When Ming Jing saw the person standing before him clearly, his gaze paused.
She possessed a beauty that words could hardly describe.
The girl before him had a gloomy yet stunning face. Perhaps because she had been drinking, a faint reddish flush lingered at the corners of her eyes.
Sensing his gaze, her thick eyelashes lifted slightly, revealing a pair of clear, cool eyes.
Coldness and allure—two completely contradictory qualities—coexisted perfectly within her.
Her gaze brushed lightly across him before lowering again with apparent disinterest.
Seemingly bothered by a headache, the girl leaned against the doorframe and frowned slightly.
“Do you need something?”
Ming Jing found his eyes lingering on her uncontrollably.
She wore a pearl-white swimsuit.
Her long hair spilled over her shoulders.
Every inch of exposed skin was as white as snow.
Long legs.
A slender waist.
There wasn’t a single flaw to be found anywhere on her body.
After several moments without receiving a response, the girl frowned and moved to close the door.
Without thinking, Ming Jing reflexively reached out and stopped it.
Standing above her, he stared down at Xiao Yao.
Xiao Yao’s heart skipped several beats.
Outwardly calm, inwardly she was panicking.
“What do I do? He couldn’t have discovered it, right? I’m doomed, doomed…”
The system was equally panicked.
“The Male Lead isn’t easy to fool. We’re doomed, doomed…”
Xiao Yao raised her head and stared at the Male Lead warily.
Then the system witnessed something unbelievable.
The original novel’s Male Lead—who had spent years concealing his true nature, appearing gentle and courteous on the surface while actually being calculating and far from kind—suddenly looked away.
The tips of his ears slowly turned red beneath his dark hair.
The system was stunned.
Was this normal?
Even Xiao Yao was shocked by the sight.
The system screamed inside her head.
“You menace! Stop seducing the Male Lead!”
Xiao Yao felt wronged.
“How did I seduce him? I just looked at him.”
The system fell silent.
That was true.
But how could the Male Lead be so lacking in self-control?
Hadn’t he forgotten that from head to toe, body and soul, he belonged to the Female Lead?
The system sulked for a while before comforting itself.
Surely it was only because the Male Lead and Female Lead hadn’t met yet.
Once the Female Lead appeared, the Male Lead would naturally come to his senses.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yao took advantage of Ming Jing looking away and tried to close the door again.
Ming Jing reflexively blocked it once more.
Xiao Yao became annoyed.
She glared at the handsome young man.
“What exactly do you want?”
Ming Jing’s expression stiffened slightly before quickly returning to normal.
Having endured for years, he knew very well how to use his appearance to his advantage.
A warm smile slowly appeared on his fair face.
“Sorry. A rat snuck in earlier. I wasn’t sure whether it disturbed you.”
His voice was gentle and pleasant, the kind that easily earned people’s goodwill.
After hearing that, Xiao Yao exploded internally.
“Who is he calling a rat?! I’ll bite him to death! Squeak squeak squeak!”
The system hurriedly tried to calm her.
“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. The Male Lead was talking about the earlier you, not the current you. By the way, did you hear any strange squeaking noises just now?”
Xiao Yao felt guilty.
“No.”
“Rat” was an established code word.
Ming Jing couldn’t be too specific.
Not because he was concerned about anything in particular—it was simply habit.
Anyone in their circle would understand the meaning immediately.
Still, someone reacting with as much outrage as Xiao Yao was rare.
Grinding her teeth, Xiao Yao answered,
“No.”
Her cheeks were slightly flushed.
If one didn’t look closely, they might assume she was drunk.
Yet after approaching her, Ming Jing couldn’t smell any alcohol at all.
If she wasn’t drunk, then she must have been exercising vigorously not long ago.
Was it just a coincidence?
Ming Jing stared at her for a moment before suddenly asking,
“Would it be convenient for me to come inside and take a look?”
Xiao Yao rejected him without hesitation.
“No.”
Ming Jing paused.
“Sorry. I don’t mean any harm.”
“Mm.”
Xiao Yao responded and tried to close the door again.
Once more, he blocked it.
She instinctively glared at him, but after seeing his expression, she guiltily looked away.
Ming Jing narrowed his eyes.
The girl before him was simply too suspicious.
He couldn’t help directing his suspicions toward her.
Keeping his expression neutral, he asked,
“Where were you just now? What were you doing?”
The system immediately began gloating.
“The Male Lead suspects you! The Male Lead is so smart…”
Ignoring the traitorous system, Xiao Yao’s brain worked at top speed.
