It took Cen Sui a little over ten minutes to walk from the south gate of the university to the classroom where her lecture was held.
Her timing was quite good. By the time she reached the entrance of the lecture hall, there were still three minutes left before class began. The instructor had not yet arrived, and the sound of noisy chatter filled the room.
Cen Sui’s expression remained calm as she stepped into the classroom.
She was merely coming to class as usual, yet after she had taken only a few steps inside, the rowdy noise in the room gradually quieted down. In a short while, the entire classroom turned completely silent.
Some students who had been talking were nudged by the classmates beside them, urging them to look toward the front of the room.
At just one glance, the moment they saw Cen Sui, their breath caught instinctively and their mouths froze, unable to continue speaking.
Everyone naturally recognized her, and at the same time they were stunned by how striking she looked. Some girls even rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
Was the person in front of them really that Cen Sui who used to pretend so much and act so affected?
In the past, she had always dressed as plainly as possible, suppressing her own nature while pretending to be gentle, coy, and innocent.
But now she seemed like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, completely transformed. Her long wavy hair hung loosely and languidly over her shoulders, her makeup was exquisite, and she wore a short, long-sleeved cardigan sweater paired with high-waisted wide-leg jogger pants. On her feet was a pair of black leather boots.
A glimpse of her snow-white waistline could be seen from time to time, adding a touch of sensuality to her entire presence.
The temperament and aura she once hid were now fully revealed. Her beauty hit so directly and intensely that it was impossible not to look at her.
Cen Sui knew she would make people take notice, but she had not expected the effect to be this strong.
Feeling the stiff and frozen atmosphere between the desks, she did not stop walking. She continued moving deeper into the classroom, intending to find a seat somewhere in the back. Throughout the entire process, she did not spare anyone a single extra glance.
Including Chen Yu, who was sitting in the middle section of the room.
As she walked down the aisle, everyone slowly snapped back to their senses. Naturally, they came to an obvious conclusion. Her sudden change in style, this dramatic transformation meant to stun people, must be for one purpose: to attract Chen Yu’s attention.
Everyone in the department knew that Cen Sui was hopelessly, wholeheartedly in love with Chen Yu, to the point of having no self-respect.
Chen Yu was indeed sitting there, staring at her, and so were the roommates and friends beside him.
All of them held their breath, thinking that Cen Sui at this moment was astonishingly beautiful. They had never expected that a simple change in style could transform her temperament so drastically.
But what was the use of being beautiful? She still would not win Chen Yu’s heart.
This girl really was single-minded to the point of being love-obsessed. For the sake of Chen Yu, she had practically exhausted every possible way to flatter and please him.
Since Cen Sui rarely had Chen Yu’s company, he behaved no differently from a single man most of the time, going out and having fun with his buddies however he pleased, never once considering whether Cen Sui might be unhappy about it.
In his own words, if she was unhappy, then they could just break up.
So whenever Cen Sui had the chance, she would find a way to cling to Chen Yu, trying to gain even a pitiful bit of his attention.
Which was why every time they had class, she would insist on sitting next to Chen Yu, sticking to him through two full periods.
At this moment, Wang Jie, the friend sitting on Chen Yu’s left, quietly slid one seat farther away.
He was, of course, sensibly making room so that Cen Sui could come sit beside Chen Yu.
The others in the classroom were the same. Once they adjusted to the shock of Cen Sui’s appearance, their mood quickly returned to that of watching a good show.
It was, after all, a scene that replayed over and over again. Cen Sui, faced with Chen Yu’s complete indifference, would cling to him shamelessly, flattering him and trying to start conversations even when there was nothing to say.
People actually enjoyed watching this kind of drama. Seeing someone more beautiful and wealthier than themselves reduced to such a state was, in a way, quite satisfying. No matter what she possessed, did she not still end up like this, a pathetic bootlicker?
Watching someone who surpassed them in every way suffer in one particular aspect far more miserably than they did, how could they not feel secretly pleased?
This time, however, Chen Yu was not as cold and indifferent as usual. Looking at the current Cen Sui, he could not help but feel a faint ripple in his heart.
He thought to himself that after he had stood her up, she must have gone to change her entire look, posted on Moments while out with her girlfriends, then ignored his messages and refused to call him back, all for the sake of this very moment.
She had succeeded in piquing his interest, drawing him toward her.
Speaking of which, the effect really was quite good.
With that mindset, Chen Yu waited for Cen Sui to sit beside him as she always did.
Everyone else was watching her as well, naturally expecting that same familiar scene.
Under the gaze of the entire class, Cen Sui slowly walked past the seats in the middle of the room.
In the past, she had only ever seen Chen Yu, completely indifferent to anyone else’s eyes. But now she could clearly sense that everyone was simply waiting to laugh at her.
Although, to be fair, the version of herself who had been nothing but a tool for others truly had been a joke. There was nothing worth complaining about.
At this moment her heart was calm and steady. She did not stop at the middle rows at all, and her gaze did not even shift. She walked straight toward the back of the classroom.
Once she reached the back row and sat down, she set her bag on the chair beside her.
Chen Yu, still in his seat, had a face that had gone completely dark. His brows were furrowed so tightly that they formed a deep crease.
