Chapter 69

Ruan Ruan stormed out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind her for good measure.

In the quiet winter night, the bang echoed loudly down the hallway, lingering in the air.

Someone studying in a nearby classroom poked their head out to look.

Ruan Ruan turned her back to it all, taking deep breaths until she finally calmed down a bit.

It really wasn’t a big deal. She had no reason to get this worked up.

But why was she so angry? That was worth pondering.

First off, she’d been in a great mood.

She’d taken wicked delight in seeing Jiang Xue—ice queen extraordinaire—trapped in the bathroom for once, shattering her untouchable, otherworldly persona. It brought a special kind of glee and satisfaction.

Second, she’d had high hopes.

She was almost certain she’d catch Jiang Xue in an awkward, blushing moment, letting her hold her head high and look down with smug superiority.

Finally—and this one was almost unbelievable—they used the same brand of sanitary pads.

When Jiang Xue had mentioned it over the phone, Ruan Ruan thought it was perfect. She already had some on hand. Knowing the girl was a neat freak, she’d even grabbed an unopened pack from her dorm.

See? Even the pristine fairy had to deal with her period. She needed pads too—and the same meshed ones as Ruan Ruan. Heh heh heh.

But it all came crashing down the moment Jiang Xue uttered those two words.

Meshed…

What was wrong with meshed?! Meshed ones were breathable! What did they ever do to her to deserve that kind of discrimination?!

Ruan Ruan took several deep breaths, even leaning out the window to let the cold wind clear her head.

Tree shadows swayed outside, time ticking by slowly. Ruan Ruan pulled out her phone to scroll, but Jiang Xue still hadn’t emerged.

She browsed Weibo for a bit, shaking her head at the idiots fawning over Tang Tianman’s posts calling her “gorgeous.” Jiang Xue still hadn’t come out.

Ruan Ruan opened WeChat next. The dorm group was dead silent—Li Tong was finishing up a task, Tang Tianman was eating. No one chatting. Jiang Xue still hadn’t come out.

Ruan Ruan slapped the window frame with her palm and spun around, shoving open the bathroom door… but it wouldn’t budge.

Someone was blocking it from the inside.

Ruan Ruan pushed harder, but it stayed jammed.

In an instant, her mind flashed through a dozen school bullying horror stories. Her heart pounded wildly, hammering against her ribs.

“Jiang Xue! Jiang Xue!” she shouted.

The door gave way. Ruan Ruan couldn’t stop her momentum and tumbled inside.

Jiang Xue stood there behind the door, wrapped in a fluffy lemon-yellow jacket that made her look soft and huggable.

Ruan Ruan crashed right into her.

Jiang Xue steadied her.

Ruan Ruan’s face pressed against the girl’s shoulder blade, her heart still racing. A random thought popped into her head.

She’d been in the bathroom so long—she must reek.

No, actually… she didn’t.

What laundry detergent did she use? Damn, it smelled amazing.

Jiang Xue’s arm wrapped around her back. “You okay?”

Ruan Ruan snapped back to reality, shoving her away and straightening up. “Are you nuts?”

Jiang Xue: “You’ve asked that plenty of times.”

Ruan Ruan: “I’m not asking—I’m exclaiming.”

Jiang Xue: “Oh.”

Ruan Ruan: “Why block the door if you’re fine? Is this your personal bathroom or something?”

Jiang Xue: “I was heading out.”

Ruan Ruan: “Then pull it open!”

Jiang Xue: “It’s a push door.”

Ruan Ruan: “…”

The door could be pushed or pulled—whatever worked.

But when they both reached it at the same time and both pushed, that was a problem.

Silence fell between them. Ruan Ruan felt like she’d lost big time, and it soured her mood.

She scanned Jiang Xue up and down, then had a flash of inspiration. Pointing at her, she burst out laughing. “Not so high and mighty about meshed pads now, huh? Regretting it? Had to settle?”

Jiang Xue smiled faintly. “That happy?”

Coming from anyone else, it might’ve sounded like a taunt, but from Jiang Xue, it was just a casual question, light and neutral.

So Ruan Ruan answered honestly. “Yeah, thrilled. I love seeing you hate meshed pads but have no choice.”

Jiang Xue’s lips curved in a smile, not arguing the point. After a pause, she said, “Thanks.”

Ruan Ruan realized standing there blocking the bathroom doorway was too weird. She stepped back. “Anyway, I’m out.”

Jiang Xue followed. “One more thing.”

