"Teasing him?" Yu Jiuyuan laughed. "I'm just helping him realize his own position. Lin Yanran is a proud yet insecure person. If I don't give him a push, he'll never know what he's capable of."
Her tone was casual, yet it made Xie Zhecheng's heart skip a beat.
He suddenly remembered the first time he met Yu Jiuyuan. She was like that too, seemingly harmless, yet always able to hit people's sore spots in the most precise way.
Back then, he thought she was hypocritical, but now he finds her honest "badness" far more interesting than those veiled hypocrisy.
"Shouldn't you like me a little more?" Yu Jiuyuan suddenly leaned closer to him, her breath sweet as orchids. "President Xie, what do you think?"
She was very close; he could smell the faint scent of white tea on her, see the sunlight dancing on her eyelashes, and feel his heart beating inappropriately in his chest.
Xie Zhecheng took a small step back, creating some distance, and his tone returned to calm: "I have already sent the evidence of the Su family's suspected illegal transactions to the regulatory bureau as you requested."
His avoidance was within Yu Jiuyuan's expectations.
She wasn't annoyed; she simply straightened up, walked to the window, drew back the curtains, and looked out at the white world.
"Tell me, what is Rong Shenghan doing right now?" she suddenly asked, her tone light and casual, as if she were talking about someone insignificant.
Xie Zhecheng was taken aback, not expecting her to suddenly bring up Rong Shenghan. He remained silent for a few seconds before slowly saying, "I don't know."
Yu Jiuyuan looked out the window, a cold smile curving her lips: "I bet he's hiding somewhere, secretly watching me like a loyal but pitiful little dog."
Her tone was undisguised sarcasm, yet Xie Zhecheng keenly sensed something amiss. Behind that sarcasm, something else seemed to be hidden, like a spark covered by ice and snow, revealing only a tiny, faint ember.
“You seem to care about him a lot,” Xie Zhecheng said.
"Care?" Yu Jiuyuan turned around, laughing like a madwoman.
"Why would I care about a disobedient dog? I just think that since it's taking up my space, it should act like a pet. What kind of skill is it to hide all day?"
Her words grew increasingly erratic, and her eyes gleamed with a fanatical light.
Xie Zhecheng looked at her and suddenly felt that perhaps Rong Shenghan's departure was not a bad thing for her. At least, there was one less person who could make her lose control of her emotions.
"The snow has stopped outside, how about we go for a walk?" Xie Zhecheng suddenly suggested. "The plum garden at Saint Sakura Academy should be open by now."
Yu Jiuyuan was taken aback, clearly not expecting him to suddenly invite her.
She looked at Xie Zhecheng, at his calm and focused eyes behind his glasses, and suddenly thought the suggestion was good.
“Okay.” She smiled innocently. “Perfect, I also want to see if Vice President Xie is like those plum blossoms, only daring to bloom in winter.”
Xie Zhecheng's lips curled into a very faint smile, like the first melting of snow: "Perhaps."
The two walked out of the student council office side by side, the sunlight shining on them and casting long shadows.
No one noticed that in the corner of the teaching building not far away, a figure in a black coat stood quietly, his gaze fixed on Yu Jiuyuan, his emotions as complex as an unsolvable tangled mess.
It's Rong Shenghan.
He's back.
But he could only be like a thief hiding in the shadows, watching her laugh and chat with others, watching her live a vibrant life even without him, and even... become more insane.
He clutched a small box tightly in his pocket, inside which was a fountain pen he had bought especially for her, with a small plum blossom engraved on the cap.
But now, he doesn't even have the courage to step forward and hand it to her.
Because he knew that his appearance would reignite her anger and disrupt her life once again.
But he couldn't bear to part with it.
Rong Shenghan watched Yu Jiuyuan and Xie Zhecheng's figures disappear at the end of the road, and watched them walk into the blooming plum garden, before finally slowly letting go of his hand.
The sharp edges of the pen hurt his palm, but it was nothing compared to the dull, throbbing pain in his heart.
In the end, he became the most silent piece in her game of chess.
And she was that mad chess player who held the chessboard, able to make whoever she wanted win or lose.
In the plum garden, Yu Jiuyuan looked at the blooming red plum blossoms before her and suddenly smiled.
“Look how beautifully they bloom.” She reached out and picked a plum blossom, bringing it to her nose to smell. “The colder it is, the more passionately they bloom. Just like some people, the more they are bound, the more they want to break free.”
Xie Zhecheng looked at her, at the mad light in her eyes, and suddenly felt that perhaps he could like her a little more.
This eccentric young lady, this chess player holding the board, is truly... too interesting.
As for Rong Shenghan hiding in the shadows...
Yu Jiuyuan's gaze inadvertently swept across the end of the road, a cold smile curving her lips.
Don't rush.
We'll see each other again soon.
Then I will show you what true "taming" really means.
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