Cohabitation

No matter what, the relationship between the two little girls had thus taken shape in Jiaming's mind. Though it occasionally felt strange when he thought about it, after all, he had not ruled out the possibility of spending his life with either Lingjing or Shasha someday. Of course, in his fantasies, it was usually Lingjing. Shasha... was a little scary.

However, once he had decided the two girls were Yuri, the relationship among the three of them actually grew closer. Jiaming could occasionally make shameless adult jokes, teasing Lingjing and Huaisha until they were both embarrassed and annoyed. Yet their relationship increasingly resembled that of same-sex buddies or sisters. At the time, the two girls naturally could not sense anything strange about it. Only a year or two later, when their minds had matured, did they realize how awkward this relationship had been. That was a story for later, though, and need not be mentioned for now.

That morning, all three of them were in high spirits. Shasha withdrew some money from a bank near the villa, planning to give it to the foreign mother and daughter when they passed beneath the bridge, so they could at least afford plane tickets home. But when they got out of the car, they discovered that the mother and daughter were already gone. They felt a little regretful, but did not dwell on it.

After returning to school, they were inevitably given a harsh scolding: written self-criticisms, public notices of censure, parents summoned to school... It turned the place upside down. Of the three, Shasha was a repeat offender and did not take it seriously at all. Jiaming wore an expression of deep remorse while not caring in the slightest. His self-criticism was copied, there were no parents he could call in, and he simply pretended not to see the public censure. Only Lingjing suffered badly. She had always been the model good student, after all. Fortunately, Jiaming and Shasha worked together to hide it from Father Ye and Mom Ye. When the tribunal-like ordeal finally ended, Jiaming and Shasha had wanted to comfort Lingjing, whose spirit had supposedly been severely traumatized. Instead, the little girl stuck out her tongue and smiled. "That was so exciting. Let's do it again next time..."

After all, beneath that image of an outstanding student in both character and academics, Lingjing had never been a girl who liked following the rules in everything. Her rebelliousness was always hidden beneath her innocent, adorable appearance.

About a month after they skipped class, summer arrived. Jiaming once again earned a middling score on the midterm exams. Every weekend, the three would gather at the Liu Family villa. Jiaming surfed the internet on the computer and played DOS games like "Richman," "The Four Little Warriors," and "Emperor" with the two girls. Whenever they played Emperor, Shasha would spend huge amounts of time in the harem, then discuss with Lingjing which concubine was prettier. In the end, the people would be left in misery, and the emperor would be killed by an assassin who infiltrated the palace. During such discussions, Jiaming often chimed in with jokes, while Lingjing blushed prettily. Still, she would occasionally argue with the two of them until her face turned red over her personal preferences.

The three divided up the work. Lingjing usually bought groceries and cooked the rice, Jiaming stir-fried the dishes, and Shasha handled the miscellaneous chores. Thus began their strange cohabitation for two days every week. Jiaming was still assigned to the somewhat masculine room that had originally belonged to Shasha. As for Shasha and Lingjing, they slept in the same bed as they had the first time. As time passed, combined with Jiaming's obvious indifference, the two girls would noisily fool around in their room every night. Then, when they ran into Jiaming the next morning, their faces would often turn bright red.

After living like this a few times, the three of them gradually got used to it.

In the mornings, Jiaming got up and bought breakfast, waiting for the two girls to come downstairs while bickering and playing around. Once, while Jiaming was using the bathroom, a groggy Shasha came in to brush her teeth, leaving him incredibly awkward. Only after Shasha rinsed beside him and finished washing her face did an ear-piercing scream erupt from the bathroom.

In the mornings, they went out to the market and supermarket, carrying bags upon bags of goods through the city's streets and alleys.

At lunchtime, they eagerly worked together. The music from the midday news played on the television as Lingjing and Jiaming bustled about in little aprons decorated with Doraemon patterns, while Shasha clumsily washed and sorted vegetables at the small sink.

In the afternoons, they played games and surfed the internet. Jiaming occasionally taught the two computer illiterates some very basic computer knowledge, only to be chased and beaten by both of them afterward because of his contemptuous tone.

After dinner, the three walked along the roads to the mountaintop or the seaside, bathing in the afterglow of the setting sun and imagining their futures.

At night, the two girls would put on pajamas and curl up with Jiaming on the long sofa to watch television. The coffee table was piled with snacks, and the three rolled around and roughhoused, pillows sometimes flying everywhere. Everything felt as warm as a family of three with no barriers between them.

Not long after the midterm exams, Jiaming was wandering around the athletic field one day when he ran into those five high schoolers again. During the last incident, Jiaming and the others had exposed how the five, led by the fat guy, were involved with gangs and acted arrogantly at school. As a result, while Jiaming and the other two were punished, the five were also publicly censured before the entire school. They had kept a low profile for over a month, but now that enemies had met again, their eyes burned with hatred. The fat guy at the front waved a hand, and all five surrounded him.

