Once she was certain Qin Jiashu’s figure had vanished into the distance, Xu Yinian’s fingers, which had been gripping the water bottle for so long, finally gave a stiff twitch.
Xu Yinian was indeed used to running away, but if she truly felt she had done something wrong, she would be driven by guilt and self-reproach. If she didn’t muster the courage to apologize properly, she would remain trapped in this low mood indefinitely.
Furthermore, when she had just rejected the Senior Sister, her first instinct had been that the water was meant for Shen Ruoshuang.
This thought bolstered her resolve. Overcoming her fear and awkwardness, she finally extended the bottle with careful hesitation.
She was terribly tongue-tied. She had spent so much time building up her mental resolve before the Senior Sister arrived, yet once she was on the field, she was so nervous she forgot everything.
The words that left her mouth were stiff and muffled. Not only was her voice tiny, but she stammered significantly. It took her a long time to stumble through her explanation.
By the time she finished, her cheeks were flushed a deep, embarrassed red.
Her hand was extended, but her eyes didn’t dare steal even a single glance at Shen Ruoshuang.
Her mind was a chaotic blank, wondering what she would do if Shen Ruoshuang refused to take it.
In that moment, Xu Yinian felt the weight in her hand lighten.
With a delayed realization, she understood—Shen Ruoshuang had accepted the water.
However, the consequence of not looking was that the moment she tried to pull her hand back, it was caught.
Shen Ruoshuang’s skin, which was usually a few degrees cooler than hers, finally radiated a hint of warmth. It wrapped around Xu Yinian’s stiff, damp fingers, slowly heating them.
After the initial shock, Xu Yinian didn’t feel any forceful restraint. There was no malice in the hold.
Finally, she couldn’t help but turn her head to look.
Shen Ruoshuang was already looking at her. She seemingly hadn’t expected Xu Yinian to turn so suddenly, and she hadn’t managed to hide the emotions swirling in her eyes.
The corners of her eyes were flushed a vivid scarlet. It was hard to tell if it was the lingering heat of her previous obsession or if she had been struck by this sudden display of softness.
Amidst the complex emotions within those Peach Blossom Eyes, the most prominent was a flicker of disbelief—an incredulous hesitation.
Shen Ruoshuang was indeed overwhelmed. When she had heard earlier that the water belonged to someone else, a thousand possibilities had flashed through her mind, but she had never imagined it was meant for her.
It seemed she had never considered that she, too, would one day receive special treatment from Xu Yinian.
This… was specifically for her.
For her, and her alone.
Shen Ruoshuang’s heart felt as though it were being filled to the brim, swelling until it ached with a bittersweet intensity.
An unbearable numbness spread from her fingertips to her entire body.
She knew this reaction all too well. It was the ecstatic frenzy of someone who had lived in suppressed humility for so long that the tiniest scrap of kindness became a priceless treasure.
It was pathetic.
But even so, she unavoidably and willingly surrendered herself to the person before her once more.
If this was a dream, she would only pray for it to last a little longer.
So what if it was a mere act of charity?
She craved it.
She was already beyond saving.
Silently warming Xu Yinian’s cold, stiff hand within her palm, she suddenly spoke: “So, just now… between Qin Jiashu and me, you chose me?”
Shen Ruoshuang hadn’t forgotten that Qin Jiashu had also asked for this bottle of water. Xu Yinian, who usually never knew how to say no, had actually managed a difficult rejection.
If she had given it to Qin Jiashu, Shen Ruoshuang would never have known it was originally bought for her.
Hearing this, Xu Yinian felt even more self-conscious for some reason.
After a long pause, she murmured in a tiny, bashful voice, “…It was always meant for you. There was… no choice to make.”
These simple, unintended words were like a pebble dropped into the lake of Shen Ruoshuang’s heart, sending ripples outward that refused to settle for a long time.
It was more moving than saying she had “chosen” her.
Xu Yinian could clearly sense that after she proactively offered the water and apologized, the dangerous aura surrounding Shen Ruoshuang vanished instantly. It was as if she had been successfully soothed by having her fur stroked the right way.
For some reason, Xu Yinian was suddenly reminded of an orange-and-white stray cat she had once fed—one with a disabled back leg.
When she first rescued it, it looked ferocious, with its ears pinned back while hissing, showing no intention of thanking its savior.
But it was surprisingly easy to tame; one touch and it would suddenly flop over and start purring.
Gradually, Xu Yinian had stopped being afraid of it.
She suddenly wondered: Will there be a day when I’m not so afraid of Shen Ruoshuang either?
Perhaps this thought gave Xu Yinian a surge of courage, for she suddenly asked, “Shen Ruoshuang, last night… did you take my hot water bottle, refill it, and put it back in…”
When she got to the part about it being tucked into her bedding, Xu Yinian couldn’t bring herself to finish. It was too shameful.
“Yes.”
Shen Ruoshuang admitted it so quickly and with such a calm, singular word that there wasn’t a trace of unusual flirtation.
It caught Xu Yinian off guard, leaving her momentarily choked up.
Was it… normal for a roommate to climb onto her bed in the middle of the night and tuck something into her covers—even pressing it against her stomach—while she was asleep?
But on second thought, they shared the same ladder. Shen Ruoshuang didn’t necessarily have to “climb” onto her bed specifically to do it.
“That hot water bottle only lasts half the night. I saw it on the shelf and changed the water in passing.”
Shen Ruoshuang and Xu Yinian’s beds were connected; even the slightest movement, like turning over, could be easily felt.
Shen Ruoshuang always slept in a very disciplined manner, and she was a light sleeper.
She stayed perfectly straight. Forget tossing and turning—she barely moved at all.
Even if Xu Yinian didn’t think she was being obvious, the truth was that every night, Shen Ruoshuang knew exactly when Xu Yinian fell asleep, how many times she turned over, and if she had kicked off her covers.
Shen Ruoshuang silently perceived all of this, often feeling a stalker-like sense of guilt.
Sometimes, Shen Ruoshuang would wonder.
Would sharing a bed feel roughly the same as this?
Last night, Xu Yinian had been woken by the pain. The sound of her placing the hot water bottle on the shelf had woken Shen Ruoshuang, who could sense her intention to endure the pain and go back to sleep.
