After Dumping the Student Council President, I Got Held Back - Chapter 3

By the time they reached Nanda, night had fully fallen.

Jiang Zhili was a graduate student, and her dorm was in the North Campus, a good half-hour’s walk from Ling Xiang’s dorm in the South Campus.

Ling Xiang told her to drop her off at the gate, but Jiang Zhili, ever the dutiful senior, rode her electric scooter across most of the campus to deliver Ling Xiang to her dorm building.

“Thank you, Senior Sister,” Ling Xiang said softly, carefully stepping off the scooter and smoothing her skirt.

The campus streetlights had already come on, casting warm, golden circles of light on the concrete ground. The air still carried the lingering warmth of the day’s sun, mingled with the faint scent of laundry detergent drifting from the dorm buildings.

Jiang Zhili gazed at Ling Xiang. The night breeze brushed against the girl’s delicate face, which was as refined and gentle as a clear, flowing stream in Jiangnan.

Perhaps because they were so close, the breeze playfully lifted stray strands of hair from both of them, tangling them together without quite touching.

She suddenly smiled brightly, leaning in before Ling Xiang could react. She gently brushed a petal from Ling Xiang’s hair, her tone playful, “There was a flower petal on your head.”

They had ridden past a osmanthus grove earlier.

Ling Xiang unconsciously took a step back. Because of Ruan Qingcheng’s girlfriend status, she automatically maintained a certain personal distance from everyone, regardless of gender.

Some people were unreasonable, picking fights at the drop of a hat, and didn’t care if you were the one who initiated it.

It was laughable how someone could be possessive despite not liking you.

“Senior Jiang,” Ling Xiang said, pointing to the dormitory building, “thank you for walking me back. I’ll head up now.”

Jiang Zhili nodded. “Okay.” She pulled out her phone and shook it. “Want to add me on WeChat? I got a new number, not the one from high school.”

Back in high school, Ling Xiang had added Jiang Zhili’s contact information, but they rarely chatted. After going to college, they lost touch completely. When they occasionally ran into each other on campus, they just exchanged nods and greetings, never reconnecting.

Adding a friend was a small matter, and even though it was someone she’d once had a crush on, Ling Xiang readily pulled out her phone and scanned the QR code.

“Let’s grab dinner sometime,” Jiang Zhili said, putting away her phone and waving goodbye as she rode off on her electric scooter.

Ling Xiang stared at Jiang Zhili’s retreating figure, her mind going blank for a moment. When she came to her senses, she saved the new contact as “Senior Jiang” and was about to close WeChat when she noticed the chat window that had been forced to the top of her list for over half a year.

The profile picture was a photo of an elegant and refined girl in a small Nordic town, caught in a beautiful profile shot as she lowered her head to sip coffee.

That must have been taken when Ruan Qingcheng went skiing in Switzerland earlier this year, Ling Xiang thought.

Ruan Qingcheng had never invited her on these kinds of vacation activities, common among their wealthy second-generation circle. But Ling Xiang was actually relieved, as she had no desire to get involved anyway.

Pinning Ruan Qingcheng’s chat wasn’t because she was her girlfriend, but because Ling Xiang needed to see Ruan Qingcheng’s messages immediately. If she dared to ignore them or reply too slowly, the Young Miss would surely make trouble for her.

The chat window remained silent, with no messages since the transfer an hour ago.

Ling Xiang hoped it would stay that way all night.

When she returned to her dorm, Lin Sheng wasn’t there. Her other two roommates were in different majors and had already left for class, leaving the room quiet.

Having spent a lot of energy throughout the day, Ling Xiang belatedly started to feel exhausted. All she wanted was to quickly shower and sleep like a log.

The hot water cascaded over her body, wrapping her in warmth. Ling Xiang let out a contented sigh, but as the water flowed down her back, she felt a sharp sting.

Frowning slightly, she grabbed a small mirror hanging in the corner and held it up to her back. There were several faint red scratches from fingernails.

She remembered this afternoon: the girl had kept her eyes lightly closed, her face flushed. Despite trembling violently, she had bitten her lip hard to keep from making too loud a sound, channeling all her feelings into—Ling Xiang’s back.

And afterward, she had the nerve to complain that she was uncomfortable.

The injustice of it all.

Ling Xiang let out a soft sigh. She considered applying some ointment but quickly dismissed the idea. She couldn’t reach her back to apply it herself, and asking someone else…

The young miss wouldn’t stoop to such a menial task. And as Ruan Qingcheng’s girlfriend, she couldn’t expose her back for someone else to treat such an intimate wound.

Besides, this wasn’t the first time she’d had such marks.

Never mind.

After her shower, Ling Xiang carefully hand-washed the clothes she’d taken off. The expensive fabric made her wash them very carefully. She recognized the brand—a niche luxury label that cost at least five figures. Miss Ruan’s wardrobe contained no cheap items; even a casual outfit cost that much.

If we break up, I could sell these clothes online and make a fortune, couldn’t I?

Ling Xiang chuckled. After climbing into bed, she took out her phone and opened WeChat. She checked the pinned chat, still no messages. Relieved, she turned off her phone and fell asleep.

