Suspicions, Secrets, and Loyalties

Xi Yao tilted her small face, blinking her eyes with pure innocence. “Why do you ask that?”

Jiang Li, abandoning her bread and her book, looked up at Aileen with a questioning gaze.

Aileen tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Never mind. Just pretend I didn’t say anything.”

‘With that level of synchronicity between you two, how can you still claim otherwise? Only your mouths are stubborn.’

In any case, Aileen had already made up her mind.

Two girls, acting like lesbians when together, talking like lesbians, moving like lesbians.

Then they simply *were* lesbians.

But why did Xi Yao constantly insist that she and Jiang Li had no relationship? Was it perhaps to make it easier to find other girls outside?

‘Ugh, surely not…’ Aileen mused, letting these random thoughts drift through her mind during the boring wait for the water to cool.

Then she watched Jiang Li pick up her water cup, taking a bite of bread and a sip of warm water, allowing the fluffy, baked flour to fully release its sweetness.

‘Ah, so this is the water Xi Yao fetched herself. It seems the water for a friend tastes different from the water for a girlfriend.’

“Oh, right,” Aileen suddenly spoke, “Do you two have an activity on Wednesday afternoon?”

“Yes,” Xi Yao replied. “We’ve invited a consultant for physical training; it’s perfect since our PE class is Wednesday afternoon.”

Aileen pondered for a moment before asking, “Where will it be held?”

Jiang Li swallowed her bread. “Gymnasium Zone A3.”

“Alright, I’ll take tomorrow afternoon off to go home for a bit. Wednesday afternoon might be delayed for me. If you two finish, just head back; there’s no need to wait for me,” Aileen said. “If I arrive early, I’ll come find you at the gymnasium.”

Xi Yao looked over curiously. “Why are you taking time off to go home?”

“Just some family matters.” Aileen seemed disinclined to elaborate.

She paused for a moment, then spoke again. “Children from wealthy families, do you have particularly large allowances?”

‘Enough to casually bribe student council members.’

“No, not really. And why are you talking about wealthy families to us?” Jiang Li retorted. “You’re the one from a wealthy family, aren’t you?”

Xi Yao blinked in agreement, sharing the same thought.

The blonde girl’s posture was so elegant; she clearly looked like a young lady from a prominent family.

“Me? You two might have some misconceptions about me,” Aileen said, shaking her head with a bitter smile. “But I’m just from an ordinary family.”

“Eh?”

Aileen didn’t wish to say more. Conveniently, the water had cooled. She picked it up, took a few sips, and rose to leave.

“I’ll be going now, Classmate Xi Yao, Classmate Jiang Li. See you the day after tomorrow afternoon.”

‘Finally, I got to drink water from Xi Yao… water Xi Yao poured herself. It was alright. Naturally cooled to the perfect temperature, it tasted better than lukewarm water mixed from hot and cold.’

The beautiful blonde girl departed, closing the door neatly behind her.

Jiang Li had finished her milk bread and, after drinking a few sips of water, gazed at the other cup on the table. She slowly remarked, “I always thought Aileen came from a very good family. Her usual aura… it’s like a princess.”

‘Too elegant.’

Xi Yao climbed onto her bed, letting out a soft hum. “Only those who yearn to be princesses will play the part of one.”

Jiang Li paused slightly. “You learned that from that game you play? Princess Connect?”

“Uh… it’s true.”

Indeed, in the game, everyone else seemed more like a princess than Pecorine, especially a certain impoverished street boss.

Jiang Li rinsed her mouth and slowly climbed onto her own bed.

‘She mused, ‘Games are so complex, and so are human hearts.’

‘And yet, I still haven’t managed to catch the girl my sister likes. How frustrating.’

‘Time to sleep. Zzzzz.’

****

Tuesday had always been a tedious day.

On Monday, having just returned from the break, everyone was still lingering in the afterglow of the weekend. While Wednesday wasn’t ideal either, it offered an afternoon of physical education. As for Thursday and Friday, with the weekend as a looming thought, they weren’t so hard to endure.

Consequently, Xi Yao simply placed Tuantuan on the desk, slumped their small head, and, using their arm as a pillow, drifted off to sleep.

“Xi Yao,” Jiang Li whispered, reminding her, “If you don’t listen in class, aren’t you worried it will affect your grades?”

“You still need to strive for a spot in the top fifty of your grade.”

Xi Yao closed her eyes and hummed softly, “It’s fine, I already know it.”

“…Alright.”

Jiang Li no longer disturbed her, merely diligently taking class notes—notes she herself didn’t need, but perhaps Xi Yao would find useful.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the school, the goddess Xi Ruo from the university division was brimming with vigor.

She had finished her coursework early, handled other matters, and even settled her Wednesday affairs ahead of time.

“Sister Ruo, you’re working so hard today. Is something happening tomorrow?” her deskmate asked.

“No,” Xi Ruo replied impassively, neither warm nor cold. “I’m merely bored.”

‘That wasn’t it at all. Tomorrow held one particularly important matter, or rather, two.’

‘The first was to secretly go to the high school division during PE class to see if her fiancée, Xi Yao, was cheating.’

‘The second was to find Xi Yao for a chat, to check on her recent rewards (TL Note: likely referring to a system or game-like mechanic where characters receive rewards for certain actions), and to discuss ways for herself to help resolve them, to prevent her from seeking help elsewhere.’

‘Someone would inevitably solve the reward problem; that person *had* to be her!’

Xi Ruo had made complete preparations, even researching the optimal route, and now simply awaited tomorrow.

****

The high school student council was not fully operational, as the president had yet to be elected, leaving everyone relatively idle.

In the secretary-general’s office, several cadres were now present.

“Aileen, the price offered to you is more than all of ours combined. Are you still not satisfied?” the head of the Student Council’s Clubs Department remarked.

Last night, in dormitory 520, Aileen hadn’t told Xi Yao the whole truth—Yun Caiyi had not only bought off many people but also intended to buy her.

And…

“You’re not exactly rolling in cash, we all know you work part-time during holidays,” another cadre said. “Could the money you earned from three years of part-time work throughout high school even amount to a tenth of that?”

Two hundred thousand!

When she first heard that number, the blonde girl’s hands trembled slightly.

The others were all envious. Just as the cadre had said, the cumulative price to buy off other student council members didn’t even match Aileen’s.

Yet, they also knew that Aileen was worth that price. Her position as permanent secretary-general wasn’t due to anyone’s favors.

Under the watchful eyes of the three, Aileen slowly set down her water cup. Ever since returning from dormitory 520 last night, she had inexplicably grown to appreciate the taste of hot water as it slowly cooled.

“I’ve already said, it has nothing to do with money. I am different from you.”

A white-haired, large-chested girl’s image surfaced in Aileen’s mind. “You have your masters (TL Note: ‘主子’, zhǔzi, a term for a superior or patron), and I have chosen mine. I will not engage in such dishonorable acts of betrayal and switching allegiances.”

The head of the Clubs Department scoffed. “You’re so loyal to your mistress (TL Note: ‘主人’, zhǔrén, which can mean ‘master’ or ‘owner,’ but in this context carries a slightly suggestive or intimate connotation the speaker intended to imply). What can she give you?”

‘She clearly said ‘master’ (主子), not ‘mistress’ (主人), a word with such a suggestive connotation…’ The girl raised an eyebrow, finding it awkward to correct, as it would disrupt her composure.

“At least I chose the right person,” Aileen stated calmly. “She won’t let me be gossiped about behind my back, or secretly cursed.”