Chapter 61: A Growing Obsession

The sycamore leaves outside the window had largely fallen, revealing many bare branches. It was only early December, yet the math teacher on the podium was already teaching solid geometry, a topic typically covered in the second year of high school.

To maximize efficiency for the college entrance exams, Nanli Affiliated High School streamed students into arts and science classes during the latter half of their first year. All three years’ worth of textbook material would be completed before the start of the second year. This meant the students in this class would spend two full years immersed in a deluge of practice problems.

As Lin Duo lacked a strong spatial sense, she found solid geometry challenging to grasp. After class, she walked directly to Cai Jingyao’s desk without hesitation.

“Cai Jingyao,” she softly asked, “I didn’t quite understand this part during class. Could you help me go over it?”

“No need to be so formal,” he replied. “Just tell me what you need.”

Over the past month, Lin Duo and Cai Jingyao had grown considerably closer without realizing it. Privately, Lin Duo often found herself secretly observing the handsome young man.

She discovered he was truly excellent in all aspects, certainly far superior to the slightly chubby and rather dull Wang Linshu. Given Cai Jingyao’s consistently good grades, placing him at the top of the class, and Lin Duo having, by then, fallen into the category of ‘struggling students,’ she naturally had many academic questions to ask him.

Since Lin Duo hadn’t brought a chair over, Cai Jingyao proactively stood up, took her textbook, and began to explain the concepts in meticulous detail. He frequently made such gentlemanly gestures, which consistently earned him considerable points in her estimation.

As Cai Jingyao was explaining with such earnestness, Lin Duo naturally listened attentively. Her head inadvertently leaned against Cai Jingyao’s shoulder.

She quickly flushed and moved a little distance away, only to find him completely unfazed. She couldn’t help but chide herself for overthinking the situation.

Just then, a boy sitting to Cai Jingyao’s right leaned over to tease them. “Oh, look at that! I keep seeing you two together lately. Cai, have you secretly started dating our class beauty, Lin?”

Lin Duo glared at him indignantly. “What nonsense! I was just asking for help with a problem!”

“Hmph, then why didn’t you go to our study representative, Sun Shida? He was the top scorer in the last math exam.”

The boy’s remark was quite sharp, instantly catching Lin Duo off guard. Fortunately, Cai Jingyao was quick-witted and immediately responded.

“Good grades don’t necessarily mean good teaching,” he stated. “Besides, my math grades aren’t bad, are they?”

At that moment, the class bell rang, and the English teacher entered the classroom precisely on time. The students promptly returned to their seats, Lin Duo no exception.

However, as she left Cai Jingyao, a faint sense of regret stirred in her heart. She yearned for another chance to spend more time with him.

During English class, their foreign teacher, Jessica, once again assigned a topic for group discussion. Afterward, each group would nominate a representative to present on stage.

As they discussed who would be the group representative, a girl suggested, “Lin Duo, it’s your turn this time, isn’t it?”

“I agree!” another chimed in. “Lin has never gone up to speak before!”

“I second that!”

“And I, too, second that!”

Seeing that the group members had reached a surprising consensus, Lin Duo had no choice but to reluctantly agree. She began to try memorizing and familiarizing herself with the organized discussion points.

When Lin Duo, feeling incredibly nervous, finished presenting her group’s conclusions in English on the podium, a smattering of applause broke out below. Jessica, looking very pleased, addressed her.

“Lin,” she said, “your spoken English has improved significantly lately. You really should thank Sun for that.”

Though their language partner relationship had long been established, Sun Shida had completely corrected Lin Duo’s terrible accent. He had even provided a systematic set of oral practice methods, proving himself truly diligent and responsible.

Lin Duo glanced with a touch of gratitude towards Sun Shida’s seat, but the latter paid her no mind, still engrossed in the materials he held.

English was the last class of the day. After it, students enjoyed a long three-hour break for dinner and relaxation. Lin Duo, still holding hands with Shen Jing’an, returned to their dorm room.

As soon as she pushed open the door, she eagerly kicked off her shoes. “Xiaojing, quickly, help me measure my height!”

“I know, I know!” Shen Jing’an replied with a reluctant air.

Lin Duo stood perfectly straight against the wall. Shen Jing’an used a pencil to make a mark on the wall, parallel to Lin Duo’s head, then measured the height of that mark with a tape measure.

“Hmm, still 162 centimeters,” she announced. “Honestly, gaining almost four centimeters in these past two months is already quite good. It’s not like you’re going to change every day, is it? Unless you want to become a female giant?”

“Of course not!” Lin Duo exclaimed. “I just heard that girls don’t grow much after sixteen, so I’m really worried about being short my whole life!”

She gazed gleefully at the wall, where numerous pencil marks, each slightly higher than the last, were etched.

In truth, Lin Duo’s second growth spurt had begun in late September. However, it wasn’t until one day in early November, when she suddenly realized she was slightly taller than her roommate, that she became aware of it.

Since then, she had measured her height daily. She now stood at 162 centimeters, placing her in the middle tier among the girls in her class.

Indeed, alongside her increasing height, Lin Duo’s body had undergone other delightful small changes. Her budding bust had quietly matured, now just barely able to fill an A-cup.

Moreover, her waist-to-hip curve had become more pronounced. When she wore form-fitting dresses, they would reveal a particularly alluring S-shape.

Suddenly, Shen Jing’an, on the other side, jealously kneaded Lin Duo’s legs beneath her pleated skirt. “Hmph, why does your chest gain flesh, but your thighs don’t? Long-legged girls are the absolute worst!”

As Shen Jing’an herself had shorter, slightly plumper legs, she harbored deep resentment towards Lin Duo’s beautiful legs.

Lin Duo unceremoniously slapped away the small hand on her leg. “Hey, you little pervert, stop groping me! If any boy dared to do that, I’d call the police immediately!”

“Hmph, touching you won’t make a piece of flesh fall off!” Shen Jing’an pouted and sat on the bed. “During military training, I was still a tiny bit taller than you, but now you’re taller than me. It’s so annoying! No, I’m going to curse you! I curse you to become a female giant no man would dare to want!”

“How boring!” Lin Duo ignored her, gleefully resuming staring at the newly drawn height mark. She remembered reading an article online when she was twelve, stating that the ideal height for girls was 168 centimeters.

From then on, Lin Duo had firmly committed that number to memory, and today, she was even closer to that goal.

After resting for a while, the two girls agreed to go to a Sichuan restaurant outside school for dinner. Before heading out, Lin Duo didn’t forget to vainly style her hair once more in the large wardrobe mirror.

Two weeks prior, she and Shen Jing’an had gone to a hair salon together. Now, Lin Duo’s new hairstyle was a middle-parted look with bangs, common among high school and university girls. Her smooth, plasma-permed hair now cascaded down to her chest.

Each time she toyed with the ends of her hair near her chest, her heart swelled with a particular sweetness. She still remembered how many conflicts her former self had had with her original family over growing out her hair.

She also remembered how painful it felt each time her parents forced her into a barbershop, watching her scattered hair fall to the floor. Thankfully, all of that was in the past. She could finally possess her own youthful, beautiful head of hair.