A Quiet Homecoming

Fu Liangxia merely curled the corner of her mouth. "Does it matter to the student council president?"

Cheng Xingzhou's face drastically changed at her words. The book in his hand creaked under the strain of his grip. He stared at her without blinking, as if enraged beyond reason, and let out a cold laugh. "Fine, it's none of my business. I was just a dog trying to catch mice—meddling in things that don't concern me."

He sounded genuinely hurt.

Fu Liangxia remained unmoved, silently watching him as if asking with her expression what fit he was throwing now.

Cheng Xingzhou held her gaze, emotions churning in his eyes that she couldn't decipher. Finally, as if barely suppressed rage had exploded, a storm surged within his pupils.

"Yes, I was meddling. I had nothing better to do, so I saw the rumors on the forum and had them all deleted, afraid you might overthink, so I came to check if you were affected," he said coldly. "I overthought it."

"You're so capable, Fu Liangxia. There are plenty of people willing to run around for you—no need for me to worry unnecessarily."

As he spoke, Cheng Xingzhou's expression returned to calm. "Even if Bai Xin doesn't pick you, it's fine. There's still Bai Yan. And if worst comes to worst, there are those two idiots Su Xingshu and Fu Haoyao."

Fu Liangxia couldn't fathom what act he was putting on. Had he waited here deliberately just to perform an emotional outburst in front of her?

What had set him off this time?

She didn't want to know, nor did she care to find out. Looking at him calmly, she said, "If you've only come to spout this nonsense at me, then I'll take my leave first."

She still wanted to grab lunch at the cafeteria. Food was the priority—everything else could wait.

With that, ignoring his reaction, Fu Liangxia walked straight past him.

But Cheng Xingzhou suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"Let go," she said.

No response came from behind.

Fu Liangxia waited a few seconds, and just as her patience was about to run out, a hoarse voice sounded from behind her head. "...Why is it only I'm not allowed?"

His voice sounded strange, as if he was barely restraining something.

Out of curiosity, Fu Liangxia turned her head back.

She saw Cheng Xingzhou staring at her with red-rimmed eyes, a glint of moisture passing through them.

Perhaps not expecting her to turn suddenly, Cheng Xingzhou was caught off guard by her gaze. He froze for a moment, then awkwardly and quickly turned his face away, as if trying to conceal his expression.

Fu Liangxia looked at him, slowly furrowing her brows, and said with a half-smile, "What does the president mean by that?"

...

Just a few minutes before Fu Liangxia's tussle with Cheng Xingzhou, she had received an invitation from Fu Haoyao to have lunch together. He'd even mentioned bringing in a chef from Australia to give her a treat.

She had been walking along the road then, about to agree, when she spotted Cheng Xingzhou sitting by the roadside.

After a moment's thought, she replied with uncertainty.

Fu Haoyao was directing his private kitchen staff when he saw his invitation answered with "not sure." He paused, then asked, [Is something wrong?]

Fu Liangxia: [I ran into an acquaintance who seems to have something to tell me.]

Fu Haoyao was stunned upon seeing her reply. An acquaintance? Male or female? What do they need to tell her? So solemn—could it be a confession?

In an instant, a flurry of thoughts raced through his mind, each worse than the last. Finally, he sent, [Is it something important?]

Important enough to make her miss a meal?

Fu Liangxia: [Perhaps.]

The little flowers of expectation around Fu Haoyao instantly wilted.

Worry, fear, anxiety, irritation... all kinds of emotions surged up. Fu Haoyao recalled what Xu Ke had mentioned about the morning's events, and his thoughts spiraled out of control.

What could be so urgent that it couldn't wait until after the meal? Could it really be a confession?

Damn it!

No way!

Fu Haoyao clutched his phone tightly, making a split-second decision. He gestured to the chef to continue, then strode out. [Alright, I understand. You just came out of the teaching building, right?]

Fu Liangxia: [Mm.]

Fu Haoyao quickly mapped out a simple route in his head. There were several paths from the main teaching building to the cafeteria, but the shortest was that one. At a girl's pace, she should be about...

He moved like the wind, mentally cursing out all his good brothers. God, how annoying! One by one, they were all up to something, stirring up trouble across the school!

And that thing Su Xingshu said in public this morning—what was that if not a confession!

It might have provoked some admirer of Fu Liangxia.

After all, she was pretty and cool—who the hell wouldn't like her! So annoying!

What if she softened for a moment... Fu Haoyao's thoughts spiraled, his strides growing longer. Even if he was overthinking it, no matter—if it turned out to be a girl, he'd turn around and leave immediately without overhearing anything.

Then, when he arrived a few minutes later, what did he see? His good brother, the usually aloof and unapproachable Cheng Xingzhou, red-eyed, holding onto Fu Liangxia and refusing to let go.

Cheng Xingzhou was a man of restraint and propriety, yet here he was, emotionally out of control, gripping the girl's wrist as if he wanted to devour her. Even when she said "let go," he still didn't release her.

Fu Haoyao was briefly startled, then his face darkened. He knew it! He knew his good brothers weren't worth a damn!

He strode over, forcefully pried Cheng Xingzhou's hand off her, and looked at him. "She said to let go."

Before Fu Liangxia could react to Fu Haoyao's sudden appearance, he pulled her out of Cheng Xingzhou's grip.

