Xu Yinian’s outburst worked wonders on the explosive tension between Shen Ruoshuang and Bai Ran.
Not only did Bai Ran falter, but Shen Ruoshuang—who found herself lumped into the “too fierce” category—couldn’t maintain her smirk anymore. Wait, why am I getting dragged into this just because she was scared by that crazy woman? she thought.
Clearly, a drunk little crybaby wasn’t interested in logic. One look from those glistening, watery eyes was enough to make anyone surrender.
Even though they had heard her drunken sobbing in those recordings before, seeing the genuine grievance on Xu Yinian’s tear-stained face was something else entirely. It wasn’t until Yinian let out that soft, serious, and utterly unreasonable complaint—like a child being bullied—that Bai Ran finally realized this was simply how she acted when she was intoxicated.
Thank god… Bai Ran thought. She’s just drunk.
Buried alongside her shameful memories were the dark, dangerous impulses she’d felt just moments ago—the urge to lock Xu Yinian away and keep her all to herself. Once that line was crossed, there would be no turning back. Unless it became a last resort where she had no choice but to force the girl to stay by her side, Bai Ran wouldn’t take that step.
Still shaken, Bai Ran’s fingers remained curled, not yet daring to rest on Xu Yinian’s shoulder. When she spoke, her voice was a gentle coaxing, directed as much to herself as to the girl in front of her.
“Niannian must have been so scared, so sad… Sister won’t be mean anymore. I’ll never be mean to Niannian again, okay?”
In her state of immense vulnerability, Xu Yinian needed affection more than ever. Having finally found someone to comfort and pity her, she began to cry even harder, like a pear blossom bathed in rain.
Completely forgetting that she was still sitting in Shen Ruoshuang’s lap, she buried her tear-soaked face directly into Bai Ran’s chest. She rubbed against her mindlessly, and within moments, deep, damp stains began to spread across the fabric of Bai Ran’s astronomically expensive haute couture blouse.
She seemed to have entirely forgotten that she had just been sobbing about not wanting either of them.
This unexpected embrace instantly melted all the violence and paranoid darkness within Bai Ran. Her breath hitched, trying to stifle the overwhelming sensations flooding her senses. She felt the curve of Yinian’s nose, her lips, and her cheeks brushing against her body, soft and warm.
Bai Ran wasn’t usually a person driven by physical desire, but in front of Xu Yinian, she was like an addict who had lost all self-control. Her voice, her breath, her temperature, her touch—everything about the girl was more intoxicating than any erotic film.
I really am pathetic, Bai Ran thought. I’d do anything just for this moment of warmth and dependence.
If a drunk Xu Yinian could be so easily coaxed and comforted by anyone, then if Shen Ruoshuang could do it, so could she.
Shen Ruoshuang, meanwhile, could feel the rhythm of Xu Yinian’s movements as she rubbed against the other woman’s clothes. Her eyes lowered, burning with a solitary, jealous fire, and her grip on the girl’s waist tightened.
Telling me she’d go find someone else wasn’t just a threat made in anger, Shen Ruoshuang realized. It’s just who she is—a Natural Flirt.
She knew that a heartless Xu Yinian would only become more senseless when drunk; anyone who made her feel good could have her. The girl was greedy for affection and prone to tears, leaving them with no choice but to coax and trick her. After all, threats of obsessive possession would only make her cry about them being “too fierce.”
Shen Ruoshuang had to suppress her own temper and soften her attitude just to stop the pampered little thing from crying. She had no other choice.
However, just because she was soft with Yinian didn’t mean she would let Bai Ran off the hook. She remembered the moment of daze Xu Yinian had experienced just before Bai Ran burst in. She didn’t need to say much; just two words were enough to make Xu Yinian acknowledge her again.
“Niannian,” Shen Ruoshuang called out. It was a blatant act of provocation and a display of power.
Though it wasn’t the first time she had heard her rival use that name, hearing it in person was different from a recording. Seeing Xu Yinian’s uncomfortable reaction made Bai Ran’s veins throb at her temples, even as she maintained her gentle demeanor.
Xu Yinian had zero resistance to the way “Niannian” sounded coming from Shen Ruoshuang. Having already been mostly soothed, she instinctively lifted her head from Bai Ran’s chest. Her almond eyes were brimming with unshed tears, her face flushed with a perfect shade of crimson, as if she were embarrassed to the extreme.
With that single moment of distraction, Bai Ran had already lost.
Shen Ruoshuang and Bai Ran had both called her “Niannian,” but Xu Yinian’s reactions were clearly different. For the entire time since Bai Ran had entered the dorm, she had enjoyed a special kind of treatment from the girl. On one hand, she loathed the countless annoying eyes that coveted Xu Yinian; on the other, she relished the feeling of being the victor among her love rivals.
Bai Ran had never lost before. Even tonight, when Xu Yinian had ditched her to be whisked away by Qin Jiashu, it was only because the girl was worried about her being punished by the Bai Family.
But now, facing this blatant “double standard,” Bai Ran finally tasted the bitterness of searing jealousy. She wouldn’t let her rage show, of course. Instead, she let out a melancholy, bitter chuckle, her voice dripping with calculated, “green tea” vulnerability.
“I thought only Sister was allowed to call you that? When did Niannian give permission to someone else?”
Hit with this wave of fragile tenderness, Xu Yinian’s head spun. She was so dazed she didn’t know which way was up. In her hazy memory, it was true that only Bai Ran called her that so intimately.
Anxious to explain herself, the corners of her eyes—flushed like sunset clouds—drooped pitifully. Her voice carried the slight slur of intoxication, a soft, muddled act of acting spoiled that could melt any heart.
“I… I didn’t…”
Bai Ran leaned in close to Xu Yinian’s ear, her voice a seductive whisper loud enough for all three of them to hear. “Then let’s tell her not to call you that anymore, okay?”
Her intention was clear: she wanted to exploit Xu Yinian’s current lack of judgment to strike back at Shen Ruoshuang’s provocation.
As soon as the words left her mouth, the dormitory fell into an eerie silence. Both women locked eyes, their mutual disdain frozen beneath the surface as they waited tensely for Xu Yinian’s response.
The girl’s hesitation made the silence feel like an agonizing eternity.
Finally, Shen Ruoshuang was the first to yield. No matter the situation, she always felt like the “villain” in front of Xu Yinian. The past was a thorn in the girl’s heart; Shen Ruoshuang had only managed to get this close by treading carefully to avoid it. She didn’t dare gamble on her current standing in Yinian’s heart. She was too used to being rebuffed.
“Didn’t Niannian say she only wanted me, and not anyone else?” Shen Ruoshuang’s eyes were hidden behind the shadow of her dark lashes, making it impossible to see them clearly. They seemed to shimmer like mist in those naturally charming peach blossom eyes, or perhaps like the unreadable fog of a cold night.
