It's Already Different

Li Jinchuan acted swiftly.

He meticulously researched Lu Ruoxi’s entire class schedule, along with the places she frequented most—the library, the lab, and the university’s public lecture halls.

Then, he began orchestrating "chance encounters."

The first was during an open mathematics lecture.

Li Jinchuan, a finance major, sat in on the math class.

When the professor posed a particularly tricky question, he offered an answer that, while not entirely correct, presented a uniquely clever approach.

His response captured the attention of the entire room—including Lu Ruoxi’s.

After class, he approached her.

"Hello, Lu Ruoxi. I’m Li Jinchuan from the finance department," he said, extending his hand with a confident, charming smile.

"Your addition to the discussion earlier was quite enlightening."

Lu Ruoxi glanced at him and gave a polite nod.

"Hello."

She didn’t take his hand, offering only a brief reply before turning to leave.

Li Jinchuan’s hand hung awkwardly in the air.

As he watched her walk away, his gaze didn’t waver with disappointment—instead, it burned even brighter.

The thornier the rose, the more it fueled his desire to conquer.

The second "coincidence" happened in the library.

Lu Ruoxi was researching when Li Jinchuan "happened" to be looking for the same rare book.

"What a coincidence," he said with a smile. "Seems we share an interest in Fermat’s Last Theorem."

"Mhm." Her response was as indifferent as ever.

She waited for him to finish before silently taking the book and moving to another table—without another word exchanged.

The third time, the fourth time…

Li Jinchuan was like a relentless hunter.

He employed every method to stay in Lu Ruoxi’s line of sight, flaunting his intellect, wit, and their supposed "shared passions."

There was no denying Li Jinchuan’s brilliance.

His excellence was sharp, aggressive, impossible to ignore.

Many girls were captivated by him.

But Lu Ruoxi remained unmoved.

She was like an iceberg—no matter how hard he tried, her responses stayed polite, distant, formal.

To her, he was just another ordinary, slightly annoying classmate.

All of this was observed by Su Yang.

Every day, he lingered by Lu Ruoxi’s side like a silent shadow.

He watched as Li Jinchuan repeatedly showered her with attention.

Inside, his emotions churned—sour, bitter, uneasy, with a flicker of anger.

But he held back.

He restrained himself, refusing to confront or challenge Li Jinchuan.

Instead, he quietly saved her a seat in the library.

Bought her favorite milk tea.

Stayed by her side, discussing complex mathematical problems that sometimes went over his head.

Su Yang guarded their world in his own way.

Yet, his smiles grew fewer.

A trace of unshakable worry settled between his brows.

And every one of these changes was noticed by Lu Ruoxi.

Who was she?

She was Lu Ruoxi.

A genius who could detect patterns in the subtlest fluctuations of data.

How could she miss the shifts in a boy’s emotions?

She knew what Su Yang was worried about.

She also knew Li Jinchuan’s motives for approaching her weren’t pure.

She just chose not to expose it.

She was waiting.

For the right moment.

I also wanted to see just how long this fool, Su Yang, could keep holding back.

...

That evening, the two of them were walking back together.

The autumn breeze carried a slight chill.

Su Yang remained silent the entire way, his expression heavy with unspoken thoughts.

When they reached the unnamed lakeside, Lu Ruoxi suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Su Yang," she called out.

"Hmm?" He snapped out of his daze.

"Have you been troubled by something lately?" Lu Ruoxi turned to face him.

Her gaze was clear and sharp, effortlessly piercing through all his pretenses.

"Not at all," Su Yang replied, his eyes flickering away, unable to meet hers.

"Is that so?" The corners of Lu Ruoxi's lips curled into a faint smile.

"Is it because of Li Jinchuan?" She cut straight to the point.

Su Yang's body stiffened instantly.

He hadn’t expected her to be so direct.

"I..." His mouth opened, but no words came out.

Should he admit it? Or deny it?

"You don’t have to hide it from me," Lu Ruoxi said, her tone still calm.

"I know what kind of person he is."

"And I know what he’s after by getting close to me."

Su Yang was completely stunned.

"You... how do you know?"

"Have you forgotten who I am?" A hint of playful pride flashed in Lu Ruoxi's eyes.

"A person’s behavior patterns, their gaze, their micro-expressions—they’re all data. With enough data, you can analyze their intentions."

"The way Li Jinchuan looks at me isn’t admiration—it’s possession."

"When he talks about mathematics with me, it’s not out of passion—it’s a facade."

"Every ‘coincidental’ encounter of his is meticulously planned."

"All this data forms a complete behavioral logic chain. The conclusion? He has ulterior motives toward me."

Su Yang listened, utterly dumbfounded.

This was the first time he’d realized that mathematics could be used to analyze something like this.

"But then..."

"Then why do you still entertain him?" Su Yang voiced the question burning in his mind.

"Because," Lu Ruoxi met his gaze, her eyes now teasing, "I wanted to see how long you’d keep bottling it up."

Su Yang’s face flushed crimson in an instant, the heat spreading all the way to his ears.

So, she had known everything all along.

She’d been watching the whole time.

Watching him struggle through this one-man internal drama.

A mix of embarrassment, frustration, and something inexplicably sweet surged in his chest.

"I..." He stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Lu Ruoxi couldn’t help but laugh at his flustered state.

Her laughter rippled like sunlight dancing on the lake’s surface, bright and captivating.

"Su Yang," she said, her expression softening into seriousness.

"From the alleyways of Anhe County to the unnamed lakeside of Jingzhou University."

"From the fountain pen you gave me to the perfectly warm milk tea you always bring."

"The boy who’s stayed by my side, the one who’s made his way into my heart—has always been you, and only you."

Her voice was quiet, yet it struck Su Yang’s mind like thunder.

He stared at her, dumbfounded, watching his own foolish reflection in the clarity of her eyes.

For a moment, his heart seemed to skip a beat.

Then came elation—overwhelming, indescribable elation, flooding through him.

All the turmoil, the unease, the hesitation of these past days vanished in an instant.

He understood now.

He finally understood.

He wasn’t guarding this alone.

In her own way, she had been answering him all along.

"Ruoxi..." He murmured her name, his voice trembling ever so slightly.

Lu Ruoxi looked at him, the smile in her eyes deepening.

"So, stop overthinking things from now on."

"And don’t assume I’m that fragile."

"My life is mine to control. My love is mine to choose."

"As for those irrelevant people..."

She paused, her tone carrying a hint of cold resolve that seemed beyond her years.

"I’ll handle them myself."

Su Yang gazed at the girl before him.

She was no longer the frail young girl who needed him to shield her from the world.

She had grown—into a sturdy tree, capable of weathering storms on her own.

Confident, strong, radiant.

And he was the lucky one, the only one permitted to stand in her shade.

Su Yang smiled.

The tension in his lips, held for days, finally melted away.

It was a youthful, unrestrained, heartfelt grin—bright enough to thaw the bleakness of autumn itself.

"Okay," he nodded firmly.

A thousand words condensed into that single syllable.

The lakeside breeze tousled the girl’s hair.

And in the boy’s heart, the most beautiful flower bloomed.