A Young Woman's Heart

Riding a bike in the rain is a rather painful experience.

When she finally arrived at the school, she felt a huge sense of relief. At that moment, she began to envy the students who lived on campus.

Because of the rain, there's no need for morning exercises today, so boarding students can go directly to their classrooms.

Of course, the person with the key has to open the door first.

"I wonder if the class monitor has arrived yet...?" Mo Xueyao muttered to herself as she walked to the classroom door, only to find it wide open.

An Ruosu, the only boy in the class who lived on campus, was folding little stars. When he saw Mo Xueyao come in, he shyly stuffed all the folded little stars into his drawer.

Why are you shy?

Do you think that playing with origami is too girly?

Mo Xueyao pondered to herself, glancing at the class monitor in his seat.

The class monitor was slumped over the table, seemingly asleep, and looked extremely tired.

Her hair was also a bit messy, as if she hadn't combed it at all that morning.

Even though Mo Xueyao used to be a boy, she still combs her hair every morning when she gets up now.

This isn't a matter of aesthetics or not; it's just that the mess makes me uncomfortable.

Moreover, while long, flowing hair looks beautiful, it also has many drawbacks, which is why she loves a single ponytail so much. Whenever she goes out, she always ties her hair into a simple and refreshing single ponytail.

The class monitor also usually wears a single ponytail, and hers is simpler and neater than Mo Xueyao's. She even sweeps her bangs up, a truly proper student hairstyle.

The class monitor seems to be in a bad state lately.

Mo Xueyao thought to herself as she returned to her seat.

Arriving so early in the morning, only to find that the person in front of her was already sitting there, made her feel a little uneasy.

She greeted An Ruosu somewhat awkwardly: "Um, your name is An Ruosu, right?"

“Yes…” An Ruosu seemed even more embarrassed than Mo Xueyao.

"Uh... it seems like you don't talk much."

"Is that so?" An Ruosu replied awkwardly.

He is indeed a very quiet boy, so quiet that he is easy to overlook.

He doesn't talk much in class, and he doesn't interact with people much after class.

He only speaks a few words to others when they come to him.

It seems like I don't have any friends in the whole class.

He seems to be a very introverted boy.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Mo Xueyao pressed. Talking to boys was always much easier than talking to girls—at least for her.

"I don't know what to say."

"I see you don't participate at all, so how will you know what to say?" Mo Xueyao patiently instructed. "The more you refuse to communicate, the fewer people will want to chat with you. Isn't that a vicious cycle?"

“Oh…” An Ruosu nodded slightly and gave him an awkward smile.

This made Mo Xueyao feel that she couldn't continue the conversation.

He's really not a good person to chat with.

Since the two were still relatively unfamiliar with each other, Mo Xueyao pursed her lips and then fell silent, unsure of what to say.

Mo Xueyao brought a novel with her today.

So there's absolutely no need to worry about being bored.

She happily took out the book, opened the first page, and prepared to read it carefully.

Then—then I discovered that this was a novel I had just finished reading recently, and it wasn't good at all; I had absolutely no intention of reading it a second time.

This novel incorporates all the clichéd plot points from third-rate TV dramas. I was already impressed with myself after reading it, so how could I possibly read it a second time?

She sighed helplessly and looked at An Ruosu sitting in front of her, only to find that he was secretly folding paper stars again.

"Hey, An Ruosu, are you planning to fold a whole bunch of stars and string them together?"

"Ah!" An Ruosu stiffened slightly. "This is... I plan to put it in a bottle and make it into a wishing bottle..."

Is it a gift for someone?

"Yes, it is."

"Wow, really!" Mo Xueyao immediately grinned mischievously. "Hehehe—which girl have you fallen for?"

An Ruosu's face turned even redder, and her body became even stiffer.

But the more he acts like this, the more people want to tease him.

"Who is it? Tell me quickly~ Should I convey your 'love' for you?"

"No, no need! No need!" An Ruosu replied in a panic, "I...I...I don't have anyone I like..."

"Well, what's there to be shy about liking a girl? Isn't it normal for boys to like girls?" Mo Xueyao gently patted An Ruosu's shoulder. "Tell me, which girl do you like? Is she pretty?"

An Ruosu didn't answer. Instead, he chose to bury his head in the sand like an ostrich, lying face down on the table and covering his face.

Who would have thought that someone with such great athletic ability would actually... have a girlish heart?

Anyway, this pose is definitely quite girlish.

