Though My Affection Runs Deep, Her Heart Remains Unmoved

It was lunch break, and most students had gone to eat or nap, leaving the school building empty and quiet.

Seeing that only the student council president was present, Su Cheng froze for a moment before hurriedly glancing around, hoping to spot someone else.

However, the hallway was utterly silent—no one else was there except him and the president.

With no other choice, he steeled himself and slowly approached her.

He thought perhaps the person waiting for him was inside the student council room.

Only when he got closer did he notice the president’s gaze fixed intently on him.

Though her eyes were calm and clear, they inexplicably evoked a sense of reverence.

The aura of authority she exuded was enough to make anyone uneasy. Su Cheng swallowed hard and greeted her respectfully, "Hello, President. Are there any other members inside the student council?"

The president shook her head lightly. "No, it’s break time. They’ve all stepped out."

Hearing this, Su Cheng was about to pull out his phone to ask Li Guanqi for help.

But before he could, she spoke up first. "What kind of design do you need that requires borrowing the Publicity Department’s equipment?"

Su Cheng was momentarily taken aback. "Oh, it’s nothing too complicated. I just thought of the student council’s equipment first, so I asked if I could borrow it."

"I see. It seems you don’t pay much attention to the shops around here." Li Zhaohao turned and opened the student council door, gesturing for Su Cheng to enter. "The Publicity Department members aren’t here. Do you know how to use the equipment yourself?"

When Su Cheng didn’t answer immediately, Li Zhaohao turned back, crossed her arms, and stared at him. "Do I need to repeat myself?"

Su Cheng snapped out of his daze. "Ah, no, I should be fine."

He quickly followed her inside, though his mind was still reeling. He couldn’t fathom why Li Guanqi had directly involved the president—wasn’t that overkill?

"By the way, I haven’t thanked you yet, President. Thanks to your advice on flower care, I managed to save that peony. I think it’ll bloom again in less than two weeks." As they walked, Su Cheng updated her on the flower’s condition. "It’s all thanks to your guidance."

"You were willing to learn and apply what you were taught—the credit is yours." Li Zhaohao’s tone remained indifferent. "No need to flatter me. If you’re this earnest, you should focus on other things too."

Their conversation carried them swiftly to the Publicity Department.

Compared to the other departments, this one was slightly more secluded. Since most of its members were girls, the decor was also more refined.

Paintings and calligraphy hung on the walls, potted flowers adorned the windowsills, and each workstation was decorated with cute little trinkets, giving the space a cozy and elegant feel.

"Since you know how to use the equipment, I’ll wait here while you finish?" Li Zhaohao stopped at a desk and booted up the computer.

She glanced at Su Cheng, her voice cool and soft. The silver-white mask she wore lent her words a faint, ethereal quality.

"Uh… this isn’t quite what I expected. I was planning to wait for the Publicity Department members to come back and ask for their help." Su Cheng scratched his head awkwardly. While he knew basic computer operations, design and printing were beyond him. Worse, these specialized programs required expertise—if he messed up, he might damage the equipment.

"Is that so? It seems your expectations often diverge from reality. The Publicity Department is having lunch together in the cafeteria—they won’t be back for a while." Li Zhaohao smoothed her skirt and sat down. "Break time is precious. Don’t waste it. I’ll handle the design. Tell me your requirements—content, layout, style, font, material, size, everything."

Su Cheng was both stunned and embarrassed. "Sorry, President, this is too much trouble for you…" He hesitated before finally blurting out, "I’ll just wait for the Publicity Department. No need for you to go to the trouble."

"You assume the Publicity Department will definitely help you? What if they refuse? Will you go find a shop outside, or come back to me, wasting even more time?"

Li Zhaohao opened the design software and began adjusting templates and documents. "What kind of design do you want?"

Seeing no way out, Su Cheng answered truthfully. "Just a standard business card size. For the background, I’d like a cute tabby cat image from online."

Li Zhaohao nodded. Since there was already a template, it didn’t take long.

However, when searching for tabby cat pictures, she pulled up a mountain of options for Su Cheng to choose from. After careful consideration, he settled on one where the cat was smirking mischievously and had it printed on the otherwise plain front and back.

But when it came to inputting text, Su Cheng faltered.

After a long pause, his face flushed red as he muttered, "The theme is 'Tabby Cat Club,' in large gold font with black borders."

"'Tabby Cat Club'?" Li Zhaohao paused mid-motion and looked up at him, her gaze sharp with scrutiny. "And?"

