Chapter 120: The Christmas Tree Incident

"Sister, have you been waiting for me?" Lu Tian asked, taking off her down jacket and smiling sweetly.

"Of course we have. Lao Wu even called room 510 earlier to ask when you two would be back," Leng Yue replied, sounding a bit annoyed.

"He Jingxuan went back to drink with them again. He knows our dormitory rules, so he specifically brought me back first," Tian Tian said, walking over to drape her arms around Leng Yue’s shoulders. "Fourth Sister, thank you all for waiting up for me so late."

Turning to Dong Yanyan, she asked, "Little Fifth Sister, you haven't washed your face yet, have you? Let’s go to the washroom together."

"That’s great, I was just worrying about going by myself," Dong Yanyan said. After changing into her pajamas, she happily grabbed her basin and towel to follow her to the washroom.

At this hour, the washroom was spacious and empty, with only the two of them. Tian Tian smelled strongly of cigarettes and alcohol, which made Dong Yanyan frown.

"Tian Tian, have you been drinking again?" she asked with concern. Before she could finish, Tian Tian’s expression changed. She pushed Yanyan aside and rushed to the toilet to vomit. Dong Yanyan hurried after her, flushing the toilet while holding her steady and patting her back.

Back when Xu Cheng used to get drunk, she had never taken such good care of him. She hated the smell of smoke and alcohol and disliked the mess, usually just helping him to the bathroom and letting him fend for himself. She suddenly felt quite noble at that moment.

Once Tian Tian was finished, Dong Yanyan helped her back out to the sinks. Tian Tian turned on the tap to rinse her mouth and splashed cold water on her face. As she dried off, she smiled at Dong Yanyan, "Thank you, Little Fifth Sister. You didn't scold me. If it were Third Sister, she’d be angry again."

"It’s for your own good," Dong Yanyan said, washing her own face. "Tian Tian, you’re still too young. You’re only fifteen, and He Jingxuan is nineteen. They’re just afraid you’ll get hurt."

"I know what you're all worried about," Tian Tian smiled. "Don't worry, Little Fifth Sister, I know my limits. Playing with them is one thing, but I won't do anything inappropriate. Even if he wanted to, it would still depend on whether I’m willing."

Dong Yanyan hadn't expected her to be so blunt, and for a moment, she didn't know how to respond. She turned on the faucet to rinse off the cleanser, dried her face, and applied her skincare products.

"Sister, your skin is so soft," Tian Tian said, pinching her cheek. Dong Yanyan rolled her eyes and laughed. "Tian Tian, let me ask you something. How far have you two gone?"

"Why are you so naughty?" Tian Tian pouted back. "Then tell me, how far have you and Brother Ren gone?"

"We are currently in the stage of verbal flirting," Dong Yanyan replied, keeping a straight face. "Now it’s your turn."

"Stop pretending! Have you forgotten about the time in the broadcasting class when he kissed you in front of everyone? Even 'Beauty Yang' knows about it—you think we don't?" Tian Tian chuckled. "Little Fifth Sister, don’t look at me like that just because you’re two years older. When it comes to dating, you’re not necessarily more experienced than me."

"Can’t you all just forget about that? That was purely an accident! How about tomorrow I bring him to our class and kiss him back in front of everyone to save my reputation?" Dong Yanyan said, holding up her toothbrush with a grin. "Though if I actually did that, the innocent girls in our dorm would definitely kick me out. Honestly, I envy them—they’re so simple and cute, unlike us, falling in love at such a young age."

Tian Tian nodded in deep agreement. "You’re absolutely right. That’s why I feel so lucky to live in this dorm. You should see how chaotic Zhao Jing’s dorm is; those boys run in and out all the time, and Qiu Dong and Leng Haoyang even sneak in to stay the night sometimes. The sisters in our dorm chase away every boy they see, and if we come back late, several people are always there to nag us. We don't even have a chance to go astray. Honestly, even my mother has never cared for me this much. I know who truly treats me well."

"Actually, that 'lecher' of yours treats you quite well, too. Coming back this late just to drop you off—he did a good job tonight," Dong Yanyan said, spitting out her mouthwash.

Hearing her praise He Jingxuan, Tian Tian’s face lit up like a flower. "I’m telling you, the guys in his dorm are all terrible, but he really does look out for me. Sleep in my bed tonight, okay? I want to talk to you for a while."

"Sure, I haven't teased you in a long time, so I’d be delighted," Dong Yanyan said, playfully lifting her chin and smiling with narrowed eyes.

"You're so annoying," Tian Tian laughed, feigning annoyance.

***

The next morning, Dong Yanyan woke up early. Tian Tian was still sleeping soundly like a little pig. She quietly moved the arms and legs that were draped over her and climbed out of bed carefully.

She didn't even remember what time she fell asleep last night, but luckily, she hadn't missed her wake-up time. She tidied up and prepared to go out when she suddenly remembered the Christmas gift Ren Jiaxuan had given her. She climbed back onto her bed and carefully unwrapped it.

