Chapter 25: Dilemma Part 2

Xu Yinian finally realized that Shen Ruoshuang really had rushed back immediately because of her message. But the moment Shen Ruoshuang appeared, Xu Yinian’s courage evaporated. The petty grievances and complaints she’d sent over WeChat vanished without a trace.

Beyond that… her chest felt tight, and a strange sensation bubbled up within her.

Before she could process it, Shen Ruoshuang leaned down to inspect her closely. As she got closer to Xu Yinian’s face, she noticed something. Her breathy voice couldn’t quite hide her panic: “…Have you been crying?”

Like Ji Yan and Bai Ran, Shen Ruoshuang had seen Xu Yinian with watery, fragile eyes many times, but she had almost never seen her actually cry. Even without seeing a full breakdown, Shen Ruoshuang’s heart was already in shambles.

There wasn’t a trace of the untouchable “Ice Queen” left in her.

Xu Yinian had washed her face after crying. Logically, her eyes should have only been slightly puffy and hard to notice. She had no idea how Shen Ruoshuang had seen through it instantly.

“I… I didn’t cry because of Ji Yan…” Xu Yinian stammered, sensing the other girl’s distress.

But as she remembered that she had cried because of Bai Ran’s protection and comfort, she suddenly didn’t know how to explain it. Shen Ruoshuang didn’t seem to know that the crisis had already been resolved by Bai Ran.

Xu Yinian suddenly realized that while she hadn’t intended to rely on either of them, both had interpreted her actions as a helpless plea for help. How was she supposed to tell her now? Should she just say Bai Ran helped her? After all, Shen Ruoshuang and Bai Ran knew each other.

While she was still thinking, Shen Ruoshuang’s eyes turned as cold as a frozen lake. She was clearly furious to the extreme.

However, she kept her voice soft, afraid of scaring Xu Yinian. “Why are you so pale? Did she hurt you? Ji Yan will pay for this, I promise.”

That certain, dangerous edge in her voice made Xu Yinian’s heart jump. She realized Shen Ruoshuang was attributing her pale face and cold sweat—actually caused by her cramps—to Ji Yan.

In truth, as much as Xu Yinian feared Ji Yan, she had to admit: Ji Yan had only grabbed her wrist because she was about to fall. While she had been malicious in not letting go, she hadn’t actually caused physical pain. Xu Yinian’s intense reaction earlier had been entirely due to her pride being stung in front of Bai Ran, whom she admired.

“No, I’m fine now. You don’t need to help me…”

The act of being protected by Bai Ran only to then go and call for Shen Ruoshuang… for some reason, it gave Xu Yinian the bizarre feeling that she was two-timing them.

Feeling guilty and sensing a potential crisis, she didn’t mention Bai Ran and simply gave a stiff refusal.

Right then, another sharp pang hit her abdomen. Xu Yinian couldn’t help it; she let out a reflexive shiver and hunched her back.

“Your stomach? Or is it your back?” Shen Ruoshuang’s gaze shifted downward, focusing on Xu Yinian’s waist and abdomen. Under the loose clothing, nothing was visible.

Xu Yinian endured the pain. Feeling scorched by that burning gaze, she shrank back slightly. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Ji Yan only held my hand and wouldn’t let me leave this time. She didn’t hurt me. And I didn’t mean to make you come back, I just… I just felt a bit mistreated.”

She used “mistreated” to sugarcoat her earlier impulsive venting. Perhaps out of a sense of compensation, she obediently held out her hand for Shen Ruoshuang to see.

On her slender, fair wrist, there was nothing but a faint redness.

But in the next second, Shen Ruoshuang cradled her downward-tilted fingers, her long palm almost completely enveloping Xu Yinian’s hand. There was no ulterior motive; she was simply holding it to inspect it.

Even though Shen Ruoshuang’s body temperature was slightly cool as always, the moment their palms touched, the heat was so intense that Xu Yinian’s fingertips curled. She accidentally grazed Shen Ruoshuang’s palm with her nail.

Both of them flinched. Xu Yinian instinctively looked down at Shen Ruoshuang’s hand.

Shen Ruoshuang’s eyes flickered. The concern and anxiety that had filled them were suddenly tinged with an emotion that shouldn’t have been there.

Xu Yinian realized she had overreacted; she didn’t even have long nails, so she couldn’t have left a mark. But just as she was about to pull her hand away, her attention was caught by a sudden red scratch on the side of Shen Ruoshuang’s perfect hand.

That… looked like a cat scratch?

Xu Yinian had spent some time feeding stray cats before and was all too familiar with those marks. There was no blood, but it was a long red line. It would take a few days to heal.

She wondered if she was seeing things, but upon closer inspection, she could see the distinct, staggered marks left by a claw—like little dots connected by a string. It looked exactly like the marks left by the “rebellious daughter” cat she used to feed.

This was getting suspicious…

Wasn’t Shen Ruoshuang allergic to cats? Why would she have a cat scratch on her hand?

For some reason, Xu Yinian suddenly thought of Shen Ruoshuang’s orange-and-white cat profile picture on WeChat.

No way… does Shen Ruoshuang actually have a cat?

Before she could think further, Shen Ruoshuang let go of her hand. After a moment of hesitation, her usually calm and self-contained voice sounded uncharacteristically awkward.

“Xu Yinian… is your stomach hurting because of your period?”

The question instantly blew all thoughts of cats out of Xu Yinian’s mind. How could Shen Ruoshuang tell?

“Is it still this severe?”

If the previous question had left some room for doubt, this one was like a bomb going off in her ear.

Xu Yinian finally realized the truth: Shen Ruoshuang had known about her menstrual pain since high school.

Perhaps seeing the shock in her eyes, Shen Ruoshuang looked up and met her gaze. Their eyes locked, and for a moment, it felt like they were back at Yuanwu No. 1 High School—back to the moments when Xu Yinian would occasionally look up, only to accidentally collide with the cold, beautiful eyes of Shen Ruoshuang looking back from the seat ahead.

“Back then, you would only ever lie on your desk during those specific days of the month. Normally, wouldn’t you just stay in your seat during breaks to read or do practice problems?”

This was the first time Xu Yinian had heard Shen Ruoshuang talk about her past self. It wasn’t the awkward, embarrassing memory she had imagined.

Xu Yinian had never known that the untouchable Ice Queen had been watching her all along, in moments she never suspected.

“But… but back then, nobody ever noticed…”

Xu Yinian couldn’t find the words to argue. Indeed, before this, no one had ever bothered to ask where she hurt or why she was uncomfortable.