Her words came out in a worried stumble. Xu Yinian knew that people with congenital heart disease often had weak immune systems and were prone to fevers.
A faint, weary smile finally touched Bai Ran’s pale lips. Her voice was slightly lower than usual.
“I’m fine, Niannian. This happens often. Don’t worry.”
Xu Yinian initially thought Bai Ran was just trying to comfort her, but as time passed, the crimson flush on her face did indeed begin to fade.
She relaxed—if only a little.
Unlike the “injured and disabled” students, Bai Ran didn’t have to participate in military training at all, nor did she need to report to the Injury Company. She had to head to the Medical School building to pick up some materials first, so the two agreed to meet up later at the sports field.
After a long absence, Xu Yinian finally rejoined the ranks of the military training units. However, her “unit” consisted of sitting in the spectator stands of the central stadium with the rest of the Injury Company.
The Injury Company was far more relaxed than Xu Yinian had imagined. After signing in, many people simply slipped away. Even Ji Yan, whom she had been worried about encountering, hadn’t shown up; the space next to her name on the roster remained blank.
Xu Yinian was a typical timid “good girl.” After hearing rumors that supervisors would occasionally conduct surprise headcounts, she didn’t dare leave.
Fortunately, she had planned to sit there all day anyway and had brought everything she needed. Reading a book outside wasn’t much different from reading in the dorm.
She had just settled in when she noticed a commotion ahead. Someone in the Flag Bearer unit—the squad symbolizing the university’s most elite students—was being reprimanded.
Two students sitting below Xu Yinian had a better view and gasped in surprise.
“Oh my god, even Shen Ruoshuang gets punished…”
Hearing that familiar name, Xu Yinian sat up straighter.
Shen Ruoshuang? What happened?
“Apparently, she skipped the evening training session yesterday without even asking for leave.”
Xu Yinian suddenly remembered how Shen Ruoshuang had rushed back to the dorm last night.
It was true… Shen Ruoshuang hadn’t been at the evening training.
And it was all because of a single message Xu Yinian had sent.
At that moment, the crowd shifted, and Xu Yinian saw Shen Ruoshuang standing alone under the scorching sun, forced to maintain a rigid military posture as punishment.
Her slender figure looked even more upright in the crisp, forest-green dress uniform of the Flag Bearers. Even while being punished, she maintained a cold, proud dignity. No matter the circumstances, she was always the center of attention.
Almost everyone nearby was staring at her, their eyes filled with nothing but admiration for her beauty.
Xu Yinian felt a heavy, bitter sensation in her chest. Shen Ruoshuang was being punished because of her own petty temper. Shen Ruoshuang even knew that the message hadn’t actually been meant for her.
Because the Flag Bearer unit was expected to set an example, such a serious violation meant Shen Ruoshuang didn’t just have to stand at attention for two hours in front of everyone—she had also been stripped of her eligibility for the “Outstanding Military Trainee” award.
As she heard the details of the punishment, Xu Yinian felt she was drowning in guilt and self-reproach.
Her gaze never left Shen Ruoshuang. She could see the back of the other girl’s shirt slowly becoming saturated with sweat, the fabric darkening inch by inch.
As the session neared its end, Xu Yinian went down to a nearby vending machine and bought a bottle of ice-cold water. She intended to give it to Shen Ruoshuang as an apology.
Her mind was a mess. Like the two gossiping students in front of her, she instinctively opened the school’s anonymous forum.
The news of Shen Ruoshuang’s punishment had spread like wildfire. Everyone was debating why she had dared to go AWOL so blatantly.
[Goddess Shuang really is a god. Even her truancy is badass. I love her!]
[Hey, my roommate saw Shen Ruoshuang buying milk tea at the ChaPanda near the dorms during evening training yesterday. Anyone want to analyze this?]
[She couldn’t be in a relationship, could she? What kind of move is skipping training for milk tea? No wonder she didn’t offer any excuses today and just took the punishment.]*
Xu Yinian nearly choked when she saw that reply.
As expected, every time Shen Ruoshuang appeared on the forum, people tried to ship her with Ji Yan. If the real reason behind her absence ever came out, all those gossips would probably be disappointed and speechless.
Just then, Xu Yinian heard the sign-in officer for the Injury Company call out.
“Senior Qin, what are you looking at? I’m over here.”
Xu Yinian looked over and was caught off guard by a familiar, glamorous figure standing at the bottom of the stairs.
The other woman didn’t seem to have noticed her yet, and her expression looked somewhat strained.
“Senior Sister!” Xu Yinian called out happily.
Qin Jiashu’s heart gave a jolt. She was forced to look toward the soft, delicate girl.
In truth, Qin Jiashu had been peeking at her for a while, simply at a loss for how to face Xu Yinian. That was why she had instinctively looked away when Xu Yinian glanced in her direction.
Ever since her last encounter with Xu Yinian, Qin Jiashu had been plagued by doubts. She had reached out to her contacts but turned up nothing. Eventually, she had found several shocking photos on the all-purpose school forum.
The original poster clearly didn’t recognize Ji Yan. They had simply posted a few blurry photos of the Fireblade speeding along.
Qin Jiashu, however, had recognized the rider as Ji Yan immediately. More importantly, she saw the girl on the back—Xu Yinian—whose hands were seemingly gripped tight around Ji Yan’s waist.
Everyone knew Ji Yan never gave rides, and she absolutely loathed physical contact.
Yet, in that photo, she had clearly broken both rules!
The more Qin Jiashu looked, the more shocked she became. She remembered Ji Yan’s strange pause at the bar when mentioning her roommates, and the way she had suddenly questioned Xu Yinian in the infirmary.
When all the dots were connected, a pattern began to emerge.
Could everyone have guessed wrong? Ji Yan wasn’t interested in the famous School Beauty, Shen Ruoshuang, but rather… Xu Yinian?
Then what had Xu Yinian meant by those earnest, heartfelt words before? Were they already together?
Having stumbled upon such a massive secret, Qin Jiashu’s mood was incredibly complex.
Logically, as someone who had liked Ji Yan for a long time, she should have felt the same old hostility toward a romantic rival.
But the moment she thought of Xu Yinian’s soft, adorable face and the way the girl always looked at her with adoring, starry eyes…
Somehow, her fondness for Xu Yinian hadn’t diminished at all. In fact, she didn’t even feel the typical heartbreak of losing Ji Yan.
Upon discovering her own bizarre shift in preference, Qin Jiashu was profoundly shaken.
She had always considered herself a “firm 0″—a dedicated bottom. How could she have fallen for a “sweet girl” type? And a girl as fragile as Xu Yinian at that!
But then, an even more outrageous thought occurred to her.
If it were Xu Yinian… then maybe becoming a “0.5” for love… no, let’s say a “0.9” top… wouldn’t be out of the question.
However, the bold, direct approach she usually took with her crushes didn’t seem right for Xu Yinian. The girl was so pure it was ridiculous; Qin Jiashu didn’t even know if she was into girls.
How was she supposed to make a move?
Besides, if Ji Yan really had her sights set on Xu Yinian, could Qin Jiashu even compete?
She had been spiraling through these bizarre thoughts for two days. Now that she had run into Xu Yinian so unexpectedly, her brain completely stalled.
![Us Outside of Time [Rebirth]](https://i1.wp.com/dobytranslations.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/rebirth.jpeg?resize=151,215 "Us Outside of Time [Rebirth]")
