Hearts Can't Read Each Other

"I might as well claim I'm the reincarnation of Qin Shi Huang. Just give me five hundred bucks, and when I ascend the throne, I'll grant you an official position."

Su Cheng listened as the golden-haired girl before him launched into yet another absurd monologue. He rubbed his temples in exasperation, barely suppressing his irritation as he retorted, "Do you actually believe that?"

To his astonishment, the girl nodded earnestly, pulling out her wallet and retrieving a stack of bills. With utmost seriousness, she extended the money toward him and declared, "Here. I want to be empress."

For a long moment, the air hung heavy with silence. Su Cheng's lips twitched at the sight of the cash in her hand, and he swallowed back the furious words threatening to spill out.

But he couldn't hold back.

"Are you out of your mind?!"

He smacked her outstretched hand away and snapped, "Evidence! Proof that you're a reincarnator! I'm not playing make-believe with you!"

"Ow—!"

The golden-haired girl pouted, rubbing her slightly reddened knuckles as she whined, "But you were the one who asked if I believed you!"

"If you don't have proof, get out!" Su Cheng shot her a frosty glare and pointed decisively toward the door.

At this point, he was convinced she was just here to mess with him. Clearly, he'd never understand the whims of the wealthy—or their bizarre thought processes.

Today alone, he'd been toyed with twice—first by that twin-tailed golden-haired girl at the opening ceremony, then by the brunette. And now, this long-haired blonde had shown up at his doorstep.

He pressed a hand to his forehead. It was only the first day of school. If this kept up, he'd lose his mind. He needed to toughen up—fast.

These privileged brats were nothing but sadistic troublemakers!

Wait… golden hair?

Suddenly, Su Cheng realized something. He mentally compared the girl from the opening ceremony to the one standing before him now.

To his shock, their builds were nearly identical.

The suspicion took root like spring rain, spreading rapidly until he was certain—they had to be the same person.

Or twins?

"Hey…"

Su Cheng ventured cautiously, "Were you the one at the opening ceremony today?"

Cornelia's eyes narrowed warily. She shook her head—then nodded, neither confirming nor denying.

Seeing this—

"Why won't you just leave me alone?!"

Su Cheng finally exploded. Messing with him at school was bad enough, but tracking him down at home? Unforgivable! If he let this slide, he'd be a disgrace to transmigrators everywhere!

"Waaah—!"

Cornelia flinched at his outburst, scrambling backward with tears welling in her eyes. Clutching her chest, she wailed, "Because you were supposed to confess to me at the opening ceremony today! But you didn’t… I got so worked up, I just had to ask why…"

"And now you're yelling at me?! Waaah—!"

She burst into full-blown sobs, rubbing her eyes furiously. "I mustered up all my courage to tell you everything… If you don’t believe me, fine! But you didn’t have to be so mean!"

"Confess to you?! No way!"

Su Cheng found the idea utterly ridiculous.

He knew himself too well—he’d never confess to someone like her.

No, scratch that. He wasn’t even in a position to date anyone.

Love? Not even dogs would bother with that.

Who in their right mind would romance someone after transmigrating?

And even if he did, he’d never choose such a public setting as the opening ceremony!

Unless he’d lost his mind.

"But you did confess to me!!!"

Cornelia’s voice was raw with anguish, brimming with accusation. "And now that I’ve come back, you didn’t… Do you know how heartbroken I am?!"

"‘Come back’? Again with this reincarnation nonsense…"

Su Cheng’s expression darkened, fury simmering beneath the surface. His jaw clenched as he hissed, "I’ve been asking you this whole time, and all you do is ramble. Can’t you just give me proof?!"

The words seemed to strike a nerve. Cornelia’s eyes welled up instantly, fat tears rolling down her cheeks as she sniffled defiantly. "You want proof? Fine, I’ll give you proof!"

She wiped her face roughly, then reached into her skirt and pulled out a stack of papers, thrusting them at Su Cheng. "Here. I wrote it all down in advance."

Su Cheng eyed the documents skeptically, his confusion only deepening. Wouldn’t it be easier to just say it out loud?

And why was she crying so dramatically?

Was she some kind of method actor?!

He’d already witnessed her theatrics at the opening ceremony, so this wasn’t surprising. The real mystery was—why him?

Couldn’t she have picked someone else?

