The throw pillow originally placed by Jiang Ran’s hand was knocked to the floor.
The crisp sound jolted her awake.
She looked up dazed, her gaze focusing on Gu Ge’s exquisite makeup.
A layer of lingering dark clouds seemed to cover Gu Ge’s forehead, though a calm smile still hung on her face.
However, Jiang Ran clearly felt the air surrounding them become incredibly thick, carrying a faint fragrance that eroded her nerves.
It was like standing on ice, the sound of cracking echoing all around; it felt as if she would fall into an endless frozen abyss if she took even one step forward.
Gu Ge’s palm, which had been resting on the sofa, lifted to press against Jiang Ran’s cheek.
Her beautiful, tender eyes stared into Jiang Ran’s trembling pupils.
Her thumb brushed against the girl’s pulsing blood vessels, murmuring like a demon’s ‘serpent tongue’.
“Xiao Ran, are you truly unwilling to go home with Sister to recover for a few days? I really want to taste your cooking again, including…”
Gu Ge paused and leaned close to Jiang Ran’s ear.
A mist of white breath escaped her red lips as she whispered, “Everything about you~”
Jiang Ran’s eyes reflected Gu Ge’s clear silhouette, and the floral scent from her hair still lingered at the tip of her nose.
The distance between them grew smaller and smaller.
“I…”
Jiang Ran bit her lip.
“I think things are fine as they are now. Besides, I don’t know why you’re so concerned about me, Sister Gu Ge. Even if you didn’t do all this, I would still consider you a friend.”
“Xiao Ran, do you really think I’m doing all this just for a simple friendship?”
“What else could it be?”
Jiang Ran blinked, trying her best to act like an innocent girl who didn’t understand the world.
Gu Ge stared at the stubbornness in Jiang Ran’s eyes.
After a moment of stalemate, she finally sighed.
“Fine. Since you don’t like it, Sister won’t force you.”
Even as she said this, she still pulled Jiang Ran into her embrace.
She inhaled the scent of the young girl and felt her body temperature rising in her arms.
Gu Ge was highly satisfied with the sensation of Jiang Ran’s hair brushing against her cheek as the girl struggled.
This lasted for quite a while.
Seeing that not much time remained on the countdown in the void, Gu Ge finally let go of Jiang Ran and regained her initial cold demeanor.
She straightened the folder with one hand and gently patted Jiang Ran’s shoulder with the other.
“Xiao Ran, did you not sleep well last night? Why did you fall asleep while I was asking you the questions for the psychological questionnaire?”
“I… fell asleep?”
Jiang Ran looked up blankly, as if she had just woken from a long dream.
She lightly pinched her cheek.
After confirming that the strange feeling from earlier had completely vanished, she surmised that Gu Ge’s ability must have expired.
She glanced at the clock.
Combining what she had seen during the hypnosis, she estimated the duration was about 5 or 6 minutes.
‘This is already more terrifying than even a certain Golden Vampire’s duration. I still don’t know how long Su Wanqing’s Time Stop can last.’
‘I can’t let my guard down for now…’
Gu Ge’s finger gently hooked under Jiang Ran’s snow-white chin as she said with a smile, “Yes, you’re too tired. You should pay more attention to your rest next time. If you really have nowhere else to go, there’s another bed in my office. You can come to my room to rest after class.”
Jiang Ran swallowed.
She spoke woodenly, “I understand…”
‘If I refuse, Sister Gu Ge will likely hold a grudge again. I might as well give an ambiguous answer.’
“Very good. Let’s begin today’s questionnaire.”
Gu Ge smiled and selectively asked the previous questions again.
However, this time, she didn’t ask those very private ones.
They were all routine psychological questionnaires for the college, similar to the psychological scales filled out at a clinic.
Jiang Ran checked the boxes randomly.
It was quite easy to fake her way through this kind of form.
“I’ve finished filling it out.”
