"Finally, all those troublesome matters are settled. I can relax properly for a while now." Chu Lian stretched as she walked at the front of the group, taking the initiative to start a conversation.
She was not wrong. One problem after another had plagued her recently, and she had not gotten a proper rest even after returning several days ago. Yesterday's counterattack by the Heavenly Demons should count as the last incident for the time being.
As for everything else, either the time had not yet come or a date had already been set to handle it. There should not be any sudden emergencies in the near future.
"That's right. Now that all the troublesome matters are settled and Big Sis has some free time, Chu Chu will have even more time to spend with you." Chu Chu skipped around the other girls. The fullness of her chest bounced beneath her school uniform, and after taking one glance, the others all chose to ignore it.
"You can't put it that way. I still have plenty of things left to do. The most obvious one is that I still haven't submitted my manuscript. I'm doomed..." With one troublesome matter after another constantly cropping up, Chu Lian had not found any time to finish it. She was utterly distressed now.
"Chu Lian, I don't care when you finish it. My mother said that if you still haven't handed it in by the deadline, she'll personally come to your door. When that happens, you'd better brace yourself." Liu Yanran was only responsible for reminding Chu Lian to submit her manuscript. She would not force her to write it.
That was not her job. It was her mother's responsibility. Still, occasionally using the matter to give Chu Lian a sense of urgency, then watching her adorable little face twist with anxiety, was rather amusing.
"I don't think Chu Lian can finish making up everything in such a short time. After all, it's already Saturday." Cai Ya carried her little handbag in both hands and walked serenely at the back. Hearing Liu Yanran's words, she added her own comment.
"Today's Saturday? No way." The day Cai Ya mentioned left Chu Lian somewhat surprised. Saturday? How had time passed so slowly?
"It is Saturday. What, did you not know?" Cai Ya was rather curious about what Chu Lian had been thinking these past few days. She had actually lost all sense of time.
"If it's Saturday, shouldn't we have the day off?" Their school had no tradition of holding supplementary classes on Saturdays. Since it was Saturday, staying home for the holiday should have been perfectly normal.
"We don't have the day off this week. There's something we need to handle at school. Of course, I suppose you didn't know that." Cai Ya rolled her eyes, feeling utterly helpless about Chu Lian's memory.
"What is it?" She truly had no idea. Could someone please tell her what they needed to handle on a Saturday?
"Oh, it seems you weren't listening when the teacher explained it. But it doesn't matter. It isn't anything major. You only need to come along with us." A hint of amusement flashed through Cai Ya's eyes. So there are things even this girl doesn't know.
"I heard the teacher say it seems to be about the art exhibition in June and another activity. We need to set aside some time today to decide on them." Li Xiu'er was still the one who cared for Chu Lian most. Seeing her confusion, she quietly explained it beside her ear.
"The art exhibition and another activity?" Only then did Chu Lian remember. Right, the teacher had mentioned this on Thursday while collecting their artwork. How had she forgotten?
She could not really be blamed. She knew her own level. If her work made it into an art exhibition, that would be due to luck. If it did not, that was perfectly normal too.
Every one of the girls beside her was better at drawing than she was, so she had subconsciously assumed this was their concern and had nothing to do with her.
But now it seemed that was not the case. Could her artwork have been selected for display at the June exhibition as well? That would be wonderful.
"We don't know the details either, but judging by how urgently the teachers called us in, it probably isn't a minor matter." Liu Yanran let her gaze drift across the group before speaking leisurely.
"Forget it. We'll talk about it when we get there." Chu Lian waved a hand, unconcerned. As long as it was not another troublesome matter involving combat, she would not mind even if it was somewhat difficult.
The girl simply did not feel like getting active anymore. In such wonderful weather, even spending the whole day sleeping at home would not feel like enough. How could she possibly muster enthusiasm for anything else?
"Big Sis really has come down with a case of May sickness, hasn't she? Though getting it at the end of May is a little late. You look just like a lazy cat. Mm, a gluttonous, indolent cat." Chu Chu had been yawning, but after hearing what Chu Lian said, she immediately understood her mood and teased her.
"Chu Chu..." How could Chu Lian let the matter rest after being teased by Chu Chu? She immediately rushed forward and chased after the girl as though intending to teach her a lesson.
"Bleh, bleh, bleh~ Big Sis can't catch me." Chu Chu turned around and stuck out her tongue. When she saw Chu Lian chasing her, she took off running as well.
"Hey, wait for us." Liu Yanran and the other two watched the sisters chase each other ahead. After exchanging helpless glances, they ran after them.
Although their talents were still awakening, their physical abilities had long since approached the peak of humanity. Running this distance was hardly tiring for them.
"Honestly." Cai Ya deliberately remained at the back. As she watched this picturesque scene, a faint smile appeared on her face. Wasn't this the kind of life I wanted? Peaceful and free of worries.
