So, when exactly did this begin?
Was it during their first transformation? Or perhaps when they fought side-by-side on campus? Or when they ate together, flew together, parachuted together, went on missions together, or even that late night they spent out?
Yun Ning couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment he became so important in Huang Xiu’s heart.
They had known each other for only three months, yet the experiences they shared surpassed those of many lifelong friendships, proving more thrilling and arduous.
This was both the honor and the misfortune of being Awakened individuals. Excitement and danger would forever be their constant companions.
As Yun Ning realized his significant place in Huang Xiu’s heart, a heavy weight settled within his own. This weight was called responsibility.
As her senior and someone she trusted, he had to shoulder the responsibilities that came with such importance. This burden was far heavier and more challenging than that of a mere fellow student.
Had he known it would come to this, he might have been more restrained, approaching their relationship with greater rationality. But since there was no turning back, he could only embrace it wholeheartedly.
Yun Ning’s gaze softened as he looked at Huang Xiu.
“Don’t worry, Junior Sister. I will never distance myself from you, not even when our hair turns from black to white… not even when I have my own family.”
“You swear it…” Huang Xiu said earnestly.
“Yes, I swear. And…” Yun Ning extended his pinky finger towards Huang Xiu, a smile gracing his lips. “Shall we make a pinky promise?”
“Yes.” Huang Xiu nodded.
Suddenly, Huang Xiu couldn’t believe that Yun Ning would accept her almost unreasonable request.
Their pinky fingers intertwined, their gazes locking. The warmth of their bodies and the intensity of their emotions seemed to pass between them through that simple connection.
It felt warm.
‘And… soft,’ Yun Ning thought, feeling the delicate smoothness against his pinky finger.
“Pinky promise, hang me if I lie, a hundred years, never change!”
After speaking, their thumbs pressed together like a seal, then separated completely.
The evening sun outside the window continued its descent. The residual light on Huang Xiu’s face had taken on a purplish hue, carrying a hint of the night’s chill.
Yet, in this moment, her heart was no longer filled with fear or unease about the night or the future.
For she had found friends, friends she could rely on for a lifetime: Ying Zhiyu, Fang Miaoging, Jia Qianrou, and… Senior Brother Yun Ning.
Huang Xiu studied Yun Ning intently, as if etching his face firmly into her memory.
Then, she exhaled a heavy breath, releasing the turbidity within her.
The pervasive negative emotions and sense of powerlessness that had enveloped her since waking in the early hours instantly dissipated by more than half.
This wasn’t solely Yun Ning’s doing.
Earlier, Ying Zhiyu, Fang Miaoging, and Jia Qianrou had already helped her break free from much of the negativity. Yun Ning’s contribution was merely the final, decisive hammer blow.
As for who was more important between the two sides, no one could say for sure.
Of course, if Huang Xiu were to choose, she would undoubtedly say both were equally important. After all, they were all her wings!
“Still want to play, Junior Sister?”
Yun Ning’s voice startled Huang Xiu from her thoughts. She looked at him with a delayed realization, then nodded. “Sure!”
But in the next second, Huang Xiu, whose mental state had significantly improved, felt her pupils suddenly dilate.
She abruptly realized exactly what she had done.
From the moment she was enveloped by negative emotions in the early morning, choosing to wallow and abandon all thought, she had been openly affectionate with Ying Zhiyu, even sleeping in her arms.
And after that, she had even feigned weakness to Yun Ning, insisting they play games together for a lifetime.
She had even uttered such embarrassing words.
Huang Xiu’s pale, small toes instinctively curled against her slippers, a visible blush spreading from her earlobes across her face.
‘It’s over, my life is completely ruined.’
If there were an opportunity to escape Earth at that moment, Huang Xiu felt she would most likely accept it.
‘It’s too humiliating. How did I even dare?’
Huang Xiu wondered why her courage had been so immense today.
‘Was it a mental flaw? Yes, it must have been.’
She deflected the blame, coincidentally hitting upon the correct answer.
‘But… today truly was a wonderful day!’
Huang Xiu’s lips curved slightly.
Even though today’s experiences were incredibly embarrassing, and might become a lifelong dark history that Ying Zhiyu would tease her about, she had no regrets.
The lingering sunset outside the window had faded, and the moon had risen.
Dong!
A powerful, clanging sound echoed in her headphones, and the words “Match Found” appeared on the screen.
Huang Xiu clicked her mouse, then turned and smiled. “Senior Brother, hurry and confirm! Otherwise, it’ll be too late. One more game, then we’ll go eat!”
