Su Yi looked at her without a single trace of emotion, her cold eyes like a pool of stagnant water. Her skin was a pale, icy white that rendered her almost translucent in the sunlight, while her long, sleek black hair fell over her chest with her movements, making her fine features look strikingly vivid against the light.
Those dark eyes remained locked onto her, watching her as if she were prey, sending an involuntary shiver down Huai Yin’s spine.
What was going on? Why did she seem so terrifying? Was Su Yi angry? But on second thought, it was completely understandable—she had just broken up with Xu Shiyan, after all.
And the main reason for that breakup was ultimately her.
Feeling immensely guilty, Huai Yin pressed her lips together silently.
“We were just passing by,” she replied, her voice lacking any conviction—a pathetic lie that even she didn’t believe.
Li Qing pulled Huai Yin to her feet and stood shielding her from behind. Raising her chin with an arrogant air, Li Qing retorted fiercely, “Yeah, that’s right—we overheard it all! So what?”
“Huai Yin is Xu Shiyan’s fiancée! Is there anything wrong with her wanting to know what you two were talking about?” Li Qing let out a soft scoff. “I’m warning you—don’t you dare come near Xu Shiyan again!”
Su Yi’s gaze subtly swept over their intertwined hands. A flicker crossed her eyes before she raised her head to stare straight at Huai Yin’s face, making the girl feel thoroughly uncomfortable under her gaze.
Seeing Su Yi ignore her completely, Li Qing grew furious. “Did you even hear what I said?”
Huai Yin tugged gently on Li Qing’s hand, signaling for her to stop.
Truth be told, Su Yi hadn’t paid a single bit of attention to Li Qing’s words—her focus was entirely consumed by Huai Yin. The young heiress had her head lowered, her tiny, palm-sized face scrunched up into a troubled knot, the tips of her ears peeking out from her hair completely flushed red.
What was she shy about?
Just moments ago, she had been huddled in someone else’s arms like a tiny kitten, letting them hold her without making a sound. Now she was letting herself be led so obediently by the hand, looking every bit like a bullied young bride while Li Qing played the role of the rash husband standing up for her.
At that thought, Su Yi’s expression darkened, an inexplicable wave of annoyance washing over her. She couldn’t tell if she felt gloomy because Xu Shiyan had broken up with her, or because she was seeing Huai Yin act so intimate with someone else.
Even Su Yi herself couldn’t tell the difference.
Her gaze turned as sharp as a blade, trying to force their hands apart, but the two of them only held on tighter. Huai Yin even shrank back behind Li Qing’s back.
Noticing Huai Yin’s movement, Li Qing patted the back of the small hand gently, soothing her in a low voice: “It’s alright. I’m right here, don’t be afraid.”
To Huai Yin, the girl in front of her instantly seemed tall and mighty, bringing an incredible sense of security. She nodded with tears shimmering in her eyes.
Su Yi’s expression shifted instantly, her lips pulling up into a sudden, cold laugh.
What a touching display of friendship, Su Yi thought bitterly. If Xu Shiyan didn’t exist, could she have become good friends with Huai Yin, too?
How could that be possible?
Su Yi shot down the thought just as quickly. She was merely a scholarship student—a young heiress like Huai Yin would never bother being friends with someone like her.
She let out a self-deprecating smile, a wave of sourness rising in her chest. Su Yi had always envied the close bond between Li Qing and Huai Yin; she wished she could openly hold Huai Yin’s hand and pinch her soft cheeks, too.
She wanted to be good to her, to let Huai Yin rely on her as well.
Yet Su Yi knew all too well that it was nothing more than wishful thinking, given that Huai Yin had always treated her as a romantic rival.
Su Yi’s mood grew complicated, filled with regret and guilt. Had she known earlier that Xu Shiyan had a fiancée, she would have kept her distance long ago.
Huai Yin pondered sluggishly. Should she say something? After all, she was supposed to be the vicious female side character.
Su Yi watched as the young heiress raised her pale, delicate face, assuming an impossibly arrogant tone: “Now that you two have broken up, you are not allowed to pester Shiyan anymore! I’ll be keeping a close eye on you!”
Su Yi’s expression remained composed—no one was ever going to be frightened by a tiny cat. Watching the young heiress put on her fierce front, Su Yi harbored a well-founded suspicion that if Li Qing weren’t present, the girl wouldn’t dare say such a thing at all.
So cute, makes me want to pat her head.
The young heiress believed she was issuing a threat, but to Su Yi, it looked like nothing more than a spoiled child throwing a tantrum—harmless and endearing, making one want to bully her thoroughly.
“I know,” Su Yi replied neutrally, without a shred of lingering attachment in her voice.
Huai Yin froze for a moment.
Oh no, the female lead was genuinely angry.
Was there still a chance to save this? The system told her not to meddle, but Huai Yin’s conscience simply wouldn’t let her rest.
If the main couple failed to end up together because of her, she would truly become an unforgivable sinner in the story—the readers would probably send her razor blades!
Got it!
A stroke of brilliance struck Huai Yin.
She just needed to work harder at playing the villainess! That way, Xu Shiyan would eventually grow tired of her, realize that Su Yi was the best all along, go through a whole “chasing his wife through a field of crematoriums” redemption arc, and finally reconcile with her!
The system didn’t stop her. In fact, it found Huai Yin’s logic strangely sound. The system felt that staying with Huai Yin for too long was definitely rubbing off on its own intelligence.
Now overflowing with determination, Huai Yin asked, “System, are there any tasks for today?”
The system paused, taken aback—it was its first time seeing Huai Yin act so proactive when she was usually so reluctant.
“Yes,” the system replied. “Before the ceramic competition deadline, you need to break the ceramic piece the female lead prepared for the entry.”
