After Being Marked By A Love Rival - Chapter 66

This realization filled Xie Rong with panic, even a hint of fear, as if the development of some matter was about to escape the confines of her control.

Xie Rong was apprehensive of this change, yet she was already on the path of change. And this change was initiated because of Qi Musi.

Zhuang Xinbai was looking up at Xie Rong, still waiting for her answer.

Xie Rong pursed her lips and didn’t tell Zhuang Xinbai the true answer in her heart, instead offering a few vague words to fob her off.

This seemed… to be the first time she had ever lied to Zhuang Xinbai because of another person or thing.

Xie Rong had always been a candid person; she might not answer every question, but her responses were invariably her innermost and true thoughts.

Apart from once concealing her feelings for Zhuang Xinbai, Xie Rong had never lied about anything else.

And this seemed to be the first time she had done so.

Upon realizing this, Xie Rong couldn’t help but turn her head away, afraid to meet Zhuang Xinbai’s gaze directly.

The two said goodbye in front of the dormitory building. Before leaving, Zhuang Xinbai looked at Xie Rong thoughtfully. “I always feel like, Xiaorong, there’s something about you that’s different than before.”

Xie Rong looked at her, “What is it?”

Zhuang Xinbai pondered, “A little more… human?” Then she chuckled, “Oops, sorry, I’m not trying to insult you! But seriously, the current Xiaorong finally seems to be a little less aloof from the mundane world.”

Hearing her description, Xie Rong forced a smile, unsure how to respond.

After all, the most frequent external comments about her, besides coldness, were her ‘otherworldly’ demeanor.

But how could Xie Rong be aloof from the world? She wasn’t raised on dew drops.

Of course, she knew that others commented this way mostly due to Xie Rong’s outwardly expressed indifference, but Xie Rong had always been like this.

Yet, she wasn’t indifferent in front of Zhuang Xinbai she had always interacted with her as a friend, so logically, the other party shouldn’t feel this way.

Finally, Xie Rong could only say, “I’ve always been this way.”

Zhuang Xinbai looked at her, shook her head, “Xiaorong, I think you should trust an omega’s sixth sense. Something about you has definitely changed.”

She stroked her chin. “So, what happened to you over the winter break?”

Mentioning the winter break, Xie Rong tensed for a fleeting moment, then slowly relaxed.

But she didn’t know how to answer Zhuang Xinbai’s question. So Xie Rong could only evade and lie again.

“Nothing, nothing happened.”

Zhuang Xinbai didn’t press the issue. After all, she was only asking on a whim, and Xie Rong had her own life. Even though they were friends, Zhuang Xinbai had never intended to know everything about Xie Rong’s life or pry into all her private matters.

Therefore, after Xie Rong denied it, Zhuang Xinbai said no more, then bid farewell to Xie Rong.

Xie Rong turned and slowly walked up the stairs.

She walked slowly, her mind occupied by Zhuang Xinbai’s final words.

Xie Rong wondered, had she really… changed in some way? But Xie Rong couldn’t detect it, and she felt that she was still her former self, unchanged.

If she had to say one thing…

It would be that she might be more concerned about Qi Musi than before.

Thinking of Qi Musi, Xie Rong’s eyes darkened slightly, and she slowly lowered her gaze, concealing the changing emotions within.

She had class the next afternoon. When Xie Rong got up, Zhao Rongrong and Mo Li hadn hadn’t come down yet.

She subconsciously glanced at Qi Musi’s bed and then slowly withdrew her gaze.

Today was just an ordinary day, yet Xie Rong clearly felt that her mood was completely different from yesterday.

The reason why seemed self-evident.

After washing up, Xie Rong sat down at her desk to organize her schoolwork, occasionally spacing out absentmindedly, glancing at the time in the lower right corner of her computer screen every now and then.

What would typically take an hour to finish was dragged out to two hours.

Finally done, Xie Rong put down the mouse, looked down, and checked the time again. It was eleven o’clock.

Qi Musi still hadn’t returned.

Was there a traffic jam? Or would she only come back in the afternoon?

Xie Rong thought this in her heart. As time went on, thoughts of Qi Musi occurred more and more, yet she herself didn’t overly notice it.

Just then, the sound of a suitcase’s wheels rolling on the ground suddenly came from outside.

Although it wasn’t particularly quiet outside right now, this sound was very clear and getting closer.

Xie Rong’s heart paused, followed by a heavier and heavier beat, catching Xie Rong off guard, unable to suppress it.

She had never been like this before.

Xie Rong closed her eyes slightly.

Maybe there were moments, like checking her college entrance exam results, and so on.

But never like this, where the entire reason was merely the sound of wheels.

And though it sounded so unfamiliar, Xie Rong had an inexplicable intuition in her heart, as if she was convinced that the person coming was Qi Musi.

Then the sound approached and stopped.

Xie Rong’s eyes widened slightly.

The next moment, the dorm room door was pushed open.

The person she missed… No, the person she was only slightly concerned about appeared before her.

Nearly two weeks had passed, and Qi Musi hadn’t changed much everything was as before.

