Chapter 30: Tit for Tat

As luck would have it, Yin Xuelian was stopped by Lin Shiyue on her way back.

“Spare me a moment, let’s talk for a bit.”
Lin Shiyue stared at Yin Xuelian with a calm, expressionless gaze.
Yin Xuelian’s lips curved into an arc of unclear meaning, and she said softly, “Junior Sister Lin, I don’t have much time, you know.”

“Two minutes.
I also need to rush to military training.”
Lin Shiyue was direct, her tone leaving no room for Yin Xuelian to refuse.
Yin Xuelian didn’t refuse further.
In their previous lives, they had once had a similar conversation.
She wanted to know what Lin Shiyue was up to.

“Alright, I’ll give you this chance.”
Yin Xuelian and Lin Shiyue went to a secluded corner.
Tree shadows dappled the ground, sifting the bright sunlight into fragmented patches of light.
Coolness fell upon them both.
Around them, only the noisy chirping of cicadas in late summer made the place seem even quieter.
Lin Shiyue turned and stood still, her gaze sharp as a knife, piercing directly at Yin Xuelian: “Senior Sister Yin, you’re so attentive to Su Cheng, what exactly is your purpose?”
Yin Xuelian’s eyebrow twitched slightly, the smile on her face deepened, but the curve didn’t reach her eyes, betraying a hint of playfulness.

“Oh?”
Yin Xuelian’s voice was soft, with a perfectly balanced mix of confusion and flirtatiousness.
“Where did Junior Sister get that idea?
I just wanted to recruit Junior Sister Su into the student council, that’s all.”
Yin Xuelian tilted her head slightly, her gaze appearing somewhat innocent.
“Or perhaps, Junior Sister Lin, you feel something for Junior Sister Su…”

“Stop playing dumb.”
Lin Shiyue interrupted her, a stern look subtly appearing in her eyes.
“Senior Sister Yin’s way of getting close to Su Cheng has long exceeded the scope of an ordinary relationship.
What exactly do you want?”
Lin Shiyue stepped half a pace forward, and an invisible sense of oppression instantly spread, her eyes showing deep suspicion, clearly reflecting Yin Xuelian’s frivolous smile.
The smile on Yin Xuelian’s face remained, but her heart was not calm.
She gazed quietly at Lin Shiyue, vague fragments of memory from her previous life overlapping with the suspicious and displeased face before her.
The Lin Shiyue of her previous life definitely didn’t have such discerning eyes, nor such certainty, as if she could read Yin Xuelian’s inner thoughts.
Innocence and naivety were Yin Xuelian’s evaluations of Lin Shiyue in their previous life.
It seemed Lin Shiyue might also be a reborn individual, just like herself.

“What do I want?”
Yin Xuelian repeated her words, her voice cooling a few degrees.
“Junior Sister Lin, you seem to have a great misunderstanding of me.”
She narrowed her eyes slightly, scrutinizing the other party.
“Or, is Junior Sister planning to make a move on Su Cheng, and you’re afraid I’ll get in your way?”
Lin Shiyue was unfazed by her counter-question, her tone growing even colder and harder: “Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not, you know best in your heart.”
She paused, her gaze sharp as an ice pick.

“As for Su Cheng, she won’t belong to you.”
Yin Xuelian chuckled, a hint of coldness and amusement in her laugh: “How interesting, Junior Sister Lin, what right do you have to warn me?”
Yin Xuelian took a small step forward, almost level with Lin Shiyue, only half a step away from her.

“Is it as her good class monitor, or her good best friend?”
Their gazes clashed silently in the air, sparking invisible fireworks.
Lin Shiyue gritted her teeth, her fists clenched in anger, wanting to punch Yin Xuelian right then and there.

“What I do is my freedom.
As for Su Cheng…”
Yin Xuelian deliberately drew out her words, with a hint of casual provocation, “She is not your possession, nor does she need you to decide her belonging.”
Lin Shiyue’s gaze suddenly became even sharper, as if flames were flickering within, her jawline tensed.
She was about to speak.

“You…”

“Coo-coo-gaga, coo-coo-gaga…”
Yin Xuelian’s phone in her pocket suddenly let out two crisp notification sounds.
Lin Shiyue’s unfinished words were forced back down.

“Two minutes are up.”
Yin Xuelian instantly retracted all her sharpness, her face once again adopting that perfectly standard polite smile, as if the silent smoke of war had never happened.
After all, as the campus belle, she always had to maintain the demeanor a campus belle should have.