She was utterly exhausted. The moment her head hit the pillow, she was out cold.

When Ling Xiang woke up again, it was already the afternoon of the next day. The curtains in the dorm room were slightly drawn, allowing thin slivers of sunlight to stream in and fall across her bed. She stared blankly at the ceiling, feeling groggy. In the small space of the room, she suddenly felt as if she had been cut off from the rest of the world.

After a long while, she finally came to her senses. Ling Xiang sat up in bed and habitually checked her phone—no messages.

Her two roommates had already returned and were gathered around the desk beneath her bed, snacking and chattering quietly. When they saw Ling Xiang climbing down from her upper bunk, He Yingying called out to her, “Ling Xiang! You’re finally awake. You’ve been sleeping for almost a whole day. If you didn’t wake up soon, I was going to come check if you’d passed out.”

Ling Xiang smiled. “I’m fine, just a little tired from yesterday.”

Jiang Siyu, mouth full of fried chicken, mumbled, “Hungry? Come grab something.”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass,” Ling Xiang said. She glanced at the pile of fried chicken takeout on the table and had no appetite. Still, after sleeping all day, her stomach felt empty. After washing up in the bathroom, she made herself a bowl of light chicken and mushroom noodles.

She pulled out her chair and sat down beside the desk, dressed simply in a T-shirt and shorts. She took a bite of her noodles, her expression relaxed, and then chatted aimlessly with her two roommates about everything and nothing. She looked like any ordinary college girl, a state that Ling Xiang was most familiar with, the state she had always been in before meeting Ruan Qingcheng.

Of course, it was also the state Ruan Qingcheng absolutely didn’t want to see her in.

But… Ling Xiang didn’t really care anymore. After all, graduation was just around the corner.

He Yingying and Jiang Siyu were her new roommates this year, both outgoing and easygoing. Ling Xiang got along well with them, but naturally, she wasn’t as close to them as she was to Lin Sheng, her best friend since freshman year.

So, although they knew Ling Xiang’s girlfriend was Ruan Qingcheng, they didn’t know much about their relationship. As He Yingying scrolled through her phone, she teased Ling Xiang with a smirk, “Just got back from Chairman Ruan’s place yesterday, didn’t you?”

“Ooh—” Jiang Siyu chimed in, winking. “No wonder our Ling Xiang is so worn out. Dating your girlfriend must take quite the toll.”

The two exchanged knowing glances and shared a smirk. Ling Xiang’s mind involuntarily flashed with certain images from the bedroom, and her cheeks flushed. She scoffed, “What nonsense are you two talking? You two are so indecent.”

Knowing Ling Xiang was refined and not as thick-skinned as they were, He Yingying and Jiang Siyu, after making their joke, knew when to stop. They quickly changed the subject to praise Ruan Qingcheng:

“I was at the student union last week to drop off some stuff and saw your girlfriend. She looked like she’d just come out of a meeting, surrounded by a crowd of admirers. Even with several pretty girls around, she still stood out the most!”

After all, praising your roommate’s partner is always a safe bet!

Ling Xiang’s expression remained neutral, only offering a polite, perfunctory smile. “Hmm, she is quite attractive.”

Her tone made it sound as if she were discussing some famous online celebrity rather than her own girlfriend.

It seemed like Ling Xiang always reacted this way whenever they brought up Ruan Qingcheng.

Jiang Siyu instinctively felt something was off. Remembering some of the gossip about Ling Xiang around campus, she sighed and immediately patted Ling Xiang’s shoulder. “Our Ling Xiang is gorgeous too! The undisputed beauty of the accounting department! That pretty face would suit anyone!”

He Yingying chimed in, “Exactly! When I first moved into the dorm, I thought I’d seen a fairy!”

“Alright, you two,” Ling Xiang said with a playful scolding, finishing the last bite of her noodles. “Beauty of the accounting department? Our department has plenty of pretty girls. I wouldn’t dare claim that title.”

“This isn’t my doing,” Jiang Siyu said, setting down the fried chicken and wiping her hands. “It’s from the school forum.” She picked up her phone and opened the forum, scrolling through the posts. “There’s that annual thread where everyone votes for the ‘department beauty’ of each major. You always win the accounting department, Ling Xiang…”

As she scrolled, her voice trailed off.

“What’s wrong?” He Yingying noticed her strange expression and leaned in to look at the phone screen.

“Ling Xiang…” Jiang Siyu began hesitantly. “Are you… still with Chairman Ruan?”

Ling Xiang: ???

She laughed. “Didn’t I just get back from Ruan Qingcheng’s place yesterday?”

Still together for now, she thought to herself, but who knows in a month.

He Yingying stared at the screen for a moment, her expression growing uneasy. She glanced at Ling Xiang cautiously, who was utterly bewildered by their behavior. “What’s going on?”

“There’s a thread about you on the school forum…” Jiang Siyu hesitated, struggling to find the right words. Finally, she thrust the phone at Ling Xiang. “You should just read it yourself.”

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