Chapter 15

After blow-drying her hair, Yue Bai sat obediently in the chair, waiting for Sang Wan to emerge. In the meantime, she sent a few quick messages to her roommates, letting them know she had something come up and wouldn’t be back that night.

Once the messages were sent, with nothing else to do, she dove back into her painting, fine-tuning the details.

By the time she had adjusted the color relationships in one section, the bathroom door clicked open. Yue Bai glanced toward the sound and saw a slender, fair arm emerge as Sang Wan strolled out with effortless grace.

The pure black silk sleepshirt was sparsely adorned, fastened with just a few buttons. She had only bothered with some of them, leaving the top two undone to reveal her delicate neckline and the elegant curve of her collarbone. Long, straight legs were mostly bare, and her arms still glistened faintly with lingering water droplets.

Yue Bai stared, momentarily dazed. Her breath caught, and her fingers stiffened around the stylus, gripping it without any strength.

Senior Sister’s figure was incredible.

Flustered, she tore her gaze away and fixed it on the computer screen, trying to refocus.

Sang Wan’s long hair was wrapped in a towel. Carrying the fresh scent of her shower, she approached Yue Bai’s side and casually rested her hands on the girl’s shoulders to peer at the painting.

A droplet of water rolled from her damp strands and landed on Yue Bai’s shoulder, slightly dampening the fabric.

Yue Bai’s posture went rigidly straight, unnaturally so.

Catching the scene in the screen’s reflection, Sang Wan curved her lips in good humor and decided to let her off the hook. “Don’t draw anymore. Time to rest.” With that, she grabbed the hairdryer and moved aside to dry her own hair.

Yue Bai let out a quiet breath of relief and murmured her agreement. She saved her work and shut down the computer.

“Senior Sister, where should I sleep?” Yue Bai asked softly.

There was bedding on only one bed. She couldn’t seriously mean to sleep on the bare mattress, could she? And she had no idea if Senior Sister had any spare bedding.

Sang Wan focused on drying her hair, then tilted her head to eye her own bed. “This one should fit two people, right?”

“Huh?” Yue Bai blinked in surprise. “Sharing with Senior Sister?”

She glanced at Sang Wan’s current appearance and flushed, ducking her head.

Senior Sister was… so alluring.

Yue Bai stayed put, sitting motionless.

Once her hair was dry, Sang Wan set the dryer back in its place and closed the cabinet with a hint of helplessness. “It’s almost one. If we don’t sleep soon, we really won’t wake up tomorrow.”

Yue Bai still didn’t budge, genuinely embarrassed.

Sang Wan waved a hand in front of her face. “Come on, bedtime. Senior Sister’s tired.”

She even covered a yawn, adopting the tone of someone coaxing a child.

Yue Bai scooted over a bit, bit her lower lip, and slowly stood. “Should Senior Sister sleep on the outside or the inside?”

Sang Wan gazed at her gently. “I’ll take the outside, so you don’t roll off in the night.”

A wooden barrier ran along the bed’s outer edge, so falling off wasn’t a real risk.

Yue Bai hesitated, then nodded and climbed onto the bed.

Sang Wan watched her crawl up, then glanced approvingly at the full-length mirror nearby. It reflected her current state perfectly.

There was only one quilt on the bed. Sang Wan spread it out, draping part over Yue Bai and part over herself. Even then, she wasn’t satisfied and half-sat up to tuck the edge firmly under Yue Bai.

“Keep it tucked in. Don’t get cold,” Sang Wan said softly.

Yue Bai lay stiffly on the bed, not daring to move a muscle. She let Sang Wan adjust her passively, her mind a whirlwind.

So close. So fragrant.

Sang Wan’s unique scent flooded her senses, mingled with the clean freshness of her shower, enveloping her completely.

“Go to sleep,” Sang Wan murmured.

“Mm, good night, Senior Sister.”

“Good night.”

Yue Bai squeezed her eyes shut, but sleep was nowhere in sight. She was acutely aware of how little space separated her from the person beside her—close enough that the slightest shift would bring them into contact. Whether by design or accident, Sang Wan rolled over, her arm draping across Yue Bai’s hand at her waist.

The subtle stir of air from Sang Wan’s breathing brushed over her skin. In the quiet, Yue Bai could even hear the steady rhythm of it.

Yue Bai swallowed hard and opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling with zero drowsiness.

