"I told them to wake up early! Room 206 right??"

Shen Qingqiu stood in front of the door with his hand on the knob. Behind him were Xie Lian and Shi Qingxuan. All were wearing their school uniforms with the name 清風高中 (Qingfeng High School) imprinted on the blue and white tracksuits.

Xie Lian was holding a pile of the same uniforms in his arms, all neatly folded. He said, "Qingqiu-xiong, don't blame them, it's not that late."

"Yah, it's-" Shi Qingxuan yawned. "It's 206."

"I'm not blam- huh?" Shen Qingqiu had twisted the doorknob. It wasn't locked. "They didn't even lock their door?" Shen Qingqiu asked, baffled.

The three boys stepped in. Shen Qingqiu half-expected the three boys' cold dead bodies sprawled across the floor just like the rumor of the brutally murdered student from decades ago. (A true rumor according to Shi Qingxuan.)

"...."

The first thing Shen Qingqou saw was a leg dangling from the top bunk. It belongs to Wei Wuxian. On the bottom bunk, also dead or asleep, was Hua Cheng.

And, "Where's-" Shen Qingqiu's foot hit something. He nearly cursed out loud. "..." It was the head of Luo Binghe.

"Hey, hey, wake up," Shen Qingqiu murmured, nudging Luo Binghe with a foot.

Are they...

"Should I go get a pan?" Shi Qingxuan offered. "Or my brother?"

Xie Lian: "..."

Luo Binghe suddenly sat up, nearly scaring the shit out of Shen Qingqiu. After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes.

"..." Luo Binghe looked up. A pair of dark green eyes stared back at him. Suddenly Luo Binghe was wide awake.

"S-Shen Yuan-!!" Luo Binghe jumped up, stuttering.

"...Good morning," Shen Qingqiu said.

"G-Good morning," Luo Binghe stammered, turning his head away. The boy suddenly felt a bit shy and self-conscious, and he lifted a hand to cover his hair which was poking out weirdly.

"..." Shen Qingqiu reached out a hand to pat it down. "Why were you sleeping on the floor?" he asked.

Luo Binghe blinked. "I don't know," he said honestly. He grinned at Shen Qingqiu sheepishly.

Shen Qingqiu: ...

Shen Qingqiu smiled back awkwardly before looking over at Wei Wuxian and said, "Let's-

Shen Qingqiu abruptly stopped and his facial expression turned horrified as he saw Wei Wuxian let out a yawn and began to turn around in his sleep.

It was as if time had slowed as Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu watched in horror at Wei Wuxian turning on the wrong side of the bunk bed.

Only Xie Lian had a quick reaction.

"I got him!" Xie Lian dropped the uniforms and ran over.

He did not get him.

Wei Wuxian fell on top of Xie Lian and both crashed onto the floor.

"Ouch..." Luo Binghe muttered, peeking through his fingers. Shen Qingqiu grimaced.

"Gege, are you alright??" Hua Cheng appeared next to Xie Lian and helped him up.

Shi Qingxuan's mouth dropped open. "I could have sworn he was asleep a moment ago," he said in awe.

Shen Qingqiu's mouth dropped open. "I can't believe Wei Wuxian is still asleep," he said, astonished.

Shen Qingqiu walked over and squatted down next to Wei Wuxian. He gently slapped the boy on his cheek, saying, "Hey, hey, Wei Wuxian, wake up. Come on, wake up, you didn't hit your head on the ground, did you?"

Wei Wuxian groaned and turned around, muttering, "Five more minutes, mom."

Shen Qingqiu: "..."

Shen Qingqiu: "Okay, now I know you are awake."

Wei Wuxian: "..."

Wei Wuxian opened an eye. Shen Qingqiu was looking at him, irritation itching on his face. Wei Wuxian couldn't help but let out a giggle. "Morning, Shen-xiong," he said.

Wei Wuxian sat up and yawned loudly, stretching his arms over his head.

He looked up and saw everyone. "Oh, hello guys, did you all come to wake me up? I'm honored."

"..."

