As Easy to Lose as Turning Over One's Hand

"So you're saying I was being used as a pawn over there?" Su Cheng froze for a moment before pointing at himself, looking at Ji Qingyi and her entourage with an innocent expression. "Would you all treat me that way?"

Ji Qingyi's gaze sharpened instantly, her tone icy and piercing: "The crux of your question lies in whether you can correctly understand the nature of our relationships."

"Come on, let's not do this..." Li Guanqi quickly interjected, trying to diffuse the tension, but Gu Ruoxue cut her off.

"Don't waste your breath."

Gu Ruoxue spoke calmly, "What she means is, even though we can sit here peacefully now, we're still essentially enemies. If any of us had the chance to stab the other without harming you, who would pass it up?"

"Th-this..." Su Cheng was at a loss for words. He couldn't fathom how a group of people who seemed so incompatible could gather so harmoniously to cook and chat.

The world of women is truly terrifying.

Ji Qingyi didn’t give him time to dwell on it, pressing on with the earlier point: "Have you seen the actual potion?"

"No, I haven’t."

Su Cheng shook his head, then added as if remembering something, "But the club president over there said just one drop could revive a withered flower."

The moment these words left his mouth, everyone present fell into deep thought.

"I have a feeling..." Liu Qingyue rubbed her temples, speaking slowly, "We’ve misjudged some crucial assumptions."

In an instant, all eyes turned to Su Cheng, each gaze carrying a different emotion.

Su Cheng suddenly clutched his head in frustration, his face full of confusion: "Why? Why do you always look like you have something to say but hold back? Why do you keep staring at me with suspicion and shock? Is there something wrong with me?"

"Who told you to keep holding back? Of course we’d start guessing wildly." Liu Qingyue sighed faintly, a trace of regret in her voice. "I can’t shake the feeling that from the moment you stepped into this world, we’ve been acting out a carefully orchestrated script."

The other three exchanged knowing glances, their expressions grave, clearly realizing the complexity of the situation.

Su Cheng’s purpose in crossing over was likely part of it.

Ji Qingyi lowered her eyelids, concealing the sharpness in her gaze, and spoke slowly: "Can you tell us how we met in your world?"

It was a probe—and a potential breakthrough.

The three girls fixed their eyes on Su Cheng, their gazes filled with scrutiny and inquiry.

"I can, but can you let me try that potion first?" Su Cheng bargained.

"That depends on how much you’re willing to share," Ji Qingyi replied. "After all, it’s an irreplaceable, rare resource."

Su Cheng scratched his nose awkwardly: "Well, you suddenly showed up with our marriage certificate, and then we got together. That’s... pretty much it."

Gu Ruoxue: "..."

Li Guanqi: "..."

Liu Qingyue: "..."

Li Guanqi quickly seized the key issue, pressing further: "Then how did you and I meet?"

Under the weight of their intense stares, Su Cheng shrank back and stammered: "A ring... You said you found a spatial ring that had a special reaction to you, and since you’d lost your memory, you approached me to uncover the truth. That’s how we got close."

"Do the others have rings?" Liu Qingyue suddenly interjected.

"Yes, President Ji and Minister Gu both do," Su Cheng answered weakly. "Li Guanqi said the two of them had already regained their memories, and she was the only one who hadn’t..."

"Did she say anything else?"

"No."

As soon as Su Cheng finished speaking, Gu Ruoxue clapped her hands and gestured to the others: "I have a proposal. Let’s step aside and discuss the current situation privately."

Ji Qingyi raised an eyebrow: "Did you notice something?"

Gu Ruoxue nodded: "I have a theory, but I need to confirm it first. So it’s best we talk alone."

"No objections here."

Ji Qingyi stood, signaling for Liu Qingyue to follow.

Seeing the others file out, Li Guanqi had no choice but to rise as well, casting an apologetic glance at Su Cheng before leaving.

"Hey, what are you all hiding from me to discuss? What about the potion you promised?" Panicking, Su Cheng reached out to stop them, only to be met with Liu Qingyue’s fleeting smile as she turned back.

"Consider this a little punishment for your lack of cooperation earlier. We’ll be back soon."

With a soft "thud," the door closed, separating the uneasy Su Cheng from the four girls.

......

On the balcony.

The girls huddled together, whispering.