Ruan Ruan rolled her eyes. “Don’t say you want me to buy you the soft cotton ones.”

Jiang Xue: “No need. I can get them myself.”

Ruan Ruan: “Good. Remember that next time.”

Jiang Xue paused, then said, “I went to Third Brother’s Pancake Stall.”

Ruan Ruan: “???”

Jiang Xue: “Then I got the runs.”

Ruan Ruan: “???”

Jiang Xue: “Then my period came early.”

Ruan Ruan: “???”

Jiang Xue: “Then I didn’t have any pads.”

Ruan Ruan finally lost it. “??? So what does any of that have to do with me???”

Jiang Xue: “You posted on Moments about how good Third Brother’s pancakes are.”

Ruan Ruan: “…”

She stood there stunned for ages, her brain short-circuiting, her limbs going numb.

“Are you seriously trying to pin this on me from another lifetime?” She gaped at Jiang Xue. “Blaming me now???”

“Not blaming you,” Jiang Xue said.

“And besides, I…” Ruan Ruan whipped out her phone, frantically scrolling her Moments. “My post about Third Brother’s was like half a year ago! All I’ve posted lately is boiled veggies—why not go eat those???”

Jiang Xue: “I did.”

Ruan Ruan: “…Smart cookie!”

Jiang Xue: “…”

Ruan Ruan: “I haven’t had Third Brother’s in forever! You eat some pancakes without pads and blame me?! I don’t even know if the owner’s still there or if they taste the same! If the spicy sauce is still loaded, if the pork belly’s still that salty…”

As she ranted, Ruan Ruan got all choked up.

Dieting was no way to live. She, a total foodie, reduced to reminiscing about long-lost flavors through someone else’s period emergency. It was like someone bottling up heartbreak, forced to recall their ex.

Ruan Ruan sniffled, done talking. She turned and headed back.

Jiang Xue kept pace. Suddenly, Ruan Ruan felt the world go still, everything meaningless.

She gazed poetically out the dark window. “If it’s nothing important, I’m heading back.”

Jiang Xue: “You want Third Brother’s…”

Ruan Ruan cut her off in a frenzy before she could finish. “No no no! You want it! I’m dieting!!!”

Jiang Xue: “You don’t need to anymore.”

Ruan Ruan waved her off. “Get lost!”

Without waiting for a reply, she bolted down the stairs, into the cold wind, straight back to the dorm without stopping once.

She flung open the door to a wave of delicious smells.

Tang Tianman’s mala tang bowl held only dregs now. Spotting her, she sighed dramatically. “Ah, the salvation of food is so fleeting.”

Ruan Ruan shot her a look. “I’d kill for something fleeting right now.”

Tang Tianman finished eating and burrowed into bed, playing the heartbroken damsel to perfection.

Ruan Ruan—the one truly shredded inside with tiny cuts everywhere—could only sit at her desk, sadly gnawing on corn.

Li Tong got back late that night. Once inside, she winked conspiratorially at Ruan Ruan.

They made an excuse about using the bathroom and slipped out to gossip away from Tang Tianman, who nimbly hopped down, slipped on shoes, and darted after them to eavesdrop.

Li Tong: “Hey, looks like things are really off between Tall One and Tangdou. I watched their training tonight—Tall One didn’t even greet me. Just running and jumping like crazy, that intensity… damn, the steel giant was sweating buckets.”

Ruan Ruan: “Isn’t her training always pretty hardcore?”

Li Tong: “Not like this. Tonight she was extra feral, super aggressive, like channeling grief into strength.”

Ruan Ruan: “You sure it’s not your imagination?”

Li Tong: “Positive! Little Wang said Tall One was extra fierce today too.”

Ruan Ruan: “Who?”

Li Tong: “Little Wang! Wangwang! Captain! Wang Tingxi!”

Ruan Ruan: “Please just use her name.”

Tang Tianman eavesdropped a while longer. The two gossiped in circles, but she got the gist: Zheng Xiyu and her act had successfully raised suspicions, hitting their mark.

Tang Tianman breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like a master strategist who could bend the world to her will.

Back in the dorm, she burrowed under the covers and secretly messaged Zheng Xiyu.

-Preliminary plan complete. Keep it up.

Zheng Xiyu replied fast:

-All smooth. Just missing you.

Tang Tianman grinned, her fingers dancing happily on the keyboard:

-Me too. Miss you miss you miss you.

-Quick, delete the record.

