Chapter 3

She opened her eyes and began her leg-rehab exercises.

Once she was in her wheelchair, her professional caregiver massaged her legs.

Breakfast, then medicine.

Her mother called on video. They chatted for a few minutes before her mother had to rush off.

Her perpetually busy younger sister still hadn’t called today.

Yu Ling didn’t live with her family. Her mother claimed she was worried about Yu Ling’s health, but after Yu Ling insisted—and with a private physician living with her to keep an eye on her—she had finally been allowed to move out.

With the housekeeper’s help, Yu Ling changed into her Teitan Academy uniform.

By the time she’d finished her morning routine, she was already exhausted. She rested for a while, then slowly gathered enough strength to get ready for school.

When she opened the door, the two sentinels who’d been waiting for who knew how long turned to look at her.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were already here?” Yu Ling complained.

“I was having such a nice chat with A-Li that I thought I’d let Little Ling sleep in. It’s still early, after all.” Qi Jinyu’s eyes crinkled, her voice warm, every word smooth as silk.

Lu Li, as usual, neither made the first move nor pushed anyone away. She simply looked at Yu Ling.

It was just like any other morning, as though yesterday’s absurdity had been nothing but a dream.

Yu Ling’s expression didn’t change. She muttered, “What do you mean, early? We’re ten minutes away from being late. I’d hate to be the reason our esteemed Student Council President is late for the first time.”

As she spoke, the housekeeper wheeled her outside.

Quick as a flash, Qi Jinyu took the handles of Yu Ling’s wheelchair from the housekeeper.

Lu Li lifted a hand, then let it fall. Her lips pressed together, but she said nothing.

Qi Jinyu smiled politely. “Housekeeper Lin, let me look after Little Ling today.”

When she felt Lu Li’s icy gaze on her, Qi Jinyu amended, “And A-Li, too.”

“You know how close we are to Little Ling. We’ve looked after her at the academy plenty of times.”

The housekeeper glanced at Yu Ling for permission. When Yu Ling gave her a subtle nod, she stepped back without hesitation and handed the wheelchair over to Qi Jinyu.

She’d seen the two of them visit Yu Ling countless times. There was no need to worry that either of them would let anything happen to her.

Qi Jinyu smiled back at the housekeeper, polite and gracious.

The housekeeper watched the three of them walk away, one pushing her young miss in her wheelchair and the other keeping pace at her side. She couldn’t help sighing.

A discreet yet luxurious Rolls-Royce bypassed the broad, lavish main gate and peeled away from a line of luxury cars. After circling around, it pulled up at a secluded side entrance.

As soon as the driver parked, he got out and opened the rear door for the three young ladies. Then he saw Lu Li, the eldest daughter of the Lu family, carrying Yu Ling, the eldest daughter of the Yu family, safely out of the car.

It was a classic bridal carry. Yu Ling had both arms looped around Lu Li’s neck, her legs bent naturally and supported by Lu Li’s arms.

They were both wearing Teitan Academy uniforms, their brown blazers comfortable and finely tailored.

Lu Li was tall, with long black hair falling down her back like a waterfall. Years of regular training had left her lean and strong, and carrying Yu Ling seemed effortless.

“Yu Ling, you weigh less than you did last time.” Lu Li’s voice was cool; it was impossible to tell how she felt.

The expected haughty retort never came. Lu Li looked down and found Yu Ling smiling slyly.

The young miss who was forever losing her temper now lay quietly in Lu Li’s arms. Her face, usually wan from illness, was full of life, like a spring flower in bloom.

Her bright, clear almond eyes reminded Lu Li of the soap bubbles she’d blown as a child.

For a moment, Lu Li stared. Then she swallowed and hurriedly looked away, as if to escape Yu Ling’s gaze, preparing to lower her into the wheelchair beside them.

