The Pure Love Warrior Falls with a Thud.

On the left was the ice-cold Ji Qingyi, while on the right sat the dynamic duo of a loli pair whose courage and intellect rivaled Einstein's. And further to the right was the heavyweight—the school's most popular Gu Ruoxue.

Surrounded by such beauty, it should have been a scene of blissful suffocation. No wonder the male students around them kept stealing glances and whispering among themselves.

Yet, Su Cheng felt no happiness at all. This scene played out every Friday—nothing new for him.

However, the rare sight of two unattainable campus goddesses sharing the same frame was too tantalizing for others to resist prying into.

Just then, Cornelia beside him poked his arm with her finger, then waved her phone to signal him to check his messages.

The clever Cornelia seemed well aware of the saying, "Walls have ears."

Meanwhile, Ailiya beside her maintained a studious posture, completely oblivious to her best friend's antics.

Su Cheng raised an eyebrow and pulled out his phone, unaware that Ji Qingyi was sneaking a glance from the side, a flicker of interest in her eyes.

[Cornelia]: "Transferring 300 yuan. Play three rounds of games tonight."

[Cornelia]: "We’ll just play online from our own homes."

Seeing this, Su Cheng froze. Hadn’t she been banned from gaming? How was this suddenly allowed again?

Puzzled, he typed back: "I thought you weren’t allowed to play?"

Cornelia’s phone buzzed beside him.

She picked it up, a smile spreading across her face as she replied: "Mhm, the ban’s lifted. Thanks to this morning, my mom realized she was being too strict. I still can’t go out at night, but I can play games after finishing my homework now."

Su Cheng blinked at the message before replying: "Congrats, then."

After accepting the transfer, he pocketed his phone and focused on the lecture.

But Cornelia wasn’t having it. She poked him again, pulling out her phone insistently, urging him to chat.

Su Cheng shook his head—studies came first—and returned to listening to the teacher.

Cornelia’s face fell, her white-stocking-clad legs fidgeting in frustration. Clearly sulking.

To her, sitting next to Su Cheng in class was a rare opportunity she didn’t want to waste. She longed for him to talk to her, to chat…

But Su Cheng was an immovable force, unstoppable in his pursuit of knowledge.

After some thought, Cornelia hatched a foolproof plan—

Fine, if he wouldn’t talk, she’d just chat with Ailiya instead!

Hmph!

With that, she turned to Ailiya, only to find her staring intently at a male student up ahead. Following her gaze, Cornelia’s eyes widened—

A member of the Magic Club was performing a card trick for a giggling girl beside him, who covered her mouth in delight, her laughter infectious.

And that girl happened to be their classmate.

Cornelia felt a pang of envy and gloom.

Other boys knew how to amuse their seatmates, but Su Cheng—this bookworm—couldn’t even bother to interact with her, despite her mustering the courage to sit by him today.

It was utterly disheartening!

And a total letdown.

Noticing her mood shift, the usually silent Ailiya leaned in and shot a glare at Su Cheng.

To her, Cornelia’s unhappiness was undoubtedly Su Cheng’s fault!

"Hm?"

Feeling Ailiya’s glare, Su Cheng glanced over, only for her to direct his attention to the magician up front, then pointedly at Cornelia.

That’s when he noticed Cornelia’s sour mood.

He understood—but only to an extent. With Ji Qingyi and Gu Ruoxue nearby, he had to play dumb to protect Cornelia.

So, he refocused on the lecture.

But Ailiya wasn’t done. She stirred the pot, determined to put him on the spot.

Clearing her throat, she nudged Cornelia and announced, "Su Cheng says he can do magic too."

Her intention was to make Su Cheng pay more attention to Cornelia, but the words instantly drew the eyes of nearby students—including the Magic Club member.

Even Ji Qingyi and Gu Ruoxue turned their gazes on Su Cheng, one scrutinizing, the other displeased.

Su Cheng’s face stiffened. Oh no.

Under so many stares, he felt like needles were pricking his back.

But Cornelia’s head snapped up, her face alight with excitement, her sparkling eyes pleading, ‘Show me now!’

Su Cheng awkwardly tugged at his lips. He was about to deny it when he remembered how Cornelia had trusted him enough to cut her hair earlier. He couldn’t bear to let her down.

Fine… he’d reluctantly oblige.

After a quick glance at Gu Ruoxue—who averted her eyes—he nodded without hesitation.

"Really!?" Cornelia beamed, her cheeks flushing like ripe apples, her eyes crinkling into crescents.

