Chapter 40

Yue Bai was convinced that Senior Sister must jinx her. Every time she ran into Senior Sister, she ended up doing something foolish or saying something stupid.

She sat quietly on the living room sofa, cradling her phone. The dorm group chat had been buzzing nonstop since morning.

“It’s been a whole week, and I never thought that post would get bumped back up,” Chen Han remarked in the group.

“Hua Yun from the senior class, Senior Sister Wen Mo, and Senior Sister Zhou Qingyan all commented on it with their own accounts. Of course it got bumped,” Xu Nuo replied.

“But why now, after all this time?” Zhao Yu wondered.

“Isn’t it obvious? They had to keep a lid on things during the Sports Meet the past couple of days. Now that it’s over, the seniors couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up,” Xu Nuo explained.

Curious, Yue Bai tapped the new link someone had shared in the group. The page jumped to the school forum, where the comments on a hot post were climbing visibly by the second.

Yue Bai clicked in, stunned.

It was still that audio clip of the girl who’d tripped her. The hype had died down over the past few days, but for some reason, it had surged back to the top today.

At the very top of the video comments was one from an account named Hua Yun.

“As an art student myself, I know how tough it is. Please understand the hardships art students face.”

As a top figure in the Art College, Hua Yun’s brief words had spurred a wave of support from other art students in the replies below.

The second- and third-ranked comments were from Wen Mo and Zhou Qingyan, respectively. Both had posted the exact same message.

“I’m not an art student myself, but I respect and understand what they go through. No matter the major, we’re all striving for our futures.”

In just a single morning, big names from the Art College, Music College, and Sports College had all weighed in, forcing the post back into school-wide discussions.

The identity of the girl in the video speaking had never been revealed.

Others who’d filmed the incident had tried posting their videos, but they were quickly deleted by the posters themselves.

The second pinned post on the forum was a plea from school staff not to share any videos.

Wasn’t that contradictory? Yue Bai frowned at the two posts, one after the other.

The first one was blowing up, and the second was right there pinned. What was the forum admin thinking?

And Senior Sister Wen and Senior Sister Zhou had both commented.

At the thought of those two, Yue Bai’s eyes lit up. She looked up at Zhou Qingyan, who was lounging on the sofa beside her. “Senior Sister Zhou?”

Zhou Qingyan lazily lifted her eyelids. “What?”

“Heh heh, did you see that post on the school forum?” Yue Bai eagerly fetched a glass of water for Zhou Qingyan as she asked.

“I saw it.” Zhou Qingyan replied indifferently. “I even commented on it.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s the one! Senior Sister, do you know who posted it?” Yue Bai pressed.

Zhou Qingyan’s expression grew a touch more serious. She waved a hand casually. “No idea.”

“Oh.” Yue Bai deflated a little. She glanced toward the empty second bedroom. “Senior Sister, where did Senior Sister Sang and Senior Sister Wen go?”

Sang Wan and Wen Mo had headed out right after getting up and still weren’t back.

Zhou Qingyan arched a brow, looking like she didn’t feel like talking. “Why do you care? They’ve got stuff to do.”

“…Oh.”

In a first-floor classroom at the Architecture College, Sang Wan sat in the front row. A girl stood before her.

“Senior Sister Sang, you wanted to see me?” The girl leaned shakily on the desk. She hadn’t slept well these past few days.

From the moment the video post went up until today—when its popularity hit a new peak—she’d watched in horror as comments piled up demanding the speaker’s identity. Her fear had only deepened.

A casual remark had led to such dire consequences.

“How have you been holding up these past few days?” Sang Wan wore her signature smile.

“F-Fine…” The girl cautiously glanced at Wen Mo, who sat at the back of the room. Of course she’d seen Wen Mo’s comment.

“That’s good.” Sang Wan’s smile didn’t fade. She propped her chin on the back of her hand, tilting her head slightly, her tone unreadable. “I thought you might not be able to take it. Didn’t expect you to have such strong nerves.”

“Senior Sister?” The girl looked at her in confusion.

“It’s been a whole week since that post went up. Haven’t you once thought about apologizing to the girl you tripped—who got hurt because of you?” Sang Wan stood, towering a few centimeters over the girl. She leaned down, her smile fading.

She’d given this girl a week to apologize on her own.

“I… I didn’t mean to,” the girl said, her face draining of color as she defended herself.

“Didn’t mean to?” Sang Wan laughed as if she’d heard a joke. She pulled up the video. “You specifically checked where she landed after jumping, then stuck out your foot. That wasn’t on purpose?”

The girl’s already pale face went ghostly white at the sight of the video. She stammered, unable to respond. “I…”

“I think you should go apologize to that girl,” Sang Wan said, her fingers drumming the desk as she stared unblinkingly at her. She was smiling, but her dark eyes brimmed with chill. “Otherwise, who knows if this video might end up on the forum. Plenty of people filmed it, but I can hold it back for now.”

Wen Mo watched with amusement as the girl thanked Sang Wan profusely, blissfully unaware she’d been played.

Once they left the Architecture College teaching building, Sang Wan shot a sidelong glance at the girl beside her. “What did you tag along for? I’m fine.”

Wen Mo’s voice was cool. “I was afraid you’d do something irreversible.”

“Like?”

“Blow the girl’s identity wide open.” Wen Mo rubbed her temple.

“You think I’d be that impulsive?” Sang Wan scoffed, lips curving disdainfully. “A week of mental torment—that’s punishment enough.”

