Chapter 7

Qi Jinyu swept Yu Ling up in her arms and carried her to the second floor. Behind them, the servants discreetly eased the door shut. The enormous second floor of the mansion was now empty except for the two of them.

But instead of heading for the study, Qi Jinyu calmly made her way toward the bedroom on the other side.

Yu Ling looped her arms around Qi Jinyu’s neck and put on a complaining voice. “I thought you said you’d be my tutor. What kind of proper teacher skips the study and heads straight for the bedroom?”

Her almond-shaped eyes widened, bright with mischief and an unwittingly alluring charm.

“If Little Ling doesn’t mind, we could have this lesson in the study instead.” Qi Jinyu smiled, the corners of her mouth curving as she said something that left plenty to the imagination.

Just as expected, Yu Ling blushed.

“I don’t want to study,” she whined.

When they reached the bedroom, Qi Jinyu laid Yu Ling on the soft bed. Bracing her hands on either side of Yu Ling’s head, she let her chestnut curls fall forward, a few strands brushing Yu Ling’s fair cheek.

In the gentle light, Qi Jinyu’s amber eyes gleamed faintly gold, as if glazed with a sheen of glass.

Just like last time, she stared intently at Yu Ling, missing none of the little changes in her expression.

Yu Ling had noticed that Qi Jinyu seemed to like this position: Yu Ling lying on the bed, with Qi Jinyu looking down at her.

“Little Ling, your grades will be very important in the grade president election.”

That was all Qi Jinyu said.

Huh? She was still trying to get me to study with things this charged between us?

“Didn’t you say you’d make sure I won?” Yu Ling tossed the question right back at her.

The chestnut-haired woman gave a faint sigh. “Of course.”

Qi Jinyu didn’t move. In this position, Yu Ling felt as if she were trapped in a small space made by Qi Jinyu’s body and arms, with nothing to see or smell but Qi Jinyu.

Her features were striking: brows with a slight arch, a fine, straight nose, and naturally curved lips that made her smile seem impossibly tender.

Her skin was fair—not the sickly pallor of Yu Ling’s, but a clear ivory with the faintest blush beneath it. In the play of light and shadow, it almost seemed translucent.

She had long since taken off her cream-colored trench coat, revealing a fitted white shirt.

Her collar hung loose, exposing the elegant line of her collarbones and the graceful curve of her neck, as well as the sapphire-and-diamond necklace resting there.

Now she simply lowered her lashes and looked at Yu Ling, her smile unreadable.

“Could Little Ling do me a favor?” Qi Jinyu abruptly changed the subject.

“Hm?” Yu Ling looked confused.

“Could Little Ling be my model?” Qi Jinyu explained. “For a painting.”

Yu Ling knew that Qi Jinyu’s mother was an internationally renowned painter. Qi Jinyu had loved painting since childhood and had won plenty of prestigious awards over the years. From time to time, she even held exhibitions devoted entirely to her work.

Painting wasn’t her only talent; she had also dabbled in sculpture, ceramics, and more. She had once told Yu Ling that her home was filled with works she had made growing up.

Every so often, she would give Yu Ling one of her paintings.

Yu Ling had seen them: great swaths of black and white, with streaks of blood-red running through them, the red seemingly caged by the black and white.

Qi Jinyu had once asked what she thought. Yu Ling had answered honestly: “I don’t really like them.”

After that, Qi Jinyu had never given her another painting.

For a while, Yu Ling had worried that her answer might have truly upset Qi Jinyu.

But she had been at her sickest then, awake for no more than a few hours at a time. Before long, the whole thing had slipped from her mind.

Now that Qi Jinyu had brought it up herself, Yu Ling remembered what she’d pushed to the back of her mind.

Yu Ling furrowed her brow, still struggling to follow Qi Jinyu’s train of thought. But it wasn’t an unpleasant request, so after a moment’s hesitation, she nodded.

Qi Jinyu continued smiling down at her. Her eyes were light enough that Yu Ling could easily see her own reflection in them.

Black hair spread across the white bedspread like silk, making her skin look even paler, like fine porcelain with an almost painfully fragile beauty.

Her lips were nearly colorless. When she pressed them together, they took on a faintly haughty look.

Those amber eyes, bright as molten gold, drew closer and closer. In the end, Qi Jinyu merely pressed a restrained kiss to her forehead.

“Miss Yu Ling, I’m honored you accepted my invitation.”

