Chapter 31: Sister (Part One) Part 3

She heard there was even a Reading Club and a Literature Club…

Course registration wasn’t an immediate emergency, but it was certainly the most pressing headache on the horizon.

With limited spots available for each class, the popular ones were always a battlefield. X University’s registration portal was notorious for crashing, inevitably returning a 404 error the moment it opened. Beyond the technical hurdles, the curriculum was riddled with “trap” classes; if a student didn’t navigate them carefully, a dark cloud of misfortune would hang over their entire college experience.

After all, nobody wanted to fail and be forced to retake something as basic as a Physical Education elective.

Even someone as out of the loop as Xu Yinian felt compelled to browse the student forums, sifting through a chaotic mess of information. As expected, the screen was flooded with posts asking whether specific professors were “easy graders” or “hard passes.”

“Niannian, are you looking at courses?”

Bai Ran’s voice drifted from across the dining table.

Ever since the afternoon Bai Ran had sought her out at the track and they had shared a meal, they had naturally fallen into the rhythm of being lunch partners.

Bai Ran was a five-year Clinical Medicine major, and her first-year workload was staggeringly heavy. All medical students shared a terrifying schedule that ran from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Since her core major requirements conflicted with the elective slots usually held in the evenings, her department didn’t allow electives in the first year—with the exception of Physical Education.

However, due to a congenital health condition, Bai Ran didn’t attend PE classes. That left Xu Yinian to navigate the forums alone.

“Yeah,” Xu Yinian replied. “They say it’s best to knock out two electives in the first semester. It saves you from worrying about missing credits later during internships. I just haven’t decided which ones to pick yet.”

Xu Yinian pointedly avoided mentioning the PE classes, afraid of touching a sore spot regarding Bai Ran’s health.

“What about PE?” Bai Ran asked, her tone soft and gentle, showing no signs of being bothered. She had clearly looked into the matter beforehand specifically for Xu Yinian’s sake. “I heard only a few of those are easy to pass.”

“If I can get in, I’ll definitely go for Yoga. I’m not good at sports, and I’ve heard the ball games are incredibly difficult. I’d probably fail those.”

Spending time with Bai Ran was surprisingly easy. The girl lacked any air of superiority and had stopped blushing at every little thing like she did on the first day. The only quirk was Bai Ran’s habit of maintaining intense eye contact; those warm, amber eyes looked at everyone with a gaze that seemed deeply affectionate.

“That’s a good choice. If you’re worried about not getting a spot, you can give me your account details tomorrow. I’ll help you.”

As Bai Ran spoke, Xu Yinian happened to be distracted by the order numbers being called out at the counter. She didn’t see the way Bai Ran habitually turned the jade bracelet on her wrist.

Since I’ve lost the chance to take classes with Niannian, I certainly won’t let anyone else have it either.

“It’s okay,” Xu Yinian said. “PE registration opens in stages. I’m not aiming for the ultra-popular ones anyway. If one is full, I’ll just pick another.”

Courses like Film Appreciation or Music Appreciation were pipe dreams; the system prioritized juniors and seniors who were desperate for credits to graduate. Freshmen were at the bottom of the food chain.

Bai Ran didn’t push the issue, her smile betraying nothing.

Their number was called, and they went to collect their food—two identical bowls of sautéed chicken claypot rice.

Over the past few days, Xu Yinian had realized that her eating habits were remarkably similar to Bai Ran’s. They shared the same cravings and the same dislikes. It was also surprising how a wealthy young lady like Bai Ran could be so down-to-earth, perfectly content eating a ten-yuan cafeteria meal every day.

Finding so many commonalities made a forbidden thought sprout in the back of Xu Yinian’s mind.

Perhaps… she could finally make her first real friend?

“Sister!”

A voice called out while they were eating. Xu Yinian immediately recognized her cousin, Jiang Ke, whom she hadn’t seen in a while.

Now that her sprained ankle was mostly healed, Xu Yinian didn’t need to bother the younger girl as much. However, Jiang Ke remained clingy, constantly sending her photos of her daily life and asking for advice on even the smallest things, like which outfit to buy.

It felt as though Jiang Ke was the only person around whom the normally passive and weak Xu Yinian could play the role of the “caretaker.” Because Xu Yinian had always doted on her, she hadn’t noticed that the frequency of Jiang Ke’s messages was steadily increasing.

Seeing her cousin alone in the cafeteria, Xu Yinian watched as Jiang Ke naturally pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. Noting that Jiang Ke had only bought a small portion of greens and beef, Xu Yinian couldn’t help but nag.

“Jiang Ke, you don’t need to lose weight. You aren’t fat at all. How are you going to survive military training if you eat so little? You’ll faint…”

The spoon in Bai Ran’s hand suddenly clattered against the edge of the claypot with a sharp, jarring sound.

Bai Ran, who had been looking down at her food, finally raised her head. She offered a brief, apologetic smile for her lapse in etiquette.

Realizing that Jiang Ke’s sudden intrusion might be perceived as rude, Xu Yinian quickly introduced them. “Sister Ran, this is my cousin, Jiang Ke. Jiang Ke, this is my roommate, Bai Ran.”

Xu Yinian had no idea that the words “Sister”—the intimate title Jiang Ke used for her—and “Sister Ran”—the affectionate nickname she had grown used to calling Bai Ran—were the very sparks that set off a mutual fuse of hostility.

As Xu Yinian fussed over Jiang Ke with sisterly concern, she failed to notice the sudden gloom that clouded Bai Ran’s eyes. A wave of intense loathing, far stronger than anything she felt toward Shen Ruoshuang or Ji Yan, surged within Bai Ran.

In the past or the present, she had never heard Xu Yinian mention having such a… close relative.

But what Bai Ran wanted was to possess every single part of Xu Yinian.

The care and affection Niannian showed toward anyone else was simply too eyesore.

“Sister, why are you calling her ‘Sister’ too?!”

Jiang Ke’s reaction to the title “Sister Ran” was so visceral it even startled her. Meeting Xu Yinian’s confused and startled gaze, she quickly tried to rein it in.

“I mean… you call your roommate ‘Sister Ran,’ but you don’t even use a nickname for me anymore…”

A sense of unprecedented panic rose within Jiang Ke. The special treatment she received—the exclusive indulgence and doting that came with being Xu Yinian’s “little sister”—was being stolen.