Chapter 99: Xiao Sizi's New Desk Mate

Xiao Sizi pulled out the chair beside her and sat down.

She stuffed her schoolbag into the desk drawer, took out a brand-new Chinese textbook, and laid it flat on the desk.

Next, she pulled out a multi-layered automatic pencil case printed with cartoon patterns.

She placed it slightly to the left of the desk's center.

The upbringing of the Great Tang Imperial Family made her instinctively maintain a very high sense of boundaries.

Xiao Ya turned her head and stole a glance at her new desk mate.

She saw Xiao Sizi's fair skin and the high-end pencil case on the desk that popped out various compartments with a single press.

Xiao Ya quickly lowered her head and hugged her arms even tighter.

……

The second period of the morning was math class.

At the podium, the math teacher was writing addition and subtraction formulas on the blackboard.

"Copy these five problems into your exercise book and start calculating now," the teacher said, putting down the chalk.

The sound of pages turning filled the classroom.

Xiao Sizi pressed the button on her pencil case.

A drawer popped out, and she took out an automatic pencil.

She pressed the cap with her thumb, and a thin lead tip extended.

She kept her head down, neatly copying numbers into her exercise book.

Beside her.

Xiao Ya opened the chipped tin pencil case in front of her.

Inside were only two wooden pencils worn down to finger length and a black eraser broken in half.

Perhaps due to excessive nervousness, or perhaps because the wood of the pencil was too brittle.

Xiao Ya had just finished writing the first number, "8".

The pencil tip snapped in the middle.

Xiao Ya hurriedly put down the broken pencil and reached into the tin pencil case for the other short pencil.

Her fingertip touched the tip, which was also flat.

After finishing her homework last night, she had forgotten to sharpen it.

Xiao Ya froze.

She looked at the math teacher patrolling the podium, then at the classmates around her who were bowing their heads to write.

She wanted to raise her hand, but her arms felt as if they were filled with lead, and she couldn't lift them at all.

She wanted to borrow a pencil from the classmates around her, but her timid nature locked her throat shut.

Without a spare pencil, she couldn't borrow one.

Impatience, grievance, helplessness... several emotions intertwined.

Xiao Ya bit her lower lip hard, pretending to think about the problem. She placed both hands on her lap, her fingers twisting together, her nails digging into the back of her hand.

Xiao Sizi stopped her automatic pencil.

Her peripheral vision caught the movement beside her.

She looked again at the broken pencil held in the other person's palm and the washed-out cuffs of the school uniform.

The imperial rites of the Great Tang rose in Xiao Sizi's mind.

The tools of imperial family members were all bestowed by the Emperor.

They never shared a single item with common people.

This was a distinction of status and inferiority carved into the bones.

But the next second, Lin Xuan's voice drowned out those ancient rules.

"When everyone in the world can wear warm clothes and use iron tools, that is called equality."

In the modern era, there are no princesses and no commoners.

There are only classmates sitting in the same classroom, needing to complete the same test paper.

Xiao Sizi withdrew her gaze and pressed a latch on the side of the pencil case.

The bottom layer of the pencil case slid out.

Inside were six sharpened Zhonghua brand wooden pencils neatly arranged.

The green paint on the pencil barrels reflected the light.

Xiao Sizi pinched one of them and gently placed this sharpened pencil next to Xiao Ya's exercise book.

Xiao Ya's shoulders jerked back sharply.

She raised her head, her reddened eyes looking at Xiao Sizi.

Her gaze held surprise and bewilderment.

"Use this to write."

After speaking, Xiao Sizi showed a friendly smile.

Xiao Ya's throat bobbed, and she said in a voice like a mosquito:

"Th-thank you."

The bell for the end of class rang.

The math teacher collected the exercise books and left the classroom.

The classroom returned to its noise.

Xiao Ya placed the Zhonghua pencil on the desk and pushed it toward Xiao Sizi's side.

"I'm giving it back to you."