From time to time, passersby along the way noticed the girls in matching uniforms chasing and playing with one another, each displaying her own distinctive charm. While marveling at their beauty, they also revealed faint smiles. It was truly wonderful to be young.
"Got you~" At the school gates, although not many people had returned because it was Saturday, there was still a fair amount of foot traffic at this hour. Chu Lian quickly caught Chu Chu, wrapped her arms around the girl's waist from behind, lifted her into the air, and spun her around several times.
"Ah, Big Sis, I was wrong. Put me down." In truth, the girl especially enjoyed the feeling. She did not care in the slightest even with so many people watching. She only said this to play along with Chu Lian.
"Hmph. Let's see whether you dare tease your elder sister again." Hearing her "plea for mercy," Chu Lian wore a proud expression as she set the girl down. Then, as though inadvertently, she lightly kissed Chu Chu on the cheek.
"I won't, I won't~" Delighted by the sudden kiss, Chu Chu turned around, took Chu Lian's little hand, and swung it happily.
"You two..." Liu Yanran and the others arrived soon afterward. They had not seen the sisters' subtle exchange, but the sight of the two acting like this despite their age left them unsure whether to laugh or cry.
The sisters merely laughed and brushed the matter aside. Only the two of them understood why they behaved this way.
In truth, they were merely making up for the gap in their relationship over the past few years. They would slowly recover everything they had missed before.
Neither of them would ever tell anyone about this. It was their mutual understanding and the way they intended to interact from now on.
So what if they acted a little childish? The beautiful things they had lost deserved to be found again, did they not?
"I didn't expect so many people to come back. It seems this matter is quite important." Cai Ya was more concerned with the surrounding crowd. So many students had come to school on a Saturday. It seemed the teachers' matter was not something minor.
Perhaps, just like the school anniversary celebration, it would require the entire school to take action.
"No matter what it is, we'll have to do it anyway. Let's leave it at that for now," Li Xiu'er replied softly. She was becoming increasingly proactive, probably because the knot in her heart had loosened and she no longer felt so inferior.
"True." Cai Ya nodded and stopped dwelling on it, following Chu Lian and the others into the school.
"Good morning, everyone." The moment Chu Lian entered the classroom, she greeted everyone. Those who saw her smiled and returned her greeting before going back to whatever they had been doing.
"Phew, everyone actually came. That's surprising." After sitting down and arranging her belongings, Chu Lian looked around and discovered that every student was present, including Qu Ningmeng, who might have had nothing to do with this matter.
"Hey, Chu Lian. Good morning." The moment Chu Lian looked over, the young girl took the initiative to greet her. Sitting there, she drew more attention than anyone else, regardless of gender, yet she did not seem to care at all. In her eyes, it was as though no one existed apart from herself.
Her taking the initiative to greet Chu Lian this time left everyone around them stunned. Just what was this girl thinking?
"Morning~" Chu Lian did not particularly want to interact with her for the moment, but since the other girl had greeted her, refusing to respond would have been rude. Thus, she smiled and replied.
What an insensitive person. Qu Ningmeng saw Chu Lian turn her head away immediately after greeting her and silently rested her cheek on one hand.
There were no special requirements for morning reading today, so Chu Lian sat up straight, took out her laptop, and continued writing Sword and Fairy, of which she had only completed a few thousand words.
If she did not make time to write now, she truly might not be able to submit the manuscript by next Tuesday.
After all, it was scheduled to go on sale Wednesday morning. Leaving only a single night for typesetting and printing would make the schedule far too tight.
She had already troubled the company last time by publishing ahead of schedule. This hiatus had been her own fault to begin with. If she did the same thing again, gossip would inevitably arise.
When that happened, it would be bad for both her and the company.
That's more like it~ Liu Yanran was reading, but from the corner of her eye, she noticed Chu Lian working hard and smiled faintly.
It really is. Although the school had never forbidden students from taking out their phones or computers during class, as long as their grades met the required standard and did not decline, the teachers would not interfere with something that could be considered a student's personal hobby or interest.
Most of the time, however, everyone already felt they did not have enough time to study. How could they possibly spare so much time to play with their phones or computers?
Chu Lian had essentially set a precedent for the entire class. Of course, no one blamed her for it.
After all, her current popularity and talent had already earned the admiration of every student. Seeing her behave this way, they would only regard it as an expression of individuality rather than a waste of time.
"As for the current plot... Mm, once I finish these sixty thousand words, there should be around another hundred thousand before the first volume ends. As for the second volume, I'll see whether I have time in the latter half of the year." Chu Lian planned the story's plot as she typed.
If her readers discovered that, after such a long hiatus, this infuriating loli was actually considering delaying the second half indefinitely, how would they feel? Her home would probably be flooded with razor blades.
Time passed while everyone occupied themselves with their own affairs. Chu Lian did not stop working even when the class break arrived, continuing until the bell rang and Ning Zhiyuan entered the classroom. Only then did the situation change.