Su Cheng eyed the single playing card in the Magic Club member’s hand, then turned to Cornelia. He held out his palm, flipping it back and forth to show it was empty.

What he didn’t realize was that nearly a third of the class was now staring at his hand, eyes bulging, including Li Guanqi and the Xuan Ying duo in the front row.

Then—

In a flash, Su Cheng’s palm faced downward before flipping up—revealing an entire spread of playing cards!

The class gasped, disbelief rippling through them.

They’d all seen his empty hands moments ago—his sleeves were even rolled up! How had a full deck just materialized?

And a shuffled one at that?!

The Magic Club member’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

His hand trembled as he looked down at his single card.

He’d used angles and sleight of hand for one card—yet Su Cheng had conjured a whole deck with a flip of his wrist?!

How?!

How had he missed it?!

If the sleeves hadn’t been rolled up, he might’ve caught the trick—but this was straight-up sorcery!

As a Magic Club member, he knew his craft, but this? He couldn’t pull it off himself!

His companion leaned in and whispered, "It’s just a deck of cards. You can do that too, right?"

He slowly lifted his head, face burning, but for the sake of the club’s pride, he forced a nod. "Piece of cake."

"I always knew you were amazing."

The girl beside him praised sweetly.

The reactions from others varied.

Xuan Ying: "Su Cheng can actually do magic tricks?!"

Zhao Yan thought to herself: Just how much more about him don't we know? This guy is way too mysterious.

Li Guanqi remained expressionless as usual. He glanced around at the students' reactions, gave Su Cheng a deep look, then turned his attention back to the lecture.

"I told you Su Cheng isn’t as simple as he seems!"

The girl who had previously boasted about Su Cheng being a rare polymath puffed out her chest proudly, as if she had just won some kind of battle.

The two girls beside her nodded in agreement, looking just as proud as if they were part of the achievement.

Back to Su Cheng...

"?"

Ailiya’s face was full of question marks, her tiny mind utterly blown. She had just been casually teasing him, but he actually pulled it off?!

How absurd is this?!

Meanwhile, Cornelia excitedly grabbed the playing cards from Su Cheng’s hands, her eyes sparkling with excitement as if she had discovered a whole new world.

"You... you're incredible!"

Staring at the cards in her hands, Cornelia was so thrilled she could barely speak, her face filled with pure joy and anticipation.

"Just a little trick, nothing special. Pay attention in class."

With that, he pretended to calmly turn his gaze to the front, though inside, his heart was racing—this was the first time he had successfully pulled off such a stunt!

"Mhm!"

Cornelia’s earlier disappointment vanished instantly. She cradled the cards like a precious treasure, grinning foolishly as she started counting them.

After finishing, she even waved them in front of Ailiya’s face, startling the still-dazed girl before giggling, "Impressive, right?"

"I-impressive..."

Ailiya muttered numbly, still in complete shock.

She swore she wasn’t in on it—she had just been joking, but he actually knew magic?! This was way too surreal!

And she wasn’t the only one. The surrounding students were also whispering among themselves in disbelief.

Ji Qingyi, sitting nearby, merely glanced at Su Cheng before turning her calm gaze back to the teacher lecturing at the front.

Time passed slowly.

Soon, afternoon classes ended.

As they stepped out of the classroom, students heading to club activities bid their farewells. Xuan Ying and the others said goodbye to Li Guanqi before leaving.

Cornelia, knowing Su Cheng had club duties, left hand-in-hand with Ailiya.

Su Cheng, however, didn’t walk with anyone. Instead, he made a quick stop at the restroom before leisurely heading toward the clubroom.

With a smile, he watched the crowd ahead as he strolled along the tree-lined campus path, the chirping of birds and the scent of fresh grass filling the air. It made him feel lighter, his spirits lifted.

Who knew showing off could be this satisfying?

Lost in thought, he eventually reached the clubroom door—only to be startled the moment he opened it by Gu Ruoxue’s icy aura, which seemed even colder than usual.

The club president sat rigidly at her desk, writing something. Hearing the door, she lifted her head and frowned at Su Cheng before coldly remarking, "Quite the spectacle today, Su Cheng."

Su Cheng blinked, then grinned. "Just a silly trick, President. No need to take it seriously."

Gu Ruoxue set down her pen and gave him a flat look. "But since you remembered your promise to me before pulling it off, I’ll let it slide this time."

Su Cheng immediately responded, "Thank you for your generosity, President!"

