Sunshine

"Who says only those standing in the spotlight are heroes~"

As the morning military training ended, many dismissed students hummed the tune in unison. Under the scorching sun, a drenched young man continued his drills, chest puffed out—if he wasn’t embarrassed, then the embarrassment belonged to everyone else.

When lunch break arrived, Ye Shuang was about to head out for food with Yu You and the others when a group of girls swarmed around him, chattering away as they asked for his contact info.

"Hey, instructor, you’re so handsome! Are you a guy?"

"You’re not the instructor, right? You don’t look like a teacher either—are you a senior?"

"My cat can do backflips! Wanna come see? It’s in my dorm."

Not far away—

"Wow, big bro’s as popular as ever," Tang Keke remarked. No surprise there—good looks always got you far.

Not that Keke was unused to it.

"Meh." An Shiyu stuffed her hands in her pockets, utterly unfazed. "Just the reddest monkey butt in the jungle."

Tang Keke: "That’s… a compliment, right?"

"Maybe."

Your way of praising people is truly something else.

Just as Ye Shuang was searching for an excuse, he felt a familiar warmth wrap around his arm. Turning, he saw Bai Yuyou glaring at the girls, her territorial aura making them instinctively step back.

"Eat," she murmured.

"Huh? Oh."

With that, Bai Yuyou dragged him away.

"What’s wrong?" Ye Shuang asked softly as they walked, noticing how she clung to his arm.

"Keke lied."

Ye Shuang: "?"

Bai Yuyou let go—only to throw herself into his embrace, pressing so close it was like she wanted to merge with him. "No games. Just hold me."

Her warmth and emotions burned hotter than usual. Though confused, Ye Shuang instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist, his other hand gently stroking her hair. She nuzzled against him, as if addicted to his scent.

But while Bai Yuyou buried herself in his chest like an ostrich, Ye Shuang’s thoughts drifted elsewhere—

Did these two have a fight?

Just then, Tang Keke and An Shiyu caught up. Ye Shuang asked, "Keke, did you and Yu You argue?"

Keke blinked. "Huh?"

But seeing how clingy Bai Yuyou was being, she tapped her chin with a finger shaped like a "7."

"In a way, the strategy worked—just aimed at the wrong target."

After replenishing her "Ye Shuang energy," Bai Yuyou’s spirits visibly lifted—even her usually droopy ahoge perked up.

She ate three extra bowls of rice.

"After military training, the sports festival’s next, right?" Ye Shuang mused during lunch.

School life always circled back to sports festivals. This academy seemed to have an event every other month.

"Hard pass. I’ve never done well in those," Tang Keke groaned.

An Shiyu twirled her chopsticks, propping her cheek on one hand.

"Hard to win when you’re carrying extra weight."

Tang Keke puffed her cheeks. "I’m mad now."

"So cruel. Should’ve left you to your fate back then," An Shiyu sighed. "And here I thought you’d let me tease you forever. Women are fickle—especially the top-heavy ones."

Keke recalled her tearful vows of gratitude and deflated. "…Sorry."

"Say, ‘Forgive me, Lady Fish! Please bully me!’" An Shiyu grinned.

"Y-You—!"

An Shiyu shrugged dramatically. "Ah well. Should’ve known… give an inch, take a mile…"

"Fine! Lady Fish, forgive me! Please bully me!"

"Not bad." An Shiyu smirked.

Ye Shuang sighed. "An Shiyu, stop picking on Keke."

Then, to Bai Yuyou: "Yu You, are you joining the festival?"

"Yes."

"I’ll cheer for you!" Keke chirped.

"And you?" Ye Shuang asked An Shiyu.

She looked bored. "Where’s the challenge? Unless… last-place class gets their heads shaved?"

Ye Shuang: "…"

That’s brutal.

As lunch ended, it was almost time to regroup.

Back at his post, Ye Shuang spotted the sun-baked boy from earlier—now holding boba tea—marching straight toward Bai Yuyou.

"Hey, taro boba. Want some?" The boy flashed what he thought was a dazzling smile. "Gotta stay hydrated in this heat—"

"Supplement."

Bai Yuyou tilted her head, then glanced at Tang Keke, who was equally baffled.

Dude, we don’t even know you.

"No, thank you," Bai Yuyou replied softly but firmly.

"After this, I’ll take you for a spin in my ride. Show you the city lights," he boasted. "It’s a little convertible—Dad’s gift for my 18th. Only 700-800k."

"No need."

Eyes turned toward the spectacle, but the boy basked in the attention.

"Sure? I added coconut jelly."

Bai Yuyou paused, then enunciated: "No."

He sniffed, jingling his keys. "Fine. Plenty of girls wanna ride with me anyway."

"Last chance?"

"No."

With a dramatic sigh, he turned to An Shiyu.

"Oi, you take it. Let’s cruise later."

An Shiyu, who’d been watching like this was trash TV, blinked slowly—her gaze pure disdain.

"Hah?"

Unlike Bai Yuyou’s polite refusal, she cut straight to the point:

"Piss off."

And so, for the rest of military training, the boy continued his solo sunbathing session.