Chapter 48: Wang Hongying caught Miaomiao and Xiaoqi
Female Dormitory
Lin Miaomiao sat in front of the mirror on the table, while Deng Xiaoqi stood behind her, gently brushing her hair.
With precise snips, Deng Xiaoqi cut Lin Miaomiao's bangs in the middle. "Cutting your fringe in the middle can draw attention to your nose," she explained. Then, smoothing it down, she continued, "Keeping it flat will enhance your overall appearance, bringing attention to your facial features." Finally, she swept the hair to the side. "Side bangs can draw attention to your eyes and make them prominent."
"What happens if you don't have bangs?" Deng Xiaoqi brushed up all of Miaomiao's hair. "It depends on your appearance," she replied.
Listening to Deng Xiaoqi's explanations, Lin Miaomiao looked at her reflection. "According to your explanation, I'm suited to wear a mask," she joked.
Behind them, Liang Yunshu and Wei Xindi, who were studying, couldn't help but giggle at their conversation.
Deng Xiaoqi sat down on her bed. "If you wear a mask, you need to have a good figure," she commented.
Hearing this, Lin Miaomiao leaned back in her chair dramatically. "Can't a person with a small figure catch a break?" she quipped, adding a playful touch of mock despair.
"Is it beautiful?" Deng Xiaoqi asked, holding up a dress for Lin Miaomiao's inspection.
Turning her head to face Deng Xiaoqi, Lin Miaomiao examined the dress. "You change your clothes every day. Aren't you getting tired of it?" she remarked.
Deng Xiaoqi shook her head sadly. "I never have a chance to wear them for regular occasions. It would be a shame not to wear them," she lamented, her fingers gently tracing the fabric.
Liang Yunshu turned her head to join the conversation, expressing her own disappointment. "Wearing the uniform every day is so frustrating. I have plenty of new clothes my mother bought me, but I never get to wear them," she lamented.
Deng Xiaoqi nodded in agreement, understanding Liang Yunshu's frustration.
Lin Miaomiao sat up straight, addressing them both. "Are you two being silly? Just don't wear your uniform and wash it. Hang it out to dry. No matter how angry the teacher gets, she can't force us to wear wet uniforms," she suggested.
Liang Yunshu shook her head skeptically. "Do you really think Mama Wang is easy to deal with?"
"Mama Wang is a piece of cake, she is easy to deal with," Lin Miaomiao declared confidently, getting up and walking over to her bed. With a flourish, she retrieved a box and proudly displayed it to them. "See what I have here?" she asked, excitement evident in her voice.
They all turned to Lin Miaomiao, their curiosity piqued by the box she was holding. "Japanese scallops?" Wei Xindi guessed, a hint of skepticism in her voice.
"Are you underestimating me?" Lin Miaomiao retorted playfully, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She opened the box and pulled out a phone, holding it up for them to see.
"A phone!" the three of them exclaimed simultaneously, their eyes widening in surprise.
"Did your mother buy you a new phone?" Wei Xindi inquired, unable to hide her astonishment.
"Do you really think my mother would buy me a new phone?" Lin Miaomiao replied with a smirk, shaking her head.
Deng Xiaoqi couldn't contain her excitement. "What have you handed?" she asked curiously.
"What I handed was a model," Lin Miaomiao admitted with a chuckle, causing their jaws to drop in disbelief.
"Is that even okay?" Wei Xindi questioned, eyebrows raised in disbelief.
Lin Miaomiao grinned mischievously and revealed a charger. "I also have this," she added proudly.
Deng Xiaoqi's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "What else do you have?" she inquired eagerly.
Lin Miaomiao smirked. "Name it, and I probably have it," she boasted confidently.
"How about WiFi?" Deng Xiaoqi exclaimed excitedly.
Lin Miaomiao's expression suddenly changed, her confidence faltering. "I really don't have that," she confessed, shaking her head.