This feeling of being scolded... was actually kind of new.

As an orphan, he had always disciplined himself.

Huh... so this is what having a mother figure feels like?

Knock knock—

Just then, a tapping sound came from the clubroom door.

"Come in."

Gu Ruoxue barely reacted, continuing to write—but the next second, she put down her pen and went to make tea instead.

Wait... the club advisor?

This early?

Su Cheng gulped and peeked through the door’s window—only to freeze in horror when he confirmed it was indeed Ji Qingyi!

She stood poised, one hand knocking while the other rested elegantly against her chest. Her posture was refined, but her expression was terrifyingly cold, as if she was seconds away from tearing the door down with her bare hands!

Su Cheng scrambled to open the door, hastily ushering her inside before retreating to the farthest corner, where he promptly pulled out a mandarin orange and started munching.

Why the orange?

Because these two were like walking powder kegs—one wrong move, and he’d be caught in the explosion.

In other words—a Su Cheng Disaster!

So, he ate the orange to cleanse his soul.

Ji Qingyi sat down with an air of lazy indifference, her gaze fixed on Gu Ruoxue’s back as the latter busied herself.

Soon after.

"My apologies for the poor hospitality."

Gu Ruoxue placed a disposable cup of tea in front of Ji Qingyi, her tone polite but distant.

"No need. I came unannounced."

Ji Qingyi shook her head, studying her briefly before taking a small sip. Then, her eyes flicked to Su Cheng, who was hunched in the corner, stuffing his face with oranges in an obvious attempt to stay invisible.

She smirked slightly before turning back to Gu Ruoxue, who had returned to her seat.

"I assume you know why I’m here," Ji Qingyi said coolly. "This time, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t brush me off. Hear out my request."

Gu Ruoxue lifted her gaze, her eyes half-lidded as she replied in an even tone, "I’ll assume you’re sincere this time, but the club may still decline."

Her words were calm, but the refusal in them was unmistakable.

Ji Qingyi raised a brow, amusement flashing in her eyes. "Then I’ll be direct. I need a guide for an outing this weekend, and I think Su Cheng would be perfect."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Su Cheng.

The moment those words left her mouth, the entire clubroom fell silent.

Especially Su Cheng.

His jaw practically hit the floor, his mind reeling.

Holy crap.

This kind of blatant poaching tactic? Definitely Liu Qingyue’s idea!

And Ji Qingyi was using it to get back at Gu Ruoxue?!

He could cry. She could’ve just asked him privately over the weekend, but no—she had to frame it as a club request right in front of Gu Ruoxue!

If Gu Ruoxue refused? Even better. Then Ji Qingyi could just invite him as a friend instead, rubbing salt in the wound either way!

"A sheltered young lady lacking experience in such matters... the request itself is reasonable," Gu Ruoxue conceded after a pause.

But then, her tone shifted as she suddenly looked at Su Cheng.

"However, weekends fall outside club hours—that’s his personal time. But since you’ve come with such sincerity, I’ll make an exception and share his Sunday schedule with you."

Su Cheng's lips twitched involuntarily.

This was hardly an "agreed-upon request"—more like a clever deflection that bounced the awkwardness right back at him.

"In the end, it’s up to Su Cheng to decide. I respect his choice and wishes," Ji Qingyi said, her gaze shifting to Su Cheng. Her expression was cool, but a dangerous glint flickered in her eyes.

"Of course," Gu Ruoxue replied succinctly, though her eyes held an unreadable depth. "I hope Su Cheng will give this serious consideration."

Both their stares were now fixed on him, waiting for his decision.

Watching them reach a consensus and redirect the pressure onto him, Su Cheng felt as though ten thousand horses were stampeding through his mind.

The orange he’d been holding rolled onto the table.

What was he supposed to do now?

This was practically a death sentence!

The situation was a hundred times worse than last time!

Faced with the overwhelming auras of the two girls before him, he forced a stiff smile and cleared his throat awkwardly. Then, suddenly, he lowered his head, picked up the bruised orange from the floor, and popped it into his mouth, chewing with a pained expression.

"Whenever I don’t know what to do," Su Cheng murmured mournfully, his head still bowed, "I remember something my late grandmother used to say—words Uncle Chen often repeats..."

Gu Ruoxue and Ji Qingyi frowned in unison. "What words?" they demanded.

Su Cheng lifted his eyes, brimming with sorrow and wisdom, his voice soft yet resonant, as if carrying the weight of distant memories.

"What you love… is your life."