Chapter 111: In the Mirror Part 1

Seeing the two of them ready to go at each other’s throats the moment they turned around, Xu Yinian felt the scorching tension of being caught in the middle of a Shura Field.

“I—I… I’ll do it myself…” she stammered, trying her best to resist both of their suggestions.

“There’s a patch on the back of your neck. You can’t see it, and you can’t reach it. How are you going to do it yourself?”

Shen Ruoshuang completely ignored Ji Yan, who was guarding Xu Yinian like a hawk. Her gaze fell upon Xu Yinian’s pale, tender skin, where the flush of the allergy appeared even more ambiguous and suggestive.

Within those downcast Peach-blossom eyes, the heart-stopping crimson of the rash seemed to be reflected.

Xu Yinian was indeed left speechless.

She always felt that Shen Ruoshuang’s words were logical and well-grounded. Even though her tone was cold and calm, it was impossible to find fault with her reasoning. Xu Yinian found herself dizzily following along with the other girl’s plans.

It was a controlling streak identical to her mother’s.

However, compared to Shen Yi’s habitual, high-handed, and cold commands, this silent type of control could almost be considered gentle.

Seeing Xu Yinian’s attention being so easily lured away by Shen Ruoshuang, Ji Yan gritted her teeth. “Xu Yinian, you say it. Who do you want to help you?”

…No matter who I choose, it’s a death sentence!

Without a convincing excuse to bail herself out, Xu Yinian’s cowardly, avoidant, and naturally neutral personality made it impossible for her to take a side. She bit her lip pitifully and remained silent, her fingers instinctively twisting together.

Clearly, the right to serve her belonged only to the victor.

“You’ve never done it yourself before. Do you even know how?”

Only then did Shen Ruoshuang finally deign to glance at Ji Yan. Her expression remained unchanged—filled with the same icy indifference that suggested she had never once considered Ji Yan an equal.

It was a tranquil display of aloofness, yet the sarcasm was sharp and pierced straight to the heart.

All three of them remembered those words. On the first day of school, when Xu Yinian had offered to help bandage the wound on Ji Yan’s hand, Ji Yan had arrogantly made things difficult for her, insisting she’d do it herself.

It was a reminder of all the “brain-rot” Ji Yan had suffered when she used coercive means to treat Xu Yinian in the past.

Now, Ji Yan didn’t even dare to let her expression darken. Her long eyelashes, like the fluttering wings of a butterfly, trembled as she urgently sought out Xu Yinian’s expression.

But Ji Yan had forgotten that the girl was like a small animal—soft-hearted and incapable of holding a grudge.

When someone was mean to her, she only knew how to hide in silence. But if someone was even slightly good to her, she would be moved to tears and desperately try to reciprocate and please them.

Even back when she was so terrified of Ji Yan, Xu Yinian had been willing to look after her when she was injured and discarded in a corner like trash.

…So stupid.

Seeing Xu Yinian’s soft, temperless appearance, Ji Yan felt a pang of bitterness and heartache more intense than if the girl had actually blamed her.

Regret flooded her like a tide. How could she have ever brought herself to bully her?

Thinking about what she had uncovered regarding their time at Yuanwu High School, the damage Shen Ruoshuang had caused Xu Yinian with those rumors was even more unforgivable.

She wasn’t good enough, but Shen Ruoshuang was even worse.

Ji Yan’s gaze grew increasingly gloomy. “I’ve learned from Xu Yinian. Is that a problem?”

She sneered at Shen Ruoshuang. “What else can you do besides skulking around the dorm every day, looking for scraps and trying to steal a win? If you had any self-awareness, you’d know that if Xu Yinian had any other option, she wouldn’t choose you.”

Because Shen Ruoshuang and Bai Ran kept each other in check—and because Bai Ran could easily use Ji Yan’s germaphobia to disgust her—Ji Yan had never actually moved into the dormitory.

But after Bai Ran took her leave of absence and after the events of today, Ji Yan moving in to keep a close eye on Shen Ruoshuang was practically a done deal.

Xu Yinian was having an allergic reaction and couldn’t be left alone. There was no time like the present.

She wanted to see what kind of favors Shen Ruoshuang could possibly win from Xu Yinian with her there to contest every inch.

As the ambiguity in their words became more pronounced, Xu Yinian felt like she was going to die of embarrassment. She buried her blushing face lower and lower. All that could be seen was a tiny, delicate, rose-white ear tip peeking out from her black hair.

Every part of the girl’s body was incredibly eye-catching.

Once one had tasted that flavor, how could they ever forget?

Shen Ruoshuang heard the implication that Ji Yan intended to stay in the dorm. She wasn’t surprised, nor did she feel much of a sense of crisis. At most, it was just another annoying mad dog she’d have to divert energy toward handling.

Compared to that, Bai Ran’s sudden willingness to leave was what deserved her vigilance. It felt as if the other girl was brewing some kind of plan.

“If you won’t step aside, I won’t back down either. So, what else is there to say?”

Compared to the start of the semester when Xu Yinian avoided her like a venomous snake, the unstable side of Shen Ruoshuang had become increasingly suppressed. Unless she was pushed to a point of unbearable, paranoid danger, the signs of her “terminal illness” would not show.

After going in a circle, the Shura Field returned to its starting point.

If Bai Ran or Jiang Ke were here right now, these two darlings of fortune, who shared an ambiguous relationship with Xu Yinian on the surface, wouldn’t stand a chance.

But right now, their goals were identical. They both stubbornly fought for a shred of Xu Yinian’s special favor.

Seeing that she was about to be forcibly dragged back into this tangled mess, Xu Yinian couldn’t take it anymore.

“Stop… stop fighting…”

“It’s so itchy… I’m uncomfortable.”

Xu Yinian’s voice was naturally soft and filled with a dainty charm. Now, because she was feeling guilty about lying, her voice sounded even more hazy and blurred.

Every slurred syllable seemed to brush against their inner cravings and palpitations. Her unconscious provocation was nothing short of fatal.

Those suggestive words were easily misinterpreted, becoming a catalyst for desire.

Xu Yinian didn’t realize the dark glints simultaneously rising in their eyes. She thought her little scheme was actually working.

With just that one soft cry, the clash between the unruly and the proud—where neither was willing to yield a single inch—instantly surrendered.