He let out a sigh of relief.
Yes, hearing the icy, disgust-laced tone in Xu Yijing’s voice, Shen An’s first reaction was relief.
A weight lifted off his shoulders.
Because with her defenses broken and their facades torn away, they no longer had to keep up the pretense, tiptoeing around each other.
Finally, he didn’t have to play the part anymore!
Truth be told, he hated acting—especially when it meant portraying the weaker side.
Up until now, he’d struggled to find a good breakthrough because he’d already pigeonholed himself into the role of the “respectful junior.”
It wasn’t a role he’d chosen; it was the one Zhao Li had scripted for him.
In interpersonal dynamics, passivity versus proactivity was crucial—not just in romance.
From the start, Shen An had been cast in Zhao Li’s script as the passive party, putting him at an inherent disadvantage. Without resorting to extreme measures, any real progress was nearly impossible.
Especially since Xu Yijing wasn’t some naive pushover. She was sharp as a tack, so she exploited that scripted advantage to the hilt.
When she felt like talking, she would; when she didn’t, she could always fall back on her “landlord” authority to threaten him.
That was probably one reason why all the professional psychologists Zhao Li had sent her way had failed.
They all had to play specific roles to get close to Xu Yijing.
Driver or servant—they couldn’t just come out and say they were there to treat her.
Even though they were genuine psychologists, that layer of constraint, that imposed identity, kept them from revealing themselves.
They were trapped by it, letting Xu Yijing seize the initiative and control them completely.
Think about it: your surface identity was a hired servant. How could a servant lecture or meddle with the “young miss”?
You knew you were a doctor, but Zhao Li’s orders tied your hands—you couldn’t expose it.
Xu Yijing knew too, but she exploited your inability to come clean, using your cover identity to bind your actions.
It was like playing Werewolf in a newbie game: the first to self-reveal often gets voted out, and no one cares about the truth.
If you couldn’t reveal yourself and stayed passive, she’d dictate the pace.
Under those shackles, even the best psychologist couldn’t make a dent.
But now, Xu Yijing had slipped up first. Tormented by the agony, she’d lost control and impulsively exposed Shen An’s true identity.
In other words, she’d admitted she knew who he really was. She could no longer use his cover to restrain him.
Shen An no longer had to pretend or play the respectful junior.
But Shen An wasn’t about to let her have her way.
Yeah, right—you say I am, so I am?
Now it was time for him to seize back the initiative!
Shen An narrowed his eyes, staring at the pale-faced Xu Yijing. He didn’t need to pretend anymore, but he wasn’t about to admit it so straightforwardly either.
“I still don’t get what you mean, Senior Sister. And don’t you think your words contradict themselves?”
“One minute I’m a doctor, the next I’m a degenerate. Which is it?”
Xu Yijing was weak, but the sarcasm curling her lips was razor-sharp: “Both. And let me add—you’re not just a filthy doctor; you’re a shameless filthy doctor.”
“Urgh, and here you are, so sick, yet still finding the energy to tease me.”
Shen An chuckled lightly: “Must be tough on you.”
Xu Yijing arched a brow, her voice icy: “Finally admitting it?”
“Me?” Shen An shrugged: “What would I have to admit? I’m here to study. I’m just impressed by your vivid imagination.”
“Not bad for an Art Department student. You need that kind of rich, abstract creativity to produce great art.”
Xu Yijing lowered her head, sweat-soaked strands of hair veiling her eyes: “Whether you admit it or not doesn’t matter.”
“After tonight, I don’t want to see you again.”
Ha~
Playing the eviction card, huh?
Now it was Shen An’s turn to look nonchalant: “Senior Sister, you trying to kick me out?”
“Kick you out?” Xu Yijing sneered: “I just don’t want to see you anymore.”
“Then where am I supposed to live? I don’t have a dorm.”
“Stop pretending! Your acting is godawful!” Xu Yijing snapped, anger flaring.
“Oh? Are you a performance major, Senior Sister? Critiquing my acting now?”
Shen An grinned: “If you ask me, your acting’s pretty good. In that much pain, and you still kept your emotions in check.”
Bastard!
Xu Yijing ground her teeth.
That was the downside of her impulsive reveal of his true identity.
Because…
This guy’s shamelessness meant he could just flat-out deny it!
And without even that, the thin veneer of politeness between them was stripped away completely.
Couldn’t she see his attitude now? It was completely different from usual.
The worst part was: if he didn’t admit it, she really had no way to deal with him.
Because she had no solid evidence either.
Listening to his indifferent mockery, Xu Yijing felt a faint urge to spit blood.
Her stomach churned wildly, cold sweat beading ever more fiercely on her forehead. She was really on the verge of collapsing.
“What’s wrong? Does it hurt that much?”
Shen An leaned down as if to provoke her, trying to get a look at Xu Yijing’s face.
The weakened girl didn’t even have the strength to push him away right now. “Don’t waste time on me. I’m not sick.”
“I’m having a hard time believing that.”
Shen An said flatly.
“Especially seeing you like this. If you asked a random person on the street, would anyone think you look healthy right now?”
“Or is your major holding a costume party tonight, and you deliberately painted your face as pale as a corpse? You almost really scared me there, Senior Sister.”
Aaaah!
Damn it.
Xu Yijing realized for the first time that this bastard had such a venomous tongue!
“Mm, or maybe it’s an acting test, immersing yourself in a role? Ha~ Are you playing a critically ill patient?”
“Shut up!”
Xu Yijing glared at him coldly.
The smile at the corners of Shen An’s mouth gradually faded. He raised an eyebrow, a bit arrogantly. “Since it’s none of those, there’s only one answer: you’re sick.”
“I… I’m not sick!”
