Chapter 62: The Printer

The afternoons in the Administration Building were always especially quiet.

Most of the teachers who needed to teach were already in the classrooms, and those who were free in the afternoon tended to just stay in their offices.

They’d glance at the door, and if any students happened to pass by, would immediately have them run errands.

Sunlight streamed through the slats of the blinds, casting patterns on the floor polished smooth as a mirror.

No lights were turned on inside, and it wasn’t all that bright.

Yet, because of the awkward and intriguing atmosphere, this dimness took on a certain ambiguity.

The air was filled with a scent both cold and elegant—a mix of printer ink and high-end aromatherapy. It was a little like the fragrance in Lin Yanqiu’s car.

Maybe she used it to mask the smell of smoke.

This place was Lin Yanqiu’s territory.

Hua Qian stood quietly in front of the desk, out of place with everything around her.

Her head was slightly bowed, her gaze awkwardly fixed on her canvas shoes that had faded from too much washing.

Long lashes cast a small shadow beneath her eyes, making her look a little fragile.

She could feel the gaze from behind the desk.

Cold, sharp.

Like a scalpel, dissecting her inch by inch, leaving nowhere to hide.

From the moment she’d entered the office, Lin Yanqiu hadn’t said a single word.

This only made Hua Qian feel all the more pressured.

She would rather Lin Yanqiu say something to her.

At least then she could guess her mood and intentions from her tone…

But now…

“Pa—”

A stack of A4 papers was slammed mercilessly onto the gleaming mahogany desk.

The crisp smack sounded especially jarring in the overly quiet office.

The corners of the topmost page curled from the impact.

On the very top, the bold and enlarged title, printed in black, brimmed with malicious provocation.

Hua Qian’s eyes were immediately drawn to the content.

(Shocking! The sickly beauty of the Archaeology Department publicly rejects Wang Shao! The aloof goddess Chen Zhiyan becomes a loser in love?)

[Let’s roast a certain someone from the Archaeology Department—two-timing, juggling a sugar daddy outside school and a campus goddess!]

…

Just as Hua Qian had guessed, Lin Yanqiu had indeed called her here because of this… though she didn’t know how she’d found out…

But if it was just about this, she could still handle it.

Unconsciously, Hua Qian seemed to breathe a little easier.

Yet she still couldn’t shake off a faint sense of unease.

If it was only this matter, would Lin Yanqiu really… make such an expression?

Lin Yanqiu hadn’t said a word all this time.

She merely leaned back in her broad leather chair, arms crossed.

Those eyes, always so fierce and sharply defined, were now fixed coldly on Hua Qian.

Hua Qian’s fingertips curled imperceptibly.

“Explain,” At last, Lin Yanqiu spoke.

Her voice was not loud, yet carried an undeniable pressure.

Like ice water, it seeped down Hua Qian’s spine.

“Chen Zhiyan—what’s that about?”

She didn’t ask about Wang Chang, didn’t mention the filthy talk from the forum, not even that glaring “sugar daddy outside school,” but singled out only the name “Chen Zhiyan.”

That focus made Hua Qian’s heart sink a little more, tinged with confusion.

She slowly raised her head, meeting Lin Yanqiu’s chilly gaze.

“Sis…”

Hua Qian’s voice was soft, with an unconscious hint of habitual submission even she didn’t notice.

“She’s just a classmate.”

She didn’t bother to explain too much.

Because she knew, in front of Lin Yanqiu, any unnecessary defense might be seen as a sign of guilt.

“Classmate?”

Lin Yanqiu repeated the word, the corner of her lips tugging into a cold, mocking curve.

She stood up, walked around the broad desk, and stepped closer to Hua Qian.

Her high heels clicked crisply on the floor—“da, da, da”—each step pressing on Hua Qian’s taut nerves.

Lin Yanqiu stopped in front of her.

The distance was so close that Hua Qian could clearly smell that cool, clean scent on her, tinged with disinfectant and wood.

She was a good half a head taller than Hua Qian, looking down at her, the shadow she cast completely enveloping Hua Qian.

“A classmate you ran hand-in-hand out of a crowd with?”

“A classmate whose relationship with you has the whole school’s forum in an uproar?”

“Or is it…”

Lin Yanqiu bent down a little, her cold fingertips gently lifting Hua Qian’s chin, forcing her to meet her gaze.

“The classmate you were willing to ruin someone else’s confession for, just to play the hero and save the damsel?”

Her voice was dangerously low, warm breath brushing against Hua Qian’s chilled cheek, sending a shiver through her.

In those deep eyes, emotions Hua Qian couldn’t read—murky and uncertain—churned restlessly.