Yu Ling obediently followed Qi Jinyu’s instructions, sitting in her wheelchair with her body turned half to the side as she gazed out at the broad swath of golden light beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Her cardigan and the fluffy blanket over her legs had been taken away. She wore only a white dress patterned with tiny flowers.

Her legs had grown a little thin after years of illness, but they were still straight and well-proportioned. Much of her pale skin was exposed, but the room was warm, and she didn’t feel cold at all.

The butler sent someone upstairs with a professional set of art supplies. The servant didn’t ask a thing—not even why a study session required painting tools.

Waiting for someone to finish a painting was boring. If Yu Ling hadn’t spent so many years bedridden, growing accustomed to stillness and silence, she wouldn’t have been able to sit there without moving while Qi Jinyu painted.

The soft whisper of a brush came from nearby. Yu Ling glanced at Qi Jinyu out of the corner of her eye.

The setting sun spilled through the window, casting a faint shadow across Qi Jinyu’s lowered lashes. Her fingertips moved over the palette, selecting colors with an air of utter concentration.

Every so often, she lifted her eyes to Yu Ling, as if carefully tracing her outline with her gaze.

For some reason, Yu Ling had the feeling that Qi Jinyu spent the most time looking at her legs.

As she waited, Yu Ling turned her thoughts to the Conquest Mission.

The first Mission World was always the easiest. Before Yu Ling came here, the System had assured her that she would definitely succeed.

So she wasn’t too worried about failing.

According to the World Progress provided by the System, she would die one day a year from now, when her illness suddenly worsened.

“When you were five, you should have died in that accident. The System’s energy can only sustain you until you’re twenty.” That was what the System had told her when she entered this world.

That was also when she would depart the world.

In other words, this was her last chance.

If she didn’t trigger Peak Emotional Fluctuation in her targets before her World Departure, but managed to do so after she died, the mission would still count as complete.

She had no way to check her targets’ Emotional Fluctuation. She could only feel her way forward, which left far too much uncertain. The safest thing to do was to bring their emotions to a peak as much as possible before she departed the world.

A year didn’t sound like much time. But when she added the decade and more she’d already spent here, she’d had a fairly generous window.

It was just that her health had only recently improved enough for her to focus entirely on the mission. There wasn’t much time left, and she couldn’t help feeling impatient.

Still, things seemed to be going pretty smoothly so far.

“Little Ling, did something make you happy? I saw you smiling.” Qi Jinyu’s unhurried voice interrupted Yu Ling’s reverie.

Yu Ling hastily denied it. “Of course not. You must have imagined it.”

“Hmm… I’ve noticed that as Little Ling’s health improves, her expressions seem to be getting more lively, too.” Qi Jinyu smiled at her.

Yu Ling didn’t so much as blink. She raised an eyebrow. “It’s not like I’m A-Li, the human statue.”

“If A-Li heard you say that, she’d be very happy.” Qi Jinyu sounded genuinely sincere.

Yu Ling wasn’t so sure. At least, if Qi Jinyu were the one being called a human statue, that kind of reaction wouldn’t surprise her.

“Are you done yet? You’re taking forever, Qi Jinyu,” she grumbled.

“Almost. Just a few more seconds. Thank you for waiting so patiently, Little Ling.”

Qi Jinyu said she was almost done, and she really was. She stood and walked over to Yu Ling, then bundled her back into the fluffy blanket and cardigan. After that, she pushed the wheelchair around to face the painting.

“What do you think, Little Ling? May I keep this painting for myself?”

Qi Jinyu’s voice was lovely, as gentle and low as ever, with what seemed like a hint of tenderness woven through each word.

But Yu Ling barely noticed the sound. She stared, stunned, at the painting before her.

Golden light spilled across the canvas, bathing the whole scene in a soft, tranquil glow.

The girl in the painting sat in a wheelchair, her white floral dress falling lightly around her. Her dark hair shone like satin, and her profile was serene as she gazed out the window. The warm light outlined her figure, making her look as transparent as glass.

And yet the painting’s focus fell on her legs.

The legs that had been worn down by years of illness.

Slender, fragile, almost painfully pale.

Their lines weren’t shaped into the usual ideal of beauty, all strength and symmetry. Instead, they were marked by a striking thinness, every contour of bone visible as they rested beside the wheelchair.

Her exposed ankles looked like finely carved white jade, beautiful in their fragility.

