After a round of selections, like a sieve shaking grain, Xiao Qianxue and Joanna naturally landed on the sprint and relay teams. Little Loli wore a thundercloud of a scowl, saying she didn’t want in, yet under a certain someone’s iron aura she yielded like grass in wind. The scene went like this— Before everyone, Joanna hooked Little Loli forward with one arm like a looped vine, caging her softly, while the other hand hovered over the slight swell of her chest. “Are you joining, or not?” Her smile tilted like a fox under moonlight, sly and wicked. Heat rushed first, like sunrise under skin. As Little Loli pressed tight to her bestie, tingling climbed at her chest like a quick fire. Her pale face flushed red like a drop of pomegranate juice. “I… I’ll join!” she whispered, one bead-like word at a time, before her body could get any stranger. “Hmph. That’s better.” Joanna let her go like a loosened ribbon. Freed, Little Loli bolted like a startled fawn, dropped to her knees, both hands guarding her chest, while an odd blush bloomed like peach petals.
(And that was the whole “forced confession” of Xiao Qianxue, reported live by… sorry, wrong script.)
By dusk, Little Loli sprawled on the sofa like a lazy cat, catching up on anime. Her two pale, slender legs offered her old man a free show, like a careless curtain lift. “Hey, baby girl.” The old man sat beside her like a tired pine taking root. “What twisted scheme are you hatching now?” Little Loli didn’t even look up. Her reply slid out like a pebble skipping water. “… Your homeroom teacher called,” he said, voice cautious like someone carrying soup. “She talked about your grades. She said you could make top ten in the whole school. All your lost points were just in memorization. If you cram a bit, you’ll breeze into the top ten.”
“Heh.” Little Loli let out a cold laugh like frost on glass. “She just wants a fatter bonus, so she called you.” “High score or not, it’s fine,” he said. He pulled his daughter into his arms like a blanket. His other hand stroked her hair like smoothing silk. “Let go, you pervy old man!” Her golden hair poured over him like a waterfall. Her small pale fists thumped his chest like cotton drums—harmless. She didn’t really struggle, like a kitten playing.
Bitterness rose first, like a shadow in snow. In his last life, his parents never cared about school; business was their only sun. Back in middle school, he set the highest score in the whole school. He placed the report card before them like a bright lantern, hoping for praise. One line, one word, anything, like a drop of rain. They didn’t even look; they only said, “What use is that?” That sentence was winter wind through bone. From then on, Young Master Wu never studied in earnest. He could have gone further, like a river to the sea, but his parents dammed it with their indifference.
For the first time in two lives, hearing family praise his studies, his heart melted like ice in spring. Little Loli stopped punching. Her arms wound around her old man’s neck like ivy. She buried herself in his embrace like a bird in a nest. “Thank you, Dad…” Her small face pressed to a strong, steady chest like warm stone. She soaked in the warmth kin bring, like sunlight through leaves. He had never dared dream of it before. In this life, she could hold it in both hands.
Bzz… bzz. The phone on the side table buzzed like a trapped bee, heedless of the mood. “Hello, who’s this?” Cheeks still rosy like sunset, Little Loli answered without looking. “Xiaoxue, how about a beach trip this weekend? I’ve got a villa we can use.” Joanna’s voice flowed through the line like seawater. “Sounds great. Deal,” Little Loli said, crisp as a bell. “Settled, then. Details tomorrow.” The call snapped off with a click like a dropped shell. “The beach… sounds nice,” she murmured, like tossing a pebble into a clear pond. Her old man had heard the whole bit, and he nodded in easy approval like a wave.
Early Friday morning, a black luxury van idled at the gate of Longteng Community like a sleek fish. Little Loli, who should’ve been in uniform, showed up in casuals like a breeze off the sea. “Xiaoxue, hop in!” Joanna poked her head out of the car like a curious sparrow. “Yeah, yeah, what’s the rush…” Little Loli pouted, pitched a pink suitcase inside like tossing candy, and bounced into the van. Neither young lady had bothered to ask the school for leave; they took vacations when they pleased, like clouds breaking sun. Both families, however, were perfectly on board, calm as old trees. Meanwhile at school, Class One plodded through lessons like a pond without koi, drained of life without its two stunners. Most of the boys napped, heads down like folded wings, because their favorite view had vanished. Teacher? Forget it.
After half a day on the road, the little beauty felt her joints coming apart like beads on a loose string. Just then, the van rolled up to the seaside villa like a gull landing. “Finally. Xiaoxue, let’s go!” Joanna sprang out first like a released arrow and ran toward the villa in sight. “Uncle, the luggage’s all yours.” Little Loli cast a backward smile at the driver like a thrown flower, stunning him for a heartbeat. “No problem, leave it to me!” the driver grinned, already accepting the “uncle” title like a cap set on his head.
Soon, under the slanting sunset like molten gold, two little lolis played on the sand with the glee of shore birds. When they tired, they sat shoulder to shoulder like twin shells, the sun sinking straight ahead until it slipped into the sea like a coin. “So beautiful,” Little Loli breathed, unbidden, as her delicate face, carved by the dusk like a craftsman’s hand, grew even more radiant. Behind her, her long golden strands danced in the sea breeze like silk ribbons, and Joanna, at her side, stared in a soft daze like a moth drawn to light. “Miss, the barbecue is ready!” came the maid’s call from not far off, floating over like smoke.