Was it anger?

Jealousy?

There seemed to be something even more complicated mixed in.

Hua Qian’s breath caught.

Lin Yanqiu was… jealous?

The very idea struck her as ridiculous.

Was it because she and Chen Zhiyan were supposedly closer?

She tried to convince herself that Lin Yanqiu wouldn’t care that much…

But, right now, Lin Yanqiu truly was angry.

That was something she couldn’t fake.

The rumors played a part, but what truly enraged her was how Hua Qian’s name was tangled up with another woman’s.

“I…”

Hua Qian’s lips moved, but she found her throat dry.

In such a suffocating stare-down, her mind raced for a way out.

Should she, like in the hospital last time, squeeze out a few tears for sympathy?

Or just keep her mouth shut, blame everything on coincidence?

She really had nothing with Chen Zhiyan.

But why did Lin Yanqiu look so certain there was something between them?

If the other party already had a preconception, wouldn’t any explanation only look like a cover-up?

Yet, just as the tension in the office reached its breaking point—without any warning, the temperature in the room dropped abruptly.

A biting, bone-deep chill swept through.

It wasn’t even especially cold outside, but for some reason, it sent a shiver through everyone.

The air conditioner wasn’t on.

Even the sunlight outside seemed to lose its warmth, leaving only pale blotches on the floor.

Hua Qian instinctively rubbed her arms.

Then, a familiar, cold, clammy, salty smell suddenly spread through the air.

That scent…

Hua Qian’s pupils shrank abruptly.

Before she could react, Something strange was already happening in the office.

“Stunned… for 11 seconds.”

A huge machine’s roar instantly drew both their attention.

Lin Yanqiu frowned, turning to look at the printer that had suddenly started making a racket.

But before either could react, several sheets shot out from the printer’s tray, fluttering in the air.

Because there had been a thick stack of paper pre-loaded, it was now being printed and fired out at high speed.

In the blink of an eye, the office was awash with A4 paper—on the floor, floating in the air—Hua Qian instinctively took half a step back, widening the gap between herself and Lin Yanqiu.

At the same time, she grabbed for the office door, intending to flee outside.

“…It won’t open?”

The door seemed to be jammed, no matter how she tugged the handle, there was no response.

Lin Yanqiu clearly sensed something was wrong.

Her brows knitted tighter, a trace of confusion and wariness in her eyes.

“Xiao An, you…”

She hadn’t finished her sentence before the anomaly in the office escalated.

“Bzz—”

The printer’s speed increased.

Those flying sheets of A4 paper—clearly just ordinary paper—now felt menacingly dangerous.

Hua Qian could vaguely see faint red letters printed on them.

“Hiss…”

A sharp inhale sounded above her.

Hua Qian looked up in shock.

She saw that Lin Yanqiu’s hand had been sliced open by a sheet of paper—a thin red line staining the edge, a drop falling by Hua Qian’s feet.

The scent from earlier flashed through Hua Qian’s mind.

This was no ordinary accident…

If she wasn’t mistaken…

Hua Qian instinctively reached for the amulet around her neck.

But in the next instant, she was swept into Lin Yanqiu’s embrace—warm, tinged with her crisp scent, enveloping Hua Qian at once.

That warmth, passing through thin clothes, brought life back to Hua Qian’s chilled limbs.

“…These papers are odd,” Lin Yanqiu’s voice came from above.

Shielding Hua Qian, the two of them moved towards the corner.

It was farther from the printer, so the threat was a little less intense.

Cheek brushing against something soft, Hua Qian couldn’t help the flush that crept up to the tips of her ears.

She worried about Lin Yanqiu, but now was not the time to speak…

The rhythm of Lin Yanqiu’s heartbeat reached her ears, mixed with the crisp scent she wore.

Inexplicably, it calmed Hua Qian’s frantic thoughts.

….

“Ka… ka…”

The printer had finally run out of paper.

The office gradually returned to its former peace.

Except for the A4 paper scattered everywhere, the faint metallic tang in the air, and… Hua Qian, blushing to her ears in Lin Yanqiu’s tight embrace….

All bore witness that what just happened had been no illusion.

Lin Yanqiu’s chest heaved violently.

Lowering her head, she looked at the girl in her arms—at the soft crown of her hair, left flustered by fright.

Her original purpose for seeking out Hua Qian had long since been pushed from her mind.

Much of the dissatisfaction in her heart had quietly faded.

“Don’t be afraid.”

She heard herself say, in a voice she’d never used before—hoarse, taut.

….

“I’m here.”

In that moment, she was simply Lin Yanqiu.