The afternoon was always warm and languid. Yu Jiuyuan had just finished the student council's routine meeting, and her fingertips were still on the message sent by Yuan Xu.
His newly cultivated fluorescent bacteria finally started glowing stably last night, and his words were filled with jubilant excitement.
She smiled and replied, "I'll go to the lab tonight," but as she turned around, she was met with a cold, indifferent gaze.
Xie Zhecheng stood at the end of the corridor, his dark school uniform making him look even taller. He held a thread-bound ancient book in his hand. When he saw her looking over, he nodded slightly: "I have prepared the ancient book restoration plan that we talked about last week."
"You've had a hard time." Yu Jiuyuan deliberately slowed her pace as she approached, her gaze falling on his slightly furrowed brows. "You don't look well. Didn't you get enough rest?"
Xie Zhecheng ran his fingertip along the edge of the book page, his tone flat: "It's alright."
But when she raised her hand to touch his forehead, she paused almost imperceptibly for half a second, and ultimately did not dodge.
Warm fingertips touched his skin, and the tips of his ears turned slightly red. His voice lowered, "Do you need me to take a look at your speech for the exchange meeting?"
"I couldn't be happier." As Yu Jiuyuan withdrew her hand, her fingertips brushed against his sleeve almost imperceptibly. "Seven o'clock tonight, the usual place?"
He nodded in agreement, and when he turned around, his steps were a fraction lighter than when he came.
Yu Jiuyuan watched his retreating figure. Xie Zhecheng's positive emotion value on the system panel jumped from 105 to 108. A hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes as she turned and walked towards the student council office.
Lin Yanran was frowning at the computer screen, the reports on the table were spread out in a mess.
Upon seeing her enter, the young man stiffened his neck and turned his face away, his tone carrying his usual arrogance: "What kind of rubbish data is this? It doesn't match at all."
Yu Jiuyuan walked over, casually pulled out a report, and pointed to one of the lines: "The formula here is wrong. Using the VLOOKUP function nested within IFERROR will automatically mark outliers."
As she leaned over, her long hair swept across the table, carrying a faint scent of gardenias.
Lin Yanran's ears inexplicably burned, but she still stubbornly replied, "Who needs you to teach me?"
But his body honestly moved aside, giving her room to operate.
After she pressed the last Enter key, all the abnormal values on the screen were marked in bright red. He muttered, "...Thanks."
"Don't forget the equestrian club on weekends."
As Yu Jiuyuan straightened up, she casually ruffled his hair, as if soothing a cat with its fur standing on end. "Wearing a knight's uniform would suit you very well."
Lin Yanran suddenly looked up, her cheeks flushed red. She wanted to say something, but was pushed away with a smile: "Hurry up and finish revising the report, or you'll have to work overtime again tonight."
Only when she was alone in the office did Yu Jiuyuan pick up her phone.
Rong Shenghan didn't send any messages all morning, which was very unusual.
Just as she was about to dial, a text message popped up from an unknown number, containing only a photo.
Rong Shenghan leaned against the iron frame of the abandoned warehouse, his white shirt was mostly soaked with blood, his left arm was twisted unnaturally, his face was as pale as paper, but his eyes were still open, his gaze as cold as ice.
In the background of the photo, you can vaguely see a figure wearing a black leather jacket, with a cigarette between his fingers. His profile is about 70% similar to Ji Nianqin's, but he looks more eccentric.
[An abandoned factory in the backstreets of Saint Sakura, visited alone.]
Yu Jiuyuan's knuckles turned white as she gripped the phone, but her face remained expressionless.
On the system panel, Rong Shenghan's favorability rating remained at 100, but in the "emotional fluctuation" column, the negative value suddenly soared to 90, the red number stinging the eyes.
She grabbed her coat and walked out, glancing at Yuan Xu through the glass window as she passed the laboratory.
The boy was hunched over the microscope, his profile appearing exceptionally gentle under the instrument's light, completely unaware of the storm raging outside.
Yu Jiuyuan didn't stop. Some "toys" need careful care, while others are destined to wear and tear.
The abandoned factory was filled with the smell of rust and dust.
Ji Luoqin sat on a pile of wooden crates, with a baton under her feet. When she saw her come in, she whistled, "Miss Yu is indeed punctual."
Yu Jiuyuan's gaze swept past him and looked at Rong Shenghan, who was tied to the iron frame behind her.
When the other person saw her, his previously tense jawline relaxed, and complex emotions surged in his eyes. In the end, he just tugged at the corner of his mouth and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't believe him."
"Tsk, still protecting her even in this state?" Ji Luoqin jumped off the wooden box, walked up to Yu Jiuyuan, and reached out to touch her face, but Yu Jiuyuan dodged her.
He wasn't annoyed. He pointed to Rong Shenghan's bleeding wound and said, "Tell me, if we cripple his arm, will the Rong family fight the Ji family to the death?"
"What do you want?" Yu Jiuyuan's voice was calm, as if she were discussing the weather.
Ji Luoqin laughed, revealing two sharp canine teeth: "It's simple." He leaned down, close to her ear, his hot breath brushing against her earlobe, "Beg me. Beg me to let him go."
The air froze instantly.
Rong Shenghan struggled violently, the chains scraping against his skin with a piercing sound, widening the opening of his wounds, and causing drops of blood to drip from his fingertips: "Yu Jiuyuan! Don't beg him!"
Yu Jiuyuan didn't look at him, but stared directly into Ji Luoqin's eyes.
Sunlight streamed through the broken roof, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on her face. Beneath her innocent and harmless exterior lay a chillingly calculating mind.
She knew that Ji Luoqin didn't want her to submit, but rather to see her bow down to others. This was a game of control, essentially no different from when she tamed those "pets".
"Please," she said, her voice as soft as a feather, yet clear enough to reach everyone's ears, "let him go."
Ji Luoqin's eyes lit up, like a child who had discovered a new toy: "Not enough. Say it again, but this time with sincerity."
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