Chapter Thirteen

Afternoon

What is youth?

Even if Su Cheng were given a second chance, he still wouldn’t be able to answer that question.

Just like when Gu Ruoxue asked him at noon whether he had any friends, he couldn’t answer that either.

The truth was, he didn’t.

In his eyes, he had very few friends.

Aside from the companions at the welfare home, they practically didn’t exist.

And Gu Ruoxue was his first friend.

So then—

Could a school life without friends even be considered youth?

Su Cheng had been pondering this question all through class, and it wasn’t until the bell rang that he realized the lesson was already over.

It was worth mentioning that the atmosphere in the classroom had turned extremely strange after Gu Ruoxue’s appearance at noon. Not only was the dynamic between the teacher and students odd, but even the homeroom teacher was looking at him with an unreadable expression.

The teacher had even sternly criticized the class’s discipline, issuing severe warnings to some students. Those who had mocked Su Cheng in the morning were pulled aside for private talks, and afterward, they no longer jeered at him during breaks like they used to.

Su Cheng had observed these troublemakers before.

They weren’t particularly strong, their family backgrounds weren’t great, and they had no real skills to speak of.

But they liked to gang up—teaming up to bully the quiet ones. If they encountered someone with both a temper and actual ability, they’d try to recruit them to join in their bullying.

That was how they managed to act tough despite having no real power.

Once, after seeing how fiercely Su Cheng could fight, they’d even tried to cozy up to him. But he had no interest in playing along with such lowlifes.

All things considered, there were many reasons why he had no friends—

1. He was mentally older than his peers.

2. He refused to associate with petty bullies.

3. There was no one at school worth being friends with.

……

After returning to the welfare home after school, Su Cheng immediately plugged in his phone to charge.

This phone had been a luxury model designed for women a few years ago. But now, in the age of smartphones, it was an outdated relic, long discontinued.

Though it looked well-maintained, he guessed Gu Ruoxue had been using it for four or five years.

And it carried a faint, delicate fragrance—the same fresh, elegant scent that lingered around Gu Ruoxue.

Don’t believe him?

So—

Su Cheng, the shameless weirdo, lifted the phone to his nose and took a deep whiff.

“Wow, it really does smell amazing!”

He sighed in admiration, utterly enchanted. Since he’d already finished his homework during evening self-study, he had nothing else to do. So, he headed next door to Sister Xue’s place to play some games.

The kind you play on a knockoff console with cartridges.

As they played, they chatted.

“By the way, Sister Xue, have you ever thought about selling handmade crafts?”

Su Cheng fiddled with the game controller and tossed out the question casually.

“Selling handmade crafts?”

Sister Xue paused for a moment, then shook her head. “My skills aren’t good enough for that yet. I’ve been watching TV to learn about color mixing lately. I still have a long way to go.”

“Is that so? But I think you’re already really good.”

Su Cheng scratched his head before adding, “Then could you make some little keychain trinkets, like pandas or cats? I could sell them to my classmates.”

“No.”

Sister Xue refused without hesitation. “Focus on your studies. Don’t get distracted by things like this. You should spend more time on schoolwork, not trying to make money, understand?”

“Come on, it wouldn’t interfere with studying.”

Su Cheng pouted stubbornly. “Besides, we could sell them cheap. Wouldn’t this also help you gain experience?”

“I can make them,” Sister Xue said, setting down her controller with a serious expression. “But you’re not allowed to take money for them.”

Hearing this, Su Cheng nodded in agreement. Even if he couldn’t sell them for money, he could always lie and say he’d given them away—only for the classmates to insist on paying, even threatening him if he refused. Then he’d have no choice but to reluctantly accept the money and pass it to Sister Xue.

Seeing Su Cheng comply, Sister Xue finally smiled in satisfaction, and the two resumed their game.

……

Night, 9 PM.

Su Cheng returned to his room to sleep.

He had just finished washing his feet and was drying them when suddenly—the bed sank under an unseen weight, startling him so badly he nearly jumped.

Because—

The system notification that had been silent for two and a half days chimed again.

[Ding—]

[Side quest triggered.]

