Lin Lele initially didn’t think much of the sunscreen when she took it, but when Li Xiaohui mentioned that the bottle cost nearly a month’s worth of her living expenses, she was startled.
She quickly handed it back. "Yutong, I really can’t accept this. It’s too expensive."
Liu Yutong didn’t take it. "Keep it. I bought it to use, and I have more than I need. It’s almost October—the weather will cool down soon, and I won’t need sunscreen anymore. It’s better for you to have it than for it to sit unused."
Li Xiaohui chimed in, "Exactly! Yutong’s loaded. This is a golden opportunity to benefit from her generosity. Just take it!"
After hesitating, Lin Lele finally accepted. "Well… thank you."
Next, Liu Yutong approached Ling Yan, intending to give her the last bottle.
To her surprise, Ling Yan outright refused. "No thanks. I have my own."
Liu Yutong froze, feeling like her kindness had been thrown back in her face.
But she had a resilient attitude and didn’t dwell on it. If they couldn’t get along, so be it—she’d keep her distance in the future.
Just as she turned to put the sunscreen back in her cabinet, Ling Yan muttered under her breath, "Think you’re so great just because you’re rich?"
Before Liu Yutong could react, Li Xiaohui, never one to hold back, snapped. "Hey, what’s your problem? Yutong was just trying to be nice. If you don’t want it, fine, but who do you think you’re scowling at?"
"And what’s with the permanent bad attitude? You act like someone owes you a fortune!"
Ling Yan shot to her feet. "Who are you talking about?!"
"You, obviously! Or am I wrong?" Li Xiaohui planted her hands on her hips. "Still sulking because you didn’t get elected class monitor?"
Ling Yan didn’t deny it. "So what if I am? You and Liu Yutong know exactly why I lost!"
Li Xiaohui scoffed. "How would we know? Stop being so cryptic!"
Ling Yan sneered. "If you two hadn’t voted for Lin Lele, I wouldn’t have lost! You’ve had it out for me from the start—don’t think I haven’t noticed!"
Li Xiaohui laughed in disbelief. "You’re seriously that petty? Why would we target you for no reason? And since when do we owe you our votes? Just because we didn’t pick you, you get to act like this? Get over yourself!"
Ling Yan’s expression darkened, and she escalated to personal attacks. "See, you admit it! And Li Xiaohui, I’ve had enough of you. Stop acting like some street-smart tough girl—this is a prestigious university, not some backwater school! I don’t even know how someone like you got admitted. If you want to play rebel, go somewhere else!"
Li Xiaohui, now furious, lunged forward, ready to fight.
Lin Lele, sensing things were spiraling, rushed to intervene. "Stop it, both of you! We’re roommates—don’t let something so small ruin things…"
But in the midst of their scuffle, someone accidentally knocked Ling Yan’s MP4 out of her hand.
With a sharp crack, it hit the floor, the screen shattering instantly.
All three froze.
Recovering first, Ling Yan pointed accusingly at Lin Lele. "Lin Lele! You broke my MP4!!"
Lin Lele stammered, "I—I’m sorry! It was an accident…"
Li Xiaohui stepped in impatiently. "Stop yelling. It’s just an MP4. I’ll pay for it!"
Ling Yan smirked. "Oh, playing the hero now? Do you even have the money? This cost over a thousand yuan. If you’re so eager to pay up, show me the cash—otherwise, quit pretending!"
As the argument reignited, Liu Yutong had finally had enough. She slammed her hand on the table. "Enough! What’s the point of all this shouting?!"
It was the first time anyone had seen her lose her temper, and the sudden authority in her voice made even Li Xiaohui falter.
Once silence fell, Liu Yutong pulled a stack of cash from her bag, counted out 1,300 yuan, and placed it on the table. "Ling Yan, this should cover it, right?"
Ling Yan, who usually disdained Liu Yutong, found herself unable to refuse. For some reason, she even felt a flicker of fear.
Just then, their dorm advisor, Teacher Lu, walked in, drawn by the noise. "What’s going on here?"
Seizing the opportunity, Ling Yan immediately pointed at Lin Lele. "Teacher Lu, Class Monitor Lin Lele broke my MP4!"
Lin Lele paled, but before she could explain, Teacher Lu called her outside.
When she returned, her eyes were red—clearly, she’d been reprimanded. As class monitor, failing to manage dorm conflicts and damaging expensive property reflected poorly on her.
Back in the room, Lin Lele approached Ling Yan first. "Ling Yan, I’m sorry. I’ll compensate you for the MP4."
Ling Yan gave her a cold look but said nothing.
Lin Lele then turned to Liu Yutong. "Yutong… could I borrow the money? I’ll pay you back next month when I get my allowance."
Though still irritated, Liu Yutong handed her the cash without hesitation. "Take your time repaying. There’s no rush."
Lin Lele took the money gratefully. "Thank you."
She then passed it to Ling Yan, who, having gotten what she wanted, accepted it without protest. As she bent to pick up the broken MP4, Liu Yutong snatched it first.
"Liu Yutong! What are you doing? That’s mine!"
Liu Yutong held it up. "Yours? Lele just bought it from you. It’s hers now."
Ling Yan glared but couldn’t retort.
Ignoring her, Liu Yutong told Lin Lele, "I have a friend who can fix this. I’ll get it repaired and return it to you."
Lin Lele nodded, relieved. "Thank you, Yutong."
Though starting college with a 1,000-yuan debt was stressful, at least if the MP4 could be fixed, she could explain things to her parents when she went home for the holidays.
With that, the drama finally subsided.
Two days later, military training ended.
On September 29, the class held another meeting—this time to officially elect class officers.
To everyone’s surprise, interim class monitor Lin Lele withdrew from the election.
No one understood why. Over the past weeks, she’d been diligent, and most classmates had been ready to vote for her again.
But now, she suddenly announced she was giving up the election campaign, which inevitably raised suspicions.
Liu Yutong and Li Xiaohui naturally understood why she withdrew—it was simply to avoid further tension in the dorm.
Though Teacher Lu had reprimanded her over the incident a few days ago, it wasn’t severe enough to force her to quit the race. She simply felt she wasn’t up to the task.
Seeing Lin Lele drop out, Ling Yan felt a surge of smug satisfaction—one major rival was out of the way.
What’s more, the number of candidates this time was half that of the previous election, and she had prepared more thoroughly. She was confident she would secure the class monitor position.
Once she became monitor, winning a scholarship would be much easier, and she could finally repay the money she owed.
Outwardly, Ling Yan seemed indifferent to competition, but secretly, she was always comparing herself to her roommates—especially Liu Yutong, who outshone her in looks, talent, and more.
For instance, when Liu Yutong bought an electric scooter, Ling Yan soon followed suit.
Or when Liu Yutong used high-end skincare products, Ling Yan would deliberately purchase items of the same tier.
It was unclear what drove her—she just couldn’t stand being overshadowed by Liu Yutong.
Just as Ling Yan was brimming with confidence, ready to step onto the podium, an unexpected twist occurred.
Without warning, Liu Yutong stood up and walked to the front of the classroom first.
"Sorry, everyone—I’d like to run for monitor too," she announced.
"I didn’t prepare a speech, and I won’t feed you empty promises. I’ll just say this: If you elect me, I’ll make sure every class issue gets resolved."
Then, she added with emphasis,
"Whether it’s on campus or off!"
