Chapter 79: Partiality Part 1

“Would… would only choose her?”

Perhaps it was because Shen Ruoshuang’s brilliance was too dazzling, or perhaps it was the absolute certainty in her tone, as if she were merely stating a fact.

Xu Yinian felt an inexplicable wave of dizziness. Her eardrums throbbed with a dull, stifling pressure.

It was only at this moment that she finally caught it—that flash of instinctive partiality she had felt the second she heard the word “Come.”

Shen Ruoshuang was clearly different.

The brief realization seared itself into her heart, making her flinch as if burned. She was too stunned to immediately default to her usual denial or avoidance. As a result, this once-unrecognized “taboo” began to unravel like a silken cocoon, uncontrollably giving rise to countless pieces of “evidence” and ambiguous suspicions.

By the time she thought to reflexively deny it, it was already too late.

A tidal wave of panic overwhelmed her. Her mind raced to find excuses, to cover it up, but her frantic efforts only served to make her look more guilty.

Her dazed, light-colored eyes finally realized they needed to hide, but they couldn’t conceal the crimson flush rapidly spreading across her face. Beneath a shimmering mist that blurred her vision, a ripple of liquid light surged, dissolving her usual wooden denseness and replacing it with something far more charged.

She didn’t even need to speak; Xu Yinian had already turned herself into the answer, delivering it right to Shen Ruoshuang’s doorstep.

Her reaction is too intense.

Shen Ruoshuang hadn’t expected such an extraordinary harvest from a mere bit of “baiting.” Even she experienced a moment of astonishment, her cold eyes darkening with a dangerous intensity.

But she wasn’t about to let Xu Yinian off the hook. She tightened her grip on the leverage she had finally secured.

“Before, I was the one forcing you,” Shen Ruoshuang whispered, pausing for a beat before letting each word fall with heavy intent. “But what about this time? Is it because of me?”

Pinned down by this relentless pursuit of her weakness, Xu Yinian’s defenses collapsed instantly.

All that remained was the instinctive urge to flee whenever her boundaries were crossed. Her internal struggle and suspicions reached a consensus: whether it was true or not, she absolutely could not admit it.

She finally looked up, her lips trembling, but the answer remained stuck in her throat.

From the moment she heard that question, Xu Yinian knew Shen Ruoshuang wouldn’t let it go. She was so weak and cowardly that she couldn’t even bear the consequences of a rejection.

Shen Ruoshuang stared fixedly at those misty, crimson-rimmed eyes. She watched coldly as they darted, seemingly by accident, toward Ji Yan and Lu Zhou.

She’s certainly more capable than before, Shen thought. Besides hiding, she’s learned how to use others as shields.

Only when the time came for Xu Yinian to pay it all back—when she was reduced to a soft, sobbing mess begging for mercy—would those tearful eyes finally reflect only a single shadow.

Because she was still holding Xu Yinian in her arms, Ji Yan felt the girl’s every tremor and emotional shift more keenly than anyone.

When Xu Yinian had first tried to run away, Ji Yan knew it was the result of Shen Ruoshuang’s coercion and inducements. But now, a powerful sense of crisis surged within her. Xu Yinian’s feelings toward Shen Ruoshuang were becoming… subtle.

Bai Ran and Qin Jiashu’s overt advances had caused Ji Yan to overlook the one who played the most sinister long game.

Without anyone noticing, the conflict between them had been largely dissolved by Shen Ruoshuang. They were now separated by nothing more than a thin sheet of paper.

If this were allowed to continue, Xu Yinian would be devoured until not even the scraps remained. Ji Yan could already imagine the day she’d walk into their dorm room only to find the two of them kissing.

The veins on Ji Yan’s temples throbbed at the mere thought of that self-inflicted vision of betrayal. She decided right then and there that as soon as they returned, she would investigate exactly what had happened between those two.

Rather than just fanning the flames, she would rather set a fire and burn that paper barrier to ash.

The gloom in Ji Yan’s eyes persisted until Xu Yinian looked her way.

It was the natural, helpless reliance of a dodder flower—an active display of weakness, silently pleading for her protection. Every thread of that gaze was alluring, even if the girl herself was unaware of it.

Even if it was just a performance, even if she was being used, Ji Yan didn’t care. As long as the girl’s eyes were on her when she was needed, Ji Yan was more than willing to fall into Xu Yinian’s clumsy trap.

Shen Ruoshuang had pushed the timid rabbit too hard and scared her off. Ji Yan was hardly surprised by the result, and she took great pleasure in it.

However, it also meant that Xu Yinian wasn’t even sure of her own feelings for Shen Ruoshuang yet. This was the perfect time to strangle those feelings in the crib.

“Xu Yinian, you’ve already dumped me once.”

Ji Yan could hear the hidden resentment in her own low, gritted voice. She didn’t need to issue a threat; this was a sufficient excuse for Xu Yinian to back away.

When she turned to address Shen Ruoshuang, her tone shifted completely, dripping with unconcealed contempt. “She’s with me. It’s not your place to choose.”

Hearing this, Xu Yinian’s entire body tensed, and her head dropped even lower.

She had only wanted Ji Yan or Lu Zhou to help her change the subject and gloss things over. She hadn’t dared to think she would be adding more fuel to this white-hot Shura Field.

The two women, who had previously been playing a game of tug-of-war with her, were finally facing off directly. Yet she remained at the center of the storm, so terrified she shrank back even further.

“Are you sure you want to argue here? Other people are watching, you know.”

An unexpected voice broke through the confrontational tension.

Lu Zhou stood with her arms crossed, raising an eyebrow. She spoke with the casual, slightly roguish air of a wealthy playboy.

After being an “orange-sider” bystander for so long, she had been itching to stir the pot, especially after the way Xu Yinian had looked at her. With one sentence, she broke the spell.

Xu Yinian looked over, only to realize that beneath those stray strands of reckless red hair, the eyes that should have been looking at Shen Ruoshuang were instead fixed on her.

Her heart skipped a beat. She suddenly remembered that when she had looked at Lu Zhou moments ago, she had crashed right into that same focused gaze.