Set Free

The night grew deeper.

The sky was overcast with dark clouds tonight, illuminated by the distant lights of the industrial district, casting a gloomy and eerie atmosphere. On the third-floor balcony of an apartment building,

Gu Ruoxue stood quietly, gazing at the pitch-black night sky outside. She was still dressed in her school uniform, her slender legs tightly wrapped in knee-high socks, elegant and alluring.

She remained motionless on the balcony for a long time until movement from below caught her attention. She glanced sideways and saw Li Guanqi heading out of the apartment complex toward the main gate.

After the three of them had exchanged a few brief words earlier, Li Guanqi had decided to go back and fetch a change of clothes before returning to stay the night.

For a girl, having no spare clothes was absolutely out of the question. Moreover, her new ring contained nothing, so she had no choice but to go back and retrieve her belongings.

Meanwhile, Ji Qingyi and Liu Qingyue were still in the bathroom. Ji Qingyi would never use the facilities here, so after chatting for a while, Liu Qingyue had gone back inside to assist her young mistress.

Thus, Gu Ruoxue was left alone in the living room.

She stepped out onto the balcony, peering through the glass at the faint stars in the darkened sky.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening came from behind her. Two figures emerged from the bathroom—none other than the freshly bathed mistress-and-maid duo.

"Young Mistress, how was the experience?"

Liu Qingyue supported Ji Qingyi as they stepped out, guiding her to a recliner and seating her before picking up a hairdryer to tend to her hair.

"A bit cramped."

Ji Qingyi half-closed her eyes, her tone languid. "But the first experience of anything is always the most novel. One must taste both nourishment and poison to be truly whole."

"Speaking of which…"

Liu Qingyue carefully blew dry her hair, hesitating for a moment before speaking softly, "This is your first time staying overnight at someone else’s place. I was worried you might not adjust well."

Ji Qingyi opened her eyes at these words, her pupils glimmering faintly. However, she didn’t respond to the topic. Instead, she abruptly asked, "Where are the others?"

"One went back to get a change of clothes," Liu Qingyue paused her movements, thinking for a moment before continuing, "The other is probably on the balcony."

Ji Qingyi frowned slightly but said nothing, merely casting a glance toward the balcony. A solitary silhouette came into view, appearing especially fragile under the dim lighting.

"And Su Cheng?" Ji Qingyi’s voice was calm and indifferent. "Is she still in her room writing in her diary?"

Earlier, while bathing, Liu Qingyue had mentioned that Su Cheng had tidied up the guest room before retreating to her bedroom to write.

"I believe so."

Liu Qingyue nodded, then suddenly leaned in and whispered into Ji Qingyi’s ear, "Young Mistress, no matter how embarrassed you feel later, please make sure to put your feelings into words. Don’t hold back."

Her tone was solemn and serious, leaving no room to doubt her sincerity. Even Ji Qingyi was momentarily swayed, nearly agreeing on the spot. But her remaining rationality quickly snapped her back to reality, and she closed her eyes without another word.

Seeing this, Liu Qingyue also fell silent, focusing solely on drying Ji Qingyi’s hair. Once finished, she finally spoke again, "Young Mistress, I’ll go wash up now. Please wait here for a while."

Thus, the living room sank back into silence, broken only by the commercials playing on the television.

Ji Qingyi listened to the advertisements, her thoughts gradually drifting into contemplation, though no one could guess what occupied her mind.

On the balcony, Gu Ruoxue had overheard the entire exchange between the mistress and maid, but she paid it no mind, maintaining her stance as she continued gazing outward.

Before long, a luxurious car pulled up at the apartment complex’s entrance. Li Guanqi stepped out, and the speed of her round trip left Gu Ruoxue somewhat astonished—had Li Guanqi really returned this quickly?

"President!"

Just as she was marveling at this, Su Cheng’s voice rang out from behind, startling her. She turned to see Su Cheng already standing beside Ji Qingyi, asking, "President, shall we make a wish?"

"Hmm."

