If Only Today One Could Know Repentance

Although Li Guanqi couldn't completely unravel the mystery at hand, she could still deduce part of the truth from certain subtle clues.

For instance—

Su Cheng's hostile attitude toward her.

When they first met in the morning, he had merely been cautious and distant. But after reading her notes, his demeanor had shifted entirely to resentment and disgust. Such a drastic change must have been triggered by what she had written.

She needed to figure out the reason—otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to understand why Su Cheng had developed such animosity toward her.

In the notes, she had conveyed two things to him:

First, to repay him for saving her at the pool the day before, she wanted to invite him to lunch as a gesture of gratitude.

She had even planned to prepare the meal and leave afterward to avoid any awkwardness, letting Su Cheng enjoy it alone.

Second, she informed him that it was Gu Ruoxue who had told her about his memory loss—she hadn’t hidden or deceived him about it.

Li Guanqi reasoned that the first point was most likely the main trigger for Su Cheng’s anger. After all, the two of them had been alone together the previous day.

No doubt Ji Qingyi had made some disapproving remarks about it, and Liu Qingyue would have fanned the flames.

But… this was just speculation. She needed to test the waters further to confirm.

If her guess was correct, she could still make amends.

But if the truth was far from her assumptions, things would get complicated—because Gu Ruoxue was involved.

With that in mind, she scanned the classroom, her gaze settling on the students who had witnessed the incident at the equestrian field.

However, after a quick survey, she realized that apart from Wang Guancong and Gao Ye, only Xu Tianyi, Zhao Yan, and Xuan Ying remained.

Xuan Ying was too rebellious and unreliable, and Xu Tianyi—whom she couldn’t quite read—already knew Su Cheng’s true identity. That left Zhao Yan as her only viable option.

Despite her cold exterior, Zhao Yan was pure-hearted and kind—someone trustworthy.

Unlike Xuan Ying, who was easily swayed, Zhao Yan had another advantage: during the equestrian incident, Su Cheng had stepped in to help her.

Though it had been a misunderstanding, Zhao Yan had been eager to thank him.

Realizing this, Li Guanqi decided Zhao Yan was the perfect candidate.

She pulled out her phone and typed a message:

"Zhao Yan, there’s something important I’d like to ask of you."

After sending it, she fixed her eyes on the shimmering golden-haired figure in front of her, waiting for a reply.

A moment later, Zhao Yan glanced down at her phone and responded.

Zhao Yan: "What is it?"

"Su Cheng helped me during swimming class yesterday. I’d like to invite him to lunch at Lawn 14 as thanks, but I can’t ask him myself. Could you pass on the message for me?"

Zhao Yan didn’t reply immediately. Instead, she fell into deep thought, as if weighing her options.

Li Guanqi smirked inwardly.

Just as she’d expected—Zhao Yan had wanted to thank Su Cheng all along but had been repeatedly turned down. Now that the idea had been brought up again, she was hesitating.

Sure enough, Zhao Yan finally responded.

Zhao Yan: "Actually… could I join you? I never got the chance to properly thank Su Cheng for what happened at the equestrian field. I’d like to express my gratitude in person—if that’s alright with you."

Li Guanqi narrowed her eyes slightly but quickly typed back. Zhao Yan’s reply came just as fast.

Li Guanqi: "Of course. I’ve prepared enough food for all three of us. But when you invite him, please don’t mention me… is that okay?"

Zhao Yan: "Perfect! I’ll go talk to him after class. Lawn 14, right?"

Li Guanqi: "Yes. Thank you."

With that, Li Guanqi glanced at the lectern.

Class was nearly over—just one minute left. Now it was up to Zhao Yan. If she succeeded in inviting Su Cheng, great. If not, his reaction would still provide some clues.

"Ding-dong~"

As the bell rang, Zhao Yan immediately stood up from the front row, turned to give Li Guanqi a subtle nod, then strode toward Su Cheng’s desk.

