When Winter reached Eastern Alliance University, the place looked completely different from the crowded cities.
This part was basically the student living zone. Looked like some old-style hostel.
Long wooden walkways spread through the section, all held up by tall pillars.
The wood was dark and polished, with small carvings running along the sides.
The roofs were built in wide layers, one on top of another, and the corners lifted upward a little.
Lanterns hung in a straight line under the beams, giving off a steady yellow glow across the stone paths.
This part of the campus was only for the top-ranked students—
those with Legendary and Mythic bloodlines, the ones who were famous in school tournaments or came from families with deep pockets.
Mei Lin lived here because Winter placed her here… and also because her bloodline allowed it.
Winter walked through the courtyard without slowing down.
Frost gathered around her feet, melting before it touched the ground.
Students walking in the area turned to look at her.
Most of them didn't know who she really was, but they recognized her face immediately.
People whispered when she passed.
"Vice Principal Leng Xueya?"
"Why is she here?"
"Did someone break a rule?"
"Wait… is she angry?"
Some students stepped aside quickly, not wanting to block her path.
Others pretended not to stare but still peeked when she passed them.
The guards and staff, on the other hand, knew her much better.
The moment they saw her cold aura, they straightened instantly.
Some lowered their heads.
Some kept their hands locked behind their backs and didn't breathe too loud.
None dared say anything.
They knew exactly what she could do, and her presence alone was enough to make their skin prickle.
Winter didn't look at any of them.
She walked into the women's residence hall—a tall building with wooden windows and long hallways that connected dozens of student rooms. This place was usually noisy with students walking around, but right now it had gone quiet.
She moved down the hall, passing rows of sliding doors.
Each door had a metal name plate fixed on it.
She stopped in front of one.
Mei Lin.
Winter didn't pause.
Her hand lifted, fingers stiff from the cold building inside her.
She slammed the door open.
The moment the door slammed open, Mei Lin jolted so hard the girl working on her feet almost stabbed her toe with the tiny metal tool.
Before that moment, the room had been peaceful and warm.
Mei Lin was stretched out on a soft recliner chair, wearing a loose silk robe with faint gold patterns.
One servant was filing her nails, another was rubbing her shoulders, and a third was preparing warm water mixed with herbs for her foot soak.
She had her eyes half-closed, enjoying comfort like she was some princess.
A plate of fresh fruits placed on the small table beside her.
The room smelled faintly sweet from the incense burning near the window.
Her hair was loose, falling over her shoulders.
Nothing about her looked like someone who had just failed an assignment.
She looked like someone on vacation.
The cold air rushed into the room so fast it blew out the incense and made the warm water turn cloudy.
Mei Lin's whole body stiffened. She shot upright in the chair, robe slipping off her shoulder, eyes wide in shock.
The servants froze instantly.
All three of them lowered their heads, too scared to even breathe loudly.
Mei Lin's mouth opened, but her voice didn't come out at first. Her hands trembled slightly as she pulled the robe tighter around herself.
"V-Vice Principal…?" she finally managed to say, sounding like she wasn't sure if she said the right name.
Her heartbeat thumped hard in her chest.
Her pampered calm was gone in one second.
Because Winter didn't visit rooms.
Especially not like this.
Mei Lin stumbled to her feet, toes still wet from the unfinished soak, and bowed awkwardly. The luxury around her suddenly felt cheap, like all the warm colors in the room were being swallowed by the cold pouring in from the doorway.
The cold hit the room the moment Winter stepped in.
It wasn't a gentle drop in temperature. It was sharp, like stepping straight into mid-winter with no warning.
The servants felt it before Mei Lin even reacted.
The girl touching her foot let out a tiny gasp as her fingers stiffened. Her skin went pale fast, like the cold was sucking the warmth out.
Another servant's lips trembled, going faintly blue within seconds. Their shoulders shook uncontrollably, each breath coming out thin and shallow.
"V-Vice Principal…" one of them tried to speak, but her voice cracked from the cold.
The frost spreading from Winter's steps reached the wooden floor under their feet, and the servants stumbled back.
Their hands shook so violently they could barely grip the tray or towels. One girl pressed her hand to her chest, trying to breathe. Her breath came out white and uneven, like every inhale hurt.
They knew staying even a moment longer would freeze them from the inside out.
With whatever strength they had left, they gathered themselves and tried to leave the room.
Their steps were unsteady, almost collapsing at the doorway. One servant's knees buckled for a second, and she had to grip the wall to keep from falling. Another nearly lost balance entirely but pushed forward with all the energy she still had.
They didn't run—
they couldn't.
Their bodies were too cold to move that fast.
But they dragged themselves out as fast as their shaking legs let them.
By the time they slipped into the hall, all three were panting weakly, bent forward, trying to warm their hands with their own breaths.
Inside the room, the silence that followed them felt even colder.
Mei Lin stood alone now, her robe tight around her, bare feet on the cold floor, her eyes lowered and shaking slightly.
Winter stepped fully into the room.
The door slid shut behind her.