Huo Yuhao ate everything, finishing even the last mouthful of soup, before setting down her bowl and chopsticks somewhat sheepishly and looking up at Wang Dong across from her.
A little sheen of oil still clung to her lips, her cheeks were faintly flushed, and her voice held a trace of shyness. "Senior Wang Dong, I'm finished. Thank you."
Watching her sweet, bashful manner, Wang Dong felt as though a cat's paw were scratching at his heart, making it itch unbearably. He was wondering how to stay a little longer when his mouth ran ahead of him and the words slipped out:
"Since you're finished, let's head back to the dorm together!"
Huo Yuhao froze, blinking her large eyes as she looked at him in confusion. "Head back to the dorm together?"
Only then did Wang Dong realize what he had said, and his head buzzed.
Only now did he remember that things were no longer as they had been in the original story. He was male, and Huo Yuhao was female, so there was no way they could share a room. What a... pity.
He hurriedly coughed and added with feigned composure, "I mean, I'll walk you back to your dorm. You've only just arrived at the academy and don't know your way around. What if you get lost?"
Warmth filled Huo Yuhao's heart at his words. Though a little embarrassed, she still nodded. "Sorry for the trouble, then."
By the time they left the dining hall, the sky had already begun to darken. The sunset's lingering glow spilled over the academy's flagstone paths, stretching their shadows long.
Wang Dong walked beside Huo Yuhao, deliberately slowing down to match her pace.
Huo Yuhao stole a glance at him, thinking what a nice senior he was-handsome, gentle, and so considerate toward her.
At the foot of the girls' dormitory building, Huo Yuhao stopped and was about to say goodbye when Wang Dong suddenly frowned.
He had noticed the quilt Huo Yuhao was holding in her arms. It was thin, old, and stiff-looking, its edges worn and fraying, like something that had been used for many years.
Wang Dong's heart tightened. How could she sleep under that? Shrek Academy was up in the mountains, where the wind blew hard at night and temperatures dropped very low. With such a thin quilt, she'd probably wake up freezing in the middle of the night.
"Wait here." With that, Wang Dong turned and ran toward the boys' dormitory.
Huo Yuhao faltered. "Senior? Where are you going?"
"I'll be right back!"
Wang Dong ran so fast that before long, he returned carrying a brand-new quilt. It was thick and fluffy, made from fine cotton fleece, and clearly expensive.
He pushed the quilt into Huo Yuhao's arms, his tone utterly casual. "I happened to buy an extra quilt, so you can have it."
Holding the soft quilt, Huo Yuhao looked down at it, then back up at Wang Dong, and her eyes instantly reddened.
She was no fool. Who would buy an extra quilt for no reason? He had clearly seen how old and thin hers was and deliberately found an excuse to give her one.
"Senior Wang Dong..." Her voice trembled slightly. "This quilt must be expensive, right? I can't accept it."
"What are you talking about?" Wang Dong waved a hand, looking unconcerned. "It's just a quilt. It isn't worth much. Just take it and use it. Don't stand on ceremony with me."
Huo Yuhao bit her lip, her grip on the quilt tightening again and again. In all her life, apart from Tian Meng, whom she called her big sister, no one had ever treated her so unreservedly well.
The people of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion regarded her as worthless grass. Her mother had died young, and her father... that man had never even given her a proper look. She had thought she was already used to cold looks and indifference, yet Wang Dong's sudden kindness made her nose sting again and again.
"Thank you..." She lowered her head, her voice muffled. "Thank you, truly."
Watching her faintly trembling shoulders, Wang Dong felt part of his heart soften too. He resisted the urge to reach out and ruffle her hair, merely smiling. "All right, don't think too much about it. Get some rest. You still have to report to class tomorrow."
Huo Yuhao nodded and turned to go upstairs with the quilt in her arms. At the turn in the stairs, she looked back at Wang Dong again. The boy stood in the sunset, his long pink-and-blue hair edged in gold, like someone who had stepped out of a painting.
She pressed her lips together and silently committed that name to memory: Wang Dong.
Not far away, a white-haired old man reclined beneath an old pagoda tree, watching the scene through narrowed eyes. He held a palm-leaf fan, waving it leisurely, with a somewhat speechless expression on his face.
"Tsk, young people these days... starting to date as soon as they enroll?"
The old man shook his head, muttering, "This trend of freshmen dating so young really is getting worse and worse... should I intervene?"
He thought about it, then shook his head again. Forget it. They were young, after all. A little energy was a good thing.
He was the current Sea God Pavilion Master, known as Mu En. Having lived so many years, what mighty winds and towering waves had he not weathered? There was no need to make life difficult for a few children.
As Mu En was thinking this, he suddenly saw the boy with pink-and-blue hair walking toward him. The boy came up to him, suddenly stopped, and gave him a polite smile.
"Hello, Grandpa."
Mu En froze, even the palm-leaf fan in his hand coming to a halt. This boy... had actually taken the initiative to greet him? After all, he always kept a low profile at the academy and rarely showed his true face. Most freshmen had no idea who he was.
Yet this boy had opened his mouth with a "Hello, Grandpa," and sounded so sincere, too.
For some inexplicable reason, Mu En felt rather pleased, and a hint of a smile appeared on his face. "Mm, hello, hello. Young man, are you new here?"
"Yes, Grandpa." Wang Dong smiled sweetly. "My name is Wang Dong. I'm one of this year's freshmen. Are you enjoying the cool air out here, Grandpa? It's windy at night, so please take care of yourself."
This outpouring of solicitous concern left Mu En unsure whether to laugh or cry. He waved a hand. "Off you go, off you go. Don't stand around here."
Wang Dong smiled again before turning to leave. Once he had walked some distance, he felt secretly pleased with himself. That round of raising the Sea God Pavilion Master's favorability had certainly been worthwhile.
Wang Dong returned to the boys' dormitory building, pushed open the door, and entered his room. It was a twin room with two beds, one by the window and one by the door.
The bed by the window had good light and plenty of sunshine. It had already been made up, apparently as part of the academy's standard arrangements.
Wang Dong put his things on the bed by the door. He was just about to tidy up and lie down when a question suddenly occurred to him: who would his new roommate be?
He was rather curious. In the original story, his roommate had been Huo Yuhao, but that clearly wasn't the case now. Who could it be, then?
As he was thinking, someone suddenly pushed the dormitory door open from outside.
A boy strode in. He was tall and handsome, with short black hair, but his most striking feature was his eyes, naturally different in color and carrying an air of unruly defiance.
The boy surveyed the room, his gaze landing on Wang Dong, then looked at the positions of the two beds and frowned slightly.
He walked over to the bed by the window, patted its frame, and turned to Wang Dong, his tone carrying an unquestionable air of command.
"I want this bed. You move to that one."
Wang Dong raised his eyebrows but said nothing.
Seeing no reaction from him, the boy seemed somewhat impatient and added, "My name is Dai Huabin. From now on, I'm the boss of this room. You'll be responsible for cleaning and everything else."
He paused, lifting his chin slightly, a confident, arrogant smile on his face. "But in exchange, I can watch your back at Shrek Academy."
"You won't lose out!"
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