Shen Qingqiu turned to look at Luo Binghe, and said seriously, "Binghe, you must never feel self-conscious about your hair when you are next to Wei Wuxian."

Wei Wuxian covered his hair with both hands and said, "Heyyy, you should see my friend, Jiang Cheng, he had the worst hair day on the first day of school. No need to be ashamed. Everyone sleeps on their hair funny."

"Not him," Shi Qingxuan said, pointing at Hua Cheng.

Hua Cheng pointed at himself and said, "Me? Only the best of us don't have ugly hair days. Right, Gege?" Hua Cheng asked, nudging Xie Lian playfully with his elbow.

Shen Qingqiu wonders how Luo Binghe made friends with such egotistical dudes.

He stood up and said, "Right. Anyway, you guys need to get dressed."

Xie Lian nodded. Then he turned around and picked up the uniforms he previously had dropped on the ground. He pats the dust off them. "It's all good," he assured them.

"Are we supposed to wear that?" Wei Wuxian asked incredulously.

"It's clean, plus you guys even slept on the floor," Xie Lian pointed out.

"No, I mean- we-" Wei Wuxian pointed to himself, Luo Binghe, and Hua Cheng, "We have to wear school uniforms?"

"..."

"Yeah."

Wei Wuxian made a face. "You know, next year, you guys should transfer. Our school doesn't require uniforms."

Shi Qingxuan's eyes widened. "Wow, really! Hm." The boy looked like he was seriously considering it.

Wei Wuxian nodded. He hopped up. "And we get to go to school at eight. So we got that extra beauty sleep you know?" he winked at Shi Qingxuan.

Shi Qingxuan's eyes sparkled. "Maybe... I should transfer."

Shen Qingqiu muttered under his breath, "Qingxuan, stay loyal to Qingfeng."

Wei Wuxian snickered. He took his uniform and went to the bathroom to change.

A couple of moments later, the three boys from MengDie were ready.

"..."

"Hey, these are pretty comfortable," Wei Wuxian said, adjusting his sleeve.

Shen Qingqiu: "Thank you-"

"If we are going hiking."

"..." Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes.

"Alright, so what are we going to do now? By the way, how come Lan Zhan's not here?"

"We are going to head down to the courtyard. You know, for the exchange week induction thing," Xie Lian responded. He smiled. "But we still have some time before that."

"And Lan Zhan?" Wei Wuxian pressed.

Shen Qingqiu and Xie Lian looked at each other. They shrugged at Wei Wuxian.

Shi Qingxuan said, "Who knows, Wangji-xiong's not our roomie."

Wei Wuxian frowned. "Ah, alright, whatever." Then he brightened and said, "Well, why don't we go find him? Xie-xiong said there's still a while before the orientation."

"Sure," Shen Qingqiu said, itching to get out of the overcrowded dorm.

Wei Wuxian grinned and hurry to open the door for them.

He didn't expect someone to hit him on the forehead.

".!"

Wei Wuxian looked up to see Lan Wangji. The boy was standing on the other side of the doorway holding a blue plastic box in one hand, his other just having (gently) hit Wei Wuxian on the forehead. He was in his school uniform.

"..." Lan Wangji lowered his fist. He was supposed to knock on the door.

Wei Wuxian's mouth turned from an o to a big smile. "Lan Zhan! We were just about to go find you."

"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji said. He handed the blue box to Wei Wuxian. "For you. Breakfast."

Wei Wuxian's mouth dropped open. "Wow!" he exclaimed.

"I supposed we don't get any?" Hua Cheng voiced, leaning against the doorframe.

Lan Wangji: "..."

Wei Wuxian turned to look at Hua Cheng. He said smugly, "Of course not. If you want some you'll have to ask your penfriend."

Xie Lian: "I haven't cooked anything... :'(" Damn, he should have thought about that.

Shen Qingqiu resisted rolling his eyes. "We can all just head down to the cafeteria."

Shi Qingxuan nodded. "I bet He Xuan's probably stuffing himself there."

Shen Qingqiu: "Right."

