[Xie Zhuran]: Lao Song, you finished your exam and ran off, but Lao Jiang hasn’t come for the test yet. Did something happen to Lao Jiang? Oh right, when you went into the exam room, your eyes were already red, and when you left, they were even redder. What happened between you two? Lao Lin and I are both worried about you. Reply as soon as you see this!!
“So it was from Lao Xie?”
Song Qiuyu’s eyes fluttered twice, then she caught a faint whiff of snow pine soap wafting coolly past her ear.
The chill of the scent tickled her skin, at once itchy and faintly burning, impossible to ignore.
She turned her head and saw Jiang Xiao brazenly leaning in, peeking at the messages on her phone! Her first instinct was to push him away; the places his breath brushed against felt burning hot, even on a cold winter morning like this.
It made her feel warm, but also so anxious her heart raced—she just wanted to escape this closeness.
But before she could push him away, she glimpsed her own reflection in those clear, serene, ink-dark phoenix eyes of his, as if looking in a mirror.
The girl in Jiang Xiao’s eyes had reddened eyes—so red it looked like she might burst into tears at any moment…
She recalled Xie Zhuran’s message.
Song Qiuyu’s pupils widened, her face full of disbelief.
Did she really finish the exam with such a face, and then rush all the way to the Hospital like this?
“What are you spacing out for? Reply quickly!” Jiang Xiao turned and looked at her strangely.
Immediately, Song Qiuyu grew flustered and, trying to appear casual, took two steps toward the Hospital exit, using the moment to widen the distance between them.
She quickly summarized what had happened in the chat box and sent it off.
While she was composing the message, Jiang Xiao did as she said, going to find a doctor for an exemption slip for the physical test.
After sending the message, Song Qiuyu looked up and let out a warm breath, her mood growing restless.
“By the way, Song Qiuyu, I just remembered something.” Jiang Xiao’s voice sounded from behind her.
“Hm?”
Song Qiuyu was slightly taken aback.
“There was a time before, you also got this close and secretly peeked at my phone screen, didn’t you?” Jiang Xiao’s voice carried a hint of teasing amusement.
Song Qiuyu’s eyes widened—she did remember.
That time, during military training, she’d tried to peek at Jiang Xiao’s message to Shen Xi.
“Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
“No reason, it just popped into my head.”
Jiang Xiao walked past her in a few quick steps.
As he brushed by, he smoothly pulled up the hood of her down jacket and put it on her head.
“It’s windy outside—put your hood up. Your face and eyes are all red from the cold wind.”
Her whole head was suddenly wrapped in warmth, the icy wind shut out.
Song Qiuyu stood there, chest echoing with noisy thumps, stunned.
She lowered her gaze, watching Jiang Xiao’s long legs striding farther away, and after a moment of silence, she bit her lip.
As expected, he’s a bashful greenhorn, trying to win me over with this gentle, slow-boiling affection?
But if the frog already knows it’s being boiled, and the water’s this scalding hot, how could it just sit there and wait?
If it were her, she’d probably have skinned the frog and eaten it clean by now.
So…
Is this guy, Haki Xiao, looking down on me—thinking I’m some dumb frog?
I have to make it clear to him, stop fantasizing about your roommate turning into your wife!
She rubbed her eyes haphazardly with her sleeve, then quickened her pace to catch up.
Suppressing her voice, she said, “Jiang Xiao, let me ask you, you’re not seriously thinking about dating me, are you?”
“Do I not look serious enough?”
Jiang Xiao sounded surprised, but only for a moment—he immediately picked up the thread.
“Forget it, you really shouldn’t date anyone. You fall for someone and just give your whole heart away—you’re too much of an idiot to be dating.”
Song Qiuyu turned her face away, sighing like she’d lost all hope, and secretly poked Jiang Xiao’s left hand with her finger, not too gently.
“How could that be right?” Jiang Xiao retorted without hesitation.
