Chapter 101: The Unlucky Little Yu
Just like yesterday, Xia Yu arrived at school and found herself trapped in the same boring routine, merely staring vacantly at her desk.
After all, Xia Yu didn’t have many friends, and she didn’t really want any. She simply enjoyed her peaceful, dazed existence.
Honestly, Xia Yu wasn’t quite sure when she had come to like being this quiet—maybe it was after… coming back from her little escape?
As she glanced around the classroom, filled with the lively chatter of her classmates, she couldn’t help but feel a hint of annoyance.
She… didn’t like being here.
But what could she do? Whether she liked it or not, she could only return home in the evening.
And so, Xia Yu drooped her head onto her desk to avoid thinking about anything. Meanwhile, she thought it might be a good time to catch up on the sleep she had missed last night.
At that moment, Xia Ling was enthusiastically chatting with her friends at the back of the class.
Noticing that Xia Yu had face-planted into her desk, Xia Ling felt a pang of worry, fearing that Xia Yu was having another episode.
Fortunately, after a quick check, Xia Ling discovered that Xia Yu had simply fallen asleep, not had an episode.
This revelation made Xia Ling breathe a sigh of relief. After all, she was the only family Xia Yu had here, and if something really went wrong, she wouldn’t even know how to handle it.
Class began, but it was painfully obvious that Xia Yu was dozing off, especially since she was sitting in the prime spot of the classroom where everyone could see her.
Wang Ruixue, fearing the wrath of a sleeping Xia Yu, was too scared to wake her, but did that mean he would let Xia Ling call out instead?
With a determination shared only by highly caffeinated squirrels, Wang Ruixue approached Xia Yu’s desk and whispered to Xia Ling, “Xiao Ling, could you step outside with me for a moment?”
Not entirely sure why Wang Ruixue was asking for her, Xia Ling nodded and quietly followed him out.
She didn’t want to disturb Xia Yu’s beauty sleep, after all.
In the hallway, Wang Ruixue cut to the chase, “Xiao Ling, did Xia Yu stay up late last night? Maybe she should head back to the dorm to catch some Zs—sleeping here isn’t ideal.”
In the past, Xia Ling might’ve thought Wang Ruixue was kidding.
I mean, what teacher would actually want their student snoozing away instead of attending class?
But he really was that kind of teacher.
“I’m not sure. I can ask her,” Xia Jing replied.
Wang Ruixue nodded, “If that’s the case, it wouldn’t hurt to ask. If she’s not feeling well, she should let us know, so we can handle it.”
Xia Ling nodded, signaling her understanding.
And so, they returned to the classroom. Sitting back at her desk, Xia Ling watched the peacefully sleeping Xia Yu. Despite feeling a bit guilty, she gently shook her awake and softly asked, “Erge, are you feeling unwell? Do you want to go back to the dorm to rest?”
Of course, with so many people around, Xia Ling couldn’t exactly call Xia Yu “sister”—that would really ruin Xia Yu’s reputation. Plus, she had promised Xia Yu not to call her that in front of others.
Still somewhat groggy from sleep, Xia Yu shook her head, rejecting Xia Ling’s offer.
Just then, Wang Ruixue approached, seeing that Xia Yu seemed stable enough to not turn into a ranting gremlin. “Are you unwell? Want to visit the nurse?”
Xia Yu met his gaze and nodded her head again—not in agreement, but as a polite “not happening.”
“Is it because of a lack of sleep from last night? How about going back to the dorm for a nap?” Wang Ruixue pressed.
Deep down, Wang Ruixue really wished Xia Yu would just go back and sleep, or else he’d be on edge the whole class. After all, this was his class, and if something happened, he would be the one in the hot seat!
Yet, Xia Yu didn’t want to be a bother to anyone, so she stubbornly shook her head again, rejecting Wang Ruixue’s kind offer.
“Alright then, just try to pay attention in class. If you need help, feel free to ask your sister!”
He forced a smile, but as he turned to the blackboard, he let out a sigh.
Meanwhile, Xia Yu, once stirred, found herself too awake to drift back to sleep and felt embarrassed to lay her head down again, so she sat there in a daze.
Little did she know, a few bored boys nearby were already concocting mischief involving her.
The bell rang, and Xia Yu couldn’t resist standing up and heading for the door.
But at that moment, Xia Ling swiftly pulled her back and curiously asked, “Erge, where are you off to? Do you want me to come with you?”
“No need,” Xia Yu yanked her hand back and continued toward the exit.
Despite her cool response, Xia Ling wasn’t so easily reassured.
“I’m going with you, just in case,” she said, quickly following in Xia Yu’s footsteps after waving goodbye to her friends.
