The cafeteria was sparsely populated. As Uncle Liu dragged Duan Xinghe away, the boy still tried to shout at Su Qingqing. Her parting smirk had infuriated him; no one who dared make a fool of him had ever been born yet.
Uncle Liu brought a sharp slap down on the back of his head, making him wince in pain and instantly wiping the fierce scowl from his handsome face.
“Uncle Liu! Have mercy!” In front of his elders, Duan Xinghe dared not voice his anger or argue back.
“Clearly, I haven’t hit you hard enough! I never see you coming in first in your studies, but you’re always the first to bully your classmates! Look at her—sitting properly, minding her own business. Now look at you…”
Duan Xinghe wanted to cry. In what way was Su Qingqing better than him? Aside from her pretty face, she looked so frail a gust of wind could knock her over. Most women weren’t even that delicate.
“I’m handsomer than her! She doesn’t even compare to me.” To Duan Xinghe, being measured against someone so frail and seductive was nothing short of an insult.
Another smack landed on the back of his head. “How is she not better than you? Her attitude alone leaves you miles behind! You’re the one who doesn’t compare! Aside from acting cool and playing pranks, what else can you even do?”
Uncle Liu needed to teach him a proper lesson to keep him from stirring up trouble every day.
Duan Xinghe would have been better off staying still; his futile attempts to resist only brought down another flurry of strikes, turning the scene into a painful spectacle.
Su Qingqing felt refreshed, her appetite better than ever. In the few days since her arrival, Uncle Liu had kept piling extra meat and rice onto her plate, perhaps thinking she looked too thin, and she had cleaned it all, down to the last grain.
By the time she stood to leave, Uncle Liu had already dragged Duan Xinghe away by the ear. It was a pity so few people were around to see it, or Duan Xinghe would have lost far more face.
Full and satisfied, she headed back to the dorm for a midday nap. The male lead, Mu Bai, was out, which meant she could finally sleep without the chest binder pressing uncomfortably against her. During her first couple of days in this world, that tight constriction across her chest had kept her from sleeping well, leaving her miserable and unaccustomed to it.
Finding the room empty, Su Qingqing let her guard down with a yawn. She loosened the binding around her chest, and as exhaustion overtook her, she fell asleep the moment she hit the mattress.
The dormitory door swung open without a sound. A tall figure stepped inside, carrying a presence as chilling as ancient ice despite the summer heat.
His deep, dark gaze drifted toward Su Qingqing, who was sound asleep on the bed, before falling upon her exposed feet…
A small, fair foot peeked out from beneath the soft summer quilt. The translucent skin held a faint sheen, delicate enough to fit within the palm of a hand—fragile, yet carrying a subtle allure.
Frowning slightly, Mu Bai felt a flicker of surprise in his cool gaze before he finally looked away from Su Qingqing’s pale ankle.
Sound asleep, Su Qingqing had no idea she was no longer alone in the dorm until her alarm went off, stirring her awake.
“Mm…” She stretched lazily, eyes half-closed as she reached toward the inner edge of the bed for her binder strap. Just as she was about to lift her shirt, she opened her eyes, and her hand froze on the hem.
Sitting impeccably dressed in the living area, Mu Bai was reading a book, his dark eyes fixed right on her.
Su Qingqing jolted, every trace of sleep vanishing.
Her hair practically stood on end. Clamping her hand over the binder beneath the quilt, she forced herself to greet him.
“You’re back.” When had he returned? Her heart had nearly jumped straight out of her throat.
“Yeah.” His response was clipped, laced with unmistakable distance.
Only when Mu Bai looked away did Su Qingqing feel safe enough to get out of bed and head for the bathroom. Fortunately, he was in the living room; no matter how sharp his eyesight was, he couldn’t have noticed the swell beneath her shirt from there.
It was a stroke of luck that she had opened her eyes before lifting her clothes. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Once she finished binding her chest, she gathered her things for class. But as soon as she stepped out the door, Mu Bai followed close behind.
The faint scent of agarwood drifted into her senses. They were walking so close that she could almost feel the cool chill radiating from him. Uncomfortable with having him right at her back, she casually shifted to his side.
To smooth over the awkward adjustment, she spoke up. “Are you heading to Professor Wu’s lecture, too?”
“Yeah.”
His curtness didn’t bother her. In the original novel, the male lead had always been aloof. As long as she kept a safe distance, sharing a room with such a detached, untouchable figure actually promised some peace and quiet.
She might have preferred the quiet, but walking alongside the campus’s most prominent figure was already causing quite a stir.