Chapter 28 Part 2

She had messaged Zhou Qingyan asking how to make someone develop a sense of dependence on her. The reply had been a link. When she opened it, the very first suggestion was: Go to a scary place. In moments of fright, people instinctively start relying on those around them.

Not bad at all. Her mind had immediately gone to this haunted house.

But… she might have overdone it.

They sat in the rest area for a full half hour. During that time, Yue Bai slipped off to the bathroom to touch up her makeup. In the brief interval while she was gone, Sang Wan fired off a message to Zhou Qingyan.

“You’re really unreliable.” That was all Sang Wan wrote.

“???” came Zhou Qingyan’s reply.

Sang Wan long-pressed the link, quoted it, and sent it back. “This.”

“Uh… I was skimming those at the time. When you asked, I just forwarded it without thinking,” Zhou Qingyan explained.

Sang Wan arched a brow, took a screenshot, and sent it to Wen Mo. Then she set her phone aside, crossing her arms as she waited for Yue Bai to return.

“Senior Sister.” Yue Bai hurried back with small steps. She looked down at Sang Wan, who was still lounging on the bench, her voice bubbling with excitement. “Senior Sister, there’s a street performer singing over there. He’s pretty good—want to go check it out?”

Sang Wan looked up to meet her eyes, her own expression soft with warmth. Without a word, she reached out and gently rubbed Yue Bai’s forehead. “You’ve got some foundation on there.”

“…”

Senior Sister, have some manners?

“Let’s go take a look.” Sang Wan stood up. She could faintly hear the singing drifting over from that direction anyway. Besides, her little underclassman was in high spirits now—she had no intention of dampening that.

As they drew closer, the music swelled, the melody lilting and captivating, carried on an exquisite voice from not far away.

A crowd had already gathered around the singer. Yue Bai gripped Sang Wan’s wrist and nimbly wove them through the throng. In just a few breaths, they had squeezed to the front row.

Yue Bai lifted her chin proudly. “See that, Senior Sister? That’s skill.”

Sang Wan smiled warmly, giving her a sincere compliment. “Mm, very impressive.”

The song continued, a sweet voice pouring from the central singer—a woman crooning a ballad. Yue Bai just thought it sounded nice; she couldn’t put her finger on anything more.

“She’s got a great tone,” Sang Wan murmured, humming along with the melody for a bit.

When the song ended, the woman bowed to thank the audience, handed off the mic, and stepped back. A middle-aged man took her place next, his gravelly voice rambling through a lengthy thank-you speech.

Yue Bai scanned the QR code at the front. She tapped the top singing option, and the interface simplified. Skimming it quickly, she saw it was a setup where audience members picked songs and took turns performing.

“Senior Sister, check this out.” Yue Bai looked up, thrilled. “You can go up and sing yourself!”

Sang Wan glanced at the phone screen, scanning it in one go before chuckling softly. “Do you want to go up and sing?”

Yue Bai’s face fell. She fidgeted, setting the phone down. “I’m tone-deaf.”

“Then why get so excited?” Someone pushed forward from behind them. Sang Wan glanced sideways out of the corner of her eye and shifted her arm to shield Yue Bai.

“I think Senior Sister could show them what you’ve got.” Yue Bai’s mind flashed back to Sang Wan’s performance at the Freshman Welcome Party— she still missed it a little.

Sang Wan’s movements froze for an instant. She looked at the girl in front of her, amused. “You want to hear me sing?”

“Uh-huh!” Yue Bai’s eyes lit up.

Sang Wan’s eyes curved in a smile. She reached up to rub the side of Yue Bai’s face, her tone laced with a hint of indulgence that was hard to detect. “If you want to hear it, I can sing for you anytime.”

“Really?” Yue Bai’s eyes sparkled even brighter.

“Really.” Sang Wan nodded.

“Then maybe Senior Sister shouldn’t sing here.” Yue Bai belatedly glanced around at the crowd, her expression turning serious for the first time. “There are too many people. I want you to sing just for me.”

She eyed Sang Wan’s refined, gentle features. Even just standing there, she was drawing admiring glances from all sides. If she sang, who knew what kind of attention it would attract.

Her Senior Sister was for her eyes only.

Yue Bai took a haughty little step forward, blocking the view from one side. She shot a fierce glare at a guy trying to edge closer for a better look at Sang Wan.

The boy slunk away sheepishly. Yue Bai puffed out her chest in triumph. Anyone who wanted to sneak a peek at her Senior Sister would have to get past her first.

Sang Wan watched with a smile, helplessly pressing her lips together at Yue Bai’s antics. Deep in her eyes lurked a gentleness and fondness that was hard to discern.

But Yue Bai could block one gaze—not the eyes coming from every direction, or the bolder ones among them.

They had just started to edge out of the crowd when a guy approached, phone in hand displaying a QR code on the screen. He stepped right into their path.

“Hey, classmate, I saw you over there just now. Mind if we add each other?” the boy asked politely.

The smile faded from Sang Wan’s face. Before she could respond, someone grabbed her hand.

Yue Bai clutched it tightly, her fingertips brushing anxiously against Sang Wan’s skin—a clear sign of her inner turmoil.

Sang Wan’s mood lifted instantly. Her smile returned, brighter than before.

The boy, seeing her smile widen, thought he had a shot and leaned in to press his advantage—only to hear Sang Wan’s polite refusal. “Sorry, I’m not looking to add anyone.”

The words came out casually. “You might want to try someone else. Excuse us—you’re blocking the way.”

