Are You Jealous?

By the time everyone finished paragliding, dusk had already fallen. Yet most of the students showed no sign of fatigue—if anything, they seemed even more energized.

After all, it was paragliding, and doing it with a close friend or someone you had your eye on was bound to become an unforgettable memory of their youth.

That evening was the bonfire party.

Fu Haoyao, who had failed to find a chance to shine all day, suddenly lit up. He felt this was his moment—his chance to show a different side of himself.

Fu Haoyao was rubbing his hands in anticipation over there, but when he arrived at the bonfire party location that night, he discovered he wasn't the only one who'd brought a grill.

Take that pale-faced guy from Fu Liangxia's class who stayed in the same building as them—the one named Ju or something—he'd brought a full barbecue setup too.

Still, Fu Haoyao secretly compared the two and found that his own was more expensive and higher-end. He nodded in satisfaction. As expected of him.

He'd already called Cheng Xingzhou over early to help him set up the grill. The two of them were pretty handy, and with Xue Changgui lending a hand, they quickly got it looking decent.

Fu Liangxia had wanted to help, but Fu Haoyao shooed her away, telling her to come back later.

She couldn't argue with him, so she did as he said and walked off, promising to come help later—but judging by Fu Haoyao's expression, he hadn't taken her words to heart at all.

Fu Liangxia thought for a moment. She really couldn't just freeload. It happened to be hot out, and she remembered the hotel had chilled watermelon. She could cut some up and blend a few glasses of watermelon juice—it would pair perfectly with the barbecue.

But on her way back, she happened to see Xu Cai sitting on a chair chatting with Ju Jinghuan. The two were down-to-earth, threading meat onto skewers as they talked, and the man and woman warming up nearby were people Fu Liangxia had seen before too.

They seemed to be talking about someone connected to Fu Haoyao or Cheng Xingzhou, because Fu Liangxia noticed them glancing in the direction she'd come from several times. Especially Xu Cai—her eyes were practically glued to Fu Haoyao.

She heard Ju Jinghuan ask Xu Cai, "Since you like him that much, why not just go over and strike up a conversation?"

Xu Cai's eyes went wide. "Am I crazy?"

The young man beside her seemed to nod in agreement, sneaking a glance at Ju Jinghuan with a shy look. "Young Master Fu is way too fierce. What if he rejects Cai'er? He's not like you, Jinghuan—gentle and kind..."

Honestly, he couldn't understand Xu Cai's taste at all.

Fu Haoyao was handsome, sure, but his bad temper was famous. Nobody had ever seen him be nice to any girl.

If you asked him, Xu Cai just liked being treated badly.

Xu Cai huffed at that. "What do you know? That's exactly what makes him more appealing. Think about it—someone who frowns at everyone else being specially nice to you alone. Isn't that enough to make your heart flutter?"

The young man said, "I don't dare think about it."

He wasn't a masochist.

Then he helped Xu Cai recall some things Fu Haoyao had done before. "Last year, a senior girl chased after Young Master Fu. She brought him a homemade lunch box every day and asked him to eat together. But he said he didn't like eating with other people."

Ju Jinghuan chuckled. "He's been like that since he was a kid. Aside from his brother and the children of family friends, he doesn't bother with anyone."

"Like a little wolfdog," the young man said.

Xu Cai let out a sigh. "Young Master Fu's actually pretty pitiful. His mom and dad had a business marriage. They only pretend to be lovey-dovey in public when required, and they rarely come home. So Fu Haoyao basically spent his childhood with Fu Langshu and the other three of the F4."

"His family situation is indeed complicated." Ju Jinghuan furrowed his brow slightly, as if remembering something, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.

But when he looked up and saw Fu Liangxia, a smile instantly spread across his face. "Heading back?"

"Not exactly. Just going back to grab something," Fu Liangxia said, shaking her head, then nodding.

"Is it heavy? Want me to go with you?" With that, Ju Jinghuan stood up from his seat.

Hearing that, Xu Cai and the others immediately let out a teasing whoop, drawing the attention of people nearby.

Ju Jinghuan shot them a dark look, signaling with his eyes for them to cut it out, then nervously studied Fu Liangxia, afraid she might show signs of annoyance.

But surprisingly, the girl showed no displeasure at all. She just smiled and asked them, "What were you guys chatting about earlier? Who's pitiful?"

"Nothing." Ju Jinghuan felt it wasn't great to gossip too much behind someone's back, and he certainly didn't want Fu Liangxia to think he was the type to badmouth others behind their backs, so he brushed it off.

Xu Cai, on the other hand, was enthusiastic. "We were talking about Young Master Fu—how he doesn't really like dealing with people. I remember you're pretty close with him, Xiaxia. What do you think?"

Fu Liangxia recalled the first time she'd seen him. It did seem that way—he came off as aloof.

She didn't answer the question directly but looked at Xu Cai, her eyes seeming to see straight through her thoughts, a smile tugging at her lips. "You want to go talk to him but you're afraid he'll reject you?"

Xu Cai's face flushed. "N-no, not at all."

