WIFTY - 1

“Hey, feel honored? Beautiful girl.”
“Even though you don’t have cat ears, I still like you.”
——From Su Zaizai’s Little Fairy Diary

Two days after National Day, it had been raining for several days in Z City. The drizzle was incessant, but there wasn’t much coolness in the air—it still carried a lingering heat.

During class breaks, the campus was always bustling with activity.

The corridors echoed with students’ laughter and playful shouting, accompanied by the soft pitter-patter of rain.

Amidst the noise, Su Zaizai emerged from the office, carrying a large stack of English practice books.

After entering the classroom, she gritted her teeth and placed the heavy stack on the desk near the door. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and picked up the top book.

Footsteps sounded behind her. Jiang Jia suddenly lunged at her, laughing: “Zaizai! Let’s go! To the snack shop!”

Su Zaizai blew her bangs out of her face and waved the practice book in her hand: “Hold on. I need to go to the advanced class first. The English teacher asked me to find one of their boys.”

“Who?” Jiang Jia asked curiously.

At that, Su Zaizai flipped open the cover of the practice book.

—”Zhang Lurang, Class 1, Grade 10.”

The handwriting was neat and precise, strong and confident, both orderly and striking.

Jiang Jia leaned over to take a look, her eyes widening instantly: “Holy crap, Zhang Lurang?! I’m coming too!”

Her exaggerated reaction made Su Zaizai pause for a moment, but she quickly caught on: “Is this Zhang Lurang really handsome?”

“Of course! Though I haven’t seen him, haha, but I’m more interested in another guy. They say he’s super freaking hot—handsome in a roguish way!”

“Hmph.” Su Zaizai smirked faintly.

“What’s with you?”

“Do you think this smile is roguish enough?”

“Get lost, you’re ridiculous.”

Soon, they arrived at the entrance to the advanced class.

Su Zaizai stopped someone near the back door and handed them the practice book: “Hey, could you pass this to Zhang Lurang in your class? Also, tell him the English teacher is looking for him.”

She turned her head to see Jiang Jia still craning her neck to peer inside. Curious, Su Zaizai followed her gaze and glanced inside as well.

“Which one is he?”

“It seems... he’s not here…”

“Then let’s go.”

On the way back:

Jiang Jia looked disappointed, rolling her eyes at Su Zaizai: “How can you have zero enthusiasm for handsome guys?! I haven’t even seen either of the two hotties from the advanced class yet! You should’ve personally handed the practice book to Zhang Lurang just now! Why did you make someone else do it?! You’re so irresponsible!”

“How am I being irresponsible?”

“Hmph.”

“I’m not his girlfriend.”

“…”

“And aren’t you more interested in the other guy?”

“If I can’t see him, I’ll settle for Zhang Lurang! He’s still a hottie anyway.”

Su Zaizai snorted softly: “I’m not interested in handsome guys.”

Jiang Jia wrinkled her nose skeptically: “Stop lying.”

Su Zaizai’s expression was serious: “I’m serious. I’m only interested in someone like Baru-e. He has adorable cat ears that twitch when he talks—I’d want to pinch them.”

“You’re dreaming! Those are fox ears, alright, big sis! And Baru-e isn’t handsome?! Get real!”

Su Zaizai yawned lazily: “Being handsome isn’t the point. The key is having cute ears.”

“…No matter how I think about it, being handsome is definitely the point.”

During the extended break, the two returned to the classroom to grab their umbrellas and headed downstairs toward the snack shop. Most students took advantage of this time to buy snacks, so the area around the shop was crowded.

After browsing for a bit, they didn’t find what they wanted. The space inside was cramped, the line stretched endlessly, and the air felt suffocating. Su Zaizai pressed her lips together, her desire to buy anything completely gone. She slowly pushed through the crowd and stepped outside.

Many people were standing under the awning outside the snack shop. Hesitating for a moment, she opened her umbrella and moved further away.

This spot gave her a clear view of the school gate.

A student walked over from the gate, umbrella-less, his strides long and quick.

Fortunately, the rain wasn’t heavy, so he didn’t look too disheveled.

Late?

This was way too late—it was already the second break.

Su Zaizai lowered her head and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

Bored, she tapped the puddles on the ground with the tip of her shoe and muttered under her breath: “Idiot. If it were me, I’d just come back in the afternoon.”

Skipping two classes or skipping half the morning was still tardiness.

If he didn’t know how to seize such a golden opportunity, why not just give it to her?

As soon as she finished speaking, Su Zaizai raised her head—and instantly realized the student was now two meters away at an angle in front of her.

Their eyes met. His gaze was enigmatic, his pupils deep black, exuding a subtle sense of intimidation—clear yet cold, bright as stars.

Su Zaizai: “…”

…Did he fly over here or something?

Even though she knew he definitely hadn’t heard her—and even if he had, he wouldn’t know she was talking about him—Su Zaizai still guiltily averted her gaze.

The boy’s strides were quick, and he brushed past her, turning onto the narrow path ahead.

Su Zaizai turned her head, watching his retreating figure, momentarily entranced.

The aftereffects hit her all at once.

She quickly looked away, her cheeks gradually heating up.

The earlier image replayed in her mind.

