Volume 4 Chapter 2

Volume 4 + Chapter 2: Staying Over Late At Night

Because a light rain had fallen the previous night, the night sky above Xijiang City was especially deep and clear. Countless stars glittered brilliantly across the heavens like jewels embedded into a dark violet curtain.

Clack.

Within the quiet corridors of Sakura Academy’s teaching building, the crisp sound of Go stones landing echoed through the silence, forming a sharp contrast to the peaceful stillness outside. Inside the classroom, the eyes of the two players burned with fierce competitive spirit.

Every time Ouyang Qianxue recalled the humiliation he suffered after losing to Bai Yuxuan for the first time, anger welled up inside him. Worse still, he had lost because of poor physical condition at the time. How could he possibly accept that outcome willingly? He intended to use this match to show Bai Yuxuan that his title as Go Club President was far from undeserved.

Bai Yuxuan was no different. The feeling of nearly losing during their first match remained vivid in her memory even now. Having grown up under the belief that strength ruled above all else, she too was determined to settle things properly with Ouyang Qianxue.

The two of them were completely immersed in excitement. Their individual troubles had long since been tossed to the back of their minds. At this moment, the only thing either cared about was defeating the other.

And so, the two battled relentlessly across the Go board, utterly forgetting the passage of time. Only when Ouyang Qianxue began nodding off from exhaustion did they reluctantly leave the teaching building.

“So what’s the score now?” Ouyang Qianxue asked while yawning as they walked outside.

“Three to two. I’m leading by one game,” Bai Yuxuan replied.

“Who are you trying to fool? I remember it being tied two to two.”

As the two casually argued back and forth, they eventually arrived outside the dormitory building.

“Ugh… what time is it?” Ouyang Qianxue asked while rubbing his sleepy eyes.

“Not that late. One-thirty in the morning.” Bai Yuxuan glanced at her watch as she answered.

“What?!” The moment Ouyang Qianxue heard the time, he instantly woke up.

“One-thirty?! What are we supposed to do now? We already missed the dorm curfew!”

Sakura Academy’s dormitory used electronic locks, and once curfew passed, the locks automatically powered down. Usually, if students arrived only slightly late, the dorm supervisor would scold them a little before opening the door. But at this hour… the supervisor was probably already asleep.

“What am I supposed to do now?” Ouyang Qianxue looked utterly devastated.

Seeing his troubled expression, Bai Yuxuan smiled softly. She had not expected even Qianxue’s distressed expression to look this adorable.

“And you’re still smiling? This is all your fault, Bai Yuxuan! If you hadn’t dragged me into playing Go, I wouldn’t have gotten locked out! Hurry up and think of a solution!” Watching the culprit continue smiling beside him made Ouyang Qianxue so angry that he stomped his foot.

“Alright, alright, I’ll admit this one’s my fault. The solution is simple, just stay at my place tonight.” In truth, the moment Bai Yuxuan saw the time, she had already begun planning exactly this.

“Live with you? Don’t even think about it. Knowing you, who knows what you’d try to do to me!” Ouyang Qianxue rejected the invitation without the slightest hesitation. He had not forgotten how he was treated the last time Bai Yuxuan tricked him into coming home with her. He was not foolish enough to walk willingly into a tiger’s den.

“I won’t do anything to you,” Bai Yuxuan promised solemnly.

“Oh, please. Ever since the last time you tricked me back to your apartment, you lost all credibility in my eyes. Forget it, I’ll just accept my bad luck. I’ll sleep in the Music Club room tonight.”

“Nonsense!”

The moment he finished speaking, Bai Yuxuan sharply rebuked him.

“Do you know how cold Xijiang gets at night right now? The temperature drops below ten degrees! And the school buildings don’t even have heating. Dressed like that, if you sleep there, you’ll definitely get sick from the cold!”

Whether it was the chilly night breeze or Bai Yuxuan’s unusually forceful tone, Ouyang Qianxue shivered slightly after hearing her words.

“Look at you, you’re already trembling. Hurry up and come back to the apartment with me!” Bai Yuxuan’s tone sounded so authoritative that it resembled a parent lecturing a child, leaving Ouyang Qianxue unable to think of a single rebuttal for a long moment.

Even so, he still stubbornly stood in place instead of following her.

In the end, Bai Yuxuan simply strode forward, grabbed his hand, and began dragging him toward the school gates. The moment she physically pulled him along, Ouyang Qianxue immediately began struggling with all his strength.

“What? Are you trying to force me to knock you unconscious and carry you back instead? Qianxue, think carefully. Don’t make me use force.”

“I… I…” In the end, Ouyang Qianxue could only let Bai Yuxuan drag him out of the school grounds.

After all, he simply could not beat her.

(Just wait, Bai Yuxuan. One day I’ll become even stronger than you, and then I’ll pay you back for every single time you bullied me!) 

Ouyang Qianxue secretly swore to himself.

And as it turned out, five years later he really did accomplish the first half of that promise.

Only the first half.

Thus, Bai Yuxuan pulled Ouyang Qianxue into a taxi outside the school gates and returned with him to her apartment.

By the time they arrived back, it was already past two in the morning. After washing up briefly, the two retired to separate bedrooms to sleep.

“I should still stay cautious…” Remembering what happened last time, Ouyang Qianxue remained wary. Before sleeping, he carefully locked his bedroom door from the inside.

Once he finished all that, however, exhaustion overwhelmed him, and he practically fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.

After Ouyang Qianxue drifted off, a figure quietly opened the bedroom door.

Bai Yuxuan crept silently to his bedside before bending down to carefully study his sleeping face.

His long eyelashes, delicate features, and flawless skin… in Bai Yuxuan’s eyes, there simply did not exist another person in the world more beautiful than him.

“Honestly, this is my house. Did you really think I wouldn’t have a spare key?” Bai Yuxuan whispered teasingly as she gently flicked the tip of his nose. “And you actually fell asleep this deeply without any guard up at all. You trust people far too easily.”

(If I were truly a bad man… no, if I really were a man, I might have devoured you already.)

Looking at Ouyang Qianxue, Bai Yuxuan thought silently to herself that someone as innocent as him absolutely needed to be protected by her in the future. Otherwise, he would be far too easy to deceive.

And so, after quietly admiring his sleeping face for a while longer, Bai Yuxuan gently lay down beside him and drifted off to sleep as well.

The next morning, when Ouyang Qianxue woke up and opened his eyes, the first thing he did was confirm that the bedroom door was still firmly locked. Only then did he finally sigh in relief.

After changing clothes and leaving the room, he found Bai Yuxuan already seated in the living room, reviewing documents Xiao Liu had delivered earlier that morning.

“Oh? How did you sleep last night?” Bai Yuxuan asked casually while continuing to process paperwork.

“Pretty alright.”

“Then why not just live here permanently?”

“Now that it’s daytime, you should stop dreaming.” After speaking, Ouyang Qianxue walked to the refrigerator, took out a carton of milk, and poured it into two cups to heat up. Then he began preparing breakfast.

Clearly, after staying at Bai Yuxuan’s apartment several times already, he had become thoroughly familiar with the place.

“Here, eat.” Before long, Ouyang Qianxue placed a steaming cup of milk and a warm breakfast onto the coffee table in front of Bai Yuxuan.

“I still have some things to deal with, so I’m heading back to school first.” After saying that, he put on his coat and walked toward the door.

“Qianxue.” Bai Yuxuan lifted her cup of milk and spoke softly.

“In another half year, I’ll regain my position as heir to the Bai family. And depending on the situation, that may even happen sooner. So if you ever run into difficulties, you can talk to me. In Xijiang… there are still many things I’m capable of helping you with.”

Hearing those words, Ouyang Qianxue froze for a moment. Then he turned back to look at Bai Yuxuan before quietly replying.

“…Mm.”

After that, he left the apartment.

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