Everyone's Gone Mad

Silence fell over the room.

Cheng Xingzhou, who had been frowning at his phone nearby, looked up. With a condescending air, he set aside his work, rose from his chair, and strolled over.

"How about I do it?"

The boy raised a pale, slender hand to adjust his glasses, then looked at Fu Liangxia, who had just delivered her cutting words with a smile. His tone was flat, almost detached—as if he only meant to solve the problem at hand.

But Su Xingshu didn't see it that way. His eyes had already reddened at her words, and now, seeing his own friend calmly pile on, they brimmed over—this time with anger.

He'd tolerated it when Cheng Xingzhou carried Fu Liangxia to the infirmary earlier and wouldn't let him take over. He chalked it up to the student council president doing his duty, playing the hero.

He'd accepted that Cheng Xingzhou had earned Fu Liangxia's favor but didn't cherish it. He blamed himself for meeting her too late, for never having a chance to slip in.

After all, Cheng Xingzhou was the student council president—the most composed, restrained person there was. Yet he'd bent the rules for Fu Liangxia again and again, even issuing unprecedented punishments. Fine, that was understandable.

But now, Cheng Xingzhou was blatantly trying to edge him out. Wasn't that going too far?

Even if he was just going along with Fu Liangxia's words... weren't they childhood friends?

Su Xingshu didn't expect some unbreakable vow like "brothers don't covet each other's women" between them, especially since Fu Liangxia wasn't even his girlfriend yet.

But he'd thought Cheng Xingzhou had some bottom line, that he'd at least compete fairly.

Playing dirty?

Fine, then.

Su Xingshu lifted his gaze, staring hard at the unruffled student council president. A bitter smile tugged at his lips. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

His face was smiling, looking just like his usual carefree, flirtatious self. But his tone was heavy—Fu Liangxia could practically hear frost forming in his words.

The atmosphere in the studio kept sinking. Earlier, when Fu Haoyao and Su Xingshu had been at odds, the F4 had been unfazed, used to their rivalries since childhood. Those two were both hyper-competitive; they fought over everything, and it would've been strange if they didn't.

But a standoff between Su Xingshu and Cheng Xingzhou was a once-in-a-blue-moon event.

First, because Cheng Xingzhou was too reserved; he kept everything bottled up, acting like a little adult since childhood, and had rarely ever quarreled with anyone.

Second, within their circle, Cheng Xingzhou and Su Xingshu were extremely close. Despite their vastly different personalities—diametrically opposed, one extremely self-disciplined, the other extremely outgoing—they probably shared some common ground due to similar family backgrounds.

So now, Fu Liangxia could sense the shock from the Bai twins and Fu Haoyao, and perhaps their hesitation about whether to intervene.

Both parties were their friends; a rift this ugly put them in an awkward spot.

—That was probably the other three's perspective. It had nothing to do with Fu Liangxia.

She watched the two men at daggers drawn, as if they genuinely cherished standing beside her.

But this was nothing more than male possessiveness and instinctual competition.

Let them fight. What was it to her?

She hadn't provoked it.

Under everyone's tense or indifferent gaze, Cheng Xingzhou smirked, his words loaded with meaning. "Well, you did say all those things about her, didn't you?"

Their equally sharp gazes locked like wild beasts baring fangs in a primeval forest.

Cheng Xingzhou began to repeat Su Xingshu's earlier words: "'If she's that fragile, let her leave. She needs to be coddled... This world doesn't revolve around anyone, and if she doesn't want to work, plenty of others do...'"

Before he could finish, a fist flew at his face!

Everyone was stunned, not yet processing what was happening, when Su Xingshu, who had been leaning against the wall, suddenly lunged up. His right hand clenched into a solid fist and slammed straight toward Cheng Xingzhou's face!

Cheng Xingzhou reacted fast—clearly trained. The instant Su Xingshu moved, he raised his guard, tilting his head to the side.

The moment Su Xingshu closed in, he swung back, landing a punch on the other's face.

The two exchanged blows, fist for fist, seemingly sharing the same intent—aiming right for the face, determined to bruise each other.

Bai Yan stood behind Fu Haoyao, staring wide-eyed, completely frozen. But he didn't jump in to break it up either. After his initial shock, a flicker of excitement crossed his eyes.

They fought relentlessly, each landing hits quickly, drawing blood from the other.

Yet with their looks, even bloodied, they only gained a striking, battle-worn beauty that made hearts race.

Cheng Xingzhou threw a punch, pulled back, and blocked the other's fist with his other hand. He stared into Su Xingshu's eyes for a moment, then smiled again.

He said slowly, "Am I wrong?"

Su Xingshu's face was expressionless, his eyes practically spitting fire. "Right, absolutely right. I did say that."

He admitted it.

But what made Cheng Xingzhou any more honorable?

The two had barely exchanged words when the bystanders—whether caught off guard or feigning it—finally stepped in to pull them apart.

Bai Yan smiled as he urged Su Xingshu, "Alright, we're all brothers. Don't make this too ugly."

Then he turned to soothe Cheng Xingzhou, "You should ease up too."

