Twist of Fate (GL) - Chapter 5

“She’s changed so much,” Shen Xinghe couldn’t help but remark.

“Is she that classmate of yours?” Xie Jing asked.

“Yeah. But when I first met her, she wasn’t this quiet.” Back in middle school, Shen Xinghe and Qin Ning had sat together for a while. Qin Ning had been a top student then—friendly, approachable. Shen Xinghe couldn’t help but wonder what had happened over the years.

Since Xie Jing’s dorm wasn’t in the same building as Shen Xinghe’s, they parted ways once they got downstairs.

Xie Jing had evening study hall, so after one round of “Battlegrounds,” she headed off to the academic building with Zhou Yan.

“Time for another prison sentence,” Zhou Yan muttered, utterly unenthusiastic.

Xie Jing wasn’t thrilled either. She and Zhou Yan had already filled nearly an entire notebook playing tic-tac-toe during these study sessions.

When study hall finally ended, they returned to their dorms in high spirits.

After washing up, Xie Jing opened her laptop, ready to game hard. But before she could even log in, Zhou Yan suddenly looked at her with anticipation and reminded her about switching beds.

With no choice, Xie Jing shut her laptop again.

Changing beds was a hassle. Their dorm had four girls, with loft beds and desks underneath. Not only did they have to move everything on top of the beds, but they also had to move all their stuff from the desks and cabinets. It took the two of them all evening, but they finally finished just before midnight.

“That’s odd. It’s almost twelve. Why aren’t they back yet?” Although the dorms at Jinghai University didn’t have a lights-out policy, most girls turned in by 11:30, and Chen Yuan was usually back by then.

Tonight, neither Chen Yuan nor Qin Ning had returned.

Just as Zhou Yan spoke, the door clicked open and in walked Chen Yuan and Qin Ning, one after the other.

“You guys went to the study hall too?” Zhou Yan asked.

“Yeah. We stayed a bit late,” Chen Yuan replied as she set her books down and headed into the bathroom.

Exhausted from the move, Xie Jing was lying on her bed zoning out. Hearing the conversation, she turned over and buried her face in the soft blanket, taking a deep breath.

Soon after, their voices faded, replaced by the sound of running water—probably from them washing up.

Xie Jing had a habit of going to the bathroom before lights out. After listening for a while, she got up, planning to use the restroom before going to sleep.

She straightened out her bunny-print pajamas and pulled back her bed curtain with a swish.

The next moment, she came face-to-face with a familiar face.

They stared at each other for a moment.

Qin Ning seemed a bit surprised too. Her eyes flickered slightly the moment she saw Xie Jing.

“I… switched beds with Zhou Yan,” Xie Jing explained.

“Okay.” Qin Ning nodded, then climbed up to her own bed in two quick steps.

All four of them had blackout curtains on their beds. Once drawn, you couldn’t see a thing. Xie Jing glanced at Qin Ning’s bed for a moment, then went off to the bathroom.

Maybe it was the unfamiliar bed, but Xie Jing couldn’t sleep that night. Her body was tired, but her mind just wouldn’t settle.

After tossing and turning for nearly an hour, she gave up and sat up.

She put on her headphones and watched a two-hour movie. By the end, she was finally drowsy.

The next morning, her eyes were bloodshot.

Zhou Yan looked at her in shock. “Xie Jing, did you have a nightmare last night? Your eyes are so red!”

Not wanting to worry her, Xie Jing just shook her head. “No, I just didn’t sleep well. I’ll catch up this afternoon since I don’t have any classes.”

Zhou Yan, not one to overthink, nodded and let it go.

Xie Jing muddled through the morning classes, barely paying attention and not taking any notes.

After lunch, she headed straight back to the dorm and crashed.

At their university, afternoons on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday were always free. Tuesday was for student council inspections of illegal dorm appliances. Thursday was for club activities to help students earn extra credits. And Friday was, presumably, the school’s way of letting students who lived off-campus start their weekends early.

Zhou Yan and Chen Yuan were both locals from Jinghai, so they usually didn’t stay in the dorm over the weekend.

By the time Xie Jing woke up, it was nearly dark. Thirsty from her nap, she was about to get up for a drink when she noticed a soft glow in the room.

“You…” Xie Jing barely spoke before stopping herself. Her throat felt like it was on fire.

The temperature had dropped today. Every seasonal change, without fail, Xie Jing caught something. Was she getting sick?

“You’re awake. Want me to turn on the light?” Qin Ning had been using only her desk lamp until now.

Xie Jing’s voice was hoarse. “…Sure.”

She got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and poured herself a cup of water. After a few gulps, her throat felt a bit better.

Her head was still foggy though. Maybe it was from oversleeping.

“Did you eat dinner?” Xie Jing asked Qin Ning, trying to break the ice—after all, they’d be living together for the next four years.

“No.” Qin Ning turned off her lamp. “Are you hungry? Want to go out?”

“I didn’t eat much at lunch. I was too sleepy. Now I’m starving—feels like I could eat a whole cow.”

