Huang Xiu gritted her teeth, determined not to let her gaze betray any panic, and with a confident stride, followed the sales assistant into the lingerie section. After a moment, she emerged, holding a pair of pure white underwear, her head bowed. She looked as if she were a thief sneaking away. ‘These underwear are so strange! Will these brief-style ones really dig into my skin?’ Having always worn boy shorts, Huang Xiu was utterly bewildered.
Donning a bra proved to be another awkward and somewhat painful ordeal, though thankfully, this time she managed it alone.
“It certainly feels… different.”
Inside the fitting room, the girl in the school uniform gazed at her reflection in the full-length mirror, swaying her body, taking a couple of steps, then bouncing twice. The lingerie was crafted from excellent materials; it felt not only smooth and comfortable to the touch but also equally so when worn. The perfectly sized bra hugged the girl’s slightly delicate chest, providing an ideal fit. It lifted and supported her, creating a flawless silhouette. The underwear offered a pleasant, snug embrace, completely unlike the constricting sensation she had imagined. ‘It’s very comfortable.’
As Huang Xiu stepped out of the fitting room, she saw Senior Female Student Li Qinyue perched on a chair, legs crossed, asking, “How is it?”
“It’s quite good,” she admitted truthfully.
“Excellent!” Li Qinyue clapped her hands. “Get ten more sets of that style.” Observing her junior female student’s shy demeanor, Li Qinyue surmised that asking her to pick out more sets would likely be futile. ‘Might as well just get ten identical sets, then. I’ll slowly cultivate her fashion sense later.’ Li Qinyue was absolutely delighted with this junior female student, whom she had long awaited.
“Ten sets! My goodness! That many?” Huang Xiu, standing nearby, was stunned by the number. She had always rotated between four pairs of underwear, only replacing them when they wore out; her senior really had no sense of practicality!
After purchasing the lingerie, Huang Xiu and Li Qinyue began to argue again, this time about returning clothes to the men’s store. They stood in a stalemate for a moment. Ultimately, the Senior Female Student managed to convince (physically) Huang Xiu, citing that while women’s stores offered gender-neutral styles, men’s stores only carried masculine designs. The actual purchase of clothes wasn’t the issue; the main problem was Huang Xiu’s staunch refusal to wear dresses or any other overtly feminine attire. Li Qinyue had no intention of forcing her, understanding that psychological changes required patience and could not be rushed. Following Li Qinyue’s suggestions, Huang Xiu eventually chose several short-sleeved shirts adorned with cute cat prints, a few pairs of slim-fit black casual trousers, and a pair of white sneakers with platform soles.
****
By the time they finally left the store, evening had already descended. The setting sun, a fiery orange, dipped in the west, painting the clouds crimson and casting long shadows across the marble floors of the commercial district. Pedestrians on the streets visibly increased, and the entire city seemed to slowly awaken. They tucked the numerous shopping bags into the car’s trunk.
As Huang Xiu turned, she noticed a rotating tricolor light—blue, white, and red—on a nearby street corner. It was the unmistakable sign of a barbershop.
“I’d like to get a haircut,” she stated. “My hair is far too long; it reaches my back now, making movement quite bothersome.”
Although Huang Xiu appreciated the look of long, straight black hair and the sensation of it flowing freely, this did not mean she wished to keep her own hair long. While long hair might appear beautiful, it was genuinely inconvenient. This held true whether in combat or daily life; even showering took considerably longer. For Huang Xiu, who typically spent only five minutes on a shower, dedicating more than ten minutes to washing her hair was utterly preposterous.
Li Qinyue nodded, offering no objection. For Awakened individuals, long hair was indeed a practical hindrance. Many female Awakened individuals whose abilities required close-quarters combat opted against long hair.
****
“Senior Sister Li, I’ve truly troubled you today.”
