Midnight is the time when the White Girl transforms. It's also a dreamlike moment when handsome men and beautiful women in various dormitories on campus shed their disguises and speak freely.
Huang Yu, the stepmother, cleared her throat and announced, "The 402 Dormitory Night Talk Organization is officially established." Xu Chun giggled, Lin Wen stomped her foot and shouted, "I wholeheartedly agree!" Xiao Qiqi remained silent for a long time, and after a moment, everyone heard her even breathing. Huang Yu was furious—this was blatant disrespect for authority!
Xiao Qiqi was groggily woken up, her eyes still unfocused and blank. "...What?"
In which year did you have your first love?
"Third grade in elementary school." Xiao Qiqi rolled over and went back to sleep, then immediately jumped up, startled by a sound that sounded like a ghost's cry. "...No, no, I'll confess and be treated leniently, okay?"
"When I was in third grade, I pulled down the pants of the little boy next door because I heard people say he had a penis. Later, my mom beat me up and scolded me for being a pervert at such a young age. So, I decided to take responsibility for my neighbor, Xiaoming, and make him my first love." Xiao Qiqi's mind cleared up, and she spoke quickly, "Reporting, sir, report complete!"
His words made the roommates burst into laughter.
When it was Xu Chun's turn, she hesitated like a mosquito, "...Xia Xuan."
Lin Wen kicked the bed board in a strange tone, "Oh dear, I heard that the beautiful lady went on a date with Li Yue yesterday!"
Huang Yu patted Lin Wen's upper bunk, "Little mosquito, don't kick! Li Yue is Xia Xuan's roommate, she needs to know herself and her enemy to defeat him."
"Then why not just go directly to Bai...Xia Xuan, wouldn't that be a better way to defeat the enemy?" Lin Wen persisted.
Xu Chun was somewhat annoyed. "Lin Wen, I didn't do anything to you, did I? Why are you always targeting me?"
Lin Wen sat up abruptly, and Xiao Qiqi quickly tried to smooth things over, "Alright, alright, stop arguing! Lin Wen isn't wrong. If Xu Chun likes Xia Xuan, she should just confess directly. Why beat around the bush with Li Yue? You know Li Yue is pursuing you; this will only lead to misunderstandings. Cough cough, on another note, Xu Chun isn't wrong either. It's not good for a girl to confess directly. What if she gets rejected and has no way out? It's better to know more." Xiao Qiqi's words were a bunch of nonsense. If it weren't for the fact that it was nighttime and they were separated by a spatial dimension, Huang Yu would definitely have slapped her away!
The topic of first love ended there, and Xiao Qiqi finally fell into a deep sleep, satisfied.
The dormitory phone had just been installed, and Xiao Qiqi excitedly bought a phone card and rushed to the dormitory. However, a tall shadow followed her like a ghost, turning around, stopping, walking, and following. Xiao Qiqi felt a chill run down her spine. She suddenly turned around and shouted, "Li Yue, you bastard, are you trying to kidnap me?" Her clear and bright voice attracted the attention of those around her.
Li Yue then sidled over, scratching his head sheepishly, "...You're Xiao Qiqi from room 402, right?"
Xiao Qiqi nodded; it's really not easy for anyone to recognize her these days.
"I...I'd like to invite you to dinner!" Xiao Qiqi almost choked on her own saliva. She was picking her ear—yes!
"No, that's not what I meant." Li Yue waved his hand, his eyes filled with embarrassment and panic. "I wanted to know your dorm's phone number."
Xiao Qiqi nodded knowingly, then her eyes darted around, "Shall we eat?"
Li Yue jumped up excitedly, "Let's go, right now!"
It felt so good to get a free meal! Xiao Qiqi ate her spicy fish head with satisfaction, sweating profusely. Someone came in, exclaiming in surprise, "Li Yue, where did you find this kid from the coal dust? He hasn't eaten for three days!" Xiao Qiqi looked up; three big boys walked in and sat at the table next to her. Oh, the idiot was here too. Xiao Qiqi made a decision in her mind. She didn't want to associate with an idiot; she'd better finish eating quickly and leave.
"Here's the phone number!" After finishing his meal, he slapped down the phone number, turned around, and left. He couldn't bear to look at Li Yue's idiotic grin; apparently, idiocy is contagious. Li Yue shared a dorm with someone who was mentally challenged and idiotic—no wonder he'd become stupid too. Xu Chunmei was beautiful, but as Lin Wen would say, she was too fake! She clearly wore perfume every day, yet claimed it was her own scent.
