Living Together

Either way, the relationship between the two little girls was set in stone in Jiaming's mind. Though occasionally, when he thought about it, it felt a bit strange—after all, deep down, he had never ruled out the possibility of spending his life with Lingjing or Shasha someday. Of course, in his fantasies, it was mostly Lingjing; Shasha... was a bit terrifying.

But once he confirmed the two girls were yuri, their daily relationship actually took a step forward. Jiaming could occasionally crack risqué jokes without restraint, making Lingjing and Huaisha both embarrassed and annoyed, yet the three of them grew closer, more like same-sex buddies or sisters. At the time, neither girl noticed anything off about it. It was only a year or two later, when their minds matured, that they realized how awkward that period of interaction had been—but that's a story for later, and we won't dwell on it now.

That morning, all three were in high spirits. Shasha withdrew a sum of money from a bank near the villa, planning to give it to the foreign mother and daughter under the bridge so they could at least afford plane tickets home. But when they got out of the car, they found the pair was already gone. They felt a slight pang of regret but didn't dwell on it.

Back at school, they got thoroughly chewed out—self-criticism, public reprimands, parents called in—it was a chaotic mess, a real circus. Among the three, Shasha was a repeat offender and couldn't care less. Jiaming put on a face of deep remorse while inwardly not giving a damn; his self-criticism was copied, his parents were nowhere to be found, and the public reprimand he just ignored. Only Lingjing, the model student, got dragged through the wringer. Luckily, Jiaming and Shasha teamed up to help her hide it from Father Ye and Mom Ye. When the ordeal of that disaster-like criticism session finally ended, Jiaming and Shasha tried to comfort Lingjing, whose spirit had been severely battered, only to get a tongue-out smile from the little girl: "That was so exciting—let's do it again next time..."

After all, beneath that facade of academic excellence, our classmate Lingjing was never the type to blindly follow the rules. Her rebelliousness was always hidden under that pure and cute exterior.

About a month had passed since they skipped class, and summer had arrived. Midterms came and went, and Jiaming's grades were, as usual, neither here nor there. Every weekend, the three of them would gather at the Liu Family villa. Jiaming would surf the web on the computer, and they'd play DOS games like Monopoly, Four Little Warriors, and Emperor. Whenever they played Emperor, Shasha would spend most of her time in the harem, then discuss with Lingjing which consort was prettier, eventually driving the people to ruin and getting killed by assassins sneaking into the palace. During these discussions, Jiaming would chime in with jokes, while Lingjing's pretty face would flush slightly, though occasionally she'd argue heatedly with the other two over personal preferences.

They divided the labor: Lingjing bought groceries and cooked, Jiaming handled the stir-frying, and Shasha did the odd jobs. This way, they lived a strange cohabitation life two days a week. Jiaming was still assigned to the slightly masculine room that originally belonged to Shasha, while Shasha and Lingjing shared a bed like the first time. As time went on, and with Jiaming's obvious indifference, the two girls would roughhouse and yell in their room every night, only to meet Jiaming the next morning with faces bright red.

After a few rounds of this, they gradually got used to it.

Waking up in the morning, Jiaming would buy breakfast and wait for the two girls to come downstairs, bickering and playing. Once, while Jiaming was using the bathroom, a half-asleep Shasha came in to brush her teeth, leaving him thoroughly embarrassed. Only after Shasha had rinsed her mouth and washed her face right next to him did the bathroom erupt in an ear-piercing scream.

In the morning, they'd head out to the market and supermarket, carrying big and small bags as they wove through the city's streets and alleys.

At lunch, they'd divide the work with high spirits, the midday news music playing from the TV. Lingjing and Jiaming, wearing little aprons with Doraemon prints, would bustle around busily, while Shasha fumbled with washing and picking vegetables at the sink.

In the afternoon, they'd play games or surf the web. Jiaming would occasionally teach the two computer illiterates some basic knowledge, only to get chased and beaten for his condescending tone.

After dinner, the three would stroll along the road to the mountaintop or the seaside, bathed in the sunset's glow, dreaming of the future.

In the evenings, the two girls, in their pajamas, would curl up with Jiaming on the long sofa to watch TV, the coffee table covered with snacks. They'd tumble and wrestle, pillows flying everywhere—everything was warm and cozy, like a family of three with no barriers.

Not long after the midterms, Jiaming was wandering around the playground one day when he ran into those five high schoolers again. In the last incident, Jiaming and the others had exposed the five, led by Fatty, for running a gang and throwing their weight around at school. As a result, while Jiaming and his friends were punished, the five were also publicly reprimanded school-wide. They'd kept a low profile for over a month, but now, enemies meeting face to face, their eyes burned with hatred. The leader, Fatty, waved his hand, and the five surrounded Jiaming.