In the pitch-black night, she could just make out the faint outlines of objects.

“Can’t sleep?” Sang Wan asked suddenly.

Yue Bai shifted slightly, easing her pinned hand free and resting it on her stomach. “Not really tired,” she whispered.

Sang Wan opened her eyes and flexed her hand loosely. In the darkness, they gleamed unusually bright. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” Yue Bai replied.

Sang Wan let out a soft chuckle, so quick Yue Bai almost missed it. “Close your eyes. Clear your mind.”

Yue Bai obeyed.

“Sleep,” Sang Wan coaxed, her gentle tone intoxicating in the night.

Before she knew it, Yue Bai drifted off.

The next time she stirred, it was to Sang Wan calling her awake. The senior had soaked a new toothbrush in hot water for five minutes and left it in plain sight. “I grabbed breakfast. Get up or you’ll be late.”

Yue Bai blinked blearily at the time: 7:20.

She lightly thumped her head a couple times, then took the clothes Sang Wan handed her. Their builds were similar enough that they fit just fine.

“Thanks, Senior Sister.” Yue Bai finished washing up and sat at the table. As she ate the breakfast, she said gratefully, “Sorry for the trouble, Senior Sister. I slept in, and you had to get this.”

Sang Wan hadn’t slept much later than her the night before.

Sang Wan sipped her soy milk nonchalantly. “No big deal. I go for a morning run anyway—picked it up on the way. Take your time; you’ve got plenty.”

“Senior Sister goes exercising every morning?” Yue Bai asked in surprise around a mouthful.

“Mm.” Sang Wan smiled faintly.

“Impressive,” Yue Bai said sincerely.

After breakfast, Yue Bai spoke up. “Senior Sister, I’ll come by again tonight.” Her gaze flicked to the graphic drawing tablet by the computer. “I’ll bring my own tablet too.”

She remembered Sang Wan mentioning she needed to return it to that senior that day.

Sang Wan nodded warmly. “Sure. Be safe on the way.”

Yue Bai left Sang Wan’s dorm with steady strides, hurrying toward the teaching building.

Sang Wan eyed the discarded black sleepshirt, folded it neatly without a word, and locked up before heading to class.

When Yue Bai reached the classroom, ten minutes remained until the eight o’clock start. She spotted her three roommates right away.

“Yue Bai, over here.” Zhao Yu noticed her first and pointed to the seat she’d saved beside her.

Yue Bai sat and caught her breath.

“Where’d you crash last night? You didn’t reply till super late—we thought something happened,” Xu Nuo said with a frown.

“Something came up, heh.” Yue Bai played it off with a sheepish grin. Senior Sister had said to keep it under wraps for now.

“What kind of something?” Xu Nuo pressed.

“Tell you later,” Yue Bai deflected.

Frustrated at the dodge, Xu Nuo opened her mouth to push further when a voice piped up from behind. “Tch, skipping out all night right at the start of term? Don’t tell me you were up to no good.”

Xu Nuo’s temper flared at the sound. She whipped around, glaring coldly at the speaker. “If you can’t say anything nice, shut your stinking mouth.”

The guy didn’t back down. “What’d I even say? Don’t just lash out.”

“Fang Zhou, are you sick or something?” Zhao Yu snapped, none too pleased.

Fang Zhou sneered. “Not wasting breath on you idiots.”

“Who’re you calling idiots?” Zhao Yu shot to her feet with a scrape, slamming her palm on the desk.

The loud bang drew stares from the class. It was early in the term; most didn’t know each other yet, and outright arguments on day one were rare.

Everyone watched with popcorn-ready interest.

“Class time, everyone take your seats.” The teacher entered, eyeing them with a smile. “Save it for after.”

Unaware of the beef, he dove into the lesson.

Zhao Yu plopped back down, fuming, and muttered to Yue Bai, “Yesterday, you finished before him. After you left, the teacher praised your work again, and he got salty. Demanded a comparison, and teacher said his wasn’t as good. Now he’s gunning for you.”

Yue Bai raised her brows. “It’s just a quick in-class sketch.”

Zhao Yu scoffed. “Loser can’t admit he’s outmatched, so he’s being all passive-aggressive.”

Yue Bai just chuckled it off, unconcerned.

The morning classes flew by. As they filed out toward the cafeteria, Fang Zhou called after her. “Yue Bai, hold up.”

He darted over in a few quick steps.