Xiao Xiao

Jiang Nannan dragged her somewhat exhausted body back to the dormitory. As soon as she entered, she saw Tang Ya lying on the bed in a spread-eagled position.

"You're back, Nannan. You've worked hard."

Seeing her best friend return, Tang Ya flipped off the bed like a salted fish, adjusted her slightly crooked high ponytail, and looked at her friend with a hint of heartache.

"Nannan, you really need to eat more. While your mother is certainly important, you must take care of your own health as well."

Jiang Nannan offered a strained smile.

"Xiaoya, I'm going to take a shower first. Don't worry about me." With that, she headed toward the bathroom.

Tang Ya felt a sense of unease. She knew that Jiang Nannan's mother suffered from a severe heart condition, and Jiang Nannan saved almost every cent she had for her mother's medical treatment.

Tang Ya sighed. Her own life was a mess of troubles, but seeing Jiang Nannan like this, she couldn't bring herself to vent her own frustrations to her best friend.

Inside the bathroom, water cascaded down Jiang Nannan's golden hair, sliding over her curvaceous figure and hitting the floor with a crisp splashing sound.

Yet, the vacant look in her eyes still betrayed the worries weighing on the young girl's heart.

Her mother's illness was worsening; now, even simple movement was difficult. Thinking of the treatment methods mentioned by the soul master healers made Jiang Nannan feel desperate and suffocated.

Either she had to find a healing-type soul master capable of limb regeneration, which might be able to treat such a congenital condition.

Or, she would need the Black Tortoise Divine Pill from the Mysterious Underworld Sect, which required her to assist their young master with his martial soul awakening. But the mere thought of Xu Sanshi filled Jiang Nannan with a sense of revulsion and nausea.

Normally, if it were just an ordinary suitor, she would at most ignore him. But the thought of him approaching her with such a calculated motive made her feel sick, yet also deeply despondent. If she couldn't find a healer capable of limb regeneration, she would have no choice but to...

Although Xu Sanshi was completely unaware of this, he was currently just genuinely fond of Jiang Nannan.

Thinking of this, Jiang Nannan bit her lower lip tightly to keep from crying out.

Pulling herself together, Jiang Nannan wrapped herself in a bath towel and stepped out of the bathroom to look at her friend, Tang Ya. They had known each other for a long time, so she could naturally tell that Tang Ya was troubled, but out of consideration for her own feelings, Tang Ya hadn't spoken of it.

A warmth spread through Jiang Nannan's heart. She stepped forward and pressed down on Tang Ya, who was squirming on the bed, lost in her own thoughts.

Feeling the jade-like hand on her waist, Tang Ya's body shuddered, her legs clamping shut instinctively, before she suddenly realized she was in the dormitory and it was her best friend, Jiang Nannan.

She rolled over, her face flushed with a mix of shame and confusion.

"Xiaoya, you look so troubled. You can tell me about it." Although she found her friend's maiden-like, bashful appearance a bit strange, she asked gently.

In her heart, she wondered, could it be that she had gotten together with Bei Bei? But she remembered that Xiaoya had always seemed quite repulsed by him.

Tang Ya froze at the words, her face flushing even more. Desperate to confide in someone, she spoke slowly.

"Nannan, if you had to give up everything you have to achieve a certain goal, what would you do?" Tang Ya was referring to herself; she felt both ashamed of her thoughts and simultaneously tempted and conflicted.

Jiang Nannan's body jolted violently. Could it be that Xiaoya already knew something? Her body trembled slightly, and her suppressed emotions nearly broke through, but she immediately dismissed the thought.

If Tang Ya truly understood the inside story, she wouldn't be beating around the bush like this. She would likely have grabbed her hidden weapons and gone straight to find Bei Bei to give Xu Sanshi a sound beating.

After ruling out that possibility, Jiang Nannan's gaze toward Tang Ya softened even further, not just with the affection for a best friend, but with a sense of shared misery.

Tang Ya felt a bit uncomfortable under her gaze. Sister, you aren't a lesbian, are you?

Jiang Nannan bit her lip hard: "Xiaoya, no matter what, it depends on how you feel. If you don't want to, you must never force yourself." After saying this, Jiang Nannan added a silent thought: Unless there is no other choice. She knew her own situation; if she couldn't find another solution within a year, she would have to rely on...

Tang Ya felt a slight jolt in her heart. How do I feel about it? It seems... actually okay? I don't really have any feelings of repulsion.

Tang Ya nodded slightly.

"I understand, Nannan."

Wait, what exactly do you understand? Jiang Nannan was confused by the other girl's thoughts. Am I just a part of your play?

Early the next morning, Xiao Yi headed out. As for his strategy regarding Tang Wutong, Xiao Yi already had a plan in mind. Xiao Yi was not some honest, naive kid like the original Huo Yuhao.

Once he confirmed his hypothesis, then, hehehehehe, it was hard to say who would end up holding the leash.

After leaving the dormitory, he greeted Mu En at the entrance just as he had before. Mu En was quite fond of polite geniuses, and his estimation of Xiao Yi rose a few notches.

To possess such high cultivation without the arrogance of a genius was extremely rare compared to those who got carried away after the slightest achievement, not to mention that he was also extremely friendly and gentle in his interactions.

Tang Wutong, who followed closely behind Xiao Yi, was completely different. In her eyes, a Limit Douluo from the lower realms wasn't worthy of her bowing. She felt a bit annoyed; her roommate seemed easy enough to get along with, so why did he always feel so strange?

He didn't even call her to go together, even though they were about to be late.

Tang Wutong felt stifled, but she didn't slow her pace, finally reaching the classroom just before the lecture began.

Xiao Yi was currently sitting next to Huo Yutong, chatting with a cute, green-haired little girl, while Huo Yutong watched from the side with a smile.

That green-haired little girl was naturally Xiao Xiao. Xiao Xiao wore her long green hair in a cute side ponytail, which, paired with her adorable, chubby-cheeked face, made her a beauty in the making.

However, this little girl was an absolute fan of good looks.

She had been chatting happily with her roommate, Huo Yutong, when she saw a handsome guy approach and greet Huo Yutong enthusiastically.

The lively little girl immediately went up to meet him.

"Hello, my name is Xiao Xiao, I'm Yutong's roommate. You must be the Big Brother Xiao Yi that Yutong talks about, right?" the little girl greeted with a grin.

Xiao Yi naturally responded with a smile; who wouldn't like a lively and cute little girl?

After chatting for a while, Xiao Xiao's eyes lit up again. A youth with powder-blue hair ran in from outside the classroom and sat directly in the empty seat next to Xiao Yi.

Tang Wutong had just wanted to question Xiao Yi, but she was cut off by the other party.

"Xiao Xiao, Yu Tong, this is my roommate, Tang Wulin, also a freshman this year," Xiao Yi said with a smile as he introduced them.

Xiao Xiao, wearing a look of pure infatuation, blurted out without a second thought.

"Xiao Yi, is your dorm some kind of 'campus heartthrob' room? Both of you are so handsome." After saying it, Xiao Xiao felt it was a bit inappropriate and hurriedly lowered her head, her face flushing red as she cursed herself inwardly.

"Haha, I can't really claim to be a campus heartthrob. When it comes to looks, Tang Wulin is definitely the better-looking one."

Hearing Xiao Yi's compliment, the slight trace of unhappiness Tang Wulin had felt that morning was instantly forgotten.

Not bad, kid, you've got a good eye, she thought to herself.