His eyes were like they’d been washed by the rain—wet and clear, as if charged with electricity. They pierced straight into her heart, sending tingling sensations rushing through her body, down to her fingertips. Her hand holding the umbrella trembled slightly.

His hair clung to his head, pitch-black and glistening, his nose sharp and straight, his lips soft and faintly red.

Pale skin, long legs, slim waist, narrow hips.

A real beauty…

Su Zaizai licked her lips unconsciously.

Jiang Jia, emerging from the snack shop, broke her train of thought, pulling her out of this inexplicable fantasy.

“Su Zaizai! Get over here! I forgot my umbrella!”

Su Zaizai paused mid-lick, snapped back to reality, and walked over.

On the way back to the classroom, Jiang Jia chattered nonstop about class gossip, while Su Zaizai responded absentmindedly, not really absorbing any of it.

Her mind felt like a jumbled mess, hazy and confused.

It didn’t take long for Jiang Jia to notice something was off. She playfully nudged Su Zaizai’s arm: “What’s wrong with you? Still thinking about your ideal type? The boyfriend with cat ears?”

Su Zaizai shook her head, hesitating briefly before falling silent.

She remembered what she had said earlier.

—”Being handsome isn’t the point. The key is having cute ears.”

Damn… she’d been slapped in the face.

Su Zaizai had never imagined someone like that could exist in real life.

No cat ears, yet somehow even more captivating.

The geography teacher tapped on the blackboard while lecturing.

Su Zaizai appeared to be diligently listening, gripping her pen and copying the content from the board into her notebook. But inside, her thoughts were crackling with images of the earlier encounter.

This was the first time she had ever zoned out during geography class.

If he’d gone down that small path, then he was probably in Grade 10 or 11…

The Grade 12 building was in another direction entirely.

But with so many classes across Grades 10 and 11, how could she possibly guess which one he belonged to?

Ugh, so frustrating.

If only she hadn’t gone to the snack shop.

No, wait—it wasn’t her fault.

It was all that beautiful guy’s fault! Why did he look at her?! Didn’t he know that handsome people shouldn’t just stare at others willy-nilly?!

So improper!

When Su Zaizai was in a bad mood, it was painfully obvious. Jiang Jia immediately sensed the gloomy atmosphere: “Hey, what’s wrong with you? Didn’t eat enough?”

Su Zaizai ignored her, thoroughly irritated.

Outside, the mist blurred the scenery into patches of muted colors.

Her eyelids drooped, her thick, curled lashes quivering faintly. Her peach-shaped eyes tilted upward, reflecting a glassy, ethereal glow.

The surrounding view instantly faded into the background, overshadowed by her presence.

After admiring her for a moment, Jiang Jia sighed in admiration: “Wow, Su Zaizai, when you’re quiet, I could almost mistake you for a fairy fallen from heaven.”

At this, Su Zaizai paused, her irritation vanishing in an instant.

Her eyes immediately filled with laughter, curving into beautiful crescents.

She felt a flicker of smug satisfaction.

If she could be a fairy, she’d gladly stay silent forever.

“But the moment you open your mouth,” Jiang Jia sighed dramatically, “it’s like that fairy suddenly shoves a mouthful of poop into my mouth.”

Clutching her chest in mock anguish, she lamented: “Not anything else—poop! A whole mouthful of poop!”

Su Zaizai turned to look at her, her expression subtly amused: “Is that enough poop to shut you up?”

“…”

Su Zaizai picked up her textbook and began reading aloud: “All physical processes in the atmosphere are accompanied by energy transformations. Solar radiation is the primary source of energy for Earth’s atmosphere…”

Jiang Jia stared at her, utterly baffled: “What are you doing?”

“The most important source of energy,” Su Zaizai finished reciting before answering calmly: “I don’t mind feeding you more poop.”

Jiang Jia: “….”

Zhang Lurang ascended the stairs.

Though the rain wasn’t heavy, his clothes were still half-soaked.

“Hey, Zhang Lurang!” A boy patted his shoulder from behind, loud and boisterous. “Where were you? The homeroom teacher’s looking for you!”

Zhang Lurang glanced at him, tugging at the corner of his mouth in response.

He walked to his seat, pulled a pack of tissues from his desk drawer, and slowly began drying his hair with two sheets, his jaw tightening slightly.

Ye Zhenxin, the girl sitting in front of him, turned around curiously: “Why are you all wet? Did you get caught in the rain?”

Zhang Lurang glanced down, pulling out a few more tissues to wipe the water off his clothes, his demeanor indifferent.

“Mhm.”

Then he walked to the trash can in the corner of the classroom and tossed the used tissues inside.

Nearby, a group of boys huddled together, laughing and teasing as one of them played a game on his phone.

“You idiot! I cleared this level ages ago, and you’re still playing it!”

Zhang Lurang’s steps faltered for a moment.

The soft, muffled voice of a girl echoed in his mind like a replay, each word resonating clearly in his ears.

—”Idiot. If it were me, I’d just come back in the afternoon.”

His deep, dark eyes gleamed with an inscrutable light.

When he’d looked over, she had avoided his gaze, her expression guilty.

So.

She had been talking about him.