The excited faces of her dorm mates quickly turned to disappointment, and they returned to their tasks. "It's just a decoration," Liang Yunshu remarked nonchalantly.
"Our school's password is the solution to our problem," Lin Miaomiao explained.
Wei Xindi furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "How?" she asked.
Lin Miaomiao approached Liang Yunshu. "Yunshu, since Jiang Tianhao is an old student here at Elite High School, maybe he knows. Since you're in the same department, could you ask him for us?" she requested.
"Okay, I'll ask him tomorrow," Liang Yunshu agreed, blushing at the thought of asking Jiang Tianhao for a favor.
Deng Xiaoqi listened quietly to their conversation before settling down on her bed, lost in her own thoughts.
...
Ye Bai closed the book he had been engrossed in, having already completed lessons up to the third year of senior high school. Now, he delved into the pages of cooking books, absorbing recipes with a keen interest. If asked about a specific dish, Ye Bai could effortlessly recite the ingredients, procedures, and cooking techniques, resembling a living recipe book, as long as he had read about it before.
After a quick wash in the bathroom, he felt refreshed and ready for sleep. As he lay down on his bed, a sense of relaxation washed over him, and he swiftly drifted into the realm of dreams, leaving behind the worries of the day.
Ye Bai was jolted awake by the sensation of water dripping onto his face. He attempted to wipe it away with his hands, but to his dismay, he found himself unable to move them, as if they were restrained. His efforts to open his eyes were also in vain.
As he struggled, a soft touch grazed his lips, sending a rush of realization through him. Someone was kissing him. "This is my first kiss," a voice whispered, brushing against his ear.
Despite being unable to see or move, Ye Bai felt a mix of surprise and curiosity, his mind racing with questions about the mysterious person who had just bestowed upon him this unexpected and intimate moment.
As Ye Bai lay in bed, he heard the door creak open and then shut, signaling that the person who had kissed him had left the room. Initially, he considered the possibility of sleep paralysis, but his rational mind kicked in. The only other occupants in the house were his mother, and the voice of the person he heard was distinctly different.
Puzzled and a bit alarmed, Ye Bai realized that he had locked his room, eliminating the possibility of an intruder. With no other explanation in sight, he concluded that he must have been dreaming. Attempting to call out to the system for reassurance, he was met with silence.
After what felt like an eternity, he sensed a slight movement in his fingers, signaling that he was regaining control over his body. With a jolt, he finally awoke, finding himself safely tucked in his bed, the remnants of the mysterious dream still lingering in his mind.
He tried to call his System.
[ Ye Bai ]
Age: 17/20
Physical: 85->87
Intelligence: 92
Charm: 81->83
Skills:
Acting: 48/100 C -> 54
Singing: 62/100 B -> 76
Dancing: 36/100 C- -> 44
Musical Instrument:
Guitar: 75/100 A ->81
Piano: 47/100 B+ ->58
Martial Arts: 16/100 D+ ->30
Sword Arts: 20/100 D+ -> 37
Traits:
[Enhanced Memory]
Debuff:
...
Lin Miaomiao and Deng Xiaoqi were lounging on the bed, wrapped snugly in a blanket. Liang Yunshu had successfully obtained the password from Jiang Tianhao, and now they were all scrolling through their phones, browsing pictures of models in various outfits.
"Look at those models, they're so skinny, like they're made of paper. There's nothing womanly about them," Deng Xiaoqi remarked, studying the images of the models.
"Yeah, just like Qian Sanyi's body, as thin as a sheet of paper," Lin Miaomiao chimed in, nodding in agreement.
Deng Xiaoqi furrowed her brow. "That's not fair to say. Ye Bai is also skinny if you look at his body."
"No, Ye Bai's body is different. It's strong. Remember how he effortlessly carried me by himself? His chest is really firm," Lin Miaomiao recalled, thinking back to the moment Ye Bai had hugged her.