They’d agreed: to avoid leaks, they’d change each other’s intimate nicknames and clear chats regularly.

Tang Tianman typed it out, but after, she scrolled through their messages a few times before reluctantly deleting them.

The next day dawned fresh and new.

Tang Tianman’s award win in the photography competition had caught the attention of her college instructors, who placed great importance on it.

This was a national-level contest, complete with a lavish live-streamed awards ceremony. Tang Tianman had gone viral, and the teachers in charge of student affairs weren’t about to let such a stellar achievement slip by unnoticed.

She was called into the office for a round of praise. The instructor earnestly advised her on just how prestigious City Photography magazine was and how rare an opportunity it was to sign with them.

Tang Tianman nodded along attentively, looking every bit the model student, though the words went in one ear and out the other.

It was a good opportunity, no doubt. But signing on meant handing over full copyright agency for all her photos, plus committing to regular output. For someone like Tang Tianman, who treated photography purely as a hobby with no firm plans, it wasn’t the right fit.

The magazine rep had told her to take her time thinking it over, so she planned to do just that—thoroughly.

What she wanted to do with her future, how she wanted to build her path forward—that was a weighty question, and Tang Tianman hadn’t settled on an answer yet.

As she left the office, the teacher reminded her once more not to pay too much mind to the online chatter and to stay true to herself.

Tang Tianman had always been bold; she didn’t take the advice to heart. It wasn’t until she got back to the dorm and started chatting with Ruan Ruan that she caught the deeper meaning.

Ruan Ruan asked, “Are you still managing that Twitter account? If you’re gonna stay true to yourself, embrace your fate—post a couple selfies, thank your fans for the attention, and in a few days you can start shilling sketchy products.”

Li Tong jumped in right after. “Drugstore makeup’s a great angle too. You’ve already got all the photography gear. Become a beauty influencer—go high-end. Brands will send you free samples, and you can share some with us!”

Tang Tianman asked, “Which brand and product do you want?”

Li Tong blinked. “Huh?”

Tang Tianman said, “New Year’s is coming up soon, right? I’ll just get it for you.”

Li Tong waved her off. “Aw, I was just kidding.”

Running a fan account and becoming an internet celeb in the social media age sounded fine. But for someone like Tang Tianman, who didn’t lack for money, it was utterly pointless.

Neither she nor Zheng Xiyu had any interest in those borrowed spotlights and stages. All they wanted was to resolve their current mess smoothly, focus on their studies and training, and be together properly.

For the next few days, to kick off their fake-breakup act with a bang, the two of them held back from seeing each other.

The longing left an empty ache in her chest. To distract herself, Tang Tianman threw herself into her studies, reviewing for finals earlier than ever before. Li Tong made a couple trips to the volleyball team and brought back news that Zheng Xiyu was training brutally hard.

Every time Tang Tianman heard it, her heart ached with sympathy, but she also felt a swell of relief, pride, and reassurance.

The training Zheng Xiyu had missed because of her needed to be made up, and an athlete’s performance couldn’t afford to skimp on sweat or effort. Seeing Zheng Xiyu like this actually put Tang Tianman’s mind at ease.

Before long, the end-of-year holidays arrived one after another.

Tang Tianman skipped Christmas. But by New Year’s, Ruan Ruan couldn’t stand it anymore. She and Li Tong dragged her to the dance party.

The Student Union’s events were as cheesy as ever, but a masked ball had an eternal appeal for young hearts.

Tang Tianman held out for half an hour before a spark lit up in her mind. She slapped the table. “I’m going!”

Ruan Ruan and Li Tong nearly burst into tears. “New life, here we come!!!”

“Yeah!!!” Tang Tianman pumped her fist.

The moment Ruan Ruan and Li Tong left, Tang Tianman dove under the covers and messaged Zheng Xiyu:

—Baby baby, you going to the New Year’s dance party?

Zheng Xiyu: Probably a ton of people.

Tang Tianman: Masks, though.

Zheng Xiyu: Our heights would give us away even with masks, right?

Tang Tianman: Sure, together we’d stand out, but what if there are tons of tall ones and shorties?

Zheng Xiyu: Huh?

Tang Tianman: It’s the holidays. The volleyball team could use some fun and relaxation, yeah?

Zheng Xiyu: None of them can dance.

Tang Tianman: Think about how long it’s been since you held your sweet, soft little kitten.

Zheng Xiyu: Nobody’s born knowing how to dance. They can learn.