It's Not What You Think

But Little A was hard to recognize; he was too good at acting.

Bai Xin was quiet, like a deep pool. Even in simple casual clothes, he looked like a deity untouched by worldly suffering. His gaze at her was calm, revealing nothing.

How much had he heard?

He appeared to have just come downstairs, holding a paintbrush in one hand and the other tucked in his pocket. He didn't look like a painter, but rather like someone from a painting.

Moonlight fell on his hair, and Fu Liangxia suddenly understood why Bai Xin, even after being abroad for so long, still had countless fans who couldn't forget him.

[Affinity Points with Bai Xin -2, current Affinity Points: 43.]

The moment the System notification sounded, Fu Liangxia realized he must have heard everything.

For a moment, she was curious about Bai Xin's reaction. A man like him—aloof and refined, with no tolerance for impurity—what would he think upon hearing that his friend was being schemed against?

Disgust? Contempt? Indifference?

Fu Liangxia couldn't guess. She placed the cup on the counter and smiled. "You're back early. Have you eaten dinner yet?"

Hearing this, Bai Xin seemed to snap back to his own world. He nodded slowly, then shook his head. "Mm, not yet."

He walked down the stairs, his trousers draping elegantly, accentuating his long, straight legs.

Bai Xin went to the refrigerator, took out a carton of milk, tore open the spout, and took two gulps while tilting his head back.

He used this to sort out his thoughts.

As Fu Liangxia thought, he had indeed heard. And because he had come down earlier, he had caught the most unfortunate phrase—"just classmates."

Even though Bai Xin had realized someone downstairs was on the phone and immediately turned back up the stairs, that sentence lingered stubbornly in his mind.

Bai Xin considered himself not one to meddle in others' affairs. Even if the person downstairs saying such dismissive words was Fu Liangxia, and the one being dismissed—who, just minutes before, had been locked in a kiss with her—was his close friend, it still exceeded his expectations.

He didn't know what exactly was going on between them, nor did he think Fu Liangxia was some heartless femme fatale playing with Su Xingshu's feelings just because she said it in a casual tone.

After all, his close friend wasn't exactly a saint either.

But Bai Xin admitted that while he had gone back upstairs and stayed there until the voice disappeared, he had felt something unusual—a rare complexity of emotions.

It had nothing to do with others. Bai Xin simply wanted to understand why, when he heard her say she and Su Xingshu were just classmates, his heart stirred not only with anger and confusion on his friend's behalf but also with a flicker of... pleasure.

What was he feeling pleased about?

Fu Liangxia watched Bai Xin drink his milk and zone out. After a moment's thought, considering he was still her target for increasing Affinity Points, she decided to explain. "It's not what you think."

She was fairly confident that Bai Xin had seen everything on the balcony, and if he had also overheard her conversation with her father, Fu Liangxia didn't dare imagine what he must think of her now.

It couldn't be anything good.

"What do I think?" Bai Xin looked up, his gaze sharp. "I just came down for something to eat."

His tone was calm, and his expression gave nothing away.

After a few seconds, facing Bai Xin, looking into his shimmering light-colored pupils—still mesmerizing even in the dim light—she finally looked away.

Not because she believed his excuse, but because it was pointless to push.

She turned to leave, but the next second she heard his low voice: "I want to talk to you."

Fu Liangxia looked back at him, only to see that he had set down the milk carton without her noticing. Looking down at her from his height, he seemed noble and utterly dismissive of everything.

This was unusual. A man of few words would voluntarily speak to a "mortal" he looked down upon.

Fu Liangxia asked, "About what?"

"You might think I'm meddling, but I feel I should give you a piece of advice," Bai Xin said, his gaze fixed on her. Though it was advice, it sounded like a warning to her ears. "Do you know what happened to the last student who angered them?"

Fu Liangxia was now a hundred percent sure he had heard everything. Maybe it was his personality that made him choose this gentler approach.

Should she feel fortunate that the one who witnessed all this was Bai Xin—the F4 member who seemed the most indifferent to human affairs?

Her mind raced, but her face betrayed nothing. She smiled and said, "Thank you for the advice, but I doubt I'm impressive enough to anger... them."

Bai Xin stared at her for a few seconds, his shining eyes studying her, thoughts unknown. Perhaps he believed her, as he said noncommittally, "Maybe. But don't try to fathom us with common sense."

Surprisingly, he used the word "us."

"Very objective assessment," Fu Liangxia agreed. She glanced at her phone; six minutes had passed since she'd taken the call. Not wanting to keep Bai Kewei waiting, she ended the conversation and said, as a polite afterthought, "I'm going to the basement to watch a movie. Want to come?"

It was just a courtesy. She never expected Bai Xin to say yes.

After all, he seemed like the type who had no interest in watching movies with others and would consider it a waste of time.

So she asked, fully prepared for him to refuse.

"Sure," the man said.

Fu Liangxia replied reflexively, "I thought you wouldn't go... What?"

