Two days later, Monday rolled in like a pale tide, and the Finance class at Ninghai University waited for the professor like reeds waiting for wind.
“Hey, Fatty, what’s got you so happy? You’ve been grinning like a crescent moon.”
At the doorway, two buddies stepped in, their words clacking like pebbles.
“Hey hey, listen—last night I dreamed of our class’s Goddess Tang.”
Fatty tipped his head up, a smile blooming like a paper lantern.
“A dream is a dream. Look at you being thrilled.”
The skinny boy’s tease flicked cold water.
“Heh, you don’t get it. Maybe it’s a sign—me and Goddess Tang, red thread and all.”
“Come on. With that piggy face? If she says one word to you, that’s already glory.”
“Ahem, Little Fatty, could you move?”
Their back-and-forth snapped; a voice rang behind them like a silver bell. They turned and froze like statues.
“Damn!”
The skinnier one blurted.
“O-oh… s-sorry…”
Fatty stammered, shuffling aside like a crab.
“Time to lose some weight, okay~”
Walking past, Tang Coco glanced back, her smile warm as spring sun on frost.
“Uh… I… I think I’m in love… Ah! You saw that? You heard that? Goddess Tang talked to me! Ahahaha, I’m gonna slim down!”
His heart thumped like a drum; excitement burned like a match catching dry grass.
“Ugh… did this fatty just stumble into dumb luck?”
The skinny boy deflated, words dropping like wilted leaves.
“Hey, move. Don’t block the way!”
A female voice pinned him from behind like a nail.
“Huh?”
“Huh what?”
He turned. It was other girls from class, their eyes sharp as knives.
“Oh… sorry…”
He hurried into the room, feet tapping like quick rain.
“Probably an idiot,” one girl said, her disdain cold as ash.
“Hello! Coco, welcome back.”
Tang Coco headed for her seat. A bright voice waved like a handkerchief in sun.
“Hi, class rep.”
Tang Coco answered with a light smile, calm as a lake.
“Told you, don’t call me class rep. Call me Mengyao.”
Mengyao stood, voice sugar-sweet, like syrup over ice.
“Uh… okay.”
“How’s your health?”
“Mm, it’s fine.”
Their polite words drifted like tea steam.
“Ah~ isn’t this our delicate sports rep? Our tender little PE monitor is here—your body okay?”
A sing-song voice slithered from behind. Tang Coco turned. A girl stood beside her: red V‑neck short dress blazing like a flame, black stockings and red heels clicking like sparks, burgundy waves of hair flowing like wine.
“Uh… classmate, you are?”
She eyed the thick makeup, powder layered like plaster, and searched for a name in mist.
“Such a noble school belle—someone like me won’t catch your eye. I’m Xu Ling. Hope you remember.”
Her smile had thorns; the sarcasm pricked like nettles.
Even if she played dumb, Tang Coco heard the pick at the scab. Her tone cooled like shade.
“Xu Ling, did I offend you somewhere?”
“No. Why say that? I just came to care about you~”
She floated past the chill, airy as a feather.
“All right. I’m fine. Thanks for the concern.”
Tang Coco ended it cleanly, like a blade sliding into its sheath, said goodbye to Mengyao, and walked to her seat.
“Tch, acting all lofty. I’ll peel off your true face.”
Xu Ling cut her eyes sideways and went back, heels tapping like little hammers.
“Sis Coco!”
No sooner had Tang Coco sat than Meng Xiaoxiao’s lively voice bounced over like a sparrow.
“Hey.”
“Sis Coco, I’m super happy today.”
Meng Xiaoxiao plopped down, hugging Coco’s arm like a warm cat.
“What happened?”
Tang Coco let the clinging slide, used to Xiaoxiao’s sudden storms of affection.
“Hehehe, my sister’s flying in to see me today.”
“So fast?”
“Yeah. Stuff back home’s handled. She’ll land this afternoon, and rumor says she’s bringing a friend.”
“What—jealous? You hopeless sis-con.”
“Ehehe, I’m gonna see what kind of big shot they are!”
Meng Xiaoxiao waved her little pink fist, a cherry blossom making a stand.
“By the way, Xiaoxiao, you know that girl?”
Tang Coco tipped her chin toward Xu Ling, the gesture light as a brushstroke.
“Oh? Her? What, she messed with you? I’ll go settle it!”
Hot temper flared like dry tinder; she started up. Tang Coco caught her sleeve, tugging her back like rain on a spark.
“Hey hey hey, don’t rush. Tell me first.”
“She’s Xu Ling. Quiet when term started. Since that someone came back, she’s like a different person.”
“That someone?”
“Ah, look at me—forgot the main thing. Sis Coco, be careful.”
“What’s wrong?”
Confusion clouded her eyes like fog over water.
“You know the campus belle ranking at Ninghai University, right?”
“Mm. Heard of that boring list.”
“Right, that one. Last year’s—now a sophomore—the top of that list just came back from overseas.”
