Chapter 3: Baiyue

On the second day, the three of them sat together again, discussing how to find a new teammate. The teacher had already announced in class that their team was the only one still short of a member. Being pointed out in such a manner was an unpleasant experience, so as soon as the meeting started, Tangmo, the captain, had a discontented look on her face.

"That is," Luo'er observed and once again volunteered, "I'll go talk to the teacher and see if we can just have four people."

"Please do," Tangmo slumped on the desk and wearily waved at her.

Luo'er took a deep breath and once again headed to the office to find Wang Xu.

"I've had more visits from you recently than in the past several months combined; I'm almost flattered," Wang Xu joked, leaning back in his chair.

"I wish I didn't have to," Luo'er sighed.

"So, what brings you here this time?"

"Does the team have to have five people?"

"That's what headquarters requires."

"Can't an exception be made?"

"Maybe. Go ask the Principal; you might get lucky," Wang Xu said with a teasing smile. He knew what the Principal meant to Luo'er; her grandfather was the very person she would speak ill of if mentioned.

However, much to his surprise, Luo'er this time chose a rare silence. In order to form a team and get the grade, Luo'er had, for the first time, chosen to compromise.

"Didn't I give you a list yesterday? Didn't you find anyone?" Wang Xu asked curiously. With exactly three hundred students in their cohort and teams of five, no one should have been left out.

"She doesn't want to join..." Luo'er said, sounding rather dejected.

Wang Xu sighed softly, looking at him with a pitying gaze.

"If I say, if I go beg her, would she..." Luo'er began hesitantly.

"No," Wang Xu interrupted firmly before he could finish, "This is a requirement from headquarters; even the Principal is powerless in this."

Saying this, Wang Xu turned to his computer, pulled up the educational management system, and looked up the team rosters. As expected, only Tangmo's team was still missing a member, and the one left out was Baiyue. This was somewhat ironic to him; he had been the first to inform Luo'er, and now their team was the only one still incomplete.

"Baiyue..." Wang Xu murmured the name, glanced back at Luo'er, and then said with a sigh, "Honestly, I can't help you much. All I can suggest is that you try to ask the girl again. If she agrees, that's great; if not, the school will likely forcibly place her into your team. So, you really don't need to worry too much."

"I understand," Luo'er nodded, his expression still gloomy as Wang Xu watched him silently leave.

Back in the classroom, Luo'er briefly explained the situation. Tangmo fell silent for a moment before saying, "I'll go ask again!"

She got up to leave but was stopped by Luo'er calling out to her.

"Let me do it," Luo'er recalled their eye contact from the day before and volunteered once more.

"You..." Tangmo looked at him, at a loss for words, "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" After a moment's hesitation, Luo'er nodded firmly.

Tangmo's expression was complex as she watched him, biting her lip, unsure what to say. Finally, she simply said, "Thank you for your efforts, Luo'er..."

"It's fine, it's my duty," Luo'er replied respectfully as always.

Watching Luo'er's retreating figure, Tangmo blinked rapidly, her face full of frustration. As the captain, she felt helpless for the first time, and the pressure was overwhelming.

"Cheer up, Sister Moumou, here, have some fruit," Hu Daoke comforted from the side.

"No need..." Tangmo flopped her face onto the desk, disheartened, "I've lost my appetite."

"Hello."

Luo'er arrived at Baiyue's classroom just as the class ended. She was still sitting there quietly, reading and studying, while her classmates chatted and laughed around her, all maintaining a certain distance from her. Thus, when Luo'er appeared, standing in front of her, she rarely looked up.

Luo'er couldn't see her face clearly; her small face was hidden behind a large fluffy hat and disheveled silver hair, revealing a pair of deep-colored eyes with a cold breath. Her face and skin were so pale that her deep-colored eyes seemed to demand extra attention.

"It's you again," Baiyue looked down and continued what she was doing.

"I sincerely hope you will join our team," Luo'er said in his most polite tone, pausing before adding, "I think you already know, you're the only one from our cohort who hasn't joined a team yet."

"So what," Baiyue's voice remained flat.

"Actually, I didn't have to come here. If you don't join, it won't be long before the school forces you into our team, but I still hope to respect your wishes and sincerely invite you to join us."

Upon hearing this, Baiyue stopped writing and looked down in silence, seemingly contemplating Luo'er's words.

Luo'er pulled a chair from nearby, sat opposite her to meet her gaze. He observed Baiyue's thoughtful expression and glanced at the large fluffy hat on her head, hesitating for a moment before asking, "Can you tell me why you don't want to join a team?"

Baiyue gripped her pen tightly, she looked up at Luo'er, their gazes meeting. Luo'er had black hair and yet a pair of dark green eyes and pointed, drooping ears. She was taken aback, opened her mouth as if to speak, but suddenly as if remembering something, she covered her mouth and quickly turned her face away, avoiding Luo'er's gaze.

"Why..." Luo'er heard a muffled voice from behind her hand.

"What?" Luo'er asked.

"It's nothing!"

Baiyue covered her mouth with both hands, her small palms hiding half of her face. Her eyelids still drooped as if she hadn't woken up, but Luo'er felt her gaze wasn't as icy anymore. She seemed like a shy little girl, unable to resist staring at Luo'er's face for a few seconds, but as soon as she sensed his gaze, she immediately looked away.

