When Shi Man saw Lin Xian again that afternoon, she felt like her deskmate had somehow been resurrected with full power. Just that morning, Lin Xian had looked like a sad little kitten, eyes dull and spiritless. Yet after just one lunch break, she returned twenty minutes before class started with her whole face beaming like spring sunshine.

  Shi Man seized the moment before class began to gossip a little. “Where’d you go during lunch?” she asked. Lin Xian smelled faintly of medicinal balm.

  Lin Xian didn’t try to hide anything. She answered truthfully, “I went to see Aunt Xiao. She took me to the hospital to see a doctor, then I rested a bit at her office.”

  This time, Shi Man finally showed a bit of conscience as a friend. Her playful grin faded, and her pretty face visibly tensed with concern. She asked nervously, “You saw a doctor? Was the fall this morning really that bad? What did they say?”

  Lin Xian had long let go of the morning’s cold shoulders from everyone after Xiao Wanqing’s gentle coaxing. She smiled and reassured her, “It’s nothing serious. My aunt was just being overly cautious. A bit of ointment and I’m good.”

  Shi Man finally looked a little relieved. Her naturally flirtatious eyes softened as she hesitated, then dug around in her bag and pulled out a packet of medicinal patches, handing it to Lin Xian. “I told Zhijin you fell. She asked me to give this to you.”

  Lin Xian raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.

  Shi Man looked a little annoyed by her reaction. She pursed her red lips and pouted, her peach blossom eyes full of dissatisfaction. “Surprised, huh? Yeah, I don’t know what’s gotten into her either—when did she become so gentle and thoughtful?!”

  Lin Xian wasn’t sure if she was imagining things, but when Shi Man said the words “gentle and thoughtful,” it sounded like she was grinding her teeth.

  Seeing the pretty girl sulking for no apparent reason, Lin Xian didn’t dare look too deep into it. She accepted the patches like a cherished treasure, smiling sweetly. “Please thank our senior for me.”

  Shi Man hummed twice. Barely two seconds later, she suddenly reached out and snatched the patches back from Lin Xian’s hands. Her tone turned imperious. “You already have medicine. You don’t need these anymore. Give them back.”

  Lin Xian stared in stunned silence, then came to her senses and poked Shi Man’s shoulder, eyebrows raised in amusement. “What’s that supposed to mean? Who takes back a gift? Oh… I get it! You didn’t want to give them to me at first, then you heard I went to the hospital and your conscience kicked in. But now you regret it again?”

  She didn’t really need the patches—she’d only accepted them out of politeness, not wanting to waste Senior Xia Zhijin’s kindness. But now that Shi Man was taking them back, she was suddenly interested in getting them back, just for fun.

  She leaned in abruptly, reaching out to snatch the patches from Shi Man’s hands. But Shi Man was ready, tilting back slightly and dodging her with ease. She managed to avoid her grasp, but in doing so, ended up pinned down by Lin Xian and couldn’t move.

  They were sitting in the fifth row. Class was about to start, and even though it was a shared lecture with four classes together, the warning bell had already rung. Freshmen were sticklers for rules, so the classroom had quieted down considerably. Their playful scuffle drew everyone’s attention without fail.

  Chen Zhi, who sat a little further in on the same row and often hung out with them, couldn’t resist teasing. “Oho! Lin Xian, are you trying to force yourself on her in front of a live audience?”

  Lin Xian burst out laughing and shot back casually, “Go to hell.”

  Then, with a cheeky grin, she turned back to press Shi Man again. “So, are you giving it back or not?”

  Shi Man’s peach blossom eyes narrowed suddenly. Her red lips curved into a sly smile. Then, with a single motion, she slipped the patches into her shirt collar and tucked them into her ample cleavage. Her voice was light and teasing, tinged with seductive charm: “Come and get it, then.”

  Lin Xian: “…”

  Classmates watching: “…”

  So what if she has boobs!?

  Just as things were about to escalate, the class bell rang right on cue. Their female lecturer strolled into the room, holding a thermos cup like a queen. Lin Xian had no choice but to let Shi Man go, straightening up and sitting properly for class.

  Halfway through the lesson, Lin Xian’s mind began to wander. She flipped to a blank page in her notebook and scribbled a few words, passing it to Shi Man.

  Why didn’t you want to give it to me?

  It was vague, but she knew Shi Man would understand.

  Shi Man took the notebook, her pen hovering over the page for a long while without writing anything.

  Lin Xian glanced at her several times, puzzled by the delay. But without an answer, she could only refocus on the lecture.

  Eventually, the notebook was passed back. Lin Xian lowered her eyes and read the reply beneath her question. The handwriting was neat and delicate, but the tone was bold and commanding:

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Because she’s only allowed to be good to me.

  Lin Xian let out a silent “whoa” in her heart, then quickly scribbled back:

  Even if she’s your sister, you can’t be this possessive, right?

  This time, Shi Man replied almost immediately:

  I am this possessive. What are you going to do about it? She’s my sister. Of course she can only be good to me! Mine! All mine!

  The last few characters looked like they were about to pierce through the paper—they were written so forcefully.

  Lin Xian couldn’t help but glance sideways at Shi Man, biting her lip. She thought silently: Could this be… the infamous sis-con?

  She chuckled softly, choosing not to argue. She wrote back in agreement:

  Alright, alright. Yours. All yours.

  Poor Senior Zhijin… probably getting bossed around even at home…

  Shi Man was very pleased with her reply. With a dramatic flourish, she wrote back:

  Your emperor is well pleased. We shall bestow you, Little Linzi, the privilege of accompanying Us to the royal restroom after class.

  Lin Xian: “…” Can I say no?

  She should’ve said no.

  It was a trap.

