On the morning of the 31st, the three dormitory sisters went to the Carrefour mall, buying two large bags of snacks and fruits in preparation for the New Year’s Eve party at Club X.

Ah Heng mentioned that many game streamers and fan clubs were invited. The theme of the event was a masked party, so the more extravagant the outfits, the better. They aimed to dress up in such a way that they would stand out from the glamorous female streamers.

The three sisters spent the whole afternoon in the dormitory, trying on clothes and doing their makeup. They wanted to look their best and not be overshadowed by the stunning streamers.

When Lu Manman received a text message from Yuan Xiu, she had just changed into a stylish pair of black leather pants and put on furry devil ears.

“Remember to bring the pizza from the security office when you arrive. Tonight is New Year’s Eve, and security is tight. No delivery allowed.”

Lu Manman pouted, thinking, “How can you make guests bring their own food? It only takes ten minutes from the villa to the main gate. Are you really this lazy?”

She replied with a “pig head” emoji.

Surprisingly, Yuan Xiu responded obediently with three “pitiful” emojis: “Waiting for Manman to feed me.”

Lu Manman, feeling pleased, sent back a “head pat” emoji: “Okay, I’ll help you bring it.”

She looked up and saw Cheng Yu in a black cat leather jacket, with a fluffy cat tail standing up behind her.

“Super sexy!” Lu Manman exclaimed, tugging on Cheng Yu’s cat tail. “Big sis, I want to sleep with you.”

Cheng Yu swatted Lu Manman’s hand away. “When you grow a big one, sis will be with you.”

Lu Manman clenched her fist. “I’ll work on it!”

Xia Tian was wearing a Japanese maid outfit, standing in front of the mirror, anxiously checking herself out. “If my mom finds out I’m dressed like this, she’d definitely kill me.”

While applying hand cream, Cheng Yu casually asked, “By the way, Xia Tian, are you not meeting up with your handsome boyfriend tonight for New Year’s Eve?”

At the mention of Zhou Yan, Xia Tian’s mood instantly plummeted. The things Zhou Yan said after getting drunk last night, along with everything that happened afterward, were things she didn’t want to remember.

This morning, after Zhou Yan sobered up, he sent her a breakup text.

She didn’t dare let her roommates know, fearing it would dampen their spirits. While they were out shopping earlier, she made an excuse to use the restroom, where she locked herself in a Carrefour bathroom stall and sobbed uncontrollably. Lu Manman had come looking for her at one point, but she had pressed her hands tightly over her mouth, tears seeping through her fingers, yet she didn’t make a sound.

The reason for the breakup was simple—it was because of her mother.

Xia Tian don’t know how her mother had threatened or warned Zhou Yan to stay away from her daughter, but given her mother’s usual forceful attitude, Xia Tian could easily imagine it.

The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached.

At that moment, Xia Tian’s phone rang. The caller ID displayed: Fang Chengshu, her mother.

She took the phone and walked to the balcony, answering quietly, “Mom.”

“Pack your things and come downstairs.”

“Huh?”

“You’re coming home for New Year’s.”

“But, but I already made plans with my roommates to…”

“I said, pack your things and come downstairs. You’re spending New Year’s Eve with your parents tonight.”

Her mother’s tone was as forceful as ever.

“But we’ve already made plans…”

“What’s more important, your friends or your parents?”

Xia Tian initially wanted to argue, but that last statement crushed her final hope. Her mother had always been unwavering, whether in business or at home.

Xia Tian returned to the dorm room, silently putting her down jacket back on.

Lu Manman was puzzled. “Why are you…”

“I have to go home. My mom is downstairs waiting for me.”

Lu Manman felt a bit reluctant. “Are you sure you don’t want to hang out with us?”

“I wish I could, but there’s nothing I can do. You know how my mom is.”

Cheng Yu suggested, “How about we go down with you and talk to your mom?”

“Please don’t,” Xia Tian quickly replied. “My mom is very stubborn, and besides…”

She knew her mother would definitely bring up the issue with Zhou Yan, and she couldn’t avoid that confrontation.

Cheng Yu and Lu Manman, who were also ready to go out, wearing their down jackets, accompanied Xia Tian downstairs. From a distance, they could see Xia Tian’s mother’s Mercedes parked by the street.

“Bye-bye.”

“Bye-bye, Happy New Year.”

After saying their goodbyes, Xia Tian jogged toward the Mercedes.

Lu Manman nudged Cheng Yu with her elbow. “That Mercedes must cost at least five million.”

Cheng Yu sighed, “Our roommate is definitely from the ‘dad’s money’ series.”

---

Xia Tian, carrying the biting cold of deep winter, got into the car. Uncle Li, the driver, turned up the heat as he drove onto the main road. Her mother, Fang Chengshu, sat in the front passenger seat, eyes closed in meditation, her expression indifferent, resembling a serene Buddha statue.

