Chapter 36 Chapter 36: A Fleeting Glimpse
The long corridor was dim, only a few lamps lit, casting a gloomy atmosphere. Step by step, Su Yuan and Wang Ping reached Dorm 330. Wang Ping, having fulfilled his duty, returned to his own room.
“This Wang Ping is really kind‑hearted.” Watching him leave, Su Yuan shook her head, pulled out her key, and entered.
The feeling of drunkenness was unpleasant. Her mind was still clear, but waves of fatigue rolled over her. A faint smell of alcohol clung to her body. She sniffed her arm, then took her toiletries and fresh underwear from the cabinet, heading into the bathroom to wash.
Inside the room, Ji Yehao and Gao Jun were already asleep. Eleven o’clock was their usual bedtime, a habit of good discipline.
Water splashed in the bathroom. Warm streams fell across her body, soothing every pore. Rubbing herself, Su Yuan no longer felt the shy fragility of earlier times. Growing up meant adapting, whether willingly or reluctantly.
Yet the changes in her body were becoming more obvious, and the tactile sensations unavoidable. Each bath made them starkly clear, troubling her.
Her body was like bamboo sprouting from the soil, changing visibly day by day. She felt flesh shifting from her limbs and waist toward her hips and chest. With her small frame, the effect was striking.
Her hands grew slender, her legs graceful, her hips and chest fuller and elastic.
The transformation was too rapid. She did not want her body exposed before she had a plan. But reality was not hers to control. As a creature of nature, she could only adapt.
The jade had the power to enlarge her chest. Though she had not figured out how to trigger it, she locked it away in a drawer, careful not to carry it lest it reshape her further.
As she bathed, the alcohol and warmth lulled her. Her arms slowed, her eyelids grew heavy. She leaned against the tiled wall and drifted into sleep.
The shower continued to spray, while she slid down to sit naked on the wet floor, asleep against the wall.
Water pattered in the small space, droplets sliding along her skin, splashing on the tiles.
By chance, in the middle of the night, Gao Jun awoke with an urgent need. Half‑asleep, he opened the bathroom door.
Su Yuan had forgotten to lock it.
As he relieved himself, he heard the shower. Half‑dreaming, he pulled the curtain aside and shut off the valve. He glimpsed a naked figure sitting on the floor, but in his drowsiness thought it a dream.
“A girl in the men’s dorm. Not bad figure.” He chuckled, noticing her legs and the faint curve of her chest.
He liked large chests, but even in dreams, this was a pleasant surprise.
He flushed, left, turned off the light, and stumbled back to bed.
The sound woke Su Yuan. She felt the cold tiles against her skin. The curtain was open. Sweat broke out. She realized someone had entered.
She locked the door, dried herself, dressed, and thought through the events.
She had forgotten to lock the door. Someone had seen her. Was it Ji Yehao or Gao Jun. Did they notice her secret.
“Drinking causes trouble.” She pinched her arm, hoping to remember.
Ten minutes later she crept back to bed.
That night she slept poorly, dreaming her identity was exposed. Ji Yehao forced her to be his girlfriend. Gao Jun demanded she serve as his maid. Later everyone knew, whispering that she was a pervert who had undergone surgery.
She could not explain.
…
Dreams are absurd. They vanish with dawn.
Su Yuan once believed dreams were always stranger than reality. Now she thought reality itself could be absurd. How else to explain her transformation.
And who had entered the bathroom. Did they recognize her.
Her worry was needless. Gao Jun had been half‑asleep. He thought he had dreamed of a naked girl. Later he chuckled to himself, blaming it on spring approaching.
The next day, in the organic chemistry lab, Gao Jun noticed Su Yuan distracted. “What’s wrong. You seem uneasy.”
Su Yuan snapped back. “Nothing.” She handed him the flask. “Salicylic acid and acetic anhydride are ready. You add the sulfuric acid.”
He did so, smiling. “You came back late last night. Got a girlfriend.”
“No. I was with Wang Ping. Lin Jun treated us to barbecue.”
“Lin Jun. Didn’t he hate you. And now he treats you.”
Su Yuan smiled proudly. “That was before. Now we’ve reconciled.”
Ji Yehao joined in. “Lin Jun is impressive. Even a rival in love he forgives.”
Su Yuan groaned. “There was no rivalry.”
Ji Yehao shook the flask in the water bath. “But rumors say you and Xiao Yiyan. Lin Jun pursued her hard. So what is the truth, Su Yuan. You must explain.”
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts!