One difficulty after another

As always, the serene young girl stood by the corridor's outer edge, her slender legs encased in black tights, feet clad in flat black leather shoes. She exuded an air of quiet elegance, like an orchid untouched by the world.

To describe her, phrases like "graceful as a flower reflected in water" or "moving like a willow caressed by the wind"—words that evoke the essence of a literary maiden—fit her perfectly.

What does love feel like?

He didn’t know.

But a peculiar sensation rose in his chest.

Just like last time on the lawn, that strange feeling swept through him again, even more intensely than before.

Yet, unfortunately, he could never allow himself to love someone.

Because it would only hurt himself and others.

Love?

Not even dogs would bother with it.

Unrequited feelings had to be snuffed out, not indulged—otherwise, they’d only lead to pain and disappointment.

Besides, the girl before him was far too enigmatic. She had been right beside him, yet he hadn’t even noticed her presence!

It was almost ghostly, sending a chill down his spine.

『A mysterious girl akin to a spirit』

A character like her, brimming with individuality and charm, would undoubtedly be the so-called heroine in any story.

Of course.

The most crucial detail was the black-and-gold ring on her ring finger.

Everything about her screamed at him to stay away.

But because she had helped him before, he found himself torn between wariness and gratitude.

"Thanks for the reminder."

After a brief moment of daze, Su Cheng quickly snapped back to reality, his voice filled with sincere appreciation. "About last time—thank you so much. If there’s anything I can do for you, just say the word."

He wasn’t skilled at talking to girls, so he could only express his gratitude by bringing up the past incident, not daring to casually strike up a conversation or get too familiar.

Of course, if she ever needed his help, he’d step up without hesitation.

But realistically, she’d never need anything from him. So after saying this, all he had to do was keep his distance.

"No need for gratitude. I helped you because we’re classmates."

"I understand."

"Mhm."

Her tone remained indifferent as she responded softly, then lifted her gaze toward the distance, as if someone had called her name. With that, she turned to leave.

"Wait, I still don’t know your name."

Su Cheng scratched his head awkwardly.

"Li Guanqi."

She didn’t stop walking, merely tossing the name over her shoulder in the same detached tone before disappearing into the classroom.

"Li Guanqi…?"

Su Cheng stared blankly at her retreating figure, repeating the name under his breath, an inexplicable emotion stirring within him.

She really was like a refined young lady from an aristocratic family—even her name carried an air of poetic elegance.

"Did I forget something?"

As Su Cheng walked toward the classroom, he mentally retraced his thoughts, suddenly realizing he’d completely overlooked the fact that Senior Liu had lied to him—and why the school administration didn’t know about his condition?

So—

Why had Senior Liu deceived him?

No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn’t figure it out. The only explanation he could come up with was that Senior Liu had some twisted sense of humor and had simply been messing with him.

While Su Cheng was lost in thought, Li Guanqi, seated in the corner, subconsciously turned her gaze toward him.

She watched him for a few seconds before calmly looking away.

Yet a single thought surfaced in her mind:

『Why do I feel so drawn to him?』

Li Guanqi frowned, her lowered eyes clouded with contemplation.

Was it because he was sickly, and she pitied him?

Out of humanitarian concern?

That was possible—but something still felt off.

Ever since this spatial ring had appeared on her finger, she’d found herself inexplicably fixated on this new student. Her thoughts became restless, and today, just seeing him had unsettled her emotions in a way she couldn’t explain.

Though she’d learned about the ring’s abilities yesterday, she still had no clue about its origins or any related information. There was no way to determine where it had come from…

"Unless…"

Suddenly, a possibility struck her, and she turned her gaze back to Su Cheng, her eyes sharpening with realization.

Both the ring and Su Cheng shared one thing in common—they both stirred something within her, disrupting her usual composure.

It was a stretch, but…

Not entirely impossible.

Then—

She felt a vibration against her skirt. Normally, she’d never check messages during class, and no one would message her at this hour.

Unsurprisingly, it was Liu Qingyue from the Ji family.

Yesterday, the two of them had tried every method they could think of to test the ring’s functions and effects, hoping to uncover some answers. But in the end, all their attempts had failed. The only remaining option was to see what would happen if both rings were brought together.

This was their last resort—the only possible way to find a solution.

And so, Li Guanqi found herself eager to try it.

After class—

Just as expected, it was indeed Liu Qingyue.

Liu Qingyue: "If you’re free at noon, come to the Archery Club."

Li Guanqi: "Alright."

The moment she sent the reply, an ominous feeling settled over her.

She hadn’t told her cousin about the ring.

Only three people knew—herself and the master-servant pair of the Ji family.

Though the Ji family wouldn’t do anything to her, she couldn’t shake off the unease creeping into her heart.

She had a feeling they might try something. And the more she dwelled on it, the stronger her foreboding grew.

The ring’s value was undeniable.

If the Ji family truly had designs on it… what would become of her?

The thought alone made Li Guanqi’s mood plummet. If she didn’t go, she’d never uncover the ring’s secrets. But since it was already bound to her, she had to resolve this issue—she couldn’t just wear it forever.

"I should consult my sister first."

Having made up her mind, Li Guanqi decided to seek out her sister at noon and then head to the Archery Club together.

After all, two against two was the only fair way to handle this.

………………………………

"Su Cheng!!"

The moment the second class ended, a petite, brown-haired girl burst into the classroom.

Her sudden shout silenced the entire room, all eyes turning toward the door in surprise.

Su Cheng frowned.

He recognized her—the girl who’d treated him like a criminal yesterday.

But before he could react, she stormed straight toward him, completely ignoring the stares around them, grabbed his collar, and demanded:

"Why isn’t Cornelia in class today?"

