Chapter 68

Tang Tianman hemmed and hawed for a good long while but couldn’t come up with a proper explanation.

Li Tong fetched water while Ruan Ruan massaged her shoulders. They fussed over her for a bit until Tang Tianman finally caught her breath.

“Someone wanted a photo with Zheng Xiyu,” she said.

“And then?” Ruan Ruan prompted.

“…”

It would have been so easy to just say that the girl no longer loved her.

Then Zheng Xiyu hadn’t only snapped the photo—she’d even exchanged contact info and started chatting with the fan, completely ignoring Tang Tianman.

But she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

This wasn’t something Zheng Xiyu would ever do.

Sure, Zheng Xiyu had blown up in popularity lately, leaving Tang Tianman anxious as hell, but this still wasn’t her style at all.

And airing something like that would feel like smearing Zheng Xiyu’s name.

So how was she supposed to convey to her dear roommates that things between them had hit a rough patch—without badmouthing Zheng Xiyu?

Tang Tianman ducked her head and fell silent again.

If words wouldn’t work, she’d have to act it out.

She pictured herself as one of those tragic heroines from the movies, the kind suffering for love. Her eyes drooped, brimming as if tears might spill at any moment.

Li Tong and Ruan Ruan finally stopped pressing her. They just sat with her in quiet companionship until Tang Tianman started feeling like she was wearing out their patience. Only then did Li Tong stand up. “You haven’t eaten yet, have you? I’ll run down and grab something.”

“I’ll come with you,” Ruan Ruan said.

“I’m just hitting the canteen—you…”

Li Tong trailed off midsentence.

“Hahaha, fair point,” she said, her eyes crinkling as she glanced at Ruan Ruan. “Come on then. I can’t carry everything by myself.”

Ruan Ruan turned to Tang Tianman. “You don’t feel like eating anything right now, do you?”

“I want Sister Zhang’s Mild Spicy Mild Numbing Bone Soup Goddess Set Meal from the corner on the second floor of Canteen 4. Don’t forget extra duck blood.”

Ruan Ruan: “…”

Li Tong: “…”

The dorm door creaked open, then creaked shut behind them.

Tang Tianman let out a sigh of relief once they were gone. She stood, tidied up a bit, and climbed into bed. Pretending like that while sitting upright was exhausting.

Outside, Li Tong exhaled too. She grabbed Ruan Ruan’s arm and didn’t speak until they’d walked a good distance. “Man, comforting people is draining.”

“No more comforting needed,” Ruan Ruan said.

“Huh?”

Ruan Ruan drew in a breath. “If she can eat, she’ll be fine,” she said conservatively.

“You’re right.”

They left the building in silence, heading for Canteen 4 as the cold wind whistled around them. Li Tong still couldn’t wrap her head around it. “With all this drama piling up at once, how come Tangdou’s only fixated on whether the Tall One’s love for her has dimmed even a little?”

“It’s weird, I know,” Ruan Ruan agreed. “But that’s probably the power of love for you.”

“Love’s that powerful?”

“Love turns people into idiots.” Ruan Ruan shot her a sidelong glance. “Hasn’t she noticed her IQ’s dropped several notches since she met Zheng Xiyu?”

Li Tong grinned. “Oh, I’ve noticed. That’s why I’ve never fallen in love—I’m too smart for it.”

Ruan Ruan smirked. “I love that shameless excuse.”

Canteen 4 lay across campus, right next to the Sports College.

Li Tong and Ruan Ruan trudged over, pushed through the entrance, and immediately spotted a cluster of tall, lanky girls like telephone poles holding court in the middle of the hall.

Li Tong whistled. “Tsk, when fate comes knocking, you can’t shut the door.”

Ruan Ruan glanced over. “No Zheng Xiyu?”

“Nope.”

“She should be here, though. They look like they just wrapped up training.”

“Didn’t Zheng Xiyu head back with Tangdou?”

“I mean, they finish training, grab a bite, then it’s back to more drills. If the Tall One showed up, she’d be out there with them.”

“You’re right. Maybe I’m in love—my brain’s not firing on all cylinders.”

Ruan Ruan: “…”

Li Tong nodded toward the group. “Look at the captain. Even slurping noodles, she’s adorable.”

“Adorable? You ripped into me last time for slurping too loud.”

“You, slurping noodles? Feels like a past-life memory.”

Ruan Ruan, still religiously dieting, kicked her hard and hatched a scheme.

“Aren’t you chasing the captain? She’s right there—go for it.” Ruan Ruan said it with exaggerated thoughtfulness. “Don’t worry about dinner. I’ll grab it and take it back to Dou’er. Hang out with her as long as you want. Hell, don’t come back tonight.”

“You’re not worried about me, a flower in full bloom…?”

“I’m worried about Wang Tingxi.”

Li Tong furrowed her brow, all seriousness now. “Alright, spill. What’s the real angle?”

“Get the scoop on Zheng Xiyu. Figure out what’s going on with those two.”

