Judging People Solely by Their Apparel

Tuesday

Su Cheng stood in front of the mirror, carefully examining his reflection, dark circles evident under his eyes. His gaze was the same as usual—nothing out of the ordinary, aside from a slightly drowsy, distant look.

Yesterday, his senior Liu Qingyue had told him that his eyes had awakened a special ability, one capable of influencing people’s minds. The thought terrified him, making him fear he might unintentionally hurt others. After all, just yesterday, during archery practice, someone had accidentally met his gaze and fallen under its effect.

The memory of Coach Han Ya’s sudden warmth and affection toward him sent a shiver down his spine. He definitely didn’t want something like that to happen again.

But the bigger concern was archery—what if he slipped into that state again and someone looked into his eyes?

With a sigh, Su Cheng put on the specially designed glasses Liu Qingyue had given him. Once worn, his deep, dark eyes became obscured, hidden behind the lenses.

Already pale, delicate, and bookish in appearance, the glasses only amplified his unassuming demeanor, making him look even more like a timid, introverted nerd. His already modest attractiveness was now completely sealed away, rendering him utterly ordinary—just another face in the crowd.

"Not the most comfortable, but it’ll have to do."

Su Cheng adjusted the frames with his middle finger before stepping out of the bathroom to water the peonies.

Knock, knock, knock—

Right on cue, Liu Qingyue had arrived for breakfast.

Perfect timing—he had plenty more questions for her.

Opening the door—

"Quite the matching pair, aren’t we?"

Liu Qingyue looked him up and down, her tone teasing—or perhaps just blunt—as she remarked, "Height, build, facial features… so plain. Nothing about you stands out at all."

"Just come in," Su Cheng replied, unfazed, stepping aside to let her enter.

"Mhm."

With a quick shuffle of her feet, Liu Qingyue slipped off her shoes, revealing black thigh-high socks hugging her slender legs. As usual, she ignored the slippers and padded barefoot across the floor, the sound of her steps light and crisp.

"Senior, could you at least wear slippers?" Su Cheng frowned. "I didn’t mop today. The floor’s dirty."

"No."

Liu Qingyue dismissed him with a pout before cheerfully skipping toward the living room sofa.

Watching her retreating figure, Su Cheng shook his head helplessly and headed to the kitchen. "You’re impossible."

Liu Qingyue lounged on the sofa, propping her black-stockinged legs on the coffee table as she called out, "What’s for breakfast?"

"Bread and milk."

"How boring. That’s it?"

"Fine, I’ll fry some eggs too."

"Good. I want heart-shaped eggs with sausages."

Once breakfast was ready, the two sat at the table to eat.

After finishing his meal, Su Cheng wiped his mouth and set down his utensils. "Senior, there’s something I wanted to ask you."

"I don’t feel like talking," Liu Qingyue huffed, still sulking over the lack of heart-shaped eggs. Her tone was irritable. "I didn’t want something this greasy first thing in the morning."

With that, she pushed her plain fried egg toward Su Cheng’s plate.

"Fine, I’ll eat it." Resigned, Su Cheng took a bite before pressing on. "So… when exactly did this ability of mine awaken? And what triggered it?"

The question had plagued him all night. Cornelia had never mentioned anything about him possessing such a power, leaving him completely in the dark about its origins.

"You really want to know?" Liu Qingyue took a small bite of bread, sipped her milk, and chewed slowly before answering. "I’m still hungry. I want my heart-shaped egg!"

"Alright, alright." Su Cheng was used to her antics—especially when he needed something from her. Sighing, he returned to the kitchen to prepare the requested egg.

Liu Qingyue, meanwhile, didn’t sit idle. She stood up, snatched the half-eaten egg from Su Cheng’s plate, and took a bite.

Before long, Su Cheng returned with the freshly made heart-shaped egg and handed it to her. "Here. Your heart-shaped egg."

"Thanks, junior. This is my first time having one."

Pleased by his compliance, Liu Qingyue flashed a satisfied smile. As she leisurely ate, she finally answered his question. "Based on my and the young lady’s initial analysis, it was Cornelia’s departure that caused you pain. That intense emotion triggered a surge of special chak—er, I mean, it caused a sudden evolution in your brain."