Ji Qingyi responded casually as she rose to her feet. Dressed in a simple nightgown with her hair cascading over her shoulders, she looked dignified and elegant, like a celestial maiden descended to earth, breathtakingly beautiful.

Su Cheng, in her comfortable loungewear, didn’t exchange many words with her. Instead, the two of them headed toward the door, seemingly preparing to release a sky lantern from the balcony.

Watching this scene unfold, a ripple of emotion flickered in Gu Ruoxue’s eyes.

At that moment, the bathroom door swung open, and Liu Qingyue stepped out as if she had been waiting for this exact moment. She called out to Gu Ruoxue, "Miss Gu, would you like to join us in admiring the dazzling nightscape?"

However, the instant their eyes met, Gu Ruoxue’s expression returned to its usual impassive state. Cold and distant, she turned back to the view outside the glass.

Undeterred, Liu Qingyue approached with a smile, extending a hand in invitation. "We won’t be noticed. I’ve scouted a safe spot. You can trust me."

Gu Ruoxue hesitated for a few seconds before finally taking a step forward. She lifted her gaze to meet Liu Qingyue’s and said, "You don’t need to phrase it so unnecessarily. Let’s go."

"Oh, so that’s how it is…"

Liu Qingyue shrugged, turning away with a playful sigh. "Because of my mischievous tendencies, you don’t want to be complicit. My apologies. Shall we?"

The two of them had just opened the door when they ran into Li Guanqi. Now a trio, they made their way unimpeded to the rooftop of the neighboring building.

Yet, Li Guanqi couldn’t hide her surprise.

Gu Ruoxue had actually chosen to come along!

The look of astonishment in Li Guanqi’s eyes didn’t faze Gu Ruoxue much—after all, her initial reaction had been far too obvious. She probably assumed Gu Ruoxue had joined forces with Liu Qingyue.

But—

Now that they were here,

There was no turning back.

With no stars or moon in the sky tonight, and no lights on the rooftop, the three women found themselves enveloped in darkness the moment they stepped out. In the pitch-black surroundings, their gazes instinctively landed on the two figures across the way.

Unexpectedly, Ji Qingyi seemed to sense their stares and abruptly turned her head in their direction.

The three women froze.

But Ji Qingyi merely glanced over, detecting nothing unusual, and averted her eyes.

"Whew… Good thing there’s no moonlight tonight."

Liu Qingyue exhaled in relief, whispering, "If we’d been caught, it would’ve been troublesome."

With no lights on the rooftop, the three of them were completely hidden in the darkness. Even someone as sharp as Ji Qingyi couldn’t possibly possess night vision.

"Just wait a little longer. Once the Young Mistress gets absorbed in the moment, she won’t notice my presence," Liu Qingyue suggested in a hushed voice.

Li Guanqi nodded in agreement.

However, after a brief silence, the three women turned their attention back to the pair across from them—only to witness an utterly explosive scene!

This scene made Li Guanqi and Gu Ruoxue widen their eyes in unison, their expressions utterly stunned!

Though they had anticipated it, witnessing it firsthand still struck them with overwhelming impact.

Across from them, Su Cheng was blowing up a white balloon with both hands—but that wasn’t the most startling part. What truly shattered expectations was Ji Qingyi beside her, gazing eagerly at Su Cheng’s profile, her eyes brimming with delight as if awaiting the other’s success.

A written description might sound heartwarming.

But the balloon in their hands completely clashed with the mood!

The sheer absurdity of it all came down to that single balloon.

And the way these two carried themselves with such seriousness…

Li Guanqi fought back the bizarre, churning sensation in her chest, her beautiful eyes locked onto the pair opposite her, unblinking, as if searing the image into her mind.

Liu Qingyue, who was experiencing this for the second time, wasn’t as exaggerated as Li Guanqi, but she still clenched her fists, her gaze burning with excitement.

Just as the two were utterly absorbed—

"Pfft…"

A sudden burst of laughter cut through the air, making both women turn in surprise. They found Gu Ruoxue, who instantly schooled her expression, pretending nothing had happened as she slowly turned away, feigning solemn interest in the distant nightscape.

"Senior, your sense of humor is a bit odd," someone remarked.