"You... honestly." With her cheeks slightly flushed, Chu Lian shot her a glare. Seeing that the boys had left, she released the girl, pressed down the hem of her skirt, jumped off the desk, and returned to her seat.
"Don't go jumping around like that in the future. Just now, I really did catch a glimpse of white." Qu Ningmeng waved her hand casually, her voice so soft that only Chu Chu and Chu Lian could hear it.
"If you dare tease my big sister again, believe it or not, I'll hang you upside down from the school building right now and let everyone see what color your panties are?!" Although she felt a faint, inexplicable fondness toward this girl in her heart, compared to her love for big sister, it was utterly insignificant.
And she actually dared to tease big sister right in front of her. That was simply courting death! Big sister belonged to her. Only she could tease her. No one else was allowed!
"Hey, hey, I was just joking." The girl grinned and deftly changed the subject. She had just transferred here and had not even blended into the circle yet. It was better not to act too arrogantly.
"Hmph." After snorting softly, Chu Chu wrapped her arms around Chu Lian's neck again. Seeing Liu Yanran and Cai Ya walking over, she continued the earlier topic. "I'm planning to start drawing a manga. What do you think?!"
"Have you thought about the genre? The setting? Character designs? The story? The background? The hook? Have you figured any of that out?" Hearing her words, Chu Lian did not even lift her eyes. She simply asked calmly.
"Ah, well... the weather's really nice today." To be honest, aside from the genre and character designs, Chu Chu had not thought of anything at all. In her view, for things she was not good at, big sister would probably help her. Probably...
"So, Chu Chu, what exactly are you thinking?" Liu Yanran covered her lips lightly and laughed. She was genuinely curious what this girl would come up with.
"I'm guessing it's just a spur-of-the-moment idea. She hasn't prepared anything." Cai Ya shook her head, delivering a merciless blow that left Chu Chu instantly deflated. "Even if that's true, you don't have to crush my enthusiasm like this~ That's just too much."
After so many trials and shared experiences, their relationship had long since grown close. Even though there were still subtle feelings in their hearts and complicated emotions regarding Chu Lian, it did not prevent them from treating one another as intimate friends.
"It's not that we're crushing you. It's that you're always enthusiastic for three minutes at a time. Aside from being persistent about drawing and about me, what else have you ever truly stuck with? Go on, tell me." At that, Chu Lian finally turned her head toward her and sighed faintly.
"Let me think... let me think..." Of course Chu Chu knew her own habits well. She was only trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. If they kept dwelling on this, big sister would question her into speechlessness.
As for those questions just now, she could fill in the details slowly after going home. She absolutely could not let big sister think she lacked motivation. If big sister thought so, then she really would lose all motivation.
"Think it through. Speak after you've figured it out." Chu Lian set down her book and flicked her forehead lightly. The girl immediately covered her brow and looked at her pitifully, not daring to argue further.
"By the way, Yanran, Ya'er, don't go near the Wang family for now. Something happened over there." Seeing Liu Yanran secretly laughing and Cai Ya's outwardly expressionless but inwardly amused look at Chu Chu, Chu Lian suddenly remembered something and warned them.
"Mm, got it. We'll be careful." Though they did not know her exact reasoning, the two girls agreed. As long as it did not involve emotional matters, Chu Lian's words were reliable. Especially when it concerned danger to them, she was always serious.
"Whew, it's art class next. After drawing for so long, I can finally hand it in." Hearing their agreement, Chu Lian returned her attention to her book. She was thinking about the painting assigned by the art teacher before the school trip. She had finished it in her spare time.
She knew that Chu Lian did not want to appear too intimate with her at school. She might not mind personally, but as a public figure, Chu Lian's every move was watched.
If they appeared overly close and someone misinterpreted it, it would greatly affect her daily life.
She kept her distance in public because she was worried about causing trouble for her.
So she understood why Chu Lian acted that way and did not feel uncomfortable. If someone protected you and you still felt upset about it, then you were beyond saving. At least the two of them were not like that.
"By the way, have you two finished your paintings?" Thinking of her own, Chu Lian looked up and asked the two girls.
As for Chu Chu, with her level of skill, finishing would be effortless. Moreover, she had transferred in after the assignment was given and was not obligated to complete it.
"We finished ours pretty early, but later we redrew another one. We just completed it last night." Liu Yanran and Cai Ya exchanged a glance before answering.
"Redrew it? Why?" Chu Lian was taken aback. Weren't paintings usually planned out before the first stroke? How could it change midway?
"Because we thought of a better scene." The two girls smiled at each other again, refusing to reveal the truth.
Seeing their secrecy, Chu Lian understood it must be related to herself. Since they would not say, she would not force it. She would find out when they handed it in.
"By the way, where's Xiu'er?" Looking around, she did not see Li Xiu'er. Ever since the dismissal bell rang, she seemed to have disappeared.
