A Young Woman's Heart

"Huh?? Did I just bump into that?"

“Yes, I just slipped some money in to buy a drink,” Shen Kelin said with a light laugh, casually pinching Mo Xueyao’s cheek. “I didn’t expect you to press the hot coffee button twice.”

"Oh, I didn't mean to!"

"It's alright, it's alright. I was planning to treat you to a drink anyway, wasn't I?" Shen Kelin shoved the hot coffee into her arms. "Campus Belle, you're getting more and more beautiful."

"Cough... What... Shen Kelin, aren't you the same?"

"Huh, how come I never noticed before that you're so narcissistic, Xiaoyao?" she said with a hint of teasing.

"I'm just stating the facts," Mo Xueyao said somewhat embarrassedly. If Hua Yinyin had said that here, she would have been completely self-righteous.

"Hmm..." Shen Kelin wrapped her arms around her neck and whispered in her ear as if joking, "Xiaoyao, I'll tell you a big secret—"

"what?"

"I've realized I don't seem to like boys."

"Huh?" Because Hua Yinyin was with her, when other girls said this to her, she only thought it was a joke. "Are you going to say that you like girls, and that the person you like is me?"

"Wow, Haruka is so smart! How did you know?"

Mo Xueyao looked at her with droopy eyelids: "I can guess what you're thinking even with my ass, okay?"

"What? Xiaoyao's butt is that amazing? Let me see!" Shen Kelin suddenly darted behind her and gently patted her buttocks, making a dull sound.

Mo Xueyao was a little embarrassed because she had accidentally farted while being photographed...

"Ugh, how can a beautiful girl fart!"

"I didn't!" Mo Xueyao protested, her face flushed.

"Haha, I was just kidding." Shen Kelin laughed heartily and touched her chin. "Alright, alright, let's get back to class. We'll catch up next time."

"Is there anything between us to reminisce about..." Mo Xueyao pouted.

"Of course, for example, discussing marriage!"

"Go, go, go back to the classroom, I'm freezing!" she said irritably, waving her hand as if shooing away an annoying mosquito.

Shen Kelin didn't press the matter further, or perhaps she had only greeted her on a whim.

Although she would joke around like Hua Yinyin, she didn't seem as clingy as the latter, who was like a piece of chewing gum that couldn't be shaken off.

Sunlight streamed in through the corridor windows, but by the time Mo Xueyao reached the classroom door, it was all blocked by clouds.

As soon as she pushed open the door and entered the classroom, she saw Wang Jiale slamming her Chinese textbook on the table.

"What are you doing?" Mo Xueyao asked, puzzled.

"Swatt the mosquitoes!"

"There are still mosquitoes in this weather?"

"It's probably because the room is too warm, isn't it? It's a happy problem..." Wang Jiale brushed her hair, which had become messy from swatting mosquitoes, and then suddenly pointed to her side and shouted, "Xiaoyao, she's over there!"

Before Mo Xueyao could answer, she saw the mosquito flying up and down like a top-notch pilot. Then, she seized the opportunity and swatted it down.

"Ow!!"

She was still in a daze, wondering why the mosquito was making such a pitiful sound.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that Yang Yankai, a dark-skinned rural boy, was currently squeezing his legs together like a young girl, clutching his private parts and screaming in pain.

Mo Xueyao glanced at her palm and found that the mosquito had been swatted dead on it, with very little blood. It was clear that because everyone was wearing thick clothes in winter, the mosquito hadn't sucked much blood at all.

"Are you... alright?" Mo Xueyao asked, suppressing a laugh.

However, Yang Yankai couldn't laugh. He leaned against the door, grinning, and asked, "Do you think I look like I'm alright?"

"Cough... doesn't seem like it?"

"Oh dear, no, no, if Xiaoyao cripples Yang Yankai, then she'll have to take responsibility, won't she?" Lu Chengyuan said jokingly, "Take responsibility for the rest of his life?"

"I didn't use that much force..." Mo Xueyao said somewhat guiltily, "I didn't even feel like I touched anything."

Gao Yuan's face immediately broke into a mischievous smile. He stretched his neck and shouted, "Yang Yankai, you're no good! The girl couldn't even feel how long you were!"

"It could also be due to thermal expansion and contraction, after all, the weather is so cold," Liu Xiaowei added.

And the fact that he said it so seriously only made people laugh even more.

"Damn it... hiss—" Yang Yankai finally looked up after a while, "Damn... much better."

"It's alright, cough cough!" Mo Xueyao felt a bit shy and embarrassed like a girl, but she used a boyish cheerfulness instead, "Haha, this can also help you get some exercise!"

"This kind of training is useless, you need that kind." Liu Xiaowei made a gesture of tucking his fingers into his fist, and his sleazy aura was like the stench of a garbage dump emanating from him.

"What are you all doing blocking the doorway?" Li Wanyan asked as she walked into the classroom, her brows slightly furrowed. She seemed to be in a bad mood today, and even Mo Xueyao didn't dare to provoke her—like making jokes with her.

