Chapter 08

Gu Ruoxue fell silent for a long moment before taking a deep breath and speaking in an icy tone, "Your brain seems to have evaporated along with the temperature—so empty I can practically hear the wind whistling straight through from one ear to the other. Utterly ridiculous."

Su Cheng frowned at her words. "Even if you're a cat lover, there's no need to be so harsh, is there?"

"As the person involved, haven't you noticed the pattern in the rewards and punishments?" Gu Ruoxue enunciated each word, her voice crystal clear.

Though her earlier remark had been extreme, there was a reason behind it.

Leaving aside whether such self-destructive behavior was justified, retaliating against a cat twenty times was simply excessive. Moreover, the initial trigger for the mission had clearly been when someone Su Cheng cared about was harmed.

Back in the abandoned building, Su Cheng had explained both missions to her in detail. She knew full well that only those he cared about could trigger related tasks.

And the so-called punishments? They targeted those very same people. In Su Cheng’s account, a girl from the orphanage where he grew up had nearly been struck by a falling fan during an earthquake.

The conditions for triggering the missions and the consequences of failure were undeniably tied to the people he valued.

So she couldn’t understand why this transmigrator—already lacking in critical thinking—had to behave so childishly.

Su Cheng froze.

After a long pause, he let out a bitter laugh. "I didn’t think it through."

Her reminder made him realize he’d made a grave mistake—overlooking the most fundamental details.

"Now that you understand, what do you plan to do?" Gu Ruoxue asked, seeing his realization.

"I’ll do everything I can," Su Cheng replied, meeting her gaze earnestly.

Gu Ruoxue gave a slight nod and said nothing more.

The two continued their breakfast in silence at the table.

A few minutes later, Su Cheng wiped his mouth, placed five yuan on the table, and turned to Gu Ruoxue, who looked effortlessly elegant even while eating. "You asked me to wait here. Is there something important you wanted to discuss?"

Just then, Gu Ruoxue finished her meal, set down her spoon, and dabbed her lips. Her poised posture and composed demeanor unmistakably reflected her aristocratic upbringing.

"Yes. I’d like you to accompany me to the library," she said, lifting her eyes to his. "I need to look up some books. You might be able to help."

"Sure," Su Cheng agreed readily.

After all, she was doing this for him.

Gu Ruoxue gathered her things, and they left the breakfast shop, heading toward the school.

On the way, they didn’t walk side by side. Su Cheng trailed two meters behind her, matching her pace.

Why?

Because the two of them together would look absurdly mismatched. Gu Ruoxue beside him would seem like a photoshopped illusion, and he had enough self-awareness to know that walking together would only cause trouble for both of them.

"Stop!"

But the next second, Su Cheng had to call out to her. He realized this young mistress had no idea where the library was—she’d even walked right past a clearly marked sign, still striding forward as if on autopilot, forcing him to intervene.

Upon hearing Su Cheng's hint, Gu Ruoxue stopped wandering around aimlessly and began looking for landmarks to orient herself—even though she was standing right in front of the bookstore.

This behavior made Su Cheng sigh inwardly. The woman was clearly intelligent, yet she was either directionally challenged or afraid of heights.

She had quite a few quirks…

"Look up," Su Cheng said, unable to hide his exasperation as he gave her another reminder.

Gu Ruoxue obeyed, raising her head to spot a shop with a sign that read "House of Knowledge." The problem was, it didn’t look anything like a bookstore.

Frowning slightly, she didn’t hesitate and strode straight inside.

Su Cheng followed closely behind.

After scanning the interior, Gu Ruoxue confirmed it was indeed a library. Without another glance at Su Cheng, she immediately immersed herself in the shelves, and within minutes, three towering stacks of books had accumulated on the table.

Su Cheng sat across from her, observing quietly. The books were mostly on psychology, medicine, pharmacology—even some academic papers. Surprisingly, there were also a few web novels mixed in. Clearly, she was researching for his sake.

The realization touched him. He cleared his throat softly and said, "Uh… thanks."

Gu Ruoxue paused mid-page, glanced at him briefly, then returned to her book as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

But seeing the web novels among her selections, Su Cheng couldn’t hold back his curiosity. "Why are you reading those?"

"They have some reference value," she replied succinctly, not bothering to look up.

In her mind, the system-rewarded ring from yesterday had baffled her with its unknown effects. Yet Su Cheng had accurately deduced its abilities based on tropes from web novels he’d read before.

Thus, she deemed them worth studying.

Su Cheng swallowed the flood of sarcastic remarks bubbling up inside and said nothing more. Still, he couldn’t just sit idle, so he picked up a book titled The Best Memory Book in the World and started reading.

However, after just a few minutes, he gave up and put it back, shifting his attention to another book instead.

Though he pretended to read, his gaze kept drifting toward Gu Ruoxue across the table.

