Chapter 5 Part 2

With a sudden, sharp sound, Shen Ruoshuang walked to the trash can ahead and tossed the beautifully packaged box she had been carrying inside without a second thought.

It was originally a specialty dessert she had ordered for Xu Yinian, thinking she hadn’t eaten.

They were already insignificant to each other, so what else was needed?

By the time Xu Yinian snapped out of it, Shen Ruoshuang had already walked far away on her own.

For some reason, Xu Yinian suddenly felt that this late summer breeze carried a premature hint of autumn’s chill, as if it were blowing straight into her heart, leaving it feeling hollow.

They were meant to have no connection at all.

Recalling their past conflicts and the various plot points that followed in the book, Xu Yinian’s resolve finally steeled.

After all, having no relationship was the best relationship they could have.

Shen Ruoshuang’s eyes were cold as ice, reflecting the keyword “change dorm” being typed into the forum’s search bar. Her gaze sharpened as she locked onto a specific post.

She scanned the main post and the few replies below at a glance. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at an anonymous reply: [Senior Sister, I’m interested. I’ve already added you.]

Then, she directly dialed the contact information left in the main post.

Her voice was even colder than it had been at the dinner table. “Let’s meet again in private. I know you want to change dorms, and I have something to say to you.”

…

Less than half an hour had passed between the dinner and this private meeting with Shen Ruoshuang.

But the OP could clearly feel that the air pressure around the other woman had suddenly plummeted.

“Don’t swap dorms with Xu Yinian. In exchange, I can lend you my private on-campus apartment for free until you graduate.”

Shen Ruoshuang got straight to the point, dropping a bombshell right from the start.

“…Huh?!” The Senior Sister doubted her own ears.

“There are two brand-new high-rise apartments with elevators in the CBD at the center of campus. You can choose between two different floors. I’ve never lived in either, so they should meet your requirement of being bug-free.”

“Of course, you can choose not to make this deal with me,”

Shen Ruoshuang’s voice was devoid of any emotion, yet it compelled one to consider the consequences of a failed negotiation more than any command or ultimatum ever could.

“But by then, the power of choice might be in your roommate’s hands.”

Only then did the Senior Sister realize that someone who owned two private apartments in the prime real estate of the CBD near X University while barely an adult surely had more than one way to get what she wanted.

She already had an answer in mind, but before leaving, she couldn’t suppress her curiosity and asked, “So you actually have a house on campus! Why do you still live in the dorms?”

Recalling that Xu Yinian was the focal point of the conditions they had just negotiated, she was suddenly struck by a realization, as if she finally understood:

“You and Xu Yinian…”

Before she could finish speaking, she was bluntly interrupted: “She has nothing to do with me.”

Fortunately, she soon would.

Meanwhile, it wasn’t until Xu Yinian returned to the dormitory that she realized Shen Ruoshuang, who had been walking ahead of her, hadn’t returned at all, and Ji Yan was nowhere to be found.

The spacious, empty dormitory was occupied only by herself, which gave her a small sense of security.

Plucking up her courage, she took out her phone and sent a message to Senior Sister:

[Sorry, thank you for playing along with me, Senior Sister. We can talk about changing dorms now.]

The other party, who had been surfing the web intensely until now, was suddenly slow to reply, giving Xu Yinian a bad premonition. She clearly hadn’t been exposed even during the riskiest moment of the meal… Perhaps they were just busy and hadn’t seen it yet.

It wasn’t until Xu Yinian finished her shower and emerged in her nightgown, only to run right into the returning Shen Ruoshuang, that she realized the sound of the water had drowned out the noise of the other woman entering.

Shen Ruoshuang’s gaze fell upon her unhurriedly.

At this moment, Xu Yinian seemed to have shed the mask of ordinary restraint she wore in the outside world.

Under the thin nightgown, her milky-white skin was tinged with a translucent pink. Despite her small and slender frame, she was more curvaceous than one would expect—full and sweet. Her wet hair was scattered, clinging to her cheeks, and her watery eyes looked up, their innocent gaze evoking a sense of pity. Xu Yinian’s first reaction was to check herself from head to toe.

The beige bear nightgown was a bit childish, and her wet hair, still dripping casually, felt completely out of place against the refined perfection before her. Pursing her lips, she clutched her discarded clothes to her chest and hurriedly scurried back to her seat. But when she reached for the hair towel on her desk, her hand met only empty air.

Shen Ruoshuang had stopped behind her at some point, picking up the towel before she could.

This time, she was standing extremely close; that cold fragrance gradually surrounded and enveloped Xu Yinian, confining her where she stood.

“You—”

The words died in her throat as Shen Ruoshuang unexpectedly gathered her wet hair with a dry towel and began drying it for her, unprompted. Her entire body froze, yet she could distinctly feel those cool fingertips threading through the roots of her hair and brushing against her scalp. At the slightest touch, a wave of tingling numbness spread from her skin, surging through her whole body.

Xu Yinian could see Shen Ruoshuang behind her through the mirror on the desk.

Her shirt was buttoned properly to the very top; aside from that, there wasn’t a single trace of the cold demeanor she once had as the Ice Queen.

Those eyes were terrifyingly dark and deep, filled with an obsession that felt as if it could swallow her whole.

She turned her head, trying to flee, but a sharp sting shot through her as Shen Ruoshuang tugged at her hair. She couldn’t help but let out a cry of pain, “Mmh!”

The soft, coquettish cry was as weak as a pet cat’s claws, serving only to stir a restless itch in one’s heart.

“Xu Yinian, you can’t escape.”

She leaned close to Xu Yinian’s ear, her tone—enunciated word by word—exactly the same as when she had repeated the phrase “an insignificant person” downstairs. Seeing Xu Yinian settle down, Shen Ruoshuang released the striking black hair she had just been winding around her snowy-white fingertips and began to dry it with practiced ease. Amidst her endless fear, Xu Yinian suddenly thought of something, and her face turned pale.

Before she could verify it, the phone screen in front of her suddenly lit up, and a message caught both of their eyes at the same time.

Senior Sister: [Sorry, I can’t swap dorms with you anymore.]