Xu Yinian had to admit it—she only noticed the wound because she’d seen the bracelet in the trash. The moment Ji Yan stepped out of the bathroom, Xu Yinian’s eyes had instinctively darted to her wrist for confirmation.
She had been right, but the sight of the mangled skin was far more gruesome than she’d expected.
The moment the exclamation left her lips, Xu Yinian regretted it. She shouldn’t have drawn Ji Yan’s attention. By speaking up, she had essentially outed herself as someone who was paying way too much attention to the other girl’s jewelry and private life.
Worse, Xu Yinian knew from the original novel that Ji Yan was a total scumbag. She had even witnessed the girl’s cold interaction with her “girlfriend” just moments ago.
If the “Protagonist-bottom,” Shen Ruoshuang, ever found out that Xu Yinian was privy to any of this, the “cannon fodder” plot where she was sacrificed for the leads’ development would likely happen much sooner than scheduled.
Xu Yinian swallowed the rest of her words, but it was too late. She realized her gaze and her shock were too obvious to hide behind clumsy excuses.
Ji Yan’s eyes, shaded by long, damp lashes, lifted to meet hers. They were as cold and deep as ink. Although her expression remained unreadable, there was an innate, predatory pressure in her gaze—as if a wolf were staring down its prey, seeing right through Xu Yinian’s forced composure to the terror beneath.
As if that wasn’t enough, another gaze landed on her.
Shen Ruoshuang shifted her attention away from Xu Yinian for the first time, looking directly at their new roommate. Unlike others who were usually struck speechless by Ji Yan’s beauty, Shen Ruoshuang’s eyes were filled with displeasure and guardedness. The air around her seemed to drop several degrees.
She knew Xu Yinian’s introverted, socially anxious personality better than anyone. After all, Xu Yinian had acted that way toward her from the very beginning.
And yet, in order to avoid her, Xu Yinian was actually taking the initiative to talk to a total stranger.
Shen Ruoshuang took a deep breath, her gaze turning icy.
In that split second, Xu Yinian’s brain worked overtime. She had to change her story. It was better to let Ji Yan think she was a meddling busybody than to let her suspect she knew the truth about her being a heartbreaker.
Left with no other choice, Xu Yinian squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she had donned the mask of a warm-hearted, helpful roommate.
She widened her eyes in feigned surprise and pointed at Ji Yan’s wrist, her voice trembling and hesitant.
“Your… your wound… it looks like it’s… opened up.”
Between her harmless, soft features and her sweet, honey-like voice that seemed to brush against the ear, she looked like nothing more than a shy girl trying her best to show concern for a stranger. It was a performance so convincing that any suspicion felt like a profanity against her saintly nature.
This was Xu Yinian’s ultimate defense mechanism: a facade of weakness. She had always been an expert at playing the victim to please others.
However, Ji Yan wasn’t so easily fooled. She remembered exactly how the girl’s eyes had hunted for her wrist the moment she left the bathroom. This wasn’t a coincidence; it was premeditated.
Neither of them was a fool. Xu Yinian could tell Ji Yan wasn’t buying it, but she had to double down.
“Wait a second,” she said.
She knelt down and began rummaging through the bottom of her suitcase until she pulled out a first-aid kit.
Influenced by her mother—a woman whose meticulousness bordered on obsessive-compulsive disorder—Xu Yinian had grown up with the habit of carrying everything she might possibly need. She was a natural caretaker. Whether it was an umbrella, Band-Aids, tissues, or a folding knife, her bag was always a survival kit.
Coming all this way for university was no different. Naturally, she hadn’t forgotten a household emergency kit. She pulled out iodine and medical gauze, showing them to Ji Yan as if to prove her innocent intentions.
The physical act was easy, but the words of concern were harder to spit out. After a long moment of internal struggle that caused a genuine flush to creep up her cheeks, she looked down and whispered, “I can… help you… bandage it.”
She said the words, but she was certain Ji Yan wouldn’t accept. In the novel, Ji Yan was as cold on the inside as she was on the outside. She wouldn’t pay any mind to someone like Xu Yinian. The only person she would ever listen to was the Protagonist-bottom, Shen Ruoshuang.
Thinking of the two leads, Xu Yinian grew even more desperate to avoid a misunderstanding with Shen Ruoshuang. Before Ji Yan could even refuse, she added hastily, “…Or, you can do it yourself.”
Her desperate desire not to touch the other girl was so strong it practically cured her nervous stutter.
“I’ve never done it myself. I don’t know how.”
Ji Yan finally spoke. Her voice was low, raspy, and carried an air of effortless superiority. She narrowed her eyes, not missing a single flicker of emotion on Xu Yinian’s face.
Xu Yinian’s fake smile nearly froze on her lips.
What does that mean? She’s supposed to ignore me or reject me coldly! Does she actually expect me to bandage it for her?
She was doing this on purpose!
Suddenly, a voice as clear and cold as a mountain spring rang out.
“It looks quite serious. With this heat, it could easily get infected or leave a scar. It would be better to have it handled at the school hospital. I’ve already consulted a senior volunteer; they’re very helpful and said they’d come by shortly to take you there.”
Shen Ruoshuang spoke with her signature lofty grace. Even while offering help, her expression didn’t thaw in the slightest. Her tone was strictly professional and brooked no refusal.
Hearing this, Xu Yinian almost lost her composure.
It’s starting! The main plot is finally moving!
Ji Yan gets injured, and while Shen Ruoshuang acts indifferent on the surface, she secretly pays attention and makes arrangements for her.
Xu Yinian was now certain that while her presence as a “variable” had disrupted their “love at first sight” meeting, the invisible hand of fate was busy steering the ship back on course. Their romantic development was officially beginning.
Ji Yan’s gaze shifted from Xu Yinian to Shen Ruoshuang.
The two “chosen ones” locked eyes. One was rebellious and unbridled; the other was proud and aloof. Neither was willing to back down an inch.
Xu Yinian watched from the sidelines, confused. According to the tropes, this was supposed to be the “fated soulmate” gaze. But why didn’t the atmosphere feel romantic? Instead, it felt like the air was thick with the scent of gunpowder.