[Watching Over Each Other]

[Target: Gu Ruoxue]

[Coordinates: 1060M]

[System: Strive for your friend’s safety. Fight for your friend’s well-being. Stand by your friend’s side and face hardships together.]

[Reward: Unknown.]

[Penalty for failure: Unknown.]

……

Without a second thought, Su Cheng threw on his slippers and bolted toward the coordinates the system provided.

He ignored the questions from others at the welfare home, the endless stream of cars on the road, and the strange looks from passersby. When his slippers slowed him down, he kicked them off entirely, running barefoot toward the destination.

“Hey, what are you doing?!”

“Kid, stop! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”

"Come back here!"

Though he hadn't given much thought to the system task, the literal meaning alone told him that Gu Ruoxue was in danger. Without hesitation, he dashed forward, ignoring the scolding voices along the way—none of them could keep up with his sprint.

Even if he heard them, he didn’t care.

Because he had arrived!

It was the entrance of an alley.

A dim, deserted lane stretched ahead, shrouded in darkness.

Under the faint glow of a flickering yellow bulb, the narrow alley, barely two meters wide, was barely illuminated. From the far end, the distant barks of dogs and the pitiful mewls of a cat echoed faintly.

Su Cheng quickened his pace and soon reached the mouth of the alley.

But the moment he did, his expression froze.

The "perfect superhero" image he had of Gu Ruoxue in his mind instantly shattered.

There she was, deep in the alley, clutching a ginger tabby cat in her arms. Before her stood two stray dogs—one black, one white—their eyes locked onto the feline in her embrace.

The dogs inched closer, their interest unmistakable. With each step they took, Gu Ruoxue retreated in terror, her grip tightening around the feisty tabby that seemed eager to fight back.

Cornered, her face turned ghostly pale. Her eyes widened, her body trembled violently, and her entire frame stiffened as if she were desperately suppressing some deep-seated fear.

"Scram!"

A furious roar suddenly tore through the silence!

Su Cheng swept into the alley like a gust of wind, snatched up a nearby stick, and swung it at the two strays.

Caught off guard, the dogs yelped and bolted, tails tucked between their legs. But with Su Cheng blocking the exit, their only escape was past him.

So—

"DUANG—"

The faster one on the left took a solid hit to the head from the swinging stick, howled, and crumpled to the ground before scrambling back up and fleeing in panic.

Then, with perfect fairness, Su Cheng swung again—this time delivering a harsh wake-up call to the white dog on the right.

"DUANG—"

A crisp thud followed by another pained yelp.

Just like that, the battle was over. Su Cheng panted heavily, watching the two strays flee in disarray.

Meanwhile, Gu Ruoxue stood frozen in the alley, stunned by the sudden appearance of Su Cheng, who had dispatched the ferocious dogs like they were mere pests in a game of whack-a-mole. After a moment of stunned silence, she finally exhaled in relief, still clutching the tabby, and limped toward him.

"Th-thank you..."

"Don’t mention it. Just helping out."

Su Cheng waved it off casually.

But the next second, Gu Ruoxue tensed up again, her eyes darting nervously to a spot in the distance. One hand flailed awkwardly in the air as she stammered, "Su... d-dog... again..."

Her voice shook with unease, and before she could finish, she instinctively ducked behind Su Cheng.

"Huh?"

Protectively shielding her, Su Cheng followed her gaze and spotted another stray dog rummaging through a nearby trash can. Hearing the commotion, it paused and turned toward them.

Then—

Su Cheng simply raised the stick and feigned a swing.

The dog immediately tucked its tail and bolted.

Now, the air grew thick with awkward tension.

"You’re scared of dogs?"

Su Cheng broke the silence, curiosity lacing his tone.

He had expected something far more dangerous.

But it was just... dogs surrounding her.

Was this even a proper "hero saves the damsel" moment?

More like "hero scares off some strays."

The absurdity of it made him want to laugh.

"...Mm."

Gu Ruoxue lowered her head, embarrassment coloring her expression. She bit her lip, hesitating before murmuring in a small voice, "It’s not that I can’t handle them... I’m just... not very good with dogs."

Su Cheng didn’t press further. He figured she must have had some past trauma—maybe being chased or bitten—that left her with this fear.