Everyone is drawn to beauty, and he was no exception.

Especially now—Gu Ruoxue, absorbed in her book, exuded the serene elegance of a classical painting, a vision of tranquility and grace.

A literary maiden.

Yes, that’s it… a literary beauty…

But…

Becoming a couple…

Su Cheng shook his head violently, dispelling the absurd thought, and forced himself back into his book.

Time passed slowly, and eventually, Su Cheng succumbed to drowsiness, his eyelids growing heavy until they closed completely.

Gu Ruoxue shut the book in her hands and reached for another when she noticed Su Cheng slumped over the table, fast asleep. Without hesitation, she nudged him, her tone cool and detached. "Hey. Wake up."

Su Cheng’s eyes fluttered open to find her stunning face mere inches from his. Blinking in confusion, his sluggish brain took a moment to confirm this wasn’t a dream before he bolted upright, stammering, "S-sorry, I dozed off… Did you need something?"

Gu Ruoxue was silent for a beat. Then, "The heating’s on, but it’s still cold. Don’t catch a cold."

"Oh. Thanks for the warning."

"Go home."

At this point, Gu Ruoxue glanced at the time and continued, "Same time tomorrow, at the breakfast shop."

"No need."

Su Cheng shook his head. After all, she had also stayed up all night for him, and now she was still engrossed in her book.

How could he just leave?

So, he stood up and said to her, "Anything you'd like to eat or drink? Just name it."

Gu Ruoxue naturally understood that he wanted to stay and help. Pressing her lips together, she remained silent for a few moments before replying, "An Americano."

"Got it. Please wait a moment."

With that, Su Cheng quickly dashed out. He remembered there was a coffee shop nearby, though he had never been there before. In fact, he rarely even visited the most popular milk tea spots among students.

About ten minutes later, he returned to the bookstore holding a steaming cup of hand-brewed coffee. Handing it to Gu Ruoxue, he quietly stepped aside.

Gu Ruoxue examined the disposable cup, which required poking a straw through the lid to drink. Then, she marked her place in the book with a bookmark and closed it.

Adjusting her posture, she cupped the coffee with both hands, warming them for a moment before opening the straw and inserting it, taking slow, deliberate sips.

Mid-sip, she glanced up at Su Cheng and noticed he wasn’t drinking anything. Instead, he was holding a book and staring at her. Setting down her coffee, she asked coolly, "Didn’t you get anything for yourself?"

Su Cheng blinked, then shook his head with a smile. "I don’t like bitter drinks. Besides, I’m not thirsty."

"Oh."

Gu Ruoxue responded flatly, cradling the coffee again and taking a few more sips before speaking. "You don’t have to force yourself."

"I’m not forcing myself."

Su Cheng sighed, his expression turning serious. "And I think it’s necessary for me to stay."

Gu Ruoxue fell silent, lost in thought, and said nothing more.

A few seconds later…

"Well…"

Gu Ruoxue turned her gaze to the books she had finished and said earnestly, "Could you please return these to their original shelves?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

"No trouble at all."

Su Cheng nodded and began organizing the books she had read, carefully placing them back on their respective shelves according to their call numbers. Once done, he returned to his seat and resumed reading.

Then, an odd silence settled between them again, broken only by the occasional rustle of turning pages.

Gu Ruoxue read at an astonishing speed. Before Su Cheng could finish one book, she had already devoured four or five.

So, he gathered the books to return them once more. This time, however, one title caught his attention—a book he had flipped through earlier.

The World’s Greatest Memory Book.

He had only skimmed a few pages before finding it unbearably dull, growing sleepier with each line…

Yet Gu Ruoxue had finished it.

That surprised him…

Especially since she hadn’t slept last night either!

A strange sense of competitiveness flared up.

Determined, he decided to take it back and give it another proper read, vowing not to fall asleep this time.

After returning to his seat, he forced himself to stay awake and began reading earnestly. However, the more he read, the drowsier he became. His eyelids grew heavy, and coupled with his already poor physical stamina, he eventually couldn’t hold on any longer—he slumped over and fell asleep again...

Gu Ruoxue took in the scene with a quiet sigh. She closed her book and pressed her fingers to her temples, massaging them lightly to ease the strain in her eyes.

After barely three seconds, she stood up and scanned the library, her gaze finally settling on an elderly man’s blanket. Without hesitation, she approached him and asked about it. The man returned to his workspace and handed her another blanket.

"Thank you," Gu Ruoxue said politely before carrying the blanket back to Su Cheng’s seat. She draped it gently over his shoulders.

With a soft exhale, she returned to her own spot and resumed reading, occasionally sipping her coffee.

Yet the book she was reading now was peculiar—completely outside her usual reading preferences and at odds with her image as a literary girl.

The title of the book was—

The Fundamental Laws of Web Novel Male Leads.