Awkward

"Hey Luo Che, why are you so absent-minded this early in the morning? Did you fall for a girl from the next class over?"

Luo Che had arrived at the classroom unusually early today. Sitting at his desk, his gaze kept drifting toward the corner of the room.

At his classmate’s teasing, he immediately glared and shouted, "Bullshit!"

His mind was still filled with Bai Yuyou’s beautiful face beneath her bangs from yesterday. The image had haunted him all night, nearly keeping him awake.

"That stinky girl—no, Bai Yuyou is actually this pretty? Am I the first one to notice?" Luo Che thought to himself, feeling an almost lottery-winning thrill.

And she had even thanked him yesterday—that had to mean he left a decent impression on her.

"If I help her out more, maybe I can uncover this hidden gem." The thought made him so excited that his leg wouldn’t stop shaking.

A girl that beautiful…

But she was the "stinky girl." If he actually got together with her, would the other classmates talk?

As he zoned out, a faint floral scent drifted past him—a figure slowly walked to the corner of the classroom and sat down.

"W-Was that the stinky girl?"

"What the hell?!"

Half the class had already arrived by then, and when they saw Bai Yuyou sitting in the corner, they all froze in shock, as if witnessing something unbelievable.

The girl sat there quietly, but unlike before, she wasn’t slouched over. Her eyes beneath her neat bangs were serene, gleaming like gemstones—her clothes were clean and tidy, completely different from her usual disheveled appearance.

"Holy crap?! H-How is she this pretty?!" Some of the boys blurted out, unable to tear their eyes away from Bai Yuyou, utterly stunned.

A few girls began whispering among themselves, clearly baffled by the stinky girl’s sudden transformation.

Bai Yuyou ignored the reactions around her. She pulled a small notebook from the pocket of her pleated skirt—the one Ye Shuang had given her that morning.

She flipped to the first page—

Lines of text were written there.

1. Lift your head. When talking to someone, look them in the eyes.

2. If you don’t want to do something, firmly refuse (e.g., "No," "I won’t").

3. Do not say "I’m sorry."

4. If a conflict arises, state your thoughts clearly and maintain eye contact.

5. If you need to use the restroom, go to the one near the teachers’ office at the end of the hallway.

6. If you encounter something you can’t handle, call me.

7. Don’t feel inferior. You’re more beautiful than anyone.

8. Ignore verbal attacks.

9. Don’t let others touch you.

10. To be continued.

(Good behavior will be rewarded—either a bath or sleeping together, your choice.)

After silently memorizing the list, Bai Yuyou tucked the notebook away. She could feel the gazes of her classmates on her now.

But… it felt different from before.

Bai Yuyou didn’t understand. She just needed to follow Ye Shuang’s instructions. And besides—

She pulled a white meal card from her pocket.

Starting today, she could eat in the cafeteria.

"Damn it, you didn’t clean yesterday?!" A furious shout suddenly rang through the classroom. Bai Yuyou glanced over.

Wu Ya stormed toward her and kicked her desk hard, sending it rattling. Just as Wu Ya was about to yell, she froze.

The person in front of her looked nothing like the girl she remembered.

"Who are you?" Wu Ya demanded, thinking this couldn’t be the stinky girl.

"Bai Yuyou."

"Bai Yuyou? A new transfer?" The name sounded familiar, but Wu Ya only realized after a moment—the plain, timid girl from her memories overlapped with the stunning girl before her.

How had she changed so much?

What happened?

"Hah, did you get plastic surgery or something?" Wu Ya sneered, jealousy flaring at the sight of Bai Yuyou’s flawless face. "I told you to clean yesterday!"

Unlike Wu Ya’s explosive anger, Bai Yuyou remained calm. She simply replied,

"Why should I?"

The blunt question caught Wu Ya off guard. This girl… was talking back now?

And the way Bai Yuyou was looking at her—Wu Ya suddenly felt uneasy.

The atmosphere grew awkward. Strangely, none of the usual students who would chime in spoke up now—they just watched.

"You bitch." Wu Ya couldn’t stand the sudden shift. She reached out to shove Bai Yuyou.

But Bai Yuyou remembered Ye Shuang’s note: Don’t let others touch you.

She sidestepped lightly. Wu Ya stumbled forward, lost her balance, and fell flat on the floor.

"Ah—!"

Bai Yuyou simply looked down at her, expressionless. The cold, detached gaze made Wu Ya feel inexplicably humiliated.

"Alright, alright, break it up." Luo Che suddenly stood up and stepped between them. "The teacher’s coming."

Other boys quickly followed, pretending to mediate. Some girls helped Wu Ya back to her seat, while the boys crowded around Bai Yuyou.

"Are you okay?"

"Did Wu Ya hurt you?"

The same boys who had ignored Bai Yuyou before now acted like caring older brothers, fussing over her.

But anyone could see—Wu Ya was the one who had fallen, while Bai Yuyou was completely unharmed.

Bai Yuyou, however, found their sudden concern uncomfortable. Why was it that only Ye Shuang’s care felt genuine to her?

Her mind couldn’t quite process it yet.

Just then, the bell rang.

The homeroom teacher walked in with a scowl. After ordering everyone back to their seats, he slammed a hand on his desk.

"Who was on cleaning duty yesterday?! Why were all our hygiene points deducted?!"

The classroom fell dead silent.

A second later, Wu Ya immediately pointed the blame.

"It was Bai Yuyou’s fault!"

The teacher’s eyes snapped to the corner—and he paused. The girl sitting there wasn’t the usual hunched-over figure. For a moment, he thought he’d mistaken her for someone else.

Still, he frowned and barked, "Bai Yuyou, stand up!"

Bai Yuyou slowly rose to her feet.

"Why didn’t you clean?! How many times do I have to tell you to act responsibly?! You’re an adult—why are you worse than a child?!"

Wu Ya smirked inwardly at the scene.

When Bai Yuyou didn’t respond, the teacher pressed, "I want a proper explanation!"

This time, Bai Yuyou spoke.

"Why didn’t I clean…?"

No longer bowing her head in apology, she met the teacher’s gaze and stated plainly,

"Because I wasn’t on duty yesterday."

The homeroom teacher immediately retorted, "Not being on duty today isn’t an excuse for you. Even if—"

The next second, his voice cut off abruptly.

Huh?

Wait, you weren’t on duty yesterday?

In an instant, the teacher’s expression froze in awkward silence.