Chapter 24: Cat-Ear Hairstyle

The next morning, Ning Chuxue finished organizing her clothes and was about to head out.

Because she had been dragged to remedial classes by Shen Ruqing during evening self-study the night before, by the time she was ready to go home, it was already very late.

She had no choice but to follow Shen Ruqing’s suggestion and continue staying overnight in Mu Wannuo’s office.

Fortunately, the office had a small bathroom located in the small door next to the bedroom.

There were even disposable towels and slippers available.

While it was a good thing—at least she could take a shower—

having a bathroom in the office…

‘It still feels kind of strange.’

Ning Chuxue didn’t dwell on it. After showering, she climbed into bed and went to sleep.

It had rained moderately last night, making sleeping even more comfortable.

When she woke up the next morning, Ning Chuxue felt completely revived. This sleep was the best she’d had in the past month.

Especially with the sound of rain as a bonus.

Today’s classes were light—only in the morning, which was good news.

Ning Chuxue walked to the mirror. Since the weather was hot today, she chose something cooler.

A pink short-sleeved shirt and deep blue short denim shorts that just covered her thighs.

Thin white stockings extended from her feet to just below her knees. If you looked closely, you could even see the outline of her calves underneath.

Because she hadn’t cut her hair much or styled it properly recently, the length had returned to what it used to be—just a hair’s breadth away from touching the floor.

But she had taught herself some braiding techniques online, so she put in a little effort and crafted a cat ear hairstyle.

The hair above her ears was braided into shapes resembling cat ears. After finishing the ears, the remaining hair gathered in the middle into a long braid, like a cat’s tail.

‘It really does look weird.’

Who in their right mind would come to class with such a strange hairstyle?

But it was too late to fix it now. She did a quick check to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, then prepared to leave.

However, the moment she opened the door, she froze.

Shen Ruqing was standing right there, holding a cup of hot soy milk.

When Shen Ruqing saw the door open, she first put away her phone, then handed the soy milk to Ning Chuxue.

“Morning. Drink the soy milk first to settle your stomach.”

“Sister Ruqing, when did you get here?”

She never expected Shen Ruqing to be waiting for her outside the door.

Shen Ruqing paused, as if thinking.

After a moment, she spoke.

“Just now.”

She had calculated the time earlier—it was about half an hour ago.

But if she said she’d been here half an hour, Ning Chuxue would definitely worry, so she chose a vaguer phrasing.

“You didn’t have to wait for me.”

Ning Chuxue took the soy milk from her hand. It was still warm. One sip—exactly forty percent sweet, her preferred sweetness.

“I had nothing else to do, so I came.”

After saying that, she checked the time.

“It’s a good time now. Let’s head to the classroom first.”

“Alright.”

Ning Chuxue gave Shen Ruqing a strange look, then followed.

‘I thought she’d have some extreme comment about my weird hairstyle today, but it seems I was overthinking it.’

Little did she know, Shen Ruqing had already noticed when she stepped out.

But strong emotions early in the morning might affect her health, so Shen Ruqing didn’t bring it up.

The whole morning went fairly smoothly. Under the pressure Shen Ruqing had applied over the past few days, hardly anyone dared to approach Ning Chuxue voluntarily.

Of course, except for Ying.

Ning Chuxue didn’t know where she got her perseverance. Even after being driven away several times, Ying still relentlessly came to hang out with her.

Throughout the morning, every time Ning Chuxue turned her head, she saw Shen Ruqing scribbling and drawing in a notebook, unsure of what she was writing.

This state lasted until near the end of the morning classes.

Shen Ruqing put down her pen and stretched comfortably.

Then she picked up the completed notes and placed them on Ning Chuxue’s desk.

“These are for you. They’ll be enough for your review.”

Looking at the notebook with its exquisite cover, Ning Chuxue had no idea what she was talking about.

But when she opened the cover page, she was stunned.

Inside were recorded all the knowledge points she hadn’t encountered or had missed.

Shen Ruqing had even thoughtfully added a table of contents to make it easier to find review material.

Ning Chuxue could intuitively feel the immense effort Shen Ruqing had put into this.

“This…”

She didn’t know what to say, staring in shock at Shen Ruqing, who acted as if it were just a small task.

“Sister Ruqing, how many days did you spend writing this?”

Shen Ruqing lay on the desk, reached out, and stroked her head.

“A few days. Let me touch your head as payment.”

Ning Chuxue found it hard to believe. On closer inspection, she could even see some dark circles around Shen Ruqing’s eyes.

The circles weren’t obvious; Ning Chuxue only noticed them after staring for a while.

In an instant, a pang of tenderness struck her heart.

This was the first time she had felt tenderness toward her “elder sisters.”

Even though Shen Ruqing always intentionally or unintentionally prevented her from socializing with others, Ning Chuxue couldn’t deny the gentleness hidden behind her actions.

Feeling the warmth of the palm on her head, Ning Chuxue no longer resisted as before.

Her movements were light, and she even deliberately chose to pinch the two cat ears she had braided today.

‘Yes, this is payment.’

Thinking this, Ning Chuxue genuinely enjoyed the petting, without any resistance in her heart.

After a while, perhaps because Shen Ruqing’s hand was getting sore, she withdrew it.

Ning Chuxue felt her heart racing. When Shen Ruqing pulled back, she finally had a chance to breathe.

“Even if it’s payment, you can’t touch for that long…”

She roughly estimated—at least five minutes.

Too long! She even lost a few strands of hair!

“Chuxue’s hair looks good today. I couldn’t help myself.”

After saying that, she brazenly pulled out her phone and snapped a few photos of Ning Chuxue.

Seeing the camera pointed at her, Ning Chuxue instinctively wanted to dodge.

She didn’t like having her picture taken, especially now with such an embarrassing hairstyle.

But considering Shen Ruqing might have stayed up last night writing notes for her,

Ning Chuxue forced herself to stay calm and face the camera.

With a blinding flash, a photo was captured on Shen Ruqing’s phone.

In the photo, Ning Chuxue sat on the chair in an extremely unnatural posture, hands on her knees, face shyly turned to one side.

“Is, is it done…?”

“Done.”

After saying that, Shen Ruqing sent the photo to Mu Wannuo.

Seeing the task completed, Ning Chuxue let out a full sigh of relief, the pressure in her heart dissipating.

[Is that the hairstyle Little Pitiful has today?]

Seeing Mu Wannuo’s message, Shen Ruqing swiped the screen and replied.

[Yes, Chuxue braided it herself]

[Not bad, I didn’t expect her to be so skilled. By the way, is Little Pitiful very popular at school?]