But there's nothing the kids can do; everyone's so young, and first love is bound to be confusing.
Back in the dorm, Huang Yu was there, sobbing and trying to comfort Lin Wen. When Xiao Qiqi came in, Huang Yu quickly pulled her aside, saying, "Qiqi, Xiao Wen listens to you the most, so please talk to her!"
Xiao Qiqi's dark eyes darted around as she pulled back Lin Wen's blanket. "What's wrong? What's wrong? You're in love too?"
Lin Wen turned around abruptly, squinting her eyes. "How did you know?"
Xiao Qiqi shrugged. "You know, love is like fire. Fire is always bright, regardless of whether it's a temple or a pile of firewood burning—whether it's a beam or brambles burning—the flames always radiate the same brilliance. I smelled the scent of love, and it burned like wildfire in my heart."
"Slap!" A slap landed on her forehead. Huang Yu put her hands on her hips, her face contorted with a stepmotherly stern expression. "Stop being so pretentious! I think Lin Wen became like this because she was with this weird woman. She came back and fell for someone named Da Tou. It's fine if she likes him, but he already has a girlfriend. But she said she wanted to interfere and steal him away! Where did she get that kind of logic from?! How can she do something so underhanded?"
Lin Wen retorted stubbornly, "Yellow Croaker, the stepmother, has already planted one foot in. I'm considering whether I should plant the other foot in too."
Xiao Qiqi secretly winked at Lin Wen, then pounced on her and whispered in her ear, "My beauty, hurry up and slip your foot in." Lin Wen hugged Xiao Qiqi and giggled.
Huang Yu, puzzled, shook his head. "Stubborn kid. Just now he was acting like he was going to die trying to be the third party, but now he's laughing."
Freshmen, unleashed from their reins, brimming with youthful energy and their eyes, though still green with anticipation, looked around, searching for traces of love. A burgeoning affection spread across the youthful campus; nothing could stop love's advance, just like the breath of spring. One could only raise their hands, close their eyes, and accept its warmth, its gentle breeze, its refreshing coolness—there was no escaping it. That was our youth, our innocent first love. Green and naive, yet so sincere, so unforgettable.
IV. Night Swimming
The cool night breeze brushed against her face, and the fresh scent of the lake water made Xiao Qiqi feel dizzy. Following the latticed stone path along the lakeside railing, she continued walking. Gradually, the sounds of people thinned out, and even the lakeside streetlights disappeared, but the path remained the same. She must be quite far from school now. Looking at the few eaves in the darkness, Xiao Qiqi knew she had reached the end of the Zihu Development Zone. Ahead lay the undeveloped area overgrown with weeds and rarely visited by people. Watching the moonlight gradually obscured by dark clouds, Xiao Qiqi felt a surge of secret joy. She had been here a few times during the day; there was a small, fine white sand beach ahead, winding and with clear water, rarely visited during the day, and certainly deserted at night. Why not have a night swim in the wild?
She jumped off the stone path that had wound its way up to the pavilion halfway up the lake shore, walked across a stretch of overgrown, gravelly wasteland, and saw gentle waves lapping at her feet. The sand was soft and yielding, so Xiao Qiqi simply took off her shoes and stepped onto the soft sand. Her whole body felt like it was being massaged, and her heart opened up with the night. Humming a song, she looked around to make sure no one was watching, then took off her clothes—she was only wearing her underwear. She hadn't brought a swimsuit, so she decided to make do. Slowly, she walked into the cool, clear water and couldn't help but groan, "What a fine autumn day! Perfect for a nighttime stroll!"
It's been so long since I swam! Butterfly, backstroke, freestyle, oh, doggy paddle, paddle and paddle, it was so refreshing!
"Hmm, humph, ha..." Someone chuckled softly, clearly frustrated. Xiao Qiqi jumped. Good heavens! The dark lake surface, the pale moonlight—could it be... a ghost? "Hey, doggy paddle! This is the first time I've ever seen someone doggy paddle in a lake." A long, slender shadow appeared on the sand, accompanied by muffled laughter. Xiao Qiqi breathed a sigh of relief. It was a person! He couldn't see their face in the darkness, only that their shadow was stretched long by the moonlight. Xiao Qiqi ignored them. Laughing at my doggy paddle? Ah ha, then I'll keep doggy paddleing!
