Why Are Your Lips Swollen?

The person who had just been on his mind was now in his friend's embrace, her skirt flaring slightly as she swayed in a soft arc. Her waist was slender, and the arm she wrapped around the boy's neck was pale and delicate, starkly visible in the night, as if it could snap with a single fold.

She tilted her head back, her hair cascading, her crimson lips intimately entwined with his. Even during the most intimate act, her eyes remained open—dark and deep, reflecting the cold moonlight.

Bai Xin didn't know if ordinary people kissed with such detachment. But he clearly saw his friend frown in displeasure, and as if punishing her for not concentrating, he bit her lower lip, earning a soft gasp and an annoyed slap.

The boy chuckled lowly; a singer's laugh was even more seductive.

Fu Liangxia was speechless and didn't want to tolerate him anymore. However, Su Xingshu laughed softly and pulled her back: "Sorry, I won't do that again."

"There won't be a next time." When she got back, she would exchange all her system rewards for ones that strengthened her body.

She reached out to push him, but since she was already looking up, she noticed that the vines on the third-floor balcony were gently swaying, and tonight's wind wasn't strong enough to move them.

Could someone have been there just now?

Fu Liangxia frowned.

Su Xingshu let go, following her gaze and looking up as well, but by the time he looked up, the vines had stopped moving, and he saw nothing.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Fu Liangxia withdrew her gaze, mentally recalling whose room that position was, and replied, "Nothing."

The activities on the beach weren't over yet, and since Su Xingshu had sung only halfway without interruption, he naturally didn't want to continue. He wanted to spend more time with Fu Liangxia, but couldn't find an excuse, so he could only follow her back.

After returning to the beach, Fu Liangxia didn't rejoin the dancing crowd. She walked to the grill stand and poured herself a cup of the watermelon juice she had brought earlier.

Someone new was singing on stage, and they weren't bad to listen to, but compared to the previous performance, they seemed a bit mediocre.

Bai Kewei had been looking for her and, seeing her return, quickly came out from the crowd. Standing beside her, Bai Kewei asked worriedly, "Where did you go just now? Are you okay?"

She knew Bao En and remembered that she and a few other girls often pulled people aside for talks and smoked in the restroom. Bai Kewei didn't think she was a good person and was afraid Fu Liangxia might be bullied.

Fu Liangxia smiled: "It's nothing, just a club matter. It's been resolved."

Bai Kewei didn't press further but brought up another topic: "Just now, Fu Haoyao was looking for you and asked where you went. I said I didn't know."

Fu Liangxia: "What did he want?"

"He didn't say, probably not urgent. He acts on a whim," Bai Kewei pouted and hooked her arm, then suddenly stared at her. "Why are your lips swollen?"

Bai Yan appeared from somewhere, leaned in to look at her, and raised an eyebrow with a meaningful expression: "Eating well?"

Bai Kewei didn't understand his meaning and paid little attention to the celebrity Bai Yan. She just stared at Fu Liangxia, puzzled: "Did you eat something spicy?"

Fu Liangxia didn't expect it to be so obvious. She noticed that because Bai Yan was here, many people around had turned to look at them, and she said vaguely, "It might be the spice. I just need to drink more water."

As if to cover up, she raised her cup and took a sip of the watermelon juice.

Bai Yan smiled and said, "Oh, it's the spice, huh."

Bai Kewei nodded half-convinced and asked, "Should I pour you another cup?"

Fu Liangxia shook her head. She was a bit tired and wanted to rest, so she asked, "Are you going to play more or come back with me?"

"I'll go with you," Bai Kewei said without hesitation.

Saintland's social hierarchy was sharply defined, so she could only stay with a few special admit students she got along with, and during that time, some people ordered them around.

Bai Kewei didn't want to deal with those people, but she also knew that everyone had their own ambitions. She had no interest in meddling, so it was easier to just not see them.

Seeing that the two were about to leave, Bai Yan said "See you at the hotel" and turned away. Fu Liangxia guessed he probably wanted to talk about the modeling, but in the end, he didn't say why. She walked toward the villa with Bai Kewei. It was a little past nine in the evening, still early, and they planned to watch a movie at the cinema on the lower level.

Just as they entered the villa, Fu Liangxia's phone suddenly lit up with an incoming call. Bai Kewei, being tactful, said she would go downstairs first and wait, leaving the space for Fu Liangxia to take the call.

She looked at the caller ID—it said "Father."

He wouldn't come knocking without a reason. Fu Liangxia had received few calls from her father while at the sanatorium, but during her overseas camping trip, he made an overseas, time-difference call. She didn't think this was belated fatherly love or concern.

On the contrary, with Fu Liedong's foreshadowing, Fu Liangxia could guess his intention.

She answered the phone and heard her father's usual gentle voice from the receiver: "Xiaxia, are you adjusting well to the camping? Getting along with your classmates?"

Fu Liangxia walked to the corner, sat on a cushion, and let the shadows envelop her in darkness. She said slowly, "It's fine. My classmates are all very nice."

