When Si Qing saw Jiang Cheng suddenly striding toward her, she instinctively ducked aside.
A flicker of panic flashed in her eyes, and her heart pounded wildly.
She thought she'd hidden herself perfectly, yet Jiang Cheng's gaze locked straight onto her.
He had clearly come for her.
In that instant, her eyes swirled with tangled feelings—surprise, joy, and a trace of helplessness.
Before she could look away, Jiang Cheng had already closed the distance in two long steps and swept her into his arms.
The abrupt embrace made Si Qing's eyes widen; her expression froze, shock and alarm written all over her face.
She hadn't expected Jiang Cheng to act so suddenly, leaving her at a complete loss.
Her mind went blank, body rooted in place, with no idea how to react.
"Si Nian, I knew it was you."
Jiang Cheng's voice was low and gentle, carrying an almost innate tenderness.
His words sent an unexpected ripple through her heart.
Although the name he spoke wasn't hers, being held by him wrapped her in a strange, sweet drowsiness.
But the drowsiness quickly gave way to doubt and shock.
Si Qing's mouth parted slightly in astonishment, her eyes darting rapidly.
"Have they already reached this stage?" she murmured inwardly.
Images from her last covert stake-out at the school gate kept replaying in her mind.
Ever since that sneaky glimpse, her heart had felt hammered by guilt, plunging her into deep self-reproach.
During the days she hadn't seen Jiang Cheng, her thoughts had run as wild as an unbridled horse.
From childhood onward, she and Si Nian had never distinguished "mine" from "yours."
Whether splitting treats or sharing chores, fairness ruled—one for each.
But watching Si Nian already in too deep, as the elder sister she couldn't bear to do anything that might shatter their bond.
Even less did she want to become the other woman in someone else's romance.
There's a saying: when strangers homewreck, they're shameless; when friends do it, hope they don't get caught; when you yourself do it, it's a "love to move the city."
The quip isn't without logic.
Sometimes you know perfectly well the other party already has a partner—or even a family.
Yet you still drum up every excuse to justify your intrusion.
You even paint your affair as earth-shatteringly profound, casting yourself as the true victim.
Once she felt her feelings for Jiang Cheng slipping beyond her control, Si Qing decided to end them.
She would close the curtain before disaster struck.
Today's chance encounter really wasn't intentional.
She'd never meant to leave the dorm, but Si Nian had texted Jiang Cheng saying she had no class after four—when in fact she still had an elective in culture studies.
After a barrage of calls, Si Qing had no choice but to head out and take the class in her sister's place.
So at this hour she was supposed to meet Si Nian at the cafeteria and pick up the textbook for that elective.
She hadn't expected to spot Jiang Cheng wandering around campus on her way there.
Hence, under cover, the present scene unfolded.
While Si Qing wrestled with what to do, Si Nian was happily walking toward the cafeteria.
The thought of seeing Jiang Cheng soon made her heart flutter.
All the way from the dorm she'd worn a smile on her lips.
She had even dressed with special care.
But the smile vanished almost immediately.
Barely ten meters away she saw Jiang Cheng with his arm around Si Qing.
The brightness in her eyes dimmed, replaced by deep loneliness and shock.
Although Si Qing pushed Jiang Cheng away after only a few seconds,
the sight still stirred a sour pang in Si Nian's heart.
Her hands clenched her skirt, knuckles whitening as she fought to swallow the bitterness.
She knew that if she stepped forward now—or if Jiang Cheng simply turned—he would realize she was the real Si Nian.
Jiang Cheng's attention stayed fixed on Si Qing; he didn't notice Si Nian biting her lip behind him.
Jiang Cheng might have missed it, but Wang Sheng, keeping watch in the shadows, gaped anew.
Though Jiang Cheng had just told him on the phone that Si Nian and Si Qing were Twin Sisters,
seeing it with his own eyes still made him curse under his breath.
"Dear mother of—"
Seeing Jiang Cheng about to turn for no apparent reason,
Wang Sheng abandoned the phone he'd been fishing from his pocket and jogged over.
When Wang Sheng suddenly stepped out from the side and called to him,
Jiang Cheng, reading the cue in his eyes, stopped mid-turn.
His gaze settled on Wang Sheng,
his expression naturally pretending nothing had happened.
Same old rule:
in matters like this Jiang Cheng would never take the initiative or seize control.
A top-tier hunter often appears in the guise of prey.
In the early stage he would play ignorant, letting the two girls masquerade as one and toy with him.