There was no harsh clash of black and white here, no violent streak of red. Even those carefully painted legs gave an impression of nothing but stillness.

“…What do you think, Little Ling? May I keep this painting for myself?” Qi Jinyu patiently repeated.

Yu Ling studied the legs in the painting. Legs she’d always felt she needed to hide from other people’s eyes had been rendered so tenderly, as if they were being watched, admired—even treasured.

A strange, unsettling feeling crept into her heart.

At Qi Jinyu’s repeated question, Yu Ling pretended to be casual. “You painted it yourself, so of course it belongs to you. What do you mean, ‘keep it for yourself’?”

The woman behind her chuckled softly, as if she’d known exactly how Yu Ling would answer. “Thank you, Little Ling. Then I’ll gladly accept…”

Teitan Academy had a strict academic system, requiring students to complete a set number of credits each semester. Yu Ling had a legitimate reason to study from home.

If Lu Li hadn’t been her seatmate, Yu Ling wouldn’t have come to school at all.

The Yu family had only two children, Yu Ling and Yu Lingyi. Yu Lingyi had always excelled, and was the Yu family’s pride at Teitan Academy. No one would think to demand good grades from Yu Ling.

As a result, her grades had previously been above average at best—nowhere near Lu Li’s, who had ranked first year after year.

“Ding-a-ling…”

As soon as the bell rang, the black-haired girl to Yu Ling’s left turned sideways and folded her arms on her desk. She’d fallen asleep.

Her profile faced Yu Ling: a high, straight nose, pale lips pressed lightly together.

Faint shadows darkened the skin beneath her eyes, and her lashes cast slender lines across her face, making her look even more distant and cool.

Her long black hair hung loosely, with a few strands slipping across her arm.

She looked exhausted.

Yu Ling tidied her desk at an unhurried pace, her attention wandering as she stole a glance at Lu Li.

After all, Lu Li was genuinely busy with the grade president election. She had to fight for the top spot academically, while the school and various companies had piled all manner of events and activities on her, too, to measure her capabilities.

Yu Ling talked about competing with Lu Li, but she hadn’t done a thing to prove it.

Then again, with the Lu family’s influence, she shouldn’t have needed to do any of this.

Why was Lu Li working herself so hard over a mere Student Council Grade President position?

Yu Ling shot an impatient glare at a classmate who was approaching to talk to her.

The student hesitated, obviously looking for an opening.

Yu Ling recognized the student as a member of a family that depended on the Yu family. No doubt the student was hoping to use the opportunity to get closer to her.

After Yu Ling glared, the student stopped, looking awkward, then turned and left.

The classroom slowly emptied. By the end, only the two of them remained, and it was so quiet that Yu Ling could clearly hear the wind outside.

Yu Ling rested her chin in her hand, idly twirling a pen as she watched Lu Li sleeping.

Usually, Lu Li helped her get in and out of the classroom.

But seeing how tired Lu Li was, Yu Ling decided not to bother her today.

Yu Ling looked away, gave a soft snort, and slouched back in her chair.

“Keep working like that and you’ll drop dead.”

She muttered it so softly the wind could almost have carried it away.

Then she opened her phone and messaged the driver waiting at the school gate, ordering the driver to come into the classroom building to pick her up.

She also let Lu Li’s driver know, so Miss Lu wouldn’t actually end up spending the night at school.

After sending the messages, Yu Ling put away her phone and maneuvered her wheelchair, preparing to leave her seat—

A hand stopped her.

Long fingers, with sharply defined knuckles, gripped the hem of her clothes.

Yu Ling looked up. The black-haired girl had turned her head the other way and buried her face in her arms. The only thing Yu Ling could see was a pale ear peeking out through her black hair.

“Are you leaving?”

Lu Li’s voice was low and hoarse, muffled by her arms and still thick with sleep.

Yu Ling raised an eyebrow. “Obviously. Did you expect me to sleep here with you?”

Lu Li didn’t answer. Even her breathing was so quiet it was almost inaudible.

If she hadn’t still been gripping Yu Ling’s clothes, Yu Ling would have thought she’d fallen asleep again.

Yu Ling tried to free the hem from Lu Li’s grasp, tugging at it with all her might. It didn’t budge.

“Yesterday… what did you and Qi Jinyu do?” After a long silence, Lu Li’s voice finally rang through the empty classroom again.