Abandoned?

Su Xingshu was quick on the uptake. Hearing her words, he sent a voice message laced with laughter: "You can listen anytime if you want."

That was his way of agreeing. Then he added, "Too bad we can't be in the same group."

Fu Liangxia understood the subtext. She replied slowly, "We chose the seaside."

Her voice wasn't sweet; it was as cool and aloof as she was, but it was oddly enticing. Su Xingshu tapped to play it again before replying, "Alright, I'll prepare."

Not "Okay" or "I'll sign up for that too," but "I'll prepare." An ordinary person would have asked what he was preparing, but Fu Liangxia didn't. She just glanced at the message, set her phone aside, and went back to practicing problems.

When a guy said he'd prepare, it meant some kind of surprise. Wasting energy guessing or asking now would only tire her out; better to relax and enjoy it. If he did well, she could reward him later.

Always face everything with the mindset of a protagonist—that was Fu Liangxia's life motto.

...

The next day, the school was thick with the tension of the competition. As usual, Fu Liangxia parted ways with Fu Liedong at the school gate. As she passed the greenhouse near the main teaching building, she unexpectedly caught sight of Bai Xin inside, watering the flowers.

He had rolled up the sleeves of his school uniform shirt and was bending over to examine a rose family plant, scrutinizing one of its leaves closely. Sunlight filtered through his hair, casting a glow on his profile and making his features even more handsome. Bai Xin watered the plants with meticulous care, as if something were wrong with the plant before him and he was studying the leaf for answers.

While he stood in the garden like a landscape in himself, a few girls a few meters away were secretly watching him. Seeing this, Fu Liangxia couldn't help but refresh her impression of the F4's popularity at this school. Even the aloof Bai Xin had devoted fans secretly watching him from behind. Really, now...

"What are you looking at?"

It seemed her intense focus had caught the attention of the person behind the glass. Bai Xin looked up, his eyes—which seemed to regard everything in the world as more or less the same—calmly fixed on her.

Fu Liangxia was lost in thought, completely unaware that she herself was part of the scenery at that moment. She stood there, the tailored school uniform cinching her waist to an impossibly slim line, the breeze lifting her skirt to reveal a length of pale, porcelain-white leg. Bai Xin's gaze lingered there for a restrained moment.

He loved beautiful things, but he could distinguish between appreciation and offense. His look was utterly devoid of any impropriety—clean, no different from admiring a pretty little flower on the roadside.

Fu Liangxia's voice was as light as autumn wind. She said, "I'm looking at you." Then she asked curiously, "Do you take care of the flowers here?"

Given Bai Xin's status, there was no reason for him to do a gardener's work—it wasn't like he couldn't afford to hire someone.

Bai Xin gave a faint nod, then a shake of his head, and casually dropped a bombshell: "This garden was built by my fiancée's father. While she's abroad, I take care of it for her."

Fu Liangxia's expression remained steady, but inside, a storm was raging.

Bai Xin actually had a fiancée—how could she have forgotten that? His fiancée was a year ahead of them, and their marriage was a family arrangement, a perfect match in status.

According to the original book, Bai Xin's feelings for his fiancée weren't romantic—more like the bond of having grown up together—but because Bai Yan was even more reluctant to marry, Bai Xin ultimately took on the responsibility. It was also for this reason that outsiders often mistakenly believed Bai Xin was very fond of his fiancée, and she believed it too.

She was a world-famous supermodel and should have been Bai Xin's model, but for some reason they had a huge fight, she went to Country A, and Bai Xin later went to Europe for inspiration.

Fu Liangxia suddenly realized she had forgotten this, though she couldn't entirely blame herself. Her life had been so packed lately that the only thing she knew about Bai Xin was that he had an alternate personality. And if it came down to it, she was far more familiar with the alternate personality than the main one.

But a fiancée...

She suddenly recalled an event from the latter half of the original book. Bai Kewei had been the models for the Bai twins for a while, and rumors had spread around school, eventually reaching the ears of Bai Xin's fiancée in Country A. She suddenly returned home in grand style, directly confronting Bai Kewei, offering to be Bai Xin's model and reconcile with him.

In terms of family background, fame, beauty, and her long-standing bond with Bai Xin, she was a complete, devastating advantage in everyone's eyes. Unfortunately, Fu Liangxia couldn't remember at all how Bai Xin had chosen in the end.

She didn't know what choice Bai Xin made in the original book, but she did know that with his current Affinity Points toward her, if that fiancée really came back, she would be out of a job. And once she lost that part-time job, she'd be no different from any other ordinary person to Bai Xin, making it hard to raise his Affinity Points.

With that thought, Fu Liangxia gradually turned serious. She quickly said her goodbyes and headed toward the teaching building. She needed to check the forum for any news, or whether there was any information about when the fiancée would be returning.