Deng Xiaoqi turned to Lin Miaomiao with a curious expression. "Do you have something to tell me? I noticed Ye Bai's phone wallpaper is a picture of you two."
"I-I changed it as a prank because... Yes! He lost a game against me," Lin Miaomiao quickly responded, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"Are you sure?" Deng Xiaoqi eyed Lin Miaomiao skeptically before suddenly launching into a tickling attack. Their laughter was cut short when someone abruptly pulled the blanket covering them, causing them to yelp in surprise and cling to each other.
It was Wang Hongying, their teacher, looking at them with a shocked expression. "What are you two doing this early in the morning?"
Quickly hiding her phone under the pillow, Lin Miaomiao replied, "We're not doing anything. What can two girls possibly do?"
"Yes!" Deng Xiaoqi chimed in, nodding in agreement.
Wang Hongying fixed them with a serious stare, crossing her arms. "Two girls can do many things. Have you ever seen 'Return of the Condor Heroes'? Age is no barrier. Have you watched 'Firm Gold'? Race is no barrier. Have you watched 'The Chinese Ghost Story'? Life and death are no barriers. Have you watched 'Brokeback Mountain'? Gender is no barrier."
"Teacher, you're overthinking things," Deng Xiaoqi retorted.
"Overthinking? Stand up!" Wang Hongying commanded.
As they hurriedly complied, Lin Miaomiao accidentally bumped her head on the bed's ceiling.
"I've said it multiple times, no messing around on the bed," Wang Hongying scolded, pointing at them. "You two, write a self-criticism statement tomorrow." With that, she turned and walked away.
Lin Miaomiao turned to Deng Xiaoqi with a bewildered expression. "Have you ever watched 'Brokeback Mountain'?" she asked. Deng Xiaoqi shook her head, equally puzzled.
...
At the radio station, Lin Miaomiao was gingerly rubbing her head, which had been bumped against the upper bunk of her bed earlier. Ye Bai noticed her discomfort and approached her. "What happened?" he asked with concern.
"Oh, I just bumped my head on the upper bunk of the bed," Lin Miaomiao explained, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Ye Bai gently removed the Hello Kitty clip from her head to inspect the bump. Lin Miaomiao blushed at his proximity. "I think it's okay now, it doesn't hurt anymore," she reassured him.
Smiling, Ye Bai leaned in to hug Lin Miaomiao and planted a kiss on the spot where she had bumped her head. Startled, Lin Miaomiao pushed him away. "What if Qian Sanyi saw us?" she exclaimed, pinching Ye Bai's arm in annoyance.
"Ouch, sorry Miaomiao," Ye Bai apologized, rubbing his arm.
Just then, the door opened and Qian Sanyi walked in. "Hey, you two are always early," he remarked, noticing Ye Bai and Lin Miaomiao already in the room.
Taking his seat, Qian Sanyi felt something under him and retrieved it—it was the broken Hello Kitty clip that Lin Miaomiao had been wearing earlier. Realizing its owner, he hastily concealed it in his pocket, keeping silent about how he broke it.
Meanwhile, Lin Miaomiao, already immersed in her tasks at the broadcasting station, had forgotten all about the hair clip.
...
After the broadcasting program ended, Lin Miaomiao slouched in her chair, musing aloud, "The weekend is coming around again."
Ye Bai glanced over at her. "Want to hang out this weekend?" he suggested.
Lin Miaomiao's eyes lit up with excitement, but she hesitated before replying, "Deng Xiaoqi will be coming over to my house. I promised her we'd hang out."
Turning to Qian Sanyi, Ye Bai extended the invitation. "How about you? Want to join me for some fun this weekend?"
Qian Sanyi accepted the offer with a nod, signaling his agreement.
Watching them make plans, Lin Miaomiao couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. She longed to spend time alone with Ye Bai, especially after their confession, but they hadn't had a proper date yet. She resolved to make it happen soon.