Chapter 62: Good Children Get Sweets

“Really, Fifth Sister? If I’d known, the two of us wouldn’t have gone out. Let me see if you’re all right!” Sweetie leaned in close, her little hands gently feeling her face.

“Keep your distance, or you’ll catch it too,” Dong Yanyan scolded playfully, pinching her nose and pushing her away with a smile. It felt so good to be cared for, even if that concern had come a bit late.

With a loud bang, the door was flung open again. Li Hui burst in, bringing a rush of cold air with her. “I almost missed the last bus! The snow is coming down so hard!” As she spoke, she pulled off her hat and scarf, tossed her coat onto her bed, then started peeling off her sweater.

Dong Yanyan glanced at Ren Jiaxuan, thinking, Aren’t you leaving yet? Waiting to watch a strip show?

Ren Jiaxuan was just as flustered, quickly taking his leave. “Yanyan, I’ll get going now. You girls carry on.” With that, he spun around and dashed out.

Hearing his voice, Li Hui looked back in surprise, then grinned. “I didn’t even notice someone else was here. Come by whenever you like,” she called after him.

“Sure, sure.” Ren Jiaxuan, brimming with youthful energy, leaned against the doorframe, waving at them with a gleam in his eyes. “Little sisters, I’m off! Bye-bye—”

“Bye—” Xiaohan and Sweetie beamed as they waved back at him.

*

At seven-thirty that evening, Dong Yanyan, clutching her books, went upstairs with the others for self-study. Leng Yue had offered to help her sign off and told her to get some rest, but Dong Yanyan would rather be in the bright, bustling, warm classroom than alone in their chilly, gloomy dorm room. Besides, she still had homework to do.

As they reached the second floor, they saw Zhang Dawei from the broadcasting class rushing down. He screeched to a halt right in front of them. “Dong Yanyan, I heard Ren Jiaxuan went to your dorm this afternoon and came out unharmed. Is that true?!” He shook his hair with a flourish, curiosity lighting his face.

“Our dorm isn’t exactly a den of wolves and tigers. Isn’t it normal for someone to come out unharmed?” Dong Yanyan replied gently with a soft smile, then led Xinran past him.

Zhang Dawei watched her go, chuckling knowingly. “Normal? Not at all!”

Gu Xiaohan and Sweetie ran up to the second floor, only to find Zhang Dawei blocking their way.

“Sweetie, I heard Jiaxuan went to your dorm this afternoon and made it out in one piece. Is that true?” he asked in a conspiratorial whisper.

“Was he trying to break in? Doesn’t seem like him,” Sweetie said suspiciously.

“Of course not, we always treat our junior sisters well,” Zhang Dawei replied casually. “It’s just that he started bragging as soon as he got back, so I had to check if it was true.”

Satisfied with their answer, he returned to his own classroom, content. Sweetie and Xiaohan exchanged puzzled glances and shrugged. Turning, they saw He Jingxuan standing behind them, his face dark.

“Sweetie, did Ren Jiaxuan really go to your dorm this afternoon and not get kicked out?” he asked, half-doubting.

“It’s true,” Sweetie answered guiltily. “He went to do a good deed.”

“He went to do a good deed? So I’m always up to no good? Why the double standard?!” He Jingxuan huffed, storming off to his classroom.

Sweetie stuck out her tongue at Xiaohan helplessly.

*

Song Mingcheng entered the classroom just as the bell rang for evening study. Having just switched seats, he nearly sat in the wrong place. Settling in, he noticed Dong Yanyan slumped against the wall, propping up her head, looking utterly miserable.

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at her and mutter, “What is it now?”

Dong Yanyan looked up and met his exasperated gaze, sighing softly. “If I say there’s really nothing wrong, just another cold—would you believe me?”

Song Mingcheng laughed. “You’re so frail. Eat more and take care of yourself.”

She noticed how lively he seemed today, wearing a brand-new set of jeans that suited him perfectly, hair still damp from washing, looking as handsome as ever. Of course, he wasn’t wearing the sweater she’d given him. Oh well, he never appreciated the things she bought for him anyway—she was used to it by now.

“Hey, let me borrow your homework. My head’s spinning—I can’t think straight.” As she spoke, she reached for his electrical engineering assignment. Song Mingcheng snatched it away. “No way. If you copy again, you’ll flunk the finals.”

“I just want to check if you got it right. Never mind!” she huffed, turning away to read her own book.

Song Mingcheng idly flipped through his own book, but when Dong Yanyan fell silent for a while, he peeked over. She was staring bitterly at the circuit diagram in her notebook, looking utterly defeated.

“Look at this diagram—it’s like building a mansion out of bricks and tiles,” she muttered, pointing at the resistors and capacitors, nearly at her wit’s end. “All of this gets crammed into a piece the size of a stick of gum, and if it breaks, you just replace it. Quick and easy—who even bothers with all this outdated stuff anymore?”

“That’s not right. You need to know the how as well as the why. These basics are always useful,” said Teacher Gu, who had somehow appeared behind them. Embarrassed, Dong Yanyan turned to him with an apologetic smile. “You’re right, sir. It’s just—I really can’t figure this one out. Could you explain it to me when you have time?”

“Of course. A lot of students struggled with this one. I’ll go through it in detail tomorrow. For now, try to give it another shot,” Teacher Gu said kindly, patting her on the shoulder before turning to Song Mingcheng. “Song Mingcheng, step outside a moment.”

Song Mingcheng cheerfully followed him out.

Dong Yanyan found it strange. For the past two months, Song Mingcheng had spent a lot of time whispering with Teacher Gu, sometimes even skipping evening study. Was the teacher giving him special tutoring? But with his grades, did he really need it? Or... could it be... Her thoughts drifted off course.

Stay pure! Stay pure! Imagining things about dear Teacher Gu—how wicked! She felt a bit guilty for even thinking such things.

Since most students couldn’t solve that problem anyway, she decided to work on something else. Dong Yanyan never forced herself unless absolutely necessary.

Returning to the dorm that night, she found a bag of fruit hanging at her bedside and two boxes of cold medicine on her bed. She had no appetite for fruit, but she took two cold pills, washed up, and went to bed.

The next morning, she woke up feeling much better: no cough, no runny nose, which made her very happy. Normally, her colds started with a fever, then a sore throat, then a week of coughing and sniffles. This time, she’d nipped it in the bud with the medicine—truly foresighted.

Early that morning, she ran into Song Mingcheng, who watched her skipping toward him under the streetlights, and smiled with satisfaction. “The cold medicine worked pretty well, didn’t it?”

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PS: A few classmates have asked about extra chapters. I don’t have much of a manuscript buffer right now, and in order to maintain quality and steady updates, I’ve been updating at a consistent pace. I’m slowly building up a surplus, though. Once the clicks hit 50,000, or favorites reach 500, or the first long review appears, I’ll post an extra chapter. I’ll keep adding more as the stats reach new milestones. Thank you all for your support—love you all!