The Truth-Telling Symposium

When the System's notification chimed, Fu Liangxia froze, finally realizing where her earlier sense of familiarity had come from. No wonder she'd thought Little A's silhouette resembled the Bai twins—it was because they were one and the same person.

But she had no memory of the original novel mentioning that Bai Xin had a split personality. Was this from later serialized content she'd run into ahead of schedule?

Fu Liangxia didn't know and didn't care to dig deeper. As long as she could raise Affinity Points with both the main and sub-personalities, nothing else mattered.

"I thought you'd laugh at me," the man suddenly said.

Fu Liangxia turned her head toward him at the sound. Around them, the moonlight was hazy; behind, endless darkness stretched. He stood there like a stark line between light and shadow, the wind lifting his white T-shirt slightly, pressing it against his skin to reveal the pleasing lines of his abs. He looked like the male lead of some Western vampire film, captivating just by standing in the night.

As she watched him, a thought popped into her head—if Little A were the main personality, Bai Xin might be even more popular than he already was. There was a complex air about him, languid, detached, and with a hint of nonchalance that Bai Xin lacked. Somehow, it was alluring.

Fu Liangxia tilted her head and leaned against the railing the same way he did. "Why do you say that?"

Little A stared at her, one eyebrow raised. "They say art is something only the upper class deserves to touch. And me, as you can see, I'm just a bar server."

"Who says?" the girl asked casually.

"They do," Little A said.

"Who's 'they'?"

"Most of the world." The dregs of class stratification. It seemed people's futures were predetermined from birth—what major to study, what kind of person to become. These decisions never belonged to them, but were dictated by their families. Children from poor families weren't worthy of entering such a lofty field as art; they lacked the money to learn, and the door wasn't open to them.

Fu Liangxia understood what he left unsaid. She only wondered what Bai Xin had been through. It was said every split personality emerged when the host endured tremendous pain, as a protective mechanism of the body. So under what circumstances had he produced Little A—someone who seemed to come from poverty and looked like he could take a swing at the world at any moment?

"Does that include you?" Fu Liangxia asked, meeting his eyes.

The man scrunched his nose. "Of course not."

"Then screw them." Her voice was soft, but the words were defiant.

Little A watched her as she casually said it, then swept her hair back against the wind, revealing eyes that outshone the stars. At that moment, she was deeper than the night, more captivating than the starlight.

Little A looked away, his throat unexpectedly tight. If Bai Xin knew her, he'd probably think she was pretty great too, he mused.

Fu Liangxia had always known the backdrop of this novel was brutal—class divisions even starker than in the world she'd come from. Some people were born at a finish line she could never chase. Even Little A, who thought of himself as poor, was, as Bai Xin, from an elite family; the annual trust fund dividends alone were a figure she couldn't dream of.

Saintland was even crueler, cramming together scions of wealthy families, second and third generation, while admitting a few special students from outside. It was like tossing a few mutts into a kennel of purebreds, brutal for anyone who'd never been exposed to the rich world.

And Saintland's Monday morning Truth-Telling Symposium was the activity that brought that cruelty out into the open.

'Truth-Telling Symposium,' as the name suggested, was a group conversation where people spoke their true minds. All conflicts could be aired at these sessions, and classmates could solve problems this way. Some even treated it like a game of Truth or Dare, using it to confess to crushes.

Of course, these were the original intentions when Saintland first established the activity, but over generations, things had changed.

Because space was limited, each week only a few students were randomly selected from each class to enter the Student Council's activity room. Everyone wore lie detection wristbands, and the whole thing was live-streamed to every classroom on campus.

The session lasted no more than twenty minutes, and because of the lie detectors, no one could lie, and everything said was known to the entire school.

Students dreaded it and secretly looked forward to it in equal measure—though they feared their own secrets being unearthed, they were just as eager to gossip about others. Especially since the selection was random, there was a real chance an F4 member could be picked—what an opportunity!

Whether they were loyal fans hoping to get closer to their idol, or had ulterior motives and wanted to make a lasting impression, this was a golden chance. After all, they didn't normally get to be up close and personal with the F4!

And since the Symposium was run by the Student Council, if Cheng Xingzhou wasn't selected, he'd still be present to chair the meeting.

But Fu Liangxia and Bai Kewei weren't among those looking forward to it.

