Happiness

“Did you see that? In the end, the Professor chose me.”

Giving Jiang Li a tight, tender embrace in response, Xiao Yue Hua shifted her gaze toward the despondent Ning Rou. Now that her status as the victor was thoroughly established, the hostility she held toward Ning Rou dissolved.

Watching Ning Rou’s expression—one that looked as if her entire world had collapsed—Yue Hua felt no spite, only pity. It was a pity her friend had fallen for the Professor; a pity that their years of sisterly bond had shattered so decisively.

If the Professor hadn’t existed…

No, no. There could never be a world without the Professor. Yue Hua shook her head. Meeting him was the greatest luck of her life. She didn’t even dare to imagine the version of herself in a timeline where he didn’t exist. Perhaps that version of her wouldn’t realize what she was missing, but she would have undoubtedly lost the greatest treasure on earth.

Thinking this, a surge of secret delight welled up in her heart. It was a sense of superiority over a hypothetical “other self”—she possessed the Professor that the other girl did not.

Sometimes, Yue Hua truly felt she was going mad, secretly competing with a version of herself from another dimension that might not even exist. But on second thought, it felt perfectly natural. With the Professor belonging solely to her in her arms, every irrationality became rational. Because he was unique. He was special.

As for Ning Rou—had she not been captivated by the Professor, perhaps their precious friendship could have continued. She certainly would have been the maid of honor at their wedding.

But there are no “ifs.”

Now, Ning Rou was merely a pathetic loser in a struggle. She would never again have the chance to intrude upon the feelings between the Professor and herself. All Yue Hua felt for her was sympathy.

With that thought, Yue Hua’s expression softened.

“Ning Rou, do you see now? The Professor is destined to belong to me. Let it go; we can still be friends.”

Yue Hua felt she was being generous enough. It didn’t even matter if Ning Rou hadn’t completely given up on him. Today had proven everything: the Professor’s entire heart and soul were firmly within her grasp. Ning Rou would never succeed.

However, Ning Rou didn’t seem to share that perspective. She came to her senses, her eyes brimming with tears and raw indignation.

“Impossible… you must have used some filthy method to control him! I can tell!”

She stood up clumsily, casting a deep, lingering look at Jiang Li, who was gradually quietening down in Yue Hua’s arms.

“I will rescue the Professor.”

She turned and ran away with a stumbling gait, yet she carried an aura of absolute resolve.

“…”

Xiao Yue Hua watched her leave in silence, a shadow gradually creeping over her heart. Ning Rou’s words had struck a chord, making her uneasy. To get the Professor, she had used methods. They were indeed far from honorable.

But a moment later, she shook her head to dispel the worry. With the power of the [Taboo], she would never lose the Professor to anyone. Not even her friend. Her only, best friend…

Yue Hua sighed, withdrawing her gaze from the direction Ning Rou had fled. She pulled Jiang Li into an even more intimate embrace, as if trying to merge their bodies into one.

No matter what, she would never regret this.

“Did Ning Rou leave?”

A long time passed before Jiang Li finally recovered from his stress-induced tremors. He lifted his somewhat vacant eyes to look at Xiao Yue Hua; the bags under his eyes were an unhealthy bluish-gray. To Yue Hua, this look possessed a strangely sickly beauty.

With a look of tender, infatuated love, she brushed her fingers over the corner of his eye. “Yes. Everything is clear now. She shouldn’t come back to bother the Professor anymore.”

“Don’t… don’t say it like that… that girl isn’t bad at heart…”

Jiang Li grabbed Yue Hua’s hand, feeling a bit guilty. He knew his words might displease her, but he forced himself to add: “The makeup exam isn’t a small matter at the academy. At the very least, I want to help her through to the end.”

“The Professor really is a ‘bleeding heart,’ isn’t he?”

Xiao Yue Hua calmly withdrew her hand, her tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction. “Even now, you’re still thinking about helping her? Surely the Professor has realized what her intentions are by now?”

“…I just want to help her pass the exam…”

Jiang Li’s careful attempt at evasion did not satisfy Yue Hua. Her face gradually went cold. Observing her obvious display of jealousy, a sudden, baseless panic began to rise within Jiang Li.

I’ve made Yue Hua unhappy again.

The moment the thought appeared, his blood began to pump faster. His body, which had just calmed down, began to tremble once more. The hair on his arms stood on end, and his face turned pale.

A piercing BEEP sound filled his head. The tinnitus blocked out all external noise. In his panic, Jiang Li’s breathing accelerated; he gasped for air like a drowning man. It felt as if, at any second, he would fall back into that hellish mental torture.

Fortunately, Yue Hua seemed to notice his abnormality, and her expression softened. She leaned down, pressing her lips to his earlobe for a gentle kiss, followed by a few firm, playful nips.

With that kiss, his senses slowly returned. The numbness and the pain woke up along with his consciousness.

“Since you know it makes me angry, the Professor should think twice before speaking…” Yue Hua’s soft voice, accompanied by her warm breath, flooded his ear.

She giggled, seemingly satisfied with Jiang Li’s new “conditioned reflex.”

“Since you’ve already suffered for it, I won’t give you any extra punishment.” She flashed a sweet smile, leaning against his shoulder. “What would the Professor like to eat today? Dessert? Cookies? Pasta? I saw the Professor looked quite happy eating with Ning Rou earlier… which one do you prefer?”

In this intimate, honeyed atmosphere that felt just like a couple’s, Jiang Li felt his heart being squeezed.

Dessert? Cookies? How did Yue Hua know about those things? She… what exactly…

Astonishment and fear rose within him, as Jiang Li realized he had never truly seen through this girl. But in the next moment, her gentle voice washed those negative emotions away. His brain was once again filled with a cloying sense of happiness.

Under the weight of this manipulated bliss, Jiang Li’s lips and chin trembled, yet he couldn’t manage to utter a single coherent sentence.