Why the Tears?

It was Su Xingshu and Bai Yan who approached. They were discussing the weekend's awards ceremony and what Su Xingshu would wear, since his new single releasing in April had been nominated for Best Golden Song.

Both were tall and long-legged; one carried himself with elegance, the other with a relaxed air. Walking together, they made quite a sight.

A feast for the eyes.

Su Xingshu had long grown used to the looks cast their way.

A smile lingered at the corner of his mouth, but his mind was on last night's conversation with Fu Liangxia—if he performed well at the camping trip, maybe he could invite her to the banquet after the awards. Those banquets were usually reserved for winning artists, industry bigwigs, and high-level executives. Maybe Fu Liangxia had a favorite celebrity, or perhaps she had some interest in the industry.

With that thought, a glimmer of eager anticipation flickered in his eyes.

But the next second, his gaze swept past the greenery-blocked terrace and caught a familiar figure. The smile on Su Xingshu's lips deepened. He was about to raise his hand in greeting when Xu Qiuying's unceremonious words drifted over.

He couldn't make out everything, but a musician's ears were sharp enough to catch key phrases. His smile fell, and his face turned cold.

Without realizing it, Su Xingshu had stopped walking, his attention fixed on the scene.

Hearing that, would she be upset?

A wave of irritation rose in Su Xingshu. He glanced at the oblivious Bai Yan beside him, his brow furrowing. "What did you arrange?"

Bai Yan blinked, stopping and looking at him in confusion. "What?"

Su Xingshu's expression darkened. "Since you're partnered with her, consider the rumors floating around."

Bai Yan finally caught on and smiled. "Don't worry. I've got people in my department watching the forums. Any hint of trouble gets nipped in the bud."

But Su Xingshu didn't relax. "You sure?"

"Of course." Bai Yan casually pulled out his phone. "If you're not convinced, I can—"

Before he could finish, even Bai Yan heard the argument erupting from the corner.

"...Maybe I really am just pitiful." A fragmented female voice drifted over, tugging at the heartstrings.

The two turned toward the sound simultaneously, drawing the attention of the men and women who had been sneaking glances at them.

And then they saw it—a girl with red-rimmed eyes came rushing out from behind the greenery.

In that fleeting glimpse, all anyone could see was her delicate white face amid swaying strands of hair, a sight to move anyone's heart.

Then her wrist was caught by a large, well-defined hand.

Su Xingshu's handsome face radiated coldness. His lips pressed thin, his brow deeply furrowed as he looked down at her. "Why the tears?"

One bystander who didn't know what was happening asked a nearby classmate, "Who's that? Su Shao's new girlfriend? Pretty cute, but feels different from the ones before."

The classmate shot him a look of mild disdain, as if finding him behind the times, and said, "No. Of course she's different—this one he hasn't gotten yet."

"Huh? He hasn't?"

"Mm. Yesterday he was squabbling with the Bai brothers over her. Who knows who made her cry today." The classmate shook his head with a sigh. "Tsk, tsk. Talk about not having eyes."

There was a reason Su Xingshu had a massive fanbase. He was always gentle and patient with women, and during relationships, he came across as the perfect boyfriend. The only drawback people complained about was how fast he switched girlfriends, breaking quite a few hearts.

But ask those who'd been dumped if they regretted it, and the answer was unanimously no.

After all, dating a charming, wealthy, respectful hunk was far better than some stingy, broke loser who'd quibble over a thirteen-yuan drink.

And yet here was someone Su Xingshu hadn't managed to win over...

It really made one curious.

Everyone strained to get a better look at the drama, but with Su Xingshu and Bai Yan standing there, they blocked nearly all prying gazes.

Su Xingshu was staring intently at Fu Liangxia's expression, waiting for her answer, a thin layer of stormy anger on his face.

"What did you hear?" Bai Yan asked, arms crossed.

Fu Liangxia frowned. She shot him a quick glance, then lowered her head again, the only visible trace a hint of red at the corner of her eye. "Nothing."

Then she said softly to Su Xingshu, "Let me go."

She didn't raise her head again the entire time.

From Su Xingshu and Bai Yan's height, all they could see was the fine, soft strands of her hair and her trembling lashes, as if she didn't want anyone to see her embarrassment.

But her fractured voice betrayed her.

At that, Su Xingshu's heart tightened further. He'd always been helpless against women's tears, but this was the first time he'd ever seen Fu Liangxia cry.

A girl who never seemed to care about anything suddenly showing red-rimmed eyes, like a tough little beast baring a fragile side to him—the impact was multiplied.

Su Xingshu was almost instantly defenseless.

He loosened his grip slightly, but his gaze on her deepened. "I won't."

