After Being Marked By A Love Rival - Chapter 65

Sitting on the high-speed rail back to school, Xie Rong listlessly gazed at the scenery outside the window, her mind slightly wandering.

The last time she was on this same high-speed rail was after the National Day holiday, coming from home. At that time, her mood wasn’t like it was now no excessive excitement, anticipation, or an inexplicable slight joy. There was only a faint sense of melancholy from leaving home again and a calm return to school.

But this time… Xie Rong’s emotions felt different, perhaps because some things had changed since last semester.

She lowered her eyes, looking at the rapidly receding trees, and felt her spirits lift.

When Xie Rong returned to her dorm room, Zhao Rongrong had already arrived.

A whole winter break seemed to have passed without any change in the other girl; she was still the same as before the Lunar New Year. If there was one difference… it might be that she had put on a little weight.

Seeing Xie Rong enter, Zhao Rongrong greeted her warmly, and then brought up things that happened during the break.

“Speaking of which, before the New Year, Mu Si asked me for your home address, but I didn’t give it to her without permission. I told her to ask you did she ask you?”

Xie Rong was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected Qi Musi to ask Zhao Rongrong first before approaching her.

After a brief pause, she nodded.

Zhao Rongrong’s eyes widened slightly, a barely concealed curiosity evident as she asked, “Then what did Mu Si come to see you for?”

She tried hard to control her emotions, but her desire for gossip was too strong to suppress.

Xie Rong didn’t feel the purpose of Qi Musi’s visit was something to hide after all, it wasn’t scandalous.

She said, “She came here… to celebrate New Year’s Eve.”

Xie Rong stopped there.

Zhao Rongrong was first confused, then suddenly enlightened, “Is it because her stepmother gave her trouble again?” Then, as if empathizing, Zhao Rongrong complained a few words about Qi Musi’s stepmother.

“Seriously, as expected, when there’s a stepmother, there’s a stepfather. Doesn’t Mu Si’s dad care? Letting his own daughter go to another city for the Lunar New Year, is that appropriate?”

Xie Rong wasn’t sure if Qi Musi’s father had intervened or tried to keep her, but regardless, Qi Musi ultimately stayed in City C.

Zhao Rongrong: “So Mu Si asked you to spend the New Year with her?”

Xie Rong nodded.

“Then what activities did you two do?”

Xie Rong slightly raised an eyebrow and looked at her, “What activities could there be? Her suddenly running over from City A and asking for my home address already scared me silly, okay?”

Zhao Rongrong gave an awkward smile and scratched her cheek.

But… she still felt that Qi Musi didn’t look for anyone else but Xie Rong, which meant she really cared about Xie Rong. Oh dear, she suddenly felt Qi Musi’s affection for Xie Rong was incredibly touching.

So, she asked again, “You two met and didn’t do anything at all?”

Xie Rong lowered her gaze slightly, “It’s not that we didn’t do anything. We lit sparklers.”

“Eh?” Zhao Rongrong was dumbfounded, finding it hard to imagine two Alphas gathering… no, two Alphas meeting in private would do something so girly and childlike.

She was speechless for a moment, then asked, “Well, was it pretty?”

Thinking of the scene that night, and Qi Musi’s smiling face behind the sparks, Xie Rong’s emotions softened, and her features became gentle.

She nodded, “It was beautiful.”

A radar suddenly blared in Zhao Rongrong’s head. She narrowed her eyes and examined Xie Rong from head to toe, feeling strongly that something she didn’t know had happened between these two.

But since Xie Rong wouldn’t say, Zhao Rongrong didn’t dare to ask.

However, she silently made a conclusion in her heart, there was definitely something going on between these two!

Shocking.

#MyTwoSameGenderRoommatesAreSecretlyEngagingInActivitiesAndBehaviorsWithoutMeKnowinG

Zhao Rongrong was very curious, but she didn’t dare to ask. She could only wonder quietly and wait for Mo Li to come back so they could be curious together.

Thinking of this, Zhao Rongrong casually asked, “Has Mu Si not arrived yet?”

Xie Rong paused her movement, “She’s busy, she’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Hmm?” Zhao Rongrong was slightly confused, “Busy with what?”

“Company stuff, that’s what she said.”

So Zhao Rongrong nodded, signaling that she understood.

Though she wasn’t sure what exactly she understood.

Then Zhao Rongrong chuckled, “I didn’t expect your relationship with Mu Si to be so close now, Xiao Rong?” She raised an eyebrow, her smile mischievous, “Mu Si didn’t say these things in the dorm group, but quietly told you alone, hmm-hmm.”

Xie Rong looked indifferent and unmoved, “If you ‘oink’ again, I’ll let you ‘oink’ to your heart’s content.”

The “oinking” stopped immediately.

Zhao Rongrong: “But I’m stating a fact! I didn’t even know about this.”

Xie Rong said flatly, “Well, now you know.”

“…”

She understood, Xiao Rong was truly cold and impenetrable.

So Zhao Rongrong gave up on trying to gather information from Xie Rong. However, she wasn’t without any discoveries. At least she knew that Xie Rong and Qi Musi’s relationship had advanced by leaps and bounds and was now deeper than theirs.