The other party smiled and looked over, then said, “Xiaorong, good afternoon.”

Xie Rong pursed her lips, unsure what to say in response.

Reply ‘good afternoon’? That would be too ridiculous. Ask Qi Musi why she was late? That would show a little too much concern for her.

For a moment, Xie Rong was stuck in place.

Fortunately, Qi Musi didn’t mind, or perhaps she guessed with a glance that Xie Rong was having an internal squabble with herself again, so she chose not to fan the flames but entered the dorm room first and closed the door.

She looked up at Zhao Rongrong and Mo Li’s beds, raising an eyebrow slightly. “These two still haven’t gotten up?”

Zhao Rongrong pulled back her curtain. “Of course I’m up! It’s almost twelve, I’m not a pig.”

Qi Musi chuckled, “Although not, you are superior to one.”

Zhao Rongrong: “Goodness, the pig lovers association expresses strong condemnation.”

Xie Rong sat back down, watching the computer screen distractedly while listening to the familiar voices beside her. The atmosphere in the dorm room instantly returned to what Xie Rong was used to.

Qi Musi was also there.

Xie Rong tightened her grip on the mouse, feeling a strange nervousness in her heart.

Even though Qi Musi had returned, marking the end of the matter and a full stop, for some reason, the nervousness and anticipation in Xie Rong’s heart did not decrease but increased.

What was she nervous about? And what was she looking forward to?

Xie Rong asked herself this question internally, but she had no answer.

“Xiaorong.”

Xie Rong came back to her senses, then realized that Qi Musi was already next to her.

“…What is it?” Xie Rong’s expression was one of cold indifference; a stranger would think she still disliked Qi Musi.

But thankfully, Qi Musi had already discerned Xie Rong’s current attitude towards her from her expression.

A smile bloomed on her lips, and then she placed a red velvet box in front of Xie Rong.

“Happy New Year.”

Xie Rong was stunned, not having expected her to bring out a gift.

“This…”

Zhao Rongrong said, “Wow, Musi, you’re so biased.”

Qi Musi smiled, “How am I biased?”

Zhao Rongrong winked, “You’re specifically giving Xiaorong a New Year’s gift, but we got nothing. Alas, times are corrupt, and people’s hearts are not what they used to be.”

Qi Musi chuckled in response to the light insult, “What nonsense.” Then she pulled something else out for Zhao Rongrong. “Who said you didn’t get anything? Take it.”

Hearing this, Xie Rong paused. The initial secret anticipation and surprise in her heart instantly vanished.

Xie Rong pursed her lips, unable to help but wonder, what was she so surprised about just now? It’s perfectly normal for Qi Musi to bring New Year’s gifts for them; everyone gets one, right?

After all, when the other party first came to the dorm, she gave a gift to everyone.

So… naturally, she wouldn’t give a gift only to her and leave out the other two.

Xie Rong lowered her gaze, looking at the box on her desk, no longer feeling the impulse to open it, nor the courage to look at the gifts received by the others.

Qi Musi turned back and saw Xie Rong’s lowered gaze. The light from the overhead lamp cast a shadow of her eyelashes onto her face, giving her a hazy filter. She looked even fairer, with a soft, misty quality.

Qi Musi’s heart stirred involuntarily.

But then, she sensed a slight emotional upset in Xie Rong.

Qi Musi quickly figured out the reason.

The smile on her lips was unrestrained, her eyes filled with tender affection. Then she leaned slightly closer and softly said to Xie Rong, “Theirs are different from yours. Only yours is the most special.”

Xie Rong was slightly startled, first subtly retreating to avoid Qi Musi’s close proximity. Then, upon hearing her words, she paused slightly and looked up at Qi Musi.

The other party’s eyes held a gentle, flowing smile, looking at her tenderly, as if her eyes held only Xie Rong, and she was her entire world.

Xie Rong stared for a moment, then uncomfortably averted her gaze, letting her sight fall upon the box.

Recalling Qi Musi’s words just now, Xie Rong paused and then said, “I don’t care about things like that.”

Qi Musi raised an eyebrow and didn’t expose her. After all, she knew Xie Rong was already on the verge of shyness. If she pressed further, she might provoke her to anger.

So Qi Musi considerately nodded. “Mmm, I just wanted to explain myself, otherwise, it wouldn’t be good for the carefully selected gift to be misunderstood.”

Xie Rong’s eyelashes fluttered. She looked up at Qi Musi, “What kind of gift is it?”

Qi Musi smiled, “Why don’t you open it and see for yourself?”

Just then, Zhao Rongrong’s surprised voice came from behind, “Holy cow, a red envelope! Holy cow, a thousand yuan! All the red envelopes I got for the New Year combined aren’t this much!”

“Big boss, you’re generous! Big boss, you’re mighty! Big boss, I love you.”

Qi Musi looked up and then chuckled, “Please don’t. Thank me, but love is not necessary.”

Xie Rong heard this and pursed her lips.

Then she reached out, took the velvet box, and slowly opened it.

Inside, a beautiful and expensive necklace was safely kept.