Chapter 120 Part 3

Ji Yan was far from ready to let the matter rest, but in the next second, Xu Yinian instinctively reached out and grabbed a corner of her sleeve.

She tilted her small, pale face upward, simply shaking her head.

All of Ji Yan’s madness seemed to tighten against an invisible collar, thoroughly pacified by the girl.

Ji Yan let Xu Yinian pull her along as they headed out.

…Xu Yinian hadn’t just taken the initiative to grab her; she had done so right under the watchful eyes of others.

The moment they stepped into the shadows of the deserted stairwell, Ji Yan finally couldn’t restrain herself any longer and caught that slender wrist in her own grip.

Xu Yinian’s fingers trembled. Recalling what had just happened, she unusually offered no resistance.

Neither said a word, yet they walked downstairs hand in hand, step by step. Only the sound of their footsteps, which had inexplicably fallen into sync, thrummed against their hearts.

Intimacy blossomed in the dim light, like secret lovers who, fearing discovery, could only hold hands and embrace in hidden places.

The two figures had long since vanished, and it was as if the few people in the classroom had only just snapped back to their senses.

“Was that… Ji Yan just now?”

Their expressions were varied.

“…Already latched onto the next one?”

Someone spoke up, though they lacked any real conviction. After all, who hadn’t seen the ferocity of that mad dog Ji Yan just now?

When Ji Yan asked about the incident with the class monitor, Xu Yinian simply said that he had a bad reputation and she had assumed he was looking for trouble with her again, only to realize she had misunderstood.

Although she was skeptical, Ji Yan didn’t plan on prying the truth out of Xu Yinian. She simply intended to investigate it herself later and destroy the man behind her back.

This was Xu Yinian’s second time visiting Ji Yan’s apartment, and she no longer felt like a stranger to the place. But when she saw that familiar pair of slippers from her last visit, she couldn’t help but think back to what Ji Yan had said the previous night.

She was still wearing that same pair of slippers she had hidden away…

Xu Yinian found herself hesitating at the threshold again. She instinctively gripped the doorframe and looked away, her cheeks flushing a deep, burning crimson.

“I don’t have any other spare shoes,” Ji Yan said, her voice dripping with mock innocence. She knew exactly what she was doing. “If you really can’t bring yourself to wear them, how about you wear mine instead?”

As she spoke, she made a move as if to swap her own slippers with Xu Yinian.

“…No, it’s fine.”

The words finally escaped Xu Yinian’s lips through a soft bite. She eventually stepped into the oversized slippers. The plush, wooly lining felt strangely warm against her socks—an illusory heat that made her feel as if she were stepping into someone else’s lingering body temperature. It only made her more stiff and self-conscious.

As Ji Yan shut the door behind them, she reached out a hand. “Lend me your phone.”

The request sent a jolt of panic through Xu Yinian. She feared Ji Yan had noticed her recent correspondence with Secretary Zhou regarding Shen Yi.

However, Ji Yan simply looked at her with a languid, composed expression. “I’m going to have a little ‘chat’ with that woman named Shen. I want to make sure she doesn’t try that pathetic ‘I have nowhere to go’ routine tonight just to squeeze some sympathy out of you.”

Ji Yan knew perfectly well that the two of them staying out all night wouldn’t escape Shen Ruoshuang’s notice. Rather than letting Shen Ruoshuang wait until after the dormitory curfew to come looking for Xu Yinian with a sob story, it was better to take the initiative and provoke her now.

After all, Xu Yinian was here with her. No matter how much the woman named Shen fumed with impotent rage behind a screen, there was nothing she could do about it.

Though she was reluctant, Xu Yinian was even more terrified that Ji Yan might snatch the phone and stumble upon any traces of Secretary Zhou’s messages. Left with no choice, she followed Ji Yan’s demand and initiated a video call to Shen Ruoshuang.

Even though their relationship had softened significantly over time, they had never actually had a video call before…

Xu Yinian felt a knot of apprehension in her chest. But then she remembered that all of this trouble started because of Shen Ruoshuang’s reckless behavior the previous night, and that small spark of annoyance managed to suppress her nerves.

It was already past nine o’clock, and evening classes had long since ended.

Shen Ruoshuang, however, was always busy. She appeared to be outside, the background showing a somewhat dim, shadowed stairwell. The poor lighting blurred her features slightly, but it had the effect of softening her usually sharp, cold lines.

It made those Peach-blossom Eyes appear even more affectionate and lingering. Combined with the intimate “girlfriend-perspective” of the camera angle, Xu Yinian’s heart skipped a beat.

“…Where… where are you? If it’s not a good time, we can forget it,” Xu Yinian stammered, her voice thick with embarrassment.

“My mentor has a lecture tomorrow. My group is still helping out with the preparations. It’s no trouble at all. Go ahead,” Shen Ruoshuang’s voice came through the speaker. It was clear and cool, yet it held a certain resonance that made Xu Yinian’s ears feel soft and tingly.

Xu Yinian dithered for a moment when she heard the word “lecture.” Was it Shen Yi’s lecture…?

Thinking that Xu Yinian had been entranced by the other woman again, Ji Yan gritted her teeth and refused to let her look any longer. She leaned into the camera’s view with a cold smirk.

“Was it fun betraying me last night?”

Shen Ruoshuang didn’t bother asking how she knew. But as she took in the domestic background Ji Yan was intentionally flaunting like a trophy, the corners of her eyes sharpened with a chill as cold as the frost outside the window.

“Where did you take her?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll return her to you by tonight. Though, if you want to make up for the regret of not being here in person, you’re welcome to keep the video running,” Ji Yan mocked.

Just as the malicious words left her mouth, a sudden sound interrupted them.

Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang.

The memory of the time Bai Ran had barged in at night to ruin her plans flashed through Ji Yan’s mind, and her expression instantly soured. The sound of the doorbell carried clearly to the other end of the video call.

Suddenly, Shen Ruoshuang let out a low, soft chuckle.

“You’d better not hang up.”