In the end, Wen Ying still couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Anyway, the tomato scrambled eggs were delicious, so eating them a few more times wouldn’t hurt.
That was what Wen Ying thought as she handed the spotlessly clean dishes back to Qu Huo.
The one-day monthly exam arrived right on schedule.
Conveniently falling on a Friday, the monthly exam perfectly eliminated the PE class Wen Ying didn’t want to attend. She had never been so grateful to the math teacher.
Thanks to Gu Xiche’s courage to rebel, the teachers handing out papers on the stage had gotten used to doing things themselves. Their efficiency was much better than when only Gu Xiche was doing all the work.
And Gu Xiche no longer had to endure the miserable days of solving problems while keeping an eye on the class’s discipline at the same time.
“How did you find the difficulty?”
Before the lunch break, Wen Ying asked Qu Huo, who was passing by.
Qu Huo answered seriously, “The business and Chinese papers were easier. The comprehensive liberal arts one was hard.”
Wen Ying nodded. “Same as I thought.”
Good thing business was easy she wasn’t very good at that subject.
Seeing the two chatting so pleasantly, Huo Jueyue wanted to join in too.
But just hearing about studying gave him a headache. He couldn’t even hold a conversation with two top students, so after listening for a while, he left regretfully.
Once he was gone, Qu Huo handed the lunchbox to Wen Ying.
“You’re afraid of him?”
With no one else in the classroom, Wen Ying spoke more casually.
The whole class knew she bummed meals off Qu Huo, and Qu Huo hadn’t been avoiding anyone these past few days. Why was he specifically hiding from Huo Jueyue?
She wouldn’t allow anyone to be afraid of Huo Jueyue, that pretty-faced school bully.
“I’m not,” Qu Huo explained.
“But if he sees, he’ll pester you again.”
“Let him do whatever he wants.”
Wen Ying was briefly stunned, then smiled. “Well, I’m not afraid of him anyway.”
Qu Huo said nothing, just looked at Wen Ying with an unreadable expression.
Wen Ying couldn’t decipher what he meant, but felt vaguely guilty for some reason. “Anyway, you don’t need to avoid him. He’s just a rascal.”
“Okay.”
This time, Qu Huo obediently agreed.
“Eat together?”
“Sure.” There was an empty desk next to Wen Ying, with only a few unused textbooks stuffed in its cubby.
She generously offered the desk.
“Sit.”
Lunchtime was fairly harmonious, allowing them to temporarily forget the knowledge points crammed in their heads.
But in the afternoon, there were still two more subjects to take.
Students grumbled after class, but when the bell rang, everyone obediently wrote their names on the papers.
By the last subject, math, Wen Ying quickly finished the absurdly easy paper.
She checked it a few times and looked up, finding that the only other person in the class who had also finished was Gu Xiche.
Everyone else was either scribbling furiously or checking their mistakes.
Even Huo Jueyue, who always scored zero on quizzes, was biting his pen, tracing the character for “answer” over and over on his paper, his handsome face scrunched up like a bitter melon.
Moved by their boss’s spirit of desperate determination, the red-haired and yellow-haired guys also found motivation, and on their papers… drew turtles.
Of course, Wen Ying didn’t look at other people’s papers.
She didn’t know what the slackers were up to, only feeling that the class’s academic atmosphere seemed to have improved.
A better academic atmosphere meant more people competing with her for the scholarship.
At that thought, Wen Ying read through the questions two more times.
She actually wanted to hand in her paper early, so she could hurry home to read the second volume of the story and avoid the awkward incident of Huo Jueyue eavesdropping on her phone call.
Unfortunately, early submission wasn’t allowed during the monthly exam.
“Ring ring ring…”
The moment the exam bell rang, Wen Ying, who was always unhurried, acted completely out of character. She handed in her paper at lightning speed, grabbed her bag in one fluid motion, and under everyone’s astonished gaze, was the first to dash out of the classroom.
“What’s up with him?”
The yellow-haired guy, whose eyes had gone cross-eyed from the math torture, was utterly confused. “Why’s he suddenly so excited?”
The red-haired guy, who had been playing Gomoku against himself for half the class, yawned. “No idea. Anyway, it’s not because of the boss.”
Immediately after, he received a fierce glare from Huo Jueyue.
Wen Ying wanted to leave quickly.
But things didn’t go as planned.
She wasn’t the only student eager to get home everyone loved the wonderful weekend.
By the time she reached the stairwell, it was already packed solid.
Students wriggled along like sardines in a can, and Wen Ying was a fish who didn’t want to get too close to others.
So she walked slowly.
Before she even reached the second-floor landing, the phone in her pocket began vibrating with that annoying buzz.
Even though she was prepared, Wen Ying’s mood still soured slightly.
It was Huo’s father again.
Wen Ying kept her head down, weaving through the crowd as she answered the call.
“Uncle Huo.”
“Yingying.” Huo’s father’s voice was kind, lacking the earlier roundaboutness. “Sounds noisy over there. Is the monthly exam over?”
“It’s already over.”
A gap finally opened in the crowd, and Wen Ying hurried down the stairs.
This world was full of coincidences.
She could guarantee that Huo Jueyue would “happen” to be nearby, “happen” to overhear her call, and “happen” to misunderstand.
“Since the exam’s done, you should take a few days to relax properly.” Laughter came through the phone.
