Chapter 22: Terms of the Transaction

That last line of text, like a spell cast in ice, drained every ounce of air from the dormitory the moment Xu Yuan pressed the send button.

Lin Feifei’s eyes, usually vibrant and full of life, were now wide as brass bells, her mouth agape, enough to fit an egg. She looked at Xu Yuan, then at the cracked phone screen, her expression one of unprecedented shock and absurdity.

"Conditions? Have you lost your damn mind, Xu Yuan?!"

After a brief, deathly silence, Lin Feifei finally erupted. She snatched the phone from Xu Yuan’s hand, her voice so sharp it felt as if it might pierce one’s eardrums. "Do you have any idea what you’re doing? You’re making a deal with the devil, and you actually dare to set conditions?!"

"Give it back to me." Xu Yuan ignored her outburst, merely reaching out her hand, her voice terrifyingly calm.

"You..." Lin Feifei was trembling with rage at her stubbornness. Looking at the sent message on the screen, she felt a wave of dizziness. "What on earth are you trying to do? What could you possibly gain from this? For that bastard Jiang Yi, are you throwing away your reputation, your future, everything?!"

"It’s not for him." Xu Yuan shook her head and retrieved her phone from her hand.

She looked at the gray, rain-drenched sky outside the window and said softly, "I am doing this for myself."

To ensure that the burning, all-consuming dream would not become a heart-demon that would haunt her and gnaw at her soul for the rest of her life.

To ensure that she herself could live on, with a clear conscience.

"You..." Lin Feifei looked into her hollow eyes—eyes that seemed to have already glimpsed a terrifying future—and all the angry, accusatory words suddenly became lodged in her throat, unable to escape.

She suddenly felt that the Xu Yuan before her was a stranger.

Like a prisoner walking toward the execution ground alone, holding onto a resolve to die.

Just then, the cracked phone vibrated inopportunely with a "buzz."

It was a reply from Jiang Wan.

It was only a single sentence.

[State them.]

Xu Yuan’s heart leaped into her throat.

She knew that every word from here on out would determine the trajectory of her future, Jiang Yi’s, and indeed, everyone involved.

She took a deep breath, her hands trembling, and typed out, word by word, the insane conditions she had rehearsed in her heart countless times.

[My condition is that from now until the trial ends, Jiang Yi is not allowed to step foot in the library.]

[All of our competition collaborations must take place in the independent project room of the laboratory building.]

[You must find a way to make him agree.]

The message was sent successfully.

Lin Feifei peered over and read the entire content; the expression on her face shifted from shock to complete stupor.

"Not... not let Jiang Yi go to the library?" she muttered to herself, as if looking at an alien. "Why? The library is his second home! Aren't you basically killing him?"

"And you want his sister to force him? Xu Yuan, do you have any idea how much Jiang Yi hates it when others try to control his life? You are playing with fire!"

"I know." Xu Yuan nodded, her voice hoarse. "But some fires need to be lit by someone."

Rather than passively waiting for that fated inferno that would burn everything to ashes, she would rather be the one to personally ignite a different, uncontrollable wildfire—one that could shatter the entire game of chess.

...

The next hour was, for Xu Yuan, an unprecedented torment.

Jiang Wan did not reply.

The deathly silent, empty dialogue box was like a black hole, constantly devouring all of Xu Yuan’s courage and hope.

Had she... made things even worse?

Would Jiang Wan think she was an unreasonable lunatic and then tell Jiang Yi about this?

At the thought of this possibility, Xu Yuan’s heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, causing her such pain that she couldn't breathe.

Lin Feifei, watching her distraught state from the side, eventually softened. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her from behind.

"Forget it," she said, her voice uncharacteristically gentle. "If the sky falls, I’ll help you hold it up. At worst, when this is all over, I’ll have my brother pack you both off abroad, where no one will ever find you."

Xu Yuan’s eyes grew hot, and tears almost spilled over.

Just then, the phone, which she had been gripping until it grew hot, finally vibrated once more.

It was Jiang Wan again.

[Fine.]

Only one word.

Yet, it felt like an imperial pardon from the heavens, instantly pulling Xu Yuan back from that boundless, desperate abyss.

Immediately after, a second message popped up.

[I will talk to him. But I cannot guarantee the outcome.]

[Also, Student Xu,]

[Thank you.]

Xu Yuan stared at those last three words, feeling every ounce of strength in her body drain away in that instant.

She slumped backward into Lin Feifei’s embrace and wept.

This time, it was not out of fear, nor out of grievance.

It was because, in this pitch-black, lonely tunnel that seemed to have no end, she had finally seen a faint glimmer of light—someone willing to walk with her.

...

The next day was Sunday.

The rain had stopped.

The sky had been washed to a brilliant blue, the sunlight dazzlingly bright.

Xu Yuan spent the entire day in a state of extreme, restless anxiety.

She didn't know how Jiang Wan would go about "talking" to Jiang Yi.

She dared not even imagine the sky-shattering, soul-crushing rage Jiang Yi might harbor once he found out.

She didn't leave her room all day, just huddled over her computer, frantically working on her freelance online testing job, trying to use work to numb the heart that had already been placed on a fire and roasted repeatedly.

Lin Feifei couldn't stand it anymore and dragged her to the cafeteria for a decent meal.

"I’m telling you, can you stop looking like you're half-dead?" Lin Feifei rudely shoved a piece of sweet and sour pork into her bowl. "If trouble comes, we face it! If Jiang Yi dares to give you any trouble, I’ll be the first to cut him down!"

Xu Yuan offered a forced smile, but she had no appetite at all.

The whole day passed in calm.

Jiang Yi did not come looking for her.

Jiang Wan sent no further messages.

This eerie calm before the storm was more suffocating than any direct confrontation.

It wasn't until 10:00 PM, just as Xu Yuan finished her day's work and was about to climb into bed to end this agonizing day, that a knock suddenly sounded at the dormitory door.

"Who is it?" Lin Feifei shouted impatiently.

From outside the door came the familiar, booming voice of the dormitory manager.

"Is Xu Yuan here? Someone is looking for you downstairs!"

Xu Yuan’s heart leaped into her throat.

Is... is it him?

She scrambled off the bed, almost tripping, putting one slipper on the wrong foot as she raced downstairs.

Lin Feifei watched her desperate dash, let out a helpless sigh, and chased after her.

Under the dim streetlamp outside the girls' dormitory building, a slim, upright figure stood quietly.

It wasn't Jiang Yi.

It was a boy Xu Yuan had never seen before—handsome, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and radiating an air of scholarly refinement.

Seeing Xu Yuan run down, he showed a gentle, slightly shy smile.

"Hello, you're Student Xu Yuan, right?"

"Yes, I am. May I ask who you are?" Xu Yuan’s heart sank little by little; it wasn't him.

"My name is Lu Xingyu, I'm Jiang Yi’s... roommate." The boy pushed up his glasses and said, slightly embarrassed, "He asked me to give this to you."

As he spoke, he produced from behind him a half-worn, slightly faded computer bag.

It was Jiang Yi’s.

Xu Yuan’s heart gave a sudden jolt.

"He... he asked you to give this to me?"

"Yes." Lu Xingyu nodded and handed over the computer bag. "He said, for the 'Fengqi' competition, he can't manage it alone."

"He said, from tomorrow on, the third floor of the library is in your hands."

Having said this, he let out a long sigh of relief, as if he had completed a major task, and then began to scrutinize Xu Yuan from head to toe with eyes full of curiosity and gossip.

"Say... student," he lowered his voice, asking mysteriously, "what exactly... did you do to my unworldly roommate?"