The other three boys finally snapped out of it and rushed forward to drag Zhang Yuan away. One classmate kept apologizing to Jiang Xuehan: "Sorry, so sorry... this guy’s probably... not quite right in the head. Uh, are you okay?"

*Ouch. How could she be okay?*

But Jiang Xuehan, clinging to the principle that *a man bears pain silently*, shook her head firmly. "I’m fine. But this guy’s seriously messed up—hitting girls?"

"Uh, we’ll... handle him. You two should leave now."

Leaving would’ve ended it cleanly. Zhang Yuan was from a neighboring class; their paths wouldn’t cross much. Jiang Xuehan tugged her roommate to go.

But Li Xinglan refused.

She stepped right up to Zhang Yuan, icy flames burning in her eyes. "You hurt my friend. Don’t you owe her an apology?"

"Pfft. She shoved her arm in my face—what’s it to me?" Zhang Yuan snarled, held back by three boys but eyes bloodshot. "Little bitch, just ’cause you’re pretty doesn’t mean you get to act high and mighty. Who knows what filth you hide? Bet you’re ruined already."

The venom hit Li Xinglan like a slap. Her face paled instantly. The three boys exchanged helpless glances. "Seriously, just go. This idiot’s lost it. Last night he kept screaming about some ‘Chi Hun Jie Shun Yu Ying Sha Zhen’ nonsense. We’re moving him out tomorrow."

Then a petite figure stepped before Zhang Yuan. "Apologize to my friend. Xinglan isn’t that kind of girl."

Zhang Yuan barked a laugh. "Make me? Dream on! And you barely know her—what do *you* know?"

"I don’t know her well," Jiang Xuehan said, voice sharp as steel, "but I know she’s nothing like what you said."

"Pfft. Apologize? Never!"

Zhang Yuan strained against his friends’ grip, eyes wild and red.

If Jiang Xuehan were still a guy, she’d have pummeled him senseless. But now—petite, delicate—her fists wouldn’t dent his bulk. She swallowed her rage and pulled Li Xinglan away. "Xinglan, let’s go. Guys like him get what’s coming."

On the walk back, Li Xinglan wasn’t her usual icy self. She cradled Jiang Xuehan’s swollen forearm, worry softening her features. "Xiao Han, are you alright? Let’s get this bandaged at the clinic."

"It’s nothing. It’ll fade."

"If you insist..." Li Xinglan paused, gazing at her with glistening eyes. "Thank you. You’re tiny, but when you get angry... you’re kinda fierce."

"Any man who hits women is trash. I’d never—"

Jiang Xuehan cut herself off. *Mistake.*

Li Xinglan snorted, a rare bloom of laughter on her lips. "Xiao Han, you dress like a tomboy *and* mentally put yourself in a guy’s shoes? That contrast with your soft, girly frame is... unexpectedly moe. I used to wish I were a boy too—fewer headaches, more freedom. But gender’s not a choice. Better to accept reality."

"Huh? Being beautiful isn’t great?" Jiang Xuehan blinked. "You’ve always been adored. Boys fawn over you. Parents and teachers dote on you."

Li Xinglan sighed softly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she stared at the bustling playground. "Most girls crave beauty. That’s why they Photoshop and get surgery. But for me... my background made beauty a burden. A cage. It..."

She trailed off, gazing into the distance. Her tall, elegant silhouette against the clear sky looked like a sculpted figure—mysterious, sorrowful.

Jiang Xuehan wisely didn’t press. *But damn, why does it hurt so much?* Her arm burned like fire.

A girl’s body was so much more fragile than a guy’s. Back when Meng Han got beaten black-and-blue, he’d bounce back by dawn. Now, this slight bruise felt unbearable.

Still, seeing Li Xinglan unharmed eased her pain. She shifted to lighter topics. "Xinglan, you handled that so smoothly earlier. Because you were class rep and student council president in high school?"

"Something like that. I didn’t want any role in college, but the advisor insisted." A faint smile touched Li Xinglan’s lips—their bond had deepened. "Xiao Han, which high school did you attend?"

"Ge Wu High."

"Small world. We were in the same district."

"Heh, yeah..."

Back in the dorm, Li Xinglan’s warmth vanished. Her queenly frost returned—even when Jiang Xuehan spoke to her, she barely thawed beyond a softened glance.

Jiang Xuehan couldn’t fathom why such a stunning roommate kept everyone at arm’s length. She chose dorm life yet wore a *do not approach* aura, avoiding connections, let alone friendship.

Xia Ziying grumbled over dinner: "Xiao Han, you’re too nice. Why bother with someone so cold?"

*Because guys judge girls by looks first.* Yet beneath Li Xinglan’s ice, Jiang Xuehan sensed hidden depths—like her words on the path today.

*Stories.* Jiang Xuehan had her own: from top-streamer to ordinary college girl, swallowing bitterness alone.

Xia Ziying and Wen Jiaqi seemed carefree. *That’s* normal campus life—no baggage, just sunshine.