Yun Hui walked back in a daze.
Passing through the school’s long pathway, wind rustled the leaves, and a few withered leaves swirled above her head in the breeze. She reached out and caught one, its faint, refreshing scent seeping into her heart.
Fallen leaves stir the deepest emotions, intoxicating one with longing.
At the moment her fingers touched the leaf, her thoughts drifted back to last night’s intimate encounter.
A line from a song flashed through her mind.
【One kiss is all it takes
Fallin’ in love with me】
One kiss seals the bond, together they fall in love.
Was it really like the lyrics said—that a single kiss could confirm everything, making her throw caution to the wind and rush into her beloved’s embrace?
“Hey, hello there, classmate.”
A long-haired boy holding an event poster glanced at Yun Hui, who was staring at the fallen leaf, and called out to her.
Yun Hui looked at him, puzzled. “We don’t know each other.”
“No, no, it’s not that. Our school is hosting an event—a love poem competition. You seem quite sentimental, so I thought you might be good at this kind of literary activity. Want to give it a try?”
Why would he ask her to join such an event?
“No, no, I’m not up for it.”
“It won’t take much time. Already three thousand students have signed up.”
Yun Hui hesitated for a moment. “What are the prizes?”
“Commemorative rings, customized with names. Most couples join for that. Let me tell you a secret—this is sponsored by a company encouraging bold love. The funding is substantial, so… you get it.”
Yun Hui lowered her head, her thoughts wrestling fiercely.
If she won, could she get a ring? She wanted to give it to Sister Han Su!
But… there were so many participants. What if she had to go on stage to receive an award? She was afraid of that.
The boy continued, his bright smile clearing the fog in her heart. “Even if you’re not together, it’s a nice keepsake. Not every story is a comedy; even tragedies have their commemorative meaning, right? Many people love from afar, never taking that brave step. But when you fearlessly express your love, you’re also loving yourself. Anyone who loves another must first love themselves.”
Yun Hui looked up at the boy, finding his words quite reasonable.
People are sentimental beings. When faced with the unknown, they often prefer to cautiously cling to the “unknown.”
In their relationship, Han Su had always been the one guiding and taking charge. Yun Hui wanted to surprise her too. So, she needed to take that step to overcome her fears.
Give it a try. As he said, even if she failed, she would still have a keepsake!
“We’re from the Arts and Entertainment Department, and we receive a lot of relationship-related questions. Actually, unrequited love often ends the same as a breakup. We believe you should boldly take that step. No one wants to wait for someone who hesitates. If you chase after it and don’t catch it, at least you’ll know the answer.”
Yun Hui tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “How do I sign up?”
The boy pointed to a QR code. “Scan this!”
Yun Hui obediently opened her phone’s scanner. “How does the event work?”
“Gather at the school auditorium the night after tomorrow. You’ll write on the spot, and your handwriting will be a big part of the scoring, so prepare well.”
“Oh, and the judges will personally review the entries, so don’t mess around.”
“I’ll go back and prepare.”
The boy dragged the event poster board and said, “Alright, see you later, classmate.”
As Yun Hui walked, she looked at the event registration entrance, which directly displayed several pairs of rings.
The styles corresponding to each of the top five rankings were different. They weren’t as formal as diamond rings, and their shapes were quite creative.
The most interesting design was for fourth place. The two rings had a clasp in the middle, so as long as you pressed your hands together, the rings would lock and stick together.
Its description read: Like morning dew, never to part.
It was beautiful.
So beautiful it was beyond words.
Back in the dorm.
Meng Yao was fighting with Bai Yueming over some cookies. When she saw Yun Hui return, she couldn’t help but gasp.
“Holy crap! Yun Hui, where have you been?”
Meng Yao caught sight of the red mark on Yun Hui’s neck, her pupils shaking in shock.
Yun Hui stood there dumbfounded, covering it with her hand: “I… I got kissed by someone I like…”
She admitted to liking someone, but she wouldn’t reveal their gender if she could help it.
Bai Yueming was taken aback for a moment, then helped Yun Hui smooth things over: “Meng Yao, is your boyfriend even any good? I haven’t seen you two being all lovey-dovey like that.”
Meng Yao, whose brain couldn’t keep up, was immediately led astray by Bai Yueming: “Hmph! It’s my first time being in a relationship, okay? I don’t know that much.”
Yun Hui blushed, buried her face in her hoodie, and scurried back to her spot.
Bai Yueming teased her a few more times, which made Meng Yao completely unable to sit still.
She added fuel to the fire: “Look at little Yun Hui here—she knows more than you do.”
Bai! Yue! Ming!
Meng Yao gritted her teeth, ran out of the room, and called You Bo.
“Are you even any good? Our dorm’s Yun Hui already…”
…
Curses could be heard from outside the door, as vulgar as they could get.
You Bo on the other end was stunned.
What the… He just woke up and got cursed out of nowhere. He hadn’t done anything wrong, had he?
Only now did Yun Hui realize.
So that boy had seen her red mark, which was why he wanted her to participate!
It had only been one night… and she had completely forgotten about the marks on her body.
Yin Han Sou hadn’t even reminded her!
How outrageous!
Bai Yueming leaned against the window: “Last night was quite eventful, huh, little Yun Hui.”
Yun Hui covered her face: “Stop talking about it!”
“Want to go out for dinner tonight? It’s rare to see you in the dorm. I’m afraid you’ll get whisked away again tomorrow.”
Yun Hui hadn’t even warmed up her spot in the dorm before being taken away by that woman outside. According to TV drama logic… she’d probably move out in a few days.
Every meeting is one less meeting, after all.
