Xia Shuran pushed open the dormitory door.
Jiang Xiaoyue saw it was her and immediately scurried over. “Goddess, you’re back!”
Su Yao hesitated before walking over. She could tell something was off about Xia Shuran’s expression.
“Shuran, what’s wrong?”
“Goddess, are you… cooking? Oh oh oh, cutting fruit, right?”
Jiang Xiaoyue helped Xia Shuran set the knife on the table and said cheerfully, “Goddess, my mom just happened to buy me a watermelon. Let’s cut it and eat it together.”
Xia Shuran forced herself to smile at them and nod.
The three of them sat together eating watermelon while Jiang Xiaoyue chattered on about her hometown—the alley life of the Jiangnan water towns.
She was mainly telling it all for Xia Shuran’s benefit.
She wanted to invite the goddess to visit her home and show off to her childhood friends that she had such a beautiful friend.
But Xia Shuran was too distracted to take much of it in. She ate a small piece of watermelon and didn’t feel like having any more.
Xia Shuran sat worried and uneasy amid the laughter and chatter of the other two.
She felt even more troubled—today was supposed to be her happy first day of school.
She stood up and took the knife to wash it.
She kept wiping the knife with a paper towel. The smooth blade reflected her face full of worry.
She remembered what Chen Feifei had said—murder demands a life. Of course she knew that.
On one hand, it was for self-defense.
If Chi Yu tried anything with her in that remote villa, she’d have no way to fight back against a tall, sturdy man. She could only rely on a tool.
On the other hand, this knife could serve as a deterrent against Chi Yu.
She needed to get out of Chi Yu’s mouth which website it was.
At the afternoon class meeting, the teacher introduced Xia Shuran to everyone.
“Universities allow mid-year transfers?”
“Didn’t you hear the homeroom teacher? She studied abroad for a year and came back.”
Whispers spread through the room.
But what drew even more attention was her appearance.
The boys were clearly more interested, and the girls were focused on her too.
Appreciative looks, scanning looks… all kinds. Xia Shuran accepted every gaze with composure.
She had long been used to being stared at.
“My name is Xia Shuran. I’m very happy to join Design Class One. I hope we can get along well.”
A burst of enthusiastic applause came from below. Jiang Xiaoyue shouted loudly, “She’s literally a goddess!”
Everyone laughed, and many chimed in agreement.
The teacher smiled and managed the discipline, then said softly to Xia Shuran, “Go ahead, find a seat.”
“Thank you, teacher.”
Jiang Xiaoyue kept patting the seat next to her—she had already saved a spot for the goddess.
Xia Shuran sat down and listened to the teacher give a twenty-minute pep talk.
The content was roughly about the arrangements for this semester, how important sophomore year was, and so on.
No doubt next year they’d say the same about junior year.
Xia Shuran maintained her usual demeanor, looking attentive, but her mind had already drifted away.
The teacher said two people had requested leave.
Xia Shuran guessed it was Chen Feifei and Xu Yanxi.
Xia Shuran’s current bed had previously been Xu Yanxi’s.
According to Jiang Xiaoyue, Xu Yanxi found the dorm too cramped and moved out to live elsewhere.
Could their leave of absence be related to the West Suburb?
Xia Shuran had only caught fragments of Chen Feifei’s phone call, so she couldn’t be sure.
After class, some of the bolder boys came up to ask for Xia Shuran’s WeChat.
Xia Shuran casually asked these boys if they knew anything about the West Suburb incident. They all shook their heads.
Jiang Xiaoyue and Su Yao also looked completely clueless, saying they’d never heard of it.
They searched the school forum for posts, but nothing touched on the matter.
She asked around to quite a few people—by now she’d nearly learned everyone’s name in the class—and they all said they didn’t know.
Only one boy wearing limited-edition sneakers said that the West Suburb area was private property, and that the whole mountain had been renovated a few years back.
Meeting Xia Shuran’s gaze, he blushed and scratched his head. “That’s all I know.”
“Wow, how do you know so much? You’re not just making this up because the goddess asked you, are you!” Jiang Xiaoyue said. “If an entire mountain was renovated, how could it not make the news?”
He smiled. “In this world, some people don’t want you to see things, and you’ll never see them.
Do you think all the rich people in the world are on the billionaire list?
There are plenty of sharp ones who hide away with their money stashed.”
Xia Shuran smiled. “Thank you.”
The boy’s face grew even redder. “No need to thank me.”
Jiang Xiaoyue whispered to Su Yao, “What are they talking about? What does it mean?”
“No idea.”
Xia Shuran returned to the dorm to change and get ready, preparing to head to the West Suburb.
It was still early before ten, so she did her full makeup—a delicate, innocent face that stirred pity in anyone who saw it.
With a glance, her beauty was breathtaking.
She changed into an elegant strappy dress.
The top was form-fitting, hugging her figure and accentuating her graceful curves.
The long skirt below was modest and ladylike, balancing out the allure of the top, revealing a small glimpse of her fair, slender calves.
Her shoes were a well-known brand’s flat, pointed-toe crystal-studded slip-ons, and her bag was a hot-selling tote style from a luxury brand.
It was fashionable without losing her student charm.
Her long, straight black hair hung down, reaching just past her chest, and with this outfit, standing there, she looked utterly captivating.
Jiang Xiaoyue stared blankly, not daring to even touch her.
“Goddess, are you heading out?”
Xia Shuran smiled gracefully, half-mockingly saying,
“Yeah, off to find the campus heartthrob Chi to check out his abs.”