Tears

In her memory, Cheng Xingzhou had always been popular with girls. Even back in the Lower City, all the girls his age secretly had a crush on him. But things were different once he came to Saintland. Here, people clearly knew better what his name meant, so he had become not only more popular but also even more unattainable.

Fu Liangxia remembered that in the original book, he was only ever different with the female lead.

Always restrained and courteous, someone who acted strictly within the rules, he would fall into a rare silence only when asked about his relationship with Bai Kewei.

He rarely refuted the term "boyfriend and girlfriend."

In the original book, even the original owner, who had shared unforgettable memories with him, never enjoyed such treatment.

Yet he could have saved her with a single word when she was already teetering on the edge of a cliff.

But he didn't. Instead, he pushed her even closer to danger.

At the thought, Fu Liangxia's gaze turned complicated, and her pace of eating slowed.

Fortunately, Fu Liedong kept chatting with Su Xingshu, seemingly about his band. Su Xingshu looked serious when talking about music, and for once, a hint of liveliness appeared on him.

The three of them kept talking, and no one noticed her unusual behavior.

In the end, it was Su Xingshu who noticed she had stopped. He turned to her and asked, "Done eating?"

"Mm, I want to find a place to change clothes," Fu Liangxia nodded.

Walking around in dirty clothes wasn't comfortable, and she began to think about where to borrow a clean set.

Hearing this, Su Xingshu looked down at his wristwatch, then mused, "My personal restroom isn't far from our classroom's study room. There are clean casual clothes inside. If you don't mind, you can borrow them."

Fu Liangxia raised an eyebrow in surprise, thinking, Since when is Su Xingshu this kind?

Then she heard him add slowly, "After all, it's because of me that you're in this mess. But I have something to do later, so I might not be able to walk you there. Are you okay on your own?"

If it was already strange that Su Xingshu was willing to lend her his restroom and clothes, this sentence completely overturned her understanding of him.

He was still wearing his dirty clothes. Even if he were in a hurry, he should have had time to change. Besides, the restroom he mentioned was only a three-minute walk from the cafeteria.

More likely, he was being considerate of her feelings.

Because two people of the opposite sex changing in the same restroom, even with the door closed, might feel awkward.

Unexpectedly gentlemanly.

She stared at him thoughtfully for a few seconds before hearing him say, "Already charmed by just a piece of clothing?"

"Dream on." Fu Liangxia shot him a glare, tucked away all her probing thoughts, and left with the key he had given her.

Little did she know, this scene fell into the eyes of people in different directions who happened to be watching them.

"Hey, Brother Fu, look." Behind the glass railing on the second floor of the cafeteria, Xu Ke suddenly nudged the person beside him, looking astonished. "Isn't that the girl who meddled this morning? She's actually with Su Shao... So that's it. Is she Su Shao's new girlfriend? No wonder she dared to ignore you like that!"

This morning? Meddling?

A pair of stubborn, unyielding eyes first appeared in his mind, along with the angry accusations of their owner.

He should be angry, a voice in Fu Haoyao's heart seemed to hint repeatedly, but he couldn't help paying more attention to another pair of eyes.

Beneath the timid and ingratiating surface lay cold assessment and utter indifference toward him.

Saying one thing and meaning another. A good actress.

Fu Haoyao found it hard to explain why he, who should have been furious, had let it slide so easily. It couldn't be that he was attracted by a single glance, could it?

He wasn't that stupid.

"Eat your food." He shot a cold glance, as if utterly uninterested in the person she mentioned.

But as he looked away, his peripheral vision inadvertently swept over the girl below, wrapped in a clearly oversized jacket, and Su Er opposite her, grinning like a peacock. He sneered. "Nothing special."

Just as boring as the rest of them.

On the other side, Cheng Xingzhou, who had watched Fu Liangxia get up and leave, stared at the key in her hand, frowned in thought for a moment, then also stood up and walked toward the door.

...

Fu Liangxia was stopped at the door of the restroom.

Cheng Xingzhou was still in the same state as this morning: his dark brown hair neatly combed, his deep eyes like a ruler, seemingly able to kill with a single glance anyone who broke the rules.

At that moment, he stood in front of the door, his brows deeply furrowed, his gaze at Fu Liangxia full of disapproval.

After settling things with him this morning—or rather, after their falling out—Fu Liangxia had prepared herself for not seeing him for a while. They weren't in the same class, and as the student council president, he was busy with a thousand affairs. It was unlikely he'd have time to wander around school, so the chances of running into him were slim.

But she hadn't expected him to be this free.

She looked up at the sign on the door again to confirm it was Su Xingshu's restroom, then stepped aside, pretending the person next to her didn't exist.

"Click." The key turned, and the door opened.

Just as Fu Liangxia lifted her foot to step inside, a sudden force pressed down on her shoulder. A faint fragrance wafted, and she was forced to turn around, pinned against the door before she knew it.

Cheng Xingzhou bent down, his gaze level with hers. "I underestimated you. Provoking Fu Haoyao this morning, and now cozying up with Su Xingshu at noon. You certainly know how to pick them. No wonder you're not afraid of offending the Fu family—you'd probably love to join them directly, wouldn't you?"

"But unfortunately, your tricks don't work on Fu Haoyao, so you switched to the Su family instead." He stared at her, his eyes deep in a way she couldn't fathom. "Oh, I almost forgot, there's one more—a few years ago, you chased after me every day, saying you liked me, which was laughable. Don't tell me you had your eyes on the Cheng..."

"Slap!" A crisp sound rang out.

But even the slap she delivered with all her strength left no trace on his face.

Still too weak, she thought, looking at her palm, which had instantly turned red, her eyes dazed.

"Get out." She said calmly.

Cheng Xingzhou looked into her eyes, slowly released his grip, opened his mouth as if to speak, but in the end, only said, "Don't let me catch you doing anything you shouldn't."

With that, he reached out, turned the doorknob, and left directly.

The moment the door closed, the tears she had been holding back finally fell.

Fu Liangxia raised her fingertip, wiped the corner of her eye, and clicked her tongue. "What the hell, is this worth crying over? Ungrateful."

The emotions of the original owner came too quickly, briefly taking control of her body. Only after this tear fell did she revert to the Fu Liangxia who would never cry over harsh words.

Crying couldn't solve anything. She wasn't a child who got candy just by pouting.

She composed her expression and found a shirt to put on from the wardrobe.

Su Xingshu's size was still too big for her, and with the original owner's poor health, combined with the debuff of being rejected by the world's will, she looked even thinner in the shirt.

She really needed to get the fitness plan on track.

Feeling her thin wrist and remembering how the slap had hurt her own hand instead of affecting him, Fu Liangxia frowned in dissatisfaction and began to miss the strong, defined muscles she had in her previous life.

Just then, the System's voice suddenly rang in her mind.

[Warning: Due to excessive stamina consumption, a random illness will be triggered soon!]

Fu Liangxia: "..."

Fu Liangxia: "???"

Wait, you're calling a slap "excessive stamina consumption"??