Chapter 97: The Transfer Part 1

Right then, a voice interrupted the two of them. It was Shen Yun, who was standing further away on the podium packing her things.

“Shuangshuang, come help me take these back to the equipment room. It’s the last room on the left.”

Only then did Xu Yinian realize that the three of them were the only ones left in the vast lecture hall.

Shen Ruoshuang noticed the flicker of emotion in Xu Yinian’s eyes. Instead of heading over immediately, she simply watched her quietly.

That intense gaze made Xu Yinian flush with embarrassment, especially since they were in the presence of Shen Ruoshuang’s elder. She didn’t dare reveal a hint of the fluttering heart she had felt just a moment ago. She shook her head and whispered, “You… you should go.”

Little did she know, this was merely an excuse Shen Yun had used to send her niece away.

The moment Shen Ruoshuang stepped out the door with the equipment, Shen Yun zipped over to Xu Yinian’s side like a whirlwind, laptop bag in hand.

“Professor Shen…”

Now that she knew who she was, Xu Yinian felt too embarrassed to call her “Sister” anymore.

Shen Yun waved her off. Her expression suddenly turned hesitant and cautious as she asked about the past. It was clear she had been holding this in because of Shen Ruoshuang’s presence:

“After that incident… did they ever corner you again?”

Xu Yinian knew that back then, it was Shen Yun who had handed the recording of the bullying and threats to Campus Security.

Campus Security naturally recognized Xu Yinian as the daughter of a staff member, so they brought the matter directly to Xu’s Mother. This was the reason why Xu Yinian had been so unwilling to let Shen Yun take her to the Academic Affairs Office for justice.

Sure enough, once her mother learned the details, she was both disappointed and furious. Because Xu Yinian had been the one to throw the first punch, and because the school protected those “star students” whose records couldn’t be tarnished if they wanted to keep their guaranteed university placements, the matter was eventually dropped.

Her mother had then transferred her to a regular class, and she never participated in another competition again.

From then on, her mother’s protection and control became suffocating. Combined with the school’s crackdown on misconduct, she indeed hadn’t been publicly bullied or cornered again.

…Except for the whispers and glares that followed her from the dark corners of the hallways.

Recalling this, Xu Yinian simply put on a brave face and gave a soft, sweet smile, telling Shen Yun not to worry.

Since it was so long ago and Shen Yun feared reopening old wounds, she didn’t press further. Instead, she changed the subject, her expression growing intrigued.

“Little sister, did you hear about our Shuangshuang back in high school? She should have been in your year during tenth grade.”

Xu Yinian froze for a moment before stammering, “I… I heard of her…”

More than just heard of her.

“Were there any rumors about her dating or having a high school romance?”

Shen Yun’s question was so startling that Xu Yinian broke into a fit of violent coughing. Her cheeks turned a deep crimson, whether from the coughing or the shock.

Dating?!

Xu Yinian’s breathing turned ragged. Why would she ask that? Had Shen Ruoshuang mentioned something to her?

But looking back at the Shen Ruoshuang of high school, she had always been a solitary, cold figure. Let alone a romance—she didn’t even have close friends…

For some reason, Xu Yinian’s heart skipped a beat as she suddenly recalled the day before everything went wrong.

That morning, she had arrived first to open the classroom as usual, only to find someone there even earlier than her.

Shen Ruoshuang was leaning quietly against the door. She didn’t look like she was waiting for the room to be opened; rather, it felt as though she were waiting specifically for her.

Her habitually cold eyes were tinged with a strange flush, likely from the biting winter morning air, making those peach-blossom eyes look breathtakingly vivid.

Sensing Xu Yinian’s dazed, starstruck gaze, Shen Ruoshuang’s eyes darted downward, concealing a trace of nervousness and innocence she had never shown before.

Xu Yinian hurriedly looked away and pulled out her keys to open the door. For some reason, she didn’t dare look at Shen Ruoshuang, and her hands were trembling slightly.

It must be because it’s so cold… she told herself.

Suddenly, she heard a soft voice behind her: “Okay.”

Xu Yinian’s mind went blank. She nearly dropped the keys as she opened the door, the metal scraping harshly against the handle. After confirming no one else was around, she realized the Unreachable Beauty was indeed speaking to her.

In the midst of that strange, heavy silence, Xu Yinian was forced to speak. “…W-what?”

The white mist of her breath blurred her bewildered expression.

Shen Ruoshuang’s eyelashes fluttered, but she said nothing.

After a long moment, Xu Yinian had no choice but to step into the classroom first. But the moment she crossed the threshold into the dim room, she heard the other girl utter two burning words.

“The letter.”

Xu Yinian remembered now. The end of that love letter had read:

Can we try being together?

…

The familiar figure returning to the lecture hall door snapped Xu Yinian out of her memory. Another wave of inexplicable panic washed over her.

Shen Ruoshuang walked in just in time to see her aunt standing side-by-side with Xu Yinian, the latter looking frantic and evasive. She knew immediately that Shen Yun must have sold her out.

Seeing the subject of her gossip right in front of her, Shen Yun didn’t feel the slightest bit of guilt.

“Shen Ruoshuang, you’re the one who refused to tell me anything even if it killed you. Don’t you dare try to stop me today. I finally found someone who knows the truth, and it turns out there really was a situation!”

Xu Yinian felt Shen Yun’s bright eyes lock onto her, realizing too late that the “situation” being referred to was herself. Still lightheaded from the memory of that “Okay,” she instinctively assumed Shen Yun had figured out the “romance rumor” involved her.

She blurted out, “No, it wasn’t me…”

The words were barely out before she realized—how was that any different from a confession?

It was too late. A look of puzzled realization began to dawn in Shen Yun’s eyes.

Shen Ruoshuang’s dark eyes shifted slightly. Instead of prying into Xu Yinian’s thoughts, she looked at Shen Yun and said calmly, “Spreading rumors about me again?”

Shen Yun immediately tossed Xu Yinian’s slip-up to the back of her mind and fired back, “I was just asking if you had a high school romance. I haven’t even started the rumor about you transferring schools because someone dumped you!”

Hearing this, Shen Ruoshuang’s gaze rested silently on Xu Yinian for a long moment.

This was the first time their transfer incident had been mentioned between them. Sure enough, Xu Yinian instinctively shrank her neck.

“Yeah, I was dumped.”

Shen Ruoshuang’s voice was incredibly soft, sounding like a casual joke yet also like a resigned statement of fact. It was impossible to read her true emotions.

While she was testing Xu Yinian, she was also sending out a signal, tentatively touching upon that taboo subject. The resolution of their previous misunderstanding had given Shen Ruoshuang a bit of confidence.

Perhaps if she let go of her pride, that unrequited love that had ended so abruptly wouldn’t be so hard to talk about.

Unseen by the others, panic flickered in Xu Yinian’s lowered eyes. Shen Yun was right there; she had seen Xu Yinian being humiliated by those people.