Tang Yu ate her breakfast while walking. As for Yin Zhao-an's suggestion, it was a non-negotiable topic, and Tang Yu's answer to it was a resolute 'no.'
Setting aside how sleeping in the same bed would lead to Yin Zhao-an clinging to her, even though Yin Zhao-an was already doing a lot of clinging, it was currently a crucial period for Tang Yu. There were things she needed to do that she couldn't afford to let others discover. Hence, it'd be more convenient if she could live by herself.
Speaking of the things she needed to do, they weren't anything amazing, actually. She was merely using the information she already knew to send the plans of those outlaws to her father's computer.
Fortunately, there was a time during her previous life when she had learned Morse code and firewall cracking techniques from Zhao Yu. So, she still knew how to conduct basic hacking.
For the sake of sending that information, Tang Yu had saved up her allowances for a long time and eventually used the money to buy an old laptop from the second-hand market. Then, she hacked into her father's computer and placed an encrypted message directly into her father's mailbox. While this wouldn't completely eliminate the risk of her actions getting discovered...if her actions did get discovered, she would simply refuse to admit that she had anything to do with the message. After all, nobody would believe that a child could do so many things.
Meanwhile, after getting met with rejection once again, Yin Zhao-an awkwardly stuffed her hands into her pockets and silently lamented the fact that she couldn't sleep with her Tang-Tang.
…
When Tang Yu entered her classroom, she immediately noticed that the classroom's atmosphere was a little strange. Some girls were also quietly whispering to each other while sneaking glances.
Realizing something, Tang Yu walked up to her desk. However, her desk was as clean as she had left it yesterday. It didn't look any different from when Yin Zhao-an had cleaned it. In that case…
Tang Yu bent down to look at the desk drawer. Then, her legs immediately went limp, and she crumpled to the ground. Her face had also instantly gone white, and cold sweat appeared on her face.
At this time, earthworms of different shades were scattered and squirming inside the drawer. Because of the lack of space, some had even tangled into a bundle, and a few had crept out of the drawer and fallen to the ground.
Tang Yu's eyes reddened as she resisted the discomfort she experienced from her violently churning stomach. Then, tears fell from her eyes uncontrollably when she looked at the people laughing at her misery. However, she wasn't crying out of grievance but physical disgust instead.
After miserably crawling out of the classroom, Tang Yu wiped the cold tears on her face with her hands. The dust and dirt on her hands stained her face, giving her a laughable appearance.
...
A girl seated by the window of a different classroom noticed Tang Yu running by. Seeing this, the girl hurriedly tugged at the sleeve of the person sleeping on the table next to her and said, "Hey, Yin Zhao-an, isn't that your friend?"
Yin Zhao-an pushed her head up from the table when she heard her deskmate's words. Then, frowning unhappily, she asked, "When did I get a friend?"
Yin Zhao-an's deskmate pouted when she heard Yin Zhao-an's words. Then, in an aggrieved tone, she said, "If she's not your friend, why would you go home with her every day..."
"What?! Where is she?!" Yin Zhao-an instantly snapped awake, her abrupt reaction giving her deskmate a scare. Then, the deskmate stiffly pointed at the sports field.
When the deskmate saw that Yin Zhao-an had already arrived downstairs, a song's melody suddenly came to her mind. "If this isn't..." Cough, cough...considered a friend.[1]
…
"Tang-Tang!"
Tang Yu instinctively shuddered and gripped the edges of her shirt with her dirty hands when she heard Yin Zhao-an's voice.
After running up to Tang Yu, Yin Zhao-an took a moment to catch her breath before she asked, "It's almost time for class. Why did you come out here by yourself?"
"..."
Yin Zhao-an grew a little confused when she saw the person before her keeping her head down and staying silent. After wiping her sweaty hands on her shirt, she tentatively reached for Tang Yu's delicate face and lifted it. "What's wrong? Why aren't you talk—"
Before Yin Zhao-an could lift Tang Yu's face entirely, she felt something warm and moist sliding past her fingers. Although Yin Zhao-an didn't know what kind of expression the person before her was currently making, she knew that her own expression had turned incredibly ugly.
Tang Yu fell into a little daze when she felt Yin Zhao-an gently wiping her tears away. Then, she heard a helpless and childish sigh coming from above her, which was then followed by the following words:
"Why won't you ever tell me anything?"
…
Tang Yu was still in a daze when she stood in the school's faculty office. In the meantime, Yin Zhao-an had already found the head teacher for Tang Yu's classroom and explained the whole situation to the other party. She also reported the names of those who threw Tang Yu's schoolbag into the dustbin. The teachers in the faculty office were taken aback when they heard about Tang Yu's experiences. Some of them got angry, while some found the situation unbelievable.
Tang Yu's head teacher was a balding middle-aged man. After he finished listening to Yin Zhao-an's tale, he looked toward the silent Tang Yu and asked, "Is this true?"
Just as Tang Yu was about to nod, Yin Zhao-an stepped in front of her to shield her. Then, Yin Zhao-an said, "There is a surveillance camera in the classroom, so you can check it yourself, Teacher. I promise I did not lie about any of this. Also…"
Pausing, Yin Zhao-an turned to look at Tang Yu, a flash of tenderness that she didn't notice appearing in her eyes. Then, she continued:
"My Big Sister is a little introverted and doesn't like to speak. So, I hope you can be more considerate of her, Teacher."
When the balding head teacher heard Yin Zhao-an's words, he couldn't help but nudge his glasses and take a closer look at the two girls before him. Then, in a confused tone, he asked, "She is…"
Without hesitation, Yin Zhao-an repeated, "She is my big sister."
…
TL Notes:
[1]If this isn't: The song referenced here is "If This Isn't Love(如果这都不算爱)" by Jacky Cheung(张学友).