“Time is precious, Junior Sister Lin.
You should go to military training too.
Being late is not good.”
Yin Xuelian finally gazed at Lin Shiyue with deep meaning, her posture elegant and composed, then turned to leave.
Lin Shiyue’s hostile gaze enveloped Yin Xuelian, as if to devour her.

“Yin Xuelian!”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but every word was clear and highly penetrating, striking directly at Yin Xuelian’s heart.

“You won’t get Su Cheng!”
Yin Xuelian’s steps didn’t falter; she merely turned her head, returning a meaningful glance, the curve of her lips carrying a hint of disdain and mystery.

“Junior Sister Lin, take care of yourself.”
Yin Xuelian finished speaking, no longer lingering, and with light steps, her figure quickly disappeared at the end of the treelined path.
Lin Shiyue stood rooted to the spot.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting alternating light and shadow on her face.
Her gaze was dark and indistinct, fixed fiercely on the direction Yin Xuelian had disappeared, her tightly pursed lips revealing a chilling coldness.
The cicadas still chirped, but the air in that corner felt as heavy as if it had solidified.
Taking a deep breath to calm the swirling emotions in her heart, Lin Shiyue knew it was time for her to go.
She knew that the chances of winning this path might not be high, but she was unwilling to give up just yet.
In her previous life, she had lost Su Cheng to Yin Xuelian.
This time, she didn’t want to lose again, nor was she willing to hand her over.
Regardless of whether Su Cheng was a reborn individual or not, Lin Shiyue would not hand her over to Yin Xuelian.
After all, she was the first one.

“Su Cheng, you are mine.”

On the other side, Su Cheng shivered.
Chen Xi and Sun Xiaochen, who were in front of her, couldn’t help but be curious.

“Hey, Orange, why are you shivering on such a hot day?”
Su Cheng sniffed hard, spreading her hands: “I don’t know why, I suddenly felt cold and shivered.”
Chen Xi suddenly chuckled after hearing this: “It’s so hot, are you telling me a cold joke to cool me down?”
Su Cheng awkwardly scratched her head, her face showing helplessness: “See, you won’t believe me, you just laugh at me.”
Sun Xiaochen gently pushed Chen Xi aside, not letting Chen Xi waste this precious time.

“Hey, Orange, by the way, what did Senior Sister Yin want with you at noon?
She even specifically came to our dorm.”
Su Cheng: “??!!”
Su Cheng frowned, a look of doubt emerging in her eyes, lingering on Chen Xi and Sun Xiaochen’s curious faces.

“That’s not right, how did you two know Senior Sister Yin came to our dorm?
Didn’t you two go out to play at noon?”

“This, this…”
Sun Xiaochen suddenly realized she had let slip a secret, stammering for a long time, unable to explain the reason.
Chen Xi stepped in to help: “Yeah, yeah, we ran into Senior Sister Yin on the way, and she said she was looking for you.
We just told her you were in the dorm and hadn’t had lunch yet.”
Su Cheng hugged herself, her big questioning eyes darting around, finally letting out a doubtful “Is that so?”
The two nodded together, even answering in unison, “Yes, yes!”
Su Cheng looked at her two scheming roommates with half-belief, the doubt in her eyes slowly diminishing as she thought longer.
Their explanation could indeed match Yin Xuelian’s actions, making it plausible why Yin Xuelian would bring food.

“I’ll trust you for now.”
Chen Xi and Sun Xiaochen relaxed when they heard Su Cheng’s words, grinning.

“But you two secretly went to play by yourselves, without taking me along.
Are you even good roommates?”
Su Cheng suddenly launched a cold dart, instantly freezing the smiles on the two girls’ faces.

“Next time for sure, next time for sure.”

“I’ll believe you when pigs fly!
You two villains!”
Su Cheng immediately moved, raising her hands and rushing towards the two, wanting to hit them.
Chen Xi and Sun Xiaochen weren’t stupid; they immediately turned and ran.

“Stop right there!”
Chen Xi ran while turning to provoke Su Cheng.

“If you catch me, if you catch me, I’ll let you h-h-h~”
Su Cheng gave her a fierce glare, gritted her teeth, and sprinted, but just couldn’t catch them.
“Damn it!”
This farce finally ended with the drill sergeant’s whistle.