It was a beautiful music box. The base was shaped like a stage, with a pair of little figurines in wedding attire kissing. She placed it on the bed and pressed the switch on the base. Pleasant music began to play, and colorful spotlights on the stage illuminated the two slowly rotating figurines. It looked so romantic.

It was almost identical to the small cake she had ordered for herself yesterday—truly a case of great minds thinking alike. She thought to herself, feeling sweet.

***

It was Christmas Day. Early in the morning, Lin Feng and Leng Haoyang hauled a lush little pine tree from outside and placed it by the podium. The girls wrapped it in colorful lights and decorated it with little snowflakes and glass ornaments. Dong Yanyan took out a beautiful card, made a heartfelt New Year’s wish toward the tree, and solemnly hung it on the pine. Other students followed suit, and soon the tree was covered in various pretty little cards.

Lin Feng found Dong Yanyan and Liu Siying with the evening’s program list. "Since you two have been auditing the broadcasting class for half a year, why don't you host the Christmas party tonight?" Both girls were a little surprised—it was so last minute—but they agreed without hesitation. Both had a competitive spirit; Dong Yanyan found Liu Siying a bit grating, while Liu Siying was eager to prove her own excellence. They spent a short time designing their lines together, displaying an unexpected, perfect rapport.

The third-floor office was also unusually busy today. With exams approaching in a few days and the New Year’s party, students were flocking there to deliver Christmas cards to their teachers.

Leng Haoyang, Wang Haitian from the transmission class, and several other sports representatives from other classes squeezed into the doorway, finally pushing their way to Teacher Liu Qing's desk.

"Teacher, on behalf of the 97 Broadcasting class, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!" Leng Haoyang said with a smile. The other sports reps followed suit, handing over their cards. Teacher Liu Qing crossed his legs, proudly telling the other teachers, "Look at my sports reps—they’re all star athletes, always at the front of everything."

Before he could finish, another group rushed in.

"Teacher Chen, on behalf of all the students in the 97 Broadcasting and 97 Transmission classes, we wish you an early Happy New Year!" Lin Feng and Qiu Dong rushed to Teacher Chen's desk, competing to present their cards.

Teacher Chen smiled warmly. Only at times like this could he truly feel the pride and satisfaction of being a teacher.

Jiang Fan ran to Miss Tian’s desk and solemnly handed over a card: "Dear teacher, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

"Teacher Ma, on behalf of the Broadcasting class, I wish you an early Happy Holidays," Liu Siying said, placing an exquisite card on Teacher Ma's desk.

"Teacher Guo, I wish you an early Happy Holidays on behalf of the Broadcasting class."

"Teacher Wang, I wish you an early Happy Holidays on behalf of the Broadcasting class."

Song Mingcheng, Li Hui, Dong Yanyan, and the other class representatives all entered together.

"Teacher Yang, I wish you an early Happy Holidays on behalf of the Broadcasting class." Dong Yanyan ran to "Beauty Yang" excitedly and handed her the card. Beauty Yang beamed. "Yanyan, your class really knows how to handle things." Before she finished, Li Zhe walked in holding a large bouquet of carnations. "Teacher, on behalf of all the students in the 97 Broadcasting class, I offer you our most sincere New Year’s blessings. May everything go your way in the coming year, and may your life be as brilliant as flowers. Thank you for your hard work, Teacher!"

Beauty Yang accepted the flowers with a radiant smile, looked around the office with pride, and smugly placed the flowers in a vase on her desk. She turned to Dong Yanyan and asked, "How is it? Beautiful, right?"

"Teacher, you look even more beautiful than the flowers!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Dong Yanyan marveled at herself—her flattery was becoming increasingly smooth.

"You really know how to talk!" Beauty Yang pinched her cheek affectionately and laughed. Dong Yanyan finally understood why Ren Jiaxuan liked to pinch people's noses and cheeks—he must have learned it from this mentor!

"I was just passing by the small flower bed and noticed two small pine trees had been dug up. Liu Qing, go help me check which class did that? It’s outrageous!" Director Tang pushed the door open with a grim face, instantly shattering the office's festive atmosphere.

"How could two be missing? I clearly—" Teacher Liu Qing covered his mouth halfway through, coughed awkwardly, and hurried out submissively. As he opened the door, he saw Zhang Dawei carrying Nuonuo in one arm, while struggling to carry a pine tree over a meter tall in the other.

Teacher Liu Qing stared at the pine tree in his hand, looking completely stunned. After taking a closer look, he breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out.

Li Zhe’s face was dark, and he secretly signaled to Zhang Dawei.

Zhang Dawei, completely oblivious, knocked on the door and ran to Beauty Yang’s side, feeling quite pleased with himself. "Teacher, Nuonuo insisted on finding her mother." He put Nuonuo down, wiped the sweat from his face, and boasted, "My arms are sore from holding her all morning. She only likes me; she cries if anyone else holds her. Just now we were—"