It wasn’t that Lu Li didn’t want to carry Yu Ling all the way into Teitan Academy. On the contrary, she’d have been more than happy to. It was just that Yu Ling, the other person involved, clearly didn’t want that.

But before Lu Li could bend down, the black-haired girl suddenly stiffened. A stifled groan slipped past her tightly closed lips, and for once, her eternally composed face changed.

A faint blush crept up Lu Li’s pale neck, then spread to her ears and finally reached her exquisitely cool face.

Lu Li gritted her teeth. “…Yu Ling!” Her voice was chilly, with anger barely concealed. Even the arm supporting Yu Ling tightened despite herself.

Yu Ling pulled back after teasingly licking and nipping Lu Li’s earlobe, then looked up innocently. “Hm? Sister Lu, what’s wrong? Is carrying me too tiring?”

Lu Li was holding her a little too tightly, and Yu Ling was getting uncomfortable. She wriggled and complained, “Lu Li, loosen up. You’re holding me so tight.”

Just then, Qi Jinyu finished an urgent phone call and got out of the car. She immediately noticed how unusual Lu Li looked.

Her breathing was quick, her cheeks faintly flushed, and her usually cool eyes had taken on an uncharacteristically dewy gleam.

Qi Jinyu narrowed her eyes, letting her gaze flick from one girl to the other. Her lashes fluttered, and she understood. She approached them with a gentle question. “What happened to Little Ling and A-Li?”

Yu Ling looked thoroughly pleased with herself. “Nothing much. Maybe Lu Li hasn’t exercised in too long. She seems a little out of shape. She’s been carrying me for just a few minutes, and she’s already red in the face.”

Once Yu Ling got going, she could be shameless; lies rolled right off her tongue.

She was happy, of course. All she’d done was nip Lu Li once, and she’d heard Lu Li’s heartbeat pounding impossibly loudly in her chest. What else could that mean but that Lu Li liked her? Yesterday, Lu Li had dodged the subject, acting as if she’d never admit it. Her mouth could lie, but her heartbeat couldn’t.

Qi Jinyu nodded as though she believed Yu Ling, then smiled at Lu Li, who was still trying to steady her breathing. She reached out, tilting her head. “If you’re tired, let me take over.”

Yu Ling felt Lu Li’s arms tighten around her. The fingers against her back curled slightly.

Lu Li stared coldly at Qi Jinyu, who was smiling at her with one hand outstretched. The corners of Lu Li’s eyes were still flushed. After a few seconds of silence, she obediently handed Yu Ling over to Qi Jinyu.

There wasn’t a trace of tension between them. They were perfectly harmonious, as though last night’s confrontation had never happened.

Qi Jinyu gently took Yu Ling into her arms in the same bridal carry, then turned and headed into the academy.

Yu Ling felt herself lifted, and the warmth beneath her legs now belonged to someone else.

She naturally looped her arms around Qi Jinyu’s slender neck and nestled her head against her, settling into the most comfortable position.

She didn’t feel uncomfortable. After more than ten years together, she’d grown used to the two of them looking after her in every possible way. She even thought it was only natural.

The two women wore different perfumes, but both scents were subtle and light: one cold plum, the other white tea blossom.

Still, Lu Li’s reaction struck Yu Ling as strange. If Lu Li was romantically interested in her, would she really be so willing to hand her over to someone else?

Yu Ling looked up at Lu Li.

The flush hadn’t faded from Lu Li’s face. Her lashes trembled, and her gaze drifted out of focus now and then, as if Yu Ling’s mischievous little stunt had stirred up some feeling she couldn’t put into words.

Then again, Yu Ling thought, for someone as cool and distant as Lu Li to react that way—well, even if she’d never been in love herself, she knew what it looked like.

Before she could think it through, she noticed the scenery on either side and frowned. “Qi Jinyu, where are you taking me?”

It was early summer, and the sun wasn’t harsh yet. Warm light filtered through the lush leaves and fell over the three of them.

