The walls and floor of this new dorm room had been renovated, but that mirror was still left hanging on the wall.
That was rather odd.
Since it was attached to the back wall by the entrance, Hua Qi’an hadn’t noticed the mirror earlier.
When she turned around suddenly, it gave her quite a scare.
For a split second, Hua Qi’an’s breath stopped.
But she quickly calmed herself.
Anyone would be startled to catch sight of a mirror without being prepared.
In the mirror, she was standing by the balcony door, her back to the sunlit room.
No lights were on inside, so the contrast made it seem like a shadow shrouded her face in the glass.
When Hua Qi’an met the eyes of her reflection, the girl in the mirror was staring right back.
The longer she looked, the more unsettled she felt.
Suddenly, she remembered that nightmare she’d had before…
That classroom full of mirrors, and the girl who wore the same face as her…
She walked from the balcony back into the dorm, closing the balcony door behind her with a soft “bang.”
The figure in the mirror followed her inside, movements perfectly synchronized.
Hua Qi’an steadied herself and walked up to the mirror.
Her reflection was still the same sickly, pale appearance as always—nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
“You’re just scaring yourself.”
Hua Qi’an muttered quietly, her tone tinged with self-mockery.
She shook her head, deciding not to pay any more attention to that strange mirror.
Maybe it was just something left behind by a previous student.
After all, for girls, having a full-length mirror in the dorm was nothing unusual.
Her terrible sleep lately was making her more jumpy than usual.
Turning away, she began methodically unpacking her things and settling into her “new home.”
She took out her clothes one by one from the suitcase, folding them neatly and placing them in the empty wardrobe.
Among them was Lin Yanqiu’s trench coat…
Her fingers brushed over the soft fabric.
A faint prickling pain came from her left hand, but instead of making her feel worse, it brought a kind of calm to her scattered thoughts.
She chose the bed by the balcony—where the sunshine was best.
Unhurriedly, she spread her own sheets, smoothing out every wrinkle.
Since she would be living here alone for now, there was no rush to hang up the bed curtain.
She lined up her coursebooks in order, sorted her notebooks and stationery into the drawers, and plugged in her phone to charge.
The moment the screen lit up, a rare sense of peace finally wrapped around her.
No more Zhao Yingying’s cold sarcasm, no more Li Xiaozhen’s dizzying incense, no more He Yi’s perpetually unsettling stares.
Just sunlight, books, and herself.
After finishing everything, Hua Qi’an glanced at the time.
It was just after five.
Still quite early.
She pulled a few textbooks and notebooks out of her backpack, planning to go sit in the library for a while and catch up on the lessons and notes she’d missed recently.
Though the incident with Zhao Yingying trying to set her up with illegal appliances had passed, Hua Qi’an still had to work hard for the scholarship.
Right before leaving, her gaze once again swept over the full-length mirror.
In the mirror, the girl with a backpack looked frail and pale as ever, but her eyes were much calmer than when she first entered.
She forced a smile at the mirror, grinning at herself as a way of cheering herself on.
Then she turned and left the dorm.
No sooner had Hua Qi’an stepped out of the dormitory building than her good mood was ruined.
A rich, almost gaudy scent of roses forced its way up her nose, making her instinctively frown.
And then, an all-too-familiar, detestable figure entered her view.
Wang Chang stood beneath the huge camphor tree outside the dorm.
He held an enormous bouquet of gaudily wrapped red roses, his face plastered with a smug, greasy grin that could make anyone within a mile radius slip and fall.
His hair was still that flashy silver foil perm, and he wore the latest trendy brands.
His whole aura screamed, “I’m rich, look at me,” in the most ostentatious way.
Clustered around him were a few familiar lackeys, egging him on with sycophantic cheers, drawing the attention of every passing student.
Hua Qi’an’s temples throbbed twice, her mood instantly thrown into chaos.
All she wanted now was to take a detour and pretend she hadn’t seen this person.
But Wang Chang clearly wasn’t going to give her that chance.
The moment he saw Hua Qi’an, he strode over in three big steps, stopping right in front of her.
He shoved that massive bouquet of roses right up to her face, nearly poking her. “Be my girlfriend!”
He declared loudly, his voice full of arrogant confidence, as if he was bestowing a favor.
…
The crowd’s jeers reached a fever pitch.
“Wow! Young Master Wang is awesome!”
“Say yes! Say yes!”
“Who is this girl? She’s so lucky, huh?”
Curious, jealous, and gossipy gazes pricked Hua Qi’an like needles.
That familiar, nauseating sense of suffocation surged up again.
Hua Qi’an’s expression instantly turned cold.
She stepped back, putting distance between herself and the bouquet, her eyes as sharp and icy as a poisoned blade.
“Wang Chang, what’s wrong with you?”
