For This the Desire in My Heart I Cherish

"What kind of dragon king plot is this?"

"Why is my mouth twisting on its own?"

Su Cheng, standing at the center of it all, couldn't help but inwardly mock the clichéd tropes of web novels. Deep down, he was utterly resistant—even repulsed—by the situation, yet the circumstances left him no choice.

Waiting for President Ji to arrive would certainly clear up the misunderstanding, and those who had misjudged him would feel remorse or even embarrassment. But at the same time, their relationship would be exposed, inevitably leading to a storm of gossip. He’d have to endure the pressure of public scrutiny—an outcome he absolutely did not want.

Most crucially, there was President Ji’s domineering personality…

At this thought, he reached into his pocket and touched the silk fabric inside.

It was a gift from Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying.

Considering that, being misunderstood seemed like the lesser evil.

In the span of a fleeting thought, he sighed and decisively turned to the two girls. "About my relationship with President Ji… please keep it a secret for me. I’m counting on you."

After saying this, he immediately headed toward President Ji’s car at a brisk pace, clearly having made up his mind.

Xu Tianyi and Li Guanqi, momentarily stunned, exchanged glances, both seeing surprise and confusion in each other’s eyes.

He could have resolved the misunderstanding, yet he chose to run away.

"What a contradictory man," Xu Tianyi chuckled softly before her expression turned solemn again, falling silent.

Li Guanqi frowned thoughtfully. "If you think about it, his choice is actually quite rational and justified."

"Right. Not wanting to expose their relationship is probably only part of the reason," Xu Tianyi nodded. "Or maybe… he’d rather suffer the misunderstanding than let his classmates feel guilty or burdened?"

"I think he just understands President Ji’s temperament and doesn’t want things to escalate into something worse."

Li Guanqi shook her head. "Whatever the reason, his approach isn’t praiseworthy—because in the end, he’s still the one getting hurt."

"Isn’t that just who he is?"

Xu Tianyi neither agreed nor disagreed, instead offering her own perspective. "When Ma Xi charged at us earlier, he shielded us without hesitation. His actions might’ve been clumsy, but they were undeniably admirable."

"Clumsy?"

Hearing this, a contemplative gleam flickered in Li Guanqi’s eyes. "True. Even if we help him hide it, their relationship will come to light eventually. The fallout won’t change much whether it happens sooner or later. Avoiding it now is pointless."

As she spoke, she glanced toward Zhao Yan and the others, who were now approaching from a distance, a trace of concern flashing in her eyes.

"It all happened too suddenly—he didn’t have time to think deeply," Xu Tianyi murmured. "But since he’s made his choice, we should respect it."

"Yeah…"

Li Guanqi nodded, and the two turned their gazes toward the distant Ji family car. They watched as Su Cheng intercepted it, seemingly saying something to the occupants before the vehicle turned around and slowly retreated the way it had come.

Meanwhile, Su Cheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked alone toward the school building, his solitary figure exuding an air of melancholy.

"Where’s Su Cheng?"

"Why did he run off?"

Just then, Zhao Yan and the others finally arrived on the scene, staring in bewilderment at Su Cheng’s retreating back.

"We looked into the horse’s records," Wang Guancong explained from the side. "That horse belongs to President Ji. She personally selected and trained it not long ago, and it’s been kept at the stables ever since. She even deleted all its previous records."

"So it’s possible Su Cheng had contact with the horse before President Ji took it in, which led to this whole mess," Gao Ye added, analyzing further. "We can’t rule out that this was all orchestrated by Su Cheng. But another possibility is that he stepped forward because he knew the horse wouldn’t attack him."

So it really was President Ji’s horse…

Xu Tianyi felt a flicker of understanding upon hearing this.

"At the end of the day, you’re just saying the same thing," Xu Tianyi shook her head. Su Cheng had denied knowing the horse, which in their eyes meant he’d already lied.

Did anything else even matter?

"Still, I’m curious."

Li Guanqi, however, turned directly to Zhao Yan, her tone serious and probing, as if seeking confirmation. "Do you think the same way?"

Back then, Su Cheng had tried to shield Zhao Yan with his own body when the horse charged. Though it hadn’t come to that, the moment had been unforgettable—Su Cheng’s eyes blazing with determination, his stance fearless, as if ready to die.

If that was all an act, he deserved an Oscar.

"Me?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yan instinctively took a step back, her usual composure gone. Her face was pale, her voice tinged with unease. "I… I…"

"Try recalling what happened at the time," Xu Tianyi gently prompted.

Under everyone’s expectant gazes, Zhao Yan’s agitation only grew. She lowered her head, sinking into brief silence.

"Enough!"

Xuan Ying, unable to bear it any longer, stepped in front of Zhao Yan protectively, glaring at Xu Tianyi and Li Guanqi with barely suppressed anger. "What’s wrong with you? She’s the victim here—why are you pressuring her?!"

The two girls didn’t respond, their eyes still fixed on Zhao Yan, waiting for her answer.

Head bowed, Zhao Yan bit her lip and followed Xu Tianyi’s suggestion, replaying the scene in her mind.

Back then…

Su Cheng had first reached out to pull her aside. Then, when the horse changed course and barreled toward her again, she’d been ready to shut her eyes in despair—only for Su Cheng to suddenly shove her behind him and face the horse himself.

From her position behind him, she’d seen his broad, resolute back. Just before the horse’s hooves came down, she’d caught a glimpse of his profile—his expression utterly resolved.

In that instant, her heart had lurched violently.

But then…

The expected tragedy never happened.

