A Campus Tour and Curious Observations

It was only when they settled into the back seats that Bai Jingjing realized their hands were still intertwined.

“Teacher Qing,” she whispered, “why are you still holding my hand?”

With others present, the driver surely noticed.

“But we were getting into the car,” Liu Wanqing explained, “What if you had stumbled if I hadn’t held on tightly?”

Bai Jingjing puffed out her cheeks, “How could that happen? I’m not a child.”

“Children, ironically, are more stable. You’re too tall; it’s easy to sway and lose your balance,” Liu Wanqing stated.

‘There was indeed some truth to that.’

The school bus slowly drove onto campus. Along the way, Liu Wanqing introduced the sights to Bai Jingjing. “This is the academic zone, with many teaching buildings. That’s the trouble with university: different classes mean dashing to different locations. You’ll need to pay attention not to get lost.”

After a brief pause, she added, “Of course, even if you do get lost, it’s no matter. I can put in a word for you so the instructor won’t mark you late.”

Bai Jingjing pouted, “I would never get lost.”

‘Besides, being late is just being late; it won’t deduct many points. It’s certainly better than having Teacher Qing pull strings for me.’

“Then there’s the school cafeteria. Most students coming from classes in the teaching buildings eat here. Of course, it’s a bit unfair to those from the farther buildings,” Liu Wanqing continued, “But don’t worry, besides the cafeteria, there are other places to eat on campus, various restaurants and snack stalls.”

Bai Jingjing blinked, gazing out the window at the low-slung cafeteria building. “Is the food at the cafeteria any good?”

“I’m not sure; I hear it’s generally mediocre,” Liu Wanqing smiled gently. “So, you could come to my place for lunch. I can cook for you, or you can make something yourself.”

‘After all, it’s very close, and her home is quite spacious.’

Bai Jingjing was genuinely tempted. “Won’t that affect afternoon classes?”

“The lunch break is already quite long, and either way, you’ll be taking the school bus to class. A few extra stops would only add about ten minutes.” Liu Wanqing assuaged her concerns.

Bai Jingjing withdrew her gaze, mumbling, “We’ll see then.”

Given her words, Liu Wanqing could tell it was as good as settled.

“Next is the dormitory area. You can see it if you look outside. I can only say it’s not bad… but I still don’t recommend you stay in a dorm.”

Bai Jingjing paused, slightly taken aback. “Why?”

“With breasts as prominent as yours, you’d certainly draw attention in a dorm. They might use excuses like ‘necessities of life,’ ‘caring for roommates,’ or ‘health checks’ to do all sorts of things to you – kneading and squeezing, perhaps,” Liu Wanqing said, utterly serious.

Bai Jingjing listened, utterly dumbfounded. The dormitories outside the window suddenly seemed to transform into countless mischievous hands, poised to lay claim to her ‘Tuan Tuan’.

“Wait, is it really that terrifying?” she managed to calm herself slightly. “Teacher Qing, your knowledge of girls’ dorms… could it be from the comics and novels you usually read?”

“Stories stem from life; at the very least, they offer a reference,” Liu Wanqing neither confirmed nor denied, then counterattacked, “But what about you? Do you have any understanding of dorm life?”

Bai Jingjing was speechless.

‘As a high school dropout, she genuinely had no knowledge of such things. Truth be told, even if she hadn’t dropped out, her only insight would have been into boys’ dorms. Could it truly be as terrifying as Teacher Qing claimed?’

“But if I don’t stay in a dorm, commuting would be too troublesome,” Bai Jingjing tentatively probed, “Teacher Qing, you’re not implying that you want me to…”

“That’s right. My house is quite spacious, and you’ve been there many times, so you should know,” Liu Wanqing finished, then thought for a moment and added, “And the bed is very comfortable.”

The hidden agenda was now laid bare.

Bai Jingjing kept her expression tight, neither agreeing nor refusing.

‘She’d see. What if the bed really was soft… no, what if the dorms truly were that dangerous?’

“The next stop is the snack street, which is also where we get off,” Liu Wanqing stood up and extended a hand to Bai Jingjing. “Let’s go, my princess.”

Bai Jingjing pouted, “I’m not a princess.”

‘Sister Xia Chu was the true princess, the Princess of Aiyang Community.’

“Then,” Liu Wanqing tried a different address, “Queen?”

“…That’s even stranger!”

‘And it messes with the seniority between me and Sister Xia Chu!’

As they got off the bus, the driver waved and greeted them, “Take care, Teacher Liu, and you too, little student.”

“You drive safely too,” Liu Wanqing replied.

Bai Jingjing didn’t know if their conversation on the bus had been overheard or if their relationship had been discerned, so she didn’t dare to speak, only nodding with her head down.

‘If she had known so many people at school knew Liu Wanqing, she wouldn’t have come out for this date.’

“Actually, I don’t come here often; I rarely visit, because it’s usually so lively,” Liu Wanqing said softly. “And on weekdays, many students come here in pairs, so it’s not ideal for me to be alone.”

Bai Jingjing looked puzzled. “If you wanted to come, Teacher Qing could just find a colleague or friend…”

“That’s different. Coming here in pairs has a special meaning,” Liu Wanqing chuckled softly. “Just like us now.”

‘…’

‘Alright, alright, just like us now.’

“Just a moment.”

With that, Liu Wanqing left her side and walked towards a bubble tea shop by the road. Her graceful figure moved languidly towards the counter, returning shortly with two cups of bubble tea.

“Although I haven’t been here myself, colleagues occasionally bring me bubble tea from this shop, saying the taste is excellent,” Liu Wanqing handed a cup to Bai Jingjing. “This one is yours, vanilla flavor, without toppings.”

She kept the matcha flavored one for herself.

Bai Jingjing was a little curious. “How did you know I liked this flavor? I… I’m not even sure myself.”

‘She rarely drank bubble tea; she couldn’t remember having one in years, but the few times she did, it was always this flavor.’

“Because in the comics and illustrations you’ve drawn, whenever there’s a scene with someone drinking bubble tea, the character always holds an unsweetened vanilla milk tea,” Liu Wanqing said lightly. “Other artists usually emphasize the tapioca pearls to signify it’s bubble tea, but you always drew a pale pink tea, making it easy to discern.”

‘Ah, she even noticed such a small detail in my drawings!’

Bai Jingjing took a sip of the bubble tea, feeling a warmth spread through her heart. She swayed unconsciously. “You said my fundamentals were weak and my drawings weren’t good, yet you’ve looked at every single one of my pieces, and so carefully at that.”

“Of course, my dear,” Liu Wanqing said softly. “As long as you drew it, I’d look at it, even if it were a pig.”

Bai Jingjing’s mouth twitched.

Liu Wanqing also fell silent for a few seconds, then softly said, “My apologies. When it comes to professional matters, I tend to be rather… objective.”

‘It just slips out subconsciously.’

“It’s fine,” Bai Jingjing forced a smile. “I’ve experienced it before.”

‘This time, it was far gentler than the first.’

“Cough, let’s go sit over there for a bit and grab some snacks,” Liu Wanqing said, pointing to another small shop by the road.

However, as they stepped inside, they spotted a familiar figure seated within.

Long, pale hair pulled into a high ponytail, a beautiful young woman.

It was Xu Shiyao, the student council president.

****