The path was unusually quiet. Even though it was Monday, the first day of the new term, there wasn’t a student in sight. The only sounds came from the three of them walking along the narrow lane.

Yu Ling knew this route. It led to the Student Council’s own office building.

“Besides, I told you that I have to use my wheelchair at school.”

The proud eldest daughter of the Yu family refused to let anyone see her as an invalid so frail she needed her friends just to get around.

Qi Jinyu immediately soothed her. “Doesn’t Little Ling want to run for grade president? I thought I’d bring you by early to get familiar with the offices.”

She turned to speak, deliberately leaning closer. Warm breath brushed Yu Ling’s cheek.

Yu Ling wasn’t falling for it. “Do I really need the Student Council President herself to carry me there?”

Qi Jinyu raised her hands in surrender, smiling. “All right, all right. I’ll put you down right away. If I actually make you angry, I’ll be the one who loses out.”

Yu Ling looked up at the smile on Qi Jinyu’s lips and snorted.

Once Qi Jinyu had carefully settled her into the wheelchair brought along with them, Yu Ling adjusted her posture and asked, “Are you really taking me to the Student Council office?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Qi Jinyu asked in surprise. Then she shook her head, smiling. “Don’t worry, Little Ling. I’m the Student Council President. You can come and go as you please.”

“And besides, trust me, Little Ling…”

“You’ll be the next grade president.”

“If that’s what you want.”

Qi Jinyu’s eyes curved with a gentle smile. Her encouraging gaze fell on Yu Ling, who was looking up at her. Her chestnut curls stirred softly, making her look like an angel.

If any of the other Teitan Academy students heard those words, it would cause an uproar. The Student Council President Qi Jinyu, famous for her impartiality and impeccable conduct, was actually abusing her authority.

Yu Ling raised an eyebrow. “That’s not what I’m worried about.”

The eldest daughter of the Yu family had never cared much about rules.

She lifted an arm. Years without sunlight had left her skin unnaturally pale. Her sleeve slipped back, revealing a slender forearm as white as jade, almost translucent in the sunlight.

She pointed at the black-haired girl standing apart from them, her gaze distant.

“Isn’t Lu Li running for grade president, too?”

So why was Qi Jinyu acting as if the position had already been promised to her?

Yu Ling’s mission requirements were simple, and she had no extra information about the three protagonists. But if they were characters favored by the world, something momentous must have happened among them.

Yu Ling didn’t know whether this was a novel’s world, or what kind of tangled plot the protagonists might share. Either way, building as many connections with them as possible couldn’t hurt.

The grade president election was a perfect opportunity.

Given the Lu family’s status, and the fact that Yu Ling rarely appeared at the academy, the position would have belonged to Lu Li from the start.

But Lu Li was the Lu family’s only heir, and she’d always been busy with the family’s business. The position had gone to another wealthy heiress instead.

Now, for reasons no one knew, Lu Li had suddenly decided she wanted the position after all, in the second half of the school year. The heiress who’d been filling in promptly resigned.

Everyone knew the so-called grade dean election was little more than a formality.

But the election wasn’t decided by a simple vote. There were all sorts of fun activities along the way, and the students were just as enthusiastic as ever.

It was a massive event, organized personally by Student Council President Qi Jinyu.

As part of the occasion, grade deans from every year would gather for the annual Teitan Academy anniversary gala at the final induction ceremony.

Yu Lingyi, the Yu family’s second young miss and its future head, was already the grade dean for the first-year class, so she was certain to attend.

For Yu Ling, there was no way to stay out of it.

After ten years confined to bed, she was finally on the mend and brimming with excitement. She had her sights set on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and was ready to make the most of it.

For the students of Teitan Academy, things had just gotten a lot more interesting.

On the first day of the election, someone no one had expected emerged as a formidable challenger to Lu Li.

The Yu family’s mysterious, frail eldest daughter was finally about to step into the public eye.