Huai Yin hesitated for a second, but convinced herself moments later.
It’s fine, it’s fine. At worst, I’ll just secretly make a new one for her afterward. It’s all to finish the task.
“That’s all I wanted to say. Li Qing, let’s go.”
Huai Yin took Li Qing’s hand, and the two walked off the rooftop together. Only after a long while did Su Yi snap back to her senses. Narrowing her eyes, she watched from afar as the long, dark hair cascading down the girl’s waist swayed gently with her steps, looking just like a fox tail swinging proudly behind her back.
Taking a deep breath, Su Yi stepped forward and followed behind them.
Reaching the ground floor, Huai Yin found an excuse to part ways with Li Qing. The next class was posture training, and Huai Yin needed to sneak into the ceramics classroom while no one was around.
“Huai Yin, are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Li Qing asked, looking at her with concern.
“It’s okay!” Huai Yin waved her off. “I probably dropped it somewhere along the way, I’ll just go back and look for it myself.”
Stepping away in her little heels, Huai Yin glanced back to make sure Li Qing hadn’t followed before letting out a sigh of relief.
Evading the crowd, Huai Yin arrived at the ceramics classroom without a hitch. Tiptoeing to peer through the window, she confirmed the room was empty.
Great. Now’s the time.
Catching sight of the surveillance camera in the corner out of the corner of her eye, Huai Yin blinked, pondering for a moment.
It doesn’t matter even if I get caught—in fact, it’s best if Xu Shiyan finds out.
Thus, Huai Yin walked right in with head held high, practically leaning into the camera lens as if worried it wouldn’t capture her face clearly. Locating Su Yi’s desk, Huai Yin verified multiple times that the ceramic piece placed there indeed belonged to Su Yi.
It was a long-necked ceramic vase—sleek, narrow, and reflecting a soft, pearlescent glow under the ambient light. Appearance-wise, it bore a striking resemblance to Su Yi herself.
Huai Yin felt a small pang of reluctance. Her outstretched hand hovered in mid-air, hesitating to move forward.
Closing her eyes and clenching her teeth, Huai Yin decided to throw caution to the wind. Just as her fingertips touched the body of the vase, her wrist was suddenly seized by someone’s firm grip.
Ah!
Startled out of her wits, Huai Yin let out an involuntary gasp and snapped her eyes open. Turning her head around, she found Su Yi standing right behind her.
“Y-You.” Huai Yin’s tongue tied itself in knots, completely lost for words.
Su Yi’s dark eyes swept over Huai Yin’s reddened earlobes. Closing the distance between them, she asked with a subtle smirk, “My Lady, what are you doing here?”
Huai Yin’s heart pounded wildly against her ribs, still shaken from the shock. She stammered, “W-What does it have to do with you?”
“Is that so? But this happens to be my seat, doesn’t it?” Su Yi’s tone carried a sharp, biting edge that contrasted sharply with her usual self. “Could it be that My Lady simply came over to admire my work?”
Su Yi’s slender frame pressed forward, forcing Huai Yin to shrink back until her back bumped against the edge of the desk, the sharp pain bringing tears to her eyes.
With nowhere left to retreat, Huai Yin was nearly pinned against the desk by Su Yi. She could only grip the edge of the table tightly with her free hand to keep herself from falling over.
Su Yi’s excessively pale face was pressed so close to hers that they were nearly touching. Her features were distinctly different from Huai Yin’s—her eyes were long, slender, and distant, and her sharp, sculpted facial structure possessed an indescribable, striking boldness. Yet, the sleek, refined contours of her face added just the right touch of feminine softness.
Huai Yin’s heart hammered against her ribs; she had never realized Su Yi could exude such an overwhelming, suffocating presence.
Seeing that she remained silent, Su Yi spoke up on her own, her tone low and deliberate. “Or did My Lady come here intending to destroy my work?”
Huai Yin’s breath hitched. She stared at Su Yi in stunned silence, a fine sheen of cold sweat beading on the tip of her upturned nose.
She was far too sharp—guessing her exact intent almost instantly. A brilliant flush instantly consumed Huai Yin’s face as she tried desperately to regain her composure.
“Y-You, let go of me.”
“Let go? Why should I?” Su Yi’s grip tightened around her wrist. “You target me at every turn. Don’t you think I ought to punish you?”
Huai Yin felt completely out of her depth.
Wait, punishment? Something about this feels totally wrong!
“Su Yi, you’re the one who. You’re completely turning the tables on me!”
Panicked, Huai Yin tried to wriggle free, but Su Yi’s grip was surprisingly unyielding. For a girl who looked so slender and delicate, Huai Yin couldn’t push her away no matter how hard she tried.
Pinning her shoulders down, Su Yi’s voice wavered with erratic emotion. “Do you really hate me that much?”
A wave of bitter sourness filled Su Yi’s heart, and her movements grew unconsciously heavier.
Pressing Huai Yin flat against the surface of the desk, a sharp, dull pain throbbed across Huai Yin’s back. She knitted her brows, squirming frantically in an attempt to break free, when her flailing hand accidentally knocked the ceramic vase off the table.
Clang!
The loud, shattering crash instantly snapped Huai Yin back to full awareness.
“Y-Your vase. I didn’t mean to!”
Su Yi didn’t seem to care about the shattered piece at all. Her arm coiled around Huai Yin’s slender neck, the posture bringing the young heiress into an intimately tight embrace against her chest.
With her eyes cast downward, Su Yi actually looked somewhat wronged. Filled with intense self-reproach, Huai Yin lost all her tough resistance and was just about to apologize and admit her mistake, when Su Yi’s next words froze her in place once again.
“Are you really that unwilling to be my friend?”