Gu Ruoxue massaged her temples, closing her eyes as if organizing her thoughts: "Our earlier assumptions were wrong. The Su Cheng upstairs—his timeline isn’t far from ours, not some early enrollment period."

Li Guanqi frowned: "But his behavior is exactly like when he first enrolled."

She paused, then asked: "Senior Gu, are you saying his talk about us losing and regaining memories, and holding impossible artifacts, means he’s mistaken about his own timeline?"

"Exactly!" Liu Qingyue wiped sweat from her brow, her voice slightly strained. "But this is just speculation. We need proof. Though if I keep using my ability, I might pass out and be sidelined for a while."

Ji Qingyi mused: "So you think his timeline might be disrupted?"

Gu Ruoxue nodded, her gaze firm and certain: "I believe his world is currently in an incomplete state of 'time regression.'"

"What’s your evidence?"

"Nothing concrete, but if the Gu Ruoxue in his world is the same as me, our thought processes should align."

Gu Ruoxue’s eyes gleamed with conviction. "Assuming he really was in the early enrollment phase, and I had such an artifact while he sought me out, out of goodwill, I’d definitely let him try it. Besides, it originally belonged to him—returning it wouldn’t be a loss."

"But the 'me' in his world didn’t offer it." She analyzed carefully. "That can only mean one thing: from the outcome, the potion would be useless to him. I wouldn’t waste an irreplaceable resource."

At this, Gu Ruoxue turned to Ji Qingyi: "There’s another obvious clue—your marriage certificate with him."

"That only appeared much later after enrollment."

Ji Qingyi understood immediately. Under normal circumstances, the certificate couldn’t have existed at the start of the term.

Li Guanqi, supporting the weakened Liu Qingyue, followed the logic: "So Senior Gu’s conclusion is that the artifacts failed because his timeline is in chaos?"

"Possibly."

Gu Ruoxue stated firmly, "In any case, the most important thing right now is to get the two Su Chengs back to their original places, each where they belong. Ji Qingyi, why don't you let him try that potion of yours?"

Ji Qingyi sneered, "How convenient of you to shift responsibility. Since you're the one who drew this conclusion, you’ll have to take full accountability."

"No problem."

With that settled, the group made their way back to Su Cheng’s home.

"The potion? President, where’s the potion you promised me?" The moment they stepped inside, Su Cheng stood up, his face scrunched in frustration as he whined.

Ji Qingyi glanced at Liu Qingyue.

The meaning was clear—she was asking whether they should give it to him.

Liu Qingyue shook her head slightly, exhaustion in her voice, signaling that she could no longer use her abilities.

Ji Qingyi pulled a small red vial from her bag and placed it carefully on the table, but made no move to hand it to Su Cheng.

"Is this the legendary life potion?" Su Cheng leaned forward eagerly, reaching out to grab it.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the bottle—

Smack! Liu Qingyue slapped his wrist away, stopping him.

"Senior, didn’t you say things from this world don’t work on me?"

Su Cheng looked disappointed, but hope still lingered in his eyes. "I just want to try it. What’s the worst that could happen?"

"Open your mouth," Ji Qingyi commanded.

Su Cheng obeyed.

Ji Qingyi dipped her finger into the potion and flicked a single drop into his mouth. Su Cheng swallowed reflexively, the strong herbal taste flooding his senses.

Before he could even process the strange flavor, Liu Qingyue pressed her palm against his chest.

At the same time, Gu Ruoxue grabbed his wrist to check his pulse, while Li Guanqi pressed the back of her hand to his forehead.

The three of them worked in perfect sync, quickly reaching their conclusion:

"Heart rate normal."

"Pulse steady."

"Temperature unchanged."

In other words, the potion had no effect on Su Cheng.

To demonstrate, Liu Qingyue dragged a fingernail across the back of her hand, drawing blood.

Ji Qingyi dripped a single drop of the potion onto the wound, motioning for the others to watch. Under their collective held breaths, the cut began to heal—slowly, but visibly.

Once again, the girls fell into hushed whispers, leaving Su Cheng completely sidelined.

Feeling out of place, with no answers and the potion proving useless, Su Cheng decided to slip away unnoticed.

Tiptoeing toward the fridge, he planned to drink milk like before and return home.

But the moment he took a single step—

Several sharp gazes locked onto him, pinning him in place.