The entire class was stunned.

Su Cheng, especially, was caught off guard by her abrupt aggression. He instinctively pulled free from her grip, straightening his wrinkled shirt before retorting irritably:

"Go ask her yourself. Why are you asking me?"

"She won't even reply to my messages—where am I supposed to find her?!" The girl completely ignored his resistance, glaring at him as she pressed further, "What exactly happened to Cornelia!?"

"Senior Ailiya, is something wrong?"

Li Wen, the class monitor, quickly rushed over and stood beside the girl, attempting to mediate. "Senior, whatever it is, we can explain. Please don’t get worked up. Stay calm, sit down, and let’s talk this through properly."

"None of your business!" Ailiya’s expression remained dark as she impatiently pushed Li Wen aside, her gaze locked onto Su Cheng. "What did you do to Cornelia!?"

"Excuse me, senior, but could you at least speak politely to our classmate?"

Suddenly, one of their classmates couldn’t hold back anymore—a golden-haired girl with an air of mature elegance, clearly displeased, reprimanded Ailiya.

Su Cheng recalled that she was the class’s disciplinary committee member.

As soon as she spoke, the rest of the class chimed in with agreement.

"That’s right, senior. If there’s a misunderstanding, let’s clear it up properly. No need to damage the friendship between schoolmates."

"Yeah, yeah, senior, you can take your time explaining. No need to be so aggressive… You’re scaring people."

"……"

The more she heard from the surrounding voices, the uglier Ailiya’s expression became. She turned and glared furiously at the classmates before finally locking eyes with Su Cheng again, still demanding harshly, "What did you do to Cornelia!?"

Her attitude was downright hostile, even bordering on unreasonable. But Su Cheng remained composed, straightening the collar of his only expensive shirt before responding calmly, "I told you—ask her, not me. I don’t know."

He had originally hoped to stay under the radar in class, but now he was the center of attention. Worse, he could sense the shift in his classmates’ gazes—each of them now looking at him with mixed expressions, undoubtedly forming their own assumptions.

He had barely managed to scrape through the opening ceremony, and now, on just the second day of school, trouble was already knocking at his door.

His mood was indescribable—utterly miserable.

So, he simply leaned back in his seat, adopting an expression of complete resignation, as if silently telling her to do whatever she wanted.

What else could he do?

Argue with her?

Throw a punch?

Or reveal Cornelia’s reincarnation to everyone?

None of those were options.

He was just a nobody with no backing—how could he do something so reckless, something that would drag others into the mess?

So, he chose to swallow his frustration.

But then came the question—what about the injustice he was suffering?

Simple.

Go home, sulk, and let Cornelia figure it out herself.

His ridiculous reaction, however, amused some of their classmates, causing a few girls to burst into laughter.

The boys, on the other hand, looked exasperated. Now they understood why he was being confronted.

With an attitude like that, who wouldn’t be furious?

Sure enough, Ailiya was nearly at her breaking point. She grabbed his collar again, shouting, "What the hell did you do to Cornelia!?"

Perhaps because he had already endured frustration on the bus that morning, or maybe because he was determined to keep Cornelia’s reincarnation a secret, Su Cheng found himself oddly resilient this time—his blood pressure didn’t spike at all.

So, instead of panicking or getting angry, he simply retorted, "I don’t know. Are you deaf?"

"You—!"

Ailiya was momentarily stunned, but with others holding her back, she couldn’t do anything to Su Cheng. All she could do was glare at him hatefully.

And yet, Su Cheng remained completely unfazed, like a dead pig that wasn’t afraid of boiling water.

"Hey, what exactly did you do to piss her off?"

A boy from the back row couldn’t resist his curiosity and poked Su Cheng’s back to ask.

Hearing this, Su Cheng glanced around and noticed the entire class watching him with curiosity and confusion.

Since his classmates had already spoken up for him earlier, he didn’t act cold this time. Instead, he gave them a grateful look before explaining, "Remember that golden-haired senior who asked me to do an improv performance yesterday?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"I was there too."

The classmates nodded in realization.

Su Cheng sighed, rubbing his temples as if nursing a headache, and continued, "Well, this senior seems to have taken it way too seriously. Since that golden-haired senior didn’t come to class today, she thinks I must’ve done something to cause it…"

"He’s the most suspicious one! Cornelia was perfectly fine before, but after meeting him, she’s been acting strange. Who else am I supposed to blame?!" Ailiya cut in angrily.

Just as the two were locked in a glaring contest, the sound of footsteps came from the classroom door.

Li Guanqi walked in, accompanied by a black-haired girl with long, straight hair—a prominent "Disciplinary Committee Member" badge pinned to her shoulder.

"Ailiya, what are you doing in a first-year classroom?" The girl frowned as she entered, but when she noticed the tense standoff between Ailiya and Su Cheng, her expression darkened. She quickly stepped between them.

Her almond-shaped eyes filled with concern as she looked at Ailiya. "Ailiya, didn’t the student council president just reprimand you yesterday? It’s only the second day of school—please don’t disrupt the school’s order again."

Her tone was firm, clearly intending to remove Ailiya from the classroom before things escalated.

"Hoshino, mind your own business!"

But Ailiya wasn’t having any of it. She scoffed, shaking off Hoshino’s hand, and snapped back, "This is a private matter between me and him. Stay out of it!"

Her attitude made the Disciplinary Committee Member’s brows furrow, her face turning stern.

She fixed Ailiya with a serious glare. "Ailiya, show some respect. Otherwise, I’ll have to document this and report it to the student council."

"You wouldn’t dare!"