“Over the weekend, your Aunt Bai and I have cleared our schedules. You must come by Uncle Huo’s house for a visit.”
Wen Ying was about to refuse when Huo Ting continued, “The dress your Aunt Bai ordered arrived a few days ago. She’s been waiting for you to come try it on.”
That single sentence lodged the polite refusal in Wen Ying’s throat.
Before he could decline, he’d have to get past the dress first.
“Yingying?” Seeing Wen Ying stay silent, Father Huo expressed genuine concern. “Is it that you don’t like long dresses? I’ll have the designer rush a short version instead.”
If he made an obvious fuss about the dress, Huo Jueyue might misunderstand.
Wen Ying steadied his emotions and spoke in a calm tone: “No, it’s fine.”
He forced a hint of warmth into his voice: “Anything Aunt Bai gives me, I’ll love.”
“Good child.”
Wen Ying’s enunciation was crisp and his voice clean exactly the tone elders adored. Huo Ting’s attitude grew even warmer. “If only Jueyue had even half your temperament, we wouldn’t have to worry every day.”
“So it’s settled. Jueyue won’t be around this weekend you come to Uncle’s house to try on the dress.”
Before he finished speaking, a deliberately muffled male voice came through the background: “Mr. Huo, there’s a collaboration with the Wang Corporation here a three-hundred-billion contract that needs your ”
“I have something urgent here. We’ll talk in person.”
Wen Ying was about to make an excuse to decline when Huo Ting hung up with swift efficiency.
Clutching his phone, Wen Ying barely managed to keep his expression composed.
At the end of the first book, Huo Ting had only discussed the dress with Wen Yingying he’d never invited her to the house.
Why the Huo family had suddenly invited him over, Wen Ying had no idea.
Expressionless, he glanced backward and, sure enough, spotted Huo Jueyue five or six people away.
Sensing his gaze, Huo Jueyue preened confidently in his direction, flashing a bold, guileless smile.
Clearly, he had no idea what Wen Ying and Huo Ting had discussed, nor had he mistaken anyone’s gender.
That was the silver lining in an otherwise bad situation.
Wen Ying turned around, finding bitter comfort in the thought.
He left school weighed down with worry. With no chauffeur to pick him up, Wen Ying had to walk home.
Just as well—the autumn wind could clear his head, leaving him with enough energy to face the troubles ahead.
As he neared the villa district, a crisp “ding” sounded in his mind.
Looking at the translucent panel, the plot node “Blend into campus life as much as possible; prepare for the next monthly exam” now bore a large checkmark.
“Why is it ending now? The results haven’t even come out yet.”
Wen Ying felt no relief whatsoever.
“Gentleman” whirred through its CPU and arrived at the most reliable conclusion.
[Perhaps the teachers have finished grading and confirmed your scores are high enough that they won’t change.]
“Maybe.”
Wen Ying no longer cared about past nodes. He quickly tapped the light screen, and new plot points arrived in rapid succession.
Please complete the Huo family invitation and sign up for at least one event at the autumn sports meet.
So going to the Huo house was part of the main storyline?
Wen Ying pondered.
The sports meet in the second half of the task was two weeks away, and registration was still a week off plenty of time to prepare.
He wasn’t fond of physical activity, but he was perfectly capable of signing up for something low-effort to get by.
The more pressing issue was still the Huo family trouble.
His pace quickened until he was nearly running home.
[Gentleman, I need to read the second book’s plot today.]
He brewed himself a pot of heat-clearing tea, sat at his desk, and tried to calm his racing heart.
Since he’d managed to survive one book, surely he could weather whatever came next.
[Are you certain?]
“Gentleman” confirmed cautiously.
[The second book’s plot is far more conflict-driven than the first, involving more characters and greater challenges.]
“Of course.”
It was time to face it head-on. Even if he closed his eyes and refused to look, the plot would arrive on schedule, just like Father Huo’s phone call today.
[Very well, my dear prince.]
The second book, its glow dimmed, sprang forth, its cover flickering violently.
A flood of information tangled with text surged into Wen Ying’s mind.
“…”
A sharp pain pricked at his temples, and Wen Ying’s brow furrowed slightly.
His head still felt uncomfortable, but it was far better than the first time.
Fragmented plot pieces hadn’t yet woven into a coherent whole, only leaping and flickering across his nerves.
Closing his eyes, disjointed images surfaced in his mind.
A young girl lifted her skirt, a blush rising to her cheeks as she cast a coy, reproachful glance at Huo Jueyue.
She pouted, eyes curving into crescents: “You naughty thing you’ve already seen it, so why don’t you zip me up? How much longer do you want to look?”
“Can I kiss you?” Huo Jueyue looked at Wen Yingying with wild defiance, yet his eyes burned with unwavering devotion.
“Hmph, no way!”
The wind on the rooftop was fierce, whipping Gu Xiche’s silky silver hair into a wild dance, like a mysterious elven prince fallen to earth.
He hesitated, as if about to speak, but in the end, he simply looked at the girl with an indescribable gaze.
“Pretending to be a boy must be really hard, right?”
Crimson blood dripped onto the ground, stabbing at the girl’s nerves.
She screamed, because she saw it.
From Qu Huo’s chest, bright red blood was gushing out.
The vivid scarlet pierced Wen Ying’s senses.
He snapped his eyes open.