“I’ll be blunt—if you were smart, you’d stop wasting your effort on me!” Song Qiuyu took a shallow breath, pressed her lips tight, then turned and “glared” fiercely at him as she spoke.
Hearing this, Jiang Xiao turned and looked beside him.
The girl’s eyes, tinged with red and misty, tried to look intimidating, but it was clearly an effort.
Her willow-leaf brows knitted tight, lips pursed in a pout, and smooth chin held high.
She looked just like a little beast, cornered on the edge of a cliff.
Song Qiuyu’s guard was so high—how could he ever reach the soft belly beneath all those sharp thorns?
Jiang Xiao fell into thought.
After a long moment.
“What are you laughing at? I’m being totally serious here!” Song Qiuyu gritted her teeth.
Jiang Xiao’s smile only deepened without him realizing.
“We all know you’re being completely serious.”
Under the stage of the opera house, the senior sister listened to Song Qiuyu’s words, pressing her forehead in distress as she looked at her own club members.
“But if Jiang Xiao’s recovery isn’t as good as expected, the performance of our Stage play will really suffer!”
She had to admit, these two juniors were both talented and hardworking, but in this respect, they were a bit too self-assured, and careless as well.
They’d been rehearsing for two weeks—everything had been fine until now, and suddenly, a broken arm!
The President of the Drama Club looked thoughtful and said nothing, while others whispered back and forth, unable to decide on whether to replace the male lead.
To be honest.
At the moment, no one could think of anyone better suited for the role than Jiang Xiao.
“Senior sister, I’ll definitely take care of Jiang Xiao, and over the past two weeks, you’ve all seen how our rehearsals have gone,” Song Qiuyu said, stopping Jiang Xiao from moving as she looked calmly around at everyone, speaking responsibly.
“Jiang Xiao is, without question, the perfect fit for the Blind Prince.”
She spread her fingers over her chest, her gaze firm and earnest, carrying a kind of authority that made others unconsciously wary.
“If we try to find someone new now, it probably won’t go any better, and the rehearsal schedule will be completely disrupted.”
Her tone was gentle and patient as she explained the situation, her composure less like a first-year student and more like a seasoned professor giving a lecture.
“He was hurt saving me. I’ll take responsibility—I’ll look after him to the end!”
Jiang Xiao sat on the bench, on one hand considering how, despite his injured arm, she was forcing him to rest, and on the other, unable to take his eyes off her face.
She spoke up for him so seriously, wanting to take responsibility—it was both handsome and charming, making her shine brilliantly.
So cute.
No one could possibly resist.
The senior sister’s expression wavered; after a moment’s hesitation, she looked to their President for guidance.
“How about this— the next scene is just Song Qiuyu and Jiang Xiao’s part. Let’s see how their performance goes, okay?”
The President of the Drama Club smiled, “If they can impress most of us with just one rehearsal, then we’ll trust them and keep Jiang Xiao as our male lead. What do you all think?”
“Only one try?”
Xie Zhuran and Lin An both looked worriedly at their two roommates.
That’s way too hard.
Even the most gifted actors wouldn’t be certain to succeed with just one try.
“Jiang Xiao, I believe in us. Do you?” Song Qiuyu took a deep breath, confidently reaching her hand toward Jiang Xiao, not seeing this as the President making things difficult.
Actually, this was the most convincing way.
“Yeah. I believe so too.”
Jiang Xiao extended his uninjured left hand, grasped hers, and stood up from the bench, a smile curling at his lips.
This scene was about, after the deception, the Monster disguised as the Princess playing in a sea of Blue Moongrass, meeting the Blind Prince once again.
Song Qiuyu took the Stage first.
In the prop field of blue flowers, she chased the prop White Butterfly in circles with loud, clumsy steps, and, after catching it, flopped down on the ground, playing in a completely unladylike manner, perfectly embodying the Monster’s silly and lovable side.
Her performance drew smiles from many in the audience, completely immersed in the scene.
The next moment, her Blind Prince entered the Stage.
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