A Warm Reminder from Someone Who's Been There

The next day.

Wearing bear pajamas, Xie Xie his messy hair, was tidying himself up in the bathroom for a limited time, staring blankly at his reflection in the mirror.

The person in the mirror had a head of messy hair that looked like it had been wrestling with the pillow for ages, and their pajamas were printed with rows of smiling bear heads. One button was fastened wrong, and the collar was askew.

"..."

Xie Xie stared blankly for three seconds, then decided to pretend he hadn't seen it.

He squeezed out some toothpaste, put the toothbrush in his mouth, filled a mouthwash cup halfway with water, and gulped down a big mouthful.

Just as he tilted his head back, ready for the water and toothpaste foam to have their first intimate encounter—

"Bang--!!"

The room door was kicked open from the outside.

The force was so great that the door slammed against the wall and bounced back, making a second loud bang, like someone firing a muffled cannon shot inside the cabin.

"Puff--!!"

Xie Xie sprayed the water from his mouth onto the mirror in a spectacular parabola.

Water droplets streamed down the mirror, blurring his face into an abstract painting.

He coughed violently twice, and the toothpaste foam got into his throat, burning him so much that tears welled up instantly.

He leaned against the sink with one hand and covered his mouth with the other, coughing as he turned his head to look at the door, his eyes filled with physiological tears.

"Dance... Teacher Wu?"

Wu Zhangkong, expressionless, crossed his arms. "It's nine o'clock, and you're still not ready? What did you promise me before we boarded the ship yesterday?"

Xie Xie's mind raced through the replay.

Before boarding the ship yesterday, I boasted to Wu Zhangkong in the car that I would receive special training the day after boarding.

"Hiss... I..."

"Teacher Wu? Good morning."

Wu Zhangkong turned his head to look at Yun Jingheng, who was holding a glass of soy milk, in the aisle.

Wu Zhangkong's gaze moved from Yun Jingheng's face to the soy milk in his hand, then to his neat clothes and the slippers he was wearing, and finally back to his face.

What time did you get up?

"Seven-thirty," Yun Jingheng answered truthfully.

He walked over and stopped at the door, glancing into the bathroom. Xie Xie was frantically wiping the water stains off the mirror with tissues, looking as flustered as a hen that had been soaked in the rain.

His gaze towards Yun Jingheng changed slightly for a moment.

"Very good," Wu Zhangkong said.

Xie Xie poked his head out of the bathroom. He had wiped the water off his face, but his hair was still wet, with a few strands sticking to his forehead, making him look like a small animal that had been rained on and then licked itself dry.

"Teacher Wu, it's me—"

"You have two minutes left." Wu Zhangkong.

Xie Xie scurried back in a flash.

Another chaotic sound erupted from the bathroom—the sizzling of a comb against scalp, the clanging of a mouthwash cup against the faucet, and the pattering of slippers on the floor.

Occasionally, Xie Xie mutter to himself, "Buttons, buttons, buttons... Did I wear these pants yesterday... Never mind... Socks, socks, socks..."

Yun Jingheng leaned against the door frame, drinking soy milk, his posture as relaxed as if he were watching a free comedy.

Wu Zhangkong leaned against the wall on the other side of the corridor, arms crossed, his expression as indifferent as a statue.

But he didn't leave, which means he was waiting for Xie Xie out so he could personally escort him onto the deck.

The corridor was silent for a few seconds.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Wu Zhangkong suddenly asked.

Yun Jingheng was taken aback.

"Good."

Yun Jingheng carefully considered his words, "The boat rocked more than I expected, and it took me a while to get used to it before I fell asleep."

Wu Zhangkong nodded slightly, without asking any further questions.

But his pale eyes lingered on Yun Jingheng for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the area beneath his eyes, where there was a very faint layer of dark blue.

Then he remembered his roommate.

"You're still young, you need to learn to be more restrained," Wu Zhangkong said.

Yun Jingheng almost suffered the same fate as Xie Xie, with the mouthful of soy milk he was holding in his mouth.

He forced it down, the heat making his eye twitch slightly, but he didn't show it.

His hand holding the soy milk cup was as steady as a rock, and his expression didn't fluctuate for more than a fraction of a second.

But this doesn't mean he wasn't emotionally affected.

Yun Jingheng's brain completed a high-speed operation in a flash.

Wu Zhangkong noticed the dark circles under his eyes, and combined this with the preceding question, "Did you sleep well last night?"

