Bonus Chapter: Nutrient Solution

When Fu Liangxia's companion asked that naive question, Fu Liedong, seated a table away, let out a soft snort—half mockery, half "ask me, I know." Neither Bai Kewei nor Fu Liangxia paid him any attention. Fu Liangxia was wrestling with a lettuce leaf and explained without looking up: "Bai Xin is well-known in his circle. He doesn't produce much, but everything he does has won countless awards and fetched astronomical prices. You could call him a prodigy painter."

"As for Bai Yan, he focuses on jewelry design. He was a fashion editor at V. and later founded his own independent label, which is highly sought after by celebrities and noblewomen." Fu Liangxia relayed what she knew.

"But his pieces are never mass-produced—only limited releases. You have to book appointments and queue up, and some pieces require invites to exclusive parties just to be eligible to purchase."

Bai Kewei summed it up: "Isn't that just hunger marketing?"

"Not just that—he also infuses his designs with class value," Fu Liangxia said. "Only those who qualify can buy, which subtly elevates the buyer's status. True fans will fight tooth and nail for the privilege, while others might buy just for the prestige it confers."

"Once art carries these extra attributes, it becomes commerce."

She added casually: "I think Bai Yan is more of a businessman than his brother."

She didn't notice that her sharp, almost acerbic observation drew a surprised look from Su Xingshu nearby.

Su Xingshu was genuinely taken aback by her insight. Few people her age made such assessments of the Bai twins. Most envied their talent, marveling at how young they were and how they'd turned their creativity into profit while achieving staggering success.

They lauded the brothers' artistic gifts, but Fu Liangxia only saw their commercial tactics and value.

Su Xingshu inexplicably felt that this perspective was strange—not like a student, but more like a seasoned veteran who'd spent years climbing the corporate ladder.

Just then, the cafeteria's chatter suddenly died down, replaced by a ripple of sharp intakes of breath.

Fu Liangxia glanced up and saw Bai Yan and Bai Xin descending from the second floor.

Bai Xin still wore that languid, utterly indifferent expression toward everything around him. One hand in his pocket, the other holding his phone, he stared at the screen as he ambled down the stairs.

Bai Yan, meanwhile, was on a call. In complete contrast to his brother, a vibrant energy radiated from his expression alone. He was listening intently, his gaze drifting casually without settling, occasionally parting his lips to reply.

When his gaze swept past Fu Liangxia, she faintly caught—or perhaps imagined—a slight pause in his movement. Then he flashed her a smile and gave his phone a little shake.

She read his lips: "Don't forget."

Amid the wave of hushed squeals and murmured speculation of "Is Young Master Bai looking at me?," she gave a small nod to show she understood.

The stairway on the second floor was tucked toward the inside, not close to the cafeteria's main entrance. Seeing that some in the crowd were itching to come up for autographs, Bai Xin abruptly changed direction and slipped out the side door.

His turned back was merciless, radiating an air of unwillingness to mingle with mortals.

Bai Yan, on the other hand, gave the crowd an amiable smile from behind his brother, then turned and followed.

"Looks apologetic, but he never once stopped to sign anything either," Bai Kewei whispered. "I feel like these F4 are all the same at heart—they look down on ordinary people like us."

That "ordinary" didn't just mean commoners, but everyone outside the pyramid's peak—middle class and old money included.

But she remembered there was an F4 member at the next table, so her voice was low enough that only Fu Liangxia could hear.

At that, Fu Liangxia shrugged and set down her chopsticks: "Arrogance isn't confined to any class; it's just displayed more vividly among those at the very top. If you ever think one of them seems down-to-earth, that only proves they have a reason to keep up appearances."

Cheng Xingzhou, for example, wanted to break into the political system. Though outwardly cold, he'd never shown contempt for anyone—he simply enforced the rules fairly and displayed the qualities of an excellent lawkeeper.

Su Xingshu was the same; he was the one in F4 called the most grounded. He ran a band, played the idol, his girlfriends' origins never mattered, and his lackeys weren't from distinguished families either—because behind him was an entertainment and cultural dynasty, the most mass-market industry.

To be a proper heir, his image needn't be saintly, but at the very least he couldn't come across as too disdainful of the common folk or too removed from ordinary people.

Best if he had buzz and discussion heat, so his family's industry could stay in the public eye—the cheapest form of advertising with the greatest returns.

Fu Haoyao, on the other hand, wasn't an heir—he didn't need to display an heir's virtues. And since his family focused on high-tech industry, they had little connection to the lower classes, so he could afford to be more relaxed than the previous two. Even if he were arrogant enough to wear his eyes on top of his head, it wouldn't do much harm.

