Chapter 30: The Uniform Skirt Is Too Short—Long Socks Are a Must

Lu Yuanqiu closed his eyes, feeling as though he were bathed in gentle rain. After a moment, he opened them again, somewhat helplessly. “Pfft.” A splash of water came out of his mouth, and when he glanced down, he saw his pants were soaked at the front.

Unable to hold back, he looked up and commented, “Were you a showerhead in your past life? The spray covers such a wide area.”

“I’m sorry!” Bai Qingxia, flustered and embarrassed, quickly stood up and grabbed a handful of tissues from the table.

She approached with care, gently wiping Yuanqiu’s cheek with the tissues, but he couldn’t help saying, “Wait… so what if you drink after me? Are you that disgusted by me? Why such a big reaction?”

Bai Qingxia shook her head hastily, her face glowing red. “No, I just… I just…”

She struggled to explain herself but failed to come up with a reason. Her cheeks and earlobes grew even redder.

Once she finished wiping his face, Bai Qingxia quickly took more tissues and, starting from Yuanqiu’s short-sleeved collar, wiped downward. When she reached the center of his pants, Yuanqiu jumped up. “Hey, hey, hey! Where are you wiping?!”

Bai Qingxia’s small hand froze; she finally realized what she was doing and withdrew her hand as if shocked, biting her lip and stepping back. “Sorry!”

She hurried forward, stuffing all the tissues into Yuanqiu’s hands and then retreated again. “You… you do it yourself. I didn’t touch that thing of yours.”

She seemed desperate to clarify.

That thing of mine… what a way to put it.

Yuanqiu could only sigh inwardly.

He casually wiped himself with the tissues, and when he looked up, he saw Bai Qingxia had turned her body aside, facing the wall as if she were being punished.

Rather considerate.

Yuanqiu tossed the tissues into the trash.

Only then did Bai Qingxia return to her seat, handing him the water cup she’d mistakenly drunk from earlier. She bowed her head and said, “Giving it back to you.”

“You’re returning the one you sprayed into? You want me to drink your backwash?”

Yuanqiu looked at her.

Bai Qingxia froze, quickly taking the cup back and pushing the other, untouched cup toward him. She glanced at him for approval, then looked away timidly.

She felt she’d ruined today’s tutoring, and Yuanqiu was surely upset.

While using tissues to wipe his hair, Yuanqiu observed the girl’s crestfallen expression.

He noticed Bai Qingxia was always so cautious around him.

Was it only because he held her secret?

Yuanqiu pondered the reason, recalling the voting slip, and couldn’t help but ask, “Bai Qingxia, did we know each other before?”

The girl shook her head silently.

“Really?”

She shook her head again.

“Alright… never mind, let’s get back to studying.”

Yuanqiu beckoned her over, and Bai Qingxia turned to him, picking up where she left off explaining the problems.

It took nearly an hour to finish two sheets of exercises.

Yuanqiu’s head felt swollen; he couldn’t help shaking it and rubbing his tired eyes.

The sciences were indeed his lifelong nemesis.

He still hadn’t solved the math, and there was annoying physics waiting for him.

Yuanqiu pulled out his backpack to retrieve his physics workbook, when he suddenly felt his foot step on something soft and slippery. Looking down, he saw Bai Qingxia quickly withdraw her delicate, pale foot.

She covered the foot he’d stepped on with the other, ten pink toes curling up together.

Yuanqiu looked up at her.

Bai Qingxia acted as if nothing had happened, focusing intently on the exercises.

“These circled ones are all the ones I don’t understand. You look them over; I’ll go grab some fruit.”

Yuanqiu placed the workbook in front of her and left, soon returning with a plate of fruit.

The plate held several kinds of fruit and snacks. Yuanqiu generously said, “Eat!”

Bai Qingxia shook her head. “Sit down, let’s go over the problems.”

“Okay, teacher.”

Yuanqiu began peeling an orange as he listened to Bai Qingxia explain.

After eating a segment himself, he offered the next segment to Bai Qingxia’s lips.

The girl’s lips closed, and her explanation came to an abrupt halt.

Yuanqiu commanded, “Eat.”

Bai Qingxia looked up at him with her beautiful eyes, opened her rosy lips, and bit the orange, then ate it.

