Su Cheng's Resignation Letter

"Why not rest your head on my lap?"

Su Cheng gazed at Li Guanqi, who was using a small pillow to sleep beside him, his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.

He then reached out, touched his own thigh, and pressed down lightly, finding it pleasantly soft—perfect for use as a pillow.

So why wouldn’t Li Guanqi use it?

Her reason was simple: because she had a pillow.

But this explanation didn’t satisfy him at all. In fact, it wounded Su Cheng deeply. He believed fairness was paramount—they should take turns, one time each, to even things out.

Lost in thought, he turned his head to look at Li Guanqi, who lay flat beside him with her eyes closed, resting peacefully. The hem of her skirt just barely covered her thighs, and the sunlight cast a seductive glow on her black stockings, adding an alluring charm.

Suddenly, a spring breeze swept by, lifting the edge of her skirt slightly and revealing the dark elastic band of her stockings around her thigh.

Su Cheng swallowed hard. But as a gentleman who would never peek at others' privacy, he righteously took off his jacket, glanced around, and draped it over Li Guanqi.

Then, he lay back on the blanket, facing the sky, closing his eyes as if to nap.

Yet his mind remained restless. Why wouldn’t Li Guanqi accept his lap as a pillow?

Was she shy?

Or was she afraid she might blurt out something affectionate, just as he had last time?

Something like, "The wind is so gentle"?

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He concluded that Li Guanqi must indeed be shy—after all, she was a girl…

Ding-dong~

A sudden message notification from his phone interrupted Su Cheng’s musings.

He quickly sat up, pulled out his phone, and muted it. After ensuring the sound was off, he glanced at Li Guanqi beside him. Her breathing was steady, her expression peaceful—deep in sleep. Relieved, he exhaled.

The message was from Liu Qingyue.

Liu Qingyue: "Junior, I’m really heading back this time~"

Along with the text was a photo of an orphanage. It seemed she truly was leaving. The only regret he had was never seeing Liu Qingyue in a maid outfit.

After sending a brief reply, Su Cheng lay back down, hands behind his head, staring at the sky.

A while later, his phone vibrated again.

Another message from Liu Qingyue.

Liu Qingyue: "Junior, since you helped me so much this time, what reward would you like~?"

Su Cheng closed his eyes, indulging in a brief fantasy before remembering that this troublemaker’s "rewards" always came with strings attached.

So he replied: "Not causing trouble would be the best reward you could give me!"

After sending it, he tossed his phone aside and resumed his rest.

But before long, his phone buzzed once more.

Liu Qingyue: "So, in your mind, I’ve become the symbol of a troublesome woman. Even though I think of you every moment, you always assume I’m just bothering you. Sigh~"

Reading her melancholic words, Su Cheng didn’t know how to respond. He chose silence instead, locking his screen.

Yet Liu Qingyue wasn’t satisfied with his lack of reply. Another message arrived: "Haven’t you noticed how your relationship with the young lady has grown more… intriguing? That’s all thanks to me~"

Su Cheng: "You have the nerve to say that? All I want is to enjoy my peaceful youth, but you’re constantly scheming to ruin it. You’re such a bad woman!"

Liu Qingyue: "Hehe~ Wouldn’t things be boring if they were too ordinary? Besides, you should remember—you’re the protagonist with special abilities. And a protagonist’s story can never be dull. I think you know that better than anyone. So, you might as well accept your fate~"

Liu Qingyue: "Oh, by the way, you’re about to join the Social Practice Club, right?"

Su Cheng: "How do you know everything?"

He was genuinely surprised—he’d never mentioned this to her.

But Liu Qingyue simply sent a smiling emoji and continued: "Just a guess. But if you quit the club, the young lady will be all alone there. Could you really bear to see that happen?"

Her words struck him. It hadn’t occurred to him that if both he and Liu Qingyue left, President Ji would be by herself.

Would she feel lonely?

She didn’t seem to have many friends…

The thought made Su Cheng hesitate. But he’d already made a promise—how could he go back on his word?

With a sigh, he typed: "I’ve already agreed to go, and I’ve made up my mind. Besides, I’ll still be at school. I can visit her whenever. It’s not so bad, right? And as for the president…"

Midway through his message, he realized something—once he submitted his resignation, he wouldn’t be able to call her "President" anymore.

A pang of sadness hit him unexpectedly.

In the end, he deleted the entire message, turned off his phone, and closed his eyes.

What he’d thought would be a simple club resignation had turned into something far more complicated.

He wasn’t even sure what expression President Ji would wear when she saw his resignation form.

Would she remain as expressionless as always?

Or would she look disappointed… reluctant… or something else entirely?