“Tsk tsk, ‘Erge’ now? Honestly, at this rate, Xia Yu might as well just let Xia Ling be her sister. Such a grown-up has Xia Ling worrying like a hawk!”
“Yeah, but it’s not like we have a choice! I heard Xia Yu’s been feeling a bit off lately, so she needs Xia Ling looking out for her.”
“That’s true; she wouldn’t be acting like this if she were fine.”
At this point, Xia Ling’s friends reminisced about the Xia Yu from a few years back.
Back then, Xia Yu was quite the little boy—full of energy, always getting into mischief, constantly bugging her older brother, Xia Le, and shrugging off whatever trouble came her way. The next day, she’d still be grinning from ear to ear.
Whereas now, Xia Yu had become this quiet, reserved figure.
Especially with her long, flowing hair and that adorable face that mirrored Xia Ling’s—sometimes, it was hard for others not to mistake her for a girl.
So, even knowing that Xia Yu and Xia Ling shared a dorm, there wasn’t that much of a reaction.
Maybe it was just the magic of good looks.
As they headed outside, Xia Ling caught up to Xia Yu and casually wrapped her arms around her from behind, as if she were with her besties. “Where are you hurrying off to, little sister? Aren’t your legs hurting?”
Xia Yu knew that Xia Ling was just trying to make small talk, but she replied flatly, “Much better.”
“Great!” Xia Ling beamed, blissfully ignoring the curious gazes from their classmates as she playfully patted Xia Yu on the head. “Glad to hear that!”
With summer approaching and the heat ramping up, after hugging for too long, Xia Ling shifted to link arms with Xia Yu.
The restroom was right next to the building, with the boys’ and girls’ restrooms on either side of a special restroom just for teachers.
Though Xia Yu had the privilege to enter the teacher’s restroom, Xia Ling didn’t, so while Xia Yu dashed inside, she waited patiently outside.
Once Xia Yu emerged safely, Xia Ling scurried into the girls’ restroom, saying, “Be a good girl and wait for me here! We’ll go back together later!”
Xia Yu: “…”
Though being treated like a small child stung a little, she obediently waited in place.
After Xia Ling finished up, they linked arms again and headed back to class.
On the way, they inevitably passed by the classroom again.
Suddenly, as they walked, both girls heard a loud “smack!” from beside them.
Curiosity piqued, they turned to spot a gob of spit that had seemingly detonated right before their eyes! How bizarre, they hadn’t noticed anyone spitting when they walked past just moments ago.
Well, they could probably guess what had happened—someone upstairs had just cleared their throat and lost the battle to their lunch, nearly hitting them in the process.
Yikes! If they had got splattered, that would’ve been disgustingly terrible, and neither Xia Yu nor Xia Ling wanted to entertain that thought!
So, fueled by sheer curiosity, they glanced up the stairs to catch a glimpse of the gross culprit.
But when they looked up, Xia Yu once again fell victim to another unfortunate incident.
Just as she turned her gaze upward, a cascade of sand fell from above, with several grains finding their way right into her eyes.
Xia Ling was quick to react, shutting her eyes just in time, but her hair ended up catching a good amount of that sandy barrage…
“AHHH!”
Xia Yu screamed as the sand invaded her eyes, and she immediately squatted down, shaking and tearing up.
Xia Ling, alerted by Xia Yu’s cry, quickly squatted next to her and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Even though she asked, the sight of Xia Yu clutching her eyes and trembling didn’t leave Xia Ling with much doubt about the situation.
Yeah, she could tell that sand had definitely found its way into Xia Yu’s eyes—there was just no other explanation for it.
In that moment, Xia Ling panicked and didn’t even care who had dropped sand or spit from above. Instead, she focused purely on comforting Xia Yu, “Did some sand get in your eyes? Grab onto me, I’ll help you find some water to rinse them out!”
Xia Yu didn’t respond verbally, but her actions spoke volumes as she clung tightly to Xia Ling’s arm like it was a lifeline.
“Alright, just like that. If your eyes hurt, don’t open them, and definitely don’t rub them. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
Xia Yu nodded, her voice shaky, “Mhm~”
The nearest water source was the restroom, but given that it was recess time, both the boys’ and girls’ restrooms were bound to be bustling with activity.
So, Xia Ling made a quick decision to take Xia Yu to the teacher’s restroom, where they could wash her eyes without any interruptions.
After all, teachers were just as likely to be out grabbing snacks during break as they were to hit the loo!
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, chaos was unfolding in the classroom, where Summer Jun had already engaged in a brawl with two boys from the fifth grade.
And wouldn’t you know it? Those two were the very ones responsible for the spit and sand that had just splattered on Xia Yu!
How’s that for unlucky timing?
