One More Chance | 马嘉祺

CHAPTER 5

A week has passed since the orientation. Ma Jiaqi walked to the academy with his new dorm mate, Song Yaxuan. Moving to a dorm near to the academy was really convenient for him.

The only problem he has now is that he's under the same academy with Yang Miaoli. Just thinking about it makes his face look grumpy. "Hey, it's too early to get wrinkles on your face." Yaxuan teased.

"I thought I could finally have a peaceful college life." Ma Jiaqi spoke. "I didn't know Yang Miaoli's still going to pester me around."

"That term sounds kind of harsh." Yaxuan worried.

"My bad." Jiaqi immediately apologized. "She just kind of annoyed me during the whole summer. I don't want her to annoy me during my classes too."

"Oh, that reminds me. You guys said you know each other, how come?"

"I work at a convenience store and we met there during summer."

"She looks like she's really interested in you." Yaxuan teased, which was responded by Jiaqi with a side eye. "The way she smiled when she saw you that day really tells me she likes you, Ma Ge."

Jiaqi ruffled Yaxuan's hair. "It'll wear out soon. She's just infatuated."

"You can't be sure about that."

As they walked to the gates, a familiar voice shouted, "Ma Jiaqi!"

They flinched and halted. Jiaqi and Yaxuan looked at each other before turning around. It was Yang Miaoli running towards them with a big smile on her face. Li Mei was behind her, walking with folded arms as she watched her friend.

"Good morning, Miaoli." Yaxuan greeted.

"Good morning!" She greeted back and looked at Jiaqi. "Hi, Jiaqi!"

"Are you this energetic even in the morning?" Jiaqi asked.

Miaoli shook her head as a no. "Only today because I remembered I go to the same academy as you."

Li Mei finally stood beside her friend, still folding her arms. "Miaoli, keep your voice down."

Yaxuan looked at Jiaqi with his eyes and grinned. He nudged him teasingly. Jiaqi just sighed. What was he gonna do with a bunch of people younger than him? He felt like babysitting the two of them at this point.

Song Yaxuan was also 2 years younger than him, making him the same age as Yang Miaoli. Sometimes he thinks of setting up the two just so Miaoli could stop chasing him. After all, it might work. Yaxuan was the closest thing to perfection.

"I'll get going." Ma Jiaqi said, holding onto his bag strap. He tapped on Yaxuan's shoulder. "I'll leave you to them. See you later."

"Sure." Song Yaxuan replied and waved goodbye at him.

Jiaqi did the same and went on his way to his building as he entered the gate. Song Yaxuan looked back at the two. "Let's go?" Li Mei asked, making Miaoli and Yaxuan nod.

It was really a good thing for Song Yaxuan to finally have friends in his class. This way, he wouldn't have to exert too much effort in befriending people in the block. He walked to class together with Miaoli and Mei.

He observed that the two friends have opposite personalities. It was like Mei's the moon and Miaoli was the sun. Yaxuan noticed as well that Li Mei must be like a sister figure to Miaoli, considering the fact that she kept telling her to behave as they walked inside the academy.

"I wonder if I can meet Jiaqi later at lunch." Miaoli said to herself and clasped her hands on her back.

"You might." Yaxuan replied.

"Don't give her false hope." Li Mei butted in. "She probably won't be able to see him in the crowd."

As the three entered the room, murmurs and whispers filled the room as they glanced at one particular person. They continued to walk further inside the room to find vacant seats. Luckily, they found a row with three empty seats so they decided to take it.

"That's Song Yaxuan, right? I heard he got ranked 11th during the entrance exams." Someone whispered, which was completely audible for them.

Miaoli looked at Yaxuan in shock. "No way! Yaxuan, you must be really good."

Yaxuan smiled in response. "What about you, guys?"

Li Mei, who was in between Yaxuan and Miaoli, responded. "She got 34th, I got 22nd."

"Not bad." Yaxuan complimented.

"Thanks!" Miaoli replied with a smile.

The three of them began to converse as they waited for the professor to come in. They started out with simple conversation starters and gradually moved onto romance, which was Miaoli's introduced topic to the conversation.

"I heard that you like Jiaqi." Yaxuan started, pertaining to Miaoli.

"He tells you about me?" Miaoli blushed.

Mei rolled her eyes at her friend. "Great, now her delusion's getting fed this early in the morning."

Yaxuan chuckled, "I asked him about you. You really looked like you haven't seen him in a while when you saw him that day."

"Oh please." Li Mei reacted. "She sees him almost everyday at the convenience store. Trust me, her expression's always like that when she sees him."

"Oh, you met Ma Jiaqi before too?"

"Yeah, she dragged me one time to the convenience store and introduced me to him."

"I see. I've only known him for a week or so."

"Really?" Miaoli butted in.

Yaxuan nodded. "He's my new dorm mate. He's cool to be around with."

Miaoli then thought that it must be the dorm just across theirs. "Is that perhaps the Sunshine Dormitory?"

"Yes."

Miaoli immediately grabbed Mei's arm with her hands and shook her eagerly. "Let's visit them sometime!"

"Just because they're opposite our dorm, doesn't mean we should!" Mei grunted, trying to break free from Miaoli's grip.

"Oh, so you girls are from Blue Ice Dormitory." Yaxuan concluded. "You should visit us sometime, it'll be fun. Besides, that dormitory's not strict about visitors."

Miaoli smiled widely and continued to shake her friend. "See?! Let's have dinner with them later!"

"That sounds great." Yaxuan smiled. "Maybe we could have hotpot."

Miaoli continued to beg and plead. Li Mei looked at her and just sighed. "Fine."

Yaxuan and Miaoli cheered and went on with planning their dinner all together as Mei just listened to the two while constantly dropping comments here and there.

Soon, the professor came in and the room silenced, including the three. Classes then began for hours of different subjects.

Yang Miaoli surely was the most excited. She'll have dinner with the one she likes. She wondered too how Ma Jiaqi is like when he is not outside. She just couldn't wait for later.