Chapter 13: The Portrait

The speech drew to a close, yet the camera and the giant screens seemed to follow Shen Ruoshuang’s figure with lingering affection as she stepped off the stage.

Thunderous applause roared through the stadium, forcibly wrenching Xu Yinian back from her wandering thoughts. She suddenly remembered a time before their conflict—back when she had looked up to Shen Ruoshuang with the same reverence and adoration the crowd felt now.

It felt so distant it was almost surreal, leaving her with a hollow sense of loss.

Xu Yinian quietly gathered her emotions. When she finally looked up, she realized Ji Yan was still sitting right beside her.

She stole a glance to her side.

She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but Ji Yan was now holding a sketchbook. Was she drawing something?

A pen was tucked between her long, slender fingers. Her pale knuckles and the faint tracery of veins beneath her skin were prominent—those hands were the most exquisite, noble works of art in the world.

In Xu Yinian’s memory, Ji Yan was usually indifferent to everything. She hadn’t expected such a stark contrast when the girl picked up a brush.

The usual casual laziness and nonchalance had vanished. In their place was an expressionless focus—a state of absolute, pure immersion.

Her thick, dark lashes cast soft shadows downward. They were as delicate as the wings of a black butterfly, yet her eyes were like the boundless deep sea. Despite the cold, restrained light within them, they couldn’t hide the sharp edge of her innate talent.

Placing first in the National Art Entrance Exam to get into X University had been no fluke.

In the shadow of her “Star Second-Gen” status, people often overlooked Ji Yan’s talent as an artist. But anyone who had seen her work, or watched her in the act of creation, had to admit one thing: artistic creation was the very soul she was born with.

Even a simple character sketch seemed to possess a vibrant, growing aesthetic in her hands.

With just a few lines, she captured the interplay of light and shadow. Her foundational skills were evident in the way she rendered the texture of skin and the flow of muscle, while her use of black, white, and gray gave form to raw emotion.

It was a style that was romantic, relaxed, and intensely personal.

Looking at the spirited young girl on the page, Xu Yinian suddenly recalled a plot point from the original novel.

During a major school event, Shen Ruoshuang gave a speech in front of the entire university. Ji Yan, moved by her beauty in that moment, sketched her from the audience. Later, Shen Ruoshuang accidentally saw the drawing in their dorm. That was the first time she realized Ji Yan’s special interest in her—a classic “wrong place, right time” moment that kickstarted their fate.

But… while this drawing was stunning, it didn’t quite look like Shen Ruoshuang.

Xu Yinian trusted the original plot implicitly. Besides, who else could have inspired Ji Yan to pick up a pen just now other than Shen Ruoshuang, who was speaking in front of everyone?

She chalked the lack of resemblance up to Ji Yan’s personal art style.

Still, she asked hesitantly, “Are you drawing… Shen Ruoshuang?”

Ji Yan’s hand, which had been about to crumple the paper into a ball, froze. Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Xu Yinian looked at the drawing a few more times. She remained convinced that such a beautiful, vivid subject couldn’t be anyone but Shen Ruoshuang.

Hypnotized by her certainty of the original plot, she forced herself to see Shen Ruoshuang in the lines. Xu Yinian had never seen herself in a mirror when her face was blooming with shy embarrassment; lacking confidence in her own appearance, she never even considered the possibility that she was the subject.

Moreover, she didn’t think a high-and-mighty genius like Ji Yan would have any reason to draw her.

Cold stars flickered in Ji Yan’s dark eyes. She said nothing, her hand resuming its movement.

“Hey! What—what are you doing?” Xu Yinian cried out.

She had realized Ji Yan’s intention. This was the “token of affection” for the main couple! It couldn’t be destroyed just because she’d asked a clumsy question. If it was gone, how would the plot progress?

Terrified that this was her fault, Xu Yinian found a sudden surge of courage. She reached out and snatched the slightly crumpled sheet of paper from Ji Yan’s hand, hiding it behind her back.

“What? Can’t bear to see it go?” Ji Yan’s expression was unreadable as she watched Xu Yinian’s uncharacteristically proactive behavior.

Xu Yinian steeled her nerves and nodded. “I… I really like it. And besides, you haven’t finished it yet.”

“A draft is just trash. It will never be finished.” Ji Yan met Xu Yinian’s gaze, her eyes cooling as she watched the girl’s childish attempt to hide the paper. “It’s just garbage. Keep it if you want it that badly. If not, throw it away.”

Xu Yinian’s goal was to save this significant drawing, but she had no desire to keep this “hot potato” for herself.

The pressure was immense. Wait… why am I keeping a love token meant for Shen Ruoshuang?