"Wait, did you just say ‘chakra’?"

Su Cheng cut her off mid-sentence, then pointed at his now-empty plate. "And where’s the egg I was eating?"

"Ah, don’t get hung up on the details." Liu Qingyue took another bite before continuing. "The point is, Cornelia leaving is what awakened this ability in you!"

Though something still felt off, Su Cheng had suspected as much. Hearing it confirmed brought some clarity—his power was indeed tied to Cornelia’s departure.

But that raised another question…

Su Cheng hesitated before asking, "Then… are there many others with abilities like this?"

Given how many people experienced loss and separation, if this was truly the trigger, wouldn’t countless others awaken similar powers every day? The thought worried him.

"Junior, as far as I know, you’re the only one." Liu Qingyue’s expression suddenly turned serious as she finished her egg.

"What?" Su Cheng’s eyes widened in shock.

"I said your ability is one of a kind!" Liu Qingyue met his gaze firmly. "Others might have powers that instill fear or dread, but nothing as extraordinary as yours."

"But why is that?"

Su Cheng still couldn’t make sense of it.

"Because…" Liu Qingyue paused, tapping her chin in thought before offering her theory. "It might be tied to you being a transmigrator. That identity is unique to you, so it makes sense your ability would be too. Logical, right?"

The moment she said it, everything clicked for Su Cheng.

Of course!

Why hadn’t he realized it sooner?

Transmigrators defied conventional logic.

"Still, there’s something I need to warn you about."

Liu Qingyue’s tone darkened as she sighed. "While your eyes—this mirror of the soul—have made you stronger, those who awaken powers tied to intense emotions often succumb to darkness, falling into depravity. The deeper the emotions, the stronger the Mangekyō Sharingan’s—"

"Hold on—Mangekyō Sharingan?!"

Su Cheng shot to his feet, cutting her off. He couldn’t hold back any longer. "Are you seriously quoting Naruto’s Wikipedia page at me right now?!"

"Hehe, you caught me."

……………………

Inside Flame City Private School.

When Su Cheng stepped onto the campus wearing glasses, even Hoshino Mirai at the gate didn’t recognize him. With his glasses on, he seemed completely obscured, treated as just another passerby.

"Hey, classmate, are you in the wrong classroom?" Just as Su Cheng was about to enter the classroom, a girl’s voice called out from behind him, making him stop in his tracks.

Su Cheng turned around and saw Zhao Yan, with a long, straight black-haired girl beside her—apparently named Xuan Ying.

But when he saw Zhao Yan’s golden hair, he couldn’t help but think of Cornelia, and a shadow of melancholy passed through his heart.

"Classmate Zhao, thank you very much for your card. I’m Su Cheng," he explained with his head slightly lowered, his tone filled with gratitude.

"Huh?" Hearing this, Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying exchanged surprised glances—clearly, neither had recognized him as Su Cheng.

"No, on the contrary, I regret not being able to visit you over the weekend due to urgent matters," Zhao Yan replied politely, then added with concern, "How’s your recovery going?"

"Thank you for asking. I’m almost fully recovered."

"That’s good to hear." Zhao Yan nodded courteously, then apologized, "Sorry, I didn’t recognize you at first."

"By the way, has anyone ever told you that you look really plain with glasses on?"

Xuan Ying couldn’t resist interjecting, scrutinizing Su Cheng bluntly. "You used to look quite refined and scholarly, but now you just radiate this… uncool vibe—"

"Xuan Ying!"

Before she could finish, someone interrupted. The voice came from behind the trio. They turned to see a girl with braided pigtails, pushing up her glasses with her middle finger, the lenses glinting oddly. She lowered her head and said in a deep voice, "It seems you have quite the prejudice against people who wear glasses?"

"Xuan Ying, stop talking nonsense!" Zhao Yan quickly cut her off, then forced an awkward smile at Su Cheng. "Uh… please don’t mind her. She’s just… very straightforward."

"You two actually make a good pair."