Inside the bright red BMW parked before the hotel, Huang Xiu lowered her head, her face etched with sincere gratitude. While the clothes weren’t entirely her choice, her Senior Sister’s efforts and concern on her behalf were undeniably genuine. ‘My junior female student is quite adorable,’ Li Qinyue thought, cradling her head in her hands as she smiled at Huang Xiu.
‘Adorable?’ Huang Xiu’s right eyelid twitched violently, her breathing grew heavy, and she nearly suffered a complete mental breakdown. ‘Calm down, I must remain calm!’ she inwardly stressed. ‘This woman is here solely to provoke me; I must endure and not fall into her trap.’ ‘Thank you for the compliment, Senior Female Student.’ Huang Xiu forced a smile, then promptly exited the car, denying Li Qinyue any chance to respond.
*Click!* The trunk slowly opened. From the driver’s seat, her Senior Sister extended a pair of delicate hands, waving them. “Don’t forget your clothes, Junior Female Student.”
‘I will endure!’ Huang Xiu, mentally likening herself to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, hastily retrieved the clothes she had bought that day from the trunk. There were ten bags in total, varying in size. Fortunately, a doorman immediately came over and took the bags; otherwise, Huang Xiu would have truly struggled to carry them up herself.
“Thank you, you’ve been a great help,” she said with a smile. The doorman that evening was not the same person as during the day, but another young man, perhaps in his early twenties. He gazed at the smiling girl before him, momentarily stunned for half a second, a faint blush rising to his cheeks.
Having escaped her Senior Female Student, who so often provoked and infuriated her, Huang Xiu almost wanted to shout, ‘Farewell, military cage!’ With light steps, she entered the hotel, the doorman following closely behind, laden with bags. After taking the elevator to the thirtieth floor, Huang Xiu returned to her room door. She politely thanked the doorman once more, then allowed him to depart. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, she swiped her card, opened the door, and walked straight inside.
The living room lights were on, and only Yun Ning was present. He was performing handstand push-ups in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, one hand on the ground, black iron rings dangling from his feet. His arms bent, his body descending. Sweat beaded profusely on the young man’s face, trembling and dripping from his temples onto the floor with each movement of his body. His pure white tank top, soaked through with sweat, clung to his form, revealing the distinct contours of his muscles. His breathing was heavy, like a worn-out bellows, and his body trembled slightly, seemingly pushed to its limit. Yet, he did not give up, nor was he distracted by the sound of the room card unlocking and opening the door. The young man’s entire focus was on his exercise.
As Yun Ning exhaled deeply, he straightened his arms with force, pushing his body upwards. “Two… hundred!” The sound, squeezed from deep within his throat, was faint, almost inaudible, yet the girl heard it distinctly, her own breathing growing shallow with tension. It was as if even her slight breath might disturb Yun Ning from completing his movement. But in truth, it wouldn’t, for he had noticed Huang Xiu long ago. Hearing the familiar voice nearby, the young man contentedly concluded his evening workout. “Hah!” He executed a backflip, landing steadily on his feet, though his right hand still trembled uncontrollably, as if afflicted by Parkinson’s, from the excessive exertion.
Yun Ning turned, about to greet Huang Xiu, but froze. A girl stood gracefully at the doorway. She wore a white short-sleeved shirt emblazoned with a cute cartoon cat, her collarbones subtly protruding, forming a graceful and profound curve. Perhaps due to her surprise, the girl was standing slightly on her tiptoes, causing the cuffs of her black casual trousers to ride up, revealing a segment of her fair, smooth ankle. The delicate and beautiful ankle bone, nestled between her white sneakers and trouser cuffs, was captivating, making it difficult to avert one’s gaze. Her brown, shoulder-length hair had a slight natural curl at the ends, complementing her oval face, lending her a unique charm. The girl seemed somewhat shy under his gaze, two patches of crimson blooming on her cheeks. This was a girlish demeanor and style Yun Ning had never witnessed from Huang Xiu before, and it was utterly stunning. He found himself utterly mesmerized, his greeting caught in his throat. The final character, “dì,” from “Junior Brother,” simply refused to leave his lips.