Combining this with the known information that "you and Gu Yuena are in the same room," the final output was, "You are still young, you should learn to be more restrained."

"Teacher Wu."

Yun Jingheng's voice was as calm as a stagnant pool, "When I said 'the boat is rocking badly,' I meant the boat really is rocking."

Wu Zhangkong glanced at him, her look conveying the message, "I know you're talking about the ship rocking, but I also know you're talking about more than just that."

"Whether the boat rocks or something else rocks."

His voice was soft, his tone as indifferent as if he were reading a textbook. "As students, maintaining a regular schedule is the most basic requirement."

"You are currently in a crucial stage of physical development, and the damage to your body from staying up late is irreversible."

Yun Jingheng opened his mouth, wanting to say, "Gu Yuena and I really just chatted," but the words swirled in his throat three times before he swallowed them back.

The phrase "just chatted" sounds rather inappropriate when placed after the words "late at night," "alone man and woman," and "with the door closed."

Is this what it feels like to be unable to defend yourself?

He suddenly understood the profound sense of powerlessness Xie Xie felt when facing the world every morning upon waking.

"Teacher Wu is right."

Yun Jingheng chose the safest way to respond.

Admit your mistake, but don't admit to anything specific; say something like, "I'll be more careful next time."

Wu Zhangkong nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

The noise in the bathroom suddenly stopped.

When Xie Xie came out, he looked completely refreshed.

Of course, this is if the definition of "completely renewed" is an upgrade from "disaster scene" to "barely presentable".

Her hair was tied in a small bun at the back of her head, but it was tied too hastily, and a few stray hairs escaped from the hair tie and floated on the side of her face.

The zipper of the sports jacket was zipped up all the way, just enough to cover the smiling bear on the pajamas.

The small cut on his face, caused by shaving in a hurry, stood out starkly against his fair complexion.

"Alright, alright, alright."

Xie Xie fastened the Velcro to his cuffs as he walked out, "Let's go, Teacher Wu, I'm ready, let's hurry--"

Wu Zhangkong's gaze lingered for a moment on the bloody gash on Xie Xie's face, his brows twitching almost imperceptibly.

He didn't say anything, and turned to leave.

Xie Xie quickly followed, and as he passed Yun Jingheng, he swiftly snatched the soy milk cup from his hand and gulped down a large mouthful.

A little soy milk dripped down his chin. He wiped it with the back of his hand, mumbled "Thanks, bro," and then ran off after Wu Zhangkong's retreating figure.

The corridor fell silent again.

Yun Jingheng looked down at his empty hands and remained silent for two seconds.

Intermittent kissing...

The labor-management relationship is corrupt.

"Jing Heng?"

Yun Jingheng turned his head away.

Yuanen Yehui walked over, looked at the empty room, and asked, "What are you doing outside their room?"

"Just passing by."

"Um~ Well then, Yun Jingheng, who's just passing by, could you tell me where the final Battle Armor component design blueprints are?"

Yun Jingheng was silent for a second.

Can I say it hasn't been drawn yet? I don't think so, right?

"Almost there."

"Okay, did you sleep well last night?"

Yun Jingheng looked into those eyes that were burning with a gossip-loving spirit, "Are you talking about something unhealthy?"

"No, by the way, Ye Xinglan looked really upset last night."

"Xu Xiaoyan is almost crying too." Wu Siduo, who had somehow gotten behind Yun Jingheng, reminded him ominously.

He turned around.

Wu Siduo stood less than a step behind him, her hands in the pockets of her sports jacket, a half-smile on her face.

Her hair was tied up very tightly, without a single stray hair.

Good morning.

Wu Siduo said in a light tone, but her eyes gleamed with a "I'm watching a good show" light.

Yun Jingheng glanced at her, then looked back at Yuanen Yehui.

Yuanen Yehui's expression was calm; he crossed his arms and slightly raised his chin, as if to say, "I'm just stating the facts."

But there was a subtle hint of schadenfreude in the corner of her eye.

"So, you two planned to ambush me this morning?"

"No."

Yuanen Yehui said, "I'm here to find the design drawings."

"I was just passing by."

Wu Siduo said, then paused and added, "I just happened to be passing by. I just happened to hear Yuan En asking you if you slept well last night, and I just happened to remember some interesting things."

"Isn't your 'just right' a bit too much?" Yun Jingheng said expressionlessly.

Tang Wulin's voice called out from the distant deck, as if he were looking for him.

"Wulin seems to be looking for me."

Yun Jingheng left without looking back.