Gu Shiyan let out a soft, low chuckle.
He reached out and patted Sikong Sui’s head naturally, the gesture as intimate as an older brother comforting his younger sister.
Sikong Sui resisted the urge to slap his hand away.
She reminded herself: Acting—who couldn’t do it?
The classroom door opened again.
This time, the person who entered changed the very air in the room.
Sikong Nian walked in first.
Today, he wore a dark gray suit jacket over a black turtleneck, appearing aloof and dignified.
His pheromones were almost undetectable, suppressed by the suppressant, but the aura of a top-tier Alpha could not be completely concealed.
The moment he entered, every Omega in the classroom instinctively looked up.
The Alphas also tensed instinctively.
Sikong Nian’s expression was indifferent as his gaze swept across the room, pausing briefly when it landed on the distance between Sikong Sui and Gu Shiyan.
The pause lasted only a fraction of a second, almost imperceptible.
Following behind him was Fu Yuan.
Fu Yuan was even more handsome than described in the original book.
His features were sharp and striking, with eyebrows like finely carved blades and eyes that slanted slightly upward at the corners.
But Sikong Sui’s attention wasn’t on Fu Yuan.
Because behind Fu Yuan was Xie Ren.
Xie Ren was dressed casually today, wearing a black lightweight trench coat over a dark gray crewneck sweater.
His hair wasn’t tied back as usual.
A few stray strands fell across his forehead, partially obscuring his eyes and making him appear softer than usual.
Xie Ren’s gaze locked onto Sikong Sui almost the moment he entered the room.
Then he noticed Gu Shiyan sitting beside her.
He saw Gu Shiyan’s hand resting on the desk, the overly close distance between the two, and the sweet smile on Sikong Sui’s face.
Xie Ren’s steps faltered for a moment before he walked past Sikong Sui and Gu Shiyan’s seats expressionlessly.
The hem of his trench coat brushed lightly against the corner of her desk, carrying with it a faint, almost imperceptible scent of Bloody Mary.
It was so faint that it was barely noticeable, but Sikong Sui’s gland twitched slightly in that instant, as if responding to something.
The last person to enter was Pei Sichen.
If Gu Shiyan was a spring breeze, Xie Ren an undercurrent, and Sikong Nian a deep pool, then Pei Sichen was a glacier.
Not as a metaphor, but literally.
The moment he walked into the classroom, the temperature in the room seemed to drop by two degrees.
No one spoke, no one whispered, and even the sound of breathing unconsciously softened.
Pei Sichen’s very presence exuded an oppressive aura.
His features were flawlessly handsome, textbook-perfect.
His brow bone was high and deep, his nose bridge straight as if carved by a blade, his thin lips slightly pursed, and his jawline sharp as if measured with a ruler.
His hair was jet black, meticulously combed back to reveal an expressionless face.
Utterly expressionless.
…
When Pei Sichen walked past Sikong Sui, his gaze didn’t deviate even a degree.
To him, she was nothing more than an insignificant extra, a background character not worth a fraction of his attention.
He walked over and sat down at the desk next to Xie Ren, placing his textbook on the table, opening it, and beginning to read.
His movements were clean and precise, without a single unnecessary gesture.
Sikong Sui watched his profile and sighed silently in her heart.
An ice block.
Truly an ice block.
An ice block who wouldn’t even spare a glance.
An ice block whose affection level was probably in the single digits, or even negative.
An ice block whose Affection Quest difficulty was hell-level.
Forget it, she’d think about it later.
Class began.
The topic was modern equality legislation.
Sikong Sui took notes as she listened, the tip of her pen rustling softly on the paper.
Occasionally, she would look up, her gaze inadvertently sweeping across a few people in the classroom.
Sikong Nian sat alone at a desk by the window on the far left, his head bowed as he wrote, looking focused and handsome.
