She’s the School Beauty Side Character in a BL Novel - Chapter 004

004:

When Xi Ning brought Rong Xin back to the Shen residence, Xu Jing’s mahjong game was still in full swing. The two retreated to Xi Ning’s art studio, where the little girl, brimming with enthusiasm, received a brief lesson on sketching from Xi Ning.

Though the Rong family employed a private art tutor for Rong Xin and her twin brother Rong Heng, the children’s attention spans were fleeting—their interest waxed and waned. Yet today, under Xi Ning’s guidance, Rong Xin remained surprisingly focused.

Shen Xi paused at the studio doorway, watching Xi Ning adjust Rong Xin’s grip on the pencil, her posture attentive. After a moment, he approached.

Hearing his footsteps, Rong Xin whirled around excitedly. “Brother Xi! Come sit by the window! I want sister to teach me how to draw portraits—quick, pose for me!”

Shen Xi’s gaze flickered toward Xi Ning before he drawled, “What’s in it for me if I model?”

Rong Xin rummaged through her tiny purse and produced a lollipop. “Here! It’s my one-per-day special treat. I treasure these!”

Xi Ning kept her eyes downcast, silent.

Shen Xi ignored the offering, addressing Xi Ning instead. “Make sure you teach her well. I want my portrait to look good.”

Xi Ning lifted her icy gaze to him. “Are you posing or not? If not, leave.”

With that, Shen Xi wordlessly took his place by the window. The sunset painted the sky in lingering hues, its glow sculpting his profile—as if carved by divine hands. A breeze stirred the sheer curtains, their fabric whispering against his dark hair.

Xi Ning focused solely on composition, guiding Rong Xin’s small hand as they outlined his sharp jawline.

The two girls worked in tandem, discussing strokes until the sketch was complete. Rong Xin clutched her masterpiece triumphantly, presenting it to Shen Xi. “Brother Xi, look! I have artistic talent too, just like sister Ning!”

Shen Xi studied the drawing intently before tucking it away with a lazy, “Not bad.”

Encouraged, Rong Xin announced she’d next sketch Xi Ning—but before she could begin, the nanny arrived. Xu Jing’s game was running long; the child needed to return home.

Reluctantly, Rong Xin gathered her new art supplies and bid farewell to Xi Ning and Shen Xi.

With her departure, the once-lively studio fell silent.

Xi Ning tidied the materials, then retrieved her unfinished oil painting—a commissioned piece introduced by her professor. The lucrative project was a crucial income source; she needed to complete it before the semester began.

So she dismissed Shen Xi’s lingering presence. “I need peace. Can you go to your room?”

This studio had been Shen Xi’s doing at age twelve, when he’d convinced Shen Lin to merge two guest rooms into one. Xi Ning still remembered the hidden displeasure in Shen Lin’s eyes when she’d agreed.

From then on, Xi Ning had deliberately distanced herself from Shen Xi.

His resentment grew palpable. Their relationship became a cycle of cold wars and clashes, with Shen Xi always yielding first. After days of aloofness met with Xi Ning’s unwavering indifference, he’d inevitably cave.

Scenes like today’s dessert shop spat were routine between them.

Now, holding the portrait, Shen Xi ambled over.

“Still mad?” he mumbled.

“You leaving would help.”

Xi Ning mixed pigments without glancing up.

As daylight faded, Shen Xi wordlessly switched on her desk lamp.

The light caught his striking features—the sharp angles of his face, the clarity of his bright, obsidian eyes fixed on her.

“Have you drawn other guys before?” he asked hoarsely.

A thread of tension coiled in his chest. He dreaded her answer.

Xi Ning just wanted him gone before Shen Lin spotted them alone together again.

“No. Only class models. I don’t enjoy figure studies,” she clipped. “Satisfied? Now, can you leave?”

His nose wrinkled at her impatience, but her denial soothed him.

“Fine. But I’m coming back to drag you to dinner. Otherwise you’ll forget to eat.”

Finally alone, Xi Ning exhaled and resumed painting.

—

Evening

After dinner, Xi Ning played with her black cat, Jiabao, in her room.

