Chapter 8 : Forehead kills

Wearing slippers, Su Cheng hurriedly dashed to Classroom 301, but she still missed the class meeting.
By the time she reached the classroom door, most people had already left.

“Hey, Su Cheng, why are you only showing up now?”

Chen Xi spotted the drenched, white-haired girl at the door.
Her eyes, filled with curiosity, locked onto Su Cheng as she approached.

Chen Xi stopped in front of Su Cheng, asking curiously, “Where did you go? How’d you end up looking like a drowned rat?”

Sun Xiaochen followed closely behind, sizing Su Cheng up from head to toe.

“Don’t tell me you went for a walk and fell into the water.”

Su Cheng let out a soft sigh, pulling out her phone to explain.

“Look, I was walking by the lake, and my phone fell in. I got soaked trying to fish it out.”

“What?!”

The two exclaimed in unison, though luckily, few people were around to hear.

Chen Xi picked up the phone lying in Su Cheng’s palm and tried pressing the screen.
But even pressing the side button yielded no response.

Chen Xi sighed with pity, patting Su Cheng’s shoulder in consolation.

“How unlucky are you? A phone worth thousands, just ruined like that.”

Sun Xiaochen grabbed it to inspect, only to let out a light sigh as well.

“No wonder I couldn’t get through when I called. Your phone’s completely dead.”

Su Cheng stayed silent.
Though she felt a pang in her heart, she didn’t mention anything about Yin Xuelian.

“Do you have another phone to use?”

Su Cheng nodded.

“I’ve got an old phone that still works. By the way, what happened at the class meeting?”

“The meeting just covered military training details. It starts tomorrow at 6:30 AM and lasts two weeks. Oh, and we got our camouflage uniforms.”

Chen Xi waved the green camouflage uniform in her hand, along with a pair of green liberation shoes—a full green ensemble.

Sun Xiaochen urged, “We’ve already picked ours up. Hurry and get yours. You need to sign for it. Also, the class monitor was looking for you.”

“Alright, you two head back. I’ll be quick.”

The two nodded repeatedly.
Chen Xi gave Su Cheng’s shoulder a meaningful pat, as if praying for her.

Su Cheng’s brows furrowed.
Surely Lin Shiyue wasn’t about to lecture her, right?

She wouldn’t stand for it!

On the lecture platform, Lin Shiyue finished counting the remaining camouflage uniforms.
The sign-up sheet was filled, except for one missing girl’s signature.

Lin Shiyue’s eyes held half worry, half anxiety.

‘Where did that little rascal run off to? She’s not even replying to my messages.’

“Class monitor, sorry, I’m late.”

“Su Cheng!”

Lin Shiyue spun around, finally seeing the girl she’d been waiting for.

But seeing Su Cheng’s wet, matted hair and clothes clinging to her body, Lin Shiyue’s mind filled with question marks.

“Where did you go? How did you end up like this?” Lin Shiyue asked with concern.

Su Cheng gave an awkward smile, tugging at her clothes.

“I was walking by the lake, and my phone fell in. I got like this trying to retrieve it.”

“Walking by the lake? How could you be so careless?”

Su Cheng kept smiling but didn’t respond.

Knowing Lin Shiyue and Yin Xuelian didn’t get along, Su Cheng couldn’t let her know Yin Xuelian was the cause.

Lin Shiyue stared at the girl’s slightly pale lips, her eyes growing even more worried.

“You’ll catch a cold like this. Grab your uniform and go take a shower.”

Su Cheng waved her arm dismissively at Lin Shiyue.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s hot out, no rush. It’s actually kinda refreshing.”

The moment she finished speaking, a wave of warmth surged from her palm to her heart.

Lin Shiyue grabbed Su Cheng’s cold hand, her warm palm sending heat to her, brows nearly knitting together.

“Your hands are freezing. Hurry back and take a hot shower, change clothes, or at least put on the camouflage uniform now.”

Su Cheng nodded, staring at Lin Shiyue’s tightly held hand as a flood of thoughts washed over her.

The soft, warm hand chased away the chill on her body.
She wished it could stay like this forever…

No, no, no!

Lin Shiyue let go, picking up one of the two remaining camouflage uniforms and handing it to Su Cheng.

“Take this and go change. Turn left out the door, and you’ll see the restroom. Change first, then come find me—I’ve got something to tell you.”

“Got it. Give me two minutes.”

Su Cheng dashed out of the classroom, slipping into the restroom to peel off her soaked clothes.

Though her underwear was wet, Su Cheng didn’t dare go without for safety’s sake.

Too risky.

Now dressed in the camouflage uniform, Su Cheng returned to the classroom.
Lin Shiyue leaned against the railing, gazing at the starry sky, waiting for her.

“Class monitor, I’m back!”

