Only now did Xu Yinian realize that the “negotiation” between the two had resulted in all three of them moving out of the dormitory together.
The new home was a luxury apartment provided by Ji Yan. Given her germaphobia, she naturally refused to live in anyone else’s property.
“As long as you lock your door, no one can get in.”
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to choose? That you just wanted some peace and quiet?”
As Ji Yan spoke, her narrow, ink-dark eyes remained fixed on the girl. Xu Yinian was already speechless, and this intense gaze left her with absolutely no room to refuse.
…It felt as if even a moment’s hesitation would be seen as shielding her “accomplice,” Shen Ruoshuang.
Shen Ruoshuang stood off to the side, her posture cool and poised. She naturally positioned herself to block the draft from the doorway for Xu Yinian, her eyes slightly downcast.
It was obvious the “Mad Dog” was dead set on preventing her from getting close to Niannian. Rather than engaging in endless, pointless arguments in a cramped dorm room, it was better to play along with Ji Yan’s plan and let the girl let her guard down.
Furthermore…
A ripple of emotion stirred in the depths of her peach-blossom eyes. She recalled how Xu Yinian’s “temper” over the phone last night had been nothing more than soft, stuttering mumbles.
The girl didn’t have a spoiled bone in her body. How could Shen Ruoshuang bear to let her feel aggrieved any longer?
What Xu Yinian interpreted as “sharing” was, in reality, a surrender. These two—one a possessive madman and the other an obsessive stalker—had both laid down their arms in the face of her lethal “sweetness,” making the greatest concession of their lives.
The scare from Shen Yi had been remarkably effective. Xu Yinian no longer dared to passively sink into the murky depths of her relationship with Shen Ruoshuang as she had before. She spent the entire trip trying to figure out how to say no.
But then again, she had been trying to say no since the start of the semester. Had she ever succeeded?
Given Shen Ruoshuang’s sharp intuition, a sudden shift toward a more cowardly attitude would undoubtedly raise suspicions.
However, seeing Ji Yan standing between them like a defensive wall, combined with this sudden “three-person cohabitation,” gave Xu Yinian an idea.
Perhaps… she could use Ji Yan as an excuse?
Xu Yinian didn’t have time to overthink it. She tucked her little scheme away and began packing her things with an air of helpless resignation.
Under their watchful eyes, she even had to keep that “incriminating” phone hidden on her person.
What she never expected was that Ji Yan’s new apartment would be located right near the rental unit she shared with Sister Ran.
It… it can’t be such a coincidence, can it?
An ominous feeling bubbled up in her chest. It wasn’t until the familiar high-rise she had visited just yesterday appeared before her that the heart hanging in her throat finally went numb.
Wasn’t this Qin Jiashu’s building?!
When they stepped into the elevator, the floor button pressed was for the very top—the same floor as Qin Jiashu.
Xu Yinian remembered clearly. Her Senior Sister had bragged that only the top floor featured duplex units. From the private terrace, one could overlook the entire X University campus. She had mentioned it was incredibly hard to rent and that she only got it through a friend’s connection…
On second thought, it made sense. There was only one recently completed high-end residential complex near the university gates.
Besides, was it really a coincidence?
Qin Jiashu had rented a place here specifically to be closer to Ji Yan. She had gone through a lot of trouble to pry the information out of Lu Zhou: this massive duplex was a property the Ji family had prepared for Ji Yan.
However, Ji Yan had found it inconvenient because of the curfew outside the school gates and chose a campus apartment instead. That had ruined Qin Jiashu’s plan, so she had simply settled for living there herself.
And so, through a twist of fate, they had become neighbors.
Seeing that Shen Ruoshuang and Ji Yan had no reaction, Xu Yinian realized they probably had no idea. She swallowed her grievances and forced herself to step out of the elevator.
There were only two units on the top floor. Fortunately, the entrances were not facing each other. She couldn’t even imagine the awkward Shura Field that would ensue if all four of them met at the door…
“The passcode is your birthday.”
It was clearly an arrangement they had agreed upon.
Xu Yinian thought of the phone passcode Secretary Zhou had set. That phone was meant for her, so it was somewhat justifiable, but this… this was Ji Yan’s home. What did it mean to set it to an outsider’s birthday?
It felt strangely like she was being branded the mistress of the house…
Xu Yinian didn’t respond. Her lowered face was already burning with embarrassment.
“July. That’s still a long way off,” Ji Yan remarked, her tone tinged with regret.
“I… I don’t celebrate my birthday.”
Hearing the implication in Ji Yan’s words, Xu Yinian hurried to distance herself.
Her family didn’t have the habit of celebrating birthdays. The first time she even knew her date of birth was in elementary school when she had to ask her mother to fill out a form.
Consequently, when she received her first birthday gift from her cousin, Jiang Ke, she felt more confusion than surprise.
But after that year, for some reason, Jiang Ke refused to celebrate her own birthday as well. When Xu Yinian asked about it, Ke-ke would just act spoiled and say she was grown up now and didn’t like “childish things.”
Ji Yan assumed she was just being avoidant again and teased her relentlessly. “Your first time? Well, then we definitely can’t miss it.”
Being teased like this made Xu Yinian even more flustered. She was no match for Ji Yan in a war of words, so she simply pursed her lips and fell silent.
No one noticed Shen Ruoshuang’s brow furrowing slightly.
Back in tenth grade when they were in the same class, Xu Yinian had once written the wrong birthday on a form. She remembered the girl’s face turning bright red as she whispered that she had remembered it wrong, only to be drowned out by the laughter of the class.
…Was that why?
The layout of the new apartment was exactly like the one she had seen at Qin Jiashu’s place. The three bedrooms were on the second floor, while the first floor served as the living area, kitchen, and common space.
However, the decor followed the typical cold-toned minimalism of modern luxury apartments—a stark contrast to her Senior Sister’s home, which was filled with personal touches and signs of life.
As Xu Yinian stood at the entrance, lost in thought, she heard Ji Yan’s arrogant warning:
“There are cameras in all the common areas. Don’t touch any of my things.”
She subconsciously replied, “I… I won’t.”
Ji Yan was momentarily choked by the girl’s unintentional denseness. Her habitual condescension instantly crumbled and softened.
“…I wasn’t talking about you.”
Only then did Xu Yinian realize this was another instance of the original story’s protagonist-top and love interest clashing. she let out a dazed “Oh,” feeling utterly helpless.
“You haven’t spoken to me all day. Are you still angry?” Shen Ruoshuang asked tonelessly. She practiced ease as she pulled a pair of disposable slippers from the shoe rack, unwrapped them, and bent down to place them at Xu Yinian’s feet.
The girl’s toes visibly twitched inside her shoes; one could almost imagine those rounded toes curling up in surprise. She looked exactly like a startled rabbit.
This “master of the house” attitude irritated Ji Yan immensely. She sneered, “You certainly make yourself at home.”