But the next second, as he was brushed aside, Cheng Xingzhou reached out with his other hand and clamped onto her wrist, staring at her intensely, stubbornly seeking an answer. "Why?"

Fu Haoyao's face darkened further as he watched Cheng Xingzhou's hand on Fu Liangxia's wrist.

He grabbed it. "Let go."

Cheng Xingzhou glanced at him coldly. "None of your business."

This was between him and Fu Liangxia. What was he butting in for? Did he really think Cheng Xingzhou didn't know his little intentions?

Fu Liangxia suddenly spoke, addressing Cheng Xingzhou. "You already rejected me, didn't you?"

There was no accusation in her gaze, no resentment—just a statement of fact.

But that very fact left Cheng Xingzhou frozen in place.

He had thought long and hard about why she could smile at everyone else but treat him with such coldness—what had he done wrong. Until just now, when the girl calmly pointed out that he had pushed her away with his own hands.

Cheng Xingzhou slowly released his grip on her wrist.

He had brought this upon himself.

Fu Liangxia glanced at the boy's handsome face, which had instantly dimmed, and chuckled inwardly. She turned to Fu Haoyao. "What are you doing here?"

Fu Haoyao puffed his cheeks. "I was worried you might run into trouble."

Seemed like coming was the right call.

Indeed, one can guard against everything except one's own brothers.

The two walked off, leaving Cheng Xingzhou behind. Fu Liangxia glanced at him. "What trouble could I possibly get into?"

Fu Haoyao thought to himself, as if you don't cause enough trouble already.

But then again, considering that Fu Liangxia treated Cheng Xingzhou even worse than him, he felt a sense of balance.

"What did you mean by 'rejected' just now?" he asked curiously.

Fu Liangxia found his sparkling puppy-dog eyes hard to resist, so she brushed it off. "I'd asked him to do something for me earlier, and he declined."

"Hmph, you sure know how to pick 'em. Cheng Xingzhou's the most rigid type—he wouldn't bother with other people's business," Fu Haoyao said, subtly sowing discord.

Fu Liangxia found it amusing. "Then who do you think I should pick?"

Fu Haoyao blushed under her gaze, turning his face away, his Adam's apple bobbing. "...If you ever have a problem you can't solve, I suppose I could reluctantly help you out."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said.

Having received an affirmative answer, Fu Haoyao's face split into a wide grin. He asked, "I heard about the camping group assignments. Don't you want to switch teams?"

Fu Liangxia: "Why would I?"

"You don't know Wang Xixi—Bai Xin's fiancée. She's crazy." Fu Haoyao heard her instinctive question was for the reason, and she sounded quite content to be with Bai Xin and Bai Yan, his heart sinking into icy water. He grumbled, "If she finds out you're with Bai Xin's group, even if she can't kick you out, she'll join. Being targeted by someone like her—it's terrifying."

After speaking, he watched her profile nervously, as if hoping she'd say she'd switch groups.

But Fu Liangxia thought it over and figured this might be a chance to earn some Affinity Points. She said nonchalantly, "Let her join if she wants. It's not like there's anything between Bai Xin and me. Why should I be afraid?"

When Fu Haoyao heard her say there was nothing between her and Bai Xin, his heart, which had been submerged in icy water, executed a carp flip and resurfaced.

He thought, if she's going to join, then fine—he'd just pick the same activities as their group, keep a close eye on Fu Liangxia, and make sure Wang Xixi never gets near her.

As Fu Haoyao was thinking this, he suddenly heard her lazily finish the rest of her sentence. "Besides, aren't you on my side?"

"Boom—!"

Fu Haoyao felt as if he'd been hauled out of freezing water and hurled into boiling magma. His heart pounded wildly, and he felt light-headed.

"Wh-what about me?" He even stuttered, which was rare for him.

Fu Liangxia looked up at him, puzzled. "Didn't you just say I could come to you if I needed help?"

The magma cooled instantly.

Not getting the answer he'd hoped for, Fu Haoyao's eyes drooped, even his hair seeming to lose its luster. "Right," he said listlessly.

"Well, this is my stop. I'm off to the library," Fu Liangxia said, stopping with a gentle smile.

Fu Haoyao: "You're not having lunch with me?"

Fu Liangxia nodded. "Bai Kewei said she'd bring me food. I have a competition prep session soon, and there's no time to go to the cafeteria."

With that, she waved and left.

Fu Haoyao watched her figure disappear into the distance before it hit him that he could have just offered to pack up some food and send it over.

But he'd forgotten.

Damn it!

Fu Haoyao punched himself, angry at his useless brain.

Then he suddenly recalled the girl she mentioned, Bai Kewei—some scholarship student in their class. Could the food she brought possibly beat what his private chef could cook? Or was someone else's food somehow more appealing than his?

Fu Haoyao felt wronged. Fu Haoyao was sad. Fu Haoyao expressed his fury in silence.

Xu Ke was salivating at the dishes set before him when he saw Fu Haoyao return with a scowl. "Bro Fu, what's wrong?" Then he glanced behind him, saw no expected figure, and whispered, "Didn't get her to come?"

Then he saw Fu Haoyao lift his eyelids, a murderous glint in his pretty eyes. "I'm about to kill all those surnamed Bai."