Chapter 112: Staying the Night Part 3

[I’m fine. It’s just that the financial aid documents I got from Uncle didn’t pass the initial audit, so I had to go submit them in person. It poured last night and the road back to X University was flooded. Everyone from the school was put up in a hotel for the night.]

[I didn’t want my roommates to know I applied for financial aid, so I used you as an excuse… Thank you for helping me, Ke-ke.]

When Jiang Ke saw the reply, her grim expression didn’t brighten in the slightest. If she hadn’t heard about that suspicious phone, the envelope, and the documents, she might have been fooled by this perfect explanation.

The mystery of the documents was solved; they were apparently the financial aid application. But what about the top-of-the-line phone and the envelope?

The unease in Jiang Ke’s heart grew stronger. She remembered that the financial aid was sponsored by the Shen Group.

The Shen Group—and a secret that couldn’t be known by Shen Ruoshuang…

For some reason, an image flashed through Jiang Ke’s mind—a sharp, cold woman she had only seen once from a distance at a high-society banquet.

Shen Ruoshuang’s mother, the President of the Shen Group: Shen Yi.

Her breath hitched. Had Shen Yi discovered Shen Ruoshuang’s pursuit of her sister?

A woman of that caliber—ruthless, powerful, and decisive—would never allow a “troublemaker” like her sister to remain in the picture.

But then, Jiang Ke had another thought. It might not be a bad thing if a formidable rival like Shen Ruoshuang was blocked by her own mother… as long as that woman didn’t hurt her sister.

The moment the thought crossed her mind, Jiang Ke felt the hope was slim. Living in the capital’s elite circles, Jiang Ke knew all too well how cruel the upper class and its hierarchy could be.

The stories in novels where a parent throws five million dollars at someone to leave their daughter were all lies. Even Bai Ran knew how to use the Jiang family to apply pressure; Shen Yi’s methods would only be more brutal. To deal with a penniless student like Xu Yinian, who had just turned eighteen and had no power to resist, Shen Yi wouldn’t even need to show her face.

She needed to keep an eye on the Shen Group’s movements. It was possible they might soon reach out toward the Jiang family’s businesses…

With these dark thoughts hidden away, she replied to her sister with a cute emoji, acting as if nothing was wrong.

***

Xu Yinian was so preoccupied with Jiang Ke’s messages that she completely forgot to warn Ji Yan—who was temporarily staying in the dorm—that the electricity and hot water cut off at 11:00 PM.

It wasn’t until Ji Yan suddenly pulled the bathroom door open and called for her that she realized the hot water had stopped.

Ji Yan was wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts, but her shoulder-length, highlighted wolf-cut was soaked and matted with soap suds. She clearly hadn’t had time to rinse.

Even in such a disheveled state, her face remained ethereally beautiful. With the wet hair and the water droplets rolling down her eyelashes and forehead, Ji Yan looked like a siren that had just emerged from the depths. That cold, chaotic wildness made Xu Yinian’s breath hitch.

“I have hot water in my kettle… do you have a basin? You can wash the suds off with that.”

“I don’t,” Ji Yan replied matter-of-factly, her dark eyes staring straight at Xu Yinian.

Xu Yinian’s face flushed under the gaze, and she looked away. “I… mine… I’ll lend you mine. It’s under the sink…”

“Aren’t you coming in? What if I grab the wrong one? My germaphobia will act up.”

Ji Yan’s low, lazy voice was incredibly roguish, tinged with a hint of teasing.

This double standard regarding her germaphobia is unbelievable, Xu Yinian thought, unable to even begin to complain.

“Who am I staying here for?” Ji Yan pulled out her trump card. Her voice sounded as if it were dampened by the mist, making it hard to refuse.

Xu Yinian had no choice. She stepped into the bathroom, purposely leaving the door ajar to feel a bit safer.

She heard a cold snort behind her. “With her out there, do you think I’m going to eat you?”

The air was thick with the scent of disinfectant mixed with body wash. It was easy to imagine just how obsessive Ji Yan’s germaphobia was to go to such lengths in a shared space.

Xu Yinian found her washbasin. Feeling a bit shy about handing it over directly, she crouched down by the faucet under the showerhead. “Let me… let me rinse it first.”

“Xu Yinian, those slippers you hid at my house… I’m still wearing them,” the voice suddenly stated. The lazy teasing was gone, replaced by a serious tone that startled Xu Yinian. She looked up.

“My ‘lack of germaphobia’ regarding you doesn’t just mean I don’t find you dirty.”

“It means I like you.”

Right then, the world went black. The entire dormitory was plunged into pitch-darkness.

The power had been cut.

The confession had already sent her mind into a whirl, and the sudden darkness made it boil over. Xu Yinian tried to stand up in a panic, but her shoulder slammed into the shower handle behind her with a loud thud.

Before she could even feel the pain, bone-chilling cold water poured down like a waterfall, drenching her instantly.

“Xu Yinian, you idiot…”

Ji Yan moved toward her, reaching out through memory to shut off the shower. However, the rest of her sentence died in her throat.

In the darkness, her fingertips brushed against something soft. The familiar sensation acted like an electric shock, causing Ji Yan to recoil instantly.

But remembering that Xu Yinian was still being drenched, she suppressed her last shred of composure, carefully reached around her, and shut the valve.

The moment she was touched, Xu Yinian snapped back to reality. Waves of heat rose through her ice-cold, soaked body. The sensation from the previous night came rushing back.

She… she had…

Sensing something, Xu Yinian pressed her knees together, her face a mess of pallor and flushes.

Neither of them spoke. They stood in a bizarre, heavy silence. In the dark, neither could see the other’s ears glowing a deep crimson.

Despite her germaphobia and her dominant, “S-type” persona, Ji Yan had never actually had physical contact with anyone else. She was, in truth, incredibly pure-hearted. Right now, her heart was a mess, and her entire face was burning.

Would Niannian think I did it on purpose? Should I apologize? I should at least comfort her… but she’s so shy, she probably doesn’t want to talk about it? …Is she crying?

Suddenly, the beam of a phone flashlight cut through the room.

Xu Yinian instinctively looked up. Shen Ruoshuang was standing at the door, her features blurred against the backlight.

Beside her, Ji Yan gave a sudden, sharp cough. She grabbed her bath towel from the rack and threw it over Xu Yinian without a word.

“Wrap yourself up,” Ji Yan said, her voice sounding strangely stiff.

Xu Yinian looked up at her and saw Ji Yan turning her head away as if hiding something. In the stray light, her bright red ears were clearly visible.

Realizing something was wrong, Xu Yinian looked down at herself.

Her white cotton dress had been completely soaked by the cold water. The fabric was now entirely transparent, clinging to her body in damp folds.

Which meant… by the light of that flashlight, both Ji Yan and Shen Ruoshuang had seen everything.