Chapter 32

Ruan Ning jumped. Jiang Yihao's voice was so loud it startled Bai Xingmiao, who was sitting twenty meters away, and he looked up at her.

Ruan Ning offered an apologetic smile. She held Jiang Yihao's call in one hand while keeping her eyes on Bai Xingmiao—she hadn't done anything wrong, yet she felt a pang of guilt.

She bent down and hissed into the phone, trying to quiet the frantic yapping on the other end: "Jiang Yihao, I'm in the middle of something really important. Don't cause trouble. We'll talk later. I have to hang up now. Bye."

"Wait!" Before she could finish, Jiang Yihao shouted even louder, his voice carrying across the yard. "Are you really with Bu Chen?! You stay right there... give me your address, I'm coming to get you right now! Don't believe a single word he says until I get there!"

Bai Xingmiao didn't turn his head, but he was still watching the commotion from afar.

Ruan Ning turned her back, her face scrunching in distress: "Jiang Yihao, stop making things worse. Who I'm with is none of your business. And besides, would I even be tangled up with Bu Chen if it weren't for you?!"

Her piercing question left a moment of silence on the line. The caller took a deep breath, his tail—which had been spinning like a propeller—drooping weakly: "Then at least give me the address. I can't relax until I see you in person."

"Goodbye." Seeing how stubborn he was, Ruan Ning hung up without ceremony.

Bai Xingmiao had just brought up a reward. She was only one step away from completing her final task and escaping the system for good. At this critical juncture, she wouldn't allow anyone to interfere.

Ruan Ning smoothed the hem of her dress, brushed the damp strands of hair stuck to her forehead, steadied her nerves, and walked back to Bai Xingmiao with a gentle, pleasant smile: "Feeling any better? I noticed you're here alone tonight—should I notify your family to come pick you up?"

"No need." Bai Xingmiao's long lashes fluttered as he held his teacup with both hands, leaning against the snow-white pillow.

Bai Xingmiao had been mature and independent since childhood. Because his mother was always busy with work and rarely came home, he was essentially raised by the household nanny and secretary. Aside from his mother deciding where he went to school when he was young, he made all the decisions about his daily life himself—including handling his own illness.

"If you'd be so kind as to leave your student ID number and name, the Kamu family will send a letter of thanks to your college."

Ruan Ning snapped to attention. Her hands clenched, and her breath quickened: "You mean... you're going to write me a thank-you letter? Haha, I just happened to pass by and lend a hand. It was nothing. Please don't be so formal. But then again... if you insist, I'd be rude to refuse."

Ruan Ning found it hard to believe that Bai Xingmiao would let her complete the task so easily.

Her heart pounded anxiously as she made polite excuses, but her mind was already flying to the duke's residence, wishing she could claim the Bai family's reward right this instant.

Bai Xingmiao averted his gaze. "You saved my life. You deserve it."

He put down his teacup and pulled the pillow from behind him. Ruan Ning, quick to catch on, took the cup and set it on the table, then spread the blanket over him so he could lie down.

She hadn't expected the final task to go so smoothly—it was almost as if it had been tailor-made for her. Joy crackled through her like a string of firecrackers, and her hands trembled as she tucked in the blanket.

"However, you should think carefully about whether you want to accept it."

Bai Xingmiao's tone shifted unexpectedly, his gaze turning deep and unfathomable.

"Huh?" Ruan Ning was taken aback, not quite grasping what he meant. But Bai Xingmiao simply closed his eyes to rest.

"What do you mean by that?" Ruan Ning blurted out.

Bai Xingmiao drifted into sleep. Remembering what he had just been through, Ruan Ning didn't have the heart to press a weak patient for answers.

"Then get some rest. I'll be going now." Ruan Ning left in a fog, joy and unease colliding in her chest. She almost turned back to ask one last question, but at the sight of his pale face, she swallowed her words.

His eyes were closed, thick lashes casting a soft shadow beneath them, like a slumbering archangel too holy to profane—yet his pallid skin stirred a pang of pity. The room was still. Ruan Ning, her head full of questions, gave a small bow and quietly slipped out.

The sound of her heels tapping against the marble floor grew fainter, and Bai Xingmiao's breathing evened out.

The campus infirmary stood in a secluded spot, surrounded only by quiet woods.

Ruan Ning walked out of the hospital, the more she thought about it, the more something felt off. She stared up at the glittering stars, her mind a tangled mess with no clarity.

Two months had passed—she'd been walking on eggshells the whole way, and now she could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Victory was within reach, yet she dared not take that final step.

The Bai Xingmiao in reality was just as generous as in the game—he would hand over precious weapons and items without a second thought. But her instincts told her this wasn't so simple. Where exactly the problem lay, she couldn't say.

The night breeze had never felt so intoxicating. As she walked, Ruan Ning suddenly realized she was hungry. She'd barely eaten all evening because of the task, and now that it was done, she could hear her empty stomach grumbling.

She pulled out her phone to order takeout to her dorm when Bu Chen's call came in.

Ruan Ning sighed. She felt like a customer service agent, fielding calls in rotation every single day.

She'd demanded that Bu Chen not disturb her life, and true to his word, he'd stayed out of her sight. The price was a phone call every night, right on time, relentlessly reminding her of his existence.