There was absolutely no way she could let him inside.
Her sunglasses, mask, and jacket were all lying on the bed.
If he entered, everything would be exposed.
Suddenly, Xiao Yao remembered catching sight of those bright-red ears earlier.
A thought occurred to her.
She slowly lifted a soft hand and lightly pressed it against the man’s chest.
Firm.
Springy.
Very nice to touch.
The system instantly transformed into a screaming chicken.
“AHHHHHHHHH! STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
The smile at Ming Jing’s lips faltered.
His expression darkened slightly.
He stepped back and avoided her touch.
Yet his heartbeat involuntarily accelerated.
The system continued screaming.
“You’re not allowed to seduce the Male Lead!!”
What a pity.
Xiao Yao had originally intended to lean against those impressive chest muscles.
Now she had no choice but to stop.
Leaning against the door, she raised her gloomy yet beautiful face.
Her eyes were cold, yet strangely enticing.
“What do you think I was doing? What else can people do when they come to a place like this?”
His heartbeat gradually settled.
The lingering warmth faded.
For some reason, Ming Jing felt as though this answer was exactly what he had expected.
He stared at Xiao Yao, as though confirming whether she was telling the truth.
“Where’s your boyfriend? Why did he let you answer the door?”
Xiao Yao gestured casually toward the bathroom.
“Preparing a surprise for me.”
Reluctantly following her instructions, the system activated the shower.
The sound of running water drifted from the bathroom to the doorway.
The existence of this “boyfriend” was instantly confirmed.
Clear.
And unpleasantly loud.
Ming Jing withdrew his gaze and nodded slightly.
“Sorry.”
Then he turned around and left without hesitation.
After sending the Male Lead away, Xiao Yao shut the door and immediately complained to the system.
“It’s all your fault. I’m certain the Male Lead likes me.”
Now the Male Lead thought she was a married woman.
There was no way she’d ever get to rest against those impressive chest muscles now.
The system was a devoted supporter of the official pairing and immediately scoffed.
“Keep dreaming. Don’t think everyone will be enchanted by your face. The Male Lead belongs to the Female Lead!”
Remembering the faint redness of the young man’s ears and the restraint in his gaze, Xiao Yao declared confidently,
“He definitely likes my face.”
“I don’t care. You’re not allowed to seduce the Male Lead!”
Xiao Yao touched her beautiful cheek and shamelessly said,
“What if he insists on being with me?”
“Get lost!”
The furious system immediately went offline.
Xiao Yao didn’t stay overnight at Jinzhou.
She took a taxi home, logged onto an online forum, and used the system’s advanced technology to create an account with an untraceable IP address.
When choosing a username, she hesitated for only one second before typing:
Love Resting on Big Chest Muscles
The system shrieked.
“You have no shame!!”
Xiao Yao completely ignored it.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she imported the photographs she had taken that day and uploaded them.
She hadn’t had time to examine them carefully while taking them.
Looking at them now on her screen, she could only sigh in admiration.
Her photography skills were actually pretty good.
Look at that.
She had perfectly captured the Male Lead’s cold expression.
His sharp eyes.
The practiced way he held a cigarette.
Once these photos were posted, all the girls on the forum crying things like “School Heartthrob Ming, please step on me!” would probably have their dreams shattered.
Just look at that gaze—as if he were looking at a dog.
Look at how naturally he smoked.
Go ahead and keep worshipping him.
Your gentle and perfect School Heartthrob’s image had officially collapsed!
The glow of the computer screen illuminated Xiao Yao’s face.
At that moment, she seemed to have completely stepped into the original owner’s role.
Her eyes gleamed frighteningly bright, carrying a hint of obsession and madness.
Her fingers clattered rapidly across the keyboard.
One explosive thread after another appeared on the forum.
The poster was anonymous.
The IP address was unknown.
The posts were uploaded less than a minute apart.
“A University’s School Heartthrob Ming Jing’s Persona Collapses? Smoking Like a Veteran Smoker!”
“Perfect School Heartthrob? Exclusive Photos of Ming Jing Smoking!”
“Girls’ Dreams Shattered! Your Male God Ming Jing Smokes and Drinks in Private!”
“They Called Him Their White Moonlight—Until This Photo Leaked…”
After posting everything, Xiao Yao heard the system notification announcing:
Mission Progress Completed: 1/4
Satisfied, she closed the computer and went to sleep.
That night, she dreamed of the Male Lead’s perfect image completely collapsing.
He fell from his pedestal once and for all.
Even in her sleep, she couldn’t help smiling.