Chapter 43: Such Is Adolescence
What is tension?
Tension is the unease one feels in anticipation of an upcoming event. It comes in many tiers; not just a minor flutter, but that heart-pounding sensation with every passing second—that’s real tension.
Bai Ling recalled her last bout of tension—it was during her college entrance exam, over eleven years ago.
And now…
“Actually, there’s nothing much to see. I just changed into something fitting the occasion,” said the white-haired maiden with a straight face, acting as if it were no big deal. “Everyone looks about the same.”
But before she could finish her sentence, an exclamation erupted from the dorm room.
“Wow! Is this Bai Ling?”
“It really looks great, so beautiful.”
Handing over her mobile phone to her two roommates, Yuan Xiaoling placed her hands on her hips, beaming with pride and satisfaction: “What did I tell you? Super good-looking.”
Gu Hui and Qiao Lili flipped through the photos on her phone one by one, occasionally letting out sounds of admiration.
“Never would’ve thought—Miss Bai Ling actually wears such cute clothes.”
“That’s because she’s originally super pretty and adorable!”
“You’re right… Umm, those assets… I mean, that nourishment.”
“Abundant! They’ve grown abundant!”
Gu Hui and Qiao Lili couldn’t believe their eyes when they compared the chest size in the pictures to Bai Ling’s real-life appearance—they realized it was indeed unedited.
“There’s no need to make such a fuss,” Bai Ling maintained a calm expression, appearing unaffected. “It’s normal for bodies to grow during adolescence.”
“Snort.”
Yuan Xiaoling burst out laughing, unable to hold it in.
“What are you laughing at?”
“It’s nothing, I remembered something happy… So, are you guys hungry? I’ll go grab some food from the cafeteria.”
Yuan Xiaoling stood up to leave, but Bai Ling glanced at the two still flipping through the photo album and quickly followed her. “I haven’t eaten either, let’s go together.”
She didn’t want to stay alone.
It was six in the evening, six hours had passed since the incident at noon, and five hours since Yuan Xiaoling resolved the issue and announced it over the school broadcast. That amount of time wasn’t enough to calm the shock brought by the two living dead; hardly anyone could be seen on the main roads of the campus.
There were quite a few people at the cafeteria, after all, it was dinner time, and students had to eat.
With the ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode activated, Bai Ling walked in alongside Yuan Xiaoling. Although there weren’t many people inside, they were all lined up at the serving windows, and almost no seats were occupied.
Two boys carried stacks of takeout boxes, chatting as they walked:
“You’re brave to come out to buy food—are you doing this for others?”
“Yeah, charging per head for errands.”
“Risk brings rewards, buddy. Aren’t you doing the same?”
“Not exactly, I’m delivering for the girls’ dormitory, and I didn’t charge.”
“You’re legit impressive.”
People buying food or helping others buy food hurriedly came and went. In the entire cafeteria, only two stunning beauties—one blonde, one white-haired—were eating peacefully.
After Yuan Xiaoling had eaten her fill, she leaned back in her chair and watched the comings and goings at the cafeteria entrance. Each student carried at least three servings, as if the hopes of three roommates rested on them.
Even though the school had already made an announcement, no one would want to wander outside aimlessly today.
“Bai Ling,” she suddenly asked curiously, “what happened to the school in the previous timeline after Tianhai City fell into panic?”
“I don’t know,” Bai Ling wiped her mouth and replied immediately. “By then, I had already stopped attending school.”
Died in the first year, hunted in the second, lived lavishly in the third, fought across the land in the fourth—and left right after the start of her final year. This was her university life in her previous existence.
In short, a car accident ruined her college dreams.
“In that case, doesn’t that mean you dropped out, half-finished your degree, high school graduate?” Yuan Xiaoling chuckled.
Bai Ling’s face stiffened slightly: “At that time, whether I graduated or not was meaningless… Even if I wasn’t there, I could guess that by then, the school wouldn’t be able to conduct regular classes anymore. It would only serve as a symbolic shelter.”
The reason it was called symbolic was because it couldn’t provide effective protection. Being among a crowd might increase a sense of security.
But it didn’t actually help.
Yuan Xiaoling’s smile faded as she said, “Sounds pretty helpless, like everything was left to fate.”
That’s exactly how it was, Bai Ling thought silently, precisely like that.
“But,” the blonde-haired maiden changed the tone, “because we’re here, the future will change, won’t it?”
“…Yeah.”
The girl put down her spoon, feeling a strange stirring in her heart. She lowered her head, her gaze falling on the slightly loosened collar revealing a snowy-white expanse.
That’s right, the future will change… Like how it never grew this big in her past life.
After doing so much today, they returned to their respective dormitories after dinner. Tomorrow, Yuan Xiaoling would attend a meeting at the municipal building, while Bai Ling would oversee things on the school side.
Back in the dormitory, the two roommates were still marveling at Bai Ling’s wedding dress appearance in the photo album.
“Finally, Xiaoling’s back! Tell us, how did you manage this.” Qiao Lili gestured with her hands, “She was like that last semester, and now she’s suddenly… THIS!”
“Adolescence does wonders,” Yuan Xiaoling dismissed it casually, “exercise more, eat more.”
She couldn’t possibly tell them that Bai Ling’s growth was all thanks to her secret recipe lemon water, what if they asked for it?
“It’s truly astonishing,” Gu Hui sighed, “the first time I saw her in the dorm, it feels like it was just yesterday. Back then, I could only say… lots of room for improvement.”
The first time they met, Qiao Lili had privately given Bai Ling a nickname—”Cold-faced Little Bunny.” Who would’ve thought that the little bunny would grow up so quickly.
Time flies, circumstances change. The world has transformed, and friends who were once familiar now look different every day.
“But since you’ve taken photos like these, it must mean the wedding isn’t far behind, right?” Qiao Lili asked, “When are we getting invited to the banquet?”
Yuan Xiaoling sighed, “Not that fast. We have to resolve the issues in Tianhai City first.”
This kind of thing, like saying in high school “after the college entrance exam, we’ll do this and that,” seems close, but as the days approach, the tension grows, leaving no time to think about anything else.
“Alright, let’s talk business,” Qiao Lili handed her the phone, “you’re going to discuss public opinion handling tomorrow. You should address it properly; there are conspiracy theories online already.”
Thanks to her awakened ability, Qiao Lili sifted through online information at quantum speed, witnessing the myriad reactions after the incident.
“Okay, I understand,” Yuan Xiaoling nodded, “I’ll handle them.”
