A Young Woman's Heart

"Damn it, if that's the case, I'll only have Lele left..."

"What's wrong? Are you that disgusted with me?" Wang Jiale pouted, resting half her bottom on the desk. "If that's the case, then it'll be just the four of us. It seems like Xiaoxue doesn't need to go?"

"Isn't it a bit inappropriate to use Xiaoxue as a tool like this...?"

“I can go tomorrow too—if you want me to go.”

"That sounds interesting, I definitely have to try it!"

"Ok."

"Xiaoxue brought a female companion?" Mo Xueyao looked him up and down in surprise. "Could it be... that Xiaoxue already has a girlfriend?"

"No." Mr. Xue smiled faintly and picked up his schoolbag. "Alright, it's getting late, everyone should go home."

"Then, Xiaoxue, why don't you come to my place tomorrow? If you need to do your makeup and change your clothes."

"Okay, I'll contact you in advance."

And so, everyone dispersed.

When Mo Xueyao arrived at the school gate, Li Wanyan had already removed the makeup she wore as a host and put her own clothes back on. She was standing there quietly waiting for her.

"Wanyan!" Mo Xueyao waved to her, "I feel a bit hungry... Let's buy some snacks on the way!"

Li Wanyan frowned, her dark eyes seemingly blending into the night: "It's not good for your health."

"Hmm... Eat, eat! Aren't you hungry, Wanyan?"

"The teacher just gave me a cake." Li Wanyan shook the small bag in her hand. "If you want to eat it, have this one."

"A cake? Hmm... not bad, but it doesn't seem really suitable for eating while walking?" Mo Xueyao wanted to say something, but seeing the slight change in Li Wanyan's expression, she quickly smiled awkwardly and accepted the cake. "But it's nice to try it out!"

Tonight is probably the liveliest night ever at the school gate.

Many students had not yet gone home and were lingering in front of the small shops outside.

Some people even made a bucket of instant noodles and ate it while walking. The aroma of the noodles filled the hazy night, making Mo Xueyao's stomach rumble.

"Oh right, tomorrow..."

……

This should be the time when buses are least crowded.

But today is very different.

Many students waited for the train on the platform, their noisy chatter breaking the silence of the night.

Mr. Xue, with his fair skin, stood out quite a bit even in the night.

The dim streetlights shone on him, making many girls unable to resist taking a second look at him.

"Cha Li." He walked up behind a girl with short, slightly messy hair and greeted her softly.

"Oh? Isn't this Xiaoxue?" Cha Li was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and patted his chest with the back of her hand. "You were pretty good on stage before!"

"Well, there's something I need to ask you."

"what's up?"

Do you know how to apply makeup?

"I would... but what are you going to do? And my makeup skills... are definitely not as good as Yin Yin's."

"Yes, that's fine. Are you free tomorrow?"

"You're free? Hmm, of course I'm free." Cha Li looked Mr. Xue up and down curiously, and asked half-jokingly, "Would you like to invite me out on a date?"

"It is."

"Tsk tsk, alright, alright, I'll grant your wish." Cha Li smiled frankly. "Is there some special event planned?"

"Correct."

"I knew it! Hmm... but I'm not very good at men's makeup."

“A lady’s will do.” Mr. Xue nodded with a smile, his expression perfectly natural.

"Addicted? Hmm... never mind, you definitely won't, Xiaoxue, you're really boring in this regard~" Cha Li said mischievously, taking a few steps forward. "Alright, my car's here, see you tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow."

Two pale yellow car headlights dispelled the black fog in the night, while the dim yellow streetlights made one wonder if they could even illuminate the road ahead.

The students swarmed into the bus, which resembled a can, and drove away amidst the stench of exhaust fumes and the roar of the engine.

The platform was suddenly less crowded, and the loneliness that had been swept away by the noise surged back like a tide...

……

Chapter Two: Mr. Snow, the English Girl

Sunday, July 2, 2001.

The gloomy sky, like an angry person, kept a stern face, refusing to let even a tiny ray of sunlight shine through the clouds.

Cha Li was sitting on the somewhat old brown leather sofa at home, picking at her toes, with a pair of thick short cotton socks lying next to her.

My mother was lying on the sofa yawning. A Korean soap opera was playing on TV—she had gone to bed too early last night to watch it.

