An Unconventional Awakening

Bai Jingjing, as was her custom, had gone to bed early and risen with the dawn.

The girl beside her remained lost in slumber, her breaths soft and even. A faint, hazy light was just beginning to paint the sky, the world not yet fully roused from its nocturnal embrace.

Unable to drift back to sleep, yet unwilling to rise so prematurely, she simply closed her eyes and let her thoughts wander.

A multitude of thoughts occupied her mind: reflections on herself, on Luo Xuan, on Xia Chu, and even on her future teacher, Liu Wanqing.

However, she currently had a role to fulfill: being Big Sister Xia Chu’s girlfriend. It was only natural, then, that her thoughts would gravitate towards Xia Chu.

This, she mused, was the essence of ‘loving the work you do’.

Big Sister Xia Chu was truly beautiful, and so generously endowed.

Bai Jingjing had always harbored a profound curiosity: how could a woman of Big Sister Xia Chu’s striking beauty possess such an introverted and aloof demeanor?

She vividly recalled the night she and Xia Chu had fallen asleep in each other’s arms, two amply curved girls nestled closely beneath the covers, the air filled with the mingling scents of flowers and coconut milk.

In that moment, Bai Jingjing had thought: with such a soft and yielding form, Xia Chu’s heart should not be so cold.

After all, as the old saying went: ‘No matter how cold a girl’s heart, her ample bosom remains warm.’

Yet, Bai Jingjing’s knowledge of Xia Chu remained disappointingly sparse. Information gleaned from her QQ Space was limited, and delving into her real-life circumstances, particularly her past experiences, proved an impossible task.

Suddenly, Bai Jingjing’s eyes fluttered open, fixing on the sleeping girl beside her. In the soft, hazy light, the beautiful girl’s delicate features were serene and utterly endearing.

‘Big Sister Luo must surely know something,’ she mused. After all, they were the best of friends.

‘Very well, then,’ she decided. ‘I shall wait until she awakens to inquire.’

Soon, however, another thought occurred to Bai Jingjing. She distinctly recalled Luo Xuan’s utterly bewildered expression just two mornings prior, as if she had woken up unsure of the very year.

Big Sister Luo suffered from rather severe morning hypoglycemia, leaving her in a muddled state for some time after waking.

Therefore, she needed to devise a method to swiftly alleviate Luo Xuan’s hypoglycemic state upon waking. The goal was to not only bring her to full consciousness but to surpass her usual alertness, enabling her to recall the necessary information without delay.

****

Luo Xuan found herself ensnared in a dream.

In her dream, she stood before Lemon Loli, laying bare the unadulterated sincerity of her heart for her best friend, Xia Chu. This display rendered the saucy loli (TL Note: ‘sè luólì,’ a term implying a mischievous or lustful young girl) utterly speechless and dejected, her previous suspicions of ulterior motives entirely disproven.

Luo Xuan, by contrast, stood with an air of complete composure and righteous indignation.

The saucy loli, Lemon, stood nearby, stamping her tiny feet and muttering words of indignant protest. What exactly she said, Luo Xuan couldn’t discern, for it was, after all, merely a dream.

As Lemon Loli’s form gradually faded, the dream itself began to dissipate, leaving behind only a lingering, profound sense of satisfaction.

‘Alas, what a pity it was only a dream,’ she thought. ‘How I long for such a day to unfold in reality.’

With that thought, Luo Xuan slowly fluttered her eyes open.

‘Huh, how peculiar,’ she wondered. ‘Why is everything before me a blinding white? What could possibly obscure my vision so completely?’

After several moments of bewilderment, Luo Xuan suddenly caught the familiar scent of coconut milk.

‘Wait a moment, could it be…’

“Big Sister Luo, you’re finally awake.”

It was Bai Jingjing’s soft voice, and with the gentle movement of her speaking, the even softer forms before Luo Xuan’s eyes swayed ever so slightly.

Luo Xuan’s suspicions were confirmed.

‘It’s those ample bosoms!’

“A-a-awake,” Luo Xuan stammered, swallowing hard. Her blood sugar, usually critically low at this hour, was now soaring past all limits. “Bai Jingjing, why are you…”

“Big Sister Luo!” Bai Jingjing suddenly interjected, her voice sharp with inquiry. “When did the Shu Han dynasty fall?”

