Daylight shone bright, and Sea God Lake glittered, constantly flashing with light that illuminated every corner of Shrek.
Wang Dong'er gripped Huo Yuhao's collar tightly in her right hand and, throwing all caution to the wind, sprinted straight toward the teaching building.
Even though Huo Yuhao's backside was almost scraping sparks off the paving stones, she paid it no mind.
Only yesterday, Zhou Yi had specifically stressed that they absolutely could not be late.
Who would have thought that by the time they woke up, class would already have been in session for five minutes!
This wouldn't do! Without another word, Wang Dong grabbed Huo Yuhao and ran toward the classroom.
She completely ignored Huo Yuhao, who intended to smash the already cracked pot and simply stay in bed until noon.
"Reporting in!... Huff, huff..."
Wang Dong'er pushed open the door to Freshman Class One and raised her hand, panting.
She viciously pinched the soft flesh at Huo Yuhao's waist. He stood up in pain, saw Zhou Yi staring straight at him, and only then called weakly, "Reporting in..."
Their classmates all turned their heads in unison. The two of them looked utterly bedraggled.
Huo Yuhao's hair was a mess, with many strands stuck together at the back of his head, standing straight up and swaying as he moved. He wore only a shirt on his upper body, its collar buttons undone, exposing a patch of fair chest. As he stood, the shirt kept shifting and nearly slipped right off.
Wang Dong'er was somewhat better off. She had freed a hand to straighten her clothes along the way, so nothing looked too out of place.
"What's going on with you two? Get inside first." Zhou Yi beckoned them over.
Wang Dong'er seized the chance to pull Huo Yuhao's shirt closed, then tugged him into the classroom. Huo Yuhao naturally closed the door behind him.
Xiao Xiao had arrived at the classroom early that morning. To see Huo Yuhao, she had even carefully done her hair and dressed up. At the sight of their disheveled appearance, her eyes widened despite herself.
She tugged Huo Yuhao's sleeve beside her and thoughtfully handed him a school uniform that fit him. Her little mouth parted, and judging by her lip movements, she seemed to be asking, "My heavens! Did you two oversleep again?"
With the entire class staring straight at them, Wang Dong'er felt as though needles were pricking her back. She kept rubbing her hands together beneath the desk, until she finally couldn't bear it anymore and clamped down on Huo Yuhao's wrist.
Zhou Yi asked in her usual icy voice, "My esteemed class monitor, tell me, are you two planning to get addicted to being late?"
Huo Yuhao yawned, paying no attention whatsoever to Zhou Yi's words. Apart from the searing, burning sensation in his left wrist, there was nothing much else.
"Uh... Sorry, Teacher Zhou. We overslept," Wang Dong'er said awkwardly. Zhou Yi's questioning had left her feeling rather uncomfortable all over.
"Who slept with whom? You actually manage to sleep together every day?" Zhou Yi cracked a rare joke.
"I slept with Huo Yuhao..." Wang Dong'er answered without thinking, even a hint of possessiveness on her face.
Beside them, Xiao Xiao's face instantly flushed red. This was far too embarrassing. She was Huo Yuhao's girlfriend! What kind of outrageous words were coming out of Wang Dong's mouth?
The entire class remained silent, but this time, only three seconds passed before everyone burst into laughter.
Wang Dong'er seemed not to care at all and even lifted her head proudly, as though their mockery were praise.
Xiao Xiao abruptly lowered her head, two teardrops glistening on her porcelain-doll face, both embarrassed and furious. Her boyfriend had actually been teased by his roommate.
Wh-what was wrong with Wang Dong today?! He would never normally act like this! He was going to ruin Huo Yuhao's reputation!
She simply couldn't swallow her anger. With a scrape, she shoved the chair behind her away, and her small figure was about to charge at Wang Dong'er to teach her a proper lesson.
Huo Yuhao happened to stretch just then, blocking her way forward.
Seeing that something was wrong with the atmosphere, Zhou Yi glared fiercely at Wang Dong'er. "What is it, Wang Dong? Did oversleeping make you start spouting nonsense?!"
"No, I didn't, Teacher. I'm telling the truth..." Wang Dong'er even grabbed Huo Yuhao's hand outright and displayed it to everyone.
At this sight, Xiao Xiao could no longer hold back. The Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron appeared directly above Wang Dong'er's head and smashed down viciously.
"You've turned the heavens upside down! Are you all trying to rebel today?!" Zhou Yi swung her hand down and slammed it onto the lectern.
Terrifying Soul Power erupted, directly dispersing the black Soul Suppressing Cauldron.
Wang Dong'er became even more unrestrained. She pulled the still-groggy Huo Yuhao into her arms, hooked a finger beneath his chin, and brazenly provoked Xiao Xiao with a wicked smile. "Xiao Xiao, don't get worked up. Huo Yuhao is right here. I won't fight you for him!"
From somewhere, Xiao Xiao found the strength to yank Huo Yuhao straight over to her. Her black eyes fixed on Wang Dong'er as she bared her teeth like a cat with its fur standing on end.
Their classmates wore a fascinating array of expressions. None of them had expected to witness such a melodramatic scene first thing in the morning. This gossip was a feast.
Little stars shone in everyone's eyes as they eagerly awaited what would happen next.
Zhou Yi's aged face brimmed with anger. This was the first time anything like this had happened in her classroom, and it was something she could not tolerate.
Her hand slammed down again, actually denting the surface of the lectern and leaving a clear palm print.
The entire class jumped, their bodies jolting. At the sight of the enraged Zhou Yi, they hurriedly sat up straight.
"You three! What's going on? Did winning every match in the freshman assessment make you forget how high the heavens are and how deep the earth is?! All three of you, get outside and run laps! Put on your iron vests, and don't stop until I tell you to! Do you really think a little achievement makes you number one under heaven?!"
Wang Dong'er waved a hand in boredom and was about to pull Huo Yuhao outside, but Xiao Xiao held him in a death grip and refused to let go. For a moment, swords were drawn and bows were bent, and the air reeked of gunpowder.
"Oh, very good! You three..."
So angry that she stepped straight down from the platform, Zhou Yi unleashed powerful Soul Power that made her clothes snap in the wind. She seized all three of them and hurled them out of the teaching building.
The world spun, and with a thud, the three of them made solid, intimate contact with the ground.
Zhou Yi looked at the three with their delicate relationship. She couldn't be bothered with the romantic entanglements between youngsters. With a cold snort, she said, "I don't care what happened between you three. Wang Dong, if you still want to remain class monitor, stop going crazy!"
As her words fell, three heavy iron vests flew over and slammed into the open ground before them, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
Wang Dong'er's temper flared too. She stood up and raised a fist, about to strike Zhou Yi.
Suddenly, with a patter, Wang Dong'er fell stiffly to the ground. She had actually tripped on flat ground and inexplicably passed out.
Huo Yuhao withdrew his numb right foot, brushed off the dust, and picked Xiao Xiao up from the ground, carefully wiping away the dust she had picked up when she landed.
Much of Xiao Xiao's anger subsided. She let Huo Yuhao wipe her clean, feeling the caress of his gentle, large hands. Only after glaring fiercely once more at Wang Dong on the ground did her anger finally fade.