Chapter 99: Sight

“Sorry, this student, you’re a bit late. At this time, our shop only has this type of bread left.”

By the cafeteria stood a small bakery shop, where the clerk Kui Yan scratched his head awkwardly and pointed at the few remaining slices of dark gray bread speckled with coarse grains inside the display case for Meng Wange to see.

“The reviews for this kind haven’t been very good, but our next batch will be baked around three or four in the afternoon. You could come back then if you want?”

“No need, thank you. Just three slices of this kind will do.”

Meng Wange smiled gently as she handed over the money, took the packaged loaf from the clerk, then turned around and headed toward the Classroom of Class Three, Year Two.

As expected from someone who arrived late, almost all the windows at the cafeteria had been closed by now, leaving only some strange-looking food that seemed impossible to provide proper nutrition.

Clutching the two hard slices of bread close to her chest, Meng Wange silently gazed in the direction of the Teaching Building.

She wondered what Miss Su had eaten for lunch today. Judging by the quality of food at the Su Residence, maybe nothing in the cafeteria would suit her taste?

Later, she would observe Miss Su Wanli’s preferences more carefully. Perhaps she could find a way to personally prepare some boxed meals and bring them to school for her.

While daydreaming about such a future, Meng Wange picked up one slice of the dark rye bread and bit into it, chewing twice.

The rough grains had a strange sourness that made it hard to swallow for a moment.

… Looks like I’ve also been spoiled by the Su Residence’s meals, but food at this level used to be my ordinary home cooking.

Frowning slightly, Meng Wange finished the slice in three bites, then put the remaining two back into the packaging and continued walking toward the classroom.

“Wen, does that person’s silhouette look like…”

“Sure does, but isn’t Su Xiaoli with her?”

Although the crowd around her was sparse—with only one or two Baiying Academy students passing by occasionally—strange whispers still floated into Meng Wange’s ears.

“Peng?”

But she had just gotten off Miss Wanli’s car and brought her bag and tea. Could that really be enough to cause this kind of gossip?

Or maybe in this high school, information about Su Wanli spread even faster than she expected.

Meng Wange shook her head lightly, ignoring those who glanced her way, and quickened her pace.

Before long, she stepped onto the third floor of the Teaching Building and found the Classroom marked “Class Three, Year Two.”

There was still about half an hour before the first afternoon class started. Only about a third of the students were seated, with most lingering in the hallway or the garden downstairs.

Fortunately, the person she was looking for sat in the second-to-last row by the window.

Su Xiaoli leaned back in her chair, one hand propping up her chin, while the other clutched the slimmed-down notebook Meng Wange had handed her that morning. She seemed to be reviewing something.

… Looks like even this temperamental Miss Su has started trying to study hard to prepare for tomorrow’s school entrance test.

Meng Wange smiled softly as she entered the classroom, placed her lunch on the desk, then turned to greet Su Wanli quietly—

“Miss Su, I’ve already washed your School Uniform Jacket. It’s almost dry now, but it still needs a bit more…”

“Mm… Ah…”

As she leaned a little closer to Su Wanli, a breath as faint as a mosquito’s kiss drifted into Meng Wange’s ears.

The window that looked out onto the distant scenery was slightly ajar, leaving a thin slit through which cold air occasionally blew, causing the young black-haired girl’s soft eyelashes to flutter.

… She’s shivering?

Seeing Su Wanli in her thin School Uniform shirt, trying hard to curl up against the chill, Meng Wange helplessly curved her lips.

Really, your cold just got better yesterday, so why are you sleeping with the window open to the cold wind? That won’t do.

Today, there’s nowhere I can go to cook a bowl of warm porridge for her.

Meng Wange gently hung the still slightly damp jacket on the back of her chair, stood up, and quietly approached Su Wanli.

“Miss Su, I’m going to close the window now.”

Hearing the voice nearby, the black-haired girl frowned impatiently and turned her face away.

… Hmph, what a poor attempt at hiding.

Meng Wange bent slightly by Su Wanli’s side, pushed the window closed against the cold breeze, then lightly supported Su Wanli’s body, helping her shift into a sleeping position with her head down on the desk. She also took off her own jacket and draped it over Su Wanli’s shoulders.

“Ah… so warm…”

For some reason, several inexplicable gasps came from behind Meng Wange.

… To them, is helping someone put on a jacket such a scandalous thing?

According to Su Xiaoli’s wishes, maybe I should keep a bit more distance between us…

No matter. We’re not ordinary classmates, and since there’s a master-servant relationship involved, serving Su Wanli a little shouldn’t be that hard for them to accept.

Meng Wange took the notebook, still holding some warmth, from Su Xiaoli’s hands, sat back down at her own desk, and pondered for a moment.

After all, this was an academy with strong teaching staff. Before, she had imagined Class Three, Year Two to be a relatively good-performing class, but based on her own experience now…

— Perhaps it wouldn’t be so difficult for Su Wanli’s grades to reach the middle of the class.

She would further simplify the content of this notebook. Maybe in the end, all she needed to do before each exam was give Su Wanli a set of multiple-choice answers to leave an impression. That would be enough.

Not sure if that counts as cheating…

Meng Wange sighed softly and leaned over her desk, glancing sideways at Su Xiaoli’s delicate sleeping face.

… Really, I wasn’t usually this shameless before.

Miss Su, this time I’m making an exception for you.

Before she could start getting up to write, a loud noise suddenly erupted from the right side of the classroom.

“Thud!”

Three pale, trembling figures shuffled in through the back door like zombies and collapsed onto the desks behind Meng Wange, letting out long sighs.

“Ugh, so tired…”

“And so hungry.”

“Ugh, if only we hadn’t talked so much earlier… filling our stomachs comes first.”

Meng Wange turned quietly and smiled at them, then pointed toward Su Wanli’s figure.

Immediately, the pink-haired girl subconsciously covered her mouth and whispered,

“Ah, sorry…”

Meng Wange shook her head gently at her, then looked back at Su Wanli.

Luckily, even hearing that noise, Su Xiaoli only quietly lifted her eyelids, frowned, and fell back asleep, tugging the jacket on her shoulders upward.

… Alright, now let her rest a bit more.

Meng Wange handed the package containing the other two slices of rye bread to the three little thugs following Su Xiaoli, then prepared to pull out a new notebook from her desk to further condense Su Wanli’s notes.

Hm?

There seems to be something… warm in my desk?