It was the last class of the afternoon, and Jiaming's class had PE, which basically meant early dismissal. He needed to wait for Lingjing and Shasha to leave together, so he'd come to the playground to kill time. But it seemed some big shots from other schools were visiting for an inspection, so many people had been arranged to clean the playground. These five high schoolers were part of that. Seeing them close in, Jiaming rolled his eyes and put on a helpless expression.

"Kid, don't you run..."

"I'm not running, big bros. That thing from last time was ages ago—why are you still holding a grudge? Besides, with so many people around, if you beat me up, it'll look bad." He said this helplessly, glancing at the ugly scar on Fatty's nose, fighting back a laugh.

"Damn it, forget you? Let me tell you, I've got you marked!" Fatty touched his nose instinctively, his face twisted. "Hmph, no teachers here—you think I wouldn't dare hit you? Remember this: not just today, but as long as you're at Xinghui Middle School, I'll make every day miserable for you..."

Fatty raised his hand to strike, but Jiaming suddenly pointed to the side: "Fatty bro, look—what's that?"

The five turned their heads and saw a group of teachers entering from the playground entrance. Among them were the principal of Xinghui High School, the dean of the middle school's academic affairs, and several higher-ranking teachers, along with a few well-dressed young men and women—presumably the visiting inspection team.

"Hmph, lucky you!" Fatty withdrew his hand grudgingly. The teachers, seeing five tall guys surrounding a shorter one with hostile looks, immediately called out: "Hey, you over there—what do you think you're doing?!"

"N-nothing..." Fatty said quickly, but his eyes glared fiercely at Jiaming, warning him not to say anything bad. Jiaming, however, was frowning slightly as he looked at the approaching teachers. He turned to leave, but a crisp female voice called out: "Wait."

Jiaming stopped reluctantly. Fatty's eyes lit up as he saw the approaching group: "Hey? It's Teacher Zhang." He said to his buddies, "See that prettiest female teacher? That's Teacher Zhang from the Noble Academy. I went to visit her with my dad a few days ago. Look, she remembers me—she's waving at me, haha..."

As the group of teachers approached, the stunning beauty at the center, like a moon surrounded by stars, was none other than Zhang Yahan, who had shared a tough time with Jiaming before. It turned out the visitors today were from the Noble Academy. Jiaming knew she was only twenty, but now her hair was permed into waves, she wore a pair of large, plain-glass glasses, and was dressed in a fitted work skirt suit, looking like a sharp, capable career woman. He couldn't help but smirk, thinking of the uniform fetish in Japanese AVs—it was a perfect match.

While he was laughing to himself, others didn't see it that way. Zhang Yahan was pretty in the face and graceful in figure, exuding both shrewdness and traditional Chinese feminine gentleness. The male teachers beside her kept sneaking glances, and Fatty strode over with shining eyes, bowing like a good little boy: "Teacher Zhang, were you calling me?"

"Uh? Ah... you are..." Zhang Yahan had been walking toward Jiaming, but suddenly blocked, she was a bit flustered. The fat kid's face looked familiar, but she couldn't place him. After a moment of confusion, Fatty said, "Teacher Zhang, I came to see you with my dad a few days ago. My dad's Ma Guangzu, and I'm Ma An. In a few days, I might be transferring to the Noble Academy to study."

As soon as he said that, the faces of the surrounding teachers darkened. So he was planning to transfer, and he blurted it out now—wasn't that like cursing the monks in front of the bald abbot? Zhang Yahan vaguely remembered the matter and brushed it off with a few perfunctory words. Seeing Jiaming with his hands in his pockets about to slip away again, she quickly walked over: "Jiaming! I came to find you. Try running again, and see what happens." Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

The address was intimate, but the tone was a bit sharp. Still, it sounded like a playful quarrel between acquaintances. A moment later, Jiaming turned back helplessly, his face blooming into a pure, innocent smile like a white lotus, and said, "Sis." He spread his arms and charged toward Yahan.

Thump—the two hugged affectionately... Well, maybe "two" wasn't quite right; it was more like Yahan helplessly getting her waist hugged by Jiaming. Her face flushed bright red as he shamelessly buried his head in the waves of her chest, rubbing his forehead back and forth, back and forth...

"Sis, I missed you sooooooooo much..."

What a touching scene of siblings reuniting...