"Not sure." Seeing Chu Lian chatting happily with Liu Yanran and the others and unable to join in, Chu Chu answered when she heard the question.
"That girl..." When she had arrived earlier, Li Xiu'er's expression had already seemed poor, as if she had not rested well. Even when Chu Lian greeted her, she appeared distracted. It seemed she had something on her mind.
"Something happened in her family these past two days. But she doesn't want us interfering or telling you. It seems she wants to solve it herself." With Cai Ya's background, keeping track of such matters was effortless.
The Li family was one of the most renowned financial conglomerates in the country. Though not on par with the Cai family, they still had connections. It was not difficult to learn of their recent movements.
"Mm..." Li Xiu'er was not someone dependent on her. She had her own independent life. Even though their relationship had grown increasingly close, until she brought her to live at home, there were still limits to how much she could interfere. Moreover, this was a family matter.
"If there's any unusual movement, I'll let you know." The Cai family was not based in this area but in the capital. However, their conglomerate had branches here as well, so gathering information was still convenient. In that regard, Cai Ya was confident.
"As for her... I think if something truly happens, she'll definitely tell you. Don't worry." Liu Yanran understood Li Xiu'er's personality well. If even her family could no longer be relied upon, then the only person she could depend on would be Chu Lian.
Though she appeared delicate on the surface, the girl was unexpectedly resilient at times. She would never refrain from asking for help out of shyness or hesitation. After spending so long together, Chu Lian had confidence that others trusted her ability to help them.
"Big Sis, do you need me to go to the Li family and ask around?" Chu Chu had not known much about it before, but after hearing Cai Ya's words, she began to worry as well. She did not want anything to happen to her dear cousin, so she wanted to investigate what was going on.
"Not for now." Chu Lian stopped her immediately. If someone were to go, Satsuki would be far more capable than Chu Chu, who had no sense of concealment at all. She would certainly obtain more information. If Chu Chu went, Chu Lian suspected she would only make a mess of things rather than clarify them.
"Hmph~" Knowing big sister found her useless in this regard, Chu Chu could not argue.
It seems that in this so-called 'harem,' although my relationship with big sister is the closest and my strength is the most similar to hers, aside from drawing and being a pervert, it feels like... maybe... perhaps... possibly... I don't surpass the other girls in anything at all, do I?
Well, if the fullness of my chest counts as an advantage, then I definitely surpass them by a lot—and the kind they'll never catch up to in a lifetime.
But that can't be the solution forever. Winning in terms of chest size might bring a strange sense of satisfaction, but it's too weird. It looks like I really need to accomplish something impressive and make big sister see me in a new light.
"Hm? She's back. And she's been crying." Chu Lian's gaze shifted to Li Xiu'er, who had returned through the front door. Although the girl had freshened up and concealed her exhaustion, Chu Lian still caught the lingering moisture in her eyes—the unmistakable trace of someone who had cried.
"Forget it. I'll ask her at noon." Chu Lian did not approach her now because questioning her immediately after she had vented her emotions would feel awkward. Besides, class was about to start. Even if she pressed her, Li Xiu'er would have an excuse to avoid answering. It was not the right time.
"Oh, right—one more thing. Chu Lian, are you turning in your manuscript for Sword and Fairy or not? It's already Thursday. You've skipped updates for two weeks. At two thousand words per week, you owe sixty thousand words now. Have you finished writing it?" The girl who had been about to return to her seat suddenly remembered what her mother and Chu Lian's mother had mentioned and immediately began urging her to submit the manuscript.
"S-sixty... thousand words?" Chu Lian had not paid attention to that detail. The moment she heard the number, she felt faint. That would take several days of nonstop work. And it had to be completed before next Wednesday, or she would delay another week.
The plot had only just reached its exciting turning point, boosting the sales of Firefly Magazine by twenty percent. Everyone was eagerly waiting for the update.
Yet she had stopped for two weeks. Leaving aside the complaints, for the sake of her future career path, she had to see it through responsibly.
Smack~ She buried her face in her book. After a moment of silence, she resisted weakly. "Can I submit half of it first?"
"Nope. Mom said once you hand in this portion, they'll arrange the printing for the first collected volume. These things take preparation time. Ideally, it should go on sale alongside your serialization two weeks from now. That way, the results will be even better."
"If you delay and the word count isn't enough, they won't be able to release it." Liu Yanran felt a bit sorry for her, but she still had to say it. After all, it was for her own good.
"Whew... looks like I'll have to work hard." Lifting her face from the book, Chu Lian exhaled. What she needed to do now was rest for a moment—and then get busy.
"Ah, this is amazing!" Just as she regained her fighting spirit, an exclamation from beside her drew her gaze over. What she saw left her staring in stunned disbelief.