Insomnia

By the time she returned to the dormitory, Ning Rou’s chest was still burning.

Breathing heavily, she pushed the door open and leaned against it in a panic, staring down at her right hand. For some reason, even though she had been away from the Professor for over ten minutes, her palm still seemed to feel that lingering warmth born from the two of them. It was a warmth and joy she had never experienced before.

“So strange…” she murmured softly.

“Did you go out today?”

“Eek!”

Yuehua’s voice came out of nowhere from behind her bed curtains, giving Ning Rou a massive fright.

“Why so scared… did you have fun?”

Ning Rou gave a guilty smile, stealing a few cautious glances at Yuehua before nodding. “There… there’s actually a lot of good food outside the academy.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Inside the curtains, Yuehua seemed to be reading a book. Her face was obscured, making her expression impossible to read, but her tone remained much the same as usual—casual and indifferent.

After all, Ning Rou thought, Yuehua has never cared much for things like food.

Just as the thought crossed her mind…

“By the way, did you go alone?”

Xiao Yuehua’s next question sent a jolt of shock through Ning Rou’s heart. She whipped her head around to scan her friend’s expression, only to find that Xiao Yuehua’s attention was still fixed on the book in her hands. The previous question seemed to have no hidden meaning… probably.

“Yes… I went alone.”

“That’s a pity. Going out alone is so boring.”

Hearing Xiao Yuehua’s normal response, Ning Rou finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Then next time, Yuehua, come with me.”

“We’ll see,” Xiao Yuehua shrugged. “Besides, you know I don’t have much free time.”

“True…” Ning Rou sighed regretfully. Her friend was indeed a workaholic; even the smallest gap in her schedule was spent buried in acting theory books, all for the sake of the tiniest improvement.

“So, Ning Rou, next time you go out, you might still be… alone.”

“Eh?”

Ning Rou looked up, confused. Had Yuehua’s tone just now… sounded a bit off?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Late at night, both sisters in the dorm found themselves tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Ning Rou lay on her side, her eyes fixed on the moonlight outside the window. Her mind was filled entirely with scenes of her time with the Professor—the Professor by the window, the Professor in the crowd, and their interlocking shadows while holding hands.

The sound of her heartbeat grew louder and louder, as if it were about to burst from her chest. Ning Rou instinctively hugged herself, feeling as though she hardly recognized this version of herself. She stared blankly at the moon for ten minutes before finally resolving to close her eyes.

【Tomorrow, I have to find the Professor for more tutoring!】

Meanwhile, on the other bed.

Xiao Yuehua had also not slept. She lay with her back to the moonlight, hiding her entire being in the darkness.

What flickered through her mind were the photos Ning Rou had shared today, and the shy, budding expression of first love on her face when she returned.

It was obvious. Her treasure had finally been targeted by someone else. By her best friend—Ning Rou.

How strange. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Didn’t Ning Rou use to hate the Professor?

【No.】 【Wrong.】 【NO!】

In the gloomy darkness, Xiao Yuehua slowly clenched her fist, her fingernails sinking deep into her palm.

【The Professor can only be mine.】

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Let’s stop here for today.”

“Ah? It’s… it’s over already?”

Close to noon, Jiang Li checked the time and announced the end of the tutoring session. Unlike usual, Ning Rou was exceptionally proactive today.

“What, you want to study more? Didn’t you used to complain that my tutoring took up too much of your free time?”

Jiang Li looked at her suspiciously. “Why the change of heart today?”

“What change of heart…” Ning Rou defended herself, her face flushing. “It’s just that the make-up exam is coming up… I’m worried…”

“There’s no need for that. With your current level, getting a passing grade on the test is more than enough.”

Staaaare—

He meant it as a simple comfort, but it seemed he had hit a sore spot. The girl shot him an inexplicably dissatisfied glare, silently boring holes into him.

He was momentarily baffled. Had he said something wrong?

“Student Ning Rou?”

“Professor, you’re so annoying!”

“Hm?”

Ning Rou retracted her gaze without any intention of solving the mystery for him. She turned and began to leave in a huff. But at the door, her steps faltered. She looked back.

“Then, Professor… see you tomorrow!”

The moment the words left her mouth, she fled in a panic, the clatter-clatter of her footsteps quickly fading away.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

As Ning Rou departed, she didn’t notice the change behind her.

The relaxation in the Professor’s eyes vanished instantly, replaced by stiffness and unease.

“The Professor did very well…”

A beautiful silhouette pushed the door open, her face full of smiles. “You cleared your schedule for me just as we agreed. How should I thank you, Professor?”

“Student Yuehua… this was simply part of our agreement…”

“The Professor is always like this.”

As if dissatisfied, Xiao Yuehua interrupted him, her expression darkening in an instant. “I told you to use a different name, didn’t I?”

“Yue… Yuehua.”

Jiang Li changed the address quite submissively. For some reason, Xiao Yuehua made him feel more uneasy today than ever before. Rationally speaking, the best course of action was to soothe her by following her lead.

Sure enough, as he yielded, her expression softened.

“I’m here, Professor.”

Her eyes held a thick, sticky yearning as she stepped forward and pulled Jiang Li into a tight embrace. Her voice sounded fragile and insecure.

“Sorry, Professor, for losing my temper with you…”

As she spoke, her body trembled. Her face was buried in his chest, making her voice sound muffled and distorted.

“But don’t use such a distant name anymore, okay? It makes me sad.”

However, feeling the constant, scorching heat of her breath against his chest, Jiang Li could sense it—the pitch-black emotion hidden behind these ambiguous actions.

But the progress on Ning Rou’s “conquest” was still far from finished. Jiang Li couldn’t give her a response. All he could do was wait in silence.

After standing there like a statue for a long while, Xiao Yuehua seemed to have collected herself. She looked up from the embrace, the corners of her eyes flushed with a seductive red from being pressed against him. She stared straight into his eyes like a lover in deep passion.

However.

The moment her soft lips parted, the first sentence she uttered caused Jiang Li’s pupils to contract.

“Professor, you went on a date with Ning Rou yesterday, didn’t you?”

“Did you have a good time?”