The small meeting finally came to an end, though it cost Ji Yu another round of polite words to send everyone off to their tasks.
At last, she endured through the third exhausting day of the Club Fair. Her spirit was already worn thin. She didn't know how to handle so many overlapping requests, nor how to keep every club satisfied without disturbing the school's normal schedule.
The truth was, the student council held no real power. They were simply free labor for the teachers, and thankless labor for their fellow students.
Still, after paying the price of a splitting headache, Ji Yu somehow managed to keep everything running in the most ordinary way possible.
By the time night fell, the scorching daylight had already drained her, and her body ached from running around the campus all day. Fortunately, Mo Xunhan and Qin Xiao came to pick her up for dinner. Perhaps because of business connections, the two women seemed to be developing something like a close sisterhood.
But that had little to do with Ji Yu. She only wanted to eat her fill at the restaurant—after all, Mo Xunhan was footing the bill. It was her precious younger brother who had thrown Ji Yu into this nightmare of work in the first place.
Ji Yu called over the waiter, asked for extra wasabi, and squeezed the entire tube over her plate of pasta. The bright green color was healthy-looking to others, but to Mo Xunhan and Qin Xiao, it was enough to make their eyes water.
Born and raised in Yudu, Ji Yu couldn't live without spice. Sweet, sour, salty—she could enjoy them all. But when she was tired or upset, spice was what brought her comfort.
The two older women had gotten used to her strange eating habits, but today's plate was so strong it even made them sneeze.
Qin Xiao frowned slightly. After a moment's hesitation, she called softly:
"Ji Yu."
The girl looked up, strands of hair brushing her cheeks.
"You eat so much spicy food. Isn't it hard on your stomach?"
She said it gently, hoping to remind her without scolding. But as Ji Yu twirled the noodles, now dyed green, and ate them with a blissful smile, Qin Xiao wondered if she herself would end up addicted to spicy food one day.
"Huh? Xiao-jie, this isn't even that spicy," Ji Yu said with genuine innocence.
Mo Xunhan glanced at the half-empty tube of wasabi, then at Ji Yu's perfectly slim figure. She let out a mischievous laugh.
"With all the spice you eat, how are your boobs still that big? Shouldn't the heat have dried them out already?"
Before Ji Yu could react, Mo Xunhan suddenly slipped her hands from under the girl's arms, giving her chest a playful squeeze.
Ji Yu shuddered violently—
Then the spice hit her lungs.
She coughed, hard.
Her throat and chest rejected the intrusion, fighting to clear it out.
The entire restaurant echoed with Ji Yu's desperate coughing fit.
Mortified. Absolutely mortified.
Her face flushed crimson, her hands clutched at her throat, then at the collar of her blouse. She tried to smile through it, the same awkward smile she always used when embarrassed.
The two older women quickly realized they had gone too far. They rushed to hand her water and tissues, patting her back to help her breathe. But the damage was done—half the restaurant was sneaking glances their way.
Campus affairs passed, one day after another.
The sun overhead grew hotter, harsher, until Yudu lived up to its nickname: the Furnace City.
And along with the heat came more and more outsiders—because the day of Mo Yachen's grand comeback exhibition was drawing near.
The Fanxing Art Museum was transformed. To those with a sense of beauty, its design was breathtaking. To those without, it was still like stepping into a dream.
But in this ever-noisy city, one person remained absolutely silent.
Mo Yachen.
Ever since Ji Yu's first voice acting session, she had treated the Mo family villa at Qianshui Bay like her second home. Even when Mo Xunhan wasn't around, she would still come by. Perhaps she even had a key now.
And with her presence, Mo Yachen's inspiration flowed like a spring.
It was partly because of Ji Yu that he had taken up the brush again. The lines she read in the studio—always earnest, always brimming with raw emotion—brought him a rare kind of peace.
Meanwhile, Ji Yu herself finally learned the full content of Mo Xunhan's web drama.
And so, one evening, she invited Mo Xunhan to her tiny home for dinner.
The delicate girl was already busy in the kitchen, hair tied up, apron around her slim waist, pots bubbling with rich pork bone broth. She had sent her mother and sister away for the night—at least until dinner was done.
Mo Xunhan stepped into the little 53-square-meter apartment, took in the sight of Ji Yu's practiced movements, and quietly sighed. She loosened her hair from its tie, letting the long dark strands spill free.
By the time Ji Yu set the last dish on the table, the aroma filled the small space. Mo Xunhan's stomach growled, and her cheeks colored faintly.
"Hungry, Mo-jie?" Ji Yu teased, smiling softly.
"Mhm. I only ate breakfast today. The moment you said dinner, I decided to wait. I was saving room for your cooking."
The two sat across the little wooden table, laughing as they ate, the evening stretching long until the city lights came on.
By the end of the meal, Ji Yu was already tired of Mo Xunhan's endless praise.
Night.
The window was wide open, and the cool breeze rolled in. On the balcony, Mo Xunhan tilted her head back, enjoying the rare ease of being full and comfortable. A faint citrus scent drifted through the air, mixing with the lingering aroma of dinner.
"Eh? It's raining?"
A drop landed on her forehead. She reluctantly closed the balcony, then flopped onto the sofa, scrolling her phone without interest.
The kitchen clattered in the background. The sound of utensils, the faint hum of soda fizz—together, they made the small apartment feel like a world apart.
"Mo-jie," Ji Yu's voice called softly.
Mo Xunhan opened her eyes. Ji Yu stood before her, holding two glasses of soda, dark liquid bubbling inside. She set one down, then sat across from her.
Their eyes met—one pair deep black, the other pale blue.
The air shifted.
It was no longer just two women chatting over dinner. The tiny living room suddenly seemed to hold something much heavier.
The soda bubbles rose and burst, like secrets tapping against the surface, waiting to break free.
Ji Yu's lips curved faintly, but her gaze was steady, serious.
Mo Xunhan leaned back slightly, her fingers tightening around the cold glass.
In that silence, one truth was undeniable—
Something was about to be said.
Something that wouldn't be laughter and compliments anymore.