The next day, in the classroom.
Hua Niao walked straight to her desk and sat down.
Ye Ning cautiously sidled over, her face plastered with an ingratiating smile, her voice soft and dripping with a coquettish tone.
“Hehe~ Hua Niao~ Good morning, good morning!”
As she spoke, she gently tugged at Hua Niao’s sleeve, her eyes full of appeasement, trying to get Hua Niao to calm her anger.
Hua Niao just slowly turned her head, her gaze landing calmly on Ye Ning.
Her eyes were indifferent, as if looking at a complete stranger. “And you are?”
“Huh?”
The smile on Ye Ning’s face instantly froze.
She was completely stunned, nearly letting out a huff of breath on the spot.
She subconsciously let go of Hua Niao’s sleeve, looking at her with disbelief—was it just because she didn’t go home for one night? Was it necessary to hold such a grudge?
Even if she was wrong yesterday, didn’t Hua Niao have any fault at all?
The more Ye Ning thought about it, the more wronged and angry she felt.
Her little face instantly puffed up. With her reasoning weak but her temper strong, she turned her back.
Watching her angrily puffed-up back, a flicker of imperceptible amusement passed through Hua Niao’s eyes, too fast to catch.
The corner of her mouth lifted in an extremely faint curve, but she quickly hid it, lowering her head again.
Her fingertips lightly tapped the pages of her book, the rhythm gentle, carrying a hint of subtle pleasure.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was break time.
The clamor once again filled the classroom.
Ye Ning lay slumped on her desk, still angry with Hua Niao, her cheeks puffed out, her eyes full of grievance.
She occasionally stole a glance up, but Hua Niao remained seated in front, quietly reading, as if she truly considered Ye Ning a stranger.
Just as Ye Ning was feeling both angry and wronged, a figure approached her desk.
Ye Ning instinctively looked up to see Hua Niao standing before her.
“Want to go to the restroom together?”
Ye Ning puffed out her little face, deliberately lifted her chin, and imitated Hua Niao’s earlier tone, saying indifferently, “And you are?”
“…”
Hua Niao was so angry she laughed.
She didn’t speak.
Instead, she slightly lowered her gaze and, next to Ye Ning’s ear, gently snapped her fingers.
Click.
A familiar warmth instantly spread.
That warmth was gentle yet carried an irresistible force, instantly sweeping over Ye Ning’s entire body.
It made her go limp all over, subconsciously curling up.
Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and a faint mist gathered in the corners of her eyes.
“!!!”
Ye Ning’s body instantly tensed.
She instinctively covered her mouth, desperately suppressing the sounds threatening to spill out.
Her eyes were full of panic and shame, her voice thick with a nasal tone as she gritted her teeth and said, “Hua… Niao! You jerk! You’re actually doing this here…”
This was the classroom, surrounded by classmates.
If anyone saw her in this state…
Ye Ning’s body trembled uncontrollably.
She could only clamp her hand tightly over her mouth, not letting a single sound escape.
Hua Niao leaned down slightly, bringing her face close to Ye Ning’s.
From an angle invisible to others, she let out a soft, light laugh.
Her warm breath brushed against Ye Ning’s earlobe, carrying a hint of teasing and gentleness.
Then, she slowly bit Ye Ning’s ear, her voice pressed extremely low, audible only to the two of them.
“Who told Ningning to always be so silly? Making a mistake and not admitting it, instead blaming me. What a bad girl.”
“Wuuu…”
The corners of Ye Ning’s eyes reddened, tears swirling in her sockets but not daring to fall.
She desperately buried her head against Hua Niao’s chest, tightly grabbing Hua Niao’s clothes, hiding her face in the fabric to cover her embarrassed appearance as much as possible.
Xu Zhihe’s voice suddenly came from the side.
“Ye Ning? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
Ye Ning’s body instantly stiffened, snapping her back to some clarity.
She hurriedly lifted her head, wiped the moisture from the corner of her eye, and forced a calm smile, though her voice still trembled slightly.
“N-no, it’s nothing, Xu Zhihe. I just… feel a bit dizzy. I’ll be fine after resting a bit.”
As she spoke, she subconsciously hid a little more behind Hua Niao, trying to conceal her flushed cheeks and flustered expression.
But her panic had already been noticed by Xu Zhihe.
Hua Niao gently extended an arm, half-embracing Ye Ning, supporting her as she slowly stood up.
Then, looking up at Xu Zhihe, she gave a light laugh and explained naturally, “Don’t worry, Xu Zhihe. Ye Ning isn’t feeling well. I’ll take her to the infirmary to have a look. We’ll be back soon.”