“Gotcha.” Li Tong flashed a thumbs-up and marched straight over, no looking back.

Ruan Ruan: “…”

Li Tong reached the volleyball team without a hint of shyness. “Hello!” she bellowed, loud enough to turn half the hall’s heads.

Ruan Ruan: “…”

Xi Chun spotted her first, flashing a brilliant smile. “Fancy meeting you here. Grabbing dinner?”

“What, come to a canteen and not eat? Nah, we’re here for you guys.” Li Tong fired back, then pivoted to Wang Tingxi. Her face lit up like a sunflower. “Okay, truth? Here for Captain Wang~~~”

Ruan Ruan: “…Urp.”

Whatever this goofy act was—love or not—Ruan Ruan vowed her own romance would never look that ridiculous.

She turned on her heel and strode off, unwilling to watch any longer.

She packed up the steaming, fragrant malatang for Tang Tianman. All she got for herself was a boiled ear of corn.

Ruan Ruan headed back, her thoughts heavy with worry over Tang Tianman’s lovesick state.

She’d just crossed the overpass when her phone buzzed.

Juggling the food awkwardly, she fished it out. A voice call request—from Jiang Xue.

They’d added each other on WeChat and swapped a couple messages that first day. Nothing since.

But Jiang Xue? Straight to treating it like a phone call, no text first.

Ruan Ruan was irritated, but curiosity won out.

What could the high-and-mighty Miss Jiang want so badly she’d call her?

She hesitated two or three seconds, then picked up.

“What?” Ruan Ruan kept her tone icy, colder than the winter wind.

Jiang Xue didn’t rush. Her voice was as cool and crisp as her name suggested—colder even than Ruan Ruan’s breeze.

“Help me out,” she said.

Ruan Ruan bit back the urge to snap, Is that how you ask for a favor?

This was something to celebrate. Hahahaha!

To savor the joy, Ruan Ruan ambled along, admiring the scenery.

She even whistled a cheerful tune as she entered the building.

But the moment she shoved open the dorm door and spotted Tang Tianman curled up on the bed, reality crashed back.

She had a heartbroken friend to think of.

No flaunting her glee.

Ruan Ruan schooled her features, forcing down her grin.

“Dinner’s here,” she announced. “No matter how much drama life’s throwing at you, you still gotta…”

Tang Tianman tumbled off the bed and dashed to the table. She whipped off the lid.

The aroma hit like a wave. Ruan Ruan finished her thought: “…eat.”

Tang Tianman treated it like a starting gun. She snatched her chopsticks and shoveled in a slice of scalding beef.

Ruan Ruan: “…”

Tang Tianman patted the stool beside her. “You too.”

“You’re not upset anymore?”

Tang Tianman’s brows drooped, her face crumpling like she might cry. “Food heals a broken heart.”

Ruan Ruan eyed her sad little corn on the cob: “…”

“You eat first.” Ruan Ruan walked over to her own bed, slipped a pack of something into her pocket, and said, “I’ll step out for a bit.”

“What are you up to?” Tang Tianman watched her with an expression on the verge of tears.

“Using another method to soothe my sorrow.” Ruan Ruan left without a hint of mercy.

Leaving Jiang Xue stranded in the bathroom might soothe some sorrow, but Ruan Ruan figured mocking her to her face would bring even greater joy.

So this time, she held nothing back. She dashed down the stairs with quick thuds of her feet, then raced toward True Heart Building like a whirlwind of a woman.

It was all thanks to her habit of night runs—sprinting this short distance left her back unstrained, her legs unaching, and her breathing full of vigor.

Winter’s nightfall deepened swiftly.

Few classrooms in True Heart Building were lit. With the cold weather, everyone preferred curling up in their dorm beds.

Ruan Ruan ran straight into Building 9, then up to the third floor. She didn’t stop until she reached the door of the bathroom on the right, where she caught her breath and composed herself to look relaxed and delighted.

And truthfully, she was relaxed and delighted.

With that easy delight, she pushed open the door and called out lightly, “Jiang Xue?”

A voice answered from the farthest stall inside. “Mm.”

Ruan Ruan walked over and tiptoed to pass the item from her pocket through the gap. “How old are you, anyway? Can’t even keep track of your own cycle? What do you use your brain for on a normal day? And get along better with your classmates and roommates for once—don’t wait until a time like this to beg help from someone you barely know…”

With no face in sight, her scolding flowed freely and satisfyingly.

At this rate, she could keep it up until Jiang Xue shoved the door open. But Jiang Xue showed no trace of gratitude from the one being rescued. Instead, she interrupted. “Wrong.”

Ruan Ruan blinked. “Huh?”

Jiang Xue said, “Wrong pads. I need the Always Ultra-Thin Daily ones.”

Ruan Ruan’s voice rose in pitch. “Isn’t that the Always Ultra-Thin???”

Jiang Xue replied, “Those are the mesh kind.”

“Fuck!” Ruan Ruan kicked the stall door. “Why are you so damn picky? This is all there is—take it or keep squatting!”