Falling into the ice cave

“What?!!”

Whether it was because of the reality of the Professor’s visible suffering or Yue Hua’s excessive, overbearing tone, I found myself flaring up in anger. My voice turned sharp and piercing.

“Yue Hua, what are you talking about? Can’t you see? The Professor is in so much pain right now—he needs help!”

Fueled by an indescribable, dark emotion, I selfishly tightened my embrace around him. Even as I felt his tremors grow more violent, I stubbornly refused to let go.

On one hand, I didn’t want to admit the cruel reality; I harbored the fantasy that his pain had nothing to do with me. On the other hand, it was a subconscious defiance against Yue Hua.

I couldn’t lose. It was an instinct. I felt, deep in my gut, that if I bowed my head to Yue Hua here, the Professor and I would truly be finished.

“The Professor needs help, that’s true—but absolutely not from you. Ning Rou, your embrace only brings him agony.”

Yue Hua approached step by step, her face a mask of indifference that radiated a massive, suffocating pressure. At this moment, she felt like some non-human monster out of a myth—her silhouette blurred by the oppressive atmosphere, making my heart race with dread.

We had been friends for over a decade, yet this was the first time I had ever seen this side of her. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. My eyes pleaded to look away from her gaze, but I couldn’t back down.

Gritting my teeth, I held the Professor tighter, feeling the heat of his body and his increasingly frantic shivering.

“That’s not true!”

I felt terrible for the Professor, but I was sorry—Professor, I need you right now. I need to feel your presence to find the courage to stand against Yue Hua. Only you can give me this strength.

“Ning Rou, I told you before, didn’t I? You’re terrible at lying.” Yue Hua’s voice was laced with a chilling frost as she reached out toward me. “You know it yourself. The closer the Professor gets to you, the more he suffers. Give him to me.”

“I… I won’t!”

I stared back at her, filled with grievance and indignation. In truth, she was right, but I could never admit it. Feeling both guilty and enraged, I decided to shift the focus and launch a counter-attack.

“And what about you, Yue Hua? You’re being incredibly suspicious. You lost our bet, didn’t you? Why did you keep coming back to bother the Professor? What exactly does a promise mean to you?”

“The bet?”

A flicker of emotion finally broke through Yue Hua’s expressionless face. She let out a cold sneer.

“There was nothing in that bet that forbade me from approaching the Professor. And besides—Ning Rou, didn’t you set that bet up under the banner of ‘doing what’s best for me’? But look at you now…”

Yue Hua’s eyes swept over me with blatant disrespect.

“Look at how tight you’re holding him while he’s unable to resist—those two lumps on your chest are practically suffocating him!” She stared at my chest and let out a mocking huff. “The way I see it, your behavior now looks more like you’re trying to monopolize him for yourself.”

“You’re talking nonsense!”

Having my dark thoughts exposed so carelessly made my face burn. I lost my composure, my voice rising. “It’s clearly you, Yue Hua! The Professor wasn’t like this yesterday. You must have done something to him in secret!”

Hearing this, Yue Hua’s face darkened, and she abruptly shut her mouth. It was a clear sign that I had struck a nerve. I hadn’t been sure before, but now the fact was confirmed.

The reality of my best friend suddenly revealing such a malicious side and arguing with me made my head spin. The idea that she would repay his kindness with such harm was even more unbearable. I truly couldn’t believe Yue Hua was this kind of person. Blood rushed to my brain, and my vision dimmed.

But I couldn’t fall yet. The Professor needed my protection. I looked up and glared at her.

“Yue Hua, are you even human? The Professor put so much effort into helping you, and you use these methods to ruin him?! How did I never see what kind of person you were?”

“Can you even see it? The pain he’s in? Is making him suffer your goal? Are you satisfied now?!”

“Shut your mouth!” Yue Hua interrupted me, her teeth bared. “What do you know? What could you possibly understand?”

“You understand he was helping me back then? Then why did you have to self-righteously butt in?!!”

“In the beginning, the Professor only had eyes for me! This little performance hall was our private world—just the two of us!”

“But what right did you have to intrude? Since we were kids, no matter what competition it was, you were always first. I was always stuck in the runner-up seat, watching you carelessly take away the trophies I dreamed of.”

“Finally… finally I had the most important trophy—the one-and-only Professor in this world. And yet, here you are again, crowding in…”

“Ning Rou, are you really going to steal my Professor, my only treasure, away from me too?!”

Xiao Yue Hua roared with reddened eyes, like a cornered lioness. But I wouldn’t fear her; the Professor in my arms was providing me with a constant stream of courage.

“He’s not. The Professor isn’t your property,” I glared back. “He’s an independent person. He has the right to choose for himself!”

However, something strange happened.

“To choose?”

Xiao Yue Hua’s expression shifted instantly, as if she had regained her calm in a split second. She looked at me, then at the suffering Professor in my arms, with a playful, mocking gaze.

The next moment, she let out a cold laugh. “Right. You’re absolutely right, Ning Rou. The Professor has the right to choose for himself.”

Strange. So strange. Why was she so calm? I subconsciously swallowed, a terrible premonition washing over me.

“Let’s let the Professor choose for himself then,” she said, a dark smile spreading across her lips.

Why was she so confident? Surely the Professor liked me more, right? Only when he was with me did he show that lighthearted, carefree, relaxed expression. Our world was always bright and easy. When he was with Yue Hua, he was always troubled.

In such a comparison, wasn’t the truth obvious?

The Professor must like me more. I repeated it to myself, but my heart hammered against my ribs with unease.

“Hehe.”

As if reading my mind, Xiao Yue Hua sneered and reached out a hand toward the Professor.

“Professor, come to me. Only Yue Hua truly loves you.” Her voice held a murky tenderness, like cotton soaked in mud. “Only we are the same kind, aren’t we?”

I listened to her crazed, illogical words, yet strangely, I couldn’t find the will to interrupt. It was as if even I wanted to confirm whether the Professor would be moved by her twisted logic.

Fortunately, the Professor in my arms was still trembling, consumed by pain. I felt a sudden, despicable urge to laugh.

Hehe, see? The Professor likes me best.

“Professor, does it hurt? Come to me. Only Yue Hua will give you peace.”

My confidence slowly grew. Watching Xiao Yue Hua crouching there like she was calling for a child looked ridiculous to me. I felt a surge of baseless pride. But she seemed entirely unaware of how absurd she looked, continuing patiently:

“Professor, did you forget? We are monsters…”

What was she saying? The Professor isn’t a monster. Hearing this, I couldn’t hold back anymore and frowned.

“Monsters? The Professor isn’t—”

Rustle.

My words cut off halfway. The blood in my veins turned to ice. Because the Professor in my arms was moving amidst his painful spasms.

He was struggling—clumsily, desperately—to break free from my embrace.

Stiff with shock, I lacked the strength to even resist. I could only watch as the Professor, like an infant, stumbled toward Xiao Yue Hua. With a pathetic, almost comical movement, he took the initiative to wrap his arms around her waist.

It felt like I had been dropped into a pit of ice.