Xie Jing peeked at Qin Ning’s reaction and caught a fleeting smile.

“Let’s go then,” Qin Ning said, tidying her desk.

Since it was the weekend, many food stalls in the canteen were closed. They went to the second floor, where Xie Jing ordered a simple grilled meat rice bowl.

She had slept all afternoon and was starving. The moment the fragrant meal was served, her appetite was instantly awakened.

“This is so good… I could cry!” she said, eyes squinting in satisfaction.

Qin Ning lowered her head, sneaking a glance at her.

From where she sat, she could only see Xie Jing’s thick eyelashes casting shadows, her delicate nose with a barely visible red mole on the tip, and her rosy lips. Her cheeks were puffed out from chewing, making her look like a little hamster.

Amused, Qin Ning scooped up a bite of her own food and realized it really was delicious.

The grilled meat was sizzling and fragrant, and the rice was perfectly cooked—no wonder the little hamster was so satisfied.

“Want something to drink? I’ll get us some water,” Qin Ning offered, standing up.

“Can I get a cup of soy milk? Extra sugar, please.” Xie Jing normally didn’t like to trouble others, but since Qin Ning was going anyway, she figured it wasn’t too much to ask.

Soy milk was always available in the canteen. Since they had to cater to diverse tastes, it wasn’t overly sweet by default. Xie Jing liked it sweeter, so she always asked for an extra spoon of sugar.

When Qin Ning returned, she not only brought the soy milk but also a small cup of tofu pudding topped with dark sugar syrup—it looked delicious.

“You can save it for later as a late-night snack,” Qin Ning said, placing both the soy milk and the dessert beside Xie Jing.

“Oh… thanks.” Xie Jing pulled out her phone to transfer her share before she forgot.

“I’ll send it via WeChat,” she said.

“Wait—actually, I’ll scan yours,” Qin Ning said, changing her mind mid-sentence.

Xie Jing brought up her QR code, added Qin Ning as a friend, then added her to the dorm’s group chat and transferred the money.

Her WeChat avatar was a kitten. Coincidentally, Qin Ning’s was also a cat—hers an orange tabby, Xie Jing’s a brown-striped one.

Cat people, both of them.

She didn’t expect someone as aloof as Qin Ning to like something so soft and cute.

Cat lovers are usually pretty easy to get along with, Xie Jing thought.

After spending the evening together, her impression of Qin Ning softened a little. Though she came off a bit cold, she was actually easy to be around—just less talkative than Zhou Yan.

“Want to buy some fruit for the next couple of days?” Xie Jing asked.

“Sure.”

She bought a bag of sugar mandarins and, unable to resist, also picked up a wedge of Hami melon. Even though she was full from dinner, the melon seemed to go into a separate stomach—no discomfort at all.

Back in the dorm, Xie Jing planned to catch up on the game she missed, but then remembered she hadn’t taken any notes in class.

She glanced over at Qin Ning hopefully.

Qin Ning looked up from her laptop. “What’s up?”

Xie Jing gave her best pleading look. “QAQ… Can I borrow your class notes from today?”

Without a word, Qin Ning handed over her notebook.

Xie Jing accepted it like a precious treasure.

Qin Ning’s handwriting was neat and elegant—even her notes looked beautiful. Unlike Xie Jing’s scribbles, where everything ran together.

Luckily, there wasn’t too much to catch up on. She finished in under thirty minutes, thanked Qin Ning, and returned the notebook.

Qin Ning was watching an online lecture on her phone. Xie Jing glanced at the screen, then went to wash up.

It was only 8 p.m. when she finished. Finally, it was time to game.

But tonight wasn’t her night. Despite several rounds, she couldn’t manage a single win.

Just as she was about to give up, a voice spoke from beside her.

“Want to team up?”

Xie Jing blinked in surprise. “You play this game too?”

“Yeah. I’m online.” Qin Ning had already launched the game, but Xie Jing had been in the matchmaking queue for so long that she hadn’t noticed.

Qin Ning joined with a healer character. Xie Jing invited a few friends from her list to form a squad—more people, better odds.

【Lamb Skewer: “Hop on YY, Xiao Jing.”】

She skimmed the team chat and quickly opened the voice app.

The match was just starting.

While the map was loading, she joined the voice channel and greeted her friends.

“Good evening, everyone~”

“Hey, Xie Jing. Who’s the healer in our group? A new friend?” one asked curiously.

Qin Ning tilted her head toward Xie Jing. “I don’t have YY installed. I’ll download it after this match.”

Xie Jing hadn’t put on her headphones, so Qin Ning could hear everything.

“Wait a minute,” another friend said. “Why do I hear another girl’s voice? Are you gaming from an internet café?”

“No, the healer’s my… roommate.” Xie Jing glanced at Qin Ning beside her and added, “She’s sitting right next to me, so you’re technically talking to her too.”

“Ooh~ a roommate you’re close to?”

“Not like that! Go carry the match!” Xie Jing’s face turned a bit red.