67. Your Rice is Sweet and Fragrant
“Junior, where’s your dorm?”
“Oh, let me see, it’s Room 520 in Building Two.”
“On the fifth floor? That’s quite a climb with such heavy luggage. What’s your name?”
“Ruo Xiaoxi. What about you, senior? How should I address you?”
Yin Huixue smiled sweetly. “My name is on the student ID card here on my chest. You can call me Senior Yin, although I also quite liked the way you called me ‘Sister Xue’ earlier.”
“Oh… your student ID.” Ruo Xiaoxi glanced at the ID card. Wasn’t it practically obscured, pushed upwards as it was? Was this the maturity of an older girl?
Ruo Xiaoxi had to stand on tiptoe and crane her neck to finally make out the name.
Yin Huixue, carrying the suitcase, headed towards the Building Two dormitory. Ruo Xiaoxi followed closely behind, occasionally glancing at the other students passing by, curious about her new school and surroundings.
“Xiaoxi, did you come alone today?”
“Ah… Ah! Yes, I came by myself.” Startled by the senior using her given name, Ruo Xiaoxi quickly caught up, trotting to walk beside her as she answered.
“By the way, senior, what’s that armband you’re wearing?”
“It’s the Student Council armband. We’re welcoming new students at the school gate today. Sometimes, there are students like you who arrive alone with heavy luggage, so we offer to help.”
“I see…”
Wait a minute. So, had there been a senior who tried to help her with her luggage earlier? She’d been preoccupied and hadn’t really paid attention to him.
Welcoming new students was a typical activity at the start of the school year, meant to help freshmen settle in.
It was also a good opportunity for socializing. Seniors could help cute juniors with their luggage, and the juniors would feel welcomed and supported from the moment they arrived, leading to new acquaintances.
Perhaps it could even be the beginning of a beautiful friendship or romance.
Thinking of this, Ruo Xiaoxi decided to be more polite. “Thank you so much for helping me with my luggage, senior. You’re so pretty, too. Beautiful and kind. I’m so lucky.”
“Haha,” Yin Huixue chuckled, covering her mouth slightly. “You have such a lovely voice.”
“Ah? My voice? That’s the first time I’ve heard anyone say that…” Ruo Xiaoxi unconsciously touched her throat. She couldn’t really tell what her own voice sounded like.
“So, what compliments do you usually get? That you’re cute and petite?”
“Hmm… Yeah, something like that.”
“Because I’ve seen you before. Well, not in person, but in a photo.”
“You’ve seen me before, senior!?”
“A girl with such fairy-like white hair is hard to miss. You made quite an impression. I think I saw you in a group photo, holding two ice cream cones and smiling happily.”
“Oh, really? What a coincidence…” Ruo Xiaoxi chuckled awkwardly.
It had to be Xia Zhibai! It must have been a picture Sister Xia took. They had taken a lot of photos when they went out together. She must have posted it online or in a group chat where someone saw it.
Yin Huixue, carrying the heavy suitcase, climbed the four flights of stairs in one go, pausing to rest on the landing.
Even though she was only carrying the bedding, Ruo Xiaoxi was also breathless after climbing four floors, swaying on her feet as if about to collapse, and Yin Huixue quickly steadied her.
“Thank you, senior. I’m not very strong…” Ruo Xiaoxi said sheepishly. It was something she was always self-conscious about.
Lost in the sweet sound of “senior” coming from the adorable junior, Yin Huixue simply took the bedding from Ruo Xiaoxi’s arms and, together with the suitcase, carried everything upstairs herself.
Ruo Xiaoxi, now empty-handed with just her backpack, stared in awe at the superhuman senior, her eyes filled with admiration. She thought that if the senior was this strong, she might as well carry her upstairs too.
She was already on the verge of transforming into a helpless, moe-blob of a loli.
After bringing all the luggage into the dorm room, Yin Huixue even meticulously helped her make the bed, even setting up the mosquito net, even though it was summer. Ruo Xiaoxi felt truly cared for by her senior.
If only she’d met such a nice senior earlier, she wouldn’t have been bitten by mosquitoes!
“Is this… a plushie? There’s a little whale tucked in your suitcase.”
“Oh, yes, my sister bought it for me. She said I could hug it at night or punch it when I’m angry.” Ruo Xiaoxi stood on tiptoe, peering over the railing of the top bunk.
“So cute, bringing a plushie to school.”