"Nothing, nothing," Mo Xueyao quickly said. "Where did Wanyan go just now?"

"The homeroom teacher's office." Li Wanyan's tone was still indifferent, but her brows relaxed a lot. Then she glanced at all the students in the class—most of them were there, except for a few who went to the restroom. So she raised her voice and continued, "Those who plan to participate in the 'Rainy Sky Mayhem' competition, come to me to register after class."

"Rainy Sky Mayhem? What's that?" Lu Chengyuan asked in a low voice.

Mo Xueyao, standing nearby, exclaimed excitedly, "It's that game we played at the school anniversary celebration! Is it coming? Rain Sky Mayhem? I want to participate!"

“I’ve already memorized it.” Li Wanyan nodded.

"Me too! Me too!" Gao Yuan hurriedly raised his hand as well.

He still occasionally goes to the school's arcade with his friends to play a couple of rounds of Super Smash Bros., and he thinks he's kept up his game well. Since playing this game costs credits, it's fair for most people.

After all, students with good grades are rarely addicted to playing games.

Gao Yuan used his 'money' to reach the amount of game coins that only good students could have, and in terms of training volume, he could be said to be at a crushing level.

However, this skill ultimately depends on talent; as the saying goes, there's always someone better...

Mo Xueyao didn't play often, so she wasn't aiming for first place. She just wanted to be in the top sixteen so she could get a better reward than the participation prize.

Just as many boys were rushing to sign up, the class bell rang, and their excitement could only be released after class.

……

Chapter 226 I

At noon, the sunlight shone through the gaps in the clouds again, adding a touch of laziness to the already leisurely afternoon.

In the band room, Yu Shu was already sitting in front of the computer, resting her chin on her hand and clicking on something with the mouse.

I tiptoed to her side, then suddenly raised my voice: "Yu Shu!"

"Eek!" She jumped up from her chair in surprise, and when she saw me, she pouted. "Xiaoyao, what's wrong? You scared me to death..."

My goal was to scare her; otherwise, why would I deliberately lower my voice and walk over?

However, Yu Shu wasn't working; she was playing Minesweeper.

Compared to this game, I actually prefer Spider Solitaire; it's more suitable for killing time...

"Didn't you light a fire?" I asked as I walked over to the metal bucket and picked it up.

The sun is actually quite warm today, but that's only true where the sun shines.

"The teacher who checked the classroom just now said that we are not allowed to use this and that we have to throw it away..." Yu Shu blinked at me, looking very cautious.

Actually, in my memory, she wasn't like this at all.

When Yu Shu was little, she was quite lively. Although she always liked to follow me around like a little shadow, her curiosity was even stronger than mine.

As for courage... I've been afraid of dogs since I was a child. Back then, I would walk around dogs whenever I saw one, but she dared to yell at a dog and chase it away.

Where did the audacious Yu Shu from her childhood go?

People really do change a lot as they get older.

I touched my thigh through the pocket of my skirt; the cold wind that had just blown against me felt like I was touching a block of ice.

No matter how thick the fleece-lined leggings are, they can't escape the chill when the wind blows.

After all, you only know if you've ever worn this thing; there will always be some gaps no matter what.

Unless your legs are really, really thin, then there will be fewer gaps, and it won't be as cold when the wind blows.

This is why some people still wear stockings even in the hot summer; when it's breezy, wearing stockings is actually cooler than not wearing any...

I tugged at my very stretchy leggings, letting them slap against my thigh with a 'thud'.

This feeling is very subtle, just like shaking your leg, there is a kind of inexplicable pleasure, so much so that it has almost become my instinctive habit.

"Have you already saved a lot of video files?" I asked, changing the subject.

Yu Shu nodded, opened the folder, which was filled with videos recorded every day, and another folder contained photos.

Most of the videos are around five minutes long, which isn't very long, but over the past few days, a lot has accumulated.

"What if it gets full?" I asked curiously. Computers, such high-tech products, are full of mystery to me. Although I can use them, it doesn't mean I understand their structure.

In fact, I'm basically only at the level of knowing how to use office software.

—That's all the high school taught.

"It's okay, Teacher Qiu said we can add a few more hard drives later."

"That's good……"

"Videos and such can be burned onto CDs, and photos can be saved on floppy disks."

"Yu Shu knows so much." I wasn't actually that surprised, but I still made a surprised expression. After all, sometimes surprise is a form of praise, and it's part of interpersonal communication, right?

"No, no... it was all taught to me by Teacher Qiu."

As she spoke, she took out several floppy disks from under the table: "I've put the selected photos here. Since they're all high-definition, each floppy disk can only hold ten photos. Um... I've put labels on them."

She actually saved all the photos as backups... Is this really Yu Shu?

Come to think of it, I used to think the only thing she hadn't changed about was that she'd always been absent-minded, but now she's become so thoughtful...

Do I seem to have changed a lot in other people's eyes?

There should be, right?