Seeing that Xiao Qiqi ignored him and continued splashing around in the water, enthusiastically doggy-paddled, the man also got excited, took off his shoes and clothes, and exclaimed, "Wow, it's already autumn, but it's still so hot. This is really a great place to swim."
"Wow!" Xiao Qiqi turned her head and saw the man taking off his pants. Then she remembered that the person who spoke seemed to be a man, and his voice had changed. He yelled, "You... what are you doing?"
"Swimming!" He said, wearing only a pair of briefs, taking two steps into the water. He touched his chin and said, "My pants are wet, how am I going to wear them later?" He then casually pulled them off. Xiao Qiqi covered her mouth and watched as he pulled off the briefs, tossing them in a graceful arc onto the beach.
Xiao Qiqi couldn't believe it—a man! A naked man! And it seemed to be a man with a very familiar voice! She covered her eyes, covered them, covered them. Listening to the sound of water beside her, Xiao Qiqi thought, "Haha, when I was little I couldn't swim, so I just doggy-paddled. Now I've picked it up again, haha, it's quite interesting."
"Hey, why aren't you saying anything? Are you angry, classmate?" Xia Xuan asked the dark head facing him with good temper. "This lake isn't yours. We're just having a swim together."
Xia Xuan, the mentally challenged idiot! Xiao Qiqi covered her face, turned her back to him, and kept moving forward, with only one thought in her mind: to get as far away from him as possible. The sound of rushing water behind her grew closer and closer, and Xiao Qiqi couldn't help but shout, "Don't come any closer!"
Xia Xuan then realized that the swimmer's voice was too high-pitched, and felt a chill, but seeing the white blur frantically paddling towards the center of the lake, she quickly swam over. "Hey classmate, come back quickly. Don't go any deeper, it'll be dangerous!" Xiao Qiqi was determined not to let him see her, and kept paddling.
Suddenly, her calf cramped. Could she be so unlucky? Then she cramped again, and Xiao Qiqi couldn't help but scream.
Xia Xuan swam over quickly and anxiously, "Hey classmate, what's wrong? Is something there?"
"Oh, cough cough..." Xiao Qiqi grabbed her foot with one hand, choked on some water, and ignored the dirty taste of the lake water. "Help! My leg is cramping!"
Xia Xuan found that her swimming skills had improved by leaps and bounds. In a few dives, she reached Xiao Qiqi, who was waving her arms around, grabbed her short hair that was floating on the surface of the water, and pulled her back.
Xiao Qiqi was full of water, her legs were cramping uncontrollably, and her stomach was starting to hurt terribly, so she couldn't even notice the slight ache in her head. When people are in danger in the water, they become like octopuses, grabbing onto anything that approaches. Xiao Qiqi was like that, clinging tightly to Xia Xuan's waist, refusing to let go. Xia Xuan felt her body sinking as she was being held, so she had no choice but to slap Xiao Qiqi hard twice. Xiao Qiqi winced in pain and tried to touch her face, but Xia Xuan had already broken free and was pulling on her hair. Fortunately, Xiao Qiqi hadn't swum far, and when she slammed back up like an octopus, they had reached the shallow end.
Xia Xuan struggled to pull Xiao Qiqi back onto the beach, panting heavily as he lay back on the sand. He pushed Xiao Qiqi, who was still clinging tightly to his waist, "Hey, classmate, get up, it's safe now." Xiao Qiqi moved like a dead pig. He pushed again, but still didn't move. Xia Xuan panicked, got up, and turned Xiao Qiqi over. In the moonlight, there was a dark face, wearing only underwear, and a frail frame. Xia Xuan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; it was a little boy. However, he seemed to have fainted.
Without further hesitation, Xia Xuan laid Xiao Qiqi flat on the beach, squatted down beside Xiao Qiqi's head, bent down, and began artificial respiration! He blew air into her chest and pressed on her stomach. Oh, it felt very soft. However, Xia Xuan couldn't care less at this moment. He pressed one hand on her chest and the other on her stomach, blowing air into Xiao Qiqi's mouth continuously.
