Another day of specialized classes.
Su Tang was humming an unknown tune beside her, holding a washable marker in her hand.
She tiptoed over to the drooling, sleeping Chen Xingye and started drawing on her face—a circle around the left eye, an X on the right eye, a blob on the nose, and a black mustache around the mouth.
Lin Lu was twirling her pen, watching Su Tang meticulously turn Chen Xingye into a little clown, stroke by stroke.
“Pfft—”
Who could keep a straight face seeing this during class?
“You’re going to have a hard time when she wakes up after class.”
“Ah~ Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know. As long as you don’t tell and I don’t tell, who will know I did it?” Su Tang covered her mouth, lowering her head to stifle a giggle. “Besides, it’ll wash right off with some water. It’s fine.”
“Who else but you would pull a prank like this on her? The moment she wakes up and finds herself turned into a clown, she’ll come after you first thing…”
“Lin Lu!”
Su Tang was just about to reply when she heard the teacher at the podium suddenly call Lin Lu’s name from the side.
She instantly sat up straight, pretending to be listening attentively.
“Here!”
Lin Lu hurriedly stood up and looked at the blackboard, but there was no question written on it.
A wave of soft laughter rippled through the classroom.
The teacher adjusted her glasses, her expression impassive.
“I didn’t call on you to answer a question. I just wanted to remind you not to snicker during class.”
“O-okay, teacher. Sorry.”
“Mhm, sit down.”
Lin Lu’s ears felt a bit warm.
After she sat down, Su Tang covered her mouth beside her, quietly laughing, earning a fierce glare from Lin Lu.
The class bell rang.
The classroom instantly became lively.
Students stood up in twos and threes, stretching and chatting with each other.
Lin Lu also put down her pen, rubbing her sore fingers.
Su Tang quickly hid the marker in her pencil case, her expression instantly turning perfectly calm, as if she hadn’t done anything bad at all.
Seeing Su Tang’s suddenly serious demeanor, Lin Lu could only think, ‘Straight up 666. Changing faces without losing points.’
“Haah~”
Chen Xingye let out a yawn, then groggily lifted her head, wiping away a shiny strand of drool from the corner of her mouth.
She rubbed her eyes and noticed several classmates around her staring, all with strange expressions, as if desperately holding back laughter.
“What’s going on?” Chen Xingye asked the classmate beside her, looking utterly confused.
“Is there something dirty on my face?”
That classmate shook her head, but the corner of her mouth twitched violently.
She then quickly turned her head away, shoulders shaking.
This only confused Chen Xingye more.
‘If there’s nothing, what are you all laughing at?’
She then looked at Lin Lu.
“Little Lu, is there something on my face?”
Lin Lu turned her head to the side, her voice trembling, “No.”
“Then why won’t you look at me? Turn your head and look at me. I don’t believe your eyes are empty.”
Seeing that no one would tell her, Chen Xingye could only fish out a small mirror from her bag to look at her own face…
“AHHHHHHH—!”
She shot up from her seat, her chair toppling backward with a loud clatter that instantly drew the entire class’s attention.
Immediately after, the whole class lowered their heads, trying to hide their laughter.
“Who did this?!” Chen Xingye’s voice echoed through the classroom, “Who was it?!”
The gazes of the entire class swiveled in unison towards Su Tang.
Su Tang was seen tiptoeing towards the classroom door, her hand almost touching the doorframe.
“I knew it was you! Su Tang, prepare to die!!”
Chen Xingye shot out like a cannonball.
Su Tang let out a scream, yanked the door open, and ran.
The two of them rushed into the hallway one after the other, their voices still audible from outside the door.
“You dare, then stand still!”
“You dare, then stop chasing!”
***
Lin Lu covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
Just as she was stuffing her textbook into her backpack, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her.
“Lin… Lin Lu.”
Lin Lu looked up.
It was a girl wearing round-framed glasses, clutching a letter in her hand.
Lin Lu sighed internally, ‘Again…?’
“I… I’m Wen Yao. I li—”
Lin Lu was just about to cut her off with a firm rejection when hurried footsteps sounded from outside the door.
“Make way, make way!”
“Bang!”
The classroom door was flung open.
Before Lin Lu could react, seven or eight people had already surrounded her.
‘Huh?’
Lin Lu froze in her seat at the sight, desperately racking her brain.
‘Did I offend someone? Why would so many people suddenly surround me? Is this some real-life version of a delinquent school drama?’
From the crowd, a girl with a high ponytail stepped forward.
“Wen Yao, you have some nerve! How dare you confess to the guild leader’s wi—ahem, to our school belle, Lin Lu! What is your crime?”
“I—”
The high-ponytailed girl didn’t give her a chance to explain.
She cleared her throat and continued, “Fan Club Rule Number One: Any confession not reviewed and approved by the Fan Club is considered a violation. Rule Number Two: Those who violate the confession rule will be forcibly removed and added to the Fan Club’s blacklist…”
Under Lin Lu’s dumbfounded stare, the high-ponytailed girl rattled off a whole bunch of Fan Club regulations, then sighed.
“Wen Yao… you’re even a member of the Fan Club. To know the rules and break them is an even greater offense! You—”
“Ah… um, maybe we could just let it—”
Lin Lu was already bewildered, and hearing this made it sound strangely serious?
She stood up, intending to try and mediate…
“Baka! The person I truly like… is you!!!”
!!!
Lin Lu turned her head again, now with a look of shock, towards Wen Yao, who had just confessed to her and was now gazing with deep affection into the eyes of the high-ponytailed girl.
‘Girl, are you speaking the same language? I’m having a bit of trouble understanding.’
“What do you mean?”
The high-ponytailed girl was clearly shocked too, taking an incredulous step back, only for Wen Yao to step forward and grasp her hands.
“It’s true! I never knew how to confess to you, so I could only violate the Fan Club rules to lure you to my side…”
“Aren’t we sisters?! How can we—”
“Why can’t we?!”
Wen Yao pressed forward step by step.
“I just like you! Be my girlfriend, okay?”
“Enough!” The high-ponytailed girl shook off the hands holding hers, turning her head away with a pained expression.
“Considering our past… you… just leave on your own.”
“You’re really going to reject me so decisively?” Wen Yao’s voice suddenly dropped, carrying an indescribable note of grievance.
“I joined the Fan Club not for Lin Lu, but for you. It was because of you that I came, just to be a little closer to you…”
“You…”
“I know you might not like me, but I can’t hold it in any longer. Even if you don’t accept my confession, I still want to tell you how I feel.”
She lowered her head and tore the letter in her hands in half.
“I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”
She turned and ran towards the door.
“Stop!” The high-ponytailed girl’s voice came from behind, carrying a slight tremble.
“You… you’ve violated the rules again. Fan Club Rule Number Seven: Members are not allowed to… ‘consume internally’.”
Wen Yao froze, then turned around and threw herself onto the high-ponytailed girl.
They embraced and cried.
Then, amidst the cheers and applause of the entire class, they walked out of the classroom hand in hand.
Leaving only a petrified Lin Lu in place.
‘Huh? Huh? Huh??? What just happened? Who am I? What did I just witness? Why did such a dog-blood drama unfold right before my eyes? Is humanity doomed…”
“Hmm? What happened?”
Lin Shuiyue, who had just returned to the classroom from the restroom, immediately spotted the utterly lifeless Lin Lu, who looked like she had just experienced something terrifying…
‘Well… whatever. Probably nothing major.’