Just as everyone thought Bai Yan was playing peacemaker, he clapped his hands, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "Actually, this isn't bad either. Perfect—one on each side of her. The tension is off the charts!"

Everyone: "..."

Lunatic.

Luckily, nothing else went wrong afterward. Despite their fistfight, the two were oddly cooperative during the shoot, and Fu Liangxia didn't make any more snide remarks about not wanting to pose with Su Xingshu. After all, she was just hired help; she'd taken Bai Yan's money, so she did her job properly.

What she'd said earlier wasn't because she truly didn't want to shoot with Su Xingshu—it was just a tactic to make him feel guilty.

And it had worked spectacularly.

Not only had Su Xingshu's Affinity Points risen by 6, nearly hitting fifty, but Cheng Xingzhou's had also increased, now approaching seventy. Unexpectedly, Bai Yan's Affinity Points had gone up too—and by no less than the other two.

Why, though? Was he actually some kind of deviant?

Did he just enjoy watching this sort of drama, relishing the visual feast she provided?

Fu Liangxia didn't understand, and she was deeply shaken.

Since today was club activity day, and Su Xingshu's Fan Club hadn't replied yet, Fu Liangxia headed to the library after the shoot. She also uploaded the photos to BoBo's hashtags and the forum thread as Bai Yan had instructed.

After posting, she didn't bother with it anymore and sent a message to Bai Kewei, asking if she wanted to study together at the library for a bit.

The other girl was probably busy, as she didn't reply.

The library was, of all places, in Zone C, right next to the cafeteria—presumably to encourage students to hit the books after stuffing themselves. Of course, most preferred the lounge, even if it was farther away.

Fu Liangxia took the same shortcut again, and as she passed through the teaching building area, she noticed the stares that had vanished were back.

She figured it was because the promotional photos she'd taken with the school's celebrities had been released.

Sure enough, when she opened the forum, the post she'd made just a few minutes ago had already been boosted to a hot thread, with people buzzing about Bai Yan's promotional shots.

Fu Liangxia scrolled slowly with her fingers, looking at photo after photo that needed no retouching—straight out of camera. She had to admit, Bai Yan had an eye for this.

Just her solo shots alone—standing in front of the design wall, smiling gently—were so beautiful she had to cover her face.

He was really good.

Of course, it helped that she was genuinely pretty.

The other solo shots were just as stunning, each good enough to be printed as photocards. Fu Haoyao was fierce and unrestrained, Cheng Xingzhou cold and restrained, Su Xingshu's eyes brimmed with tenderness, Bai Xin looked lazy and at ease... Each one clashed beautifully with the background, producing effects that were equally impressive yet distinct.

But as she scrolled further, the mood shifted.

Fu Liangxia zoomed in on the group shot with Su Xingshu and Cheng Xingzhou. There, Su Xingshu rested one hand on the stand behind her, leaning down to look at her, his gaze lingering and affectionate. A bruise marked his cheek, but it didn't diminish his looks—it only added a heart-racing ruggedness.

Cheng Xingzhou stood with his arms crossed, also tilting his head slightly, frowning as he examined the two—as if displeased. His posture was aloof, but his eyes betrayed something subtle.

And Fu Liangxia was just smiling at the camera, looking utterly innocent, as if unaware of the silent rivalry behind her.

The scene was dripping with story.

Had she not been involved, she'd have thought the two were about to throw another punch.

Of course, with the bruises on their faces, it wasn't hard to guess a fight had indeed occurred.

Sure enough, the comments under that photo had erupted.

[Wait, look at Young Master Su and President Cheng's expressions. Something feels off.]

[Do you even need to look at their faces? There are huge bruises—oh my god, my Su! What did you do to that face you should have insured?]

[Don't tell me it's what I'm thinking? Those two actually fought? Over what?]

[No way! Are you saying they were really fighting over Fu Liangxia and came to blows? Impossible.]

[Exactly. Su and the president have seen plenty of beautiful girls. They wouldn't.]

[Then what about the bruises? Special effects?]

[Not impossible. This was shot by Young Master Bai—he could easily do a realistic special-effects makeup job.]

[Maybe, but their eyes don't look like acting...]

Just as the comments were heating up, Bai Yan appeared.

Seeming to love stirring the pot, he replied bluntly: [It's not special effects.]

The original poster's reply automatically pinned to the top. Confronted with that explosive sentence, the thread went silent for nearly a minute, then the comments exploded in a flood.

Everyone was asking if Bai Yan meant what they thought he meant.

Bai Yan: [They fought pretty fiercely.]

Another tens of seconds of silence, then one stubborn reply floated to the top: [Even if they fought, there could be many reasons. Maybe it was just playful sparring, not necessarily about anything. Don't scare yourselves.]

That was reassuring, and many people started to agree.

Until one of the parties involved weighed in—

[Su Xingshu: No, I deserved it.]

After posting that, he logged out of the forum amid a cascade of question marks, offering no further explanation.

Now it was Fu Liangxia's turn to lose it.

Because nowhere in her plans had she accounted for the fallout of "Su Xingshu basically admitting in public that he and Cheng Xingzhou fought over her."