Chapter 185: The Day Before New Year’s
Early in the morning on the day before New Year’s Day, Li Mu walked into school carrying a bag of clothes. At first, she planned to go straight to the classroom with Yu Fan, but then she suddenly changed direction and headed toward the girls’ dormitory.
At that time of day, many students who lived on campus were already coming downstairs. Some going to eat breakfast, some exercising on the sports field, and others doing their morning duties.
Even though Li Mu had been seen by classmates going in and out of the girls’ dorm before, she still paused nervously at the entrance, looked around like she was doing something wrong, and only stepped inside after making sure no one familiar was nearby.
“I’m back.”
She gently called out as she opened the door to the dorm room. She saw only Chen Li sitting under the bed, already awake and memorizing English. The other two girls were sleeping on the same bed, both snoring.
“They’re sleeping together?”
Li Mu put the clothing bag on her desk and whispered to Chen Li.
Usually, Wang Ruoyan did seem a little like she might be into girls, but not this openly, right?
“Yuanyuan got dumped yesterday, and Ruoyan stayed up drinking with her until after 4 a.m.”
Chen Li stood up carefully, afraid that the sound of the chair moving would wake the other two.
That’s when Li Mu noticed the box of alcohol in the corner of the room.
So girls drink to feel better when they’re sad too?
Yuanyuan had a boyfriend? After living together for almost a month, Li Mu had never noticed.
“They probably won’t make it to class this morning. I’ll go ask the homeroom teacher for leave for them.”
“I see... What about this afternoon?”
“There’s the New Year’s performance, right? You’re still going to sing on stage?” Chen Li thought for a moment. “Ruoyan will probably drag us to go cheer you on. Since Yuanyuan’s feeling down, it might help her feel better too.”
“Can you help me with makeup at lunchtime?”
Li Mu took out the clothes from her bag. “I’m planning to wear this for the show.”
“Hmm… Isn’t it a bit plain?”
A white sweater with light-colored slim pants. Yeah, it looked a little too simple.
Chen Li stood up and pulled a pleated skirt from her closet. “How about wearing a skirt?”
“Uh…”
“This pleated skirt actually goes really well with your white sweater.”
“I’m not interested in skirts.”
Li Mu’s face immediately turned cold. She grabbed her textbooks from the shelf and headed for the door. “It’s almost time for class. We still need to ask for leave for those two. If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late.”
“Hey, wait for me!”
Chen Li quickly slipped her feet into her shoes and rushed to catch up.
“But you can’t go your whole life never wearing skirts, right? Besides, Yu Fan would definitely like it.”
“This has nothing to do with Yu Fan.”
Li Mu walked ahead with a cool attitude. Maybe because of the rumors Wang Ruoyan started, her roommates always thought she and Yu Fan were dating.
“What if Yu Fan doesn’t confess to you just because you always dress like a boy?”
Chen Li’s voice was soft, but she talked a bit too fast, which made her sound kind of anxious.
“If he confessed, I probably wouldn’t accept anyway.”
“Eh? But don’t you like him?”
“No.”
“Then why do you always say his name when you talk in your sleep?”
Li Mu stopped walking and turned to look at Chen Li in surprise. “I talk in my sleep?”
“Yeah.”
What the heck? No one ever told her that before! Even when she lived in the boys’ dorm, none of her roommates ever mentioned it!
When did this weird personality trait get added?
"Are you serious?"
"Totally. You were calling out Yu Fan’s name in your sleep and even saying you wanted hugs and kisses and to be lifted up!"
Li Mu’s face turned red, and she quickly denied what Chen Li said. "Stop making things up!"
"Then why are you blushing?"
What’s with this silly girl today?
Could it be that without Wang Ruoyan around to hold her back, she’s getting bolder?
Li Mu kept her head down and walked quickly ahead, while Chen Li followed behind at a slow pace and didn’t say anything more.
After getting permission for their two roommates to miss class, the two of them walked into the classroom, one after the other.
Only five minutes were left before class started, but a quarter of the seats were still empty. The students who hadn’t arrived were probably either smoking in the bathroom or still eating breakfast.
"Excuse me."
Wu Lei moved his chair inwards to make space. Li Mu turned sideways and walked past him to her seat. She sat down and rested her chin on one hand, looking out the window.
"I heard there are no classes this afternoon because everyone’s going to the New Year’s show."
Her deskmate Wu Lei asked her, "Isn’t your sister performing too? Do you know anything? Are you sure we don’t have class later?"
"Probably not."
Once he got her answer, Wu Lei turned around and excitedly asked Wang Chen, "Wanna sneak out and go to the internet café?"
He usually seemed like a quiet guy, but like most 17 or 18-year-olds, he was really into games.
But Wang Chen, chewing on potato chips, shook his head and said, "Forget it. I'd rather watch the show."
"What’s there to see..."
Come on, seeing classmates cross-dress and sing in fake voices on stage? That’s definitely worth watching!
What if Li Mu messes up and accidentally uses “his” real (male) voice? Wait, “his” voice actually sounds pretty much like a girl’s now, doesn’t it?
Wang Chen thought to himself but didn’t say anything more to Wu Lei. He just kept eating his snacks and quietly tried to remember when exactly Li Mu’s voice had changed.
It must have been really gradual, so slow and natural that everyone just got used to it over time.
"I heard your sister is really pretty?"
A girl from the front row, who Li Mu didn’t know very well, turned around and asked with curiosity.
"Will we see your sister and Yu Fan singing together this afternoon?"
Li Mu nodded with a blank expression.
"I really want to see how pretty she is if she managed to make Yu Fan fall for her so hard."
The girl muttered this and turned back around. "Still, can she really be prettier than Li Mu?"
"......"
Wu Lei agreed, "Yeah, even though Li Mu is a guy, he’s better looking than most girls. Too bad I only like girls."
Well, this guy clearly didn’t understand the ultimate rule. If someone is pretty enough, it doesn’t matter if they’re a guy.
Still, Wu Lei was probably Li Mu’s most decent friend. So decent it almost made him seem a little dumb.
Li Mu glanced toward the back of the classroom, where Yu Fan was sitting. But then she narrowed her eyes, Wang Ruoyan and Lin Yuanyuan hadn’t come to class, and Yu Fan had already found a new group of girls to hang around.
Yu Fan was giving those girls his bright, cheerful, and handsome smile. They all looked totally enchanted, laughing and giggling like crazy.
They chatted with him, and some even poked his arm or tried to hold onto it. If Yu Fan wasn’t that good-looking, it would be hard to believe girls could be so forward.
Li Mu wasn’t worried when her roommates played games with Yu Fan. Wang Ruoyan had already been clearly rejected by him, and Lin Yuanyuan was, well, average-looking.
But these two girls? She didn’t even notice them before, and now they suddenly showed up out of nowhere.
"So shameless."
She muttered, then turned her head away in annoyance.