As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds in the early morning, Yu Jiuyuan was already sitting in front of her dressing table.
The woman in the mirror had delicate features, and even a faint smile on her lips. However, the smile did not reach her eyes, like a lake with a thin layer of ice, which looked calm but was actually chillingly cold.
She deliberately chose a rose-colored lipstick, which left a bright mark when it glided across her lips, completely different from her usual favorite mauve color, and carried a kind of silent flamboyance.
The bedroom door was gently pushed open, and Rong Shenghan appeared in the doorway. He was wearing a light gray loungewear set, his long hair loosely tied back, with natural curls at the ends, making him look much softer than usual.
"Awake?" He walked over, instinctively reaching to brush the stray hairs from her forehead. "What would you like for breakfast? I'll ask the kitchen..."
Yu Jiuyuan tilted her head slightly, avoiding his touch.
Her movements were light, yet they struck Rong Shenghan's heart like a needle piercing his heart unexpectedly.
His outstretched hand froze in mid-air, the gentle smile on his face instantly faded, and a barely perceptible look of astonishment flashed across his eyes.
“No need to trouble yourself.” Yu Jiuyuan picked up the eyebrow pencil and carefully drew her eyebrows in front of the mirror, her voice as calm as if she were talking about the weather. “The housekeeper has already prepared it.”
Rong Shenghan's figure was reflected in the mirror. He stood half a step behind her, neither moving closer nor withdrawing his hand, but simply watching her quietly.
Sunlight streamed in from behind him, gilding him with a hazy golden edge, but it couldn't penetrate the sudden distance between the two.
After a long silence, he spoke in a low voice, his tone tentative: "Are you still angry about yesterday?"
Yu Jiuyuan didn't answer, but simply put down her eyebrow pencil and picked up a blush brush to lightly sweep across her cheekbones.
The coral-colored powder fell on her fair skin, making her complexion look excellent and making the coldness in her eyes stand out even more.
That's exactly how she wants to be—using the most exquisite appearance to wrap up the coldest aloofness.
Isn't Rong Shenghan good at pretending? Then she'll tear open his comfort zone and let him taste what it's like to be ignored.
When I went downstairs, the housekeeper had already set breakfast on the table.
The light from the crystal chandelier fell on the silver tableware, reflecting a soft, shimmering glow, but it couldn't warm the stagnant atmosphere in the restaurant.
Yu Jiuyuan sat down at the head of the table, picked up her knife and fork to cut the bacon on her plate, her movements elegant, but her eyes never glanced at Rong Shenghan.
He sat across from her, his coffee untouched, just staring at her with a deep, unfathomable gaze, like a turbulent sea hidden within.
"Have the photos from the exhibition been organized?" Yu Jiuyuan suddenly asked, but she was speaking to the butler standing to the side. "Have the driver deliver them to the student council office this afternoon, and also take Lin Yanran's copy to him."
"Yes, Miss."
"Remember to separate the materials from the smart healthcare exhibition area for Xie Zhecheng; his mother's project might find them useful."
"yes."
She gave instructions methodically and naturally, as if the person sitting opposite her was not someone she spent every day with, but an insignificant, transparent entity.
Rong Shenghan's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the coffee cup, his knuckles turning white.
He knew Yu Jiuyuan was angry, but he didn't expect her to do it this way. It wasn't a hysterical interrogation or a cold, sarcastic remark, but a complete disregard, as if he didn't exist in her world at all.
This silent punishment is more unsettling than any heated argument.
"How's the strain of Yuanxu doing?" he suddenly asked, breaking the silence in the restaurant. "You said yesterday that it had bloomed, so I had someone prepare some nutrient solution, which might prolong the flowering period."
Yu Jiuyuan paused for a moment while cutting bacon, then continued, still not looking at him, and simply said to the butler, "Have someone deliver this to Yuan Xu's laboratory, saying it's a gift from the student council."
It's always like this.
They kicked his words away like a ball, not even sparing him a glance.
Rong Shenghan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he picked up his coffee and took a sip.
The scalding liquid slid down my throat, but it did nothing to warm the chill in my heart.
He suddenly realized that he seemed to have never truly understood Yu Jiuyuan's anger.
Her indifference was not her nature, but a weapon.
It is usually kept well-sheathed, but once drawn, it is sharp enough to injure people.
Breakfast ended in dead silence. Yu Jiuyuan put down her knife and fork, picked up a napkin to wipe her lips, and stood up: "I'm going to the study to take care of something."
"I'll go with you." Rong Shenghan immediately followed.
Yu Jiuyuan walked to the door of the study, stopped, and turned her head to look at him.
Sunlight fell on her face, her rose-colored lips pressed into a straight line, her eyes as cold as ice: "Vice President Rong, I don't remember the student council scheduled overtime for today."
She deliberately emphasized the words "Vice President Rong," conveying a businesslike distance.
This was the first time she had addressed him so distantly in private since they had known each other.
Rong Shenghan stopped in his tracks, watching her push open the study door and walk in. Then, with a "click," the door was locked from the inside.
The sound of the lock turning was like a heavy hammer striking his heart.
He stood at the door of the study, raised his hand as if to knock, but his fingertips hovered in mid-air without falling.
He suddenly didn't know what to say. Explain? Apologize? Or just brush it off with a joke, as usual?
For the first time, he realized that all his usual methods of dealing with the situation were ineffective in the face of Yu Jiuyuan's silence.
In the study, Yu Jiuyuan leaned against the door. When she heard no sound outside, the coldness in her eyes faded slightly, replaced by a complex expression.
She had considered directly questioning his relationship with the Su family, and she had also considered forcing him to reveal the truth about "going home to handle some business."
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