"Yixuan! Yixuan! Wait up! Why are you walking so fast?" Zhao Menghan rushed out of the restroom, hands still damp, just in time to see Lin Yixuan finishing her conversation with Shi Yubai. Grinning with gossipy glee, she caught up and nudged Lin Yixuan's shoulder.
"School Hunk Shi! What did he say?"
"Nothing much. Just an update about his mom's condition in the hospital."
"Ever since his mom's accident, he's been so down. He hasn't opened up to anyone... except you, Yixuan. You're really special to him!"
Of course I am. A smug curve touched Lin Yixuan's lips.
"I heard your families practically live together now! Proximity advantage! Aren't you going to seize the chance and lock him down? Top scorer entering Jing U, now the Finance Department's golden boy, unanimously elected Student Council President... and let's not forget, School Hunk looks! A guy like that? He might seem like just another student now, but once he graduates, he'll skyrocket across social classes. Then the temptations he'll face... won't be small potatoes. And that's not even mentioning the one right now..."
Temptation.
The biggest temptation.
Zhao Menghan tilted her chin downwards meaningfully.
"See? Shengsheng."
"Who'd have thought she was not only stunning but loaded? Did you see everyone's eyes this morning when the school announcement blasted about her donating a hundred grand? Pure sycophancy towards the rich! A wealthy bombshell like that, chasing Shi Yubai? Aren't you afraid he'll cave?"
"Wouldn't that be perfect?" Lin Yixuan lifted her chin slightly. "I wouldn't want someone disloyal."
What did she mean? Zhao Menghan was puzzled.
Was Yixuan planning to use Su Niansheng to test Shi Yubai?
"Besides..." Lin Yixuan added with a cold laugh, "Yubai will never like her."
That confident? Zhao Menghan privately disagreed. Putting herself in any guy's shoes, she couldn't imagine a reason to reject someone like Su Niansheng. Even the lofty Shi Yubai might waver.
"You're way too calm about this."
"It's not calmness. It's..." Lin Yixuan's gaze drifted into the distance. "Some people spend their whole lives striving just to reach the starting line of others."
As her words hung in the air, a burst of boisterous noise erupted. Following Lin Yixuan's gaze, Zhao Menghan saw the famed Capital scions emerging from the gymnasium entrance. They swaggered, radiating an effortless, intimidating aura of privilege. They seemed naturally separated from ordinary people by an invisible barrier.
The most striking figure at the center of the group, commanding attention effortlessly, was Shen Junxi.
Seeing Lin Yixuan's eyes fixed intently on Shen Junxi, Zhao Menghan felt a jolt of surprise.
Was Yixuan holding back with Shi Yubai... because she had designs on Young Master Shen?
That was the Shen heir! His family's influence sprawled across the military, political, business, and entertainment spheres – a true favored son of heaven, utterly untouchable. Who dared even think of coveting him?
Yixuan's ambitions... are sky-high.
Noticing Zhao Menghan's expression, Lin Yixuan smiled faintly. "Like you said, this is school." A place where everyone can interact equally. And she wouldn't waste a single opportunity!
She casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, hugged her books tighter, and walked purposefully towards the gymnasium group. As she passed them, one of her books "accidentally" slipped to the ground. No one seemed to notice as they brushed past.
"Brother Jun! Zhong Zhe is way too wild! He actually likes big waves!" Duan Chengyu laughed, slapping Shen Junxi's shoulder from behind.
"What kind of girls do you like?"
"I like..." the young man mused, his low, lazy voice dangerously captivating, "...ones in white dresses."
"White dresses? That covers a lot of girls!"
"Idiot." Zhong Zhe couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Who you calling an idiot?!"
A white dress? Lin Yixuan paused, turning slightly to watch Shen Junxi's retreating back, filing the detail away carefully.
Night fell. The windows of Jing University's female dorms blazed with light.
Su Niansheng shared a quad with Lin Yixuan, Zhao Menghan, and Xu Yue. Before bed, their favorite topics were the day's classes, club activities, and boys. And when it came to boys, Shi Yubai and Shen Junxi were inevitable.
Su Niansheng automatically tuned out the Shi Yubai part, focusing on Shen Junxi.
"...If Shi Yubai is that pristine, untouchable moonlight, then Shen Junxi is pure, distilled human pheromones! A billion-girl heartthrob!"
"Totally! That bone structure? Those features? That icy-hot, aristocratic aura? It's hard handsome! Just thinking about it makes me dizzy!"
"And his smile? Killer! Alluring, dangerous, a bit wicked... ahh—!"
"Not to mention his voice! Sublime!"
Su Niansheng was washing her face, listening to their discussion punctuated by occasional high-pitched squeals. She couldn't help but chuckle.
She knew Shen Junxi far too well – embarrassingly well, down to the color of his childhood underwear. Hearing him described as some celestial being felt absurdly like listening to people hype up a close friend playing god.
"Shengsheng, what's so funny?" Xu Yue popped her head over the edge of her bunk.
"We know you're into Shi Yubai's cold, aloof vibe. Shen Junxi's not your type. But not appreciating that level of raw, devastating X-appeal? That's your loss!"
"Huge loss!" Zhao Menghan nodded emphatically.
Su Niansheng shook her head, water droplets flying. "I don't like Shi Yubai anymore."
"Pfft—!" The scoff was synchronized.
"You've said that eight hundred times!"
"And the next day, you're always back in front of the mirror, pumping your little fist: 'Go Shengsheng! You can do it! You'll catch Yubai someday!' Then right back to simping."
"Pretty please, spare us! Our ears are calloused!"
"..." Su Niansheng looked at their reactions, reminded instantly of the identical expressions in the gymnasium earlier that day.
Fine. Time will prove it.
"What's all the lively chatter about?" Lin Yixuan pushed the door open and walked in.
Su Niansheng froze mid-rinse.
Slowly, she turned around, her gaze settling on Lin Yixuan.
This was the first time she'd truly looked at her since coming back.
She would never forget that vicious kick that sent her tumbling down those stairs. She would never forget the searing agony, the ice-cold terror of dying.
In her past life, believing Shi Yubai's lie – 'She's like a little sister to me' – she had treated Lin Yixuan like family, giving her everything. Academically, professionally... whatever Lin Yixuan wanted, Su Niansheng delivered, single-handedly transforming the unknown nobody into a top-tier celebrity.
The reward? The cruelest betrayal.
Each photo of Shi Yubai and Lin Yixuan, each mocking word, had been a knife to her heart.
'Su Niansheng, Yubai never liked you! His heart and his body belong to me!'
'Yubai only married you for revenge! Just like I befriended you only to use you! Did you really not know?'
'You're useless now! Just seeing you annoys everyone!'
'Honestly, I've never seen anyone so stupid! Hahaha!'
After draining her dry, they hadn't even spared her life.
The cruelty was beyond comprehension.