"Cha Lili, can you put on your socks? Aren't you cold?"

"It's alright." Cha Li picked up the socks and smelled them, her brows immediately furrowing. "Mom—did you wash them clean?"

"How could it not be clean? Let me smell it!" Her mother took the socks and took a deep breath, immediately coughing violently from the stench. "It's probably because it was washed with your dad's socks, and the smell got mixed up!"

Cha Li, speechless, threw the other sock on the ground, hugged her knees, and watched the plot unfold on the TV series intently.

"Cha Lili, go wash the dishes."

"Wait a minute."

"If you don't wash it, it will dry and become difficult to wash."

"I made breakfast too, shouldn't you be washing the dishes, Mom?"

"Since you cooked all the food anyway, why don't you just wash it too?"

"Mom, you really have the nerve to do that." Cha Li muttered, resting her chin on her hand. Suddenly, the landline phone next to her rang. She and her mother exchanged a glance, and after a full two seconds of hesitation, she gave in, obediently crawled a few steps, and answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Oh, Xiaoxue? Yes, okay, will you be here soon? Yes, okay, yes, there is, no problem."

"A classmate is coming?"

"Well, I have something to do here, and then I'll be heading out in a bit."

"Wait, wash the dishes first."

Cha Li sighed helplessly, and had no choice but to stand up and tidy up the leftover dishes and chopsticks from breakfast on the table, carrying them to the kitchen with a clattering sound.

"Is it a male or female classmate who came?" the mother asked again, unhurriedly.

Cha Li's eyes darted around, and she answered while suppressing a laugh, "Yes, a woman."

"Oh." The mother said nothing more and went back to watching her soap opera.

The dishes had just been washed, and Cha Li hadn't even had time to take off her apron when she heard a very rhythmic knocking at the door.

"Knock knock, knock".

"Daughter—"

"Okay, I'll go open the door." Cha Li took off her apron and hung it on a hook, then quickly darted to the door and flung it open with a 'whoosh'.

The hooks used to hang aprons in the kitchen also slid down with a sound.

It's probably because I used too much force when I hung it up, causing it to lose its suction.

"Shh—" Before Mr. Xue could speak, Cha Li put her index finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture.

Although Mr. Xue was puzzled, he did not ask any further questions. He simply put his hands in his pockets and nodded slightly.

Cha Li puffed out one cheek and circled around him halfway. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she pulled out the hoodie from his down jacket and put it over his head.

"Mom, I'm going to my room!" Cha Li took a pair of cotton slippers from the dark red shoe cabinet next to her and threw them on the ground, shouting to her mother who was watching a Korean drama.

The mother gave a perfunctory reply, clearly indicating that the plot had entered an important stage and she had no time to pay attention to her.

She only glanced at Mr. Xue out of the corner of her eye when he came in.

Although I couldn't see clearly, her fair skin made it obvious that she was a girl, so I didn't pay any more attention to it.

As for not saying hello—she probably didn't even care.

"Xiaoxue, keep your voice down. I told my mom you're a girl." Cha Li moved the chair in front of her table over, gesturing for him to sit in front of the vanity mirror. "What shoes did you wear today?"

"Ordinary canvas shoes, clean."

"Hmm, canvas shoes... well, it would be nice to have leather shoes. How big are your feet?" Cha Li stroked her chin and paced around the room.

"forty."

"Can I wear a size 39?"

"Perhaps."

"Let me look for it, where is my biggest pair of leather shoes again..." Cha Li said, then ran out of the room again, "Mom, where did I put my leather shoes that I hardly ever wear!"

"Find it in the cabinet on the balcony."

"Oh--"

Soon, Cha Li returned to her room carrying a shoebox, and then opened her wardrobe and started rummaging through it.

The wardrobe wasn't big, but it contained a lot of clothes. However, apart from the ones hanging there neatly, the rest looked rather messy.

Cha Li picked out several outfits from among them, held them up in front of Mr. Xue for a while, and finally chose one.

"I have more jeans here, not many regular skirts." Cha Li said as she folded up the other clothes and put them back in the closet. "I've chosen, how about the British style? This black turtleneck cashmere sweater is the only one I have... It has a little heart cut out, it's quite cute."

"It will be all right."

"Xiaoxue, you haven't fallen for her, have you?"