After noon dismissal, Mujin flew back to the dorm alone.

Nowadays, Mujin roamed the school utterly free and fearless.

Her only natural enemy, the sparrowhawk she once called "Big Brother," was now a good friend. Sometimes they’d meet midair, exchange a glance, and part ways.

Without predators, Mujin felt like a tiger unleashed. Right then, she just wanted to shout four words:

"Who dares kill me!"

Slipping through the window, she hopped onto Zhou Ruiyang’s computer and jabbed the power button hard.

The screen lit up fast. She strained to shove the mouse with her body and stomp the keyboard.

Using the computer was a massive chore. Just dragging the cursor to her target spot took complex maneuvering. Then she’d leap onto the mouse and hop twice for a double-click.

If not for a crucial reason, she’d never touch it.

After the struggle, she sighed in relief and checked the time.

"My god—it’s already one?!"

That simple task had eaten a whole hour.

No time to waste.

......

At a fast-food joint, Zhou Ruiyang and his two buddies ate lunch.

"Hey Yang," Hao Ren piped up, "why does your sparrow vanish every noon?"

"Her? She flies back to the dorm for birdseed."

"Whoa—such a smart sparrow? Where’d you even get her? She showed up right after you disappeared that one night."

"Because I rescued her that night."

"Huh? Weren’t you on a date? Your ‘girlfriend’ was sprawled on your bed!"

"I told you—I didn’t know her."

"Then why’d she seek you out?" Hao Ren chewed thoughtfully, then snapped his chopsticks down. "Bro Yang—you saved that obedient sparrow, right?"

Zhou Ruiyang froze, then nodded. "Yeah."

"What if," Hao Ren mused, "she’s actually a sparrow spirit? To repay you, she turned into a pretty girl and—"

*Whack!* Meng Xianyong slapped him, spraying rice everywhere.

"Otaku! Stop fantasizing! Sparrows don’t turn human—this isn’t *Journey to the West*!"

"I was joking! Isn’t that plot exciting?"

"Exciting my ass. Only you’d think so. Ask Ruiyang."

Zhou Ruiyang paused, a smirk curling his lips.

"Honestly? It’s kinda fun."

Meng Xianyong: ?

Zhou Ruiyang had wondered why Mujin hid her human form. But Hao Ren’s words sparked an idea.

Maybe she stayed silent to secretly repay his life-saving grace?

That actually made sense.

......

Mujin leaned against the classroom wall, hands behind her back, one foot propped up. Her body swayed impatiently.

Where was Zhou Ruiyang? Past one already, and no sign of him.

She’d burned ten minutes of transformation time. If she missed him today, her cover would blow.

Just as irritation peaked, a smooth voice cut in.

"Beautiful miss—are you in our department? I’ve never seen you."

She glanced up. A blond guy sauntered over, dyed hair gleaming, smile smug.

Jin Wenbin. Rich playboy from the next class. Girls adored him.

Mujin didn’t. Everyone called him a scumbag who swapped girlfriends faster than shirts. A month with him counted as "true love."

She shot him a cold look. When he neared within two meters, she sidestepped away.

She always kept strangers at arm’s length.

But Jin Wenbin wasn’t deterred—he was intrigued.

*Is she playing hard to get? To grab my attention?*

Interesting.

A faint grin touched his lips. "Stunning. That hair color—must be mixed-race, right?"

Silence.

"Honestly, you’re adorable. Let’s be friends. Class starts soon—add me on WeChat? I’ll treat you to Jinhai Hotel tonight."

Jinhai was their local five-star luxury spot.

Still, Mujin ignored him.

*Being this eye-catching sucks.* She’d only wanted to wait quietly for Zhou Ruiyang.

Fine—she admitted her girl-form was hot. Even she liked it. But this clinginess? Unbearable.

Her silence made Jin Wenbin flush. Classmates lingered in the hall, snickering at his failure.

He fumed. Even campus queen Liu Ruyan gave him respect. This girl’s beauty matched hers—yet she dared ignore him?

His voice dropped low. "Why won’t you answer? If you’re not mute, show some decency."

He was barely holding back rage. One more snub, and he’d snap.

The girl suddenly lifted her head. Her soft eyes locked onto his. Then she opened her mouth slowly.

"Aba... Aba aba!"

She babbled nonsense, waving her arms wildly. Jin Wenbin froze.

"You’re... serious?"

"Aba..." Mujin kept gesturing, avoiding his question.

"Alright. Sorry to bother you." Jin Wenbin bowed slightly. He hadn’t expected a real mute.

*What a waste—so gorgeous, but voiceless...*

Dejected, he turned away. Then a clear, sweet voice chimed behind him.

"Zhou Ruiyang! Where have you been?!"

He whirled around. The girl dashed past him, beaming, and skidded to a halt before a boy down the hall.

Shock and fury flooded Jin Wenbin’s eyes.

*This woman!*

*She can speak!*