Chapter 011

Monday

Su Cheng finished his morning routine early, ready to head to school.

The day before yesterday, he still couldn’t understand why Gu Ruoxue had renamed the "Mediterranean Cat" to "Orange Cat."

At the time, he had just casually suggested it, but to his surprise, she was extremely satisfied with the name. She even made the decision on the spot and, for once, praised his naming skills.

This left Su Cheng flattered and a little overwhelmed.

After naming the cat, he took his leave.

As for the weekend?

On Sunday morning, the two of them briefly checked in with each other.

Gu Ruoxue went back to visit the Orange Cat, while he returned to the orphanage, idly working on his exercise books out of boredom.

Over the past few days, he had come to realize that beneath her cold, aloof, and stern exterior, this girl was unexpectedly kind-hearted.

But there was one thing he still hadn’t brought himself to ask…

That was—

Initially, the two of them had no connection whatsoever. Though they were now friends, he still had many unanswered questions.

For example, why had she saved him?

Was it simply out of kindness?

And why had she come to study in this small county town?

Was it to experience life among the lower class?

With only three days left before his mission failed, what would she do then?

Surely, she wouldn’t resort to some cliché fake-dating trope, right?

The kind of overused, melodramatic plot found in cheap novels?

These questions had been weighing on his mind, but he never found the right moment to ask—or perhaps he just didn’t know how to bring them up.

After leaving home, he stopped by a breakfast shop. He forced the image of that ethereal, blue-flame-like figure out of his mind and called out to the shop owner, "Five yuan’s worth of steamed buns, please."

Yesterday, he had discovered a new function of his system’s storage space: any food placed inside would remain exactly as it was when stored, never spoiling. The leftovers he had packed on Saturday were still untouched.

At noon, he could find a quiet corner to secretly eat his leftovers with the steamed buns.

"That much? Can you finish it all?"

The shop owner hesitated.

Five yuan bought ten steamed buns, after all.

"It’s fine, I’m buying for someone else too."

He gave a casual explanation, and the shop owner nodded, saying nothing more as she bagged the buns.

After paying, Su Cheng took the buns to a secluded spot and stored them in his system space.

Today, five yuan would cover his meals for the entire day.

But just as he stepped out from the corner, he spotted a familiar figure in the distance.

From afar, she looked icy and untouchable; up close, she was elegant and poised. A girl with undeniable top-tier looks and substance, yet one who never flaunted her advantages as a means of showing off.

And after just a few days at school, she had already become everyone’s white moonlight—Gu Ruoxue.

On the street, she stood out even more. Despite wearing the same school uniform, her unique aura was impossible to ignore, drawing glances from passersby. Male students in particular couldn’t help but sneak repeated looks at her.

However, as she passed the breakfast shop, her gaze—which had been fixed straight ahead—briefly swept across the shop for a few seconds, as if searching for someone. When she didn’t find who she was looking for, her eyes returned to the path ahead.

Su Cheng watched her with a complicated expression but didn’t approach to greet her. Instead, he waited until she was gone before slowly making his way to school.

Most of the people on the road were fellow students, and walking alongside Gu Ruoxue would only invite trouble.

Once at school, he entered the classroom and noticed many of his classmates whispering among themselves, occasionally glancing his way—both boys and girls, their eyes filled with an odd mix of curiosity and judgment.

Su Cheng was long used to this. He walked straight to his seat at the back of the class and began organizing his books.

This kind of thing had been happening since elementary school—the gossip, the mockery—none of it bothered him anymore. As long as no one crossed the line, he didn’t care.

Though sometimes, he couldn’t resist a little mischief.

Like now—

"Swish—"

Su Cheng abruptly stood up from his seat.

In that instant, the entire classroom fell silent. Every pair of eyes locked onto him with a mix of shock, fear, and wariness.

The next second, he slowly turned his head, scanning the room.

Some of the more timid students who had been gossiping about him even shrank back in their seats, their faces pale with fright.

As if terrified he might suddenly grab a chair and smash it over someone’s head.

But then—

He casually adjusted his desk and chair, acting as if nothing had happened.

The class collectively exhaled in relief.

Someone muttered under their breath, "What was that? I thought he was about to start a fight again."

"Look at you, scared over nothing. It’s not like we said anything wrong."

"Yeah, it’s not like we crossed any of his lines. Why would he randomly hit us? No need to panic."

"Tch, this guy just loves putting on a show to scare people. As if anyone’s as violent as he is."

Listening to their chatter, Su Cheng found it amusing. He continued organizing his things before sitting back down, pretending to nap while secretly eavesdropping.

Just as expected—

Once they thought he was asleep, their voices grew louder.

"Hey, what you said earlier—was that even true?"

A girl suddenly questioned one of the boys, skepticism lacing her tone.

The boy immediately defended himself, "Why would I lie? My sister told me, and plenty of other people saw it too! I swear it’s true!"

"Pfft, I don’t believe it. Su Cheng is terrible at studying, terrible at sports, bad at everything. Why would Senior Gu Ruoxue ever be friends with him?"

The girl scoffed, her expression full of disdain.

Another boy chimed in, "Right? And his fashion sense is awful. Just being seen with him would be embarrassing."

"Hah, exactly. Look at those fuzzy shoes he’s wearing—he had them last year, and he’s still wearing them now. So cringe."

