A Decisive Awakening
Since the logic behind this panel remained unknown, she resolved to simply abandon its use.
As Lan Yucheng opened her eyes to the faint morning light, this decision crystallized within her.
Rather than relying on a system that could potentially mislead or even harm her, she would trust her own observations and judgment.
She purged the anxiety of unknown data entirely from her mind.
Almost simultaneously, Qing Xinxue’s voice, bright with an almost unreal cheerfulness, rang out beside her:
“Sister Cheng, if you don’t get up now, we’ll be late!”
Lan Yucheng turned her head.
Qing Xinxue was already fully dressed, perched on the edge of the bed. Her face glowed with a dazzling, cloudless smile, as if the tearful, frantic person from last night was merely a nightmare of her own.
Her eyes were clear, brimming with obvious anticipation and… something deeper—a subtle satisfaction and stability, akin to having ‘confirmed ownership’.
This overly swift return to ‘normalcy’ caused a faint alarm to sound in Lan Yucheng’s heart.
This wasn’t true forgetfulness. Instead, those dark, intense emotions had been buried even deeper, tightly encased in a sweet, sugary shell.
“Mm, I’m getting up now.”
Lan Yucheng sat up without a change in expression, the thin blanket sliding away to reveal several ambiguous, not yet fully faded red marks on her shoulder and neck.
Qing Xinxue’s gaze immediately fixated on them, two blushes blooming on her cheeks. Her eyes flickered, showing both shyness and a nearly overflowing sense of triumph.
She reached out, her fingertips lightly tracing one of the marks. Her movement was natural and intimate, imbued with an unprecedented, almost proprietary confidence.
“Sister Cheng, shall I help you get dressed?” Her voice was sweet and soft, less a question and more a declaration.
Lan Yucheng looked at the spot her fingertips touched, her skin seemingly still retaining the burning memory of last night. She suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and nodded. “Okay.”
This was both a silent acquiescence and a test.
****
At the breakfast table, the atmosphere was subtle.
Qing Xinxue was unusually lively, chattering about potential interesting things at school. She meticulously cut the fried egg into small pieces and even attempted to feed it to Lan Yucheng.
Every glance, every movement, seemed to silently declare, ‘Look, this is our relationship now. We are the most intimate.’
Lan Yucheng accepted the food she offered, but when Qing Xinxue tried to feed her again, she gently blocked her hand and picked up her own chopsticks.
“I’ll do it myself.”
Her tone was calm, yet it set an undeniable boundary.
Qing Xinxue’s smile froze for a moment, an imperceptible shadow flitting across her eyes, but it was quickly masked by an even more brilliant smile.
“Okay! Sister Cheng, eat more!”
Lan Yucheng clearly caught that fleeting emotion. She knew this new, more sensitive string had been pulled taut.
****
Stepping out of the house, the sun shone brightly.
Qing Xinxue followed closely beside Lan Yucheng. This time, she didn’t maintain that respectful half-step distance. Instead, she reached out directly, tightly linking her arm with Lan Yucheng’s, leaning half her weight against her.
Skin touched skin, body heat transferred.
Lan Yucheng’s body stiffened for a moment, but she didn’t push her away.
She could feel the undeniable strength from Qing Xinxue’s arm, and the sense of dependence that threatened to consume her.
“Sister Cheng, let’s go home together after school, okay?”
“Mm.”
“Let’s eat lunch together!”
“We’ll see.”
“Don’t say ‘we’ll see’! We have to!”
“…Alright.”
Beneath these simple exchanges, Qing Xinxue was using this pervasive ‘binding’ to try and solidify the ‘fact’ established last night into a daily ‘rule’.
On the way, occasionally, familiar classmates cast curious or ambiguous glances.
Qing Xinxue not only didn’t avoid them but tightened her grip on Lan Yucheng’s arm, her chin slightly raised, like a small beast asserting its territory.
Lan Yucheng remained outwardly calm, but her mind was rapidly calculating.
Qing Xinxue’s possessiveness had evolved from ‘fear of loss’ to ‘open declaration’.
This was an extremely unstable factor in the complex environment of the school.
She had to find a new balance point soon, otherwise…
Just then, Qing Xinxue seemed to remember something, her tone laced with a deliberately casual air, yet her jawline was taut:
“Oh, right, Sister Cheng, about Senior You Ran… should I tell her you’re back today? Just so she doesn’t… worry too much about you.”
The name ‘You Ran’ was uttered softly, yet it was like a small stone cast into the seemingly calm lake between them.
Lan Yucheng’s eyes flickered.
Here it was. The probing had begun.
She turned her head, looking at Qing Xinxue’s eyes, which were trying hard to conceal their tension, her tone utterly flat:
“No need. I’ll handle it myself.”
She offered no further promises, nor did she reveal any weakness.
Qing Xinxue pursed her lips, not pressing further, but simply tightened her hold on Lan Yucheng’s arm.
The sunlight stretched their shadows long, intertwining them tightly, as if they could never be separated.
Lan Yucheng looked at the familiar school gates ahead, knowing that once she stepped inside, the true test would only just begin. Beside her was an evolved, incredibly clingy ‘ally’ and ‘hidden danger’, and ahead were the unknown ‘Senior You Ran’ and other potential capture targets.
She took a deep breath, feeling the undeniable force on her arm.
No system panel, just herself.
This capture game had entered a more perilous, yet more real, second chapter.
Qing Xinxue Arc: Campus Edition, activated!