Morning light was just beginning to show, the horizon tinged with a fish-belly white, like a layer of semi-transparent gauze.
Dappled golden light leaked through the branches of the paulownia trees as sparrows hopped and pecked at grass seeds scattered on the cypress road.
Their claw prints left small plum-shaped puddles on the ground still covered in night dew.
White steam rose from the steamer baskets at the breakfast stall, mixing with the aroma of fried dough sticks as it drifted across the silent street.
Chi Qingyao had woken up early, mainly because she was curious about Su Li.
She realized that her room was the one Su Li had once stayed in.
The room was very clean, like a patch of pure land amidst ruins.
Of course, the “ruins” referred to Chi Qingya’s room when it hadn’t been cleaned.
Now that the auntie cleaner had tidied it up, it could no longer be called ruins.
Chi Qingya’s mental state wasn’t great, but thinking that her little sister was inside, she still set an alarm and got up early.
Because she had added Su Li as a friend, the first half of the night had been restless, her mind full of Su Li.
The second half of the night, she started thinking about Caixiangxiang and the others.
She remembered that today at school, she would have to face those people.
She didn’t know how to face them. ‘Should I just pretend I don’t know them?’
That was what Chi Qingya thought to herself. From now on, she wouldn’t need to save seats for anyone anymore.
Maybe returning to her original state of being alone wouldn’t be so bad.
After all, she had been familiar with that kind of state for a long time—a state without friends.
“Chi Qingya, remember to take out the trash when you leave.”
Chi Qingyao said to Chi Qingya before heading out.
She thought her elder sister could still be saved.
Otherwise, every time she came to visit her sister in the future, she’d have to stay in a dump with her.
Just imagining that scene made her unbearable.
Chi Qingya obediently gathered all of yesterday’s trash.
On the way to school, there were many places selling breakfast. Chi Qingyao’s eyes darted around, curious about everything around her.
Back home, their parents got up early and would usually boil her two eggs before heading out.
If nothing else, they would at least give her some money.
Not as much as they gave her elder sister Chi Qingya, of course.
But still enough for her to buy all kinds of snacks.
If she saved a bit, she could accumulate enough in a few days to buy a skin.
And of course, even if she went hungry, it didn’t matter.
She could just ask her sister for help.
Normally, Chi Qingyao didn’t eat breakfast.
Chi Qingya lowered her head, a little nervous.
She didn’t know if she was more afraid of seeing Su Li or of seeing Caixiangxiang and the others.
She had felt this way before.
It was when she had to choose between Su Li and Caixiangxiang.
Now, she no longer needed to make that choice.
“What are you afraid of?”
“Don’t forget, I’ve got their photos in my hand.”
“If they still bully you, just tell me. With me here, no one can bully you.”
Chi Qingyao was eating a meat flatbread that Chi Qingya had bought for her.
Seeing her sister with her head down, she thought she was being spineless.
They were just a few slackers.
What was there to be afraid of?
She had seen people who were even more deep into society than Caixiangxiang.
There was no need to care about them at all.
“Thank you, Yao Yao.”
“Don’t thank me. If you really want to thank me, when Mom and Dad transfer you money, remember to send me a red envelope.”
Chi Qingyao said nonchalantly.
Chi Qingya’s place wasn’t far from the school.
Before long, the two arrived at the school.
This time, she didn’t need to save seats for three people. She and Chi Qingyao sat at a corner in the back of the classroom.
“So this is university.”
“It’s way bigger than I imagined.”
“I feel like college students are pretty relaxed—they do whatever they want.”
“But Sis, I did see a few people heading toward the library.”
“I originally thought that after you got into university, you’d become a regular at the library.”
Chi Qingyao said with some emotion.
Actually, these scenes were somewhat familiar to her.
When Chi Qingya first started college, she would still send her photos of the campus.
But later, for some reason, she gradually stopped.
Chi Qingya remained silent.
In her own expectation, she would have become a library regular too.
No friends.
Running back and forth between the library and classrooms.
Finishing college would be no different from high school.
If there was a difference, it might be that she didn’t have to get up super early every day.
She had studied hard in university, just like in high school.
Then after graduation, she would find a suitable job.
Stay in this city.
Leave that little village in her hometown forever.
Chi Qingya had always thought her college life would be like that.
She didn’t know if she was too sensitive or if there was another reason.
She had barely moved into the dorm when she had a conflict with her roommate.
She was afraid of the past repeating itself.
Chi Qingya turned her gaze toward the window.
Until she met Su Li, her life had changed.
It had even drifted further and further from what she had imagined.
“Yao Yao, is someone with my personality just not suited for studying at school?”
“What do you mean not suited? Someone like you is exactly the kind of person who should be studying.”
Chi Qingyao rolled her eyes at Chi Qingya.
Her sister always had stupid questions.
She was used to it.
“But even if you entered society early, you’d probably still get bullied.”
“But don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
Chi Qingya’s gaze shifted to the classroom door as she watched students file in one by one.
She didn’t care about the glances that lingered on her.
But she didn’t find the familiar figure from the photo.
“Sis, hasn’t Su Li come yet?”
Chi Qingyao looked at Chi Qingya. She could feel that her sister was also constantly glancing toward the classroom door.
That meant her sister wanted to see Su Li too.
Su Li really hadn’t appeared.
“No.”
Chi Qingya said dejectedly.
Until the bell for class rang.
Su Li still hadn’t appeared.
Neither had Caixiangxiang and the other two.
Their sister group chat was still in the message list.
Chi Qingya knew no one would send any more messages in that group.
“Hey, Sis, I think this Su Li is kind of weird.”
“Do your other classmates skip class as often as Su Li?”
Chi Qingyao asked curiously. She didn’t know if the vocational college she would attend later would be as free as her sister’s school.
A good vocational college is no worse than a 985 university.
Both she and her sister had bright futures.