The first scenario would be fine. But the mere thought of the latter made his chest tighten. He didn’t know how he’d face her later.

Just then, a hand grasped his.

Su Cheng’s eyes flew open to find a pair of beautiful eyes gazing at him from close range.

Li Guanqi had woken up. She held his hand with one of hers while propping herself up with the other, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

"You… awake?" he asked awkwardly.

"Mn," she nodded softly. "Did you have a nightmare?"

He sat up and shook his head. "No, it’s just… I’m about to leave the Archery Club. I was thinking about how to resign, so I couldn’t sleep."

"Oh~"

Li Guanqi withdrew her hand and sat beside him, pulling a damp towel from her bag. As she gently wiped the sweat from his forehead, she said casually, "Aren’t you friends? She’ll understand your situation."

Her tender touch and the quiet murmur of her voice gradually soothed the restlessness in Su Cheng’s heart.

He looked up at her—her flawless, expressionless face as she carefully tended to him.

"That may be true, but…"

Su Cheng sighed, then steeled himself. "I’ve decided. I’ll bring some dessert this afternoon and properly say goodbye to her."

"Dessert?"

Li Guanqi’s eyes sparkled.

"You’ve already had some today."

The moment the words left his mouth, Li Guanqi stopped wiping his forehead. Instead, she lightly flicked his head with a finger, then lay back down, turning her back to him in silent protest.

Unfazed, Su Cheng reached into his pocket.

"Here, have candy instead."

He produced his "Guanqi Pacifier" and popped it into her mouth.

"Mmph~"

She opened her small mouth contentedly to eat the candy. It seemed this was the only way to trick someone into giving her sweets, allowing her to forget the earlier unpleasantness.

……………………

Noon break passed quickly, and afternoon classes began.

P.E. class.

Su Cheng sat alone under the shade of a tree, gazing into the distance, lost in thought.

Li Guanqi, as if sensing he needed space, didn’t approach. Instead, she sat not too far away with a book, occasionally glancing at Su Cheng’s pensive figure in the shadows.

"Yan-jie, I don’t know why, but today I really want to hug Su Cheng."

Nearby, Xuan Ying watched Su Cheng with a melancholic expression, her maternal instincts flaring up. She just wanted to hold her "son" and comfort him.

"Huh?"

Zhao Yan was so shocked her jaw nearly dropped. She glanced around before lowering her voice. "Are you crazy? How is that even possible?"

"I don’t care, you promised you’d help me."

Xuan Ying, however, adopted a petulant, whining tone. "I just want to hug him! Just once. You must have a way—help me, okay?"

"How am I supposed to help with this?!"

Zhao Yan was at a loss. How could she possibly assist with something like this?

Her gaze drifted toward Su Cheng under the tree. He was tilting his head at a forty-five-degree angle, staring at the sky. Though his expression was unreadable, she could faintly sense his hesitation, his unease—as if he were contemplating something.

So, she made a suggestion: "How about you pretend to faint? He’d definitely carry you to the infirmary. That counts as a hug, right?"

"I don’t want to trick him like that."

Xuan Ying shook her head in refusal.

Zhao Yan frowned, checked their surroundings to ensure no one was listening, then leaned in and whispered, "Then be brave. Just walk up to him and say you want a hug?"

Xuan Ying’s face instantly flushed red. "I can’t do that! That’s… way too embarrassing…"

Zhao Yan was about to lose her mind. If neither option worked, how was she supposed to make Su Cheng willingly throw himself into Xuan Ying’s arms?

If she had that kind of power, Su Cheng would’ve already been molded to her liking!

Just as she was agonizing over what to do, a girl in a polar bear mascot costume suddenly ran up to them, still holding the headpiece, and excitedly announced, "Today is International Polar Bear Day! Our club is handing out flyers off-campus to raise awareness about polar bear conservation and Arctic ecosystems! Want to come along after school?"

Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying exchanged a glance, then nodded in unison. "We’re in!!"

"Yay~"

Before the girl could celebrate, she found herself being dragged away by both of them, each gripping one of her arms.

By the time she realized what was happening, she was already inside the equipment room, her costume stripped away and replaced with a gym uniform.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing?!"

The girl glared at them, cheeks puffed out in anger, her face as red as a ripe apple—utterly adorable.

"We’re borrowing this for a bit. We’ll definitely join you after school to hand out flyers," Zhao Yan explained while helping Xuan Ying into the costume.

After some time, Xuan Ying, now fully suited up as the polar bear, seemed like a completely different person. Her usual shyness and restraint vanished as she stared at Su Cheng beneath the tree, brimming with energy.

