In the cramped balcony space, Xie Wenxing stood with his back against the wall, while Luo Yinyin positioned herself closer to the railing, her eyes fixed on him intently.
She didn’t speak right away. Through the wall, Xie Wenxing could hear the noise from the hallway, students laughing and roughhousing.
Her stare made him uncomfortable. “What exactly do you want to say?”
Suddenly, Luo Yinyin spoke. “Why?”
Xie Wenxing was confused. “What do you mean?”
Her tone was far from pleasant. No matter how she looked at Xie Wenxing, aside from a face slightly more attractive than average, she saw nothing special about him. So why had Xu Huai’an singled him out to give him a cake?
Thanks to the system’s upgrades, Luo Yinyin’s appearance was already among the best of humanity. Yet Xu Huai’an remained completely indifferent.
It was just too abnormal!
“Why did Xu Huai’an give you that cake?”
Xie Wenxing’s expression cooled slightly. “I don’t think that’s any of your business. If that’s all you wanted to say, then I’ve got nothing to talk about.”
Every little thing about Xu Huai’an, Xie Wenxing wanted to savor on his own.
He still often revisited that moment, the first time he and Xu Huai’an had a genuine, positive interaction. To Xie Wenxing, it meant a great deal.
It was a wonderful start.
He turned to leave, but Luo Yinyin didn’t expect him to be so decisive. Dropping her pretense, she scowled and finally came out with it.
“Did you know Xu Huai’an is really good-looking?”
Now this was a topic Xie Wenxing could get into.
His eyes lit up. “Good-looking? He’s beyond good-looking, he’s ridiculously, cosmically, explosively handsome, alright? His eyebrows are perfect, his eyelashes are so long, and his nose is super straight. Plus, the contours around his eyes are deep, and his double eyelids are really defined. He never fully opens his eyes, he always keeps them half-lidded, which gives him this unique charm. And his side profile is amazing too. His chin isn’t too long or too short, not too broad or too slim, it’s just right. It makes him look determined and really manly. And he’s so tall! His legs are incredibly long. Did you know he’s over 1.8 meters? If only I were that tall too…”
Once he started talking about Xu Huai’an, Xie Wenxing couldn’t stop. His eyes sparkled with admiration, as if he could go on forever.
Xu Huai’an and Zhou Yuan had only been passing by. The stairwell was nearby, and they had been heading downstairs when they happened to overhear Luo Yinyin confronting Xie Wenxing, apparently about to bring up those matters concerning Xu Huai’an.
Zhou Yuan had assumed Xie Wenxing was done for. Everyone who learned about Xu Huai’an’s past had trouble maintaining a normal attitude toward him. Those who once liked him grew fearful and kept their distance, while those who hadn’t liked him found all the more reason to despise him.
Apart from Zhou Yuan and Zhao Xu, who had grown up with Xu Huai’an since childhood, no one dared to remain friends with him.
Most were afraid, and so they pulled away.
But Zhou Yuan didn’t expect that, before Luo Yinyin could even get a few words out, Xie Wenxing would launch into a nonstop string of compliments about Xu Huai’an.
Damn. Even he had never said things like that to Xu Huai’an. Sure, Brother Huai was exceptional, but this was a bit much, was Xie Wenxing laying the filters on a little thick?
Brother Huai would be happy to hear this, right?
Zhou Yuan stole a glance at Xu Huai’an and noticed his expression had softened noticeably. Well, it seemed Xie Wenxing had stumbled into the right approach.
“Okay, okay, stop! Enough!”
Luo Yinyin couldn’t take it anymore. She sensed something odd, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
She pressed on. “I knew it, you’re definitely blinded by his looks. If you knew what he’s done, you wouldn’t think he’s so great!”
She said it with absolute certainty, but Xie Wenxing wasn’t convinced. He opened his mouth to respond, but Luo Yinyin, afraid he would just praise Xu Huai’an again, spoke first. “Do you know how cruel he is? He sent his own father, the man who raised him for over a decade, to prison, without a shred of regard for their father-son bond. Word is, he spent years gathering evidence, all just to get his hands on his father’s wealth.”
“Don’t let his age fool you—Xu Huai’an is already the owner of several companies. He’s worth a fortune.”
“So, now you see how terrifying he really is.”
Zhou Yuan watched as Xu Huai’an’s demeanor turned ice-cold with every word Luo Yinyin spoke, colder than before, even. He was like a dormant volcano: still and silent on the surface, yet seething with activity beneath, danger ready to erupt at any moment.
Or like a cold, venomous snake, sending chills down one’s spine.
If Xie Wenxing’s reaction was even slightly unsatisfactory, Zhou Yuan thought, things would certainly take a very bad turn.
Xie Wenxing let out an “Oh” and nodded. “I see.”
He looked remarkably unruffled.
Luo Yinyin was deeply displeased with his response. “What kind of reaction is that?”
Xie Wenxing said, “I said I see.”
Luo Yinyin grew hysterical, her voice sharpening as she lost control. “He’s a monster! He sold out his own father! Shouldn’t you hate him? Doesn’t he disgust you?”
Xie Wenxing couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander.
If Xu Huai’an was a monster, then what did that make him, constantly thirsting over Xu Huai’an’s voice and body? An even bigger monster?
Big monster and little monster, whoa, a perfect match!
Xie Wenxing was delighted.
Xu Huai’an was delighted too. His mood instantly improved.
Zhou Yuan watched with a baffled expression.
Xie Wenxing quickly snapped back to reality and began questioning Luo Yinyin. “Wait a minute, why are you telling me all this?”
It didn’t take him long to connect the dots. She had confessed to Xu Huai’an before, and now it all clicked. “Oh~ I get it! It’s because you like Xu Huai’an, so you go around badmouthing him to make people afraid of him. That way, you’re the only one who isn’t scared, and you can swoop in when he’s vulnerable. Isn’t that right?”