There were ten special admissions this year. What about him had caught her attention?

Was it because he’d glanced at her during the ceremony?

That was downright psychotic.

He recalled his classmate’s warning yesterday while touring the archery range: "Don’t even look in the direction of the Ji family’s young miss."

At the time, he’d thought it an exaggeration. Now, he was living it firsthand.

With a sigh, Su Cheng flipped through the papers—and froze.

His breath hitched. His pupils trembled. His face flushed crimson before draining of all color, leaving him pale with dread.

Every detail was there—his gaming ID, his chat account (672351716), the layout of his apartment and orphanage room, even the people closest to him in his hometown. Each line sent a jolt of terror through him.

Yet none of it proved she was a reincarnator.

On the contrary, all of this could be dug up with enough resources—and some entries were outright fabrications. Like the orphanage undergoing renovations, or "Sister Xue" getting prosthetic limbs to mold clay figures…

Not a single thing confirmed her claims. Worse, she called herself his wife yet knew shockingly little about him—as if they were strangers!

How could he not be terrified?

This was a threat.

These were the results of her investigation.

She’d dug up everything about his home life.

Was this her way of saying she could target the orphanage anytime she pleased?

All this, in just one morning? How had she even gathered intel from miles away?

Was this some kind of power flex?

No wonder she’d dared to barge into his home alone.

Su Cheng’s pulse raced, his body trembling uncontrollably as panic set in. In his helplessness, an image flashed through his mind—the back of the student council president, walking away.

A faint glimmer of hope inexplicably rose in his heart—perhaps, given the current situation, she could help him?

But the problem was, that would have to wait until school tomorrow. Right now, in this predicament…

Su Cheng’s thoughts swirled endlessly, and though his expression gradually smoothed into calmness, a trace of solemnity lingered between his brows. He stole glances at Cornelia, noticing her tense yet expectant expression, as if she were eagerly awaiting his response.

Could she really think this would make me believe her?

That there’s no ulterior motive here?

But… in this situation, whether she was acting or genuinely sincere, after weighing the pros and cons, he decided the safest course of action was to humor this golden-haired girl for now.

At the very least, any schemes would be directed at him alone, sparing those close to him.

With that in mind, Su Cheng cleared his throat and fixed Cornelia with a deliberately stern gaze, enunciating each word as he asked, "You’re really a reincarnator?"

Cornelia nearly jumped for joy at his question. She nodded emphatically, thumping her chest with conviction as she declared, "Yes!"

Truthfully, the reason she’d resorted to written proof was her fear of slipping up during a face-to-face conversation—after all, the whole "future wife" bit was something she’d made up on the spot.

"Fine, I believe you. But…"

Su Cheng deliberately paused for a second before continuing slowly, "I need time to process this. You should head back first—I’d like some time alone."

"No!"

Cornelia shook her head firmly, her sapphire-blue eyes widening as she stared at him with unwavering determination. "I can’t leave! I promised to take care of your daily needs!"

"But between the reincarnation and the whole ‘future wife’ thing… I seriously need time to wrap my head around it," Su Cheng replied awkwardly. "Even if you have evidence, to me, you’re still practically a stranger. I don’t know how to face you right now."

All he wanted was to coax her into leaving so he could contact his teacher in private and ask for the student council’s contact information. That seemed like the only viable option at the moment.

"I guess you’re right."

Cornelia tilted her head in thought before suddenly brightening. "Then how about this—let’s go shopping! We can pick up some ingredients, and I’ll cook for you tonight!"

Hearing this, Su Cheng sighed inwardly. Looks like she’s not budging…

But why had she fixated on him in the first place? He remained skeptical. After all, going to such lengths just because he’d glanced at her once seemed absurd—unless there was some hidden reason behind it!

"If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a yes!"

While he was lost in thought, Cornelia sprang to her feet, waving excitedly. "Off to the shops we go~"

"…Fine."

Seeing no way out, Su Cheng reluctantly played along.

About fifteen minutes later, the two found themselves on a bustling street.

The entire way, Cornelia chattered cheerfully about all sorts of amusing future events.

Yet none of her stories held up under scrutiny—like how he’d supposedly become a "nationwide heartthrob" just by eating properly every day.

Ridiculous.

A heartthrob?

Nationwide?!

When he pressed her on why he’d become so famous, she stammered incoherently before abruptly changing the subject, insisting he mustn’t join any clubs and should come straight home after school.

