one of its kind!" Hua Yinyin excitedly shook Mo Xueyao's shoulder. "Let's apply to this one!"

"Let's talk about it later... My first choice is definitely Zhejiang University..."

……

Chapter Eleven: Try My Ice Cream

The wind was quiet.

The rain that fell in the evening has dried up.

Under the bright moonlight, the asphalt road was clean and dry, not damp at all.

A young girl sat quietly in front of a dessert shop near the school gate, waiting for the owner to make fresh ice cream.

The eyes in those almond-shaped eyes were like the dark night without any stars.

Her delicate oval face had the charm of a classic Eastern beauty, and even the owner, who was waiting for the ice cream machine to make fresh ice cream, couldn't help but take a second look.

However, her clothes weren't exactly classic; she wore a colorful T-shirt and navy blue overalls adorned with only a single blue flower.

The trousers were very short, not even reaching the knees.

The pale thighs seemed to glow in the night, but upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the skin on the legs was not flawless, but rather contained some faded scars.

It looks like a mark left from being whipped long ago.

Eight o'clock.

As usual, the school bell for the senior students rang at Yukong High School.