That ribbon, which was supposed to be on her hands, had been untied by Shen Ruoshuang. It would have been fine if she’d just used it as a blindfold, but she had actually tied it… in that place.
Is she still shy about last night?
Now Ji Yan’s cheeks felt a bit awkward too. “No need.”
The two of them were uncharacteristically silent as they left the dorm one after the other.
Xu Yinian hadn’t forgotten that she had to go to Sister Ran’s place after class today.
Before leaving, she packed enough textbooks and materials for self-study so she could learn at the rental house.
While she was in her morning classes, Bai Ran had already returned to the apartment.
Her sickly complexion was increasingly gloomy.
She had finished work at three in the morning and had immediately checked the dorm surveillance.
Only then did she find out that those three—from Jiang Ke to Ji Yan—had spent the whole night making a fuss over Xu Yinian’s allergy. Ji Yan had even stayed over.
Specifically, the application of medicine and that final binding…
Bai Ran’s morbid psyche couldn’t stand anyone touching Xu Yinian even slightly. Yet, for the sake of her future plans, she had to endure it all and look for other opportunities for revenge.
Finally, her hollow gaze drifted toward the old, broken water heater in the room.
Whether it was to play the role perfectly or to continue gaining sympathy so Niannian would take care of her…
She had to resort to self-harm.
With that thought in mind, she turned the cold water tap to its limit. Under the bone-chilling stream, she began scrubbing the blood-stained clothes from the previous day.
After class, Xu Yinian met Bai Ran at the school gate as planned to go grocery shopping. Sure enough, as soon as she stepped outside, she spotted a pale face wrapped in a blue scarf.
The moment Yinian walked over, her chilly fingers were enveloped by another’s.
The sensation made Yinian feel a bit restless, reminding her of how her hands had been bound all through the previous night. A second later, however, her hand was guided into the pocket of Bai Ran’s wool coat. Realizing this was warmth Bai Ran had been preserving for a long time, Yinian felt the heat slowly return to her frozen fingers.
Sister Ran only offered her a gentle, tender smile.
Amidst these natural displays of affection, Yinian completely failed to notice the dangerous underlying current—the way the older girl had been fixated on her from the start, meticulously scrutinizing her wrists and neck for any stray marks.
The nearby supermarket was a well-known chain of considerable size. The students from X University who rented apartments nearby were frequent customers.
This was Yinian’s first time visiting, and a faint blush crept onto her cheeks. Among her few, secret hobbies, she genuinely enjoyed wandering through supermarkets. There was an inexplicable sense of domestic peace in picking out supplies and food to stock up a household.
This was the first time she had ever gone grocery shopping with someone who wasn’t family…
They walked aimlessly side-by-side through the aisles, finding no end to their conversation. As the shopping cart slowly filled into a small mountain of items—each one something she personally liked—a strange flutter rose in Yinian’s heart. She stole a glance at Sister Ran’s profile.
“Do you like these rabbit slippers? They look just like Niannian.”
Bai Ran happened to look over at that moment, her eyes curving like crescents. She held the slippers up against Yinian to compare, a soft smile playing on her lips.
In front of outsiders, Yinian was used to hiding everything about herself. Even in front of her mother, the person she trusted most, she had always been the one to submissively accept whatever was arranged for her. Her mother never asked if she liked something; she only ever bought the most cost-effective items on sale.
As a child, Yinian would only steal glances at the colorful snack and toy aisles, never daring to even slow her pace.
But now, the simplest of intimate bonds was taking root and sprouting. She felt a feeling both foreign and familiar: the sense that she finally had a “home” she could truly nurture. Her thoughts, her preferences… they were actually being noticed and heard.
“I… I like them!”
Yinian looked at the plush rabbits and nodded vigorously.
“Niannian, this is actually the first time I’ve ever wandered through a big supermarket like this,” Bai Ran said, slowing her pace as they reached a corner. Yinian had already moved toward the next shelf when Bai Ran suddenly added, “It makes me feel… like we’re family.”
The string in Yinian’s heart twanged. She instinctively turned back, but she couldn’t see Sister Ran’s expression from that angle.
“I’ve never had a home before.”
“So, I’m truly happy right now.”
Though the words spoke of a lonely and regretful past, Bai Ran’s voice carried a warmth like a beam of light breaking through dark clouds. Yinian hurried back toward her, only to see that gentle figure step around the corner into her line of sight, brushing away all her unease.
This mutual choice—the fact that they had both felt like “family” at the same moment—caused a forbidden wish to sprout in Yinian’s mind for the first time.
I want it to be like this forever.
Having the best Sister Ran by my side.
As “family.”
The bottom floor was the fresh produce section; they still needed to buy ingredients for lunch. Since Yinian’s class had ended late, it was already nearly one in the afternoon. They decided to split up: Yinian would handle the long line for the weighing station while Bai Ran picked out the vegetables.
Just as Yinian reached the end of the queue, her phone buzzed with a notification. She glanced at it casually, only to freeze completely.
Secretary Zhou: [CEO Shen has a lecture at X University tomorrow evening. She will be coming to see you.]
Wait—didn’t they say they wouldn’t even meet twice a month?
And she was coming to the X University campus!
The shock was so great that when a familiar, mature female voice called out a second later, she nearly dropped her phone.
“Xu Yinian?”
Yinian frantically turned off her screen, her heart hammering against her ribs as she looked up. It was Qin Jiashu, whom she hadn’t seen in days.
Already feeling guilty, Yinian was suddenly reminded that she couldn’t let anyone know she was currently with Sister Ran. She had no choice but to step forward and greet her, desperate to hide the fact that she was “living” with Bai Ran.