Xia Tian took off her coat and placed it beside her, then obediently pulled out a vocabulary book from her backpack.

Fang Chengshu slowly opened her eyes and observed her daughter through the rearview mirror, asking casually, “Did you put on makeup?”

Xia Tian was startled but quickly responded calmly, “I was going to celebrate New Year’s Eve with my roommates. Everyone put on makeup.”

“Your two roommates—one is wasting time on some competition, and the other used to work in a bar. I don’t want you interacting with them too much. Next semester, I’ll talk to your counselor about moving you to a dorm with a better academic environment.”

Xia Tian’s head shot up. “You… you investigated my friends?”

“Not really investigating,” Fang Chengshu replied coolly. “These are just well-known facts.”

Xia Tian clenched her fists, wrinkling the fabric of her clothes.

“I’m in a relationship.”

Out of nowhere, she suddenly blurted out those words.

In the car, the air became tense, thick with silence. After a long pause, Fang Chengshu finally spoke, her tone indifferent, “Your father mentioned that this winter break, he’ll take you to Cambridge in Boston for a couple of weeks. It’ll help you get acquainted with the academic environment there and be beneficial for your exams.”

“I said I’m in a relationship.”

“Studying abroad at a world-class university will broaden your horizons. You’ll realize how small and insignificant your current world really is.”

Xia Tian’s breathing quickened, and she raised her voice, shouting at Fang Chengshu, “I said I’m in a relationship! Did you hear me? I’m in a relationship!”

Even Uncle Li, the driver, couldn’t help but glance at her through the rearview mirror.

“Didn’t you break up?” Fang Chengshu replied, seemingly unconcerned. “Xia Tian, I haven’t brought this up, which means I’m not blaming you. Let’s not talk about it anymore.”

“Not talk about it?” Xia Tian’s hands trembled with anger. “Do you even care if I’m happy or sad? Do you care about any of my feelings?”

“Emotions are something you can control,” Fang Chengshu responded calmly. “It’s fine to have rich emotions, but don’t let them overflow, and certainly don’t get lost in them.”

“When you achieve success in the future and look back from a certain height, you’ll understand that there are many things in this world worth pursuing beyond just emotions. Xia Tian, your mother hopes you won’t waste your intelligence.”

“Dogmatic intelligence.”

Xia Tian muttered these words in her heart, but in the end, she didn’t dare to speak them aloud.

She wished she could be as carefree as Lu Manman, saying whatever came to mind, or as fearless as Cheng Yu, who would cut her losses without hesitation, like slashing a blade across her face.

A warrior cutting off their own arm.

But she couldn’t do it. She was Xia Tian, the obedient, well-behaved Xia Tian.

The narrow, enclosed space of the car was suffocating. The heat was cranked up so high that Xia Tian felt like she couldn’t breathe. She kept tugging at her collar and eventually cracked open the window slightly.

“You’ll catch a cold,” Fang Chengshu warned.

“I’m hot,” she replied, gasping for air. “I need some fresh air.”

“It’s winter. If you catch a cold, it’ll linger for days, disrupting your studies,” Fang Chengshu said matter-of-factly.

Xia Tian’s tightly clenched fist suddenly loosened.

“Uncle Li, there’s a Watsons up ahead. I need to buy a bottle of moisturizer. I forgot to bring mine earlier.”

“Alright,” Uncle Li said, pulling the car over to the side of the road.

However, Fang Chengshu couldn’t resist commenting, “You’ve learned to be particular from your roomies, but none of your attention is on serious matters.”

Xia Tian silently pushed open the car door. The streets were bustling, with many young people out in the winter night waiting for the New Year.

Instead of going to Watsons, Xia Tian sprinted across the road.

Uncle Li saw her running through the rearview mirror and quickly informed Fang Chengshu.

Fang Chengshu hurried out of the car and chased after her, but her high heels made it impossible to run quickly. She shouted at Xia Tian’s retreating figure.

“Xia Tian, why are you running? Come back!”

Xia Tian, running further away, glanced back at her.

Mother and daughter faced each other across the busy street, one with eyes wide open in frustration, the other huddled in her down jacket, trembling.

Seeing Fang Chengshu’s face turning pale with anger, Xia Tian found that she was no longer as afraid.

“I’m leaving.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to find the person I want to see and do the things I want to do.”

“Xia Tian, come back! Don’t be crazy in the middle of the night!”

Fang Chengshu’s voice trembled, clearly shocked by her usually obedient daughter showing such rebelliousness.

At that moment, something even more unexpected happened. Xia Tian unzipped her down jacket, revealing a black-and-white maid dress underneath!