“Hmm…” Ruo Xiaoxi blushed, suddenly feeling a little childish. She wished she’d left it at home, but it had also seemed a shame to leave it behind.
While Yin Huixue made her bed, Ruo Xiaoxi hurried downstairs to the small shop, bought a bottle of water, and brought it back up to the senior. The senior had been so kind, and of course, she wanted to reciprocate.
“By the way, there’s something I’d like to ask you, if you don’t mind me being a little nosy.”
“Eh? What is it, senior?”
“Do you already have a… partner? While it’s perfectly normal to be taken—a pretty girl like you couldn’t possibly be single—I still wanted to ask.”
“A partner!? Like, a boyfriend? I, I don’t have one.” Ruo Xiaoxi shook her head, opened the water bottle for the senior, and handed it to her. Yin Huixue sat on the lower bunk mattress, beads of sweat glistening on her neck.
Yin Huixue thanked her for the water, then gave Ruo Xiaoxi a knowing look, as if suspecting she might be lying. But Ruo Xiaoxi’s honest and innocent eyes convinced her otherwise.
“Then I think I heard someone say that you’re quite the flirt, mischievous and charming. You appear so well-behaved and demure. Could it be that you have some hidden tricks when it comes to romance?”
“Did you perhaps hear that from Sister Xia…? We’re just good friends, that’s all.”
“Is that so? I got the feeling there was something more between you two. By the way, could you try acting cute and charming with me? Just once? I’d like to experience what it feels like to be charmed by a junior.”
“Sorry, I’m not open for business today.” Ruo Xiaoxi shrugged, her little feet dangling playfully.
“Is it because I’m not as pretty as Xia Zhibai that you’re not willing to charm me?” Yin Huixue tilted her head.
“That’s not it, senior. You’re very pretty…” How strange, why did the senior want her to act cute with her? Well, she might as well add her on WeChat, in case she needed to contact her later.
“Hee hee, just kidding. Is this all your luggage then? If you have any questions about school, just contact me. I’ll be going now. Welcome to our school!”
“Thank you, senior.”
“Your cheeks are so pinchable! Gosh, you look like a 2D anime loli straight out of a manga! I can’t resist squeezing your face.” Yin Huixue gently pinched her soft, springy cheeks.
Ruo Xiaoxi’s beauty was captivating at first glance, but the more you looked, the more endearing she became.
Ahem, Senior, please mind your behavior! Ruo Xiaoxi felt a little shy, though having her cheeks touched felt nice, like being pampered by an older sister.
“Oh, it seems like someone’s coming. I should get going.” Hearing hurried footsteps approaching in the hallway, Yin Huixue pushed herself up and stood.
“Okay, bye, senior!” Ruo Xiaoxi gave her a sweet smile. Even though she had said she was “closed for business,” Yin Huixue felt her heart melt at that unintentional, adorable smile.
Why were all the juniors so cute these days? She wanted to scoop one up from the crowd and take her home, like winning a prize at a claw machine.
As the footsteps drew closer, a familiar figure appeared at the dorm room door. Yin Huixue and Xia Zhibai, one exiting and the other entering, met at the doorway.
“Huh? Xue’er, what are you doing here?” Xia Zhibai paused, surprised.
“I was helping a freshman with her luggage. Your little girlfriend seems quite neglected! She dragged a mountain of luggage all the way from outside the school, all alone and looking so pitiful. It was heartbreaking to see.”
“Ah! She… she came by herself?” Xia Zhibai lowered her voice.
She’d been welcoming new students at the front gate and hadn’t seen Ruo Xiaoxi. So she had entered through the back gate.
She’d welcomed so many new students, yet missed her own precious Xiaoxi, leaving her all alone. Hearing Yin Huixue’s words, guilt flooded her heart.
“If you’d been any later, I might have stolen Ruo Xiaoxi away,” Yin Huixue teased with a smile.
“Wh-what? She’s mine! Don’t you dare lay a finger on Xiaoxi!”
“Oh? That possessive, huh?” Yin Huixue’s tone was playful as she leaned in close to Xia Zhibai’s ear and whispered, “Your… rice… is… sweet… and… fragrant~”
With that, Yin Huixue giggled and fled at lightning speed, leaving Xia Zhibai’s face alternating between shades of red and white, her eyes wide with shock. She stamped her foot in frustration.
“Hey! Xue’er, Yin Huixue! Get back here! What was that all about?!”
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