On the cold white screen, photos of various styles were particularly eye-catching.
Jiang Ran clicked on one of them.
Su Wanqing was leaning against the railing of a second-floor balcony, her head tilted back.
A light blue ribbon was tied around her slender, porcelain-white neck, and several shimmering pink diamonds trailed along the elegant curve of her throat, disappearing into her delicate collarbone.
Behind her, the sun was gradually sinking below the horizon, the afterglow spraying orange-red clouds that stained half the sky.
Her fingertips trembling slightly, Jiang Ran pulled the phone away only to find Su Wanqing looking at her with the exact same expression as in the photo.
Su Wanqing bit her lip and asked in an extremely low voice.
“Jiang Ran… you… say something?”
Jiang Ran blinked in confusion.
“President, why are you giving me your photos?”
Su Wanqing’s eyes widened, and she turned her face away to clear her throat.
Her voice rose uncontrollably.
“Of course, they’re for you to keep for later. Ju… just in case you need them for work in the future. You didn’t have a single photo of me. Also, you aren’t allowed to just give them to anyone else, do you understand?”
“I really wasn’t the one who gave out the photo last time. Besides, didn’t you give me a group photo of the Club before?”
“Oh, did I already give you one? Then keep a few more just to be safe.”
Su Wanqing bit her lip.
“Jiang Ran, don’t be nervous. I’m not giving you these photos to complain about the incident with the post. The school will investigate. If someone really did something they shouldn’t have, she will be punished by the school…”
She trailed off, her eyes fixed intently on Jiang Ran’s, as if trying to dig out her truest thoughts from the depths of her soul.
The sudden suffocating pressure made Jiang Ran’s expression tighten, and her eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
‘She’s lying to me…’
In reality, Su Wanqing still cared about what Croissant had done.
Otherwise, why would she suddenly be looking at her with such scrutiny?
Jiang Ran controlled her expression, making sure not to show any signs of panic or fear.
She replied with her usual composure.
“I… I understand.”
Regardless, she wasn’t the one who had done anything wrong, so why should she be nervous?
‘It’s best to just remain a Little Transparent.’
As she thought this, Su Wanqing stepped one foot closer.
“I’m quite curious about that friend of yours who posted. Did she apologize? After all, she slandered you like that.”
A sound like fingernails scraping against a blackboard suddenly rang in her ears.
Jiang Ran didn’t know where the sound was coming from.
she activated her [Muscle Control] ability, ensuring her facial expression didn’t undergo any visible change.
She instinctively lowered her head.
“No…”
“Why hasn’t she apologized? Are you two really that close? But this has gone beyond just a joke, hasn’t it?”
Su Wanqing pressed on, step by step, her deep blue pupils growing increasingly murky.
“I don’t know. We’re just from the same Village. I’m not that close with her.”
“I see…”
Su Wanqing’s brow relaxed slightly.
She stepped closer and patted Jiang Ran on the shoulder.
“Alright, don’t blame yourself too much. Lift your head. If you keep staring at the ground, you’ll develop cervical spondylosis.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Ran lifted her head, her face remaining as calm as a placid lake.
With the aid of [Muscle Control], even if she was scared to death inside, she could maintain a surface as smooth as an ancient well.
She was like a patient with facial paralysis, having lost the ability to smile.
However… there was a price to pay.
While using the ability, she could clearly feel her physical strength being drained rapidly.
Her meager stamina bar couldn’t support her using her ability whenever she pleased.
Exhaling a mist-like breath, Jiang Ran leaned over to pick up the discarded snack wrappers on the floor.
After a Club activity ended, the trash had to be cleared away.
When it was time to leave, someone would come to inspect the room.
They could only leave after passing the inspection.
The inspections were very irregular.
Sometimes they would arrive right when the fourth period ended, leading earlier clubs to leave trash behind, knowing the later clubs would have to clean it up.
If they were caught, they were simply ordered to clean up the trash; there were no substantive punishments.
Jiang Ran took a broom and circled the classroom, sweeping the larger pieces of trash into a metal dustpan and dumping them into the trash can.
Watching Jiang Ran busily working, Su Wanqing stood up and began tidying the scattered chalk stubs on the podium.
As she took a rag to wipe down the edges of the desk, her gaze was instinctively drawn to Jiang Ran.
Jiang Ran was currently crouching by the back blackboard, straightening a broom that had fallen over.
Her long black hair was draped over her shoulders, and from behind, she looked so small… and fragile.
Su Wanqing’s fingers curved slightly around the rag as she pressed her hand firmly against the podium, somewhat confused as to why she felt so irritable deep down.
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
Still bent over working, Jiang Ran noticed her phone vibrating.
She swiped to unlock it and found a message from her Counselor.
[Jiang Ran, are you at school right now?]
[Yes.]
[Good. Come to the office as soon as possible. Some leaders are asking about Club matters today. You need to explain things to them.]
Jiang Ran looked up blankly, staring at her reflection in the window as she gripped her phone.
[Okay…]
Jiang Ran typed a brief reply.
Her head felt a little dizzy, and she noticed Su Wanqing walking toward her.
“President, is something wrong?”
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that? Why did your expression suddenly turn so serious?”
“I’m fine. It’s just that my teacher asked me to go to the office to see her in a bit.”
“I see. Are you leaving now?”
Su Wanqing set the rag aside and took out an alcohol wipe to clean her hands.
Seeing Jiang Ran still standing there dazed, she handed one to her.
“Wipe your hands.”
Jiang Ran took the wipe and realized Su Wanqing was still staring at her.
“President, do you have something to say?”
“Don’t keep calling me President. Once we leave this classroom, we’re just ordinary classmates. But as for you…”
Su Wanqing’s gaze fell on Jiang Ran’s small hand, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curl up slightly.
“How long has it been since you trimmed your nails? Why are they so long?”
“Nails… nails?”
Jiang Ran looked down, her gaze focusing on her nails, which had grown to have long, white crescents.
“They are a bit long. I probably just wasn’t in the mood to trim them when I was at the Hospital.”
“I have nail clippers. Do you want to use them?”
Su Wanqing took out her keychain.
Hanging from the metal ring was a pair of iron nail clippers with a heart-shaped sticker on the end.
Jiang Ran’s vision blurred.
For some reason, she thought of when she was in the Hospital Ward; Su Nian had a similar sticker on her face…
“I think… I’ll pass. Thank you for the offer, but the Counselor is in a hurry to see me.”
A flash of disappointment crossed Su Wanqing’s face, but she quickly composed herself.
“It’s fine. We’ll just trim one then. Your pinky nail is really too long. It even scratched me just now.”
The girl put her hand behind her back and pinched her skin for a moment.
Then, she showed Jiang Ran the red mark on the web of her hand.
The vivid red mark even showed faint traces of blood.
Jiang Ran lifted her hand and looked at her pinky.
She didn’t think it was that long.
“A minor wound like that should heal if you rest it. Don’t be afraid.”
“Of course I’m not afraid. It’s just that your nails really are a bit long. Jiang Ran, if it’s inconvenient for you, can you give me your hand?”
Su Wanqing took another half-step forward.
A few strands of hair on her forehead were stuck together, and she was so close that Jiang Ran could even see the fine peach fuzz hidden beneath her hairline.
Jiang Ran bit her lip.
She felt like the current turn of events was a bit off.
Why did Su Wanqing care so much about her nails?
Adhering to the principle of seeing the act through to the end, Jiang Ran didn’t say a word and silently reached out her hand.
However, Jiang Ran hadn’t expected that once Su Wanqing took hold of her hand, she didn’t seem nearly as calm as she had imagined…