“No, I’d better not. I’m too embarrassed to go out…”
Everything dawned on her only afterward. So, the way Sister treated her was to make her too embarrassed to go out and have fun.
What a cunning function!
Bai Yueming stared at Yun Hui: “I can help you get rid of the red mark. Want to go?”
Yun Hui’s eyes sparkled. She loved eating more than anything. Besides, she hadn’t even tried Haicheng’s local delicacies yet.
“Let’s go!”
Bai Yueming pulled Yun Hui over to her spot and began performing her masterful makeup artistry on her.
A mist of spray enveloped Yun Hui’s head. At that moment, she truly understood the imagery from the classical literature she studied in high school.
“Stars twinkle—mirrors are opened; dark clouds swirl—hair is combed at dawn; the Wei River swells with grease—rouge water is discarded; smoke drifts and mist rises—spices are burned.”
But there was a “loli” in the dorm who was allergic to beauty. In her words, she complained—When did the dorm turn into a sauna room? And the combination of all these cosmetics smells really stinks! It’s a stench from being too fragrant!
After she finished speaking, Bai Yueming shoved her out the door.
What a mood killer…
Knocking sounds came from outside the door: “Open up! If you have the guts to hide a woman, then have the guts to open the door!”
“Get lost! Don’t even think about joining us for dinner tonight.”
“Don’t, don’t, don’t! Sister Bai, Sister Yun, I was wrong! I’ll kowtow and apologize, please don’t be angry, you have to take me along to eat… otherwise I’ll blow up the dorm!”
…
A dazed expression appeared on Yun Hui’s slightly flushed face, unsure whether Meng Yao was giving in or threatening them.
Bai Yueming combed Yun Hui’s hair: “Don’t mind her, she’s just scatterbrained. She’s only joking.”
Yun Hui’s round eyes stared at the ring light mirror: “Yueming, this… this isn’t my style, is it?”
Bai Yueming raised an eyebrow: “I know you usually go for the sweet girl look, but this gentle and intellectual style suits you too. Who knows, maybe that older sister would like it?”
Yun Hui’s face flushed red—but it was covered by layers of makeup, so she could only gauge how red she was by the warmth she felt.
“Really, don’t tell anyone!” Yun Hui said seriously.
Bai Yueming leaned down slightly: “I like women too, but not your type.”
Bang!
Another explosive piece of information shot through her.
“No wonder…”
Bai Yueming’s eyes dimmed: “It’ll be a while before I can see her again. I’ve been waiting for a long time.”
Yun Hui opened her big eyes wide, wanting to say something but unable to speak.
She could sense the sadness in Yueming’s tone, but she had never comforted anyone growing up. She didn’t know how to console her…
“Don’t be sad, things… things will get better.”
Bai Yueming swept the long hair that had fallen in front of her to the back, her expression relaxed: “I’m not sad. It’s just that I made mistakes when I was young and didn’t dare take responsibility. Now I deeply regret it.”
Knock, knock, knock!
“Hurry up and open the door! Don’t leave Meng Yao behind.”
She was always the biggest mood killer.
Whenever Meng Yao showed up during something good, it was bound to go sour.
Bai Yueming opened the door helplessly: “I can’t stand you.”
Meng Yao grinned and looked at Yun Hui: “Wow, little Yun Hui, this makeup really suits you.”
Yun Hui lowered her head: “Don’t call me ‘little Yun Hui’ when you’re shorter than me.”
Meng Yao shrugged and clasped her hands: “It’s not about height, it’s about judging based on temperament or presence.”
Yun Hui glanced at Meng Yao. She was just like her younger self, forever full of energy.
The scene flashed through her mind again—several girls grabbing her hair, pinning her to the ground, bullying her… their mouths filled with vulgar words… constant attacks… constant mockery… as if she were born an outcast.
Bai Yueming’s sharp eyes instantly caught the change in Yun Hui’s expression.
“Don’t think too much about it. Let’s go eat happily,” Bai Yueming said, shaking Yun Hui’s shoulders.
Yun Hui snapped out of her thoughts: “Okay.”
It doesn’t matter, it’s all in the past. The more you dwell on it, the more you torment yourself.
She stood up and checked herself in the mirror. After making sure all traces on her body were covered, she followed Bai Yueming and Meng Yao out of the dorm.
The evening after the rain cleared had a captivating atmosphere, as if the clouds and wind were drunk, spilling a refreshing scent.
Just one whiff brought a sense of coolness.
“You didn’t bring your partner, did you?” Bai Yueming asked warily.
Meng Yao shook her head: “Why would I bring him? He’s not from our dorm.”
…
In the dorm, only she liked boys. Bai Yueming was afraid Yun Hui might feel uncomfortable, so she casually asked.
“I’ll go get the car.” Bai Yueming waved to the two of them and walked toward a blue Audi parked at the school gate.
Now it was Yun Hui’s turn to be surprised.
“I know what you’re thinking. Yueming is really rich, right?” Meng Yao raised her eyebrows proudly.
“Right!”
“You don’t pay attention to clothes, so you wouldn’t know. Every piece of clothing she wears costs over a thousand yuan.”
“That expensive? Yueming is a rich lady.”
Yun Hui stared at Yueming’s back.
“So, we can freeload dinner off her!”
Yun Hui shook her head: “That’s not good. Shouldn’t we split the bill?”
Beep!
The horn sounded.
Bai Yueming leaned her hand against the car window: “Get in.”
Yun Hui and Meng Yao hurriedly climbed into the car.
Sitting in the back seat, Yun Hui stared at Yueming with wide eyes, a thought echoing in her heart.
What kind of person would someone as perfect as Yueming like?