Soaking... in a Thermal Cup

In the afternoon, Ye Shuang returned to the school infirmary.

The simple long table was bathed in dappled sunlight filtering through the blinds beside it, the light stretching all the way to the steaming teacup at the corner of the table. The pale-yellow tea floated with a few red goji berries as Ye Shuang leisurely took a sip.

At his age, though not quite middle-aged, it was still important to take good care of his health. After all, the Ye family lineage had only him as the sole heir—he couldn’t let it die out.

"Today’s been pretty quiet," Ye Shuang thought to himself as he stood up and thoroughly cleaned and disinfected the infirmary. He sorted and organized all the items, arranging them exactly where he preferred.

After all that, the place finally looked like he intended to work there long-term.

"Perfect." Once done, Ye Shuang returned to his seat and took another sip of tea. With nothing urgent to do, he pulled out his phone and started browsing shopping apps.

Mostly, he was looking for things to make life at home or in the infirmary more convenient. But as he scrolled, he didn’t even realize he had unconsciously wandered into the women’s clothing section, even stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm, these denim shorts look nice. It’d be a shame if Yuyou’s beautiful legs didn’t get to wear them."

"This beret isn’t bad either. Paired with a skirt, it’d give off a very elegant vibe."

"Summer break is coming up… Maybe I should buy her some swimwear…"

Gradually, Ye Shuang forgot his original purpose. His shopping cart slowly filled with all kinds of skirts, accessories, and even skincare products like toner.

He even started browsing stockings—after all, he remembered Bai Yuyou had very few, with only one pair of tights. Tights were like pants, and with the weather getting hotter, they didn’t breathe as well as regular stockings.

At first, Ye Shuang had wondered why anyone would wear stockings in the heat. But later, he learned that Yinshan Academy had strict uniform requirements—summer outfits had to include pleated skirts and stockings. Rumor had it this rule was personally set by the school board chairman, with the philosophy that "a life without stockings is destined to be a failure."

The chairman…

Ye Shuang suddenly recalled the old man from noon. Could it have been his idea?

That guy definitely had some quirks. Ye Shuang remembered that back in his school days, including his own No. 1 High School and nearby institutions, everyone wore the standard blue-and-white striped uniforms. Only Yinshan Academy stood out. Then again, that made sense—there weren’t many schools in the country that combined high school and college into a single continuous program.

"White stockings aren’t bad either." After browsing for a while, Ye Shuang added two pairs of white stockings to his cart.

"Flesh-toned ones are nice too. Fishnets could be worth trying." A voice chimed in from beside him.

Ye Shuang nodded absently. "Yeah, could work."

The next second, he snapped back to reality and turned his head—meeting a pair of familiar eyes.

"What the—how do you walk without making a sound?!" Ye Shuang nearly dropped his phone when he saw it was An Shiyu.

An Shiyu blinked innocently. "Is it possible you were just too focused?"

Ye Shuang: "…"

He checked the time on his phone. If he wasn’t mistaken, it should still be exam hours. He eyed An Shiyu suspiciously. "Did you… skip again?"

"Nope."

"So you finished early." Ye Shuang nodded. This kid was probably a genius.

"I handed in a blank paper."

Ye Shuang: "?"

An Shiyu casually lifted her skirt slightly, pointing at her flesh-toned stockings. "What do you think of this style? The lace trim at the top is nice. Maybe buy a few pairs."

"If Uncle here wants to touch them, that’s fine too."

"Thanks, but no thanks."

An Shiyu shrugged and walked over to one of the infirmary beds, plopping down on it without ceremony.

"Uncle, turn off the lights for me."

"It’s daytime."

"Oh. Then close the curtains. I’m taking a nap."

Ye Shuang glanced at the blinds beside him and silently pulled them shut. True to her word, An Shiyu lay down and closed her eyes.

From where Ye Shuang was sitting, with the foot of the bed facing his direction, he could technically see under An Shiyu’s skirt. He quickly realized this and made a mental note to rearrange the bed sideways after she left.

But for now, he stood up and drew the privacy curtain around the bed, ensuring no one else would see her if they walked in.

"Girls these days are such a handful," Ye Shuang sighed to himself. He had always imagined having a daughter in the future, but the thought of some punk with bleached hair doing flashy hand gestures at him gave him a headache.

At least he didn’t have to worry about motorcycles—they were banned in the city.

Ye Shuang returned to his seat and picked up a book. The quiet infirmary was filled only with the sound of pages turning. A few of the books were borrowed from the school library, perfect for expanding his knowledge.

Meanwhile, An Shiyu slowly opened her eyes on the bed. Seeing the faintly colored light filtering through the curtain, she seemed to ponder something before smirking and going back to sleep.

"Almost time to clock out."

Lunch break ended at one, and school let out at four—just a few hours apart.

Unlike the pressure-cooker environment Ye Shuang had endured in his student days, with mandatory night study sessions until ten, this school was all about a relaxed approach. The last two hours of the day were reserved for club activities.

"Yuyou should be done with her exams by now," Ye Shuang thought as he stood up to wake An Shiyu. But after calling her twice, there was no response.

Since the infirmary needed to be locked up, he had no choice but to pull back the curtain—only to find the bed empty.

"Huh? When did she leave?" Ye Shuang was puzzled but didn’t dwell on it. After locking up, he headed toward the third-year classrooms.

Just as students began pouring out, he spotted Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke.

"Brother!"

"How’d the exams go?" Ye Shuang asked.

"Heh, nailed it!" Tang Keke declared confidently, while Bai Yuyou seemed unusually subdued.

Noticing her mood, Ye Shuang called softly, "Yuyou?"

Bai Yuyou slowly looked up. As Ye Shuang had sensed, she seemed drained.

In truth, Bai Yuyou felt she hadn’t performed well. Even though she had doodled a dolphin during Ye Shuang’s proctoring, it was just something she absentmindedly sketched when stuck on a question.

Despite Ye Shuang’s tutoring, she still lacked confidence in her strongest subjects and was convinced she’d failed.

She was afraid of seeing disappointment in his eyes.

"Yuyou?" Ye Shuang’s voice came again.

Bai Yuyou’s body trembled slightly. When she looked up, a warm hand gently rested on her head. Ye Shuang smiled softly. "Tired from the exams?"

"Let's go, I'll make you some nourishing soup when we get back."

The next second, Bai Yuyou's eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she threw herself into Ye Shuang's arms.

"What's wrong?"

"Hehe, she probably missed you too much," Tang Keke chimed in from the side.

"Is that so?"

...

The next day.

The midterm exam results were out.

Bai Yuyou's grades had improved across the board, especially in Chinese. With her weak spots now strengthened, her ranking soared dramatically.

Tang Keke, however, slipped back by one place.

[We’ll definitely make it.]