Her earlobes flushed as she chewed, while Yuanqiu laughed with delight. “Go on, keep explaining.”

“Because, because, because here, the acceleration doesn’t change…”

Yuanqiu interrupted, “Isn’t the acceleration changing here?”

Bai Qingxia paused, blushing as she corrected herself, “Right, it’s changing… changing…”

Yuanqiu couldn’t help but laugh. “Why did eating an orange segment make the knowledge disappear?”

Bai Qingxia pouted, “Because you interrupted me.”

“Alright, alright…”

Yuanqiu cheekily offered another orange segment to her lips, but Bai Qingxia stubbornly turned her head away. “I’m not eating.”

Yuanqiu kept bringing the segment to her mouth; Bai Qingxia continued to turn away.

“Not obeying, huh? Getting bold, are you? Do you believe…”

Bai Qingxia spun her head back, glared at him, and opened her mouth to bite the orange, eating it in one go.

Ah, this trick never fails, Yuanqiu thought gleefully.

The girl quickly stood up, gathering her things. “If you don’t study seriously, I’m going home.”

“No, no, I’ll stop teasing you!” Yuanqiu hurriedly held her back.

…

As evening approached, the tutoring ended.

Bai Qingxia, backpack slung over her shoulders, walked to the door. Yuanqiu called out, “Wait a minute.”

He pulled out a large shopping bag, filling it with milk, fruit, and snacks from home, then handed it to her.

Bai Qingxia stepped back, shocked, quickly clasping her hands behind her back. “I don’t want it.”

“It’s your tutoring fee!” Yuanqiu declared righteously.

“I don’t want it.”

After putting on her shoes, Bai Qingxia quickly left. Yuanqiu simply placed the bag outside. “Then just help me throw it away.”

Just as the girl was about to speak, the door slammed shut with a bang.

Yuanqiu watched her through the peephole.

Bai Qingxia stood at the doorway for a while, then walked over and glanced at the door. Yuanqiu instinctively moved away from the peephole. A moment later, he looked again and saw Bai Qingxia had left.

Yuanqiu assumed Bai Qingxia had taken the bag with her, but when he opened the door, he found it sitting neatly at the doorstep.

He shook his head with a sigh. “So stubborn.”

…

Monday.

Early morning study.

Liu Wei walked up to the podium, expressionless, adjusted her glasses, and spoke: “Two announcements. First, the grade director thinks the girls’ skirts for the sports day uniforms are too short.”

“What?!” All the boys in the class exclaimed, sensing trouble.

“This Ge Ritian is causing trouble again.”

“The girls in the next class have midriff-baring uniforms—why doesn’t he care about that?”

Liu Wei frowned and scolded, “Why are you boys so excited about an issue concerning the girls?”

Lu Yuanqiu looked up; Bai Qingxia did as well, since she’d spent fifty yuan on the class uniform.

Liu Wei continued, “Don’t worry. Since it’s the last sports day in high school, the director made a concession. Girls just can’t go bare-legged—they need to buy a pair of long socks to wear.”

As soon as she finished, the classroom fell silent.

“Sorry, Director, I admit my voice was a bit loud.”

“Does the Director like the ‘absolute territory’ look too?”

Wang Haoran said, “Girls, each of you hand me five yuan.”

Liu Wei spoke again, “I just checked the list of uniform purchases. This time, the girl carrying the class placard in the parade will be Bai Qingxia.”

At this, Hu Caiwei suddenly looked up.

Bai Qingxia also gazed over in surprise.

Noticing Hu Caiwei’s reaction, Wang Haoran asked, “Teacher, shouldn’t the class vote on this?”

Liu Wei refused flatly, “No need.”

Hu Caiwei dejectedly slumped over her desk, crumpling the pages of her book.

“I support it! I support it!” Lu Yuanqiu, sitting in the back row, raised both hands and applauded.

Bai Qingxia gripped her pen tightly, not expecting the placard duty to land on her, which made her anxious.

Liu Wei tapped the podium; the top students in the front row cleverly ducked their heads to avoid the chalk dust.

“Second announcement: the day after the sports day, we’ll have the monthly exam immediately.”

The class, moments ago still excited, instantly became lifeless.

ps.

As always, I ask for your continued reading.

Thanks to Ka Xiao for the tip, and to everyone who voted for the monthly and recommendation tickets.