He’d just confessed to Chen Zhiyan a couple of days ago, and now he was professing to her—was he insane?
Or just delusional?
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the raucous shouts like an ice pick.
Wang Chang’s smile froze, clearly not expecting this kind of reaction.
From his perspective, he had lowered himself to pursue her—she should be overwhelmed with gratitude, not giving him attitude.
But remembering Hua Qi’an’s cold and fragile look outside the police station the other day, a dark fire reignited in his heart.
The more thorns a rose has, the more satisfying it is to pick it.
“How can you say that?”
He feigned hurt.
“I really like you, you know.”
“Ever since I saw you at the police station that night, I fell in love at first sight.”
His lackeys immediately chimed in: “Yeah, beauty, our Wang-ge even gave up Chen Zhiyan for you!” The crowd exploded again.
Wang Chang’s pursuit of the campus beauty Chen Zhiyan was known to everyone at Hangyang University.
Now, he was giving up Chen Zhiyan for this sickly-looking girl?
…
It was the year’s juiciest gossip.
“And besides…”
Wang Chang stepped closer, lowering his voice and attempting what he thought was a charming tone.
“The whole school forum is saying it’s you who stole me from Zhiyan—broke up my confession, you know?”
“So, don’t you owe me something?”
His words were full of shameless logic and naked threat.
He was blaming Hua Qi’an for his failed pursuit, trying to use public opinion to force her.
Hua Qi’an nearly laughed out loud at his shamelessness.
She finally understood—there was no point in talking reason with someone like Wang Chang.
Any more words with him would just be wasting her life.
She didn’t want to get tangled with him—she just wanted to get rid of this nuisance.
“I’ll say it one more time—move.”
Hua Qi’an’s gaze turned utterly cold, no warmth left in her eyes.
“I’m not interested in you.”
She couldn’t even remember this guy’s face, and he dared to confess to her?
His skin was as thick as Zhao Yingying’s.
“Come on—”
Wang Chang still wouldn’t give up, his shamelessness rivaling a fortress wall.
“See? I gave up Zhiyan for you—doesn’t that prove my sincerity?”
“What kind do you like? Just say the word, I’ll change!”
He patted his chest, thinking it made him look manly.
“I don’t like people like you.”
Hua Qi’an’s patience had completely run out.
She no longer wanted to waste words on this idiot—she’d use the most direct and effective way to make him leave.
…
So, she looked up and enunciated every word: “I already have someone I like, so please, don’t bother me again.”
Those words were like a stone dropped into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a storm.
The murmurs in the crowd grew louder.
Wang Chang, upon hearing this, was stunned at first, then his expression became a mixture of emotions.
First shock, then suspicion.
Finally, suspicion shifted to a look of “so that’s it.”
He remembered the special atmosphere between Chen Zhiyan and Hua Qi’an that night, and his earlier guesses.
He thought of the rumors about Hua Qi’an on the campus forum.
“Already has someone she likes”?
Wang Chang’s lips curled in a mocking sneer as he sized Hua Qi’an up with a knowing look.
Heh, so he’d figured it out.
He nodded, as if he’d seen through everything.
Of course—she was having a thing with Chen Zhiyan!
His guess had been right!
To him, Hua Qi’an’s “I already have someone I like” was nothing but an excuse to reject him—and an indirect admission of something unspeakable with Chen Zhiyan.
Hua Qi’an had lost all desire to go to the library.
With the dorm to herself, she could study alone—why stick around for this nonsense?
Frowning, she turned to head back inside.
“Hey, hey, don’t go!”
Wang Chang reached out to grab Hua Qi’an’s wrist.
Hua Qi’an’s pupils shrank, disgust flickering in her eyes.
She instinctively tried to dodge his greasy hand.
But just as Wang Chang’s hand was about to touch her.
Bang—!
A loud, dull crash exploded in everyone’s ears.
Then came Wang Chang’s heart-wrenching scream.
“AAAAAHHHH—!!!”
Everyone turned toward the sound.
A green potted plant, nobody knew where from, had fallen and landed squarely on Wang Chang’s outstretched arm.
The heavy clay pot shattered everywhere, wet soil and green leaves splattering across the ground.
Wang Chang clutched his arm, twisted at an odd angle, writhing on the ground in agony.
Sweat beaded his forehead, his face contorted by pain.
For a moment, the air was deathly silent.
Everyone was stunned by the sudden scene, staring dumbly at Wang Chang’s screaming figure.
Then at Hua Qi’an, who stood there, just as shocked.
Hua Qi’an reflexively looked up at the dorm windows above.
All she saw were rows of closed windows and empty balconies.
Where had that plant fallen from?
There wasn’t even any wind.
Wang Chang’s usual entourage finally proved useful—they rushed over, helping him up from the ground.