Chapter 10: Tears Part 1

Ji Yan watched with clinical fascination as the emotions in Xu Yinian’s pale eyes shattered like falling glass.

In an instant, the hazy, intoxicating atmosphere evaporated. The girl before her snapped back to reality, pushing Ji Yan away in a frantic, panicked blur.

Ji Yan hadn’t expected the “vulnerable rabbit” to have such strength when cornered.

The soft, warm, and delicate heat that had filled her arms vanished as Xu Yinian fled, leaving nothing behind but a lingering warmth in Ji Yan’s palms.

Ji Yan suddenly regretted teasing her so early.

Much like her refusal to use anything someone else had touched, Ji Yan’s physical “germaphobia” meant she only touched those she considered “hers.”

Xu Yinian had clearly become her new toy, and thus, had been filed into the category of “belonging to her.”

Xu Yinian spun around, but she was only fast enough to catch a glimpse of a blue hem fluttering out of sight as someone retreated.

She knew with agonizing clarity that even though Ji Yan had only leaned in close and hadn’t actually done anything, from Shen Ruoshuang’s perspective, they must have looked like they were kissing.

Did I just… fake an intimate moment with the protagonist-top right in front of the protagonist-bottom?

Shen Ruoshuang was definitely going to misunderstand!

Xu Yinian never expected that Ji Yan’s “heartbreaker” behavior would be exposed to Shen Ruoshuang for the first time in such a disastrous way.

She hadn’t even managed to overturn her fate as “cannon fodder meant for the heavens” yet, and now she had added another sin to her tab. She didn’t even know if this would drive a wedge between the lead couple and ruin their entire romance arc.

Once before, she had been hated and publicly condemned by everyone because of Shen Ruoshuang…

As those wretched memories resurfaced, Xu Yinian’s face turned deathly pale. Ignoring Ji Yan entirely, she scrambled to her feet, desperate to chase after Shen Ruoshuang.

She had to explain. She refused to take the fall for this!

By the time she reached the door, stumbling on her one good foot, Shen Ruoshuang was long gone.

Ji Yan made no move to follow.

To her, Xu Yinian was merely a passing amusement, a whim born of a momentary urge to exert control. She was habitually indifferent and lacked patience for anyone.

However, seeing the girl lose her composure the moment Shen Ruoshuang was mentioned…

Ji Yan’s dark, deep gaze lingered on the doorway where Xu Yinian had vanished. After a long silence, she looked down and let out a soft, amused chuckle.

She was becoming increasingly curious about the exact nature of the relationship between Xu Yinian and Shen Ruoshuang.

***

Outside, Xu Yinian failed to find Shen Ruoshuang, but she did spot another familiar figure.

It was her cousin, Jiang Ke. Before being sent to the infirmary, Xu Yinian had sent her a message hoping she could help her back to the dorm after military training ended.

Xu Yinian breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness… Thank goodness Jiang Ke hadn’t walked in while Ji Yan was doing that.

If Jiang Ke knew what had happened today, Xu Yinian felt her image as a proper older sister would utterly collapse.

“Sis! Why are you out here by yourself? How’s your foot?”

Jiang Ke rushed over the moment she saw her, her face a mask of worry.

“I…”

Xu Yinian wanted to say she was fine, but the moment she opened her mouth, she realized her voice sounded wrong. It was sweeter and stickier than usual, laced with the ragged edges of her uneven breathing.

It was the residual aftershock of a physiological reaction she hadn’t had time to suppress.

Now that the illusion of affection had faded, Xu Yinian realized she was a mess of disheveled traces.

In contrast, Ji Yan—the culprit—had maintained the arrogant stance of a superior, watching her struggle with cold, calculating eyes.

She felt pathetic. How could she have fallen apart so easily before a toxic player like Ji Yan, whose every move was just a practiced act?

Her body and mind felt like they no longer belonged to her, surging with an irrational, intimate response. Even if she died before admitting it, Xu Yinian knew better than anyone that for a split second, her heart had truly skipped a beat.

Do I… actually like girls?

Once the seed of doubt was planted, everything felt uncomfortable.

Realizing this, Xu Yinian’s expression twisted with shame and embarrassment. She cleared her throat, trying to mask the evidence of her fluster, while stealing a glance at Jiang Ke.

Fortunately, her cousin was focused on inspecting the injury and noticed nothing unusual.

Jiang Ke muttered pityingly, “This sprain is so bad. It must hurt so much… You definitely can’t continue training. You’ll have to join the injury company.”

“Yeah. The Counselor told me to give him the signed form tomorrow, and then I’ll transfer to the injury company,” Xu Yinian said, intentionally making her voice stiff to hide her stuttering.

Jiang Ke crouched down and pulled out a pair of slippers she had bought earlier. “Sis, lean on my shoulder. I’ll help you put these on.”

Xu Yinian froze for a second and tried to decline. “I—I can do it myself.”

“You’ve always taken care of me, Sis. I’m not a kid anymore; I’m only three months younger than you.”

Jiang Ke insisted, carefully sliding the softest slipper onto the foot wrapped in bandages. Her movements were gentle, terrified of causing her sister any pain.

Suddenly, Jiang Ke’s eyes caught a glimpse of an area not covered by the bandages—a patch of startling crimson. It looked like a bruise left behind by a forceful grip.

Clearly, no doctor would treat a patient so roughly.

Jiang Ke’s lips parted, but in the end, she said nothing. She simply committed the sight to memory.

Xu Yinian, oblivious to this, just felt a bit awkward being cared for so meticulously.

While they ate a late dinner, Jiang Ke suddenly remembered something. “I saw on the forums today that you and Ji Yan are in the same dorm. About what happened yesterday… she didn’t give you a hard time, did she?”