Fu Liangxia simply hated anything that interrupted her own business. As for Bai Kewei, honestly, even with Fu Liangxia backing her up last time, the intimidation factor was limited. A special admit at the bottom of the food chain—even if Fu Liangxia had her back, what did it matter? Was the Fu family some great old money? Nobody had heard of them.

Of course, they wouldn't deliberately bully Bai Kewei, but in a session where only the truth could be told, there were bound to be malicious people seeking entertainment.

That's what Bai Kewei thought before she was called in.

But when she saw Fu Liangxia quietly reading a book in the exquisitely decorated activity room, which looked like some hipster café, a sense of calm washed over her.

She was someone you could rely on. At least Fu Liangxia never treated anyone differently based on class. In fact, Bai Kewei felt Fu Liangxia looked at everyone the same—with that faintly indifferent air, polite but as if not really taking anyone seriously. Yet just by sitting there, she was dazzling enough. In her eyes, there was no rich or poor, only smart and stupid.

Bai Kewei felt the fragrance of the lilies around the room was refreshing, easing her anxiety. As she sat down next to Fu Liangxia, she thought, at least her grades were decent, so she probably wasn't one of the stupid ones.

Besides Bai Kewei, a boy in cheap knockoff sneakers huddled in a corner, also apparently a special admit. The others all wore expressions of ease, settling in like they were at home, only looking up to greet Fu Haoyao, Bai Xin, and Bai Yan when they entered.

"Young Master Fu, Young Master Bai, you got picked too! Today's Symposium is going to be amazing!"

Young people loved internet gossip, and when three of the F4 arrived, those familiar with forum tidbits gathered around them, sneaking glances at Fu Liangxia while they were at it. This was going to be a show. Everyone knew the transfer student surnamed Fu had gamed with Fu Haoyao, who'd stood up for her, and that Bai Yan had hired her for promo shots—she seemed to be on good terms with the F4. If they asked the right questions, they might dig up something explosive. Some people were already bright-eyed just thinking about it.

Fu Liangxia noticed that over the weekend, Bai Xin's hair was back to its natural color. The pink strands fell sleekly behind his ears, looking light and glossy, with none of the dry damage from frequent dyeing. Truly worthy of a novel's male lead—even his hair was exceptional, she mused.

Bai Xin ignored them, giving a casual nod, then took a seat by a window. Whether intentionally or not, it happened to leave only one seat between him and Fu Liangxia.

Nobody minded his coldness; they were used to it. After all, artists always had a bit of temperament, especially geniuses like Bai Xin.

Fu Haoyao didn't look happy either. He wore a sour face, like he hadn't slept, eyelids drooping, gaze unfocused. "You all seem cheerful. Maybe I should pick someone to take my place." Since weekends had no classes and he wasn't in the same class as Fu Liangxia, three whole days had passed without seeing her, counting the time. Fu Haoyao stared at a vague spot on the floor, pupils unfocused. Three days. It felt as long as being forced to study for three days. Lifting his gaze from the floor, he unintentionally swept across the dark eyes of the girl looking his way. His gaze paused. But three days of tutoring wouldn't be so bad.

"What a coincidence." The boy who'd just been talking about finding a stand-in strode over and sat right beside her. He sprawled, legs slightly apart, upper body leaning back in the chair—all arms and legs, just sitting there with an overwhelming presence. As he spoke, Fu Haoyao didn't look at her, like he was just casually greeting an acquaintance.

Not really, Fu Liangxia thought. It was just the plot doing its thing. A scene like this was bound to be a highlight; the author would naturally arrange for a few male leads to appear. She just wondered why the author had written her, a background extra, into it. Maybe because her Affinity Points were rising? She guessed. But of course, she couldn't say that out loud. She smirked. "Yeah, quite a coincidence."

A moment of silence. Fu Haoyao stared ahead, seemingly lost in thought, then suddenly said, "How about we add a couple more tutoring sessions on weekends? I feel like there's still a lot of math I need to catch up on." It sounded like something a dedicated student would say, not at all like Fu Haoyao. Bai Xin turned to look. Even Bai Kewei beside her straightened up unconsciously, as if waiting for her answer.

"So suddenly motivated?" Fu Liangxia sized him up. "I..." Just as she was about to refuse, saying she needed time to study, she heard Bai Xin, one seat away, interject, "No."