Trouble in Class

Ⅰ

Hu Tao walked into her college, bracing herself for the scolding she knew awaited her from her best friends. She had decided to prank them at the last minute on Friday in class. As soon as she entered, Xiangling spotted her and screamed, "Tao!! Tea Tao's here, Feifei!" Tea Tao was a ridiculous nickname they had given her, silly and stupid, but endearing in its own way.

"Ling! Fei!" Tao exclaimed, running into their arms. She hadn't seen the two of them in two days and yet she missed them so dearly. It was odd, she thought, how much she had missed those two idiots in such a short time.

"Hey, Tao," Yanfei interrupted their hug. "Did you know that Madam Shenhe is taking off the rest of the school year? We have a new substitute now!"

"She's... WHAT?!" Hu Tao exclaimed, her jaw dropping in shock as Xiangling's laughter rang out in the background.

"Wow, I was just planning some new pranks on Ms. Shenhe. Goddamn it..." Hu Tao muttered, frustration evident in her voice. Since they no longer had any more of Ms. Shenhe's classes today, they got off early.

"Hmm" Hu Tao thought, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I might have an idea of what I want to do next..."

__________

As usual, Hu Tao managed to drag Yanfei and Xiangling to one of their favorite bars, her eyes lighting up with mischief as they settled in. Yanfei shot her an exasperated look, trying to mask her worry. "Tao, you really need to ease up on the bar nights," she muttered, staring at the floor as if it held some secret solution to Hu Tao's wild streak. Yanfei knew her words would probably go in one ear and out the other, but she never stopped trying.

Hu Tao rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, come on, Fei! It's just a bit of fun."

As Hu Tao scanned the room, her gaze landed on a striking woman in a flowing pink dress at the bar. Without a filter, she whispered, "Holy hell, that lady's hot," not caring that her words reached Yanfei and Xiangling – and quite possibly the woman in question, too.

The lady, probably in her thirties, chuckled as she heard Hu Tao's slip. She looked like she could be Hu Tao's mother, but her eyes twinkled with amusement, taking the comment in stride.

Yanfei shook her head in disapproval. "Hu Tao, stop gawking! You're staring again," she hissed, looking around nervously. "I'm getting myself a drink, and then we're out of here before you embarrass us more."

Xiangling, chuckling at the interaction, raised her glass. "Yeah, good plan. I don't want us stumbling around if the new sub catches us in here tomorrow."

The woman in the pink dress caught Xiangling's words, a slight look of surprise flashing across her face before she composed herself. Maybe it was best to leave this mystery woman alone – for now.

__________

"Woo... Tuesday...!" Hu Tao said sarcastically to herself, not expecting anyone to reply.

"Haha, I betted you would say that," a familiar voice said from behind her.

Did she sleep with someone last night? Was she too drunk to even consider thinking about it? Her face blushed like a sweet potato. "What the... HELL?!" she screamed.

"Chill, chill. It's me, Xiangling!" the voice behind her said. Hu Tao stared at the wall in front of her for a good two seconds, trying to recount what happened last night.

No matter how drunk she might've been, she couldn't honestly believe she'd actually slept with anyone, right?

"...NO, don't think like that!" Xiangling blushed audibly. "You got too drunk last night, so Feifei sent me here to take care of you. Thenyouwantedtocuddle, andyouwerestuckontomelikeakoala, so I couldn't escape!" Xiangling spat out in a single breath.