"How did you do it..." Baiyue murmured softly, so quietly that it was almost inaudible.

"Huh?" Luo'er was somewhat bewildered by the stark contrast in her attitude, looking at her blankly, not knowing what she wanted to ask.

"Your eyes..." Baiyue turned away and lowered her head, whispering gently.

"My eyes? What about them?" Luo'er was completely at a loss.

"So strange..."

"Is that so." Luo'er was stunned for a moment, then laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Aren't you angry?" After a silence, Baiyue suddenly asked.

"Why would I be angry...?"

Another long silence ensued until just before class, when classmates were flooding into the room, Baiyue slowly asked, "Are you the Captain?"

"No, the Captain is Sister Moumou."

"I will only listen to you..." Baiyue's voice became inaudible once more.

"Huh?"

Because of that puzzling comment, Luo'er remained confused even until the end of the class. He sat dazed at his seat, thinking over what Baiyue had said. Tangmo didn't know what had happened but was too embarrassed to ask. Although she was the team captain, Luo'er was the most active one, which gave her an inexplicable sense of loss.

She lay on the desk, head tilted, blankly watching Luo'er, when Hu Daoke caught a glimpse of them and walked up to Luo'er, directly asking, "Hey, how did it go?"

Luo'er snapped back to reality, looked up to see Hu Daoke, and after a brief pause said, "She agreed!"

"Agreed?" Hu Daoke bent down, looking at Luo'er with some disbelief. His voice was so loud that it drew countless glances.

"Yeah." Luo'er thought about Baiyue's last sentence and hesitantly nodded.

"Slick move, kid!" Hu Daoke patted Luo'er's shoulder forcefully, making Luo'er wince in pain.

"Sister Moumou," Hu Daoke turned his head towards Tangmo and gave a thumbs-up, excitedly exclaimed, "Done deal!"

"Oh..." Tangmo was taken aback, climbed up from the desk, feeling even more uncomfortable, but also at a loss, "So, what's next...."

"Next, I'll go to the teacher to register our team's roster." Luo'er interrupted her before she could finish.

"Then, that..." Tangmo hesitated to call him back.

"What is it?"

"I, I'll go..." Tangmo pursed her lips, speaking with a lack of confidence.

Luo'er looked at her bewildered, as if he had just thought of something, then lowered his head and said, "Sorry..."

"Eh, you, you don't need to apologize to me." Luo'er's apology left Tangmo even more at a loss.

Hu Daoke watched the two, clueless about what they were discussing. Meanwhile, Cheng Ziang, who had been burying his nose in books, glanced at them, shook his head, and let out a cold laugh.

By the time school was over, Tangmo had completed the application with the teacher. For the first time, she took on the role of the captain, gathered everyone in the classroom, planning to have everyone get to know each other.

Since it was in their own classroom, Tangmo asked Luo'er to invite Baiyue over. She and Hu Daoke pushed the desks together and bought snacks and drinks. Cheng Ziang, unusually not reading, sat on a chair circled around, propped his chin on the desk, tilting his head, pondering over something.

Soon, Luo'er returned with the legendary mysterious figure, Baiyue. It was the first time everyone had the chance to closely observe this mysterious girl. She wasn't much taller than Tangmo, and standing next to Luo'er, she seemed petite. A large hat sat on her head, appearing quite bulky. Her silver-white short hair looked disheveled due to lack of grooming. She bowed her head, standing next to Luo'er, her gaze filled with aloofness towards unfamiliar things.

Luo'er lifted his head and immediately spotted Cheng Ziang, who had been hiding in his seat reading. This guy was more handsome than imagined, with messy golden hair and facial features that inherited the characteristics of Otherworld humans—distinct and deep, exuding a unique noble air of Otherworld humans. Compared to him, Luo'er, being half-elf, seemed more delicate. Cheng Ziang was always frowning, glanced at the two coolly, then turned his head away with an air of pride and aloofness.

"You..." Tangmo reached out to warmly greet them as they returned but was interrupted by Baiyue.

Taking a step forward and bowing her head, she said coldly, "I am Baiyue. I will formally join you from today, but I will only follow Luo'er's requests. If there's nothing else, then I'll go back now."

Pointing at Luo'er, Baiyue stated bluntly, then turned and left without hesitation, not even glancing directly at the others.

The atmosphere became awkward. Tangmo's words were choked back before she could say them. She bowed her head, bit her lip, and didn't know what to say. Seeing Tangmo disheartened, Hu Daoke immediately became furious, jumped up ready to confront Baiyue for an explanation, but was stopped by Tangmo.

"Sister Moumou, don't stop me, let me go after her!" Hu Daoke said in a huff, but was firmly grabbed by Tangmo.

She looked up at Luo'er, and though she said nothing, Luo'er could sense her thoughts. He bowed and apologized, "Sorry, I will go and explain things to her."

After speaking, he turned and left, leaving the three standing there. Hu Daoke looked at Tangmo, who was clearly disappointed—even though she had just been happy about the team coming together, it was doused by a bucket of cold water. Not knowing what to say, he could only stand silently with her. Cheng Ziang watched their backs, unsure what to comment, and couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.