In the presence of the Creator’s most beloved masterpiece, even the harsh summer sunlight seemed to soften and become devout just for her.
Shen Ruoshuang stood quietly against the light, her silhouette rimmed with a warm, golden glow. Her long, straight black hair draped casually over her shoulders, the strands tinted gold by the sun.
Her oval face and peach-blossom eyes were the epitome of soft, exquisite femininity, yet her brow ridge and the straight bridge of her nose possessed a sharp, cold quality. Both her features and her bone structure were flawless.
When she was expressionless, the corners of her mouth turned slightly downward, leaving only a sense of distant coldness in her eyes—the quintessential aura of an untouchable “ice queen.”
Perhaps it was the warm light, or perhaps it was this unexpected reunion, but the usual layer of cold indifference surrounding Shen Ruoshuang had dissipated significantly.
Compared to their high school days, Xu Yinian could clearly feel that she had shed her last bit of youthful innocence.
In her maturity, she possessed a unique sense of calm self-possession.
Xu Yinian looked up, her throat bobbing as she finally whispered the other’s name.
“…Shen Ruoshuang.”
Shen Ruoshuang had imagined their reunion countless times, but she had never expected it to be like this.
Those three simple words were like a key, instantly unlocking all her buried memories.
Shen Ruoshuang’s long fingers, hanging at her side, curled slightly. A numbing current spread from her fingertips throughout her entire body.
And all of this was a reaction simply because that person had—however reluctantly—spoken her name.
Xu Yinian had been braced for a storm.
To her surprise, Shen Ruoshuang remained eerily silent, even intentionally avoiding eye contact and leaving her hanging.
Xu Yinian was never good at socializing, and given the history of their relationship, she found the situation even more impossible to read.
But seeing that the other girl was letting her off the hook, she was more than happy to flee. She immediately began pretending to be busy with her luggage, burying herself in her belongings like an ostrich.
As long as she didn’t look, she could deliberately ignore the cryptic, heavy gaze coming from that direction.
As Shen Ruoshuang watched the other girl’s deliberate avoidance, the tingling sensation from before vanished, replaced by a deepening frustration.
While absentmindedly unpacking, Xu Yinian continued to ponder her dream.
How could she prepare herself to avoid being dragged into the plot?
Obviously, staying away from the lead couple was the best way. As long as she had no interaction with these two favored children of heaven, no matter how the script twisted and turned, the role couldn’t fall on her head.
Thinking about how long she would have to live in the same dorm as them now that school had just started, Xu Yinian’s brows and the corners of her mouth slumped in dejection.
Should I change dorms…?
Xu Yinian tried opening her chat with her counselor. Their last message was from the day of dorm selection.
The counselor had gone out of his way to look after her since she was the odd one out, sending kind and comforting messages.
Setting aside whether she could even successfully apply for a room change so early, she couldn’t bring herself to say something that seemed so troublesome and unreasonable to such a kind counselor.
Fine. For now, she would just have to do her best to avoid them on her own.
Suddenly, in the overly quiet dorm, the sound of a chair moving behind her made Xu Yinian nearly drop her phone.
Her heart racing, she locked her screen.
She hadn’t even done anything yet, but she was already feeling guilty, fearing that her intention to move out would be discovered.
Turning around, she saw that it was just Ji Yan heading to the bathroom.
Xu Yinian sighed in relief and was about to look away when a reflection caught her eye.
Following the light, she noticed a familiar object lying quietly in the communal trash can.
The “Mist Rose”—the black diamond bracelet Zhuang Yulan had placed on Ji Yan with a heart full of maidenly love.
Without a close look, the priceless, glittering black diamonds blended perfectly into the black trash bag, utterly tainted by filth.
Xu Yinian recalled that when she had first been stunned by the beauty of Ji Yan’s hands, the bracelet had been right there.
By the time they met again at the dorm door, her wrist was bare.
Even though she had let the girl put it on and hadn’t denied the claim that they were dating, she had turned around and tossed it into the trash like common rubbish.
Accompanied by the continuous sound of water from the bathroom, Ji Yan’s character from the original novel began to surface in her mind.
She truly was a heartless playgirl who swapped girlfriends every few days…
Inside the bathroom where Xu Yinian couldn’t see, Ji Yan stood before the sink, expressionlessly scrubbing her skin over and over. Her pale wrist, where the bracelet had been, was already rubbed a raw, angry red.
It was as if she were trying to thoroughly wash away some trace of filth.
She had severe germaphobia, manifesting primarily as a refusal to use anything others had touched and a deep loathing for physical contact with people.
The “Eldest Daughter” Zhuang Yulan, who had lived a charmed life since birth, likely couldn’t fathom why Ji Yan—who was usually so indulgent toward her—had suddenly turned cold and disgusted after leaving the parlor. It was all because of that bracelet she had sneakily put on her when she wasn’t looking.
As if she felt no pain, Ji Yan kept scrubbing until the skin broke. The blood had barely begun to seep out before it was washed away by the tap water, sending faint red splashes flying.
Only when her skin seemed to be stained with her own scent again did her tense shoulders and neck slowly relax.
She pursed her lips, turned off the water, and methodically dried the droplets from her hands.
Ignoring her bleeding wrist, she walked out.
A sudden, cut-off gasp reached her ears: “Your…”
The girl looked at the wound in bewilderment, her eyes filled with shock and fear.
She looked like a sheet of white paper that had never been dyed.
Fragile and easily shattered, yet so foolishly unguarded that she didn’t even know how to resist.
