Lu Zhou was once again completely mesmerized. Unlike her stubborn resistance in the secret room, she had now utterly surrendered to this infatuation. She simply had no defense against Xu Yinian…
Since Lu Zhou refused to leave, Ji Yan decided to treat her like thin air, ushering Xu Yinian toward the living room.
Glancing at the digital tablet on Ji Yan’s desk, Lu Zhou quipped, “You aren’t still drawing those things, are you?”
Remembering the drawing of Xiao Lin she had seen in the studio before, Xu Yinian looked up with a hint of hesitation.
Ji Yan’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly. Her eyes, reflecting the cold light of the room, shot a wary look at Lu Zhou.
Her secret—the despicable, voyeuristic drawings of Xu Yinian’s body in various poses…
She only relaxed slightly when she heard Lu Zhou’s next words.
“She can do anything, but just like her germaphobia, she hates drawing other people’s bodies. She used to skip every single figure drawing class back in the day. Want to guess how she learned anatomy? This pervert only draws herself.”
Ji Yan had her reservations, so for once, she didn’t snap back at Lu Zhou’s teasing.
However, Xu Yinian’s gaze turned a bit dazed as she sat on the sofa, her eyes lingering on Ji Yan.
Vague memories of the original novel from her dreams suddenly sharpened because of Lu Zhou’s words.
In the original story, Ji Yan—the protagonist-top—also loathed others because of her germaphobia. The only body she ever enjoyed drawing was the protagonist-bottom’s. During her university years, she had used Shen Ruoshuang as her exclusive private model for her anatomy assignments.
And now… Xu Yinian thought about all the “buffs” from the original story that had mysteriously transferred to her. She suddenly had a very bad feeling.
The protagonist-top and protagonist-bottom weren’t together anymore. So what was Ji Yan going to do about her anatomy assignments?
She wouldn’t come looking for me, would she?
She quickly told herself she was overthinking it.
In the book, by the time the figure modeling plot happened, Ji Yan had already drawn countless portraits of Shen Ruoshuang; it had even become a form of foreplay between them. Ji Yan had never drawn her before. She was probably just drawing herself, exactly as Lu Zhou said…
To hide her awkwardness and the mounting unease, Xu Yinian sat on pins and needles, staring down at her phone.
When she opened her messages, her gaze froze.
[Niannian, there are several strange men wandering around outside my door and knocking. I’m pretending no one is home, but they won’t leave.]
[I’m a little scared to be alone. I don’t dare go to sleep. Niannian, can you stay on the phone with me tonight?]
It was Sister Ran…
The moment she thought about the poor security in that single-room rental, Xu Yinian’s heart sank. Ignoring Ji Yan and Lu Zhou, she stood up abruptly and muttered that she needed to use the restroom.
The moment she stepped inside, Ji Yan’s face transformed. A cold sneer curled her lips. “Are you leaving on your own, or do I have to throw you out?”
“Shen Ruoshuang is definitely going to come looking for her soon. If I’m determined to open that door, you can’t stop me.”
“I don’t mind having one more person here,” Lu Zhou said calmly. Her shameless, roguish attitude made Ji Yan feel like she was punching a cloud. “But if you’re this upset about just the two of us sharing, can you really handle Shen Ruoshuang joining in?”
“You obviously don’t mind. You love stealing a taste of what belongs to others. You’re sick with some kind of cuckold complex.”
Ji Yan didn’t hold back, insulting Lu Zhou’s private fetishes. She clearly wanted Xu Yinian to hear it, and the words finally made the smiling tiger’s expression freeze.
“You want to compare who’s more ‘sick,’ you bastard? Fine. Let’s go to the other room and settle the score, item by item.”
The two of them had been friends since they were five or six; they knew every dirty secret the other possessed. But while they were ready to settle accounts, they were equally determined not to let Xu Yinian find out the truth.
***
Xu Yinian leaned against the bathroom wall and slid down into a crouch. She had no idea that the two women outside had completely turned on each other and were currently “fighting” in the bedroom.
She urgently dialed Bai Ran and asked about the situation in a low voice.
As soon as Bai Ran spoke, Xu Yinian knew her state was bad. She had nearly been assaulted by her arranged marriage partner yesterday, and now the nightmare was resurfacing. No matter how hard she tried to be strong for Xu Yinian’s sake, she couldn’t hide the fragile, damp, and sickly quality of her voice, punctuated by heavy breathing.
She sounded exactly as she had when Xu Yinian found her yesterday.
“Niannian… I shouldn’t have worried you.”
Even now, Bai Ran was still thinking of her.
“Let’s call the police. This is too dangerous. What if they break in?”
“No… my family will find me here if I do. They have eyes everywhere.”
Bai Ran’s voice grew even more despondent.
“Just stay on the line with me. You’ll hear if anything happens on this end. And… having you with me makes me feel safe.”
Bai Ran’s words made Xu Yinian feel even more conflicted. Sister Ran didn’t know she was currently at Ji Yan’s house. She was surrounded by two “wolves” who viewed her as prey. Everything was a mess. How was she supposed to stay on the phone with Bai Ran in front of them?
She looked at her phone. 10:30 PM. The dormitory curfew hadn’t passed yet…
Given Ji Yan’s earlier provocation, Shen Ruoshuang definitely wouldn’t be back at the dorm tonight.
If she could slip away and make it back by curfew while no one was looking, no one would be able to get inside. She could avoid the chaotic mess between the three women.
More importantly, she could stay with Sister Ran all night.
The moment the plan formed, it took root in her heart.
“Okay,” she finally whispered to Bai Ran. “I won’t hang up.”
Xu Yinian tiptoed out of the bathroom, clutching her phone, only to find the living room empty.
The bedroom door was shut tight. The soundproofing was excellent, so she couldn’t hear what was happening inside.
It was the perfect opportunity to escape.
Xu Yinian grabbed her bag. Before heading out, she glanced at the slippers on her feet, remembering how Ji Yan had worn her shoes earlier.
Her face flushed. She shoved the slippers into the deepest corner of the shoe rack, then quickly opened the door and vanished.