Now calmer, Gu Ruoxue suddenly noticed Su Cheng’s bare feet and the thin clothes he wore.

More importantly, his soles were smeared with blood—clearly injured from running.

In that instant, she pieced it together: he must have triggered some side quest and rushed here to save her.

At the same time, Su Cheng realized the system task was complete. He also caught Gu Ruoxue staring at his feet, her eyes flickering with something complicated—concern, maybe? Like she wanted to say something...

Su Cheng—ALERT.

A bad feeling crept up.

"Uh, I’ve got stuff to do. I’ll head back first. You should rest too."

Without giving her a chance to respond, he turned and hurried off.

"W-wait—!"

Gu Ruoxue called after him, but it was too late.

Su Cheng’s figure vanished around the corner.

She sighed in frustration, lowering her head. Walking back like this would only worsen his injuries, but...

One hand still cradling the ginger tabby, the other pressed to her forehead, she muttered, "I’ll... talk to him properly tomorrow."

She had sensed Su Cheng’s discomfort and reluctance, so she dismissed the idea of treating his wounds herself.

………………………

Returning to the welfare home, he quickly fabricated a simple lie to explain his absence before retreating back into his room.

The system rewarded him with another ten thousand yuan.

But before he could fully savor the joy of this windfall, Su Cheng, sitting on the bed, belatedly registered the sharp pain radiating from the sole of his foot.

He glanced down to inspect it.

A small wound, likely from some sharp object, had broken the skin, with faint traces of blood seeping out.

Su Cheng found a bottle of disinfectant alcohol and began cleaning the wound. The moment the alcohol made contact, his brows furrowed as a sharp sting shot through him, forcing a pained grunt from his lips.

Yet, what surprised him even more was—

His charging phone suddenly lit up and vibrated. Without hesitation, he picked it up and saw that the call was from the hotel.

Gu Ruoxue was calling.

Sure enough, her voice came through the line, though her tone was uncharacteristically earnest and sincere: "Thank you for helping me today. I really caused you trouble."

"If anyone should be saying thanks, it’s me," Su Cheng replied, slightly embarrassed. "After all, I’m the one who’s always causing problems. Besides, friends helping each other out is just what friends do."

"Um…"

Gu Ruoxue fell silent for a moment, as if carefully choosing her words. But Su Cheng, disliking the awkward atmosphere, quickly lightened the mood with an exaggerated laugh. "And hey, I just completed a task and got a sweet reward—ten thousand yuan!"

"R-Really…?"

Her tone softened noticeably, shifting into a teasing, friendly banter. "So, how do you plan to spend that money?"

"First, treating a good friend to a fancy meal, of course!"

"And for yourself?"

"A simple rice bowl with toppings."

"That’s it?"

"Fine, I’ll splurge… double toppings!"

"Did you take care of your wound properly?"

Suddenly, Gu Ruoxue’s tone turned serious again as she asked.

"All taken care of. Just a minor scrape," Su Cheng replied cheerfully.

"Then get some rest early. We can talk more tomorrow at noon."

"Sure."

As the call ended, the smile on Su Cheng’s face gradually faded. He stared blankly at the phone screen, lost in thought.

A few minutes later, he plugged his phone back in to charge and lay down on the bed, closing his eyes in an attempt to sleep.

But no matter how he tossed and turned, sleep eluded him. Eventually, his mind wandered back to the image of Gu Ruoxue in the alley—panicked and flustered, her fingers trembling as she drew frantic circles in the air at the sight of the dog, moving so fast they almost blurred…

And yet, this same girl—afraid of heights and terrified of dogs—had risked her own safety to grab his arm and pull him up, even when it meant she might fall too.

In Su Cheng’s mind, she had always been defined by words like: intelligent, noble, aloof, diligent, exceptional, beautiful, independent, resolute, lonely, strong, and uncompromisingly perfect.

But today, she had seemed like any other girl—vulnerable, adorable, and utterly reliant on him, hiding behind him like a helpless soft-spoken girl.

How could he not be moved?

How could he possibly sleep peacefully after that?

The sheer contrast of her behavior struck him so deeply that he couldn’t help but murmur to himself, "Damn, that was kinda cute."