Xiao Sizi did not take back the pen.

Instead, she unzipped the side pocket of her pink schoolbag and pulled out a small, transparent plastic box.

Inside the box were two round French pastries.

The shells were baked crisp, with a thick layer of cream sandwiched in the middle.

The color was a vivid pink.

These were macarons that Lin Xuan had baked the previous night after checking a recipe, busy in the kitchen oven for two hours.

Xiao Sizi opened the lid of the plastic box.

A rich, sweet scent of mixed strawberries and cream spread around the desks.

Xiao Ya smelled the fragrance.

Her stomach made an extremely faint "gurgle."

She hurriedly covered her stomach, her cheeks instantly flushing red.

Xiao Sizi picked up one of the pink macarons.

She pushed the remaining one, along with the plastic box, to Xiao Ya's side.

"My parents baked it. Strawberry flavor."

Xiao Sizi raised the one in her hand and took a small bite.

The crisp shell crumbled, and the sweetness melted on her tongue.

She looked at Xiao Ya and tilted her chin up slightly.

"Taste it."

Xiao Ya had never seen such a thing; she only thought it looked as beautiful as a work of art.

After hesitating for a long time, ultimately, her instinctive craving for sweets overcame her timidity.

Xiao Ya grasped the edge of the macaron.

In that instant, she extremely lightly brushed against the back of Xiao Sizi's hand resting on the edge of the box.

Xiao Ya's hand was somewhat rough, with a chill emanating from her fingertips.

The back of Xiao Sizi's hand was warm and delicate.

Skin touched skin.

The body of the Great Tang princess showed no instinctive recoil. She did not pull her hand away, nor did she show a look of disgust.

Xiao Ya's hand was somewhat rough, with a chill emanating from her fingertips.

The back of Xiao Sizi's hand was warm and delicate.

Skin touched skin.

The body of the Great Tang princess showed no instinctive recoil. She did not pull her hand away, nor did she show a look of disgust.

Xiao Ya picked up the macaron and took a bite.

Her eyes instantly lit up.

A rich sweetness filled her mouth.

"Delicious..." Xiao Ya chewed the pastry, a tiny curve forming at the corners of her mouth.

Xiao Sizi followed suit, curving her lips and revealing two small tiger teeth.

The second period of the afternoon.

The playground of Shi Diyi Shiyan Xiaoxue.

Sunlight pierced through thin clouds.

The red plastic track emitted a very faint rubber scent.

The students of Year One Class Three stood in four columns.

A man wearing a black tracksuit with a silver whistle hanging around his neck stood directly in front of the formation.

He held an electronic timer with a stopwatch in his hand.

"I am your physical education teacher. My surname is Wang."

The man had dark skin and an extremely loud voice.

"I was on sick leave for the first month, so you haven't seen me."

"Today I will make a formal self-introduction; this is also the first formal class."

"The rules are simple: get a baseline."

"Run one lap around the playground, which is four hundred meters."

A very faint groan rose from the formation.

Xiao Ya stood to the right of Xiao Sizi.

She looked down at her old sneakers and tugged at the hem of her school uniform.

"Four hundred meters... I can't finish running it," Xiao Ya muttered softly, her tone timid.

Xiao Sizi lowered her eyelids.

Her gaze fell on the red-and-white starting line beneath her feet.

According to Great Tang royal rules, a princess must not show her feet when walking and must not show her teeth when smiling.

Violent running violates royal demeanor.

But the fear buried deeper in her heart was not about the rules.

It was the illness.

Before the age of four.

She was trapped within the inner chambers of Taiji Palace.

Let alone running; even taking large steps while walking would leave her breathless.

Her throat would constrict, unable to draw in air or expel it.

The Imperial Physician knelt before the bed, repeatedly kowtowing and urging: "The Princess's breath ailment has taken hold; she must strictly avoid running, jumping, or exertion."

Running was equivalent to suffocation.

Suffocation meant death.

This equation lingered, refusing to fade.