Her father seemed to smile at that and said in an even softer voice, "It's good that your classmates are nice. Dad heard you've been getting close to the heir of Su Corporation recently? Have you become good friends?"

Fu Liangxia tightened her grip on the phone, thinking that this was the real purpose of his call—to probe her relationship with Su Xingshu.

But usually, her father would choose to get information from Fu Liedong, since he was easier to manipulate. Why would he suddenly come to her?

She recalled Fu Liedong's evasive words at noon—was this what he meant? He didn't want to help their father monitor her interactions with Su Xingshu? Otherwise, their father wouldn't have come to her directly.

The more Fu Liangxia thought about it, the more likely it seemed. In moments, she figured out the twists and turns.

But she still said perfunctorily, "He sits behind me at school, so we're naturally a bit closer, but of course, it's nothing compared to my brother's relationship with him. We're just ordinary classmates."

Her father may or may not have believed her, but he said gently, "The Su family has deep connections. Even a crumb that slips through their fingers would be enough to make us prosper. I believe you won't let this relationship remain just ordinary classmates, right?"

Fu Liangxia extended her hand, watching the moonlight spill through the gaps into her palm, and tugged at the corner of her mouth ambiguously: "Father, people shouldn't be too greedy."

At Fu Liangxia's words, her father had a moment of guilt. He wondered if Fu Liangxia might know something, but he quickly dismissed that thought.

Although Fu Liangxia participated in the company's operations, she absolutely didn't have the authority to be involved in high-level daily decisions, at most just new project permissions. And when the higher-up approached him, it was done in secret through special channels. Fu Liangxia shouldn't and couldn't know.

With that thought, he relaxed and said in a helpless tone, "You child, how do you talk to your elders? I've been in business for years; who could possibly set a trap for me?"

"In any case, I can't interfere with your social life with the younger generation, but since you have the chance to enter their circle, Dad still hopes you can seize it. Do you understand what I mean?"

Fu Liangxia heard the content in his words and a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes, but she replied obediently, "Of course, Father."

Her father hung up satisfied.

But Fu Liangxia knew in her heart that the plot from the original book was likely unfolding.

She remembered that in the middle of the original book, the Fu family had faced a crisis, on the verge of bankruptcy, and her father was imprisoned for illegal operations. By the time he was released, things had changed.

Along with the Fu family, several other enterprises that had recently risen also declined. Their companies were seized and, after many twists and turns, ended up in the Cheng family's hands.

When she was reading the original, Fu Liangxia hadn't paid attention. The author wouldn't spend ink on cannon fodder characters, so she didn't know the details. All she knew was that after that, the original host's situation became even more miserable. From new money to special admit student, the bullying directed at her only increased, and she eventually ended up dying of depression.

Fu Liangxia hoped in her heart that he was just after more equity, which was why he made this call tonight.

But she knew this was probably not so simple. Because in the original, everything began to collapse starting from when her father asked the original host to get close to Su Xingshu.

And at that time, the original host wasn't even that close to Su Xingshu, just front and back desk.

Fu Liangxia was lost in thought. After hanging up, she didn't rush to get up. She sat in the shadows, her gaze cold and thoughtful.

Even though she had made changes, promoting the cooperation between the Fu family and Fu Langshu and Liang Huiming, she still couldn't stop the original plot from happening?

Was the world's will really so strong that the Fu family's decline was inevitable?

Or was there some plot point she hadn't changed that happened to be the reason the Fu family was targeted?

Fu Liangxia rested her chin on one hand, pondering.

There were many plot points she hadn't changed, and thinking about them seemed pointless. She could only take it one step at a time.

However, there was one thing she could start preparing for now.

If the Fu family was destined to decline and the company couldn't avoid being handed over.

Then why couldn't the one taking over be her?

Or rather, before everything happened, she could hollow out the company first.

Fu Liangxia stayed in the darkness for a moment to settle herself before finalizing her plan. She found a contact on her phone, quickly typed a few lines, and sent them out. Only then did she slowly let out a breath.

Standing up, she walked to the counter and poured herself a glass of water.

The cold liquid slid down her throat, causing slight discomfort.

But Fu Liangxia's heartbeat calmed down because of it. Since she was determined to hollow out the company, she'd better continue with her original way of doing things and not arouse her father's suspicion. As for Su Xingshu, she didn't know what the current status between them was.

They were ordinary classmates, but they had indeed engaged in ambiguous behavior. However, if asked how close their relationship was—at least Fu Liangxia didn't have that intention.

—She had kissed many people; she couldn't give a title to each one.

It was just a performance; don't take it too seriously.

After drinking half a glass of cold water, she was about to put the cup down when she suddenly sensed a gaze from the stairwell.

At the dimly lit stairwell with wall lamps, a tall figure was standing there, unknown how long they had been there.

It was Bai Xin.

She had now developed the skill to quickly distinguish between Bai Xin and Bai Yan; with one glance, she could tell whether the person in front was Bai Xin or Bai Yan.