The clear, sweet voice reached Lin Shiyue’s ears.
She turned, her gaze settling entirely on Su Cheng, still holding a camouflage uniform.

“Let’s go. We’ll talk on the way.”

The two walked side by side, leaving the main teaching building.

Lin Shiyue’s business was no different from what Chen Xi had mentioned—just details about the military training.

“By the way, what happened to your phone after it fell in the water?”

Su Cheng’s head dipped slightly at Lin Shiyue’s sudden question.

“Of course, it’s completely unusable.”

Though Lin Shiyue had expected this answer, she still felt bad for her.

“Ugh, you’re way too careless.”

Su Cheng gave a light laugh, shaking her head helplessly.

“People get unlucky sometimes. Even drinking water can get stuck in your teeth.”

“But when bad luck hits its peak, good luck’s just around the corner. The law of karma balance.”

“From rock bottom to the top, right?”

“Exactly! But your phone sure picked a great time to drown. I sent you messages, called you, and got nothing. I thought you’d blacklisted me.”

Lin Shiyue pouted, feigning displeasure with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

Su Cheng could only muster an apologetic smile.

“Class monitor, don’t be mad. I didn’t blacklist you. My phone’s just toast, so I couldn’t reply even if I wanted to.”

Lin Shiyue suddenly grinned, her mood flipping faster than a page.

“Alright, alright, I’m just teasing. But I was genuinely worried.”

“Xihua’s pretty safe, but there’ve been a lot of ‘pig thieves’ around lately.”

“I’m not a pig, I’m a melon.”

Su Cheng corrected Lin Shiyue’s words.

“Want to buy a melon? Buy one, get a little dummy like me for free.”

Lin Shiyue’s eyes sparkled instantly.

“Really? I’ll take as many as you’ve got!”

“Dream on, bleh! Silly class monitor.”

Lin Shiyue’s hearty laughter rang in Su Cheng’s ears, lifting her mood slightly.

“Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!”

Su Cheng’s sudden triple sneeze wiped the smile off Lin Shiyue’s face.

Su Cheng sniffled hard to clear her nose, but Lin Shiyue blocked her path.

“You’re not catching a cold, are you?”

“It’s fine. Probably just someone badmouthing me.”

Still uneasy, Lin Shiyue brushed aside Su Cheng’s bangs, placing a warm palm on her smooth forehead.

Their eyes met, each with different thoughts.

Lin Shiyue’s gaze was earnest, while Su Cheng shyly averted her eyes.

Feeling the temperature with her hand wasn’t enough.
Lin Shiyue leaned down, slowly closing the distance to Su Cheng’s flushed face.

“Class… class monitor…”

“Don’t move.”

Her commanding tone froze Su Cheng’s delicate frame.

She had no thought of escaping, letting Lin Shiyue’s face draw closer.

Until their foreheads pressed together, genuinely exchanging warmth.

The warm, sweet breath brushed against Su Cheng’s already burning cheeks.
Her reddening face betrayed her unspoken shyness.

Despite being a seasoned player in her past life, Su Cheng was now flushed and flustered by Lin Shiyue’s move.

If word got out, she’d lose major points.

Lin Shiyue, from start to finish, had no stray thoughts—just a pure intent to check if Su Cheng had a fever.

Once upon a time, Su Cheng had used this same forehead trick on Lin Shiyue.

Now, facing her own move turned against her, it felt as awkward as it got.

Half a minute later, Lin Shiyue’s face slowly pulled back, while Su Cheng’s heart was a mess of racing deer.

“Hm, no fever. Still, be careful these next few days. Don’t catch another chill.”

Snapping out of her daze, Su Cheng nodded at Lin Shiyue, her mind still foggy from the contact.

“Thanks… thanks for your concern, class monitor.”

Lin Shiyue smiled, patting her chest.

“Caring for classmates is just what we do, right?”

“Classmates… yeah, true.”

Su Cheng relaxed into a smile, her mood gradually settling.

As they chatted, the two reached the dorms.

“Oh, right, here’s your other set of clothes. Two sets per person, all set.”

Lin Shiyue handed over the uniform, warmed by her embrace, to Su Cheng.

Su Cheng took it, holding it close, and thanked her.

The clothes, carrying the girl’s warmth and scent, felt so comforting.

“With your phone busted, I guess I’ll have to say goodnight early.”

Lin Shiyue tilted her head slightly, locking eyes with Su Cheng’s face.

“Mm, goodnight, class monitor. Sweet dreams.”

“You too. Sweet dreams.”

Su Cheng turned to leave first, her dorm just a few steps away.

Lin Shiyue stayed rooted in place, her reluctant gaze watching Su Cheng vanish into the dark.

“Sigh.”

Lin Shiyue let out a sigh into the empty, pitch-black corridor, laced with longing.

“Little Orange… are you her?”

“Can you be in my dreams?”