Wang Tianwei had felt a dull tugging at her scalp for the past couple of days. When she looked in the mirror that morning, she was startled to realize her hair had grown so long it almost reached her waist when let down!
She ran her fingers through the ends. It was too long for anything, really—inconvenient for everything. She’d get it tidied up after breakfast.
The camp had several beauty salons. After all, it wasn’t just the students who needed haircuts; the staff and teachers also had to keep up appearances from time to time.
She wondered how often Yama Chao went to get his buzz cut trimmed—it never seemed to grow out at all.
“Hey there, it’s little Wang from the Qilin team! Come on in! What kind of style are you thinking?”
The hairstylist spotted Wang Tianwei hesitating at the door and warmly invited her inside, then led her to a chair and began gesturing with a comb.
“Your hair quality’s great, little Wang! But it’s a bit too long—drags down your height. Want me to trim it?”
“...Just cut it short, nice and clean. Shoulder length should do.”
She’d been in this world for over a year now. She still remembered the stylist at her old salon, Qiao, who’d said her hair couldn’t take any more dye. The newly grown black parts were now almost level with her chin, and it no longer looked as jarring as it once had.
“Alright, I guarantee you’ll make a stunning appearance at the finals!”
For some reason, Wang Tianwei felt every hairstylist in these shops had a weirdly intense passion and sense of mission about their work.
Snip.
With a single cut, white strands drifted silently to the floor.
Half an hour later, Wang Tianwei stared at her reflection in the mirror, her mouth forming a perfect “O.”
Her new shoulder-length bob was crisp and sharp. Only about two or three centimeters of white remained at the tips, making it look almost like she’d purposely dyed the ends—steady and mature, yet with a touch of personality!
And shorter hair really did make her look taller. Standing like this, she felt almost the same height as Little Bear!
“Sharp!”
The hairstylist, hearing that, flicked his head with pride.
“Of course! I’ve been doing this for over a decade. I can tell in one glance what hairstyle suits anyone!”
Wang Tianwei stood in front of the big mirror, twisting left and right, absolutely loving the look.
“Boss, you’ve got real skill! Do you have a shop outside? Do you offer membership cards? I want to sign up right now!”
It was time to say goodbye to Qiao!
But the stylist just shook his head.
“The camp hired us. I closed my shop before I came here. Soon as your competition wraps up, I’m heading off for a good vacation!
As for reopening later... we’ll see.”
Wang Tianwei then noticed the optical brain on the stylist’s wrist—it was this year’s latest, top-of-the-line model, even more expensive than hers! Anyone who could say that definitely wasn’t short on cash.
“Wow, boss, you achieved financial freedom so young?! Incredible!”
No wonder he didn’t even mind closing his shop.
The stylist chuckled at her tone.
“Compared to Yida Technology, it’s nothing serious. Good luck in the next match—I’m rooting for ‘Heart’s Greatest Trouble’!”
“Haha, thanks boss! Can I add you as a friend? If you ever decide to open up shop again after your vacation, I’ll come find you!”
“Sure!”
When she arrived at the training room, everyone immediately noticed Wang Tianwei’s new look.
“That hairstyle looks great—suits you perfectly!”
Jian Jingyu circled her twice, admiring the change.
Sister Zebra usually just wore a ponytail, so from the front all you could see was that bizarre lid-like hair color. Now with short hair, she looked so sleek and cool—it was like a total head transplant! She pulled up her optical brain camera.
“A moment like this needs to be recorded!”
“Yeah, I think the cut turned out really well. Which salon did you go to?”
Zhang Laila agreed with Goldfish’s comment, then smoothly adjusted the angle as her teammate snapped photos, posing with Sister Zebra and flashing peace signs.
After a few shots, Wang Tianwei happily grabbed one person with each arm.
“You two’s hair is long too. Come on, before the finals, I’ll take you for new styles! That boss might not be doing this much longer—miss this chance, and there’s no second shop!”
Fu Xingyuan stepped into the training room and paused at the sight of Wang Tianwei’s short hair, then broke into a genuine smile.
“That looks really good.”
She was herself now—no longer tied or tangled with anyone else.
“Haha, thanks!”
The other soldiers thought it looked great too, so the haircut squad quickly grew.
Zhang Laila was used to braiding her hair in scorpion plaits, so she only trimmed the ends and a few stray wisps on top that had been sticking up oddly.
Those strands had started growing every which way after they returned from the Shimmer Desert Star, and even a subsequent trip to humid Uranus hadn’t fixed them...
Jian Jingyu also got her curls cut even shorter and immediately felt much fresher!
That hairstylist really had skills, no doubt about it. Whether male or female, everyone who went in came out smiling.
When the “models” stepped outside, students, teachers, and event staff alike—whether they needed a cut or not—got inspired to try a new hairstyle.
There were even customers who couldn’t get an appointment and had to book for the next day. The stylist, who’d already planned to take a break, ended up reliving the experience of a shop packed to the brim before he could even leave camp.
And after her haircut, Wang Tianwei’s inspiration went into overdrive! She buried herself in the mecha bay and didn’t come out for the next two days.
After that “master class,” mecha engineers from all three schools had been busy researching and modifying their teams’ mechas. The newest fuel additive—mermaid oil—was purchased directly from Wang Tianwei.
Zhang Laila and Jian Jingyu, who received a cut of the profits, couldn’t believe the “wool” they’d plucked from the competition could actually be sold. It opened up some new ideas for them...
That evening, they brought Wang Tianwei a hot pot veggie dish she’d specially requested from the cafeteria. When the boss heard it was for her, he even used her favorite hot pot broth base.
That was Sister Zebra’s authority for you—now, basically any shop in camp gave her little surprises just for mentioning her name.
From small things like free candy at the store to spontaneous food offerings from cafeteria owners, even teachers Fu Manli and Chao Hao had gotten in on the benefits several times!
Carrying the veggie dish back, the two soldiers pushed open the door and saw Sister Zebra wrapped in a layer of metal, working away as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
“...Is this what they call being a mummy?!”
Wang Tianwei rolled her eyes and used her mental strength to push aside the face shield.
“They don’t use liquid metal to wrap mummies.”
Only then did Jian Jingyu realize the material covering her was liquid metal!
“Whoa—you’re just wearing it like clothes? That’s so extravagant!”
Good grief, that must be all of Sister Zebra’s liquid metal reserves. Was it worth a whole house?
Wang Tianwei shrugged.
“I scored another five kilos a couple days ago. Figured I’d use it to train my mental strength.”
Zhang Laila stayed silent. Tianwei always came up with the most straightforward yet unexpected training methods...
Wearing liquid metal like clothes—who could have thought of that?