Then, with a swaggering stride, she marched straight toward the shade, stopped in front of Su Cheng, and spread her arms wide.

"Huh? A polar bear?!"

Su Cheng blinked in surprise and quickly stood up, puzzled by the mascot before him. "Can I help you?"

The polar bear didn’t speak—just opened and closed its arms again, clearly asking for a hug.

Su Cheng, still confused, tentatively placed his hands on its broad shoulders. But then, the bear suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace, nuzzling its head against his cheek like an affectionate child.

"Perfect, success!"

From a distance, Zhao Yan clapped her hands in delight.

Li Guanqi, who had been observing nearby, closed her book and began walking toward Su Cheng’s tree. She stopped a short distance away, silently watching the scene unfold—especially after spotting Zhao Yan sneaking glances from the corner.

At this point, the identity of the person inside the costume was obvious.

Inside the headpiece, Xuan Ying wore a deliriously ecstatic grin. She wrapped her arms around Su Cheng’s waist, rubbed her fuzzy head against his face, and whispered, "Hehehe, Su Cheng~"

Then, she buried her face in his chest. Though separated by the thick costume, she shamelessly "inhaled" him like a starving wolf finally sinking its teeth into prey.

Su Cheng, thoroughly alarmed, shoved her away. Xuan Ying fell onto her backside, but having achieved her goal, she scrambled up and bolted, leaving Su Cheng standing there in utter bewilderment…

This scene happened to be witnessed by Wang Guancong, who was passing by. Instantly, an indescribable awkwardness settled over everyone present.

"Did you just get molested by a polar bear?"

"More like he got taken advantage of."

"Wait, what if it was a guy inside?"

"Then that’s even better!"

"............"

"Amazing."

Back at their original spot, Xuan Ying excitedly removed the headpiece, her face flushed with exhilaration. "Hahaha, that was perfect!"

"Um… can I have my costume back now?"

A timid voice came from the corner—the original owner of the polar bear suit.

Xuan Ying finally noticed her. "Is this for sale? I’d like to buy it."

"No way! It’s club property—I can’t just sell it!"

Defeated, Xuan Ying reluctantly handed it back.

As Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying stepped out of the equipment room, they found Wang Guancong and his friends storming toward them.

The two girls froze, about to make a run for it, but Wang Guancong’s group had already cut off their escape.

"Did you see a polar bear mascot harassing Su Cheng earlier?" they demanded.

Xuan Ying and Zhao Yan exchanged glances, then pointed toward the equipment room. "Yeah, it went in there!"

"Let’s go—I bet it’s a dude!"

Wang Guancong led the charge inside, where the three soon cornered a trembling polar bear and began their interrogation.

"What’s your name?"

"What class are you in?"

"Male or female?!"

The girl inside was utterly baffled. Finally, she removed the headpiece, revealing a delicate face. "I’m Chen Zi… what’s this about?"

"Oh, never mind then."

Wang Guancong, disappointed it wasn’t a boy, sighed and prepared to leave.

At first, they thought it was a boy, but to their surprise, it turned out to be an adorable girl. The initial urge to mock Su Cheng instantly twisted into envy and resentment.

"I suppose I could reluctantly offer you a hug too!"

However, Chai Hao spread his arms wide, striking a pose as if urging her to come embrace him. If Su Cheng got to enjoy such treatment, he wanted it too!

But what awaited him was the girl relentlessly hitting him with a headpiece while shouting, "You pervert! Who'd ever hug you?! Disgusting creep!!"

The trio, witnessing this, bolted in fear. The blatant disparity in treatment left them deeply dissatisfied, yet all they could do was slink away in defeat.

……………………

Meanwhile.

After surviving the polar bear hug incident, Su Cheng welcomed a peaceful after-school period. Just like at noon, he made his way to the Social Practice Club.

Yet again, the club president was absent.

However, two application forms lay quietly on the club's desk. Noticing them, Su Cheng politely knocked on the door before stepping inside.

He approached the table, picked up the forms, and glanced down—confirming they were indeed a club application and a withdrawal request. After filling them out briefly, he stood up, took the documents, and left the clubroom.

Su Cheng first stopped by a dessert shop to buy a sweet treat, then headed toward the equestrian field.

Upon arriving, he spotted Ji Qingyi.

Alone beneath a parasol, sipping tea with no company, her presence exuded an icy, untouchable elegance—like a snow lotus, proud and pristine, untouched by worldly concerns.

Watching this scene, Su Cheng walked up to her. Standing under the shade of the parasol, he bent slightly forward and mustered the courage to cut straight to the point: "President, here’s my club withdrawal request."

(Updates on Friday, with extra chapters to make up for the wait.)