The Evasion and the Encounter

After the class monitor left, the girl lingered in her seat for a while, waiting until she was certain the monitor had truly gone before slinging her already-packed bag over her shoulder and heading for the door.

But as she reached the entrance, another girl blocked her way.

Instinctively shrinking back, she spoke softly. “Um… classmate… could you let me pass?”

“You’re Ye Xingmian?” The other girl feigned ignorance.

“Yes… is something the matter?” Ye Xingmian hesitated. Clearly, this girl had come for a reason, and with that arrogant demeanor, it couldn’t be anything good.

“I’m Li Li. You know me, right?”

There were only a few names the teachers called out frequently in class, and Li Li was one of them. Ye Xingmian couldn’t remember if she was a subject representative or some committee member, but she recalled that Li Li seemed close to the class monitor. That thought made her nervous.

“Mm… Li Li… so, what do you want?”

“I see you’ve been hanging around the monitor a lot lately.”

Ye Xingmian froze. Was that why she was here? Was the next line going to be about staying away from the monitor? She hesitated before answering. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to… I won’t do it again.”

But instead of looking satisfied, the other girl’s expression grew even more disdainful.

“Hey, are you even a man? Saying stuff like that. Don’t you have any feelings for the monitor at all?”

Ye Xingmian was taken aback. “Li Li… what do you mean?”

“Still don’t get it? I’m trying to help you! You’ve got a crush on the monitor, right? I’m her friend. I can put in a good word for you.”

What was going on? Had her feelings somehow been discovered? That couldn’t be…

She had only just realized today that she might like the monitor. She thought she’d hidden it perfectly, spending the entire afternoon avoiding her. How could Li Li possibly know?

A wave of intense anxiety washed over her. Instinctively, she denied it. “No, Li Li. I… I don’t have those kinds of feelings for the monitor…”

“Oh, is that so? How can you prove it?”

Ye Xingmian was left speechless. She was already feeling guilty, and now she couldn’t bring herself to meet Li Li’s eyes. After a moment of silence, she suddenly slipped past the gap beside her and fled.

“Sorry, Li Li, I have things to do at home! I’m leaving!”

She didn’t look back to see the other girl’s reaction. Despite claiming to “help,” Li Li had only caused her immense distress. She rushed toward the most secluded staircase, panting as she slowly descended. Few people ever came this way—it was the path the introverted girl often took.

She couldn’t understand it at all. How had she given herself away? And why had Li Li suddenly offered to help? But she simply couldn’t agree, so in the end, she ran. It frightened her—could the monitor have seen through her as well?

Her heart in turmoil, she hugged her chest, a bitter expression on her face.

‘Please… not that…’

With these feelings, she made it downstairs. Perhaps the one stroke of luck today was not running into Qin Haiyue. Yesterday, she had threatened to meet at that restroom, but Ye Xingmian stood her up. She couldn’t imagine what would happen if she were caught—that sense of despair was something she never wanted to experience again.

And then there was tonight: she still had to answer her sister’s question. Was there really any way for her to resist? With that leverage in her sister’s hands, she seemed to have no choice but to comply.

‘It’s so painful…’

She sighed. If it were just about wearing girl’s clothes and being Lin Ziyan’s pillow, she could accept that—but she was afraid her sister would get handsy while she slept. Although she had no experience being a girl and was ignorant about many things due to her isolation, she knew that a girl’s purity was incredibly important. She hadn’t thought about marriage or anything, but protecting her body was instinct. If she lost her chastity for no reason… she felt she might go crazy.

And what about her foster parents? If they found out… what would they do to her? No matter how much her sister tried to protect her, a beating would be the least. After all, in their eyes, she was still a boy.

No matter how she thought about it, it all felt so troublesome and awful.

‘If I ever had to give my chastity to someone… I wish it could be the monitor.’

That seemed impossible, though—the monitor wasn’t gay. But if, just if, that day ever came, she wanted it to be her.

Thinking about it, her cheeks flushed.

‘What would that day be like? Would the monitor be rough or gentle? Probably gentle, since that’s her nature—soft and caring, like being wrapped in warm cotton… Wait, no! Why did I automatically imagine myself as the bottom? I used to be a boy, so I should be on top!’

‘No, no, what am I thinking! Time to go home.’

She covered her burning cheeks, letting the cold wind cool them. It took a while before the heat subsided. No matter how she thought about it, it was impossible—she had to face reality.

Lost in thought, she reached the first floor and headed toward the main road leading out of school. She wanted to keep walking, but her eyes caught someone, and she came to a sudden halt.

At the same time, the other person saw her and smiled knowingly.

It was the monitor…

Lowering her head and instinctively stepping back, Liu Yinuo was already in front of her.

Arms crossed over her flat chest, despite them being the same height, the monitor exuded a pressure that made Ye Xingmian shrink.

“Spill it. Why are you avoiding me?”

The direct accusation made her panic. So the monitor had realized she was avoiding her? She thought she’d been so careful, but she’d been found out already.

“I’m not… Sorry, monitor… I have things to do… I’ll go now…”

Stammering something even she didn’t understand, she turned to flee, but Liu Yinuo grabbed her right hand.

“Don’t rush off. How about I walk you home? It’s not safe alone.”

Ye Xingmian didn’t reply. Realizing this was her last chance to escape, she yanked her hand free and ran toward the school gate.

Naturally, Liu Yinuo was left behind, a thoughtful expression on her face.

If this had been right after school, she would have chased after her no matter what. But now…

She looked at the hand that had held Ye Xingmian’s, her expression complicated.

‘Let it go for now…’

She persuaded herself.

Yes, she had more important things to think about.