During the lunch break, Shi Hai walked out of the classroom with a book in hand. The love letter was tucked inside the book. He needed to find a secluded spot to read it since the pink envelope was too eye-catching.
The old dormitory seemed to be the best option since it was abandoned after the new dormitory was built last year. Despite its abandonment, it hadn't been demolished yet for some unknown reason.
Shi Hai, being a day student, had never stayed in the dormitories, but he had helped the boarders move when the new dorms opened. It was during this time that he met Chu Chen. A conflict had arisen when senior students tried to bully the new students into moving their belongings. Chu Chen stood up to them, and Shi Hai intervened to mediate, resolving the issue.
After that, those seniors occasionally tried to hassle Chu Chen but stopped after he outshone them in a school basketball game. The sports teacher, who favored Chu Chen, also played a role in keeping the seniors at bay.
As Shi Hai reminisced about these events, he arrived at the old dormitory. Quickly walking inside, he found it surprisingly clean despite being unused and unmaintained. He even heard faint voices, confirming that the place wasn't entirely abandoned.
Shi Hai recalled hearing rumors about couples using the old dormitory as a rendezvous spot. This complicated his plan to find a secluded room to read the letter. He decided to head upstairs, avoiding potential intrusions on others' privacy.
However, every floor had signs of occupancy. Frustrated, he finally reached the top floor, only to find it similarly occupied. He decided to read the letter in the stairwell, figuring it would be a quiet corner. But upon reaching the end of the stairs, he noticed the rooftop door was open.
Normally, this door should have been locked.
"Is anyone here?" he thought, and cautiously peered around, seeing no one.
Seeing the coast was clear, he decided to step out onto the rooftop.
"This area is off-limits. Didn't you see the warning sign?"
A voice from above startled Shi Hai. He looked up to see a girl standing on the edge of the rooftop, silhouetted against the sun, making her appear almost radiant.
"You came in too, didn't you?" he retorted, shielding his eyes from the glare.
Instead of answering, the girl suddenly jumped down towards him. Reflexively, Shi Hai dropped his book and reached out to catch her.
Then…
She landed on his face.
"Ouch!" Shi Hai cried out, falling to the ground, his head hitting the floor with a thud. He felt dizzy from the impact. Meanwhile, the girl landed gracefully beside him.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her face coming into view. She seemed both concerned and slightly reproachful.
"Idiot—! I've practiced dancing, so jumping from this height won't hurt me!" She gently lifted Shi Hai's head, placing it on her lap.
After a few moments, Shi Hai felt less dizzy and sat up, shaking his head.
"My body moved on its own," he muttered. The pain from his nose, where she stepped on him, still throbbed. He checked to make sure he wasn't bleeding and then looked around for his book.
When he found it, he noticed the girl's expression had changed. The concern was replaced by disdain.
"You didn't come to save me, did you? You just wanted to sneak a peek under my skirt, didn't you?" she accused.
Rolling his eyes, Shi Hai responded, "I didn't see anything."
"Well, even if you did, it wouldn't matter. I'm wearing safety shorts," she smirked.
"…"
Shi Hai was speechless. The girl then continued teasingly, "Disappointed?"
"I'll just be going—" Shi Hai started to say, but she interrupted him.
"Wait, I haven't asked you yet. Why are you here?"
Holding up his book, Shi Hai replied, "I just wanted to find a quiet place to read."
"Oh…" She made a knowing sound and squinted at Shi Hai, who started feeling uneasy.
Why did he feel guilty? He hadn't done anything wrong... He decided it was time to leave.
As he turned to go, she questioned again, "Don't you know this is my territory?"
"Your territory?" Shi Hai asked, puzzled.
"This is a public place, isn't it?"
"Yes, but this whole building is mine," she declared confidently.
Really? Why not just claim the whole school?
Shi Hai kept his thoughts to himself, but the girl seemed to read his mind.
"You don't believe me?"
"It's hard to believe."
"When I said I want to study in this city, my mother funded the construction of this whole school. It was practically built for me."
"…"
Is this for real?
"Privilege abuse?"
"Exactly, privilege abuse."
She admitted it openly, with no hint of shame.
Is this what a confident woman looks like?
<+>
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