They left the dorm. Hightailing to the cafeteria, nothing much happens besides the group eating plain porridge with some side dishes. It definitely wasn't as nice as Lan Wangji's cooking though. They didn't even have hot sauce. Wei Wuxian made sure to rub it in by chewing loudly. Shen Qingqiu had the urge to whack the bottom of Wei Wuxian's blue plastic lunch box into his face.

Then they had to head to the courtyard. Xie Lian wanted to go early before it gets crowded. "Or else San Lang has to let me sit on his shoulders to see the stage," he joked.

On the way, the group bumped into Lan Xichen.

"Xichen-xiong!"

"Oh, hello there." Lan Xichen smiled, the corner of his eyes crinkling. "Heading to the courtyard?"

Wei Wuxian nodded. "Yep!"

Lan Xichen: "Ah, hold on. Wanyin told me to return this to you." Lan Xichen reached into his pocket and took out Wei Wuxian's phone. "You left this at the coffee shop yesterday," he said, handing it to Wei Wuxian.

"Oh, thanks, Xichen-xiong!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed. "So how was yesterday..." Wei Wuxian's voice trailed off at Lan Xichen's ever-creaseless smile that seemed even brighter than before. "Um... Nevermind." You know what, Wei Wuxian doesn't need to know.

"Alright, I'll get going then, I actually have a part to say at the orientation so you'll see me at the podium. See you in the crowd!" Lan Xichen said cheerily, waving a hand.

"See you, brother," Lan Wangji said, lifting a hand.

"Umm, yeah, bye-bye, Xichen-xiong..." Wei Wuxian said. He can practically see the flowers around Lan Xichen as he walks away humming.

"My god, how are you guys blood-related brothers??" Wei Wuxian exclaimed out loud after Lan Xichen left. "Too different, too different!"

"I don't think they are that different," Shi Qingxuan piped. "They look similar enough."

Lan Wangji: "..."

Wei Wuxian shook his head. "My dear Shi-xiong, it's not the looks, it's the personality. It's the personality that matters."

Shi Qingxuan: "..."

Shi Qingxuan turned to look at He Xuan who was trailing behind the group. "..."

"Well, looks matter too," Wei Wuxian mused to himself. "I mean, looks do tell a lot about someone. The way they dress and the way they show themself..."

"I think you meant how someone carries themself," Shen Qingqiu said. "It's more of one's appearance."

"Yeah yeah, like how Shen-xiong likes to pretend he's all high and lofty," Wei Wuxian said, sticking his tongue out at Shen Qingqiu.

Shen Qingqiu refrained from rolling his eyes at Wei Wuxian. "That's childish," he chided himself and Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes at him.

The group made it outside.

"Nice day isn't it?" Xie Lian spoke up, squinting his eyes at the sky. "You'll think it would have rained considering all that wind and cloud from last night."

"Mn, Gege," Hua Cheng said, smiling.

"Guys, the courtyard is over here," Shen Qingqiu called out to them. "Wei Wuxian, don't do that," he had turned around to see Wei Wuxian poking a stick at an ant hill.

"Ahaha, Lan Zhan look!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed, thrusting the stick in front of Lan Wangji's face. There was a tiny ant on top of the stick, its antennas waving.

"..." Lan Wangji took the stick and brought it back toward the ant hill. To their surprise, the ant practically leaped off the stick and into the ant hill before the stick could even touch the hill.

Wei Wuxian: "ooo..."

Lan Wangji led Wei Wuxian away from the ant hill.

Shen Qingqiu: "..."

Shen Qingqiu turned his head to Luo Binghe. Shen Qingqiu sighed. "You are the only one that listens well," he said, patting Luo Binghe on the head.

Luo Binghe: ":?"

Fairly soon, more people began to fill in the courtyard. Xie Lian was able to see Qingfeng's staff on the set. And a few of the student council members which included Lan Xichen, Ling Wen, Shi Qingxuan's brother, and Pei Ming.

It was during Lan Laoshi's speech that it suddenly started pouring.

⭐️❤️

Can you believe we made it to chapter 40?! 🤩