Huang Xiu’s rapid recovery of her mental state surprised even Jia Qianrou when she returned.
Jia Qianrou couldn’t help but mutter to herself, “Could it be that Yun Ning really has such a strong stabilizing effect on Huang Xiu’s mood?”
“Perhaps, the game is what truly matters?”
She scratched her index finger, unable to find an answer. After checking on Huang Xiu’s condition once more, she returned to her dorm.
Jia Qianrou had worried too much and for too long today, leaving her exceptionally tired.
Huang Xiu’s mental state had completely recovered, but with the arrival of night, her troubles were far from over.
Her current situation was quite awkward. She was on her period, her door was broken, and her bedsheets weren’t dry. She had no idea what to do for the night.
‘If all else fails, I’ll just have to make do.’
Huang Xiu propped the door panel against the frame, trying to leave no gaps. Then, she washed up and prepared for bed.
Before falling asleep, she instinctively glanced at her desk.
On the solid wooden table sat a gaming laptop, placed against the edge, leaving at least half the space empty.
That empty half had once belonged to Yun Ning.
Huang Xiu suddenly extended her right hand, using the sensitive back of her hand to feel the surface of that part of the desk.
Whether it was psychological or because wood has a high specific heat capacity, the heat transferred from the laptop’s cooling system had not yet dissipated. That section of the desk was still warm.
Huang Xiu withdrew her right hand, and her mind suddenly recalled the words Senior Brother Yun Ning had spoken to her before he left that evening.
“Junior Sister Huang Xiu, if you ever feel unhappy again, just call me. No matter when, no matter where I am, I’ll play games with you. Sometimes I might be too far to rush back, but we can play together online.”
At that moment, he had also added with a smile, “Of course, if I’m out on a mission, you might have to wait a bit.”
“Senior Brother Yun, you really have the potential to be a scoundrel! If I were just any ordinary girl, I might already be completely smitten!”
Huang Xiu crossed her arms, a look of triumph on her face.
She was different. Her feelings for Yun Ning were only admiration and respect, at most a sister’s reliance on her brother.
“Alright, alright, time for bed.”
Huang Xiu hadn’t slept well yesterday, so she planned to go to bed early tonight to quickly escape the lingering pain in her abdomen.
She had just climbed into bed, preparing to turn off the light, when a soft *thump* echoed.
The door panel, propped against the frame, was suddenly pushed open, and Ying Zhiyu walked in.
“Xiao Yu, what’s wrong?”
Now, just looking at Ying Zhiyu brought back the scenes from earlier in the day, and Huang Xiu immediately felt embarrassed. She forced herself to sound calm as she spoke.
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong? I told you earlier today!” Ying Zhiyu said, crossing her arms, seemingly a little upset.
“Told me… what?”
Huang Xiu thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered: Ying Zhiyu had apparently asked her to sleep together earlier that day.
“Let’s not. I can sleep here just fine.” She swallowed a gulp of saliva, finally refusing.
Huang Xiu, seventeen years old and single since birth, had only ever held hands with the same gender. But now, she was being asked to jump straight to sleeping with Ying Zhiyu.
Even though she knew this was just a normal thing between best friends, she couldn’t help but feel a little awkward and shy.
“You’ve just recovered your mental state, Sister Xiu Xiu, so you need to take it easy. You need to be even more careful now that you’re on your period! Just sleep with me for now. We can go back once the school repairs the door and your sheets are dry.”
Ying Zhiyu spoke as she walked further into the room.
Without giving Huang Xiu time to reply, she grabbed her wrist and pulled her stumbling into the room.
No matter how exciting or enviable Huang Xiu had imagined it to be, the truth was, girls sleeping together wasn’t really anything special.
At most, they would chat about girl secrets before bed, and it felt a little unfamiliar to have someone lying next to you.
A good night’s sleep.
Huang Xiu welcomed the next day—Thursday of the sixth week.
Today’s classes were intense. She had to mutate all the newly arrived potted plants at noon and attend a psychological counseling class in the evening. It seemed today would be quite exhausting.
Huang Xiu hurried towards the training room, eating a steamed bun, her mind constantly reviewing her schedule for the day.
The potted plants for the enhanced plant project had arrived yesterday. However, her condition had been too poor at the time, and Fang Miaoging only informed her after confirming her complete recovery today.
As for the psychological counseling class, because she had taken leave yesterday, Teacher Nanmen Xiu had rescheduled the class for this evening. After all, this class was for only four people, so changing the schedule for one person’s absence was normal.
