Chapter 31: The Consequences of Fun

As the four of them ran back toward the courtyard, their wet clothes clinging to their skin, Zian couldn't help but feel a strange mix of exhilaration and dread. Yu, of course, looked completely carefree, laughing as he shook the water from his hair like an excited puppy. Mao and Lui, on the other hand, were already scheming ways to avoid getting in trouble.

"We could say we slipped and fell," Mao suggested, wringing out her sleeves.

Lui scoffed. "All four of us? At the same time? Yeah, that's believable."

"Maybe we were practicing water techniques?" Yu added with a smirk.

Zian rolled his eyes. "You don't even know any water techniques."

Yu grinned. "Exactly. That's why we were practicing!"

Mao sighed. "I don't think we'll be able to talk our way out of this one."

Just as they reached the courtyard, a familiar, stern voice called out from behind them.

"What do you all think you're doing?"

They froze. Slowly, they turned to see Yu's mother standing there with her arms crossed, her sharp gaze scanning their soaked appearances.

Yu's playful expression vanished in an instant. "Uh… Mother!" he said, forcing a bright smile. "We were just—"

"Don't even try," she interrupted. "I can already guess what kind of nonsense you were up to."

Lui gulped, taking a small step behind Mao. Zian lowered his head slightly, avoiding her gaze. Mao, on the other hand, stood her ground, as if preparing to argue.

Yu cleared his throat. "We were… um, just enjoying the weather?"

Yu's mother sighed. "And you thought the best way to do that was by jumping into the lake?"

"It wasn't exactly planned," Zian muttered.

Yu shot him a look that said, *You're not helping!*

His mother shook her head. "You do realize your father could be back any time now, don't you?"

That wiped the smirk off Yu's face. "…He won't find out, right?"

She raised an eyebrow. "That depends. If you all go inside, clean up, and behave yourselves for the rest of the evening, I might not mention it."

Yu let out a relieved breath. "Thank you, Mother! You're the best!"

"But," she continued, making him freeze, "if I see any of you causing more trouble today, I *will* tell him."

Yu nodded quickly. "Understood!"

She glanced at the others. "That goes for all of you."

They all murmured their agreement, then hurried off before she could change her mind.

---

Inside the dormitory, they quickly changed into dry clothes, their bodies still warm from all the excitement. Lui grumbled the entire time about how unfair it was, while Mao kept teasing him about how easily he got pushed into the lake.

Yu, of course, was already bouncing back, lying on Zian's bed as he stared at the ceiling. "That was fun."

Zian, standing nearby, crossed his arms. "You always think trouble is fun."

Yu grinned at him. "Because it is."

Zian sighed, but he couldn't deny that, despite the trouble, there was something nice about spending time like this. In a way, Yu had a way of making life feel a little brighter.

Mao sat cross-legged on the floor. "Alright, now that we've survived that, what's next?"

Lui groaned. "Next? Can't we just *not* get in trouble for one day?"

Yu smirked. "Where's the fun in that?"

Zian chuckled softly, shaking his head. It was always like this with Yu. No matter how many times he got scolded, he never changed.

And somehow, Zian was starting to think that maybe that was a good thing.