Luo Xuan had no time for deliberation, her eyes transfixed on those ample curves as she instinctively replied, “263 AD!”

There was scarcely a moment for thought; her response was born purely of instinct.

“And the Southern Ming dynasty?” Bai Jingjing pressed.

“1662 AD.”

“What is the tenth digit of pi after the decimal point?”

“How could I possibly remember such a thing… Wait, 3.1415926535… is it 5?” Luo Xuan’s eyes remained unblinking, her entire mind surrendered to instinct.

Bai Jingjing exclaimed with delight, “Excellent, Big Sister Luo, you’re fully awake now! There’s something I wish to inquire about.”

“Y-you… you should put your clothes on first, and then perhaps move away from my head,” Luo Xuan stammered, her voice trembling. “Allow me a moment to compose myself.”

While low blood sugar was certainly undesirable, an excessive surge was equally problematic.

****

A few minutes later, the two girls sat on the bed, which had been propped up to a semi-reclined position.

Even though Bai Jingjing had already donned her clothes—the same pristine JK shirt as before—Luo Xuan still found herself unable to gaze directly at her chest.

The vivid image from mere minutes ago lingered, threatening to resurface with every glance, every conscious thought.

“Why did you just,” she inquired, her ears burning crimson, “do that?”

“Because I’d previously observed that Big Sister Luo tends to remain muddled for a period after waking,” Bai Jingjing explained earnestly, “so I devised a method to ensure she achieved full clarity the moment her eyes opened.”

“…”

‘How could I not be awake?’ she thought, a chuckle threatening to escape. ‘My inner little tiger (TL Note: ‘xiǎo nǎo fǔ,’ a playful internet slang for ‘little tiger,’ often used endearingly or self-deprecatingly) was practically in tears!’

Taking several deep breaths, Luo Xuan settled back against the headboard. “Very well, then. What is it you wish to inquire about? Ask away.”

“It’s about Big Sister Xia Chu,” Bai Jingjing began, settling beside her against the headboard. “Why did her personality become so… distant? Did something happen to her in the past?”

Luo Xuan understood the unspoken implication: Bai Jingjing was asking if Xia Chu harbored some unspeakable past, a history too painful to revisit.

“Ah, well, it’s simply how things are,” Luo Xuan sighed. “Born into a prominent family, one is rarely free to chart their own course. And back then, her aunt… no, rather, her mother was somewhat overly anxious.”

Luo Xuan recounted the story slowly, her family having long been acquainted with the Xias, and thus privy to certain details.

Xia Chu was the third child in her household, preceded by two older brothers. In large, influential families, affairs were often convoluted, and conflicts of interest frequently arose among the older generation of relatives. Xia Chu’s parents, their priorities centered on her two elder brothers, had largely neglected young Xia Chu throughout her childhood.

“Later, her father passed away unexpectedly. Something undoubtedly transpired in the period that followed, yet aside from the Xia family, no one truly knows the specifics,” Luo Xuan admitted, shrugging her delicate shoulders helplessly. “All that’s known is that a few years later, Xia Chu ran away from home, severing ties with her family to strike out on her own. I even supported her for a time.”

Bai Jingjing nodded silently, a clear signal that she was absorbing every word.

“I’ve known her since we were children. Though she was several years my senior, already attending junior high at the time, she only ever played with the younger children in the courtyard. She was introverted even then, but not nearly as aloof as she became after she ran away from home,”

Luo Xuan sighed softly. “In any case, I could never get anything out of her. Even when she was living under my roof, pressing her too much would simply make her pack her bags and leave. So, I never dared to pry further. If you ever find the opportunity, perhaps you might succeed in uncovering the truth.”

In her estimation, if even a girl as gentle and understanding as Bai Jingjing proved unable to elicit the information, then truly, no one ever would.

“Hmm, perhaps we’ll see if the opportunity arises later. I haven’t even proven myself a qualified girlfriend yet,” Bai Jingjing mused, having unconsciously dressed and climbed out of bed. “Big Sister Luo, shall we make a trip to the wet market and the large supermarket?”

Luo Xuan paused, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. “But we haven’t even finished the groceries at home yet, we only just bought them yesterday…”

“These are for Big Sister Xia Chu. If we wait until the afternoon, all the best produce will be gone.”

“…Oh.”