Jiang Ran handed over the scale and yawned.
“There shouldn’t be anything else, right? I don’t have classes today, so I want to go to the library to review.”
Gu Ge took the form, scanned it from top to bottom, and nodded.
“No problems here. Xiao Ran, do you want me to see you out?”
Jiang Ran hurriedly waved her hands.
“No… no need. I need to go catch up on my missed schoolwork. Goodbye.”
Jiang Ran grabbed her backpack and left the office.
As she closed the door, Gu Ge’s eyelids slowly lowered.
“Xiao Ran… were you serious about what you just said…”
Once outside the door, Jiang Ran encountered the Counselor who was waiting.
She nodded as a greeting.
“Counselor, I’m finished. You should go back and rest.”
“That was fast. All right then, Student Jiang Ran. Be careful with your health when you go back. If your home is too far from school, it’s safer to choose to live on campus.”
‘Live on campus?’
Jiang Ran thought about it but still dismissed the idea.
Given her current situation, two things would likely happen if she lived on campus.
First, she would be sharing a room with other girls in the class.
The price would be that her messy affairs would inevitably affect her roommates.
Knowing that she was currently prone to a “bad end,” Jiang Ran couldn’t bring herself to drag ordinary people down with her.
Second, as she could foresee, her living space would only become smaller if she moved into a dormitory.
In the middle of the night, she wouldn’t be able to escape the school.
If her location were discovered, her survival would likely become even more difficult.
Jiang Ran hugged her books and shook her head.
“Thank you, Teacher, but I usually have to work part-time, and being at school might disturb my classmates’ rest.”
The Counselor adjusted her glasses.
Seeing Jiang Ran’s response, she didn’t feel comfortable saying anything more.
“Fine. Pay more attention to your health. If anything happens, come find me immediately.”
“Thank you, Teacher.”
Jiang Ran thanked her sincerely.
This was probably the limit of what an ordinary person could do.
After going downstairs, Jiang Ran took out her phone.
She noticed several messages from Su Wanqing, saying she was busy and wanted Jiang Ran to print a document and give it to Tao Xixue.
She also sent Jiang Ran a set of coordinates.
“This is so troublesome…”
Jiang Ran really wanted to decline, but her replies were met with silence.
After waiting for 10 minutes, Jiang Ran found a printer at the Alumni Service Station.
After swiping her student card, she received her quota of three free prints.
All current students had a quota of three free prints per week.
“Here are the documents you printed, student.”
A senior girl handed a stack of documents to Jiang Ran.
As Jiang Ran was about to leave, the girl ran over with her phone in hand.
“Wait! Let’s add each other on VX. You’ll get a 30% discount for your next print, and I’ll give you a free folder too. Remember to come find me next time.”
“A 30% discount?”
Jiang Ran was stunned for a moment before displaying her VX QR code.
She had seen this kind of customer acquisition tactic many times.
Since she frequently needed to print documents at school, she decided to add her.
The senior who got Jiang Ran’s VX bowed deeply.
She returned to her seat and said to a lifeless-looking girl with glasses:
“That junior was so cute just now, and she was actually willing to add me on VX!”
The girl with glasses took off her glasses.
“Isn’t it because she was attracted by your discount? Besides, girls like her are very popular. Someone might already be pursuing her.”
“What are you saying? I’m not pursuing her. I just want some eye candy. Let me open her moments and see… Eh? How can there be zero posts? Do people really not post on their moments? She’s so beautiful; does she not know it herself?”
“Heh, I don’t know if she has any selfies, but I do know someone is going to lose sleep tonight.”
“Aaah! Shu Ting, you only know how to tease me! You’re such a frenemy!”
***
Jiang Ran took the printed documents to the third floor of the Staff Building.
She stopped at an office door at the corner and knocked.
“Hello, I’m here to deliver some materials.”
Wait for a moment, a cold woman’s voice came from the depths of the office.
“All right, come in.”