Chapter 25: Dilemma Part 3

Something flickered in Shen Ruoshuang’s eyes. Her lips parted as if to speak, but she swallowed the words back down.

After all, it wasn’t something worth boasting about—it was only recently that she had realized Xu Yinian couldn’t stand the taste of ginger.

Before Xu Yinian’s silence could be addressed, the dormitory door swiped open again.

As expected, the newcomers were Ji Yan and Bai Ran.

Ji Yan’s expression was sour, while Bai Ran maintained her usual facade of being as gentle and refined as polished jade.

The Shura Field arrived without warning. In an instant, the eyes of all four girls—inside and outside the threshold—shifted.

A deathly silence fell over the room. No one spoke; the very air seemed to solidify into ice.

Xu Yinian figured the other three were likely stunned into silence by each other’s presence. As for her, she didn’t even dare to breathe, wishing she could shrink until her existence hit zero.

A Shura Field between the heavy hitters of the protagonist group clearly had nothing to do with a mere “cannon fodder” like her.

It was dinner time, and students were constantly passing through the hallway. Many knew of the famous Room 503 and its occupants. Seeing two girls standing frozen at the doorway in such a bizarre atmosphere, many onlookers began to peer inside with curiosity.

To avoid the unwanted attention, Ji Yan stepped inside.

As she passed the two girls by the bed, her footsteps faltered. She turned her head, her dark eyes narrowing as she fixed her gaze on Xu Yinian, who was pointedly avoiding eye contact.

“You certainly know how to find yourself a backer,” Ji Yan remarked, her voice slow and mocking. “Does Bai Ran know you went out and found another one? Oh, I’m sorry. I almost forgot—Miss Shen was actually the first one here.”

Hearing Ji Yan immediately turn the firepower on her, Xu Yinian bit her lip hard. She stubbornly refused to look up, but her heart had already plummeted. It’s over. I’ve been caught…

How was she supposed to explain the fact that she had been rescued by Bai Ran, only to “two-time” her by calling Shen Ruoshuang for help as well?

The full picture clicked into place for both Shen Ruoshuang and Bai Ran simultaneously.

They had both believed that the weak, easily bullied Xu Yinian had only one person to rely on—themselves. Xu Yinian’s “cry for help” to each of them had seemed to confirm this.

But at this moment, they realized that this “mute gourd,” who usually did nothing but hide from them, had more than one protector. She had even been bold enough to summon both of them at the same time.

Shen Ruoshuang finally understood why Xu Yinian had already escaped Ji Yan’s clutches, and why she had been so hesitant and dismissive, claiming “it’s nothing” when Shen Ruoshuang arrived.

Long before that SOS message had reached her, Bai Ran had already taken her under her wing.

That message hadn’t been a plea for help; it was a testament to Shen Ruoshuang’s past neglect and Xu Yinian’s disappointment.

The way she had rushed here in a panic must look utterly ridiculous to Xu Yinian.

A person who made promises easily but failed to keep them was truly not even half as good as Bai Ran, who could actually protect her.

The possessiveness in the depths of Shen Ruoshuang’s eyes grew chaotic, spreading like tangled vines, trapping her in a suffocating grip.

The only person she could punish was herself.

On the other side of the room, Bai Ran’s state of mind was equally frayed.

She thought she had gained Niannian’s full trust. The girl had even wept in her arms. Yet, at the moment she felt most certain of her victory, Niannian had called for Shen Ruoshuang, delivering a crushing blow to her confidence.

In such a confined space, the lingering intimacy between the two girls felt like it could be shattered with a single breath…

Bai Ran said nothing. She turned around and slowly closed the door. Her gaze, fixed on the handle, was like stagnant water—viscous, empty, and cold.

The veins on her slender neck pulsed with her heavy, ragged breathing. Even though she knew Ji Yan was intentionally stirring the pot to mock them, she couldn’t find a single word to refute her.

For a moment, her logic was nearly drowned out by a tide of rage and jealousy.

Her fragile, twisted heart felt as though it were being squeezed and crushed by an invisible hand, making it difficult to draw air.

If Niannian knew how much she was making me suffer, would she still have gone to Shen Ruoshuang…?

But she couldn’t let Xu Yinian see her despair or the darkness of her love.

As the sound of the door closing echoed like a heartbeat, she suppressed her pathologically dark thoughts, leaving behind only a pale complexion.

When Bai Ran turned back around, she was actually smiling.

“Shen Ruoshuang. It’s been a while.”

After the perfectly polite greeting, Bai Ran finally looked at Xu Yinian. Her tone was light, almost teasing, but there was an unmistakable loneliness in her eyes.

“I was only gone for a moment, and it seems Niannian doesn’t need me anymore.”

In those amber eyes, usually so warm and devoid of shadows, that flicker of hurt was exceptionally jarring. It was the kind of look that made one want to reach out and soothe her pain instinctively.

Xu Yinian was the only one who truly knew why Shen Ruoshuang was here.

Initially, her heart had been heavy with guilt because Shen Ruoshuang had rushed over so seriously just because of one message. But now, seeing Bai Ran’s expression, she felt herself being instantly swayed by the girl’s charm.

She… she had hurt Sister Ran.

“Sister Ran, I…”

She wanted to explain, but a sudden gaze caused the words to die in her throat.

The emotions in Shen Ruoshuang’s eyes were fractured into shards, damp and shadowy as if submerged underwater. It wasn’t the forceful, controlling obsession from before; it was the sight of the Ice Queen casting aside all her pride and lonely dignity, only to face an utter, crushing defeat.

Unlike Bai Ran’s active manipulation, Shen Ruoshuang wasn’t fighting for her. Instead, she was quietly watching as Xu Yinian drifted further and further away from her.

Faced with an impossible choice, Xu Yinian was about to pay the price for her impulsive actions.

Just as the dilemma became unbearable, her body made the choice for her.

A world-shaking cramp tore through her lower abdomen. Her vision went black, and her entire body went numb as she curled into a ball. This time, she truly couldn’t speak.

“Ngh—!”

“Xu Yinian!”

“Niannian!”

Three voices rang out simultaneously.

Even Ji Yan, who had been watching coldly from the side, blurted out her name, a flash of shock and concern appearing in her eyes that even she hadn’t expected.