Fu Liangxia, relying on her status as a transmigrator, actually had some understanding of these male leads.

Fu Haoyao could look pretty fierce sometimes—especially when he kept his mouth shut with a cold expression. He could really intimidate people.

But once you got to know him, you'd find he was actually pretty simple. His coldness toward others was just a lack of ability to express himself.

Clumsiness wasn't arrogance.

Fu Liangxia disliked seeing her friends misunderstood. At least, she considered Fu Haoyao a friend by now.

"Maybe Fu Haoyao isn't as hard to approach as he seems?" Fu Liangxia said. "You mentioned a senior girl asking him to eat and him saying he prefers eating alone. Maybe that's just his honest thought, not an excuse to reject her. I mean, look at him in the cafeteria—he only ever eats with that little sidekick of his. I've never seen him eat with anyone else."

Xu Cai wavered. "You mean, he didn't overthink it at all? He just said what he was thinking? Not that he looks down on others?"

Fu Liangxia nodded.

She didn't think Fu Haoyao was that kind of person.

Hearing this, Xu Cai fell into deliberation indeed, looking eager, as if she was ready to go talk to him.

The others around her also seemed lost in thought, as if gaining a new understanding of Fu Haoyao.

Seeing that she'd cleared Fu Haoyao's arrogant label, Fu Liangxia curved her eyebrows into a smile and turned to leave. "I'll get going then. I'll grab a watermelon on the way back. It shouldn't be too heavy—no need to help."

But Ju Jinghuan still followed. "Those two watermelons in the fridge must weigh over ten pounds at least. It'd be awkward carrying them by yourself. Let me help."

"It's fine. I saw a little cart in the courtyard. I can bring it over," Fu Liangxia said, not wanting to trouble him.

"I've got nothing better to do anyway. A bit of fresh air is nice." Ju Jinghuan smiled and turned to look at her. "Or is it that you just feel uncomfortable being alone with me?"

Hearing that, Fu Liangxia couldn't very well refuse anymore. She'd just thought carrying it herself would show more sincerity.

"Can I ask why you said what you did earlier?" On the way, Ju Jinghuan suddenly spoke up.

He was a bit bothered—why would Fu Liangxia defend Fu Haoyao? And Xu Cai had said the two of them were close. Was it...

"Huh?" Fu Liangxia was taken aback, then realized. "You mean about Fu Haoyao? I just thought nobody wants to be misunderstood."

It seemed like an unexpected answer. Ju Jinghuan's eyes trembled slightly. He gazed at the girl's earnest face, the casual way she stated such an obvious truth, and something in a corner of his heart suddenly twitched.

He smiled. "You're right. Nobody likes being misunderstood."

Meanwhile, the very subject of their earlier discussion was standing there holding his phone mid-action. He'd only stepped aside to take a call from his brother, never expecting to overhear a discussion about himself—especially not Fu Liangxia's defense of him afterward.

Fu Haoyao clutched his chest, feeling his heart suddenly racing. For the first time, he realized he was beyond saving—

How could he like her this much?

He wasn't the only one who'd heard those words.

They hadn't deliberately kept their voices down, which meant Bai Xin and Bai Yan, who'd come out carrying their sketchbooks, happened to catch Fu Liangxia's last few sentences, including her answer to Ju Jinghuan.

Bai Yan glanced at Bai Xin, who'd frozen mid-step, as if he could read his brother's mind. "Are you thinking, if only someone had stood up and spoken for us back then?"

His tone was casual, laced with a mocking, couldn't-care-less air, as if he were just talking about something ordinary.

But Bai Xin saw right through his feigned indifference. He scanned Bai Yan's trembling fingertips. "Aren't you thinking the same thing?"

The twins' mental connection was strong—especially for Bai Xin and Bai Yan, who were more in sync than most twins. With just a glance or a gesture, they could clearly sense what the other was thinking.

After a brief silence, Bai Yan suddenly smiled, a hint of self-mockery in it. "Sure, I think about it. But it's already in the past. What use is thinking?"

He seemed utterly unconcerned.

But Bai Xin quietly said from behind, "You're jealous."

Jealous of who? Fu Haoyao?

Bai Yan paused mid-step, then strode forward, saying calmly, "No, you're mistaken."

...

When Fu Liangxia opened the fridge door and saw the size of the watermelons, she was grateful Ju Jinghuan had come along. There was no way she could have hauled those to the cart by herself.

The watermelons' emerald-green shells gave off a cool, refreshing aura. Just looking at them drove away half the summer heat in her heart.

Fu Liangxia found the knife and was about to set it down when she suddenly received a WeChat message.

The sender surprised her—it was actually Fu Langshu.

【Do you have a moment now?】

What did he mean by asking that all of a sudden?

Fu Liangxia felt the tone seemed a bit serious, thinking it was about the patent, so she quickly replied: 【Yes.】

The instant her message went through, a voice call came in. "I heard I've been mistreating you, that I made the young lady of the Fu family almost drown just to fish out some valuable item?"

The male voice came through the speaker slightly distorted, making his true emotions hard to discern.