“Walk to the entrance, smash the vase here, then blame the first person who comes out... Hm? Why?”

The girl stared at the text on her phone, then tilted her head in confusion.

That was the order Chen Yaoyi had given her: go to the girls’ dorm entrance and smash the little vase he had handed her.

She just couldn’t understand why. Of course, if she hadn’t been threatened, there was no way she’d do something like this. It was all because she’d been threatened. That’s right. Threatened.

She read the message again, then stuffed her phone back into her jacket pocket. Lu Zixuan held the vase in one hand, a single lily stuck in it. The door in front of her was the cafeteria entrance on the first floor of the dorm building.

This school was a little different from most. Every dorm building had its own cafeteria downstairs. So she just had to wait here? Probably.

Still, Lu Zixuan felt awkward. She couldn’t exactly stand in the middle of the path, so she held the vase with both hands and leaned against the wall.

Lu Zixuan had no idea what was going on in Chen Yaoyi’s head. But since she’d been threatened, all she could do was obey.

She was used to being ordered around. Used to being treated like a tool by her family. Used to being told what to do. By now, she barely had any sense of self left.

For a while, she had thought staying by Xia Tianle’s side was her own choice. But she soon realized it wasn’t. She was a tool. A tool meant to keep Xia Tianle close.

So she started choosing to be ordered around. It was easier that way. If someone else told her what to do, she didn’t have to think.

Her family told her to flatter Xia Tianle. They told her to sneak into his room on the night of the engagement ceremony. She went and did it too, only to be stopped by Chen Yaoyi.

Xia Tianle told her not to meddle too much in his business at school. She agreed. The young masters and ladies clinging to her used her name to stir up trouble, and she let them. If she had to handle things herself, wouldn’t that just be more tiring?

So whether it was being forced to study, practice instruments, learn to dance, be treated like a doll, or fall for a man she didn’t even like, it all came from one tiny command.

And now, the only reason Chen Yaoyi could order her around like this was because she’d been threatened.

Yes. Thinking about it that way made everything much simpler.

“Move, move, move! Out of the way!”

A hurried shout suddenly came from behind her. Lu Zixuan hesitated and turned her head, only to find the woman behind her already right in front of her.

She was carrying three cardboard boxes, completely blocking her own view, and she crashed straight into Lu Zixuan—

Bang!!

A dull thud rang out. Sharp pain shot through Lu Zixuan’s right hand. She opened her tightly shut eyes and found a petite, very cute girl sprawled on top of her—

It was Liu Yiyi.

There was no way Lu Zixuan could forget that face. She’d seen it in last night’s video, when she had gone to find Xia Tianle a few days ago, and plenty of other times too. Again and again, Liu Yiyi had appeared in her sight and snatched away chances that should have belonged to Lu Zixuan.

“Hey! Why were you just standing in the middle of the road?!”

Before Lu Zixuan could even ask anything, Liu Yiyi sprang to her feet and started yelling at her.

“Hah? Obviously you were— ngh...”

Lu Zixuan tried to raise her hand to argue, only to feel a burst of agony in her right palm. Glass from the vase had lodged itself into her hand, tearing open a bloody gash.

“Ah...”

She managed not to scream, but sweat broke out across her forehead and her body trembled.

Lu Zixuan forced herself to stand up from the ground, only to find Liu Yiyi still going on and on, fixated on the fact that Lu Zixuan had been standing in the middle of the path.

“Can you shut up for a second?”

Lu Zixuan looked at her blood-soaked palm and the hem of her skirt, now wet through, and a flare of anger rose in her chest. She shot Liu Yiyi a fierce glare, and the other girl instantly choked on her words.

She had always been the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. The moment she met someone who could actually intimidate her, she turned into a turtle. Neck stretched out, eyes bulging like they were about to pop, staring at you without blinking—

Her chin still jutted up high, but at least she really did shut up. Though that habit of looking down on people through her nostrils was still disgusting.

Anyway, Liu Yiyi acted one way around girls and another around guys.

Lu Zixuan couldn’t be bothered with her. She reached with her left hand to pull the shard out of her wound, but Liu Yiyi suddenly grabbed that hand too, trying to force Lu Zixuan’s attention back onto herself.

“Hey! Why are you acting so fierce? You made all my stuff fall over!”

She waved Lu Zixuan’s arm around, trying to drag her focus back.

“No, can you let go of me first? I’m hurt! Stop messing around!”

Lu Zixuan was getting anxious too. She usually didn’t interfere in other people’s business, and she rarely got angry, but her right hand was throbbing. She had no time to deal with Liu Yiyi.

She knew everything about Liu Yiyi. She had even sent people to keep an eye on her. But Liu Yiyi knew nothing. She didn’t even know Xia Tianle had a fiancée, because Xia Tianle never talked about it, and all she ever paid attention to were the things he bought for her.

Lu Zixuan took a step back, then forcefully shook off Liu Yiyi’s hand. Liu Yiyi staggered a few steps and nearly fell.

“Hey! Are you sick or something? Why are you pushing people now? Don’t run! Don’t think you can leave!”

Liu Yiyi had only just steadied herself when she saw Lu Zixuan turn to leave. She strode after her and grabbed her shoulder bag, yanking hard backward. If Lu Zixuan hadn’t been taller and heavier than her, she would’ve been dragged right onto the shattered vase pieces.

The sole of a canvas shoe stepped onto the broken glass, then slipped slightly on the spilled water, scraping across the ground with a harsh, grating sound.

“Hey, Yiyi? What are you doing? I noticed you were gone too long and—”

This time, a voice both girls knew all too well rang out.

The handsome, rich male lead of this story was walking over. He saw the fallen boxes in front of the girls, and Lu Zixuan standing there in front of Liu Yiyi.

So he quickened his pace and moved straight between them. At the same time, he brought a large crowd of students and teachers with him.

“Tianle?”

Lu Zixuan hadn’t expected Xia Tianle to be here. Her voice was faint, but Liu Yiyi noticed it too.

The distance between the three of them closed. Xia Tianle stepped directly in front of Liu Yiyi. At the same time, that Lu-somebody, Bro Zhiyin, and a bunch of others arrived too, sealing off the cafeteria entrance until it was packed tight.

“Tianle! Weren’t you at the sports field?”

Liu Yiyi spoke first, then threw herself to Xia Tianle’s side and clung tightly to his arm. Her face showed unease and fear, but she still made sure to act cute first—

“Are you tired? It’s just a tiny little scuffle over here. It’s all my fault...”

“It’s okay. I saw her shove you. You’re fine. No need to make excuses for Lu Zixuan.”

Xia Tianle shot Lu Zixuan a look of utter disappointment, then turned back to comfort Liu Yiyi in an extremely gentle voice.