After finishing her bun, she had almost reached Tiandu Hall.
Huang Xiu tossed the plastic bag stained with bun oil and her soy milk carton into a roadside trash can, then turned and headed for the entrance.
Tiandu Hall had two main entrances, one front and one back, similar to a cafeteria. She usually used the back entrance, which was also the choice of most students.
As Huang Xiu walked, she suddenly noticed a crowd gathered by the back entrance for some unknown reason. Peering through the gaps in the crowd, it seemed a life-sized plastic poster stand was drawing everyone’s attention.
The content of the poster wasn’t clear, but she could see that its base was pink.
“What is it?” A curious Ying Zhiyu was already pushing her way into the crowd.
“Wait for me!” Huang Xiu had no choice but to follow, quickly squeezing into the inner circle along the “path” Ying Zhiyu cleared.
She looked up, and her expression instantly froze. It was a poster about a school event.
It was the All-Campus Dating Day that Wen Erya had mentioned to her.
The Dating Day would be held as scheduled next Wednesday. Students were advised to find male or female partners in advance, and the school would host various activities and offer discounted meal packages for those attending together.
Ying Zhiyu read the words on the poster, growing more excited with each line. She turned to Huang Xiu. “Sister Xiu Xiu, did you see it?”
“Saw it, saw it.” Huang Xiu replied perfunctorily.
She spread her hands. “This has nothing to do with us. Is there a need to be so excited?”
She didn’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend, nor would she seek one. This event, besides making her eat a belly full of ‘dog food,’ would only strengthen her resolve to join the cult.
“It doesn’t have to be couples! It says you can participate as long as you have an opposite-gender companion. Even eating at the cafeteria will get you a discount, and it’s a big one!” Ying Zhiyu quickly explained.
“So?” Huang Xiu said, shrugging. “What does that have to do with me? There’s no way I’d go with someone of the opposite gender.”
The intention behind this event was too blatant; the desire to pair people up was practically written all over it. Even with Yun Ning, she wouldn’t go with him.
Wouldn’t that clearly imply she had feelings for him?
“Fine!” Ying Zhiyu pouted, a little disappointed, and followed Huang Xiu through the back entrance to class.
There was nothing special to say about the morning’s combat class. It was still focused on advanced move training, followed by sparring with the assistant instructor to consolidate their learning.
Huang Xiu, as usual, sought out Wen Erya to be her assistant instructor, which even made the latter pause. Evidently, Wen Erya hadn’t expected Huang Xiu’s words about not minding to be truly sincere, rather than a mere formality.
“Junior Sister Huang Xiu, I truly admire you more and more!” Wen Erya said with a smile, striking an opening stance with her long blade.
Huang Xiu’s carefree spirit was unique, even among the many boys Wen Erya knew.
“Uh…” Huang Xiu replied with an odd expression.
Seeing Wen Erya, she couldn’t help but recall the things she had said to Yun Ning yesterday. It brought an inexplicable feeling of being a ‘third party,’ enjoying a pleasant chat with the unwitting ‘main character.’
‘No! Why would I think that? I’m clearly not a third party, and she’s not Senior Brother Yun Ning’s girlfriend!’
Huang Xiu shook her head, focusing her attention on the sparring match.
Because of her period, her performance this time was not as good as last. Wen Erya noticed this and slightly reduced the intensity.
The morning classes quickly ended. As dismissal approached, Teacher Yuan gathered everyone, announcing that he had something important to say.
On the central arena of Training Room One, Teacher Yuan, clad in a white martial arts uniform, overlooked the students.
“To make a long story short, military training is about to begin, and every year’s military training invariably includes practical combat exercises.”
He picked up a wooden sword from the ground, gently stroking its grain as he said softly, “For actual combat, you naturally can’t use these training weapons. So, we will customize a batch of weapons for you. These weapons are free, so remember to cherish them. If you want to customize your own in the future, you’ll have to spend academic credits.”
“Alright, class dismissed!” With that, he flicked his right hand.
The wooden sword transformed into a dark streak, shooting into the weapon rack and making the entire stand tremble.
Despite the announcement of dismissal, only a few students left. The class was quite excited; custom weapons meant they would soon have their own personal armaments.
Many had already begun discussing what cool names to give their assigned weapons.
‘Custom weapons… I feel like they won’t be very useful for me. I can completely create spears through mutated plants.’
Huang Xiu had another reason for choosing the spear earlier: creating spears from mutated plants was simpler than crafting other weapons.