How could Su Xingshu ever let her walk away alone in a state like this?

What he didn't know was that Fu Liangxia couldn't squeeze out a single tear if she tried. She was only using this act to cover the fact that she wasn't actually hurt or shaken.

When Bai Kewei caught up, this was the scene she saw. Her gaze swept over their overlapping hands, and her brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

When she noticed Su Xingshu's slightly different appearance, Bai Kewei's eyes lingered for a moment.

Was it her imagination? His hair today looked styled somehow, practically shining.

He always paid attention to his looks, being a celebrity and all, but something about today felt different.

Rather than maintaining an image, he looked more like a preening peacock desperate to show off...

And that preening peacock was currently at a loss over Fu Liangxia.

The crowd around them craned their necks to watch the excitement.

Fu Liangxia gave a slight shake of her head, staring at her toes. "I've never thought I belonged in the same world as you all, and I've never felt smug over your so-called vying."

Her voice trembled at the edges, and her tone gave Su Xingshu an uneasy premonition.

His body stiffened slightly, a vague sense of what was coming next settling in. He wanted to hold her back, yet didn't dare use force, afraid of hurting her.

He wanted to say he didn't think that way—that everyone was born equal, that there was no such thing as different worlds.

But Su Xingshu himself knew how absurd those words would sound.

People born with diamond spoons in their mouths had enjoyed every privilege, yet still spouted such hollow sentiments—that would just be shameless.

So he stayed silent.

His lack of denial only made Fu Liangxia struggle harder. She said, "Anyway, I've never been the one who gets to decide anything. To you all, I'm just a toy you can amuse yourselves with when you're happy and toss aside when you're bored..."

Su Xingshu's eyes stung. Hearing her say that, an unfamiliar ache twisted in his chest.

Instinctively, he straightened his brows. "Who said that? Don't overthink it. You're not some toy or..."

Su Xingshu stopped mid-sentence.

Because he suddenly felt a cool drop land on the back of his hand.

Fu Liangxia lifted her head. A crystalline tear slipped over her full cheek and dripped down slowly, yet her expression was calm. "Su Shao, don't kid yourself."

Su Xingshu noticed it—when Fu Liangxia was in a good mood, she called him by his full name. When she was upset or being sarcastic, she called him Su Shao.

Like all those people who circled around him, trying to curry favor.

It carried an indescribable distance.

A faint panic crept over Su Xingshu. He was terrified this was Fu Liangxia's signal to pull away.

And just the night before, she'd praised his singing and said she wanted to hear it during the camping trip... Right, the camping trip.

A flash of inspiration struck, and Su Xingshu suddenly remembered the culprit behind all this—

Xu Qiuying had been savoring her victory at landing a blow on Fu Liangxia, making the always composed girl's face change. She rounded the corner and immediately spotted Su Xingshu standing not far away.

He was staring at her with no expression.

That look—it made the smile instantly vanish from Xu Qiuying's face, unease creeping into her heart.

Su Xingshu gave her a long, cold look, then said in an icy tone, "Did you feed her your nonsense?"

His gaze made her face turn pale. Remembering what happened to those who angered the F4, she instinctively shook her head in a panic. "I didn't say anything."

"Is that so?" Bai Yan, who had been watching the show from the side, suddenly spoke up, a smile at his lips but frost gathering in his eyes. "Xiao Ying, didn't you say we'd abandon her and kick her out of the group?"

Bai Yan's gaze was terrifying.

Xu Qiuying trembled all over the moment she met his eyes. She knew perfectly well that he wasn't angry because she'd badmouthed Fu Liangxia, but because of that engagement.

As a distant relative of the Bai family, knowing exactly how that engagement had come about, she shouldn't have treated it the way the clueless masses did.

Xu Qiuying had always known, but she never expected that a moment of gloating would be overheard by Bai Yan.

She quickly explained, "That was just a joke. Sister Xixi would never actually force her way into teaming with you, cousin, like I said—"

"I don't care what your so-called Sister Xixi does, or how Bai Xin chooses," Su Xingshu cut in. "But even if your assumption were true, and Fu Liangxia got kicked out of the group, I'd welcome it."

His voice wasn't loud, but his highly recognizable tone rang out clearly. "Our group's door will always be open to her."

"She's no pitiful abandoned thing either."

Xu Qiuying's heart sank bit by bit under Su Xingshu's ice-cold gaze. She knew that any path she had toward currying favor with the Su family had just been severed for good.

"Even if someone doesn't appreciate her, plenty others would gladly take their place." Su Xingshu looked down at Fu Liangxia, his tone light. "At least I would."

He pulled a pack of tissues from his pocket and handed them to her. "So, stop crying."