Fang Chengshu was left speechless.

Xia Tian gave her a serene smile, discarded her down jacket, and then turned and ran.

It wasn’t cold anymore. Not at all.

Her blood was boiling, and with the wind, she felt like a leaf breaking free from the tree’s constraints, soaring towards the unknown.

Excitement, madness, thrill.

She no longer wanted to be the obedient Xia Tian. She was going to be herself again!

…

The villa was already bustling with young boys and girls, lively and noisy. Even before entering the house, the clamor could be heard.

Lu Manman initially felt her witch costume was a bit exaggerated, but seeing a girl dressed as a little white mouse—wearing a fluffy white coat and a pointed mouse-eared hat—made her feel her own outfit was quite normal by comparison.

Gu Zhefeng, dressed in a fluffy fold-eared cat onesie, was curled up on the edge of the sofa, sound asleep.

Ah Heng, wearing a Spider-Man costume, sat next to him and asked, “Why aren’t you changing clothes yet? The guests are arriving.”

Gu Zhefeng rubbed his cat ears, opened his sleepy eyes, and lazily replied, “I’m already dressed.”

“Seriously? You’re just wearing pajamas?”

He pulled the hood over his face, snuggled deeper into the sofa, and let out a soft “meow.”

He was playing the role of a dozing giant cat.

Ah Heng removed his headgear, looking a bit speechless at Gu Zhefeng’s deep slumber.

Turning his head, he saw Ren Xiang walking down the stairs with an air of sophistication. Dressed in a red cloak and a vintage medieval tailcoat with a striped collar, Ren Xiang’s pale face and indifferent expression were accentuated by the blood-red wine glass he held.

“Ren Xiang, are you dressed as a vampire?” a girl asked.

“That’s right,” Ren Xiang clinked his wine glass against the girl’s juice glass with a mischievous grin. “Can you guess which one?”

The girl thought for a moment and replied, “Is it the male lead from The Vampire Diaries?”

Ren Xiang shook his head, smiling, “Guess wrong and there’s a punishment.”

The girl’s face flushed red. “What’s the punishment?”

“The punishment is…” Ren Xiang leaned in slowly towards her.

“Count Dracula,” she spoke sweetly and clearly.

“Oh, this young lady knows her stuff,” Ren Xiang said, turning to see Lu Manman in a tight black leather outfit with a fluffy vest.

“Little fairy,” he greeted.

Lu Manman smiled slightly. “It’s little witch.”

Ren Xiang said, “The boss is still changing clothes. He’s particular and might not show up if things aren’t just right. You might have to wait a bit, don’t rush.”

“I’m not waiting for him.”

“Oh, right, right. Haven’t seen your roommate,” Ren Xiang looked around the crowd in the living room.

“Cheng Yu, look, that little black cat is her.”

“No, no, the other one, the well-behaved one.”

“Oh, Xia Tian,” Lu Manman said. “She didn’t come, she went home.”

“I see.” Ren Xiang’s face showed a hint of disappointment. “She wasn’t feeling well, and I wanted to invite her to cheer up. I bought a lot of snacks.”

“How do you know Xia Tian wasn’t feeling well?”

“She didn’t mention…”

Seeing Lu Manman’s confused expression, Ren Xiang closed his mouth. “Never mind, just asking.”

He finished speaking, then took his wine glass and moved to another area. Lu Manman did not pursue the matter further.

At this moment, she heard the surrounding girls whispering and gasping, “Yuan Xiu is down!”

Lu Manman looked up. He had just come down from the stairs, dressed in a black-and-white suit that accentuated his tall and upright figure. His collar was slightly turned up, and he wore a half-silver mask that covered the left side of his face, adding a touch of mystery to his aura.

He walked with steady steps, exuding a calm demeanor.

He was strikingly handsome, to the point it seemed almost unnatural.

“Is that Yang Guo?” a girl nearby guessed.

“When have you ever seen Yang Guo in a suit?”

“That’s true.”

“Can’t figure it out.”

“I can’t figure it out either.”

Ren Xiang seized the opportunity to approach Yuan Xiu, patting him on the shoulder and saying, “Hey girls, listen up! If anyone can guess who the captain is dressed as today, the captain will reward them with a sweet kiss!”

“Is that for real?”

“Absolutely! A proper kiss, with tongue and all.”

“Exciting!”

“Not easy to guess, though. A suit is a pretty normal disguise.”

“If it were that easy to guess, the captain would be getting kissed all day long.”

“Hee hee hee, I’ll start searching. It should be a Western character.”

Some girls actually took out their phones and began searching.

Lu Manman’s face turned red, her heart racing.

She looked up just as Yuan Xiu glanced at her with a half-smile.

What’s he looking at? Even if I knew the answer… I wouldn’t say it!