While Fu Liangxia rushed off, Bai Xin slowly withdrew his gaze from the girl's stern, retreating back, a hint of confusion surfacing in his heart. What's wrong with her? Why did she suddenly seem unhappy?

Bai Xin silently noted the question in his phone's memo, leaving it for his alter ego, Little A, to see. As he typed, his mind flashed to Fu Liangxia's startled expression just now, and the words Little A had left behind: "She's quite interesting; you'd probably like her."

In a sudden flash of insight, Bai Xin wondered—was it because he mentioned his fiancée? But having a fiancée wasn't exactly a tightly guarded secret; in fact, most people knew. So why would Fu Liangxia be startled? After a moment's thought, Bai Xin came to a conclusion: maybe she liked him a little. Or maybe she liked someone else inside him—Little A. Why else would she have made that expression?

Once he realized this, a strange feeling surfaced in Bai Xin's heart—so she really did have feelings for him? He stood there for a long while, unmoving, as if contemplating something.

...

Fu Liangxia walked briskly toward the classroom. Just as she was about to step inside, someone gently tugged at her arm. She turned and found that the person was Bai Kewei.

Bai Kewei looked serious. Glancing at the passing students in the hallway, she apparently decided it wasn't a good place to talk, so she pulled Fu Liangxia aside. "Are you okay?"

Fu Liangxia was confused by the out-of-the-blue question. "What?" she said.

Seeing her bewildered look, Bai Kewei was about to explain when she caught sight of someone approaching from behind and stopping beside them.

"Don't take it too hard." Xu Qiuying wore a fake smile, her tone feigning sympathy.

"Why would I be upset?" Fu Liangxia frowned. She was already fair-skinned from chronic illness, and the slight frown only made her more beautiful, the hint of fragility making her look like a stubborn lily.

Xu Qiuying glanced at her, a flicker of envy in her eyes. Both of them went for the innocent pure-girl look, but next to Fu Liangxia, Xu Qiuying felt cheap in comparison, like a cheap imitation. At that thought, Xu Qiuying lost the will to pretend. Her face fell, and she snorted. "Fine, no one's around. Why the act? I heard yesterday my cousin, Young Master Su, and that pretty boy from your class almost came to blows over you. You must be pretty pleased with yourself."

"Too bad you can't have it all. You picked my cousin, and right after, his fiancée is coming back." Xu Qiuying crossed her arms, looking thoroughly entertained. "This camping trip is a school-wide event. If Sister Xixi has a word with her dad, there's no reason she couldn't team up across grades."

Bai Kewei's face turned cold. "Xu Qiuying, what are you trying to say?"

Fu Liangxia remained silent, but she had a sinking feeling she knew where this was going. Sure enough, Xu Qiuying's lips curled into a mocking smile, and she said matter-of-factly, "When Sister Xixi asks my cousin to be her partner, who do you think he'll choose?" It was phrased as a question, but her expression practically screamed, "You'll be the abandoned one, obviously." "Think about how awkward that'll be—yesterday you were fought over, today you're getting kicked out of the group..." Xu Qiuying gave her a once-over, clicking her tongue.

Bai Kewei frowned deeply at that, stepping forward. Half a head taller than Xu Qiuying, she cast a shadow over her. "You're so boring. Xia isn't like you—she doesn't have her eyes glued to men. Whether she's fought over or kicked out, who cares? Only you care about that."

Fu Liangxia's expression flickered slightly, her pupils trembling softly. She hadn't expected Bai Kewei to think so highly of her, nor that she'd understand her so well. Bai Kewei was right—Fu Liangxia really didn't care about such things. So-called fighting over and abandonment were things others gave or took at will. If she let those distract her, she'd be a fool. What could shake Fu Liangxia was only herself. The only one Fu Liangxia had ever believed in was herself.

But not caring didn't mean she'd let someone trample on her face. Fu Liangxia's gaze flicked to a figure in the distance. Her originally cold expression faded, and as she slowly raised her eyes, the vulnerability in them nearly crystallized into tears. Her face pale, on the verge of tears, she said, "Forget it, Kewei. Maybe I really am just pitiful." With that, she lightly brushed her sleeve over the corner of her eye—no tears were there—but she managed to rub her eye red. Then she turned and walked away swiftly.

If they cared so much about being abandoned, let them taste it themselves. In a place no one could see, the corner of Fu Liangxia's mouth lifted slightly. But her hurried retreat looked lonely and forlorn, her unsteady steps making Bai Kewei's chest ache. She shot Xu Qiuying a glare, then chased after her.

However, she hadn't gone a few steps before someone grabbed her wrist.

"Why are you crying?" A pleasant male voice came from above, low and husky with restraint.