His friends were staring, dumbfounded. Everyone else was the same… utterly bewildered.
Shocked.
Cen Sui had not even glanced at Chen Yu and had gone straight to sit in the back row of the classroom.
Their confusion did not last long, though, because the instructor arrived.
When the bell finished ringing, the instructor turned on the multimedia equipment, adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose, and began the lecture.
Not many students were actually listening to the class. Most had their phones hidden under the desks, excitedly discussing the utterly illogical scene they had just witnessed. Cen Sui had not sat beside Chen Yu and had not even looked at him. How was that possible?!
Some were chatting while secretly turning their heads to look back, only to find that Cen Sui was sitting perfectly still in her seat, as if she were seriously reading her book.
This was downright bizarre. It did not look like she had merely changed her style. She seemed to have changed her brain as well.
Chen Yu sat in his seat, feeling the occasional glances being thrown in his direction from behind. His expression grew darker and darker, the gloom deepening on his face.
He reached for his phone, unlocked it beneath the desk, and saw that the two messages he had sent to Cen Sui still had no reply.
He could not help but let out a cold laugh. If she overplayed this, things would not end well.
A little game like this, if stopped at the right moment, could count as flirting. But if she pushed it too far, he had no patience for it.
In the group chat with his buddies, Wang Jie and the others were already talking.
Wang Jie: 【What is going on?】
Zhao Zicheng: 【If something is abnormal, a demon must be involved.】
Zhou Yimiao: 【@Brother Yu】
Chen Yu pressed down the irritation rising in his chest and explained: 【We planned to watch a movie together on Saturday.】
The moment Wang Jie and the others read that, they understood. Chen Yu had been hanging out with them on Saturday and never showed up for the date. So Cen Sui must be angry and was throwing a tantrum in a fresh new way.
Wang Jie: 【Easy. Just apologize a bit and coax her.】
Zhao Zicheng: 【Coax? Are you kidding? Besides, since when has our Brother Yu ever apologized to a woman?】
Zhou Yimiao: 【Exactly. It is always women coaxing our Brother Yu.】
Wang Jie: 【There is that.】
Zhao Zicheng: 【A woman who can make our Brother Yu coax her does not exist.】
Wang Jie: 【That is not necessarily true. Maybe one thing subdues another.】
Zhou Yimiao: 【Whoever can subdue our Brother Yu, I will wash my hair while doing a handstand.】
…
Chen Yu was feeling irritated and did not bother reading the rest of Wang Jie and the others’ messages.
He exited the group chat and opened his conversation with Cen Sui. After a moment, he sent four words: 【Know when to stop.】
In the back row, Cen Sui was sitting with her head lowered, reading her copy of Record of Treasures with full concentration.
The moment she opened the book, she had become a little absorbed in it. Naturally, she had no attention to spare for anything else. All she wanted was to finish reading it as quickly as possible. So when her phone lit up on the desk again, she did not notice it at all.
Chen Yu held his phone while waiting for a reply, but of course none came.
He swallowed down a surge of anger and turned his head slightly to glance back at her, only to see her completely focused on her book, looking as if she could not hear anything beyond its pages.
Retracting his gaze, he tossed his phone onto the desk. Chen Yu had no intention of giving her another chance.
He did not look toward the back again. When the bell rang signaling the end of class, he stood up and left the lecture hall, heading to the restroom with Wang Jie.
As they stood at the sinks, Wang Jie turned on the faucet and said, “There are no classes this afternoon. The university’s auditorium is hosting the Su’an University Campus Singer Competition. Want to go check it out?”
Normally, Chen Yu would have agreed without a second thought, but he was not in the right mood today. He replied, “We will see.”
After they finished in the restroom and returned to the classroom, Chen Yu instinctively glanced toward the back row.
Not seeing Cen Sui sitting there reading, he quickly withdrew his gaze.
He was curious to see just how long that woman planned to keep this up.
When she could not hold back any longer and came crying to beg him to make up, he certainly would not agree so easily.
Chen Yu was thinking exactly that as he stepped up the tiers toward his row of desks.
He was just about to turn and sit down when a clear voice suddenly rang out behind him.
“Chen Yu.”
He stopped mid-movement and turned back on the steps.
From his higher position, he looked down at Cen Sui, who was standing two steps below him. There was a faint smile at the corners of her lips and eyes.
His face remained cold as he spoke with clear impatience. “What is it now?”
What, she could not hold back anymore?
Ready to beg him to make up already?
Cen Sui lifted her chin slightly and looked straight into Chen Yu’s eyes.
She stepped up one more tier, moving a little closer to Chen Yu. Then, under the gaze of everyone around them, the smile on her lips deepened. Her eyes held a teasing, carefree glint as she spoke, relaxed and unhurried.
“Let’s break up. I am tired of playing.”
Chen Yu stared at her, his brows instantly knitting together.
The onlookers froze as well, their eyes widening so much it seemed they might fall out of their sockets.
Cen Sui was very satisfied with their reactions. She took another step upward, passing by Chen Yu, who was still standing stiffly in place.
She deliberately brushed against his arm, bumping him enough that his body tilted slightly to the side. As for herself, she lifted a hand to sweep her hair back and continued walking toward the seats in the back row.