Su Cheng was baffled but agreed anyway, noting how strangely adamant she was about keeping him out of extracurriculars.

Maybe there’s someone in the clubs she’s wary of?

He filed that observation away for later.

Throughout the walk, Su Cheng half-listened to her while puzzling over her motives. Why approach him under the guise of being a reincarnator? What was her end goal? Could she really just be playing some bizarre caretaker role?

The questions swirled in his mind without answers.

Meanwhile, Cornelia led him into a department store, dragging him eagerly from one section to another.

"I want these shoes!!"

She halted abruptly in front of a pair of pink slippers, pointing at them with the delight of reuniting with a long-lost love.

Though confused, Su Cheng tossed them into the shopping basket and followed as she continued browsing.

Next came an assortment of premium ingredients, fruits, and other luxury items.

She even tried picking out several high-end outfits for him, prompting him to flatly refuse.

"Aw, fine. Let’s head back then."

Cornelia pouted in disappointment but didn’t push further.

Now, however, a new problem arose—the overflowing cart of goods. Was he expected to pay?

Judging by how everything seemed to be for his sake, the thought of footing the bill terrified him. This would bankrupt him!

A quick mental tally put the total well into four figures, with just the meat alone costing hundreds.

At the checkout counter—

"Here’s my wallet."

Cornelia pulled a bulging little purse from her pocket and handed it to him before darting outside to wait.

Relieved yet even more perplexed, Su Cheng warily approached the cashier, paid with her money, and emerged carrying the bags.

Cornelia sat outside, swinging her black-stockinged legs. Spotting him, she hopped up and immediately took some of the bags from him.

"Thanks for your hard work~"

She beamed, adopting the demeanor of a doting girlfriend as she helped carry the load.

"Your wallet."

Su Cheng held it out, but Cornelia shook her head, adopting an oddly mature tone. "We’re practically an old married couple—you keep it. I don’t need it anyway."

He barely suppressed a wince. She looked like a grade-schooler, yet she was spouting lines about being "an old married couple"?

The absurdity was almost too much to bear.

Still, he firmly shoved the wallet back into her hands, and the two headed toward the apartment.

"Oh, one more thing."

Cornelia suddenly spoke up. "Stop by the convenience store and grab a pack of red cigarettes—the ones called Hua-something."

"I don’t smoke."

Su Cheng shot her a puzzled glance. "Do you?"

Just picturing her with a cigarette between her lips made his eyes ache.

"Ahem, don’t get the wrong idea!"

Cornelia coughed awkwardly before hastily explaining, "They’re for Big Yellow."

"Big Yellow?"

Su Cheng blinked. "No offense, but isn’t that a weird way to refer to someone?"

"Huh? You don’t know Big Yellow?"

Cornelia widened her beautiful eyes in surprise, staring at him with an incredulous expression before suddenly seeming to realize something. "Oh, right, you haven’t recognized it yet. It’s actually your fellow townsman."

"What? My fellow townsman?!"

At that moment, Su Cheng could no longer keep his composure. His mind raced with the assumption that she had kidnapped someone from his hometown to use as leverage against him.

"Yep."

Cornelia nodded with exaggerated seriousness. "Da Huang’s breed is the noble Changbai Mountain Golden-Browed Pastoral Dog."

Su Cheng: "…"

Are you freaking kidding me?!

Is it a person, a tiger, or a dog?

That brain-melting breed name…

Who do you think you’re fooling?

"Ah, maybe you just haven’t recognized him yet. I’ll take you to see him in a bit, and then you’ll understand."

Without waiting for his response, Cornelia pushed him toward the nearest convenience store. Soon, the two returned with a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

Su Cheng followed her uneasily to the park, his mind spinning with thoughts of how he should beg her to spare his poor, unfortunate "fellow townsman."

But then—

"This is what you call my fellow townsman?"

Staring at the large golden retriever Cornelia was pointing at, Su Cheng’s brain short-circuited. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry—so it really was just a dog?

How the hell did she even conclude that this dog was his fellow townsman?

Wait. This dog… smokes?

And it smokes such high-end stuff?

What kind of lunacy is this?!

"Recognize him now?"

Seeing Su Cheng frozen in shock, Cornelia urged impatiently, "Go on, let him give you some face."