She’d exhaled in relief—only to later learn that the horse had recognized Su Cheng, leaving her bitterly disappointed.

She felt deceived. Because she knew the horse’s target had always been Su Cheng.

If he didn’t know the horse, how could it have been so familiar with him?

That one point…

She couldn’t make sense of it, no matter how hard she tried.

Even if Su Cheng seemed sincere, the facts were undeniable. It wasn’t like he’d lost his memory and forgotten the horse, right?

She wanted to believe him, but faced with the evidence, she couldn’t convince herself to.

So in the end, she chose silence.

"Usually so low-profile and meek, yet suddenly so bold and heroic!"

Xuan Ying answered for Zhao Yan, her voice filled with resentment: "Any normal person would run away the moment they sense danger, right? But not him—he actually dared to charge forward. Aside from dramatic scenes in movies, who in real life has that kind of self-sacrificing bravery?!"

"Exactly. We’re just ordinary classmates to him," Gao Ye nodded in agreement. "No matter how I analyze or think about it, I can’t understand his actions. It’s not that I’m judging him with a petty mind, but if you consider it from another angle, everything suddenly makes sense."

"Seems like Su Cheng isn’t normal, then."

"True. In my eyes, he’s always been special—gentle yet responsible, with a strong sense of morality. He’s completely different from other guys!"

Li Guanqi and Xu Tianyi exchanged remarks without hesitation, as if they didn’t care whether Zhao Yan and the others heard them.

"You… you two!" Xuan Ying glared at them, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment and anger.

"Why do you trust Su Cheng so much?" Wang Guancong voiced his confusion, looking skeptically at Xu Tianyi and Li Guanqi. "Aren’t you afraid he might actually be a bad person?"

"Can you tell me…" Zhao Yan finally lifted her head, her gaze fixed on Xu Tianyi and Li Guanqi as she pressed on slowly but firmly, "Why do you believe in him?"

Xu Tianyi frowned slightly at Zhao Yan before replying, "Because… intuition, I guess."

"Huh? Intuition?" Xuan Ying scoffed mockingly. "What makes you think your intuition is reliable?"

"I actually think it might be because Su Cheng joined the Archery Club," Li Guanqi mused before voicing his speculation. "Maybe he’s had some contact with President Ji, so the horse mistook him for its owner?"

The moment he said this, Zhao Yan and the other two froze. Even Xu Tianyi looked stunned, unsure what he meant.

"What? The Archery Club?"

"He actually joined the Archery Club?"

"But even if he did, there’s no way he could get close to President Ji, right?"

"And he just changed into new riding gear."

Xuan Ying immediately shook her head. "No matter how sharp a horse’s sense of smell is, it wouldn’t mistake someone for its owner."

"Right. I don’t know how he joined the Archery Club, but even if he did, they’d only have met a few times," Wang Guancong added. "How could he possibly carry President Ji’s scent? There are so many other members in the club—why didn’t the horse react to any of them?"

He then turned to Li Guanqi and continued, "Besides, President Ji’s bodyguards are extremely vigilant. No ordinary person could get close enough to pick up her scent."

"You might as well say Su Cheng lost his memory—that’d be more believable."

Nearby, Gao Ye couldn’t help but joke.

Hearing their reasoning, Zhao Yan lowered her head in disappointment. She wanted a reason to believe in Su Cheng, but the explanations given were utterly absurd and couldn’t withstand even the slightest scrutiny.

Seeing that his words had stirred everyone up, Li Guanqi finally revealed his intention: "Since you refuse to believe Su Cheng but still suspect there’s more to this, why don’t we go to the Practice Department and ask Senior Gu Ruoxue to investigate before jumping to conclusions?"

She had always remembered that Gu Ruoxue wore a ring and had once studied at some obscure rural school. She’d connected the dots long ago but couldn’t confirm anything. Now, this was the perfect opportunity to approach and test Gu Ruoxue—she was sure they’d uncover something.

She was confident no one would reject this proposal.

Sure enough.

"Great! If Senior Gu steps in, she’ll definitely clear things up for us!" Wang Guancong clapped excitedly. "She may seem cold, but she’s fair and kind to everyone. I’m sure she’ll help!"

"Oh, right—Su Cheng went to see Senior Gu before."

Zhao Yan suddenly recalled, her tone complicated.

Hearing this, everyone was stunned.

Wang Guancong immediately asked, "What for?"

"We’re not entirely sure, but it seems Senior Gu helped him with something, so he brought her a gift to thank her," Zhao Yan explained.

"I see."

Wang Guancong nodded in realization, then couldn’t help but laugh. "No way Senior Gu would accept anything from him—"

Before he could finish, Zhao Yan silenced him with a single statement: "She accepted the potted plant he gave her."

"Come on, that’s just what he claimed," Xuan Ying interjected. "We didn’t see it ourselves. Maybe he was just saving face, pretending to be generous."

"Exactly! There’s no way Senior Gu would accept a return gift!" Wang Guancong retorted confidently. "If our suspicions are correct, he probably loves putting up a fake, pretentious front."

"Actually…"

Gao Ye suddenly realized something and quickly said, "We can just ask Senior Gu directly. If the potted plant story was just a lie to make himself look good, then we’ll know for sure he’s a fraud!"

"But what if Senior Gu really did accept the plant?"

Li Guanqi abruptly cut in.

The group fell silent again.

"Wouldn’t that also prove he’s not a liar?" Xu Tianyi added pointedly.

"Then let’s go ask and find out!"

"Right, let’s go now!"