  She never expected that a simple bathroom trip would lead to a side of Shi Man she had never seen before—and a level of shock she couldn’t begin to describe.

  That afternoon, their class was held in the top-floor meeting room of the teaching building—the sixth floor. Each floor of the building was divided into A and B wings, both with classrooms and restrooms, except for the sixth floor. Only Wing A had classrooms, while Wing B was locked off with access to the rooftop, and there were no restrooms on that floor.

  So, they had to go down to the fifth floor.

  After class, Lin Xian and Shi Man walked from the far left side, chatting and laughing their way down the hall to the staircase, and then down to the far right corner where the fifth-floor restroom was located.

  Everything was normal—until they stepped off the last stair and turned the corner in the hallway.

  In an instant, Lin Xian saw Shi Man’s delicate side profile shift from a soft smile to a sharp, furious expression. Before she could even react, Shi Man had charged forward like lightning, snatched something from someone’s hand, flung it to the ground, and stomped on it—rage radiating from every pore.

  Her usual sweet voice was now sharp and aggressive: “Who are you?! What do you think you’re doing?! Who said you could hand this over?! What, a toad trying to kiss a swan?!”

  Lin Xian was stunned by the sudden outburst. She stood frozen for a second before hurrying after her.

  Only then did she see clearly that the person in the corner was Xia Zhijin… and a tall, handsome boy.

  At that moment, the boy’s handsome face flushed red all the way to his ears, his expression a mix of shame and frustration. It had already taken all the courage he could muster just to confess to Xia Zhijin and hand over that letter. Now, after being inexplicably scolded by Shi Man, his pride lay in pieces. Humiliated and flustered, his cheeks turned crimson. He didn’t dare glance at either Xia Zhijin or Shi Man again. Head lowered, he murmured almost inaudibly, “I’m sorry…” before turning and fleeing down the stairs.

  Shi Man watched him leave, her long lashes casting a faint shadow over her cold gaze. A flicker of icy sharpness flashed through her eyes. She bent down slowly and picked up the crumpled love letter from under her shoe, her lips curling into a mocking smile. “Such a coward… and he dares to chase someone? Seriously? Who even passes love letters anymore?”

  With that, she held the envelope by both ends, pulled gently in opposite directions, and in one smooth motion, the paper tore cleanly in two.

  Xia Zhijin had been watching the whole scene unfold. Her normally cool features furrowed slightly. She fixed her gaze on Shi Man, clearly displeased, and chided softly, “Manman!”

  Shi Man looked up at her, and for a brief moment, her expression was one Xia Zhijin had never seen before—icy, harsh. But the next second, her lips curved into that familiar soft, beautiful smile, her voice lightly questioning with a trace of accusation: “Did your heart flutter? Or did it ache?”

  As she spoke, she moved her hands again—slowly at first, then faster—until the letter was shredded into so many pieces, it was impossible to piece it back together.

  Xia Zhijin stood her ground, facing Shi Man in silence, her delicate brows knitted tightly together. Her voice grew lower, no longer carrying the warmth and clarity it had when Lin Xian first heard her speak: “Shi Man, you’ve gone too far.”

  “Heh…” Shi Man sneered, unfazed. She glanced down at the shredded paper in her palm, furrowed her brow, then suddenly clenched her fist tightly around it. With a sharp, decisive motion, she slammed it into the trash can with a loud, echoing bang. Then she spun around and stormed off down the corridor. As she brushed past Lin Xian, it seemed—just for a second—that her eyes were rimmed with red.

  Lin Xian looked down and thought she saw a small, darkened wet mark on the cement floor where Shi Man had run, just a tiny dot of dampness—one that faded quickly into nothing.

  Standing there, Lin Xian had witnessed the whole thing, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to go after Shi Man, but her eyes lingered on Xia Zhijin for just a second too long.

  And just like that, their eyes met.

  Xia Zhijin’s expression was composed, but in her eyes, there was something Lin Xian couldn’t quite read—something complicated and veiled. Xia Zhijin walked over to her and, as they passed each other, casually asked, “Heading to the bathroom? There’s no one in there. Go quickly, class is about to start.”

  Snapping out of her daze, Lin Xian forgot all about the bathroom. She turned and sprinted back to the classroom. As she ran, the scene kept replaying in her mind. Something wasn’t right. Why had Shi Man been so angry? Why had she cried? Was Xia Zhijin upset too?

  When she got back to the classroom, she saw Shi Man lying on her desk, head buried in her arms, completely still. The classmates nearby all wore anxious, confused expressions and looked to Lin Xian for help.

  She hesitated, then sat down and gently reached over to pull Shi Man into a soft hug. She patted her on the shoulder and whispered in her ear, warm and soothing, “Manman, even if one day your sister gets a boyfriend and falls in love, she’ll still be your sister. She’ll still love you, still be good to you. No one could ever replace your place in her heart. You don’t have to worry about that.”

  She figured maybe Shi Man was just scared that if her sister started dating, she’d be neglected. Just like… just like how Lin Xian sometimes feared that if Aunt Xiao ever found a boyfriend, she wouldn’t come home right after work anymore—and that thought made her feel strangely sad.

  But really—aside from lovers, who else could demand someone’s love and attention be eternally exclusive?

  She thought, Shi Man is still just a child.

  But just then, Shi Man suddenly lifted her head. Her beautiful peach blossom eyes were brimming with tears. She looked at Lin Xian, her voice choked with emotion, and cried out, “She’s not my sister! I don’t want her to be my sister! She used to be, but not anymore, and from now on—she never will be again!”

  Lin Xian was completely stunned.

  Wait—what?

  How could someone stop being a sister just like that?

  For the first time, she felt her intelligence failing her. Maybe… maybe this was just the kind of thing girls said when they were upset?