Xuan Ying stuck out her tongue, only to be swiftly dragged away by an apologetic Zhao Yan.

Watching them leave, Su Cheng shook his head at Xu Tianyi beside him and said gratefully, "Classmate Xu, thank you so much for visiting me over the weekend. I don’t know how to repay you."

"It’s nothing. I was just representing the class," Xu Tianyi replied, shaking her head as she looked at Su Cheng. "Don’t overthink it. Congratulations on your discharge, by the way."

"Thank you. I have something for you." Su Cheng immediately began rummaging through his backpack, explaining, "I brought my notes and problem-solving journals. I thought you might be interested, so I took the liberty of bringing them."

Hearing this, Xu Tianyi’s eyes instantly lit up, and a look of delight flashed across her face. But the next second, as if remembering to maintain her composure, she adjusted her glasses and calmly refused, "N-no… that’s unnecessary… I appreciate the thought, but—"

"They’re no use to me anyway." With that, Su Cheng shoved the notebooks into Xu Tianyi’s hands.

Feeling the weight in her hands, Xu Tianyi hesitated for a moment before firmly accepting them. "Since you insist, I’ll take them."

Then, with light steps, she carried the notebooks into the classroom, sitting down and eagerly flipping through them, engrossed in reading.

…………………………

During the first class, Su Cheng stood at the podium to express his gratitude to the teachers and classmates for their concern. Though most students seemed indifferent, Su Cheng still felt their goodwill and was deeply moved.

Especially toward Li Guanqi, sitting in the corner.

She had even personally visited him.

Thinking of this, he glanced in her direction.

Li Guanqi sat upright in her seat, her demeanor serene and composed, exuding an air of grace and elegance.

How should he thank her?

Su Cheng stared at her absentmindedly, unconsciously mulling over the question.

But as if sensing his gaze, Li Guanqi suddenly turned her head and met his eyes. Their gazes locked in the air, and Su Cheng awkwardly looked away.

Eventually, his attention shifted to Xu Tianyi. He thought—the two of them seemed quite familiar, even sharing a similar temperament. They must be friends, right?

So, after the first class ended,

he approached Xu Tianyi’s desk.

Xu Tianyi was copying notes, clearly absorbed in the task. Su Cheng hesitated to interrupt.

But in truth, Xu Tianyi had already noticed his presence. She stopped writing, tidied her desk, and stood up as if nothing had happened—only to turn around and feign surprise upon "discovering" Su Cheng. "Is something the matter?" she asked, sounding puzzled.

"There’s something I’d like to ask you," Su Cheng fumbled at first but quickly regained his composure. "It’s about Classmate Li Guanqi."

Unexpectedly—

"About me?"

A calm yet curious voice sounded from behind, making Su Cheng freeze. He turned to see Li Guanqi standing barely half a meter away, as if she had appeared out of nowhere.

"In that case, I’ll leave you two to talk."

Xu Tianyi tactfully vacated her seat.

Now Su Cheng was truly flustered.

He looked at Li Guanqi, unsure how to begin.

Li Guanqi tilted her head slightly and made a soft, inquisitive sound: "Hmm?"

"Let’s talk somewhere else," Su Cheng blurted out nervously, leading the way out of the classroom. Li Guanqi followed, and the two stepped outside.

"I didn’t know how to thank you, so I wanted to ask Classmate Xu about your preferences. I know it might be a bit presumptuous, and I hope you don’t mind—" Su Cheng hurriedly explained his earlier actions, but before he could finish, Li Guanqi cut him off.

"I like sweets and books," she stated matter-of-factly, her gaze earnest.

"Sweets… and books."

Su Cheng repeated the words under his breath, momentarily dazed.

"Mm." Hearing his muttering, Li Guanqi nodded in confirmation.

"Got it. What kind of books do you like?" Su Cheng asked immediately, then elaborated, "I have a lot at home, and I often visit the library. I could help you find some. Any particular genre?"

"But… sweets come first."

Li Guanqi gently reminded him.

"Is that… a book title?"

Su Cheng didn’t quite follow.

"I mean I prefer sweets!"

Li Guanqi emphasized the point again.