The boy deliberately stretched out his legs, showing off his brand-new basketball shoes with a smug flick of his foot.

"I heard even his clothes are just donated hand-me-downs from the orphanage."

The group freely mocked Su Cheng’s appearance, their words dripping with condescension and vanity. To them, someone like him was just… pathetic.

For an ordinary kid, this kind of verbal abuse would be crushing—enough to shatter self-esteem, breed insecurity, and maybe even make them avoid school altogether.

But Su Cheng was immune.

He lazily rested his head on his arms, gazing out the window, completely unfazed by their insults.

"If he’s really friends with Gu Ruoxue, I’ll carry this desk to the track field and run laps with it. Hah!"

"Count me in!"

Two boys banged the table, laughing loudly, and the others joined in with jeers.

But in the next second—

The classroom plunged into dead silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The sudden shift made even Su Cheng raise an eyebrow. He lifted his head and followed the class’s stunned gazes toward the door.

"Click."

The pen on the desk slid off with a faint clatter, but he made no move to pick it up, his gaze fixed blankly on the figure at the door.

It was Gu Ruoxue.

The entire classroom seemed frozen, not a single person moving as all eyes locked onto the doorway, plunging the room into complete silence—until Gu Ruoxue shattered it.

"Pack up. It's time to go."

Her voice was cold and detached, snapping everyone back to attention. They hastily lowered their heads and pretended to focus on their books.

Su Cheng stood up as well, shoving everything on his desk into the drawer before heading toward the door.

Meanwhile, Gu Ruoxue’s gaze swept past the crowd, zeroing in on the few who had been mocking Su Cheng earlier. The weight of her stare made them shrink back.

"It seems this place needs stricter discipline."

Her tone was flat, yet brooked no argument, the ice in her eyes sharp enough to make anyone shiver.

The moment those words left her lips, the entire class widened their eyes in shock.

Without another word, she turned and strode out of the classroom, not pausing for even a second.

Su Cheng remained silent, following her out. The moment the door closed behind them, the classroom erupted into chaos.

Yet Su Cheng felt no joy. Though his pride had been inexplicably stroked, it didn’t mean he was happy.

He didn’t understand why Gu Ruoxue had come to the classroom to find him.

When they reached a quiet corner, Su Cheng let out a questioning hum.

"Su Cheng."

Gu Ruoxue stopped and turned to face him, her expression stern and grave.

"Hmm?"

He waited, confused.

"Why didn’t you say anything about what happened this morning?" she cut straight to the point, her voice laced with displeasure—and something deeper, something like concern.

Su Cheng froze, then realized why she’d sought him out. Had Gu Ruoxue been worried because he hadn’t shown up at the breakfast shop?

She couldn’t reach him.

Given the unpredictability of his system, it made sense she’d be concerned.

He pressed his lips together, but Gu Ruoxue’s stare only grew sharper.

Su Cheng relented. "You didn’t tell me to wait for you at the breakfast shop yesterday, so I just went to school on my own."

At that, a flicker of relief crossed Gu Ruoxue’s face, but she quickly schooled her expression. "That’s it? Nothing else?"

This time, Su Cheng answered honestly. "No. You didn’t say anything, so I didn’t want to impose..."

Gu Ruoxue’s frown softened slightly. With an exasperated sigh, she rummaged through her uniform pocket before pulling out a flip phone and handing it to him.

"What’s this?"

Su Cheng blinked, completely lost.

Wasn’t this Gu Ruoxue’s phone?

Why was she giving it to him?

"If anything happens, call the hotel and ask for my room’s landline. I’ve already saved the number."

"Uh… Wouldn’t it be easier to just go to the hotel if I need you?"

Su Cheng hesitated before voicing his doubt.

"You haven’t been very reliable lately."

Gu Ruoxue delivered the words without a hint of expression, then turned and walked away before he could react.

Su Cheng stared at her retreating figure, dazed, before calling out, "But you didn’t give me a charger!"

"Come to the music room at noon."

"What if someone calls you?"

"No one will, not anytime soon."

"..."

As Gu Ruoxue disappeared down the hallway, Su Cheng stood there bewildered. He glanced at the flip phone in his hand—something so personal, yet she’d handed it over without a second thought.

He didn’t indulge in any intrusive curiosity, like checking for private photos in the gallery. Instead, he muted it and slipped it into his pocket before returning to his seat.

The class had stopped their jeering and whispers, but now everyone was staring at him with strange, unreadable expressions, making Su Cheng uneasy.

Still, he ignored it. Leaning back in his seat, he propped his legs on the desk, rested his chin on his hand, and closed his eyes to recharge before class.

The moment the bell rang at noon, he rushed to the music room, eager to return the phone—privacy was important, after all—and planned to buy his own after school.

But then—

On his way there, the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. He stopped in his tracks, frowning as he pulled it out and saw a boy’s name on the screen.

Was this her boyfriend?

Of course...

He’d thought he understood why she’d given him the phone, but now it hit him.

Was this her way of telling him she already had someone? That there was no chance for them? A subtle rejection?

Otherwise, why would this call come now of all times?

Staring at the incoming call, a mix of emotions surged in his chest—jealousy, sorrow, defiance, anxiety, disappointment—twisting together until his face paled.

In a way, wasn’t this guy his rival?

With a bitter smile, he looked at the caller ID.

『Li Guanqi』—Incoming Call—