Fu Yuan sat diagonally behind him, his eyes occasionally drifting toward Sikong Nian. That furtive, self-assured gaze made Sikong Sui’s lips curl slightly.
Xie Ren sat two rows away, his book still open to the same page. His eyes were fixed on the text, but Sikong Sui was certain he hadn’t absorbed a single word.
Gu Shiyan sat beside her, remaining quiet from start to finish.
He listened attentively, taking neat and tidy notes. Occasionally, he would frown slightly or draw a small star next to a key point.
He looked like the epitome of a model, well-behaved, and academically excellent student.
But Sikong Sui knew that all his attention was on her.
Not because she was special, but because she was the daughter of the Sikong family.
A pawn on his chessboard.
He needed to know everything about her, understand all her movements, so that at the right time, in the right way, he could make her willingly step into the trap he had laid.
Sikong Sui sneered inwardly, but on her face, she maintained that obedient, slightly admiring expression.
Whenever Gu Shiyan turned to look at her, she would curve her lips slightly, her eyes sparkling like a young girl being treated gently.
Acting—who couldn’t do it?
The three-hour class finally ended.
As the professor closed his textbook and announced the dismissal, the classroom filled with the sounds of students packing up.
The zipping of backpacks, the scraping of chairs, and low murmurs of conversation blended together like a pot of boiling porridge.
Sikong Sui was just stuffing her notebook into her bag, her hand still on the zipper, when she heard the distinctive, booming voice of the vice dean from the podium.
“Students, please quiet down. There’s an important announcement.”
The classroom gradually fell silent.
The vice dean stood on the podium, holding a piece of paper, his expression serious and solemn.
His gaze swept across the classroom before finally settling on a certain direction.
“Student Xie Ren.”
Sikong Sui’s fingers abruptly stilled.
Xie Ren stood up from his seat, looked toward the vice dean, and gave a slight nod to indicate he was listening.
The vice dean cleared his throat. “The Empire’s Shadow Division has just issued an emergency transfer order. You are required to go on a business trip to carry out a special mission, with an estimated duration of three months.”
Three months.
The words felt like three needles, one after another, piercing Sikong Sui’s ears.
Her mind instantly shifted into high gear.
A three-month business trip.
Three whole months away from the academy, away from her side.
Xie Ren’s favorability was only 60, just barely passing the threshold, and had only just begun to show the slightest signs of loosening.
Three months.
What about her mission then?!
“No!”
Sikong Sui’s voice was like a knife, cleanly slicing through all the noise in the classroom.
She stood up, slamming her hands on the desk with a heavy thud.
The entire classroom fell silent.
Everyone turned to look at her.
The vice dean’s words caught in his throat, the paper in his hand frozen mid-air, his mouth slightly agape, and his eyes behind his glasses wide open.
Professors, classmates, even the janitor passing by outside the window stopped in their tracks, peering inside through the glass.
Sikong Sui stood there, her hands still pressed against the desk, feeling everyone’s gaze fixed on her.
In that moment, her mind finally snapped out of its frantic whirlwind.
…Oh no.
She had lost her composure.
Her gaze swept across the room before finally settling on Xie Ren.
Xie Ren stood by the window, his trench coat draped over his arm, his figure silhouetted against the light, making his expression unclear.
But Sikong Sui saw his body stiffen slightly, as if struck by something.
Then, he slowly turned his head.
From that angle, Sikong Sui could just see his profile.
He was looking at her.
[System Notification: Xie Ren’s favorability +5. Current favorability: 65.]
Sikong Sui: “…”
Gu Shiyan sat beside her, having witnessed everything from start to finish.
His expression shifted from initial surprise to a thoughtful, subtle one.
He tilted his head, watching the flush on Sikong Sui’s cheek, and slowly curved his lips into a meaningful smile.
“Little Suisui, when did you and Xie Ren become so close?”
“You haven’t been… swapped out, have you?”
A chill ran down Sikong Sui’s spine once more.