It was already the final class of the afternoon. Since Jiaming's class had PE, it was basically an early dismissal. He needed to wait for Lingjing and Shasha to leave together, so he had come to wander around the athletic field. Apparently, some important people from another school were coming to inspect and exchange ideas, so many students had been assigned to clean the field. These five high schoolers were among them. Seeing them surround him, Jiaming rolled his eyes and put on a helpless expression.

"Kid, don't run..."

"I'm not running. Big brothers, it's been so long since last time, why are you still thinking about me? Besides, there are so many people around. It wouldn't look good if you beat me up." As he spoke helplessly, he glanced at the ugly scar on the fat guy's nose bridge and felt like laughing.

"Fuck, not remember you? Let me tell you, I remember you!" The fat guy subconsciously touched his nose bridge, his face twisted viciously. "Hmph, there aren't any teachers here. Just watch and see whether I dare hit you. Remember this: not just today. As long as you're at Xinghui Middle School, I'll make sure you don't have a single good day..."

The fat guy waved his hand, about to strike, when Jiaming suddenly pointed to the side. "Big Brother Fatty, look. What's that?"

The group turned their heads and saw a group of teachers entering from the athletic field entrance. Among them were the principal of Xinghui High School, the dean of academic affairs for the middle school division, and several relatively senior teachers. There were also several elegantly dressed young men and women, who appeared to be the visitors here for inspection and exchange.

"Hmph, you got lucky!" The fat guy angrily withdrew his hand. Seeing five tall boys surrounding a shorter one with unfriendly expressions, the teachers immediately called out, "You five over there, what are you trying to do!?"

"N-Nothing..." the fat guy hurriedly replied, though his eyes remained fixed viciously on Jiaming, lest he say something unfavorable. But Jiaming was slightly frowning at the teachers. He turned to leave, only to hear a clear female voice call out, "Wait."

Jiaming stopped helplessly. Seeing the approaching group, the fat guy's eyes suddenly lit up. "Eh? It's Teacher Zhang." He said to the people beside him, "See that prettiest female teacher? That's Teacher Zhang from Noble Academy. I went to visit her with my dad a few days ago. Look, she still remembers me. She's saying hello to me, haha..."

As the group of teachers approached, the stunning beauty surrounded by the crowd like stars around the moon was Zhang Yahan, the young woman who had once gone through hardship with Jiaming. So the visitors today were from Noble Academy. Jiaming knew she was only twenty, yet her hair had been permed into waves, and she wore large plain glasses along with a fitted professional skirt suit, making her look like a sharp and capable career woman. Thinking of the uniform temptations in Japanese AVs, which looked exactly like this outfit, he could not help laughing to himself.

He might have been mocking her inwardly, but no one else saw it that way. After all, Zhang Yahan had a beautiful face and a graceful figure. She looked shrewd without losing the traditional gentleness of a Chinese woman. Several male teachers beside her kept sneaking glances at her, while the fat guy approached with shining eyes and bowed obediently. "Teacher Zhang, were you calling me?"

"Uh? Ah... You are..." Zhang Yahan had originally been walking toward Jiaming, but when someone suddenly stopped her, she was briefly taken aback. The fat guy looked somewhat familiar, but she could not remember who he was. After hesitating for a moment, the fat guy said, "Teacher Zhang, my dad took me to see you a few days ago. My dad is Ma Guangzu, and I'm Ma An. In a few days, I might even transfer to Noble Academy."

The moment he said that, the faces of the surrounding teachers darkened. So he was planning to transfer schools, and he had to say it now? Wasn't that like insulting a bald man in front of a monk? Zhang Yahan also remembered the incident and gave him a few perfunctory responses. Seeing Jiaming shove his hands into his pockets and prepare to leave again, she hurried over. "Jiaming! I came here specifically to find you. Try running away again and see what happens." Her eyes were full of mischief.

The way she addressed him was intimate, though her tone was rather hostile. Still, it sounded like the sort of bickering between people close to each other. A moment later, Jiaming turned back helplessly, but his face bloomed into an innocent, adorable smile as pure as a white lotus. "Big sister." He opened his arms and rushed toward Yahan.

With a bang, the two embraced intimately... Of course, calling it an embrace between two people was perhaps inaccurate. It should have been Yahan helplessly having her waist hugged by Jiaming. Her face flushed bright red as he shamelessly buried his head in the soft waves of her chest, rubbing his forehead back and forth...

"Big sister, I missed you sooooo much..."

What a touching scene of siblings reuniting...