She’d originally planned to escalate things further today. But after setting everything up and shutting her laptop, Yue Bai’s arms had wrapped around her waist. That hesitant, peaceful sleeping face on the bed had made her pause. If she blew it up too big, Yue Bai wouldn’t be happy.

And if that girl really got in serious trouble, Yue Bai would just feel guilty.

So, she’d opted to make the girl apologize to Yue Bai. End of story.

“I didn’t expect you to handle it personally,” Wen Mo said. “Was it because the one she tripped was Yue Bai?”

“What exactly do you feel for Yue Bai?” Wen Mo had asked countless times, but Sang Wan had never given a straight answer.

“You’ve seen right through it ages ago.” Sang Wan tilted her head back as a gust of wind blew through. She pulled her jacket tighter. “It’s getting colder.”

“You wouldn’t actually have fallen for Little Bai, would you?” A hint of uncertainty crept into Wen Mo’s voice.

“Mm.” Sang Wan nodded.

Wen Mo studied her closely. “Does she know?”

“Not yet.” Sang Wan irritably tucked her stray bangs behind her ear. “I’ve been so obvious about it. How has she not noticed?”

Wen Mo pressed her lips together. “…It is pretty obvious.” Obvious enough that she and Zhou Qingyan had spotted Sang Wan’s feelings for Yue Bai at a glance.

She’d assumed Yue Bai knew too. Apparently not.

“How did you and Zhou Qingyan get together?” Sang Wan asked curiously, hoping for some tips.

“Mutual attraction.” Wen Mo allowed herself a rare touch of pride.

“…Nice.” Sang Wan felt a pang of envy.

“You could talk to Yue Bai about it. Lay it out, and she might accept you,” Wen Mo suggested.

Sang Wan chuckled softly. “No. I want Yue Bai to confess to me first.”

She could pave the way, but that final embrace had to come from Yue Bai. Only then would it mean something.

As they neared the Teachers’ Apartment, Zhou Qingyan’s call came in. Sang Wan glanced at her vibrating phone, then at Wen Mo beside her. “Why didn’t she call you?”

Wen Mo checked the time. “Lunchtime. Probably wants you to cook.”

“Heh.” Sang Wan arched a brow and answered.

“Hello? Sang Wan, when are you coming back?” Zhou Qingyan’s teasing voice came through.

“Almost there. What’s up?” Sang Wan asked.

“Oh, Little Bai has something to say to you.” Zhou Qingyan passed the phone to the person next to her and shot Yue Bai a meaningful look. Under the weight of her senior’s authority, Yue Bai hesitated for several seconds before speaking. “Senior Sister, when are you coming back? I’m kinda hungry.”

“We’re just getting in the elevator.” Sang Wan’s voice softened instantly. “The fruit on the table’s already washed. Grab some to tide you over.”

“Okay.” Yue Bai replied obediently. After Zhou Qingyan hung up, she grumbled resentfully, “Senior Sister, how could you do that?”

“Little Bai, if I’d asked for you or Senior Sister Sang, she wouldn’t have paid me any mind. But you’re different.” Zhou Qingyan grinned. “It’s lunchtime. Aren’t you hungry?”

“I am.” Yue Bai’s voice grew quieter.

“There you go. Wait for your Senior Sister Sang to come back and cook for you.” Zhou Qingyan’s smile widened. Her interest piqued in the pair, and with Sang Wan not back yet, she asked, “Little Bai, what do you think of Sang Wan?”

“Senior Sister Sang is great.” Yue Bai answered honestly, unsure why Zhou Qingyan was asking.

“Do you like Sang Wan, then?” Zhou Qingyan pressed.

“Of course.” Yue Bai replied without hesitation.

Zhou Qingyan crossed her legs, sprawling halfway across the sofa. “No, I mean… do you have feelings for her? Like that?”

“Huh?” Yue Bai blinked in confusion.

“That’s it—the kind of feelings between me and Wen Mo,” Zhou Qingyan explained, then added, “I won’t tell Sang Wan, so you can speak freely.”

Hearing this, Yue Bai’s ears instantly turned red. Her throat bobbed as memories of her time with Sang Wan flashed through her mind one after another. Only after a moment did she manage to say, “Maybe a little.”

“Really?” Zhou Qingyan grinned. It seemed Sang Wan still had a good chance. “Have you ever thought about Sang Wan being with someone else?”

“Ah?”

They were still talking when the door opened. Sang Wan stepped inside and immediately caught sight of Yue Bai chatting with Zhou Qingyan, her face full of shy embarrassment. After Sang Wan entered, Yue Bai’s cheeks flushed even deeper.

Sang Wan shot Zhou Qingyan a thoughtful glance. The other woman was desperately winking at her.

Wen Mo, who had entered right after, also sensed that something was off. She gave Zhou Qingyan a slight nod, and the latter caught on immediately, following her into the master bedroom.

“What do you want for lunch? Should Senior Sister make it for you?” Sang Wan sat down beside Yue Bai.

Their bodies pressed close together, and Yue Bai suddenly recalled the morning scene of holding Sang Wan in her sleep. She opened her mouth hesitantly. “Anything’s fine. I’ll eat whatever Senior Sister makes.”

“Okay.” Sang Wan smiled and headed into the kitchen.

Yue Bai watched Sang Wan’s retreating back. Zhou Qingyan’s earlier words echoed in her ears.

Had she ever thought about it? Yue Bai wasn’t sure. She only knew that being with Senior Sister made her incredibly happy, that she would unconsciously yearn to touch her. Seeing others confess their feelings to Senior Sister left a sour ache in her heart. But if Senior Sister truly ended up with someone else… what would that feel like?

Suddenly, Yue Bai felt a wave of nausea.