Wenwen ran a hand over her hair, brushing it away from her face. She took a sip of her tea before picking up her chopsticks. A yawn escaped her lips as she began putting food on her plate. Jessica just watched her in a awe as she went about her meal.  

“Wenwen, you haven’t introduced yourself to Jessica, yet.” Er Jie pointed out in a stern yet motherly tone.

Wenwen blinked, still apparently in a daze from having woken up from her nap. Then, her gaze met with the new transfer once more. “I-I’m sorry, J-Jess. My name is Yu WenWen. You can also call me, Kelly, but everyone here is used to calling me Wenwen.”

“Nice to meet you, Kelly.” Jessica smiled. ‘She’s adorable.’ She thought as she watched Wenwen eat.

“So, Jessica. Where are you from?” Cai Jie asked, curious of her new dormmate.

“I was born in the United States, but my family moved to South Korea when I was young.”

“Oh, you’re about the same as our Wenwen here.” Jinyan remarked, “Wenwen’s family moved to Canada when she was young.”

Wenwen just kept mum and nonchalantly ate her meal as Jessica studied her reaction. “She’s shy with new people and doesn’t really want to talk about it.” Jinyan whispered in Jessica’s ear.

“Oh, uh… it’s okay. I understand.”

“So, Xiuyan, what made you move here to China and enter Phoenix Academy?” Mengtao asked.

“I heard Phoenix Academy was a great school for the arts and music. So, I tried passing my application even though I knew my chances were next to zero on getting in and I just wanted to be away from home for a change.”

‘And away from her.’ Jessica thought but didn’t say out loud.

“You’re a lucky girl, Jess.” Shiyi remarked, “No foreigner has ever attended Phoenix Academy for a thousand years and you’re the first one.”

Wenwen was quite surprised when Shiyi did not regard her as an outsider. It felt good to be considered as part of her own country for once; but given that none of her fellow students reacted to Shiyi’s remark, Wenwen kept the thought to herself and continued eating while listening to the exchange at the table.

Jessica just smiled sheepishly, “T-Thanks, I guess…” She was still unsure if her decision to enter the academy had been a sound one, but only time will tell if she had indeed made the right choice.  

Their hotpot ended, leaving everyone satisfied and thankful to Er Jie, who prepared the sumptuous meal. Everyone offered to clean up but Er Jie practically dragged WenWen, Jinyan, and Jessica to the foyer as they were already crowded in the kitchen and dining room.

“You kids, sit back and relax here. Your jiejies and I will handle the rest.” Er Jie said as she motioned for the three to get settled on the couch.

Wenwen welcomed the idea, flinging herself on one end before falling fast asleep. Jinyan settled on the chaise nearby before handing a piece of guo dan pi to Jessica who settled on the other end of the couch. “Xièxiè, Jinyan.” Jessica thankfully received the treat.

Jinyan smiled back before grabbing the remote on the coffee table and turning on the television. Jessica watched a Chinese program with her dormmate while Wenwen dozed on the other side of the couch. The program was something very foreign to Jessica, having not understood the language fully nor the concept of the show.

Jessica did not realize that she was starting to nod off as she watched the show with Jinyan. When the latter looked back to her companions, a chuckle left her lips.

‘Wow, they’re both tired.’ Jinyan thought, only to shift her attention to the main door which opened.

“Hello! WE’RE BACK!” Cici and Lili both chorused loudly as they entered, startling Jinyan but not the sleeping girls on the couch.

“Shh! Girls, they’re sleeping.” Jinyan hushed the two noisy new arrivals, who immediately apologized in hushed tones as they stepped into the foyer.

“Sorry, we didn’t know.” Lili muttered, eyes landing on the new face on the couch, “Is she-”

Jinyan nodded, knowing what Lili was about to say.

“She must be tired from the trip, she just arrived today, right?” Cici inquired as she handed Jinyan a bag of treats.

“Yes, and her name’s Jessika Zheng Xiuyan. Anyway, Er Jie and the other jiejies are cleaning up in the kitchen. You two should go and eat dinner if you haven’t already.” Jinyan motioned the two girls towards the dining room.

“We already ate. I think we should get Wenwen back to bed and you should help the new transfer back to your dorm so that she can rest.” Cici suggested to which Lili nodded in agreement.

“I guess you’re right, I should tell the jiejies then.” Jinyan agreed as she got up and followed the two taller girls into the kitchen.

+++

“Hey, Jess? Wake up.” A voice and a hand gently shook her awake. “We’re going to head back to the dorm now. So, let’s tell the other jiejies that we’re going back.”

Jessica slowly opened her eyes, momentarily forgetting where she was. Her sight began to gain its focus and her roommate’s face appeared as she gained her bearings. “Huh?” Jessica rubbed her eyes as she sat up.

“Let’s get you back to the dorm so you can rest.” Xiaolei said as she held out a hand for Jessica to take.

The younger girl looked to the other end of the couch and noticed that Wenwen was still sleeping. “Don’t worry, her roommates will help her to bed.” Xiaolei remarked as she pulled Jessica to stand, “Now come on and let’s tell the jiejies we’re going. I’ll introduce you to the other students tomorrow.”

+++

“Wenwen!”

“Yu Wenwen!”

“Wake up.”

“Wake up and move to your room!”

Wenwen woke up to find her roommates, Cici and Lili, hovering over her on the couch. She groggily sat up, only to be helped by her two roommates towards her own bedroom. “Come on, Wenwen.” Cici said as she and Lili assisted the sleepyhead. “Let’s get you to bed.” Lili added, “Tomorrow’s going to be another day.”

‘Right. I need to rest. I’ve been working on my music too much which has been worrying everyone.’ Wenwen thought as she slipped into bed, feeling more comfortable as Cici tucked her in before heading out of her room.

“Good night, Wenwen.” Lili whispered as she turned off the light and closed the door.

+++