At Ruan Nianxi's dormitory.
When she returned to her dorm, it was empty.
She knew her roommates were all in relationships, often out with their boyfriends, and usually came back late on weekends.
First, she found an empty bottle, cut it in half with a knife, filled it with water, and then placed a gardenia flower inside.
Afterward, she tried on each of the dresses Xie Shu had bought her that day, one by one.
Which one should she wear tomorrow?
She loved them all~
Their dorm had a full-length mirror bought together; she twirled in front of it, trying to decide which dress looked best.
While she was trying them on, the dorm door suddenly opened from the outside.
Startled, she turned to look, only to see a roommate had come back early.
"Class president, what are you doing? Trying on clothes?" The roommate walked in, saw the several new dresses on her desk, and asked.
The roommate approached the desk, eager to check out the new dresses, but Ruan Nianxi quickly gathered them up before she could touch them.
The roommate looked at her, puzzled.
Ruan Nianxi didn't say anything but wouldn't let her touch the dresses.
After living together under the same roof for three years, Ruan Nianxi and her roommates weren't best friends, but they knew her well enough.
Everyone knew she wasn't one to socialize much, but she was a decent person and not petty. She'd lend things when asked, and sometimes she'd even buy supplies for class events out of her own pocket, rather than using class funds, showing she wasn't stingy or petty.
But this time… what was wrong with touching a dress?
The roommate was utterly baffled, then her gaze fell on the gardenia in the corner of the desk.
Next to the gardenia was the ceramic doll that Ruan Nianxi had brought back yesterday, the one she had stared at foolishly for a long time, occasionally giggling.
The roommate's eyes darted around, noting Ruan Nianxi's recent odd behavior, and asked, "Class president, are you in a relationship?"
"No," Ruan Nianxi denied.
"What about the flower?"
"A friend gave it to me."
"A friend? A guy or a girl?"
"Male… a guy."
"See, you said you weren't."
Everyone in their faculty knew the class president never accepted things from guys. Why accept this time?
"I really am not."
She and Xie Shu weren't dating; they were just… close…
"Did a guy buy you these dresses too?"
"Yes."
"And the ceramic doll?"
"Yes."
The roommate clicked her tongue twice, amusedly looking at Ruan Nianxi, about to say something more when Ruan Nianxi's phone WeChat notification interrupted her.
Ruan Nianxi ignored her roommate and checked her phone. It was a message from Xie Shu:
[The midnight bell tolls, and the village is filled with eerie sounds. Children disappear without a trace. Now, my dorm mates and I have formed a temporary expedition team, inviting you to join us at King's Canyon to solve the mystery! Waiting online! If you're busy, never mind.]
Ruan Nianxi initially thought it was some horror story until she realized he was inviting her to play a game.
The game she had downloaded before was called something like King's…
She quickly typed a response: [Okay, be right there.]
After replying, she gathered the other dresses on the desk, placed them on the bed, and sat down at lightning speed to open the game.
Her roommate watched, baffled by the sudden flurry of activity.
Eventually, she realized what was happening when she saw Ruan Nianxi pulled into a team and heard a guy's voice from the phone. It seemed to be the same person who had played games with Ruan Nianxi before.
Seeing they were about to start the game, the roommate didn't speak but typed a note on her phone and showed it to Ruan Nianxi: "Class president, when you have time, look up the meaning of gardenias online."
Ruan Nianxi looked puzzled, but the roommate just shrugged and said nothing more, then went back to her own seat to play her own game.
***
In another girls' dormitory.
Su Qianyi had spent the day outside, doing nothing in particular, but she returned feeling exhausted.
After showering, she immediately checked her phone and saw no reply from Xie Shu on WeChat. She zoned out, water dripping from her hair down her neck and back, slowly bringing her back to reality.
After drying her hair and getting into bed, she continued to stare blankly at her phone.
Xie Shu… what are you doing?
Are you really ignoring me?
Did you drink the milk tea?
Did you like the flavor?
About the mixer that night… it wasn't intentional.
She didn't mean to dislike him; it was just… just…
A habitual rejection…
Because she always thought, no matter how much she rejected him, he would always be by her side.
But she was wrong.
He gave her one last chance, and she wasted it.
Now Xie Shu didn't want her anymore.
She wanted to message Xie Shu to explain her true feelings, but she feared being too persistent and getting blocked on WeChat like before.
Afraid to send a message, she checked his Moments and saw the post he had made that afternoon.
In the photo, the girl's face was blurred, and she didn't know who it was, but Xie Shu's face was clearly visible.
He was smiling gently, as always, cultured and refined.
Yet, this gentle man now looked at her with coldness and distance, treating her worse than a stranger.
Suddenly, looking at the photo on her phone, her eyes welled up, blurring her vision, and a tear dropped onto the screen.
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan