The snow at St. Sakura Academy stopped at three in the morning.
When Yu Jiuyuan opened her eyes, the fireplace in the suite had already burned to ashes, with only residual warmth remaining on the carved fireplace mantel.
She moved her fingers and touched the cool skin under the silk sheet, and... a warm body beside her.
Rong Shenghan's breath fell evenly on the nape of her neck, carrying a scent of mint and ebony.
His arm was still wrapped around her waist, the strength loose but firm, like an invisible barrier.
Yu Jiuyuan looked at his sleeping profile, which had lost its usual gentleness and aloofness. His eyelashes cast a light shadow under his eyes, revealing a softness that hinted at his youthful spirit.
Rong Shenghan: Favorability 64 (unchanged), Emotional fluctuations - Negative 1 / Neutral 8 / Positive 92 (Positive +5)
The system panel beeps were very soft, as if afraid of disturbing the moment of tranquility.
Yu Jiuyuan slowly pulled her hand out of his grasp, her fingertips tracing her collarbone, where a few faint red marks remained, proof of her loss of control last night.
The internal heat had long since subsided, replaced by a dull ache in the nerve endings, like a wasteland scorched by a raging fire.
She sat up, supporting herself on the headboard. Her silk nightgown slipped off her shoulders, revealing her skin with tiny marks that were particularly clear in the morning light.
Last night's memories are like shattered glass, sharp and chaotic.
The smug smile of the young master of the Su family, the cold alarm of the system, the shock in Xie Zhecheng's eyes when he burst through the door, Rong Shenghan's deep "Trust me" as he pressed her against the fireplace... The final image is his kiss on her forehead, filled with a redemptive tenderness.
Yu Jiuyuan got out of bed barefoot, her movements very light as she stepped on the wool carpet.
She walked to the window, pulled back the heavy velvet curtains, and saw the world outside was pure white. The ribbons of the dust-washing banquet were weighed down by the snow on the branches, like a string of frozen rainbows.
The lights in the student council office were still on, and a figure could be vaguely seen bent over a desk; it was probably Xie Zhecheng.
As she turned around, Rong Shenghan happened to open his eyes. His gaze was clear, unlike someone who had just woken up. When it fell on her bare shoulder, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly: "Awake?"
"Hmm." Yu Jiuyuan walked to the wardrobe, took out the shirt he had left there last night. It was a spare shirt from her office, and it fit him perfectly. Now, as she wore it, the hem covered her mid-thighs. "Tang Nianzhi..."
"I had the bodyguards take her back." Rong Shenghan sat up, the blanket slipped down to reveal his well-defined chest, which still bore the red marks she had scratched.
"They said you had a sudden onset of acute appendicitis and are in the hospital." He looked at her fingers as she buttoned her shirt and suddenly laughed, "You buttoned it wrong."
Yu Jiuyuan looked down and saw that the third button was fastened in the fourth buttonhole. Just as she was about to button it again, Rong Shenghan came over, his warm fingertips covering her hand, and gently put the buttons back in place one by one.
His breath fell on the top of her head, carrying an unmistakable intimacy: "That Su family boy has already been sent to Australia by his father."
“Not enough.” Yu Jiuyuan’s voice was soft, but it was icy. “Three broken ribs were needed to compensate for the extra medicine he took last night.”
Rong Shenghan paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, "It really is you." He raised his hand to stroke her hair, but she turned her head away.
The air between them fell silent instantly, with only the dripping sound of melting snow outside the window.
Yu Jiuyuan looked at the fleeting disappointment in his eyes and suddenly remembered his uncontrolled kiss last night, and the words he whispered in her ear, "I've been waiting for this day for a long time."
Rong Shenghan: Favorability 64 (unchanged), Emotional fluctuations - Negative 1 / Neutral 8 / Positive 92 (Positive +3)
Her positive mood improved a bit. Yu Jiuyuan turned and walked towards the bathroom: "I'm going to wash up."
The moment the door closed, she leaned against the cold door panel, her fingertips tracing her lips, where his warmth still lingered, like an indelible brand.
The coffee in the student council office has already been refilled to its third cup.
Xie Zhecheng stared at the star trail chart on his computer screen, but couldn't focus on any of the data.
The observation data from Changbai Mountain distorted into bizarre shapes in his eyes, eventually transforming into Yu Jiuyuan's appearance from last night: her reddened eyes, her broken breathing, and... the dependence he had never seen before when she grabbed Rong Shenghan's collar.
[Xie Zhecheng: Favorability 17 (unchanged), Emotional fluctuations - Negative 0/Neutral 5/Positive 105 (Positive +3)]
The system panel's notification sounds were mixed with the running water in the bathroom.
Xie Zhecheng slammed his laptop shut, sweeping his coffee cup to the floor. The sound of shattering porcelain pierced the empty office.
He recalled that he had stood outside the lounge for three whole hours the previous night.
Listening to the suppressed sounds inside, to Rong Shenghan's low, hoarse soothing words, to Yu Jiuyuan's breathing finally calming down... that feeling of powerlessness was even more suffocating than the observed deviation of the star orbit from the calculated value.
"President Xie?" Yuan Xu appeared at the door carrying an incubator. Seeing the shards on the ground, worry immediately welled up in her eyes. "Are you alright? A-Yuan... is she alright?"
Xie Zhecheng looked at the incubator in his arms. The aurora butterflies were quietly perched on the flower branch, their wing veins glowing steadily and softly. Clearly, their owner was out of danger.
He picked up the shards of porcelain from the ground, his voice regaining its usual coldness: "She's fine, catching up on sleep in the lounge."
Yuan Xu breathed a sigh of relief and placed the incubator on the table: "That's good. They were making a fuss all night last night. I thought..."
He didn't continue, but opened the box and carefully adjusted the temperature. "Ah Yuan said that these butterflies can sense her emotions. Now that they are quiet, it means she is really okay."
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