Xu Zhihe sat in her wheelchair, her gaze calmly resting on Ye Ning, sweeping over her flushed cheeks, the slightly reddened corners of her eyes, and her subconsciously slightly clenched thighs.
A faint glimmer of understanding flashed in her eyes, as if she had instantly grasped the situation.
She didn’t expose it, just gave a slight nod.
Her tone remained indifferent, ignoring the pleading, rescue-seeking look Ye Ning shot her, and said softly, “Be careful, don’t trip.”
Xiao He! Why have you betrayed me too!
Ye Ning leaned weakly against Hua Niao, her eyes vacant, letting Hua Niao hold her as they walked step by step out of the classroom—she knew she was about to be “punished” by Hua Niao again.
Once out of the classroom, Ye Ning leaned against Hua Niao, her whole body soft, completely at her mercy.
After walking a few steps, she belatedly realized something, her voice full of panic and helplessness as she desperately suppressed the moans rising in her throat.
“Th-that, Hua Niao… this… isn’t the way to the infirmary, is it?”
Hua Niao glanced down at her, a look of utter reasonableness on her face.
“Of course not.”
She paused, gently ruffling Ye Ning’s hair, and added, “This is the rooftop. It’s suitable for properly ‘punishing’ disobedient bad girls.”
As the words fell, she had already led Ye Ning to the rooftop door.
Her hand lightly covered the lock, a faint trace of mana gathering at her fingertips.
With a click, the lock automatically opened.
Hua Niao gently pushed open the rooftop door, led Ye Ning inside, then closed the door behind her, shutting out all the noise from outside.
The moment the door closed, Ye Ning could no longer hold back.
Her body went completely limp, collapsing entirely into Hua Niao’s embrace.
Tears finally fell, her voice thick with sobs, full of pleading.
“Hua Niao, I was wrong, I was really wrong! I won’t dare do it again, I’ll never sneak out and not come home again. Please let me go, okay?”
She cried while tightly hugging Hua Niao’s neck, burying her head desperately against Hua Niao’s chest, like a wronged little kitten, her whole body trembling slightly, her tone full of helplessness and surrender.
Hua Niao gently stroked Ye Ning’s head, her movements impossibly tender, but her tone still carried a firmness, her eyes full of doting and teasing.
“No can do, Ningning. You’re a bad girl. When you make a mistake, you have to be properly punished.”
She leaned down slightly, bringing her lips close to Ye Ning’s ear, and whispered, “Be good. The Ningning who listens to me is a good girl.”
As the words fell, the familiar warmth intensified again, stronger than in the classroom, instantly sweeping over Ye Ning’s entire body.
It left her utterly powerless, and the suppressed sounds finally spilled out.
Broken, intermittent sobs echoed in the empty rooftop.
Ye Ning instinctively buried her face in the crook of Hua Niao’s neck and shoulder, taking deep, ragged breaths.
The unique, cool minty scent of Hua Niao instantly flooded her mind, driving away all the panic and grievance, leaving only Hua Niao’s scent, only Hua Niao’s warmth.
“Wuuu…”
Ye Ning’s consciousness gradually blurred.
In her mind, it really seemed like there was only Hua Niao now, only Hua Niao’s gentleness, only Hua Niao’s scent.
There was no room for anything else.
She could only let Hua Niao hold her, let her do as she pleased, willingly becoming her good girl.
“Hua Niao… I love you”
—
By the time they returned to the classroom, class had already started.
The room was quiet, with only the teacher’s lecturing voice.
Hua Niao supported a limping Ye Ning, gently pushed open the classroom door, and walked to the lectern.
She explained to the teacher gently, “Teacher, sorry for disturbing the class. Ye Ning accidentally twisted her leg. I took her to the infirmary to get it looked at, so we’re late.”
The teacher looked up, observing Ye Ning’s limping posture and flushed cheeks, a concerned expression appearing on her face.
She asked softly, “Ye Ning, how are you? Does your leg still hurt? Do you need to rest a bit more?”
Ye Ning quickly shook her head, forcing a calm smile.
“Thank you, Teacher. I’m fine now. It won’t affect the class.”
The teacher nodded, didn’t press further, and waved her hand, signaling them to return to their seats.
“That’s good then. Hurry back to your seats and pay attention.”
Hua Niao supported Ye Ning, slowly walking them back to their seats, carefully helping her sit down.
Only Xu Zhihe saw Ye Ning, slumped over her desk, little hearts still visible in her eyes.
“Hua Niao… I love you… I’ve already become Hua Niao’s shape~”