The air was deathly still, broken only by a few rumbles of thunder outside the window.
A scoff came from another direction, finally snapping Xi Jin back to his senses.
His face, already flushed from the effects of the drug, deepened with a few more shades of crimson. His mesmerizing peach-blossom eyes stared blankly at the trembling, soft fingertip in the air, still vibrating from the impact.
It took him a moment to register the anger.
"You hit me?"
The girl standing before him furrowed her delicate brows, grabbed his tie, and pulled.
"Come with me."
Xi Jin stood over six feet tall, towering over Jiang Zhizhi even in her high heels.
He could have easily broken free, but for some reason, his feet refused to obey.
He even allowed her to drag him by the tie into another room.
The moment the door closed, Xi Jin’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his mixed-race features darkening with a stormy intensity.
"Jiang Zhizhi, don’t think I won’t lay a hand on you."
The girl in his line of sight lifted her slender chin and curved her eyes into a smile.
The next instant, pain shot through him.
Her high heel, studded with glittering diamonds, pressed down on his foot.
"Are you really that clueless, Xi Jin? Can’t you see who I’m doing all this for?"
"The banquet downstairs is filled with half of A City’s elite, including your beloved Qiao Yan."
At the mention of Qiao Yan, Xi Jin’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
Jiang Zhizhi put on a pained expression, spinning her web of lies:
"Pei Henian is pursuing Qiao Yan. My uncle has always wanted to climb the social ladder—he’d be thrilled if Qiao Yan married into such a top-tier wealthy family."
"Lu Siyan also gave Qiao Yan a love letter. Even though she rejected him, she had dinner with him, and they talked until eleven at night."
"Others like Qiao Yan and are pursuing her passionately. You like her too, but you keep it all bottled up inside. How will you ever win her over like this?"
Jiang Zhizhi kept her beautiful face stern, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, brimming with frustration.
But the mixed-race young man before her only furrowed his brow more deeply.
He stared intently at her, as if looking past her face to someone else.
Feeling a twinge of guilt, Jiang Zhizhi unconsciously pursed her lips before feigning heartache again.
"Besides, if I really wanted to do something to you, haven’t there been plenty of chances before?"
"Why didn’t I act then? Why today of all days?"
"Why did I drug you and stuff you into a closet, only to go torment your love rivals?"
"Xi Jin, you’ve always been clever. How could you not figure it out?"
A trace of bitterness appeared at the corner of Jiang Zhizhi’s lips as she lowered her thick, fluttering lashes.
"I know it’s because you hate me now, so you think everything I do is wrong, everything I say is an excuse…"
"But everything I’ve done is for you."
"I know you like Qiao Yan, so I wanted to create opportunities for the two of you to spend time together. I even tried to help you deal with your rivals, to make Qiao Yan dislike them."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the man’s arm muscles tense abruptly.
Jiang Zhizhi pursed her lips and slowly, deliberately, raised her head to meet his gaze.
Under the dazzling lights, those sapphire-blue eyes were fixed intently on her.
A turbulent, scorching emotion churned in their depths, swirling between doubt and shock.
He was tense, so tense that his breathing seemed to halt.
This reaction wasn’t quite what Jiang Zhizhi had expected.
In fact, it felt strangely off.
Jiang Zhizhi didn't dwell on it further. She lowered her lashes, her voice soft,
"You are my best friend, Xi Jin."
"We grew up together since childhood."
"You are very special to me. In this world, no other boy could ever be more important than you."
"I truly cherish you as a dear friend. I don't want to give up our friendship and memories."
"But I'm really terrible—I couldn't even help you properly and only made you angrier."
"Perhaps someone as useless and ill-intentioned as me doesn't deserve to be your friend in the first place…"
"I'll stay far away from you from now on. I won't try to be clever and make things worse, nor will I upset you again."
Fragments of the original body's memories flashed through her mind. The words flowed from her tongue without hesitation, more familiar than countless rehearsals, yet as if spoken from the depths of her heart,
"But I will always remember you from many years ago—the you who gave all your toys to me, the you who fought older students for me, and the you who always stood in front of me whenever danger arose…"
Xi Jin's fingers, suspended in mid-air, suddenly clenched.
His breathing grew rapid, and his ever-charming peach blossom eyes grew moist.
He stood perfectly still, not moving an inch.
Yet at this moment, only Xi Jin understood how hard he was trying to suppress the shock in his heart, to restrain himself from being too abrupt, from abruptly pulling her into his embrace.
His childhood sweetheart, who had disappeared for six years, was now standing alive before him once more—
She would purse her lips when nervous, steal glances at him, reveal her inner unease through small, fragmented yet endearing gestures, and even her tone when feigning pitifulness felt strikingly familiar…
Xi Jin hardly dared to breathe, afraid that all of this was a fragile dream.
His eyes reddened, the clear blue irises shimmering like rippling water. Suddenly, he let out a very soft, very light laugh.
The emotions in his eyes were complex, as if some uncontrollable thought was about to break through the surface. In the lingering shock, Xi Jin exhaled,
"Zhizhi—"
A soft hand covered Xi Jin's mouth.
The delicate scent of roses permeated the air. The moment her tender palm pressed against his thin lips, Xi Jin heard the girl's sigh,
"Don't say anymore. It's all my fault."
The fleeting softness, the girl's wavy curls tracing an arc in the air as she turned, brushed against the back of his hand.
Xi Jin instinctively grasped her slender wrist, his voice strained,
"Zhizhi, it's not what you think."
"I've never liked Miss Qiao, and I certainly wouldn't chase after her—"
The girl before him remained silent, merely lowering her eyes and pressing a medicine box into his hand,
"Xi Jin, I'm sorry…"
As her words trailed off, she pried his hand open and gently pulled it down.
With a creak of the door, the girl's soft curls disappeared beyond the doorway.
The handsome, tall mixed-race man stood alone in the room, somewhat at a loss as he stared at the English-labeled medicine box in his palm.
The soft sensation in his palm gradually faded, and the scent of roses began to dissipate.
The red-eyed young man looked at the medicine but suddenly broke into a smile of something lost and regained.
He strode forward, his eyes brightening:
"Zhizhi—"
The next second, the door was pulled open again.
The repeated sound of the door opening drew the attention of two figures in the hall.
Pei Henian and Lu Siyan turned their heads one after another, witnessing a surprising scene.
Just minutes ago, Xi Jin, who had been ready to fight and kill, now sounded panicked as he grasped Jiang Zhizhi’s wrist, his tone unbearably humble.
"Zhizhi, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have been so harsh with you just now."
"I’ll never dare to do it again. Please don’t be angry with me…"
"You can’t ignore me, Zhizhi."
"I’m in so much pain. The medicine made me feel awful. I might be running a fever—here, feel it if you don’t believe me—"
The tall, mixed-race young man leaned down slightly, like a loyal big dog, pulling the girl’s fingers to press against his own face.
"Zhizhi, you hit me so hard it hurts…"
"Zhizhi, I’ve missed you so much…"
"I feel so wronged…"