Xiao Qiqi finally coughed, snapping awake. Her bright, dark eyes were unfocused. What was moving in front of her? Ugh, tadpoles? Why were they so furry and wobbly? Xiao Qiqi couldn't resist reaching out to touch them. They were cold and soft. "Wow, oh my god!" Xiao Qiqi sat up like a corpse, pushing away the lecherous hand still on her chest. Turning her head, she saw a man's face with an exaggerated smile. "Smack!" A dumpling flew at her. "Pervert! Pervert! Pighead!" Xiao Qiqi covered her face. Good heavens, she didn't want to live anymore! She had just touched that "tadpole," "snake," or something else wobbling beside her head?
Xia Xuan covered her face, looking at the crazed little boy in confusion. This was too much! She had just saved him, why was he so agitated? Oh, no, wait, why did he touch her there? And what did she say? Right, his hand… the place his hand had pressed felt different from her chest, soft and tactile. And look… there were white rabbits running around? Oh, not rabbits, but the two plump, white mounds of flesh on the chest of that classmate sitting there howling like a ghost.
"Huh?" Xiao Qiqi curled up her legs, trying to cover her chest. Where did her damn bra go? "You're still looking, you pervert, you idiot! Shameless! I'm going to sue you for rape! Waaah!"
Xia Xuan then realized that the girl's voice was very familiar, especially that "idiot" sound, which reminded him of the bright woman laughing under the locust tree. But it couldn't be connected with the dark figure in front of him. Oh, no, she was only dark from the neck up, her body, especially her breasts, were really... white! Xia Xuan felt his lips and tongue dry. Oh, it was so hot.
"Hey, you pervert, you stinky tadpole, shameless! Give me back my clothes!" Xiao Qiqi kept her eyes closed, too embarrassed to open them!
Xia Xuan then realized that the person in front of her was indeed a girl. This girl was incredibly bold, swimming in this wild lake in the middle of the night? She frantically searched for her underwear, but couldn't find it anywhere; she had no idea where she'd thrown it. She quickly pulled up her pants and put them on, then grabbed Xiao Qiqi's clothes and tossed them beside her, saying, "Oh, your clothes."
"You...you're not allowed to turn around!" Xiao Qiqi's voice still trembled, though it sounded fierce.
"You've already seen it all, what are you afraid of? Besides, it's as black as an eel, what's so interesting about it?" Xia Xuan had calmed down and for some reason felt like teasing her.
"Shut up! You're the annoying little black tadpole!" Xiao Qiqi was always unforgiving when she was right, and this time she was just being stubborn and emboldening herself. "Hey... where's my bra?" Xiao Qiqi searched through all her clothes but couldn't find her bra anywhere.
Xia Xuan said in a muffled voice, "How would I know where you took your clothes off?" No man would be happy to be called "little tadpoles" in that area by a woman, right?
Xiao Qiqi was filled with hatred, but dared not delay any longer. She quickly put on her clothes, and then felt a sharp pain in her stomach. A warm current rushed down her lower abdomen, and she couldn't help but groan.
"What's wrong? Didn't you just say you had a leg cramp?" Xia Xuan couldn't help but ask with concern.
"Ugh, my leg cramps hurt so much." Xiao Qiqi struggled to get up, but after taking only one step, her calf, which she hadn't noticed before, started to cramp in waves, and her stomach also cramped up as if to match.
Xia Xuan sighed resignedly, "Are you dressed yet?"
"What?" Xiao Qiqi asked nervously.
"I'm all dressed, can I turn around now?"
Xiao Qiqi was extremely embarrassed. "No, you can't turn around. Ah!" Another sharp pain shot through her.
Xia Xuan turned around, walked to her side, and said, "Sit down, I'll give you a massage."
"No... I don't want a pervert like you..."
"If I were a pervert, would you still be standing here like this, cursing me?" Xia Xuan couldn't help but frown, her temper getting worse and worse.
Xiao Qiqi was speechless. Her legs were so weak that she almost collapsed to the ground. Xia Xuan quickly caught her waist and said, "Let go!"
"Still being sharp-tongued at a time like this. Why did you crawl all over me like an octopus just now?" Xia Xuan was usually very well-mannered and never spoke ill of others, but ever since she met Xiao Qiqi, she has been making exceptions.