"And…" Su Cheng lowered his eyes sheepishly. "Below that, in medium green font with black borders: 'Tabby Cat Club—good personality, great skills, come pet us.'"

Li Zhaohao stiffened slightly, silent for a moment before resuming typing.

Soon, she had input everything Su Cheng requested and asked, "Anything else?"

"Um…" Su Cheng took a deep breath and went all in. "Below that, in small red italic font with white borders: 'Direct descendant of ancient imperial lineage, purebred. Can perform backflips, one-legged stands, midair splits, Thomas spins, cleaning, eating cat food upside down, upside-down splits, and cat stacking…'"

The moment the words left his mouth, the room fell dead silent—so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Su Cheng was mortified, his face burning as he turned away. Meanwhile, Li Zhaohao stared at him in astonishment, clearly taken aback by the absurdity of his requests.

After what felt like an eternity, she resumed typing, meticulously entering every ridiculous detail.

The entire time, Su Cheng stood rigidly beside her, eyes glued to the floor, not daring to glance at the screen.

"Any other requirements?" Finally, Li Zhaohao stopped typing and turned to him, expression unreadable.

Su Cheng couldn’t help but admire her composure. Even faced with such nonsense, the student council president remained unshaken.

He quickly continued, "Below the description, write 'Diamond SVIP Supreme' in bold red letters. Then, in small white font underneath, add 'Cardholders enjoy free cat cuddles.'"

Li Zhaohao raised no objections and kept typing away, finishing in no time.

"What next?" she asked.

"In the bottom right corner, write 'Fast, Safe, Convenient, Trustworthy' in small red font. On the bottom left, add the address in small red letters: 'Open 17:00-18:00, Location: Central Fountain, Huashan Park. Limited to one hour, no extensions, no nationwide delivery.'"

Su Cheng rattled off the details without worrying about whether she’d remember. After all, she’d never asked him to repeat himself before—she must have a photographic memory.

Sure enough, Li Zhaohao nodded and swiftly filled in all the content on the card.

Instantly, the tiny business card became densely packed, looking at a glance no different from the flyers plastered all over the streets.

"Thanks so much for your help today," Su Cheng said gratefully as the card neared completion.

"It was nothing," Li Zhaohao replied, standing up and walking to the printer. "How many copies do you need?"

"Just one! Only one!" Su Cheng hurriedly held up a single finger for emphasis.

Soon, Li Zhaohao printed and trimmed the card.

But just as she was about to hand it over, she suddenly asked out of the blue, "My cat’s been shedding a lot lately, and it’s a hassle to clean up. Any tips?"

She scrutinized Su Cheng up and down, as if searching for something, though she didn’t seem surprised when she didn’t find it.

"I’ve never owned a cat."

Under her gaze, Su Cheng panicked and quickly shook his head. "I just made it up as a gimmick."

"Yeah, I figured. You’re way too clean to have ever had a cat," Li Zhaohao nodded.

After all, anyone who’d been rubbed against by a feline—especially on the pant legs—would inevitably have some stray fur clinging to them. But Su Cheng didn’t have a single hair on him, proving he either didn’t own a cat or didn’t actually interact with one.

...

Just as afternoon P.E. ended, Ji Qingyi, who was sipping tea in the Archery Club, received a message from Su Cheng.

It was brief: "President, please come to the park near my place after school. I’ll be waiting by the fountain. Hope you’ll grace me with your presence."

"What’s this guy up to now?" Ji Qingyi tucked her phone back into her pocket, took a slow sip of tea, and frowned.

Instead of attending club activities, he’s fooling around in the park?

She turned to Liu Qingyue beside her. "What did he do at noon? Why’s he asking me to meet him at the park?"

"According to surveillance, he went to the student council at noon and stayed for about half an hour. Then the student council president personally took him to the Publicity Department office," Liu Qingyue reported truthfully. "After that, he wandered around the special building before heading back."

"Do you think they met?"

"Doesn’t seem like it so far."

"Then he’s probably just overthinking things again."

Ji Qingyi snorted coldly.

"Perhaps only you, Young Mistress, can go and find out what he’s really plotting," Liu Qingyue suggested respectfully.

...

Meanwhile, in the Social Practice Club’s activity room.

The moment Gu Ruoxue pushed open the door, she noticed a small card wedged in the doorframe fluttering to the ground. The sight instantly gave her déjà vu, as if she’d stepped into a rundown motel in some small town.

And then, in a flash, she remembered Su Cheng lurking suspiciously nearby at noon.

Gu Ruoxue first glanced at the blank back of the card before bending down to pick it up.

But the moment she read the contents, she couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

"Too clever by half."