The marks of those three times are etched into her very bones; they cannot be erased simply by trying to avoid them.
The street scene outside the car window slowly moved backward, and sunlight shone through the glass, casting a blurred line between the two.
One deliberately distanced themselves, while the other remained silent, yet they were bound together by some closer connection without being noticed.
On the system panel, Rong Shenghan's favorability rating was still 100, but the curve of his emotional fluctuations was like waves of wheat being blown by the wind, rising and falling continuously, and could no longer be calmed down.
Yu Jiuyuan looked out the window at the gate of Saint Sakura Academy and suddenly said, "After the winter break, we should start preparing for the student council."
“Hmm,” Rong Shenghan replied, “Lin Yanran’s evaluation period is coming to an end soon. What score do you plan to give him?”
"Let's see how he performs," Yu Jiuyuan said calmly. "However... he has improved quite a bit recently."
When Lin Yanran was mentioned, a barely perceptible smile flashed in Rong Shenghan's eyes: "Perhaps she has been 'trained' quite well by you."
Yu Jiuyuan raised an eyebrow but did not refute.
Training? That's a very apt word.
Whether it's the aloof Xie Zhecheng, the arrogant Lin Yanran, or even the unfathomable Rong Shenghan, they are all under her control, moving step by step towards the ending she has set, according to her rhythm.
But... as she looked at Rong Shenghan's profile as he focused on driving, the morning light casting soft shadows on his sharply defined features, a thought suddenly popped into her mind: what if one day, this game gets out of control?
The thought had barely crossed her mind when she suppressed it.
She is Yu Jiuyuan, how could she possibly lose control?
The car arrived at the research park quickly.
Yuan Xu's laboratory was still bustling with activity. The boy, dressed in a white lab coat, was excitedly showing them the mimicry bacteria in the petri dish. In the morning light, the tiny colonies appeared a dreamy pinkish-purple, like a handful of glowing stars.
"Jiuyuan, Rong Shenghan, look!" Yuan Xu's eyes shone like a child's. "Their sensitivity to light has increased threefold!"
Yu Jiuyuan walked over, leaned closer to the petri dish to take a look, and exclaimed sincerely, "Amazing, Yuan Xu."
Rong Shenghan stood to the side, watching them with a smile. The gentleness in his eyes was like the spring sunshine, melting away all the scheming and estrangement.
The incubator in the laboratory emitted a soft hum, and sunlight streamed in through the glass window, falling on the three people and coating them with a golden halo.
The snow outside the window is melting, dripping onto the ground like the sound of time passing.
The forces behind the Su family are still lurking in the shadows, Xie Zhecheng's favorability rating is still stuck at 77, Lin Yanran's arrogance has not completely faded, and between her and Rong Shenghan, beneath the deliberately maintained distance lies a surging undercurrent.
But Yu Jiuyuan was not in a hurry.
She had plenty of patience and continued this game called "Strategy".
She raised her hand and ruffled Yuan Xu's hair, looking at the boy's reddened ear tips, then glanced at Rong Shenghan who was smiling at her. The indifference and composure in her eyes intertwined, finally turning into a perfectly timed smile.
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