Tall and statuesque, Zhao Yan was nearly as tall as Su Cheng herself. Her long legs, sheathed in sheer stockings, were the stuff of legend—the kind people would gush about for years. Paired with her straight, golden hair parted down the middle, she radiated an almost blinding allure. Even the other boys in class couldn’t help but sneak glances, though she seemed oblivious as she stopped in front of Su Cheng’s desk.

"Hm?" Su Cheng, who had been packing up, looked up in confusion.

"Su Cheng."

Zhao Yan smiled politely, her tone earnest and hopeful. "There’s something I’d like to discuss with you privately at Lawn 14 during lunch. I’ll be waiting there—you don’t mind, do you?"

Su Cheng blinked, momentarily taken aback. But when he heard the location was Lawn 14, he opened his mouth to decline—likely to avoid any misunderstandings—when Xuan Ying suddenly popped up beside them.

"What’s going on?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing," Zhao Yan replied smoothly, as if she’d anticipated the interruption.

Then, taking Xuan Ying’s hand, she said to Su Cheng, "It’s settled, then. I’ll see you there."

Without giving him a chance to refuse, she whisked Xuan Ying away. Before leaving, she subtly flashed Li Guanqi an "OK" sign over her chest.

Li Guanqi watched it all unfold, mildly surprised by Zhao Yan’s boldness—she had not only fulfilled Li Guanqi’s request but also seized the opportunity for herself, leaving Su Cheng no room to refuse.

Frowning briefly, Li Guanqi soon relaxed. Her objective had been achieved.

Su Cheng hadn’t shown any aversion to the idea of meeting at the lawn or being alone with someone. Though he had seemed hesitant when "Lawn 14" was mentioned, there had been no trace of deeper hostility.

Which meant…

His resentment was directed solely at her.

Just as she was mulling this over, Su Cheng’s friends—Wang Guancong and Gao Ye—chimed in, clearly intrigued by Zhao Yan’s "forceful" invitation.

"Su Cheng, she’s definitely trying to thank you for what happened last time," Wang Guancong mused, stroking his chin. "But she had to resort to this because you kept turning her down before. Don’t take it the wrong way—she’s just trying to show her sincerity."

"Yeah, stop overthinking it," Gao Ye added. "Besides, Zhao Yan’s a top-tier beauty with a line of admirers longer than the Great Wall. If you miss this chance, you’ll regret it!"

"Cut it out," Su Cheng sighed. "She just wants to thank me. Don’t read too much into it."

"By the way," Wang Guancong suddenly asked, lowering his voice, "you really don’t remember Senior Gu Ruoxue at all?"

"What Senior Gu?" Su Cheng froze for a moment before asking in return.

"It's Gu Ruoxue from the Practical Department. She told us before that you used to suffer from amnesia."

Hearing that last sentence, Su Cheng's entire body stiffened instantly—even his breathing seemed to stop. His eyes widened, his expression unable to conceal his shock as his gaze locked onto Wang Guancong with piercing intensity.

This revelation also caused Li Guanqi, seated in the corner, to involuntarily widen her beautiful eyes. Her originally poised and graceful posture tensed slightly as she fixed her attention on Su Cheng, trying to catch any subtle clues from his expression or tone.

Soon—

"This has nothing to do with you!" Su Cheng spoke, his tone shifting from polite and humble to icy and biting, even carrying a low growl of barely suppressed anger.

Though his voice was quiet and steady, its cold clarity reached Li Guanqi's ears as if she had just heard a critical keyword. Her heart suddenly raced, and her breathing grew involuntarily rapid. She pressed her lips together in silence for a moment before finally suppressing that inexplicable surge of emotion.

Now she finally understood the reason behind Su Cheng's aversion toward her—

So, the turning point had everything to do with her mentioning Gu Ruoxue. Was it because of Ji Qingyi?

The two of them indeed had some friction, even a hint of rivalry. As Ji Qingyi's fiancé, it wouldn’t be surprising if he had been warned to keep certain people at a distance.

She might have even mentioned that her family was relatively close to the Gu family, making her someone to be wary of as well.

This was troublesome.

Tripped up by past connections, Li Guanqi couldn’t help but feel a pang of frustration.