"Are you okay?"
Han Juyou was momentarily dazed when Liu Muye's gentle voice snapped her back to reality.
"Huh? I... I'm fine."
She shook her head lightly, her mesmerizing eyes—deep and mysterious like an abyss—locked onto Liu Muye's gaze, as if trying to uncover some hidden secret buried within him.
Liu Muye couldn’t handle the intensity of her stare. It felt like she could see right through him in an instant. His eyes darted away, avoiding her piercing gaze.
Noticing his evasion, Han Juyou finally looked away. "Why did you help me?"
Liu Muye chuckled. "I’m just a helpful guy. No need to thank me."
"Who said I was thanking you?" Han Juyou narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. "Why did you give that man money for me?"
"If I didn’t pay him off, he’d just keep harassing you."
"...People like him are bottomless pits. Once they get a taste, they’ll keep coming back for more." A trace of sorrow flickered in her eyes.
Liu Muye reassured her, "Don’t worry. He’ll never set foot in Siliya Academy again."
"Ugh..." Han Juyou sighed. "But I can’t just hide in the school forever, can I?"
Liu Muye’s expression turned serious as he spoke deliberately, "As long as I, Liu Muye, am still in Shangjing City, no one here will dare lay a finger on you."
"You... you... what exactly do you want from me?"
Han Juyou tensed up again, instinctively stepping back—but this time, she only retreated half a step before stopping, held in place by the sincerity in Liu Muye’s eyes.
"I... I..."
Liu Muye panicked. He knew Han Juyou was sharp—ordinary lies wouldn’t fool her. And now that she was questioning his motives, any slip-up could blow his cover.
"What about you?" Han Juyou pressed, brows furrowed. "Ever since my first day here, you’ve been unusually attentive. You expect me to believe you have no ulterior motives?"
"Come on, what could I possibly want from you?" Liu Muye shoved his hands into his pockets, feigning nonchalance as he mimicked Nangong Ye’s tone. "I’m the heir of the Liu conglomerate. What would I want with a scholarship student like you? Later!"
"Wait—!"
Afraid she’d catch on, Liu Muye tried to bolt, but Han Juyou grabbed his sleeve before he could turn away.
He spun back. "Y-yes? Something else?"
Han Juyou bit her lip lightly and murmured, "The money you gave my father... I’ll find a way to pay you back. And... thank you for today."
It was the first time she’d shown a hint of girlish shyness in front of him.
Liu Muye exhaled in relief and waved it off. "Don’t mention it. The money’s nothing—I’ve got plenty to spare."
"No." Han Juyou shook her head firmly. "I will repay you."
"We’ll see, we’ll see."
With that, Liu Muye pulled his sleeve free and practically fled from the girls’ dormitory.
A few thousand bucks meant nothing to him—he’d never intended for her to return it.
After all, to him now, money was just meaningless numbers and scraps of paper.
Han Juyou stood still, watching his retreating figure under the sunlight, his silhouette bathed in a golden glow, radiant and faintly mysterious.
"As long as I, Liu Muye, am still in Shangjing City, no one here will dare lay a finger on you!"
His words echoed in her mind, leaving her momentarily lost in thought. Unconsciously, the corners of her lips curled into a soft, captivating smile.
Then, limping slightly, she turned and headed back into the dorm.
......
[Novelists love crafting absurd, fantastical meet-cutes for their protagonists, but real-life first encounters are often even more illogical and surreal. —Liu Muye’s Notes]
......
"Why the rush? Running from ghosts?" Nangong Ye raised an eyebrow as Liu Muye barged into their dorm, panting.
"Pretty much. Thanks to printing your damn documents, I almost got caught by a fox spirit," Liu Muye grumbled, tossing the meeting files onto the table.
"A fox spirit?" Nangong Ye smirked. "You really are an interesting guy."
"Cut the crap." Liu Muye grabbed a soda from the fridge and flopped onto the couch across from him.
Nangong Ye pulled out a check from his pocket and handed it over. "Here."
"Huh?" Liu Muye took it—blank except for a signature and seal. "Why give me an empty check?"
"For your trouble." Nangong Ye pointed at it. "Fill in any amount. Cash it at Nangong Bank."
"Damn, that’s generous!"
Liu Muye immediately reached for a pen, then paused—wait, he was a rich heir now too.
He tossed the check back. "Don’t look down on me. I don’t need your pocket change."
Nangong Ye, as if triggered by a script, declared, "You’re the first man to refuse my check. You’ve successfully caught my—"
"Shut it!" Liu Muye cut him off. "We’re bros. Drop the act!"
"Uh... huh?" Nangong Ye blinked, mid-monologue.
Liu Muye squinted. "Why do you always spout these lines?"
"Dunno." Nangong Ye scratched his head, eyes brimming with pure, unfiltered cluelessness. "They just... come out."
"Right. My bad for asking." Liu Muye facepalmed, muttering to himself.
After a beat, he suddenly asked, "Hey, Ye-dàshǎo, do you just hand out checks to people for fun?"
"Sometimes cash. Want some?" Nangong Ye pulled out his wallet, dead serious.
"...No!" Liu Muye’s eye twitched.
Nangong Ye tilted his head. "Why don’t you call me ‘Young Master Nangong’?"
"Why should I?" Liu Muye shot back.
Nangong Ye pondered. "Because everyone else does."
"Well, I like being different. From now on, you’re ‘Ye-dàshǎo’ to me."
Nangong Ye nodded. "Fine. Then I’ll call you ‘Little Ye’."
"Hard pass." Liu Muye crossed his arms. "I may not be as loaded as your family, but I’m still a second-gen rich kid. At least call me ‘Ye-dàshǎo’."
"Ye-dàshǎo?" Nangong Ye considered it. "Sure. By the way, you’re the first peer I’ve ever addressed so formally."
Liu Muye stared at Nangong Ye, who exuded an indescribable air of foolishness, and suddenly realized a problem—when he had originally written the book, he’d been so focused on portraying the male lead as invincible that the real Nangong Ye now behaved like a child in front of others or when handling situations… Was he just too naive?
Aside from being naive, there were times when he was downright ridiculous.
…