She froze, thinking her ears were playing tricks.

Did he just say sure?

Perhaps her expression gave her away. Bai Xin gave her an unreadable look and then dropped his gaze. "Or should I have said no?"

"No, no," Fu Liangxia said, shaking her head. She took the lead toward the stairs, walking a few steps before hearing slow footsteps trailing behind her.

*

"Why is he here?"

When Fu Liangxia reached the basement, Bai Kewei had already picked a movie that was currently trending. The room was dark, and she was just sinking into the plush sofa, hugging a throw pillow, when Bai Kewei leaned over to whisper in her ear.

Fu Liangxia glanced at Bai Xin, who had entered and sat silently on her other side. He seemed to be just there to watch a movie, never once looking their way.

"Maybe he wanted to watch a movie," Fu Liangxia guessed.

"But why with us? He doesn't even know us," Bai Kewei said, her tone wary.

"Maybe he wants to feel some human warmth."

Fu Liangxia couldn't be bothered to guess Bai Xin's motives and shrugged.

Actually, she was more concerned about why Bai Kewei had been sulking earlier. With her lively personality, she should have loved this kind of activity.

"Did someone bully you?" Fu Liangxia asked in a low voice.

Bai Kewei's expression tightened for a moment, and the look she gave Fu Liangxia clearly said, "How did you know?"

"Why?" Fu Liangxia asked.

Bai Kewei was silent for a while, staring at the screen without moving, as if debating whether to tell her.

But Fu Liangxia could vaguely read what was going on. Her brows furrowed coldly, and despite phrasing it as a question, she said it with certainty: "It's about me, isn't it?"

A few seconds later, Bai Kewei suddenly forced a smile and changed the subject. "The competition results came out—we both advanced to the next round! The school said they'll arrange tutoring sessions. That's great!"

Competition tutoring was one of Saintland's privileges for good students. As one of the elite institutions that had stood firm in high society, one of Saintland's strengths lay in the achievements of its students across various fields, including the number of students sent to top universities.

And the math competition was undeniably one of the most valuable paths—not like buying your way in for money, but something that genuinely enhanced your résumé.

Fu Liangxia wasn't surprised by this.

The original novel had it the same way; nothing had changed.

But she didn't think Bai Kewei was just randomly bringing up the topic.

"This tutoring... are any of the F4 also participating?" Fu Liangxia quickly connected the dots.

She remembered from the original novel that both Bai Xin and Cheng Xingzhou were excellent students, and Bai Xin happened to have a well-known fiancée. And she herself just happened to be his model, carrying that conspicuous identity—it would be hard not to catch his fiancée's attention.

And there were also the rumors about the camping groups.

Realizing Bai Kewei's reason for being targeted, Fu Liangxia rested her chin on her hand and smiled. "They don't want me to go, do they?"

Bai Kewei had expected Fu Liangxia to figure it out, but not so keenly. She sighed. "They told me to bring you to a place they specified tonight. I refused."

Fu Liangxia looked at her. "And they threatened you."

Connecting it to the competition, she guessed, "They said they'd disqualify you from the competition?"

"Mm. They said they'd forge evidence and report me to the committee for cheating, and that by participating through improper means, I'd be disqualified," Bai Kewei said dejectedly. "But don't worry, even if they really have the power to succeed, and my spot gets canceled, it doesn't matter if I can't join. I'm only worried they'll do something to you..."

Hearing this, Fu Liangxia let out a soft laugh and waved her hand. "You're overestimating them."

That earned her a stunned look from Bai Kewei.

Their quiet conversation seemed to catch the attention of Bai Xin, who had been sitting upright on the other side. He turned his head, casting a casual glance their way, his expression unreadable.

Fu Liangxia had a strange feeling he had heard them.

But it wasn't her business. She and Bai Kewei were whispering very quietly, not enough to disturb him—it was just that Bai Xin had keen hearing.

She lowered her voice further. "The committee behind this competition isn't something they can manipulate at will. They're just bluffing."

Bai Kewei opened her mouth to say something, then seemed to realize Fu Liangxia had a point. She let out a breath, smiled from the heart, and nodded firmly. "Mm."

Maybe it was a bit too loud, as it drew a soft cough from the darkness where the man sat.

Bai Kewei immediately stopped talking, feeling embarrassed, and focused on the movie. However, Bai Xin left the room midway through. After a while, Fu Liangxia asked Bai Kewei where they had wanted to take her.

Bai Kewei hesitated, seeing that Fu Liangxia seemed to ask out of mere curiosity, she blurted out, "Don't do anything rash."

Fu Liangxia shook her head. "Don't worry, just curious."

She really wanted to know what tricks they had up their sleeves to prevent her from attending the tutoring sessions if she did go.

Maybe she'd even get a pleasant surprise.

After making sure Fu Liangxia wouldn't act impulsively, Bai Kewei finally gave her the address.