He just needed to show a decent face to his partners' children. And anyway, he had an excellent older brother above him, so a little rebellion was fine.

As for Bai Xin and Bai Yan, they were even more unconstrained. Their family had both artistic roots and military backing, so their spine was stiff—no need to worry about the family image. Their clientele was the upper class by nature, and there was already the stereotype of artists not fitting into the world, so they needn't bother with anything.

Fu Liangxia understood it clearly: their outward behavior might seem tied to personality, but at its core, it all came down to interests.

So to win respect at Saintland, you either had outstanding grades or relevant connections.

The F4 were no exception to that rule—they just dealt in interests on a scale beyond the ordinary.

Without value to them, they wouldn't waste a single glance your way.

"You done? Shall we go?" Bai Kewei asked, seeing her stop eating.

"Mm." Fu Liangxia had never had a big appetite; she'd been forcing herself to eat more, hoping this body would grow sturdier—at least not so frail that a gust of wind would knock her over.

She'd deliberately loaded up on high-protein foods, but whether due to the world's will or sheer bad luck, the nutrients she'd supplemented over the past six months barely absorbed. Her appearance hadn't changed at all.

"Do you have any methods for building muscle?"

Fu Liangxia noticed Bai Kewei's body wasn't soft like most girls'. She was firm all over, especially her arms—when she raised a hand, muscled lines were visible.

"Me?" Bai Kewei thought for a moment, then said with some difficulty, "I've never deliberately trained or watched my diet. I just eat plenty of vegetables and whole grains, and less pork."

"On weekday evenings and weekends, if I'm not busy, I also do part-time work. Maybe it's just that—it's exhausting, but gradually I got stronger and picked up some muscle."

Fu Liangxia vaguely recalled that the original novel did mention the female lead often working odd jobs outside—handing out flyers, kitchen help, dishwashing... she'd done every kind of grueling work.

Later, after a policy banning the employment of minors without certification took effect, Bai Kewei was unemployed for a while, until she finally found a part-time job that required no certificate.

Fu Liangxia vaguely remembered it wasn't exactly a legitimate business—gray area, with a powerful force behind it, and nobody normally bothered it. And she had a faint sense that some important plot point was supposed to happen there too.

Timing it out, it should be right about now.

Not knowing whether it was a good thing, Fu Liangxia didn't feel she could advise her against it, so she changed the subject: "What's your next class?"

"History, I think," Bai Kewei said.

Fu Liangxia nodded. She hadn't chosen any humanities courses, so she couldn't walk with her: "Mine's Classical Art Appreciation, over in Building A3."

The elective and required class buildings were in opposite directions, so the two could only part at the fork.

Just before leaving, Bai Kewei suddenly remembered something and asked, "What Fu Haoyao said before... are you actually tutoring him?"

"Mm, because of some family matters." She couldn't elaborate.

Bai Kewei didn't press further, only looking at her with concern: "Can you handle it?"

Fu Liangxia: "Haven't run into any problems yet."

"Alright. Take care of yourself—if anything upsets you, you can tell me. I might not be much help, but..."

"Thank you." Fu Liangxia gave her hand a squeeze and smiled lightly. "You too. If anyone bullies you again, let me know."

"That shouldn't happen. You scared Qin Wan so badly; she definitely won't dare come after me again. And the others are fine—at worst they just ignore me." Bai Kewei paused, then remembered something.

"Oh, right. The girl who sits behind me said she wanted to meet you. She's pretty nice, but I wasn't sure what you'd think, so I didn't agree." Bai Kewei asked, "Do you want to see her?"

Fu Liangxia thought to herself, what kind of "nice" person wants to meet her but can only arrange it through Bai Kewei? That doesn't sound like someone genuinely seeking friendship with her—more like someone using Bai Kewei's good impression to vouch for herself.

Besides, Fu Liangxia knew what her own reputation had been like outside. That person was most likely after one of the F4, not her.

Just not sure which one.

"Sure. Since Kewei says she's nice, I don't mind meeting her." Fu Liangxia's face brightened. "Why don't we all go out together sometime?"

Maybe because that "all" included her, Bai Kewei froze for a beat, then flushed slightly and agreed.

After parting with Bai Kewei, Fu Liangxia headed straight for A3. It sat at the diagonal opposite corner from where she was, so the walk would eat up a fair bit of time.

Worried about being late for her afternoon class, she skipped going back to the classroom to rest and decided to just nap in the Classical Art Appreciation room instead.

And so she missed the scene in that very classroom—where Bai Xin, catching sight of extra books on the seat beside his own, paused mid-motion as he was about to slump onto the desk, and said in a voice as light as a whisper: "Why is someone sitting here?"