Just as Gu Beiyan was lost in his wild thoughts, Ms. Su returned, bringing along a freshly cleaned and changed Wen Zifei.

The once messy little boy now looked neat and tidy, but his face was full of frustration and impatience as he was led back into the cafeteria by Ms. Su.

However…

There wasn’t much food left.

Yu Yuanyuan’s eyes followed him the whole time, and when she saw that the trays behind the glass were empty, a wave of sympathy surged in her little heart.

Poor thing, he doesn’t have any food left. How tragic!

The little munchkin sighed in pity, suddenly feeling that Wen Zifei wasn’t all that bad after all.

Ms. Su asked the kitchen staff to prepare a special meal for Wen Zifei, something he liked. He sat alone in a corner, quietly eating.

In Yu Yuanyuan’s eyes: Poor thing, no good food left, just a tiny plate, and he’s eating all alone. So sad!

In Wen Zifei’s mind: This is perfect! No boring cafeteria food and I get to eat my favorite meal in peace. It’s awesome!

After lunch, there was free time for about half an hour before everyone had to go back to the dorms for a nap at 12:30.

Yu Yuanyuan, Chu Qi, and Gu Beiyan huddled in one corner of the sandbox, working together to build a small sandcastle.

The sandbox had been specially treated to be very clean, with light yellow sand that gave off a beach-like vibe.

Not far away was a section made to resemble a beach, but the surrounding barriers cleverly kept the kids from going near the water. The water was shallow, barely reaching a child’s calves, and little fish swam beneath the rocks, cooling off in the shade.

“Yuanyuan, look! This is the castle I built just for you!” Gu Beiyan announced grandly, waving his small hand like a king presenting his kingdom.

Chu Qi’s sarcastic reply was right on cue: “You only built one corner. How can you even call it yours?”

“I… I dug all the sand for it!” Gu Beiyan defended, pointing at the hole he had excavated. “Without the sand I dug up, there’d be no castle.”

“Ha, nice try.”

The two kids bickered back and forth, only to realize after a while that Yu Yuanyuan hadn’t said a word.

The little girl was lying flat on the edge of the sandbox, her body bent over as she seriously studied the castle. “Will people live inside the castle?” she asked.

“Of course! Princesses live in castles,” Gu Beiyan said, relying on his vast knowledge of fairy tales. “Someone as cute as Yuanyuan must be the princess living in the castle, and me? I’d be the prince.”

Chu Qi, catching the implication, quickly added with a cold tone: “Then I’m the king.”

Gu Beiyan: “…”

Taking Advantage Without Making a Move

“But I don’t want to be a princess,” Yu Yuanyuan said, cradling her cheeks in her hands and shaking her head. “In the stories I’ve heard, princesses can’t go out whenever they want.”

Chu Qi and Gu Beiyan tilted their heads in confusion: “So what?”

Were they about to hear some profound declaration about freedom and rebellion?

Yu Yuanyuan quickly stood up, brushed off the sand from her clothes, and said, “If I can’t go out, I won’t get to eat a lot of yummy things! I don’t want to be a princess.”

After that, the little munchkin waddled off toward the nap room at the teacher’s call.

For some reason, as Gu Beiyan watched Yu Yuanyuan’s retreating figure, he seems to see somekind of round, animal…

Oink.

But even if Yuanyuan turned into a piglet, she’d still be the cutest, pinkest little piglet ever!

Gu Beiyan shot a glance at Chu Qi before quickening his pace, trying to catch up to Yuanyuan. Not to be outdone, Chu Qi followed closely behind, the two jostling for the spot closest to Yuanyuan.

When they reached the entrance to the nap room…

“Alright, boys line up over here, and girls over there,” the teacher instructed.

Chu Qi managed to secure her spot next to Yuanyuan.

With her victory sealed, Chu Qi raised her chin, giving Gu Beiyan a smug, triumphant smile.