"What's so good about it? Hurry up and get off me!"
Lines of frustration appeared on Ye Qiu's forehead as he impatiently pushed her away.
"Ah—you, how did you get over here?!"
Xiao Wu suddenly grabbed the blanket and covered her delicate body, her pretty face flushing red as she stared at Ye Qiu.
"What do you mean I came over here? You shameless rabbit, you're the one who rolled over here on your own!"
Ye Qiu rubbed his dark-circled eyes, his face completely numb.
He'd been woken up in the middle of the night by this shameless rabbit, who clung to his neck, muttering things like "Da Ming," "Er Ming," and "Mom." She even licked him occasionally. What, did she really think he was a lollipop?
Ye Qiu vigorously rubbed his tired face and stared straight at Xiao Wu, warning her, "If you wake me up again in the middle of the night, be careful—I'll kick you off the bed!"
Xiao Wu was stunned for a moment, glanced around, and finally realized it really was her fault. She didn't dare meet Ye Qiu's eyes, lowered her head with a blushing face, and gave a soft nod.
"Mm… Sister Xiao Wu understands."
"I'm going to wash up. Fix the blanket."
Ye Qiu stretched lazily, weakly dropped the line, and walked out of Dorm 7.
He hadn't slept well all night—his whole body felt drained.
Tang San's bed was already empty. He'd probably gone to cultivate his Purple Demon Eye again.
After fusing with Xiao Wu yesterday...
Ye Qiu had started considering Tang San's memories. But honestly, he had no interest in getting physically close to another guy. Even if he could get what he wanted that way, he might not even survive the attempt.
Tang San might not do anything to him, but his powerful family background… yeah, that wasn't something Ye Qiu could mess with. That hammer-wielding dad of his was no joke.
Thinking of this, Ye Qiu felt a little glum again.
He scratched his head messily.
Xiao Wu pouted her lips, watching Ye Qiu's back as he walked away.
After grumbling to herself while fixing the blanket, she looked around at the still-sleeping Wang Sheng and others. Relieved that no one saw her embarrassing moment, she immediately exercised her big-sister authority.
"Wake up! Get up now, you lazy bugs!"
Xiao Wu yelled as she went from bed to bed, hands on her hips, kicking the legs of the beds—bang, bang, bang.
By the time Ye Qiu returned, everyone had already been woken up by Xiao Wu's shouting. Tang San, who had gone out to cultivate, had also returned to the dorm.
Ye Qiu showed his usual smile and naturally sat down at the edge of Tang San's bed.
"Yo! Xiao San, good morning! You're still as hardworking as ever."
"Mm. I've gotten used to it over the years."
Tang San nodded slightly, then gave Ye Qiu a strange smile. Honestly, he had started to admire him a bit.
Even someone as young as Xiao Wu… this guy had no hesitation.
Clearly, he had seen Xiao Wu sleeping soundly on top of Ye Qiu earlier.
"Heehee! Ye Qiu!"
Just finished washing up, Xiao Wu bounced into Dorm 7 cheerfully, waving her little hand and flashing a sweet smile at Ye Qiu.
She had just noticed in the mirror that the swelling around her eyes was gone. It must've been Ye Qiu who healed her last night.
Ye Qiu smiled back.
He completely ignored Tang San's strange look.
Seeing the dry rations Tang San was chewing on, Ye Qiu suddenly felt a bit hungry too.
He got up and walked to his own bed, pulled out his food from his bag, then returned to Tang San's side and opened his palm. Lying there was a bright green candy.
"Xiao San, want one?"
Tang San froze for a second. That green color was a little too eye-catching. He shook his head and politely declined:
"No thanks. You eat it yourself."
"If he doesn't want it, I do! Give it to me!"
Just after tying up her hair, Xiao Wu suddenly jumped over and sat next to Ye Qiu. She leaned close, holding a slightly wilted carrot—the one she brought with her to the academy.
"If you want it, it's yours."
Ye Qiu rolled his eyes and reached out to feed her.
"Yay! Thank you! Aah—"
Xiao Wu happily opened her mouth and let Ye Qiu place the candy in.
"…Eh? Why does this candy taste weird?"
Her cheerful smile turned into a frown. She took the lollipop out, stuck out her tongue, and asked Ye Qiu with a pitiful look, "Ye Qiu, is this candy spoiled? Why is it bitter?"
Tang San also looked at Ye Qiu curiously.
"How could it be spoiled? It's bitter melon flavor—of course it's bitter!"
Ye Qiu replied with a grin, then grabbed Xiao Wu's wrist and pushed the candy back toward her mouth. "Don't you dare waste it! Bitter melon cools the body's internal heat. Just right for someone like you who's eaten too many sweets."
"Awgh—!" Xiao Wu turned her head away in disgust. "You liar! You're definitely messing with me again!"
Oh? Ye Qiu raised his brows. Surprising—she actually guessed right this time.
"Xiao Wu, Ye Qiu's right. Bitter melon does help clear internal heat."
Tang San, who had been a bit skeptical earlier, smiled and supported Ye Qiu's explanation.
"Hear that? It's all for your own good. Now finish it!"
With his back to Tang San, Ye Qiu's lips curled into a sneaky smile. I originally meant it for Tang San… but hey, gluttonous rabbit, you volunteered.
"Aaah…"
Under Ye Qiu's intense stare, Xiao Wu hung her head and whined.
Tang San looked at her cute expression and couldn't help but chuckle.
Just then, Wang Sheng walked over. "Boss, Sister Xiao Wu, Brother San, we've got to go to the opening ceremony now!"
"Alright then, let's go!" Tang San quickly stuffed the remaining dry food into his mouth.
As Ye Qiu and the others stepped out of Dorm 7…
The cool morning air had faded.
The scorching sun blazed overhead, making the stone tiles underfoot burn hot.
Sure enough, it was the same everywhere—
Academy leaders could talk endlessly.
They had their nice shaded canopy, so what did it matter to them whether others got drenched in rain or baked in the sun?
It wasn't until nearly noon that the tedious and boring opening ceremony finally ended.
Dorm 7 had twelve students including Ye Qiu, all of whom staggered back into their dorm room, looking utterly exhausted.
As soon as he entered, Ye Qiu, who hadn't slept well the night before, collapsed straight onto his bed.
Xiao Wu followed right after.
"Ahh~ Sister Xiao Wu is dying… I'm starving and exhausted… Ye Qiu, do you have any more candy?"
Ye Qiu lay there and ignored her.
Not only had he slept badly, he also hadn't eaten enough in the morning. His whole body felt weak.
Thanks to his Xuan Tian Technique, Tang San didn't feel too tired. He shook his head as he looked at his exhausted dorm mates sprawled all over.
Seeing Tang San still full of energy made Ye Qiu a little jealous.
Wang Sheng, being a bit older and possessing the Battle Tiger Martial Soul, had a stronger physical constitution and was still fairly energetic.
"Sister Xiao Wu, since you're hungry, why don't we head to the cafeteria for something to eat?"
Hearing there was food, Xiao Wu immediately perked up, and her pitiful expression turned lively again.
She asked excitedly, "Sure! What delicious food is there?!"
Wang Sheng and the other students exchanged glances and smiled bitterly.
"We're working students, remember? What good food could we afford? Our jobs haven't even started yet. We'll just grab some cheap food at the cafeteria to get by."
Hearing that, Xiao Wu's expression turned troubled. She was flat broke—not a single coin on her. Helpless, she turned her pleading eyes toward Ye Qiu.