Chapter 8: Under Her Control

The moment the words left Ji Yan’s mouth, Xu Yinian realized the truth: her last two attempts at eavesdropping had been caught red-handed.

Xu Yinian bit her lip, struggling for a long moment before finally, reluctantly, looking up at Ji Yan. Her face was flushed a deep, embarrassed crimson—a look that practically screamed a confession of her “crimes.”

“I… I wasn’t eavesdropping,” she defended herself, her voice soft and frantic. “It was just a coincidence. I happened to be here.”

In her mind, she began to connect the dots of the “heartbreaker” behavior she’d witnessed over the last two days. It all made sense now. The reason Ji Yan had tossed that bracelet yesterday was because she had dumped Zhuang Yulan; today, she was already cozying up to her new girlfriend, the Department Flower.

Since this involved the future romantic development between Ji Yan and Shen Ruoshuang, Xu Yinian knew she had seen something she shouldn’t have. After all, how could an arrogant Ice Queen like Shen Ruoshuang tolerate such a stain on a relationship?

If Shen Ruoshuang heard about this later and decided to break up with Ji Yan, Ji Yan might even think Xu Yinian was the one sabotaging her from the shadows.

In that instant, Xu Yinian felt the crushing weight of the plot’s forced momentum. That invisible hand was indeed pushing her toward her destined end. A wave of lingering fear washed over her; thankfully, she still had time.

The first step was simple: she had to keep this secret under lock and key.

Beside them, Qin Jiashu looked at the two of them in surprise, shocked that they even knew each other. After all, this “Student Xu” looked like a textbook “good girl”—disciplined, plain, and not at all the type to be in Ji Yan’s social circle.

“A-Yan, who is this?”

Feeling Qin Jiashu’s suspicious, probing gaze, Xu Yinian froze for a second. A sudden realization hit her: Wait, does the new girlfriend think I’m one of Ji Yan’s pursuers?

Before one trouble could subside, another arose. Xu Yinian looked at Ji Yan’s expression, only to find that the other girl had absolutely no intention of explaining anything to her girlfriend.

“I’m her roommate!” Xu Yinian blurted out, desperate to clear the air and prevent the misunderstanding from spiraling further.

Qin Jiashu relaxed instantly. Just a roommate. That made sense. Her expression cleared, turning bright and welcoming once more.

“So you’re a junior! My name is Qin Jiashu. I’m a senior from the Broadcasting and Hosting department. I’ll be the one hosting and announcing your freshman opening ceremony and military training.”

Though Xu Yinian wasn’t good at socializing, she always cherished the warmth and kindness of strangers. It was a reflex for her to muster every bit of energy she had to reciprocate. Moreover, she was facing a dazzling beauty like Qin Jiashu.

“Xu Yinian,” she whispered. Feeling as though just a name wasn’t enough, she racked her brain and added shyly, “I… I’ve seen you in the promotional videos, Senior Sister.”

“You were very beau… beautiful. I remembered you instantly.”

Xu Yinian couldn’t say another word. She was so embarrassed her fingertips curled, and she wished for a hole to open in the ground and swallow her whole. Her voice was soft, sweet, and laden with a desperate need to please, as if every ounce of her emotion was reserved solely for the person in front of her.

Under this unintentional assault, even Qin Jiashu felt a momentary dizziness. Her breath hitched, finding the younger girl’s sincerity a bit hard to handle.

However, Qin Jiashu wasn’t the only one who heard those words.

From the side, Ji Yan took in the sight of the unconscious, bewitching charm radiating from Xu Yinian. She was used to seeing Xu Yinian like a frightened quail, hiding and shrinking away, but this was a first. It was as if every hidden trait and habit of the girl was tailored specifically to her own tastes. The only flaw was that this pleasing, submissive behavior wasn’t directed at her.

The line of Ji Yan’s slender throat bobbed. Her eyes, usually empty and cold, focused on her prey in the shadows. In that moment, her desire for control spiked to a peak.

“Has anyone ever recommended you for Broadcasting? I’ve never heard such a unique and lovely voice,” Qin Jiashu said. Being a broadcasting student herself, she had heard many beautiful voices, yet she was genuinely stunned by Xu Yinian’s natural, unpolished tone. “You could even try voice acting. It would be a waste of talent otherwise.”

“I’ve had a stutter since I was little,” Xu Yinian replied. “I get tongue-tied whenever I’m nervous. It wouldn’t work.”

It wasn’t that no one had told her she had a nice voice before, but it was almost always said out of pity to comfort her about her stutter. She had never been confident in her voice; she assumed the Senior Sister was just engaging in polite flattery.

At those words, Ji Yan’s interest flickered, and she arched a sharp brow.

Qin Jiashu understood and didn’t press the issue. Seeing that they had established a rapport, she didn’t forget to dig for the information she was actually after.

“Junior, I heard that a girl named Shen Ruoshuang is also in your dorm. Are you close with her? I have a friend who’s quite interested in her.”

As she spoke, she stole a glance at Ji Yan’s reaction. She was dying to know if Ji Yan had any interest in Shen Ruoshuang. After all, everyone at the bar last night could see that Lu Zhou had made Shen Ruoshuang her new target. Qin Jiashu was merely acting as an intermediary to feel things out.

Hearing that name—the one person she wanted to avoid most—come out of the mouth of Ji Yan’s current girlfriend made Xu Yinian’s brain stall. In a split second, a thousand possibilities flashed through her mind.

A friend? What friend? Is Qin Jiashu asking on behalf of Ji Yan?