Zhao Rongrong wouldn’t believe it if someone said nothing had happened between those two.

In the afternoon, Mo Li also returned. She was similarly puzzled about Qi Musi not being back yet, but after Zhao Rongrong explained, she expressed understanding.

Xie Rong sat in her spot, with the sound of Zhao Rongrong’s variety show in the background and Mo Lie’s typing behind her. She was already in the dorm room and didn’t feel lonely, but…

For some reason, Xie Rong still felt a little uneasy.

She couldn’t pinpoint the cause. She hadn’t felt this way before.

Or perhaps, she vaguely knew the reason, but Xie Rong didn’t dare to look at it directly or face it.

Because she didn’t have the courage.

Xie Rong knew that both Mo Li and Zhao Rongrong were looking at their respective computers and wouldn’t be idle enough to look at her movements, so she could slightly turn her head and glance toward Qi Musi’s desk.

The desktop was very clean, with nothing left on the surface. The items left in the dorm were either placed on the shelves or covered with things to prevent dust accumulation.

But the desktop couldn’t be spared; there was still a bit of dust now.

Xie Rong’s fingertips curled, and a sudden idea and impulse welled up in her heart.

She even wanted to help Qi Musi clean or wipe her desk.

Xie Rong pursed her lips, knowing that this idea was definitely not “fair and just,” nor was it simply out of concern for a roommate. Only she herself knew how much personal selfish motive was contained within it.

Yet, she didn’t dare to let this thought truly surface. Because… Xie Rong couldn’t explain it; she just instinctively wanted to escape.

Xie Rong withdrew her gaze and quietly let out a breath.

She had thought that once she returned to the dorm, she would resume her normal life and state, but upon arriving, she realized that she hadn’t recovered. Instead, the sight of the objects without the person made her feel even more… forlorn.

Xie Rong pursed her lips, forcing herself to put away this emotion.

Was she crazy? Why should she feel forlorn when Qi Musi wasn’t here? She… she didn’t like Qi Musi; who would care whether she came or not?

Xie Rong’s heart was a mess, and she simply decided not to stay in the dorm and went out to buy food.

After Xie Rong left, the background sound of Zhao Rongrong’s variety show and Mo Li’s typing simultaneously disappeared. The two exchanged a look.

They had both appeared to be busy with their own activities, but were actually secretly texting each other. Zhao Rongrong was sharing her discovery of the day with Mo Li, as keeping the discovery to herself was too stifling Zhao Rongrong couldn’t hold it in.

Fortunately, she had Mo Li to share with.

But it had to be said that Xie Rong had just been sitting behind them, while she and Mo Li were secretly gossiping about Xie Rong’s love life behind her back, which was quite thrilling.

When Xie Rong had stood up earlier, Zhao Rongrong thought she had been caught.

Now that Xie Rong was gone, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh my goodness, you scared me to death.”

Mo Li scoffed, “You’re too timid.”

Zhao Rongrong was very innocent: “What choice did I have? Do you dare to let Xiao Rong find out?”

Hilarious, they absolutely didn’t dare.

The two equally cowardly people sighed in relief together. Then they continued the previous topic.

Zhao Rongrong said, “What do you think happened between Xiao Rong and Mu Si? I think there’s definitely something going on, or at least a potential relationship.”

“I don’t know if there’s ‘something going on,’ but there’s definitely potential.”

“How so?”

So the two analyzed Xie Rong’s unusual behavior today.

Xie Rong thought she was hiding it well, but didn’t know that her abnormality and distraction had been noticed by her roommates, who were making bold guesses.

Mo Li: “Normally, Xiao Rong wouldn’t even glance towards Mu Si’s side. Mu Si herself standing in front of her would even annoy her. What happened in just one winter break?”

Zhao Rongrong: “I know! Maybe that sparkler on New Year’s Eve ignited something in Xiao Rong’s heart.”

Mo Li: ?

Regardless, these were only their speculations and analysis. As outsiders, they could gossip, but getting the truth was a bit difficult.

Zhao Rongrong sighed, “Anyway, no matter what, if they can achieve a positive result, that would be best. If not…”

Then it might truly become a dorm room love triangle/mess.

Xie Rong ran into Zhuang Xinbai while out buying food. The other girl greeted her immediately, so Xie Rong walked out of the canteen with her, heading toward the dorm building.

Zhuang Xinbai chatted with Xie Rong with a smile the whole way, and Xie Rong occasionally replied.

Although her expression was calm, her thoughts were slightly scattered, not fully focused on Zhuang Xinbai, but instead dwelling on some things in her own heart.

Zhuang Xinbai probably noticed Xie Rong’s slight inattentiveness, so she asked with a smile, “Xiao Rong? What are you thinking about right now?”

Xie Rong suddenly snapped back to attention, stopping the words that were about to escape her mouth.

She looked at Zhuang Xinbai and was startled to realize that, at some point, while walking beside Zhuang Xinbai, her thoughts and feelings were no longer entirely about the other girl.

Instead, they had turned into… another person.