Chapter 72: Coaxing Her Part 2

In this moment, the pride of the Unreachable Beauty shattered. She had worked so hard to get that promise, and she held onto it like a life-saving straw. Even if Xu Yinian didn’t remember it or didn’t mean it, there was no escaping it. She would make that promise a reality.

Xu Yinian was a sucker for anyone looking vulnerable, especially the usually cold and aloof Unreachable Beauty who had now “fallen from her altar.” Besides, she had just said those words. Even if it was just to beg Shen Ruoshuang for mercy… she couldn’t exactly take them back the moment they were out of her mouth.

The pincer attack from both sides was too much for her to handle. Her internal CPU was practically smoking from the effort of choosing.

Then, the exhaustion and drowsiness of the alcohol finally caught up to her.

As the two women stood in a deadlock, they noticed Xu Yinian’s head drop. The only sound in the room was her soft, rhythmic breathing. The little crybaby had fallen fast asleep.

Shen Ruoshuang and Bai Ran both felt as if a breath were stuck in their chests.

That was Xu Yinian for you—even her physical instincts knew how to help her escape a difficult situation.

Though the protagonist of the night had drifted off, the quiet venom in the room remained. The storm surrounding her was only just beginning.

***

When Xu Yinian woke up, her head was pounding and her body ached as if she had been beaten from the inside out. Her mind was a complete blank as she clutched her head, trying to piece together the events of the previous night.

Um, I think I had dinner with Senior Qin… and she…

Xu Yinian’s half-closed, sleepy eyes suddenly snapped wide open. Her drowsiness vanished, replaced by a wave of panicky heat that flushed her face.

She… she confessed to me!

The reason she had been so quiet and hadn’t run away last night was, of course, the alcohol. Now, her brain felt like a pot of boiling water, bubbling over.

How could Senior Qin like me?! Isn’t she a ‘0’? We agreed she liked ‘1’s like Ji Yan!

When she remembered that she hadn’t actually rejected Qin Jiashu’s request to pursue her—mostly out of hesitation and pity—her breath hitched. Having never been confessed to before, she was completely overwhelmed by the impact.

But before she could process that wave, a series of subsequent memories surged forth, nearly stopping her heart.

I… I got drunk? And I threw a… ‘drunken tantrum’ in front of Senior Qin, Shen Ruoshuang, and Bai Ran?

If sobbing piteously, using embarrassing lines to beg for “cuddles,” sitting on Shen Ruoshuang’s lap, and rubbing against Bai Ran’s chest could be considered a “drunken tantrum,” then she had certainly thrown one.

Xu Yinian hadn’t even finished sorting through the chaotic memories, but only one thought remained in her mind.

It’s over. I can never show my face in public again.

Right then, a sudden knock at the door pulled her back from the brink of total mortification. She realized with a start that she was in her bunk, even though she remembered being on the floor the night before.

As she struggled to think, her face shifted through a kaleidoscope of colors. She vaguely remembered being woken up by the two of them arguing. In her half-asleep state, she had started crying again, eventually forcing Shen Ruoshuang and Bai Ran to make a “pinky swear” to get along?

And those two—who absolutely loathed each other—actually did it just to shut her up?

Xu Yinian’s vision went dark. Those two—the Unreachable Beauty and the wealthy Young Mistress—had probably never been so humiliated in their entire lives!

And then she had stubbornly insisted on climbing to the top bunk by herself. Her legs had been like jelly, and she had slipped several times. If someone hadn’t been there to catch her every time, she would have ended up with a broken bone at the very least. She didn’t even know whose arms had caught her each time.

No wonder her whole body hurt.

Hearing footsteps approaching the door from below, Xu Yinian realized someone was still in the room. Recalling her behavior, she immediately held her breath and played dead, too ashamed to face either Shen Ruoshuang or Bai Ran.

The voice at the door was familiar—it was the Class Organizer from her major. They were there to confirm if she was attending today’s class mixer.

Actually, the head count had been done when the event was first planned. As a “transparent” student who always tried to fit in, Xu Yinian had naturally signed up. However, she had been so busy yesterday that she hadn’t replied to the final confirmation in the Class Group Chat, so the organizer had come in person.

Xu Yinian wasn’t particularly interested in the event and hadn’t been following the details. She’d only overheard during class that they were going to the biggest escape room in City A this afternoon, followed by an all-night house party at a rented villa.

“A house party? Is it just for the Chinese Department? Can people from other departments join at the last minute?” Bai Ran asked, sounding surprisingly interested.

“I’m afraid not. The head count was finalized in advance,” the organizer replied.

What the organizer didn’t say was that the event was already over capacity because so many people from other departments had forced their way in. Since the start of the semester, classes had been looking to pair up for mixers, and the “campus celebrities” were naturally the main targets.

Aside from Clinical Medicine, which was usually too busy to participate, Shen Ruoshuang’s Chemistry department and Ji Yan’s Digital Media department were the most sought-after groups.

Strangely enough, both of those departments had actively reached out to the Chinese Language and Literature department for a joint mixer. Once news of the three departments teaming up broke, the event became the center of attention, leading to a massive influx of late sign-ups.

The students in the major were all singing the Class Organizer’s praises, marveling at how she’d managed to pull off such an impressive feat.

Thinking of this, the Class Organizer cast a furtive glance toward the two women standing by the door. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy toward Xu Yinian. Just moments ago, these two gorgeous roommates had pulled her aside, whispering for her to keep her voice down so as not to wake the sleeping girl. Talk about being the pampered heart of the group.

Meanwhile, Shen Ruoshuang leaned against the doorframe, her gaze cold as she scrutinized Bai Ran. Despite having just “failed” to get her way, Bai Ran’s face remained warm and smiling, devoid of any hint of regret as she thanked the other girl.

It was already annoying enough that she’d have to deal with the clingy Ji Yan at the mixer; what exactly was Bai Ran plotting now?

Right then, a hoarse, timid voice drifted down from the upper bunk. “I… I’m going too.”

Every head in the room whipped around. Shen Ruoshuang and Bai Ran both stiffened, their expressions freezing as they searched Xu Yinian’s face, desperate for any clue.

She’s awake… The same frantic thought raced through both their minds. Does she remember what happened while she was drunk?