Did one “sparks-flying” encounter yesterday mean Ji Yan had already been conquered by the Ice Queen’s charm? But having your current girlfriend scout out your next target…

Xu Yinian didn’t know whether to curse the messiness of their social circle or marvel at how Ji Yan’s “scum girl” behavior managed to shock her yet again.

“We’re not close,” Xu Yinian answered without a second thought. She wanted to stay as far away from the protagonist-top and protagonist-bottom as possible; she wasn’t stupid enough to reveal their previous entanglement.

Qin Jiashu wanted to say more, but Ji Yan suddenly stood up, interrupting her coldly. “It’s time for you to leave.”

Ji Yan’s voice rarely carried much emotion, but every word exerted a crushing sense of pressure. Yet, her voice also possessed an innate, lazy nobility that made people instinctively obey her.

Xu Yinian had barely heard her speak more than a few sentences, but she remembered every single one clearly. That feeling of being terrified while simultaneously having her emotions toyed with—it was a heart-pounding sensation mixed with an addictive, aching numbness.

Initially, Xu Yinian thought it was just the effect of the prophetic dream. Only later did she realize the root of it lay in that voice. It was far too strange.

What Xu Yinian didn’t know was that countless people online were obsessed with Ji Yan’s voice, labeling it as the “CV circle’s only Female Alpha Total Top voice.”

Qin Jiashu knew Ji Yan’s personality; when she said something, she meant it. With such an explicit eviction notice, it meant Ji Yan had run out of patience. If she continued to be a nuisance, she would end up just like Zhuang Yulan.

Thinking of this, she hid her disappointment perfectly, her smile remaining bright. “Then I’ll head to rehearsal first. A-Yan, if your leg bothers you, just call me anytime.”

Xu Yinian caught a key piece of information from that sentence: Ji Yan’s leg is injured?

No wonder she was in the clinic during military training. Her eyes involuntarily flickered toward Ji Yan’s long legs. The girl wasn’t even wearing her training uniform—just a black tank top and cargo pants. Under the loose fabric, there was no visible sign of an injury.

Ji Yan was incredibly sharp. She caught Xu Yinian’s probing gaze instantly and met it with a mocking stare of her own. “You should worry about yourself instead.”

Just as Ji Yan finished speaking, the infirmary door pushed open again. This time, it was a medic in a white coat.

“Who’s the student who sprained their ankle?”

Xu Yinian snapped back to reality. She realized she was the one who looked obviously injured.

“Didn’t I tell you to ice it yourself first? Look how swollen it is!” the doctor barked. She directed Xu Yinian to lie on the bed, propping her foot up on a folded quilt. After applying ointment, the doctor briskly wrapped the foot in bandages until it looked like a giant zongzi.

Xu Yinian hissed in pain. However, out of guilt and fear of the stern doctor, she didn’t dare make a sound, trembling as she endured the ache.

Ji Yan stood not far away, meticulously studying and admiring Xu Yinian’s expression of suppressed grievance. It was as if she were observing a fatal weakness in her prey, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike.

When the doctor finished, she intended to tie a bag of ice to Xu Yinian’s ankle. But the hard ice bags would inevitably scrape against the red, swollen injury.

No matter how hard she tried to endure, Xu Yinian couldn’t help but let out a muffled groan of pain.

The doctor turned her attention to the idle bystander, Ji Yan. “You there. If you’re free, can you help her hold the ice pack? Just for twenty minutes.”

Xu Yinian nearly choked on her own saliva, breaking into a fit of violent coughing.

Let Ji Yan ice her foot?!

What a ridiculous idea. A girl like Ji Yan, who had never lifted a finger in her life and was only ever served by others—since when did she serve anyone else?

“I… I’ll do it… myself,” Xu Yinian stuttered four times in her haste to refuse.

“You? I told you to ice it earlier and you didn’t. Now that it’s this serious, you want to do it yourself? Too late!” The doctor clearly didn’t trust Xu Yinian anymore. “Lie still. Your ankle must be higher than your heart so the blood doesn’t pool in the sprain.”

Just as Xu Yinian expected a cold refusal, she watched, dumbfounded, as Ji Yan actually walked over naturally and took two fresh ice bags from the doctor’s hand.

Xu Yinian looked like she had seen a ghost. Wait, isn’t Ji Yan acting out of character?

Wasn’t she supposed to be cold to everyone except the protagonist-bottom? Wasn’t she a germaphobe who hated physical contact?

In short, Xu Yinian couldn’t understand why Ji Yan had suddenly found a conscience and started caring for a “cannon fodder” like her. It felt like a wolf showing concern for its prey.

The small, white foot was right before Ji Yan’s eyes. Even wrapped in bandages, its perfect, slender shape was evident. It looked like the tensed arch of a ballerina—a fragile, breakable beauty. It was something that could be completely controlled with a single hand.

Ji Yan’s narrow eyes narrowed further.

She thought it, and so she did it, as reckless as ever.

The moment her long, elegant fingers gripped the foot, the difference in their sizes gave the perfectly normal action a sense of refined, predatory playfulness. As she tilted the ankle slightly, the veins on the back of Ji Yan’s hand bulged slightly.

It looked as if she might simply snap the tiny toy in two.

A sharp pain shot through Xu Yinian’s ankle—a deliberate warning.

“Now it’s just the two of us,” Ji Yan said, leaning leisurely against the foot of the bed. She lazily lifted her increasingly bewitching eyes, staring deeply at Xu Yinian. “Shouldn’t we settle our accounts?”