What's in Your Blanket?

Evening.

Everyone returned to the academy. With Lin Yan present this time, Ning Rongrong did not clash with Dai Mubai, and the group returned to their dormitories without further incident.

Inside the girls' dormitory.

Xiao Wu looked at Ning Rongrong, who had been wailing before they left but was now beaming with joy upon her return, her pretty face full of confusion.

"Are you planning on staying?"

Ning Rongrong chuckled.

"Yeah! It's actually quite interesting here; it would be such a pity to just leave like this!"

"Huh? Zhuqing, what's wrong? Did someone bully you?"

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing collapse onto her bed the moment she entered the dormitory, burying herself in her quilt and beginning to sob, Ning Rongrong was at a loss.

At this moment, Xiao Wu began to explain, filled with righteous indignation.

"It's all because of that Dai Mubai."

Following that, Xiao Wu recounted the relationship between Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, as well as his daily routine of three dates, to Ning Rongrong.

Once Ning Rongrong learned the truth, her brows knitted into a knot. She hadn't expected Zhu Zhuqing to be in such a miserable situation, having a fiancé like Dai Mubai.

Escaping to Shrek because she couldn't bear the pressure was one thing, but to still frequent brothels every day despite having a fiancée, even saying things like: women are merely population resources...

"He's a bit too filthy, isn't he!" Ning Rongrong's tone was full of resentment. "Zhuqing, do you really want to be with a person like that?"

Zhu Zhuqing poked her little head out from under the quilt and sniffled, "It's complicated; you wouldn't understand."

"What's so complicated about it? Isn't it just the imperial succession rules set by the Star Luo Royal Family?"

"Your fate is bound to that guy Dai Mubai; if you win, you inherit the throne together, and if you lose, you die together."

"But have you ever thought that since he's already degenerated to this point, can he really defeat his older brother?"

"Even if he wins, are you willing to spend your whole life with a womanizer?"

As someone from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong naturally knew some of the rules of the Star Luo Royal Family. With just a little guesswork, she had deduced Zhu Zhuqing's predicament.

Xiao Wu listened from the side, her eyes widening. She had only known the two had an engagement; she hadn't realized their very lives were bound together.

Under the quilt, Zhu Zhuqing let out a heavy sigh, her eyes downcast.

"As heirs of the Dai Family and the Zhu Family, this is a destiny we cannot escape. Even if I know he has rotted into the mud, what other choice do I have right now? That is a rule that no one has dared to defy for generations."

Her tone was filled with despair as she spoke. The other two girls could feel that sorrow—a sense of powerlessness that came from knowing the future outcome was already set in stone, yet being unable to resist it.

"There definitely is a way!" Ning Rongrong sat up straight. "Your fate is in your own hands. If it really comes to it, come to my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Sword Grandpa and I will protect you."

"As long as you don't want it, no one can force you!"

Zhu Zhuqing's expression froze. She wiped away her tears and looked at Ning Rongrong, discovering that the sincerity in the other girl's eyes was absolute, as if the ideas she spoke of could truly be realized.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? One of the Upper Three Sects, an existence with wealth that could rival a nation—perhaps they really could help her break free from these shackles...

No! She had only known Ning Rongrong for two days; how could she pin her hopes on her?

Zhu Zhuqing snapped back to reality, suddenly realizing she was truly clutching at straws, having believed Ning Rongrong so easily.

At this moment, Xiao Wu suddenly interjected, looking at Ning Rongrong.

"Why does it feel like you've become a different person today?"

Indeed, given the personality Ning Rongrong had shown when she lashed out at Flender earlier, how could she possibly say something like this?

To this, Ning Rongrong gave a sheepish smile.

"Hehe~ It's because Lin Yan comforted me for a long time earlier, and I've thought things through myself."

"I'm only staying because of him; otherwise, I would have left long ago."

"Lin Yan..."

The two girls murmured softly, the young man's fair-skinned face appearing in their minds.

So it was because of Lin Yan? Just a few words were enough to make a little devil like her become so positive and motivated? What exactly did they talk about?

"Do you like Lin Yan?" Xiao Wu looked at Ning Rongrong.

Ning Rongrong's pretty face flushed red, and she remained silent for a long time, but by now, both girls understood the thoughts in the young girl's heart.

Late at night.

Moonlight spilled through the window into the dormitory. Zhu Zhuqing's mind was constantly mulling over the situation with Dai Mubai. She wanted to break free from the shackles of fate and be free, wanted to stay far away from the royal family and just be an ordinary person, wanted to have an equal love, rather than becoming someone's appendage...

For some reason, the figure of Lin Yan suddenly appeared in her mind.

With his purple hair and purple eyes, his fair face appeared both charming and cute. Most importantly, the man was very polite and knew how to maintain a sense of boundaries.

For Zhu Zhuqing, who had grown up under the scrutiny of judgmental eyes, this was like a breath of fresh air.

"Dai Mubai, if only you had even half of Lin Yan's self-discipline!"

"Why do you have to be such a womanizer?"

Zhu Zhuqing could not fathom why a dignified Star Luo Prince would be frequenting brothels to listen to music; did he not possess even a shred of the pride befitting a prince?

In the silence of the deep night, the more she thought, the more chaotic her mind became, filled entirely with the handsome face of Lin Yan and the vile conduct of Dai Mubai.

Just then, a seductive, delicate moan suddenly echoed in the room...

"Mm~"

Zhu Zhuqing's hazy consciousness instantly sharpened. She pricked up her ears, listening intently to confirm whether she was hallucinating.

Before long, the rustling of fabric began to sound, even interspersed with someone's slightly heavy breathing.

Having never experienced such things, Zhu Zhuqing assumed someone was having a nightmare.

She rolled out of bed, causing the sound to cease abruptly, yet she did not stop, instead making her way to Ning Rongrong's bedside.

"Rongrong, are you having a nightmare?"

She gently nudged Ning Rongrong's shoulder, and seeing no reaction, she gave it another well-intentioned, firmer push.

Because she had experienced the feeling of a nightmare herself, she knew it wouldn't end until the person was woken up; out of kindness, Zhu Zhuqing intended to forcibly rouse Ning Rongrong.

Zhu Zhuqing pushed Ning Rongrong several more times, and finally, seeing that the other girl showed no sign of waking, she simply turned her over by force.

Their eyes met... Ning Rongrong's face, flushed with an unusual crimson, came into view, and Zhu Zhuqing suddenly realized that she might have been meddling where she didn't belong.

The air fell into silence; Ning Rongrong wished she could find a crack in the floor to crawl into. She had waited so painstakingly until it was this late to dare make a move, yet who could have guessed that Zhu Zhuqing was still awake?

Zhu Zhuqing opened her mouth, but not knowing what to say, she ultimately decided to pretend nothing had happened and return to her own bed.

But just as she turned to leave, she noticed something unusual beneath Ning Rongrong's quilt, emitting faint specks of blue fluorescence.

"Eh? What is that in your quilt?"

"..."