That very afternoon, they returned to Shanghai.
By the time the plane landed, night had already fallen.
Uncle Chen was waiting at the airport exit with the car.
Assistant Jin left first, taking Anna with him.
Wanyi opened the back door of the Bentley and slipped inside.
Returning to this city suddenly felt… unfamiliar.
She leaned lazily against the window, watching the night drift past outside.
Red and gold lights flickered endlessly before her eyes, blurring into a quiet, restless stream.
“Tired?” he asked softly beside her. Even though he had upgraded her seat, long hours of flying still took their toll.
He gently drew her closer, letting her rest against him.
“If you’re sleepy, take a nap. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
She nodded, her body sinking into the solid warmth of his shoulder.
Heat radiated from his chest, seeping into her, wrapping her in something steady and reassuring.
Their breaths mingled, rising and falling together, as if they had become a single, quiet rhythm.
She closed her eyes, surrendering to the stillness of the night.
Perhaps it was the silence of the car, or perhaps it was the warmth of him—but before she knew it, Wanyi had fallen asleep.
When she woke up again, she was still leaning against Shen Yuxun.
Uncle Chen was no longer in the driver’s seat.
“Where are we?” she asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.
“You fell asleep. I had him stop in an alley near your school.”
Wanyi yawned softly.
“Then… I’ll head back to campus.” She lowered her head, reaching for the door. In the dim light, her pale profile appeared and disappeared in soft shadows.
“Wait.”
Her other hand was suddenly caught in his.
She turned back, only to see his face drawing closer—
A soft kiss brushed against her lips. Light, fleeting, gone almost before she could react.
“Wanwan—your goodnight kiss.”
His dark eyes seemed to hold starlight, something gentler lingering beneath the surface.
“Goodnight…”
Her cheeks flushed as she finally stepped out of the car.
Back in the dormitory, Xiao Jia and Lu Dan were sitting at their desks watching TV.
Wanyi walked straight to her own spot—
Only to find a white box sitting on her desk.
It had already been opened. Inside lay the lipstick and hand cream.
Her breath caught.
“Who touched this?”
She had clearly packed it away, hidden deep inside her wardrobe.
Xiao Jia and Lu Dan exchanged uneasy glances but said nothing.
“Who touched it?” she asked again, her voice lower this time.
“When we got back… it was already like that,” Xiao Jia stammered, not daring to approach her.
Wanyi said nothing. She quietly put the items back into the box and returned it to her wardrobe.
This time, she locked it with a key.
She thought the matter would end there.
But the next day, while she was at the art gallery, sitting at her workstation, she received a call from her academic advisor.
He asked her to come to the faculty office that afternoon for a talk.
After asking the curator for leave, Wanyi hurried back to campus.
“Wanyi, there’s something I need to discuss with you,” the advisor said, his expression unusually serious as he sat in the office.
“Please go ahead.”
“Someone reported you,” the advisor said slowly, watching Wanyi’s expression. “They claim you’ve been posing as a financially disadvantaged student—yet you’re using luxury items, an expensive computer, and even traveling to Hong Kong for leisure.”
As he spoke, he placed several photos on the desk.
They showed the white box on her table from the night before—and her computer.
“…Those were gifts,” Wanyi said quickly. “And my trip to Hong Kong was for an internship, not a vacation.”
So that was it.
No wonder the box had been taken out of her cabinet.
“Given the evidence provided by the reporter,” the advisor continued, “we may have to suspend your financial aid temporarily until the matter is fully investigated.”
Though he personally didn’t believe Wanyi capable of such deception, the evidence was there. It had to be clarified.
Graduate recommendations were approaching, and anonymous reports were everywhere. It wasn’t surprising she had become entangled in this.
“But… I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Her voice trembled with anger and grievance. A large portion of her living expenses depended on that subsidy. Without it, even basic survival would become difficult.
“That’s why I’ll look into it as soon as possible,” the advisor said with a sigh.
He looked at the girl before him—four years of consistently excellent grades, diligent, hardworking, actively involved in volunteer work. She had always been one of the best students.
“Go back for now.”
Wanyi walked slowly down the tree-lined path on campus.
Above her, the plane trees had begun to yellow with the arrival of autumn, leaves drifting down in quiet surrender.
Underfoot, they crunched softly.
From time to time, bicycles sped past, brakes screeching sharply—
The sound pierced her ears, like something scraping against her heart.
She took a deep breath.
Then stepped into a small convenience shop by the roadside and bought a bottle of water, slipping it into her bag.
She bent down, picked up a fallen leaf, and slowly crushed it in her hand—watching it crumble into fragments carried away by the wind.
When she returned to the dormitory, she walked silently to her desk.
She set down her bag. Turned around.
“Was it you?”
Her voice was calm as she looked at Lu Dan, who sat scrolling through her phone.
“W-what do you mean?” Lu Dan stammered, startled.
“The report,” Wanyi said, each word deliberate, pressing forward like a blade. “Was it you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lu Dan tried to turn back to her phone, feigning indifference.
“You went through my cabinet. Took photos of my computer.”
A faint, cold smile appeared on Wanyi’s face.
“You did it to report me—so I wouldn’t get my graduate recommendation. Didn’t you?”
“You really think I wouldn’t know?”
Something in her words snapped the fragile restraint.
Lu Dan suddenly exploded.
“Yes! It was me—so what?” she shouted, her voice shrill, almost hysterical. “Why should you get everything you want? Top grades, scholarships, recommendations—just because you want them? You sneak into luxury cars and still apply for financial aid? Do you think you deserve it all?”
Wanyi looked at her calmly, as if she had already seen through everything.
“I earned first place. I earned my scholarship. Do you have a problem with that?”
Her voice was steady.
“Why didn’t you say anything during the public announcements? Every class—I got first place with my own ability.”
“The teachers praise you, take care of you…” Lu Dan laughed suddenly, her body trembling uncontrollably. “They probably don’t know you’re just a kept woman, do they?”
Wanyi didn’t respond.
She turned back to her desk.
Unzipped her bag.
Took out the bottle of water she had just bought.
Twisted it open—
And without hesitation, poured it over Lu Dan’s head.
Every last drop.
“I. Am. Not. Kept.”
Her voice was calm, each word falling with quiet certainty.
Then she picked up her bag and the empty bottle, turned, and walked out of the dorm.
She wandered the streets in silence.
She hadn’t had dinner yet. Hunger crept in slowly.
Looking at the balance on her card, she hesitated for a moment—
Then stepped into a nearby bun shop and bought a plain steamed bun.
The cheapest thing that could still fill her stomach.
At least she had already paid this semester’s tuition.
She could take on another part-time job to make up the difference.
Wanyi thought about it, and slowly, something flickered back to life inside her—
A fragile but stubborn hope.
Life had to go on.
After tonight,
Tomorrow would still come—new, and waiting.