Xiao Qiqi shut up, letting Xia Xuan rub his hamstrings with his strong fingers. He couldn't complain about the pain in his stomach. What bad luck! The water was so cold. It seemed like he wouldn't make it through without getting a good thrashing. Xiao Qiqi couldn't help but groan again.
"What's wrong? Does it hurt a lot?" Xia Xuan saw that Xiao Qiqi was covered in sweat, which looked like full pearls in the moonlight. "It really is you! How did you get so dark?" Only then did Xia Xuan see Xiao Qiqi's face clearly. Although the color was much darker, her features were still the same, delicate and lively, and when she was stubborn, she was like an autumn chrysanthemum.
"Mind your own business, it's not as dark as yours anyway!" Xiao Qiqi retorted stubbornly.
"Girls shouldn't talk like that." Xia Xuan couldn't help but laugh when she saw her pouting childishly, as if she was about to cry.
Xiao Qiqi winced in pain, but still retorted, "I told you, nobody knows what a tadpole is anyway, so why don't you go explain it to someone else if you're so capable!"
Xia Xuan was speechless. Why was this girl so awkward?
"Okay!" Xiao Qiqi finally felt that her calves could straighten out and the throbbing pain had stopped. She pushed Xia Xuan's hand away and said in a muffled voice.
"You don't look well. Have you caught a cold?" Xia Xuan asked worriedly, noticing the beads of sweat constantly forming on Xiao Qiqi's face and the loss of her usual sparkle in her eyes.
"Mind your own business!" Xiao Qiqi clutched her stomach, turned and walked away, biting her lip. Damn pervert, idiot, bastard!
Xia Xuan shook her head, but out of the corner of her eye she saw her underwear lying perfectly fine on the beach. She hurriedly went over and picked it up. The pure white underwear seemed to be wet, with some black, sticky stuff on it. Xia Xuan accidentally touched it, feeling the warm, sticky texture. Xia Xuan's heart skipped a beat. She smelled her fingertips and smelled blood.
"Hey, don't go! Did something bite you? You're bleeding." Xia Xuan slowly chased after him with his long legs. The eighteen-year-old boy was very innocent.
Xiao Qiqi felt her ears burning and quickened her pace, almost running, but she couldn't keep up with Xia Xuan's long legs. She caught up in a few steps and grabbed Xia Xuan's arm. "You don't look well. Did something bite you in the water? Don't be shy to say it. It's not a joke. Did it bite you in a place you don't want me to know?" Xia Xuan's eyes began to linger on Xiao Qiqi's waist, abdomen, and groin.
Xiao Qiqi gritted her teeth, her face flushed red, and without a word, turned and began to climb up the waist-high stone path. Her stomach, however, began to rumble violently, and Xiao Qiqi couldn't help but squat down, burying her head deeply in her knees.
Xia Xuan panicked even more and hurriedly bent down, "Hey, what's wrong with you? Don't do this! No, I'll carry you to the hospital!"
"...Bastard!" Xiao Qiqi's cursing voice began to weaken, "I... Waaah, I, you bullied me!"
"Hey, why are you crying?" Xia Xuan scratched his head in confusion. The dark red bloodstain on the pure white underwear on his hand caught his eye. Xia Xuan slowly opened his eyes, a surge of heat rushed to his heart, and his face flushed red.
Xiao Qiqi continued to cry, even though Xia Xuan, carrying her on his back, said a lot of nice things, she still wouldn't stop. "Don't cry, okay? I really didn't mean to."
"Don't tell anyone about this!" Xiao Qiqi choked up as she began to think about the consequences. If people found out about this shameful thing, would she still be able to live?
"I won't tell, I won't tell!" Xia Xuan nodded hurriedly. "Even if you asked me to tell, I wouldn't dare!"
"Who told you to say that?" Xiao Qiqi tapped Xia Xuan on the head. "Also, if you see me on the street, you're not allowed to greet me or tell anyone you know me!"
"I don't even know your name now!" Xia Xuan said, feeling wronged.
"Absolutely not!" Xiao Qiqi's temper flared up.
Xia Xuan remained silent. His middle school physiology teacher had said that women were irritable during their periods, and it was best to avoid them and never provoke them. Xia Xuan had always been a good student with a good memory. However, he had forgotten that he had just been foolishly following her around asking her silly questions.
Xia Xuan dropped Xiao Qiqi off at the edge of the magnolia grove outside the school. "Um, wait for me for a moment."