Xia Kening found it all rather strange.
Ever since she was little, she had dreamed of growing up to protect her older sisters and mother like a man.
When she was little, they had always been the ones protecting her, sparing her from a great deal of harm but suffering more hardship themselves.
That man used to glare at her and demand to know why she couldn't have been a boy.
So even after her mother divorced, Xia Kening had always wanted to prove one thing: girls were no worse than boys.
Just look-at least some boys couldn't beat her. One punch from her had made one cry.
She ranked in the top hundred at school, putting her among the best students out of the seven or eight hundred at Shulan Middle School.
As long as she performed as usual, she could pretty much count on getting into Ningjiang Middle School.
If science didn't keep dragging her down, she would even have a chance of making the top thirty in her year and could aim for early admission next year.
Thinking about all this as she walked toward the cafeteria, Xia Kening couldn't resist turning to look at Xia Yunuo beside her.
At home, the person Xia Kening feared least was her eldest sister, because Xia Jinshu could never bear to scold her.
The person she feared second least was her mother, because she was always busy and didn't have much time to keep an eye on her.
But she was rather afraid of her second sister. Xia Yunuo always wore a cold expression, and when Xia Kening was little, she really would give her a beating if she didn't study hard.
And it wasn't the sort of beating given in anger, either. She would just stare at her expressionlessly, then grab whatever was at hand and set about her backside.
So whenever Xia Kening saw her second sister's face, she felt a little intimidated.
But right now, that feeling was a little different from usual.
Xia Kening's own body was a little shorter than Xia Yunuo's, so she could still feel a sense of pressure when facing her second sister.
But now, using Song Yunshen's body, she stood at 1.85 meters and looked down at the 1.65-meter Xia Yunuo. For the first time, Xia Kening realized just how small her second sister was.
Even with that cold face, she was kind of cute.
I really want to punch her and see what expression she makes. Would she burst into tears like Xu Lingcheng?
But remembering that this was someone else's body, Xia Kening only entertained the thought and didn't dare act on it.
The two made it to the cafeteria without incident and joined a line. Xia Yunuo took a little notebook from her pocket and reviewed the physics and chemistry she would be tested on that afternoon.
With nothing else to do, Xia Kening looked at the electronic screen above the serving window to see what good food was on offer today.
The hot-and-sour shredded kelp looks good. I'll have a savory braised chicken leg too.
Xia Kening rubbed her stomach, feeling a little hungry, then pulled Song Yunshen's meal card out of her pants pocket and began playing with it.
Only then did she notice that Song Yunshen had actually put a sticker on it.
It showed a pretty anime girl with long black hair, cute white wings behind her head, and a cutout white eye mask over her face. Her eyes were tightly shut, and she looked quite beautiful.
Xia Kening clicked her tongue twice. She hadn't expected Song Yunshen to be into that sort of thing.
Soon, they were nearly at the front of the line.
Xia Yunuo put away her little notebook, then suddenly looked at Xia Kening and asked, "Why aren't you chatting with the people behind us today?"
Xia Kening froze for a moment, then began to feel guilty again, unsure how to answer.
Song Yunshen had only taught her how to deal with Xu Zhuoyue; he hadn't told her how to talk to Xia Yunuo!
After all, Song Yunshen couldn't have imagined that Xia Kening would actually seek Xia Yunuo out and ask her to eat together.
And the thing was, Xia Yunuo had actually agreed!
Up to now, Song Yunshen only knew that Xia Jinshu and Xia Yunuo were sisters. He had no idea what connection either of them had to Xia Kening.
So he hadn't considered that a situation like this might arise.
"W-we have exams this afternoon, so I don't have much else on my mind..." Xia Kening managed to reply.
"Oh." Xia Yunuo gave it no further thought. She nodded and turned back around.
It was their turn now. Xia Yunuo asked the cafeteria lady for a serving of garlic oil lettuce, then quietly asked if she could have a little of the savory braised chicken leg broth poured over her rice.
When the cafeteria lady agreed, Xia Yunuo quietly thanked her, took the tray, and placed her meal card on the card reader.
Xia Kening watched from the side, falling silent for a moment. Only when Xia Yunuo had swiped her card and a beep sounded did she come back to herself and ask, unable to hold back:
"Do you usually eat just one vegetable dish?"
"I like vegetables," Xia Yunuo said. "Besides, I've been trying to lose weight lately, so I can't eat too much."
Liar...
Don't I know what you like to eat?
Xia Kening instinctively clenched her fist and bit her lip, then immediately relaxed her grip. For some reason, she felt a pang of bitterness.
Something occurred to her, and her heart suddenly began to ache in spasms as sadness spread through her.
"Why don't you get another meat dish? My treat," Xia Kening asked softly.
Although it was Song Yunshen's meal card, Xia Kening said it anyway.
In any case, she could just pay Song Yunshen back afterward.
"No need." Xia Yunuo shook her head. "I told you, you don't need to treat me."
"You eat too little."
"I eat like this every day. It's enough to fill me up."
Every day?
Xia Kening took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Seeing that Xia Yunuo stubbornly refused to accept her kindness, she could only let it go.
She ordered shredded kelp and a chicken leg, swiped the meal card, then picked up her tray and found a seat with Xia Yunuo.
The meal was a subdued affair.
Xia Yunuo didn't speak unless spoken to. As Xia Kening watched her savor the oil lettuce and the rice covered in broth, eating slowly and with evident enjoyment, bitterness welled up in her heart, and she nearly burst into tears.
Fortunately, she still remembered that this was Song Yunshen's body. If she cried in the cafeteria and someone saw, Song Yunshen would lose a great deal of face.
Anyone who didn't know better might think he had confessed his feelings, been rejected, and couldn't help crying.
Sitting across from her, Xia Yunuo didn't have as much on her mind as Xia Kening did. She simply ate in silence, wondering to herself.
Why can't I hear Song Yunshen's thoughts anymore?
That's so strange.
We're already so close to each other.
Going by the pattern so far, at the distance between them now, she should have heard his thoughts at least a dozen times during the ten or twenty minutes they had spent walking from the classroom to the cafeteria, lining up for food, and sitting down to eat.
But she hadn't heard so much as a single thought from Song Yunshen.
This puzzled her. She couldn't understand how her special ability, which worked only on Song Yunshen, had vanished into thin air.
Does this mean I'll never hear them again?
At the thought, Xia Yunuo felt a certain aversion to Song Yunshen for no apparent reason.
It made her want to get away from the boy in front of her immediately.
People whose thoughts she couldn't hear made her feel unsafe, causing her to instinctively remain wary and on guard.
This unease, carved into her very bones, wouldn't allow her to continue interacting with Song Yunshen.
Maybe this is for the best.
I can go back to being alone and won't be affected anymore.
Xia Yunuo comforted herself with these thoughts.
But for some reason, a faint sense of loss lingered in her heart, refusing to fade and leaving her restless.
...Will I really never hear them again?