Occlusion

The tall girl in front of her had probably just finished showering.

Wang Ning had closed the door originally to give her time to change—and to calm her own wildly pounding heart.

She hadn’t expected her new roommate to just throw on an oversized shirt and march over to open the door, ready to interrogate her.

Wang Ning had no idea where to place her eyes.

She emptied her mind, doing her best not to see anything she shouldn’t.

But she couldn’t control them!

Her eyes had a will of their own!!

The irritated new roommate crossed her arms.

The shirt’s top buttons had been impatiently undone, vaguely revealing the swell of a full, round chest.

Her wet red hair dripped down, soaking the snow-white fabric.

Her skin was as delicate and soft as condensed milk pudding, still steaming with the warmth of a recent shower.

Her long legs were exposed, casually left bare to the air.

Her eyes, a deep molten red, stared directly at Wang Ning.

Her brows drew together as she snapped, “Why are you standing there like an idiot? Come in!”

Wang Ning didn’t dare say no.

Her face tensed up as she forced herself not to betray her internal meltdown.

Once inside, she saw the new roommate walk straight toward the fourth bed.

So she was the one who had been missing earlier.

Wang Ning glanced around.

Xiali Gelian was nowhere to be seen—probably still at her club.

She then looked at the third bed—

Wait, she’s still sleeping?!

The arc of the covers was exactly the same as at noon, with soft blue strands of hair peeking out.

The girl’s breathing was steady, peacefully undisturbed, like she was dead—but in a serene way.

Now, the only ones in the dorm who could still speak were Wang Ning and the seemingly difficult-to-get-along-with fourth-bed girl.

“Hey. You. Come here.”

Wang Ning heard the pleasant but raspy voice leave no room for refusal.

She guessed the girl was dressed now and finally turned her head to look.

And saw that she had taken off even the only shirt she’d had on.

She was only wearing a bra, her brows tightly furrowed as she tugged at a school uniform, sharply catching Wang Ning’s startled gaze.

“Come help me figure out how to put this on.”

…Huh?

Wang Ning didn’t even know when she had walked over.

Her roommate’s tone carried an innate sense of command, like her old high school homeroom teacher—or more accurately, a merciless boot camp instructor.

“…You don’t know how to dress yourself?” Wang Ning’s rebellious streak suddenly kicked in, and she pushed back a little.

“Nope.” The girl admitted crisply and without shame.

Wang Ning: …

There it was.

Someone more hopeless than her.

She had no choice but to pick up the uniform and start throwing it over the other girl’s body, her fingers inevitably brushing against her skin.

But to her surprise, that seemingly delicate skin was faintly marked with scars—rough, uneven textures that didn’t detract from her beauty but instead added a mysterious edge.

What kind of person would have scars like these all over?

Wang Ning’s mind wandered as she finished dressing her.

Looking down, she caught a glimpse of those long, snowy white legs.

“…You can put on the bottom half yourself, right?”

The girl picked up her skirt and long white socks, sat down on the nearby chair, and began dressing in front of Wang Ning like it was nothing.

“Wearing this uniform is so annoying… More complicated than assembling a firearm…” Wang Ning caught her muttering.

Wait.

Did she just hear a dangerous word?

Once she had finished dressing, the girl still seemed dissatisfied.

She undid the top button and draped the jacket loosely behind her shoulders, then gave up on the over-knee white socks and simply slipped into a pair of black leather boots.

Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief, like she had finally unfastened some restraints.

Wang Ning’s mouth twitched.

Wasn’t this exactly the same as before?

All that help for nothing.

The girl gave Wang Ning a glance.

“I’m Xiao. What’s your name?”

“Wang Ning.”

“Thanks for your help,” Xiao said seriously. “If you ever need anything, I can help you too.”

Sweating from the whole ordeal, Wang Ning suddenly had a mischievous idea.

She took a step forward, closing the distance between them.

Her hands pressed down on the arms of the chair, looking down at the calm-faced roommate from above.

Xiao sat in the chair.

Even though she was being looked down upon, her aura didn’t falter in the slightest.

She lifted her chin slightly.

The curve of her collarbone subtly tensed—like a bullet ready to be fired, or a bowstring drawn taut.

Wang Ning felt a strong urge to crack that flawless composure.

“Xiao,” Wang Ning said with a smile in her eyes, slowly lowering her face toward Xiao’s.

From the start of school, the rumor of the “Angel” had spread widely.

And Wang Ning was probably the only one who didn’t know the person everyone spoke of was herself.

Xiao didn’t know either.

She hadn’t cared to pay attention to anyone when she first arrived, and no one had dared approach her.

Everyone feared the intense, dangerous aura she carried.

But the moment Xiao had opened the door and seen Wang Ning standing there—

Her head bowed quietly, her soft white hair cascading down—

Behind her, just beyond the balcony railing, were towering trees.

Clusters of borage-blue flowers bloomed in the golden light of sunset.

Petals and leaves drifted in the breeze, falling toward her, only to veer away gently at the last second.

They left only a faint floral scent in the air.

In that instant, a word had flashed in Xiao’s mind—

“Angel.”

When you see her, you can’t help but feel pity.

Can’t help but want to get close.

And yet, you’re afraid that if you get too close, you might disturb her.

When those deep sky-blue eyes gaze only at you, your heartbeat begins to spiral out of control.

Just like now.

Xiao could feel her approach.

There was no malice.

She could feel her breathing draw closer, slowly and clearly.

But she couldn’t tell what she wanted to do.

Her ears began to heat up.

Xiao was unused to being this close to someone but restrained herself, waiting to see what she’d do.

Was she going to attack?

But that didn’t seem right.

She was too weak.

If she were a soldier under Xiao’s command, she might have been ruthlessly removed.

Xiao was well aware many people disliked her—because of her cold methods, and because her talents made others jealous.

But she didn’t care about those sharp-tongued critiques—because only the weak bark so loudly.

Even though her mission was to protect the weak.

She stared at the snow-white hair right in front of her.

Then suddenly, her ear felt a soft, moist sensation.

Xiao’s eyes flew wide open.

The next moment, a sharp pain from a bite shot through her.

Xiao resisted the instinctive reflex to push back.

Before she could react, Wang Ning had already jumped away and bolted out of the dorm.

Leaving Xiao frozen in place.

The last rays of sunlight danced along the horizon, dyeing half the sky in a shade of persimmon red.

“Huff… Huff…”

Wang Ning ran downstairs, panting, her mind a complete blank.

No way!

Why the heck did she do something like that?!

This is bad—this is really bad!

School had barely started, and she had already made an enemy out of her roommate.

And that girl didn’t look like someone easy to deal with!

What was she supposed to do now?!

She wandered back and forth, full of anxiety, racking her brain for a way to apologize.

All the way until night fell.

Wang Ning: …

The air was cold and sharp, blowing away even the melancholy in her heart.