Xu Yijing seemed deeply offended by those words. Even in her weakened state, she refuted him fiercely. “She’s the sick one! You, all of you!”
“Whether you’re sick or not, only a professional doctor can tell.”
Shen An said softly.
“Heh, you’ve taken her money, so of course you’d speak up for her.” Xu Yijing struggled to lift her head, reining in the chill in her gaze.
“How about this? You… you’re just doing this for the money too…”
“I’ll give you double. Just disappear from my sight right now. How’s that?”
Shen An’s lips curved slightly. He smiled but said nothing.
Xu Yijing remained quite calm. Her voice trembled, but her tone was utterly steady. “We’ve been living together for a month now. I can tell you don’t like me. You really don’t like me.”
“Someone like me—doesn’t it make things difficult for you? More than difficult; you don’t even want to get close.”
“Right?”
Shen An’s smile stiffened.
Xu Yijing narrowed her eyes. “I’m not someone suitable for getting involved with, no matter the reason.”
“I think you know that too.”
“So why torture yourself?” She tilted her head. “No matter what you do, I won’t change. You’re just wasting effort on an unyielding rock.”
“You must be fed up with it by now, right?”
Shen An shrugged. “A little, yeah.”
“See?” Xu Yijing forced out a smile. “So why not seriously consider it and accept my offer?”
“You have nowhere to live? I can arrange something for you.”
“You want to stay at school, you have some ties here—I can pretend I didn’t see anything.”
“It’s just like that agreement we had before. No real difference; we’re just adding a condition that you move out.”
“It’s good for you, good for me. No downside.”
Shen An’s expression wavered a bit. Xu Yijing thought she’d grasped his weakness. “Think about it seriously. If you stay here, I won’t give you a good look either.”
“You’re human, not a machine. Not a masochist. Why bother?”
Xu Yijing’s offer was undeniably tempting.
All he had to do was move out, and everything else stayed the same.
“Your terms are pretty generous.”
Shen An remarked.
Xu Yijing’s lips curved up. “I’ve always been quite magnanimous, actually.”
“Yeah, making me order takeout for you every night.”
“So… pack your things now and leave. I won’t hold it against you or make a fuss. It’ll be like nothing ever happened.”
Xu Yijing watched him, trying to soften her tone as much as possible.
“You really won’t hold it against me?”
Shen An probed tentatively.
“Bygones be bygones.” Xu Yijing nodded earnestly.
But her tightly clenched little fist clearly betrayed her true thoughts.
Bygones be bygones?
Hah. Once she recovered, she’d make Shen An wish he were dead!
She wasn’t magnanimous at all. She was petty—petty enough to put even Zhao Qingyu to shame.
Having been seen by Shen An in such a wretched state, then mocked and ridiculed by him so arrogantly—how could Xu Yijing ever forget that grudge?
“Senior Sister, there’s actually one thing I’ve always wanted to do.”
Shen An looked troubled.
Xu Yijing smiled kindly. “What is it? Go ahead and say it. If I can help, I’ll do my best.”
She inwardly sneered in disdain.
“I… I’m afraid you might not like it, Senior Sister.” Shen An sighed.
“No worries. I’m very easygoing.”
Xu Yijing endured the pain with gritted teeth.
Her priority right now was to drive Shen An away. All these concessions were just for this one step.
“Really? Then don’t get mad, Senior Sister.”
“What?”
Xu Yijing’s pupils contracted. She sensed something off.
Right then, she felt her chin seized by hot fingers.
His fingers!
Shen An leisurely reached out, pinching Xu Yijing’s chin. With a hint of contempt and disdain, he lifted it up.
He could clearly see the shock in her eyes, followed by surging anger.
“This is it.”
Shen An narrowed his eyes, his tone laced with vengeful pleasure. “Every time you look at me with that disdain, that contemptuous gaze—it makes me uncomfortable.”
“I’ve always thought: one day, I’d return that contempt, that disdain, right back to you.”
“Tsk, so pretty. Unreasonably pretty.”
As he rubbed her chin, he evaluated her like one inspecting merchandise.
Her clenched little fist suddenly swung at Shen An, but he was prepared. He caught her wrist precisely.
“Tsk tsk tsk, easy now, Senior Sister. Take care of yourself.”
Xu Yijing stared at him expressionlessly, her deer-like bright and clear eyes brimming with intense killing intent.
No—pure, utter hatred.
No one… no one had ever dared to treat her with such rudeness!
She didn’t resist or say a word.
But Shen An knew exactly what that look meant.
Xu Yijing had taken note of him now.
In hatred.
In a hatred that wished him dead.
Shen An chuckled lightly and continued rubbing her chin. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m just giving back what you once did to me.”
“Don’t think you’re the only one with pride. I have it too.”
“You think you’re so smart? That you have everything under control?”
“Look at you now—you can’t even stand. If I gave you a knife, you probably couldn’t even grip it.”
Pfft.
Xu Yijing’s fury boiled over, but a sudden churn in her stomach made her feel like she might vomit.
Shen An narrowed his eyes, pinching her cheek. “Feel like throwing up?”
She could no longer endure this humiliation.
Even in agony, she’d gather her last bit of strength, put it into her hands, and shove him away hard.
Thud.
She collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath in big gulps.
Her little face had gone pale, nearly bloodless.
“You’d better kill me now.”
Her voice was hoarse. “Otherwise, I’ll definitely kill you.”
“Are you trying to scare me?”
Shen An raised an eyebrow.
“I’m reminding you.” Xu Yijing lifted her head and smiled.
There was no mirth in it—just undisguised killing intent and chill.
Shen An sighed inwardly.
He might have gone a bit too far.
She wasn’t joking. That look, that expression—it was deadly serious, like nothing before.