Shen Xi had gifted her the feline for her eighteenth birthday, even naming it after her favorite jaboticaba berries. When Xi Ning was away, Shen Xi personally cared for Jiabao, forbidding others from touching it.

Though Shen Lin disliked pets, Shen Xi had insisted—claiming Jiabao was their shared “mascot.”

As Xi Ning rubbed the cat’s belly, she sighed. “Jiabao, you’ve been sneaking snacks again. No more weight gain by my next visit, understood?”

A knock interrupted them. Meng Kaiyun’s gentle voice followed. “Ning Ning, may I come in?”

Xi Ning hurriedly opened the door.

As founder of the capital’s top law firm and legal counsel for Shen Lin’s conglomerate, Meng Kaiyun’s schedule was grueling—constant travel, late nights. Xi Ning rarely saw him at home.

He’d returned early tonight specifically to discuss Shen Lin’s proposal from earlier.

Unlike Shen Lin’s unilateral decree, Meng Kaiyun sought her genuine opinion. If Xi Ning objected, he’d intervene on her behalf.

The distinguished lawyer, still handsome in middle age, spoke earnestly. “Ning Ning, if this arrangement discomforts you, I’ll speak to your aunt. Your feelings matter most. But between us—I’ve worked with Gu Xiaobai before. Setting his family aside, his intellect, character, and bearing are exceptional.”

“A man like him can offer stability. You know how rare that is among our circles, most heirs are worthless. The Gu brothers are outliers. Even your mother would approve of this match.”

Every word reflected his sincere care for her future.

Xi Ning smiled. “Uncle, with Gu Xiaobai as the prospect, I’d be foolish to refuse. I have nothing to offer. If he’s willing, I have no grounds to decline—only to fear his reluctance.”

Relieved, Meng Kaiyun nodded. He understood Shen Lin’s motives weren’t purely strategic—there was also…

He suppressed a sigh, sensing fate’s inexorable pull.

Studying Xi Ning’s familiar features, his gaze grew wistful. “Ning Ning, Xiao Xi starts senior year soon. Until this matter settles, let’s keep it from him. You know how stubborn he is… Your aunt and I don’t want disruptions to his studies.”

Xi Ning lowered her lashes, compliant yet firm. “I understand, Uncle.”

—

Next Morning

Xi Ning never slept in at the Shen residence.

At breakfast, Shen Xi was absent—Shen Lin mentioned he’d returned to the military camp. His visit yesterday was temporary.

Xi Ning asked no further questions as Shen Lin added, “Tonight, we’ll dine at a private Japanese restaurant with the Gu family.”

Clearly, they meant to assess her.

Xi Ning barely recalled this scene from the novel’s sparse coverage of her character. She didn’t know what to expect, whether Gu Xiaobai would attend.

But she knew the outcome: per the plot, he would agree to be her fiancé.

With the ending predetermined, she saw no need for elaborate preparations. She spent the morning finishing her painting.

By afternoon, her pigments ran out. En route to the art supply store, she passed yesterday’s bookstore—remembering the Schiele anthology she’d spotted.

She’d noticed it while shopping with Rong Xin but couldn’t purchase the semi-nude-adorned cover in the child’s presence.

Locating the shelf, she found the book missing.

The clerk, recognizing her from yesterday’s search—pointed toward the law section. “That edition’s rare. The gentleman over there took the last copy.”

Xi Ning thanked her, following the gesture to a tall, gray T-shirted figure.

Despite the simple attire, his posture exuded innate nobility.

Resigned, Xi Ning turned to leave—but the clerk, perhaps feeling guilty about yesterday, approached the man and gestured toward her.

He turned slightly, listening, then pivoted fully—his piercing gaze finding hers instantly.

Her breath caught.

Of course it was him.

Gu Xiaobai’s striking beauty—the sculpted features, the aristocratic aloofness—matched every campus photograph she’d seen plastered across her roommates’ walls.

Meeting him felt like encountering a stranger she somehow knew.

As he approached, a cold resolve crystallized within her: Why should I be the one left broken in their trio?

She’d transform this vague familiarity into something concrete.

With that, she gave Gu Xiaobai her most radiant smile.

“Hello, Senior Gu.”