……

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Mo Zhuyou, Who Stayed in Bed

The pitch-black raindrops pattered down, striking everything in the city that could make a sound, composing a unique melody.

In a tiny rented room that could only fit a bed and a table, a girl with slightly yellowish hair was gently pushing another girl who looked very much like her, but whose hair was jet black and thick, without any yellowing or curliness.

"Little sister, wake up, wake up—get up."

"So tired—let me sleep a little longer—"

That's right, these two are the sisters Mo Xiaoxiao and Mo Zhuyou.

"It's already 6:30, time to get up." Mo Xiaoxiao pinched Mo Zhuyou's little face and said gently.

"I'm sleepy... I was busy too late yesterday..." Mo Zhuyou replied indistinctly, hugging the blankets and refusing to get up.

"Get up! It's raining today!" Mo Xiaoxiao grabbed Mo Zhuyou's ear and whispered, "If you don't leave early, you might be late."

"Rain... I hate going out on rainy days..." Mo Zhuyou rubbed her eyes and finally opened them with great difficulty.

Her eyes were bloodshot, indicating that she was really sleep-deprived.

"Okay, okay, get up and wash up."

"Okay—" Mo Zhuyou drawled, raising her arm. "Sister—help me up... I can't get up..."

"Heave-ho—" Mo Xiaoxiao forcefully pulled her arm and dragged her off the bed.

"Phew, is the rain heavy?" Mo Zhuyou looked out the window.

"Thankfully, it should be light rain."

"It's drizzling again. I hate drizzling the most." Mo Zhuyou closed her eyes again, and drowsily picked up the clothes next to her and put them on.

"Stop, stop, stop—those are my clothes!"

"what……?"

"Fine, fine~ I give up. Just sit here and I'll help you get dressed."

"Okay~~~" Mo Zhuyou smiled weakly.

"Raise your hands." Mo Xiao laughed and cried at the same time as she put the clothes on Mo Zhuyou one by one. Then she took out a stack of flesh-colored stockings that she had worn yesterday and put them on her legs. There were many snags and tears on them, so they didn't look like they were of very good quality.

After helping Mo Zhuyou put on her flesh-colored stockings, or rather, leggings, Mo Xiaoxiao then helped her put on a skirt, before flicking her forehead in annoyance: "Fallen again? Get up and go wash up!"

"Okay, okay..." Mo Zhuyou was forced to get up. "But I was really sleepy... I washed dishes until midnight yesterday... I was so tired... I only slept for six and a half hours..."

"Otherwise, what will we eat? Where will we get the money? If we don't have money, we won't even have a place to stay."

"Sister, please take care of me..."

“Then I shouldn’t have gone to high school with you.” Mo Xiao sighed. “Now I’m starting to doubt whether my decision was wrong.”

"No, no." Hearing Mo Xiaoxiao's serious tone, Mo Zhuyou immediately sobered up. "Well, school is more fun when my sister is with me. Otherwise, without my sister's encouragement, I would have no motivation at all."

"Yeah--?"

"Yes, yes, I'm going to wash up!"

As if fleeing a disaster, Mo Zhuyou grabbed a basin containing a towel, toothbrush, and toothpaste cup from the window and ran out.

The small rented room where the two of them lived did not have a private bathroom.

Whether it's going to the toilet or washing up, you have to go to the public restroom outside the rented room.

Moreover, the public restrooms are quite a distance away, and if you go there without an umbrella on a rainy day, you'll probably get soaked.

"Don't run so fast, you haven't brought your umbrella yet!" Mo Xiaoxiao hurriedly put on her clothes and followed after him with her umbrella.

There is a row of water taps at the entrance of the public toilet, and many people come here early in the morning to get water for washing up.

Everyone was very orderly. Each person who got water made room to stand aside, ensuring that no one else got water, thus maximizing efficiency.

All of this is a tacit understanding without words.

The pool was outdoors without a rain shelter, so Mo Xiaoxiao held an umbrella for Mo Zhuyou and let her wash up first. Only after she finished washing up did Mo Zhuyou begin to wash up herself.

After all this busy work, more than ten minutes had already passed.

"Youyou, take my schoolbag down, I'll go get my bicycle." Mo Xiaoxiao handed her washbasin to Mo Zhuyou, saying something she probably repeats every morning.

"Okay, okay—I say it every day, so please don't repeat it, okay?" In fact, Mo Zhuyou had repeated this sentence countless times.

When Mo Zhuyou came downstairs carrying two schoolbags, Mo Xiaoxiao was already waiting on her bicycle.