But if she didn’t take it, Ji Yan would definitely destroy it, and the plot would derail further. Weighing the pros and cons, Xu Yinian smoothed out the creases and carefully tucked the drawing into her notebook.

Fine. She would just have to play the role of the “fated accident” for the main couple.

The goal was for Shen Ruoshuang to see this in the dorm, right? She would just find a chance to “accidentally” leave it where Shen could find it…

Xu Yinian wanted nothing more than to stay far away from the two leads. She was willing to act as a wingman if it meant she wouldn’t do anything to damage their romance. After all, if the leads were interested in each other, they would stop paying so much attention to a cannon fodder character like her.

And if their relationship fell apart later, no one could blame her.

Aside from exams and competitions, Ji Yan never gave away her original sketches. Her fastidiousness meant that she would rather destroy a draft than let someone else’s scent or traces linger on it.

Yet, Xu Yinian’s “offense” didn’t make Ji Yan feel like the drawing was “soiled.”

Hearing her say “I really like it” and watching her carefully preserve the sketch gave the unfinished work a new soul.

Ji Yan knew Xu Yinian still didn’t realize she was the one in the drawing. With her personality, if she knew, she wouldn’t be saving it; she’d be running in the opposite direction.

***

After the Opening Ceremony ended, Xu Yinian saw Ji Yan talking to Qin Jiashu in the distance. She took the opportunity to slip away.

Seeing Ji Yan drawing Shen Ruoshuang today, she figured that poor Senior Sister would be dumped within a couple of days. She didn’t want to be caught in that crossfire.

Jiang Ke had to return with her platoon, but since there was a campus bus stop right outside the stadium that went directly to the School Hospital, Xu Yinian limped over to wait by herself.

However, after almost all the freshmen had dispersed, there was still no sign of the bus that was supposed to run every fifteen minutes.

With a sinking feeling, Xu Yinian opened the university app to check for updates.

Sure enough, a notice glared back at her: Due to student dispersal from the Opening Ceremony on the main roads, this line is suspended for the day.

Xu Yinian’s vision went dark. X University’s campus was unimaginably vast. It often took students twenty to thirty minutes just to walk between classrooms. Most people relied on the buses, bicycles, or electric scooters.

The stadium was right in the middle of campus, making it incredibly far from both the dorms and the hospital. If her leg were fine, it wouldn’t be an issue, but without someone to lean on, she was essentially stranded.

To make matters worse, when she tried to call Jiang Ke for backup, there was no answer. Either the training hadn’t ended yet, or her phone was dead.

Just as Xu Yinian was losing all hope, the roar of an engine reached her ears.

She watched, wide-eyed, as a motorcycle screeched to a halt in front of her.

Wow, X University really is open-minded. It’s only been a few days, and someone’s already riding a bike like this on campus?

The sleek body of the Honda Fireblade 3R looked like a gout of blazing fire. The silver exhaust pipe reflected the scorching sunlight, making it look even more intense. In a standstill, it looked like a heavy fire-leopard lurking in the shadows, waiting for the moment it would launch into a crimson blur.

The woman wearing a matching helmet straightened from her hunched riding posture. She kicked down the kickstand with her combat boots and pulled off the helmet, shaking out her dyed gray-blue hair with reckless abandon.

She had already shed the military training jacket she’d been wearing for show in the stadium. Her olive-green tank top rode up slightly with her movements, offering a fleeting glimpse of toned, sexy abdominal muscles.

Xu Yinian took one look and quickly averted her eyes, her breath hitching.

“Can’t walk?”

Ji Yan’s voice held a teasing edge, seeing right through Xu Yinian’s predicament.

“…No.”

“Where to?” Ji Yan didn’t care about Xu Yinian’s timid reply. She had already guessed the destination. “The bus for this direction… the School Hospital? Going for an X-ray?”

Xu Yinian was no match for Ji Yan’s sharp intuition and commanding presence. She knew she couldn’t refuse. She stood up, looking at the heavy bike with apprehension.

“I… I can’t even get on…”

Ji Yan swung her long leg over the bike and dismounted with ease. She flipped open the seat and pulled out a second, slightly smaller helmet.

Xu Yinian grumbled inwardly. How many girls has she given rides to? She’s so practiced!

The next second, before she could react, her world went dark.

Ji Yan had slid the helmet over her head. Through the transparent visor, she couldn’t see Ji Yan’s expression, only the girl’s collarbones inches away. As Ji Yan reached behind her neck to tuck her hair into the helmet, it felt as though she was being pulled into an embrace.

Just as Xu Yinian, stifled inside the helmet, thought the other girl was about to let go, a chuckle reached her ears.

“Little shorty, you really are hopeless.”