He Ying had never refused a System task before, but regarding this one, she boldly said no outright.
【No, club activities are essentially practical classes. If I don’t practice the course content properly during class and instead go off flirting, what will happen to my regular grades?】
The System ignored He Ying’s plea and mechanically issued the task again, as if it were merely an emotionless task-dispensing machine.
In fact, it truly was.
Unlike the systems in novels that whimper, act cute, and flirt, He Ying felt hers was simply a machine—only issuing tasks, judging tasks, ending tasks, and transferring worlds in a seamless process.
He Ying abandoned communication and accepted the task.
Solutions always outweigh difficulties; after all, her regular grades absolutely could not drop even a single point.
He Ying looked at Chi Jingsheng: “Then I’ll go to the horse ranch tonight too. It’s been quite some time since I’ve been there.”
Chi Jingsheng was still smiling, seemingly having already forgotten He Ying calling him “fake-smile guy.”
Shangguan Mingyu watched He Ying run toward another person right in front of him, and a strange emotion surged within him.
He began to doubt whether what that person said was true.
Did He Ying still like him?
Could she really have fallen for Chi Jingsheng?
After all, Chi Jingsheng’s smile was indeed very handsome.
But initially, everything had been proceeding according to plan—why had He Ying’s attitude suddenly changed?
Shangguan Mingyu looked at Chi Jingsheng’s face, his gaze gradually darkening.
After escorting He Ying to the lounge, Shangguan Mingyu didn’t crane his neck to look at Xia Shuyue this time; instead, he directly pulled Chi Jingsheng away, appearing as if he had something to say.
He Ying observed Shangguan Mingyu’s behavior, deducting another point from her impression of him.
Not long after He Ying arrived at the lounge’s changing room, Ying Ying sidled up to her. The youthful, adorable twin ponytails, as always, greatly enhanced her cute little face.
“He Ying, I want to talk to you.”
He Ying glanced at the changing room door; Ying Ying had locked it when she entered, so now only they two were inside.
He Ying nodded: “Speak quickly; others still need to use the changing room.”
Ying Ying bit her lip, looking somewhat aggrieved. She wanted He Ying to ask her what was wrong, but after sulking for a while and seeing He Ying had no intention of speaking up, she finally asked herself: “I saw this morning…”
“Saw what?”
“I saw you helping Xia Shuyue… You also chatted with Xia Shuyue after the last class today… Miss, do you hate me now? Wuwuwuwu.”
As she spoke, Ying Ying started crying on her own, so He Ying had to first change her shoes, letting Ying Ying cry for a bit.
Once Ying Ying’s crying subsided a little, He Ying continued asking: “Why do you think helping Xia Shuyue means I’ll hate you?”
In front of Ying Ying, He Ying did not deny her assistance to Xia Shuyue.
In fact, she indeed needed someone’s mouth to spread her deeds of helping others to the ears of the person involved.
Ying Ying took a deep breath, seeming to finally stabilize her emotions. Looking at He Ying with a serious expression, she said: “Today you asked me if it was fun, and I answered yes—I treated Xia Shuyue as entertainment. You must think I’m a bad girl and don’t like me anymore, right?”
He Ying did not reply immediately, and Ying Ying’s eyes grew even redder. “I just… I just thought it was interesting how she dared to approach Shangguan Mingyu even though she’s clearly not from our world. I actually don’t dislike her.”
“But today, seeing her paired with you, I really started to feel jealous.”
“Young lady, didn’t you say I was different?”
Ying Ying grew more and more aggrieved, and He Ying believed she was genuinely crying.
Among the elite circles second only to F4, Ying Ying was the most pampered little sister and had truly never experienced such distress before.
Perhaps there were some ulterior motives mixed into her words, but He Ying could sense that Ying Ying’s feelings toward her were quite genuine.
Emotions were like that—they could make two people the best of friends over a piece of cake, yet also lead to irreparable conflicts over a single sentence.
He Ying patted Ying Ying’s head and finally spoke. “I don’t dislike you.”
“You and Xia Shuyue stand on opposite sides. She hasn’t done anything wrong, and you have no obligation to help her.”
“It’s just that when I look at Xia Shuyue, I can’t help but think: those who bully her gain a sense of superiority over her when they do so. They believe their status is higher than hers, so they feel entitled to treat her however they want.”
“By that logic, they aren’t at the very top either. So, when someone they perceive as higher up bullies them, shouldn’t they be able to accept it calmly?”
“This morning, I simply tested that idea. The conclusion is: those who bully others still can’t accept being bullied themselves. Similarly, those who stand by and watch can’t accept being ignored when they’re in need.”
Ying Ying’s face instantly turned pale, though she still looked adorable, making He Ying unable to resist patting her head again.
“Ying Ying, you truly are different. Your personality is honest, just like today. But honesty can also hurt people.”
“The strong draw their swords against the stronger, while the weak draw their swords against the weaker.”
After He Ying left the changing room, Ying Ying remained in place, unable to shake off He Ying’s words for a long time.
She crouched on the floor, hugging her knees in a defensive posture, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Though tear stains still marked her hidden face, the corners of her mouth curled into a smile.
The trembling of her body wasn’t from suppressed sobs but from restrained laughter.
He Ying was truly too perfect.
She liked her so much.
How could she truly get close to He Ying? What should she do?
She needed to think of a way.
She wanted to be someone He Ying would protect too.
After leaving the changing room, He Ying ran into another unexpected guest.
Nangong Xiao.
No wonder He Ying said F4 always showed up in groups.
She had to see enough of three F4 members before they’d let her take a nap.
He Ying nodded in acknowledgment and prepared to walk past Nangong Xiao, but he stopped her. “He… He Ying, do you have time now?”
It was strange. Today, the Cold Prince Nangong Xiao didn’t sound as sharp as he had yesterday. Instead, there was an awkward, hesitant quality to his words.
He Ying always kept her distance from strange things, so she replied directly, “Very busy. I’m about to plant seeds on strawberries. What is it?”
Nangong Xiao’s expression grew even stranger. He glanced at the door behind He Ying, leaned in closer, and whispered, “Don’t be too nice to Ying Ying. Her kind of liking is different from others’.”
Nangong Xiao spoke the truth, which was precisely why He Ying was surprised. Nangong Xiao had actually shown her goodwill—which butterfly had flapped its wings?
“Got it, thanks.”
Upon hearing He Ying’s thanks, Nangong Xiao fled as if escaping.
Meanwhile, Shangguan Mingyu pulled Chi Jingsheng to the corner of the hallway and spoke with a displeased expression, “Are you and He Ying teaming up to provoke me? What benefits did she offer your family?”
Chi Jingsheng paused, “No.”
“We are not teaming up.”