It didn’t take long before the balcony door of Room 213 opened. Peng Xiaoxiao stepped out looking utterly confused, startled by the scene outside. “Whoa, what are you guys doing?!”

Someone in the crowd couldn’t hold back anymore and murmured, “Is this girl Shu Yuxin? She’s not even that pretty.”

“Not pretty? Hah, you’re clearly some inexperienced virgin. With my experience, this girl would be absolutely stunning with just a little makeup…”

“Come on—wait, is *she* the so-called ‘aloof goddess’?”

“No way. Shu Yuxin’s way prettier. This must be her roommate.”

“Huh, all the girls in this dorm are actually pretty good-looking…”

The crowd then launched into debate over how hard it’d be to win over these girls.

Ignoring those who didn’t know Shu Yuxin, the young man right in the center—certainly familiar with his target—frowned slightly when the wrong girl appeared. “Hey, beautiful! Could you—”

“You’re looking for Shu Yuxin?” Peng Xiaoxiao cut him off, already itching to get back to her game. “She’s not in the dorm.”

The guy hesitated, clearly skeptical. “Please, just ask her to come out for a sec…”

“I *said* she’s not here! She told me she’s out checking into a hotel tonight!” Peng Xiaoxiao raised her voice, irritation sharp in her tone.

Murmurs in the crowd swelled.

The guitar guy’s face fell. “Impossible… Shu Yuxin doesn’t even have a boyfriend. How could she be—”

“Ugh, are you *still* at it?” Peng Xiaoxiao let out an annoyed laugh. She finally pieced it together—and recalled that handsome guy who’d visited Shu Yuxin before: Jiang Zixuan. Naturally, she assumed he was the boyfriend, that Shu Yuxin was out with *him* tonight. She completely missed how Shu Yuxin even knew someone was waiting. Arms crossed, she tilted her head toward the dorm. “Go on. Don’t believe me? Come up yourself. I’ll hold the door open.”

The guitar slipped from his arms. On that late-summer night, its warmth faded into cold—just like his heart, blazing minutes ago, now utterly still.

Seeing he had nothing left to say, Peng Xiaoxiao clicked her tongue and turned away. The show was over. Onlookers drifted off. The lanky guy clapped the guitar guy’s shoulder with faux wisdom.

Shu Yuxin moved through the dispersing crowd, tugging her uniform collar up to hide half her face. She passed the two dejected guys without a glance. No one noticed the “female lead” who should’ve been on the balcony. A would-be romantic drama opener—snuffed out before it even began.

*There’s a lyric for this…*

*“I should be under the car, not inside it.”*

Yeah. Fitting.

Back in the dorm, door shut, she replayed the guy’s stunned face—and burst into laughter.

Peng Xiaoxiao jolted. Headphones just on, no music playing. For a second, she thought her PC glitched.

Then she spotted Shu Yuxin leaning against the door, tears of laughter streaming down her face. Peng pulled off her headphones. “Shu Yuxin? Weren’t you saying you wouldn’t be back tonight?”

“Hahahaha—I *never* said that! I was down there watching the whole thing! His face—*dying*!” Shu Yuxin wheezed, clutching her sides.

*How wild.* A month ago, *she* was the guy. Today? A dude pulled out a full-blown confession spectacle… for *her*.

Peng Xiaoxiao’s lips twitched. “You’ve got a seriously twisted sense of humor.”

*Aloof goddess? Screw that.*

Wiping tears, Shu Yuxin caught her breath and headed to her bed. “Shower time. This uniform’s killing me.”

“Tell me about it. No idea how you lasted this long,” Peng muttered, slipping her headphones back on.

Shu Yuxin hadn’t packed much. Never cared much about fashion—Mom nagged her endlessly about it. Two outfits could carry her through a semester if laundry dried daily. High school habit. College? Same deal.

She dug out her enrollment-day clothes, then hurried to the balcony to collect yesterday’s underwear. The artsy guy was gone, but a few lingerers remained. Spotting her, someone shouted, “Hey—it’s Shu Yuxin!”

All eyes locked on her.

Bra in left hand, panties in right—posing like an accidental lingerie model. She blinked. *Should I say something?*

…Nah.

She turned and vanished inside.

Murmurs erupted anew.

“Wait—she said she was *out*? Must’ve had her roommate lie!”

“Still… kinda aloof, right?”

A few voices cut through: “Damn. She’s actually gorgeous.”

Shu Yuxin didn’t care what they said. Even if he knew she was here now? No guy—*no matter how thick-skinned*—would come back after *that*.

As whispers rippled outward, Shu Yuxin showered, then sat at her desk in bare legs. Stared at the anime-girl desktop wallpaper for a full minute. Closed the laptop. Climbed into bed.

The curtain draped around her—a tiny, private world. Safe.

She reached up instinctively, fingers brushing her nose for glasses that weren’t there.

Paused.

Slowly lowered her hand.

Her old body: 400-degree myopia. Without glasses, the world blurred into static. Years of habit.

This new body? Perfect vision. No glasses needed.

But habits… don’t vanish overnight.

With a soft sigh, Shu Yuxin closed her eyes.