The letters "BC" flashed on her screen like a death knell with the ringing. Frustrated, Ruan Ning glanced around—no one nearby—and lowered her voice with a frown: "Hello? What is it?"

"What are you doing?" Bu Chen's boisterous laughter came through, as if he were standing right there grinning. He was pleased she'd answered faster than usual and didn't scold her for her cold tone: "Five seconds faster than yesterday. Looks like Miss Ruan is in a good mood. Got something fun to share?"

Ruan Ning nervously scanned the passersby around her: "Nothing much. Midterms are coming up, so I'm busy studying all day. No time for fun."

"Studying that hard? How about I donate you a building? Straight A's, guaranteed graduation—even your dean would bow and scrape before you."

Ruan Ning pulled the phone away in disgust. Bu Chen had always treated school rules as if they didn't exist; he'd never attended a single class since the semester started. Every few sentences, his spoiled-riche-boy arrogance would seep out like poison gas, and she was afraid that getting too close would leave her reeking of it.

"Master Bu, please don't mock those of us who actually worked to get in. If you won't study, others want to. You like hearing about product differentiation, right? I've also been learning about cultivation theory and dramaturgical theory recently. Want to hear about them?"

Ruan Ning held back, trying not to make her tone too sarcastic. To Bu Chen, though, it sounded delightfully spirited, as if he could picture her standing right in front of him—her small vermilion lips pursed in annoyance, making him want to pinch her chubby cheeks.

"You talk, I'll listen. More attentively than a senator at the opening of parliament—not missing a single word."

Ruan Ning gave a light snort: "If you love listening so much, why not just come to class instead of getting it secondhand from me?"

Bu Chen: "What you say is different from what they say. Those sanctimonious professors just waste my precious three hours."

Ruan Ning was furious that he'd dare brand one of the world's most advanced educational institutions as hypocrites: "It's an internationally renowned university, you know. If you want a diploma, you'll still have to donate a building and grovel for it."

Seeing that Ruan Ning was genuinely angry, Bu Chen immediately lowered his tone to soothe her: "My mistake. It's an international academic temple, a torch of human civilization. When will you give me a private lesson, little miss, so this slacker can bask in the light of humanities?"

"I must've been plagued by bad luck to run into a demon like you."

Every time Bu Chen rambled on, it always circled back to wanting to see Ruan Ning. She couldn't chase him away, and she couldn't out-argue him, so she could only spit into the phone in exasperation.

"Hahaha." Bu Chen's smile was wild and carefree: "Blame my cheap fate. I could have a sweet, agreeable flower, but I had to set my heart on a little wildcat—haven't even touched a single hair, just scratches all over my hands."

"Next Tuesday, after all the midterms are done, I'll send someone to pick you up. You don't need to bring a thing—just show up."

Ruan Ning froze, nearly tripping on a pebble in the road: "What did you say? Don't make decisions for me... how... how do you know I'm free next Tuesday?"

Bu Chen let out a lazy chuckle: "I have your schedule right here. No classes Tuesday or Wednesday. Don't tell me you can't get out—if you won't come willingly, I'll just have to come pick you up from school myself."

"Y-you... don't... don't come!" Ruan Ning stammered, her words jumbling together. She'd been fending Bu Chen off for weeks with midterm excuses, and he'd said nothing—now that exams were over, he was immediately eager to meet her. The problem was, she no longer had a legitimate reason to refuse.

"Or I could come sit in on a few classes with you," he offered with a light laugh. "Maybe it'd change my opinion of Iya."

Ruan Ning screamed internally. She couldn't even imagine Bu Chen sitting beside her, glued to her side in front of the whole school from class to class. She'd rather die.

"...Fine, don't bother picking me up. I'll come on my own."

Bu Chen, hearing exactly what he wanted, was in high spirits: "That's my girl. Since you're done with exams, I'll take you out to relax and see the world."

See the world. Ruan Ning sneered inwardly, suppressing her disdain as she replied coldly: "...See you then."

"Bye, mwah~" Bu Chen ended the call with a playful kiss.

She let out a long sigh and hung up, wandering aimlessly around the campus a few times.

Night at Iya was peaceful. Most of the students were high-achievers with clear goals and laser focus, briskly walking with backpacks toward their destinations. No one paid any attention to Ruan Ning, drifting about like a lonely ghost.

She walked lap after lap until her legs ached and she couldn't take another step, leaving her alone on the small path.

This trip was probably going to be a disaster. Bu Chen was ruthless and wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted. She doubted she could dodge him this time.

She dragged her long shadow along the dim streetlights back to the castle dormitory.

Just as she was approaching the front entrance, Ruan Ning noticed a tall figure crouched in the shadows of the flower beds by the roadside. The person was bundled up head to toe—judging by the build, male—but he wore a pair of cute rabbit-ear hats. His head was buried between his long legs, and he was squatting awkwardly, clearly having waited so long his legs had gone numb.

Ruan Ning found it a bit odd. Iya didn't segregate dorms by gender; the castle housed men and women together. Why wouldn't this person just go inside?

Still, she only gave it a passing glance. Exhausted in body and mind, she didn't have the energy to bother with anyone. Just as she was about to step into the bright lobby, the person suddenly stood up and shouted, "Ruan Ning!"

Ruan Ning turned around and found Jiang Yihao standing behind her, a pair of fuzzy rabbit ears drooping as he gazed at her anxiously.