She regarded the awkward guy evenly. His screen was still lit, the QR code sitting there forlornly.

Yue Bai bit back her laughter and a surge of inexplicable relief, clenching her jaw to hide her true feelings. But her grip on Sang Wan’s hand tightened with joy.

The warmth in her palm grew more vivid, ripples stirring in Sang Wan’s gaze.

Her little underclassman was truly delightful.

Once they had skirted past the boy and walked a short distance away, Yue Bai let go. Adopting a lecturing tone, she said, “Good thing Senior Sister didn’t add him. What was that about ‘adding each other’? Asking for contact info right off the bat—who does he think he is, bothering people like that?”

Sang Wan lowered her eyes. The hand that had been released curled loosely into a fist. She stared at Yue Bai intently. “Mm?”

Yue Bai kept going. “Normally, if a guy like that added Senior Sister, he’d start blowing up your messages with all sorts of nonsense, dragging it out until he finally revealed his real intentions.”

“What intentions?” Sang Wan asked, curiosity piqued.

“Isn’t it obvious? He’d say he’s fallen for you at first sight and wants to… take things further?” Yue Bai groped for the right phrase.

Sang Wan let out a low laugh. She pinched Yue Bai’s cheek. “You’re so fun. But…” Her tone shifted, her gaze sharpening. “How do you know all this so well?”

She recalled the night by the Artificial Lake, when a guy at the ring-toss stall had tried to get Yue Bai’s contact info. Now, hearing how familiar her junior seemed with this… had she dealt with it before?

Sang Wan’s expression grew serious. She studied Yue Bai closely, eyes narrowing in scrutiny. “Have you added guys like that before?”

“No way,” Yue Bai denied instantly, not even pausing to think. “I’d only add actual classmates. Anyone random coming up for contact info? I ignore them.”

“Mm, good.” Sang Wan smiled tenderly. She took Yue Bai’s hand of her own accord, her fingers pinching the soft flesh of her palm. In her heart, she murmured: That’s how it should be.

“That’s right. So-called love at first sight—putting it bluntly, isn’t it just giving in to lust upon seeing a pretty face?” Yue Bai clicked her tongue, then thought for a moment before adding, “But that doesn’t rule out some people whose souls truly resonate from the first glance. They fall for each other right away. Though I suppose that’s pretty rare.”

Sang Wan listened patiently, murmuring agreements now and then. Finally, she added, “Soul resonance, huh?”

“That’s pretty much it.” After her long-winded explanation, Yue Bai felt parched. She touched her dry throat and rubbed her neck.

“Let’s grab some water,” Sang Wan suggested thoughtfully, pointing to the convenience store ahead.

“Heh heh.” Her intentions seen through in an instant, Yue Bai didn’t stand on ceremony. With a grand wave of her hand, she declared, “Senior Sister, it’s on me. Pick whatever you want.”

Sang Wan played along. “Please take care of me, big shot.”

“Done.” Yue Bai got into character. “From now on, if anything happens to you at A University, just drop my name. I’ll have your back.”

“Sure.” Sang Wan agreed softly. Her index finger curled unconsciously as she gazed at Yue Bai’s face. It felt like a veil shrouded it—something invisible that tugged at her heartstrings without cease.

Nothing about it was particularly special, yet Yue Bai’s casual words and gestures stirred emotions Sang Wan hadn’t felt in ages. She kept up her outward persona for the world, but only when facing Yue Bai did genuine joy bubble up from within.

Since leaving the Haunted House, Yue Bai hadn’t shown any more fear. Sang Wan’s worries eased a bit.

The two strolled leisurely to the convenience store. Yue Bai made a beeline for the beverage aisle. She grabbed two bottles of mineral water and turned to Sang Wan. “Anything else you need, Senior Sister?”

Sang Wan shook her head lightly, her thin lips parting. “I don’t need anything.”

“Oh… okay.” Yue Bai faltered, suddenly at a loss. She’d just boasted about taking care of Senior Sister, and now Senior Sister had nothing she wanted.

Sang Wan caught the disappointment in her expression and pretended sudden realization. “You know, we should get some fruit. I finished the last batch I bought, so let’s restock.”

“Great!” Yue Bai perked up again. Her pupils darted around, scanning for the fruit section.

“Senior Sister, it’s over there.” Yue Bai crooked her index finger toward the “Fruit Section” sign hanging to the left and a bit ahead.

Sang Wan followed Yue Bai, her gaze fixed on the other girl’s back. As she watched, the corners of her lips curved into a sincere smile.

“What do you want, Senior Sister?” Yue Bai stopped and turned sideways. With so many options, she sought Sang Wan’s input.

“Bananas.” Yue Bai had devoured the most bananas back in her dorm.

“I love bananas too! Just peel and eat—super convenient,” Yue Bai said delightedly.

“Actually, I like them too, but they’re such a hassle. You have to wash or prep them, and after a while, I just stopped bothering.” Yue Bai selected a decent bunch of bananas, bagged them, and set them on the scale.

Sang Wan tapped her forehead with amusement. “That’s your reason? What other fruits do you like? I’ll peel them for you.”

“Really?” Yue Bai whooped with joy, but soon laughed helplessly. “Nah, too much trouble for you, Senior Sister.”

“It’s no trouble.” Sang Wan’s voice was soft. “What else do you want?”

“A pomelo?” Yue Bai asked tentatively.

“Sure.” Sang Wan headed to the pomelo section and picked out a good one.