The rejection without a hint of hesitation flattened Ci Ye’s lips. He almost blurted out, “Why not?” but then he remembered the conversation between two boys in the last exam room. They had said that Song Fu and Lu Qunwen were going to the library for a date… Because it was a date, she couldn’t bring him along, right?
Ci Ye didn’t voice the question. He tugged at the rubber band on his wrist.
The rubber band snapped against his skin with a “pop,” bringing a faint sting.
He would verify the answer with his own methods.
Song Fu noticed the gloom on the person beside her. After some hesitation, she picked a reasonable excuse from the pile of reasons she could give. “I’m going to study. You’d get bored.”
Ci Ye let out a soft “hmph” but in the end didn’t say something like, “Can’t I want to study once in a while?” “Mm, I know. With Lu Qunwen, right?”
There was no need for Song Fu to hide it. “Mm, there’s a competition.”
Mother Song stared at the two children in front of her. She felt like the air had inexplicably taken on a sour tang, but she had no intention of meddling in the younger generation’s emotional lives. She simply asked a couple more questions about whether Ci Ye wanted to come over for dinner that evening and what the two children wanted to eat.
Song Fu finished breakfast and didn’t stay at home any longer. She grabbed her bag and headed to the library. Although the agreed time was actually ten o’clock, that didn’t stop her from arriving early to study a bit more.
Ever since the female lead had said she wanted to sit with Song Fu, the System had been analyzing the logic, trying to pinpoint the root cause of the plot deviation. To prevent the plot from collapsing further, it offered more suggestions for Song Fu’s actions. [Host, your relationship with the male lead is a bit too good right now.]
Song Fu’s pen paused mid-calculation. She had vaguely sensed it too, but the problem was how to change it.
She couldn’t very well tell her mom, when she was inviting someone to dinner, that she didn’t want to, right?
[Why not?]
[The vicious supporting female can act more willfully without issue.]
[I suggest the host be a bit harsher to the male lead from now on. You’re not supposed to be friends.]
After hearing the System out, Song Fu spun the pen in her hand and let out a “mm,” indicating she understood.
Song Fu had worked through three pages of problems and was checking the answers when Lu Qunwen arrived, fifteen minutes before the agreed time.
Lu Qunwen saw Song Fu already seated there. His first reaction was to check his watch. He sat down across from her and lowered his voice. “Am I late?”
“No, I wanted to study a bit more.” Song Fu replied softly.
The two didn’t have much to chat about. They exchanged a couple sentences about the practice content and then started working on their problems separately. But compared to Song Fu’s focus, Lu Qunwen showed more absentmindedness. It was their first time meeting outside of school.
He glanced up stealthily at Song Fu and noticed her long eyelashes. Her amber eyes resembled an expressionless cat in the quiet.
Lu Qunwen actually didn’t like cats much. Compared to dogs, which were easy to read and cheerfully enthusiastic, cats always seemed elusive, a bit standoffish, with their fluffy faces hiding uncertain moods. Get too close, and you’d face either fangs or a lick—two extremes.
He sometimes thought Song Fu was very self-centered. She wouldn’t spare an extra word for things that didn’t interest her. The same went for people. He’d heard from classmates who had been in Song Fu’s class before the streaming and course selection that plenty of them hadn’t managed to exchange a single word with her right up until they were separated into classes again.
Hard to approach.
…
Ci Ye sat at a table not far away, using a book to block most of his face. Only his black eyes were visible, gleaming with gnashed teeth.
Song Fu had really met up with Lu Qunwen.
And that annoying guy wasn’t looking at his book or notes—he was just staring endlessly at Song Fu’s face. His eyeballs might as well fall out! Ci Ye watched, growing more irritated, but he never shifted his gaze. His opinion of Lu Qunwen went from mildly unpleasant to utterly detestable.
Passersby who glanced over just found it baffling. If Ci Ye hadn’t been fairly good-looking, such sneaky behavior probably would have gotten him kicked out long ago.
Song Fu finished checking the answers, organized the few wrong problems, rubbed her eyes, and began her break time—
Staring blankly out the window in plain, unadorned fashion.
The scene she saw differed from a normal person’s view, since not everyone had a System.
This was the window seat Song Fu had deliberately chosen. Outside, people came and went with varied expressions. As long as she stared for three seconds or more, a blue information panel would appear above the pedestrian’s head or beside them, displaying basic info like name, age, occupation, and current status.
The System said this was a deliberate setting to prevent Taskers from becoming too immersed in the task world. It gave the illusion of playing a full-dive VR game and helped Taskers restrain inappropriate emotions.
Song Fu used it to pass the time.
The girl waiting at the crosswalk for the light had just graduated from university and was hustling to find a job; the middle-aged man who had just passed by had been fired; the two young people across the street were arguing because one had cheated… And Lu Qunwen, sitting across from her, had a pink bubble floating on his blue information panel. He was agonizing over whether to confess.
Song Fu silently looked away.
Sigh.
Had she made a mistake in agreeing to come? Wait—that person. ‘System, am I seeing this right?’
When had Ci Ye shown up here? Even with the baseball cap, his flashy red hair sticking out was still unmistakable. No chance of mistaking him.
The two locked eyes unexpectedly.
Caught red-handed, Ci Ye silently lowered the book shielding his face, cleared his throat lightly. But his guilt quickly gave way to a broken-jar defiance.
Since he’d been discovered anyway, Ci Ye simply grabbed the book as a prop and sat in the empty seat beside Song Fu. Meeting her puzzled gaze again, he flopped his face onto his arms and lowered his voice. “Didn’t you tell me to find some less dangerous things to do? Am I not being obedient?”
Song Fu still found it hard to believe. “…You followed me here?”
Ci Ye stubbornly denied it. “No, I got here earlier than you.”
Song Fu rubbed her forehead. “But the only library I’d come to is this one, right?”
Ci Ye had no comeback. He nudged the speechless Song Fu beside him with his elbow. “Don’t be mad. How about we go grab lunch together later?”
[Host, don’t forget what I said.]
Reminded, Song Fu pulled her arm away and replied stiffly with two words: “No.” She then made a zipping motion near her mouth and added, “Shut up.” She couldn’t keep talking, or they’d soon be pierced by disgusted stares from the people around them.
“Oh.” Ci Ye obediently went quiet.
Lu Qunwen across from them watched the two going back and forth, his mood indescribably odd. His brows furrowed and stayed that way.
He and Song Fu weren’t in the same class, but their rooms were close, so he knew some gossip. Not a single rumor said Song Fu and Ci Ye were close. And yet, they sounded more than just close. The standoffish, quirky Ci Ye, hard to deal with in others’ eyes, spoke in an almost coquettish tone. And the usually indifferent Song Fu, uncaring about unrelated matters, showed undisguised annoyance toward Ci Ye…
It wasn’t until noon, when it was time for lunch, that the group left the library. Lu Qunwen clung to one last hope and asked, “Maybe… you’re siblings?”
Ci Ye, in the middle of sweet-talking, crossed his arms. “I’m older than Song Fu, sure, but no. Do we look alike?”
Lu Qunwen’s gaze fell on the black rubber band on Ci Ye’s wrist. His throat went dry, and he had to consider another possibility. “Then you two…”
“We’re neighbors.” Song Fu interrupted, giving the final definition.
Lu Qunwen couldn’t hide his surprise. In his impression, Ci Ye’s family was well-off, so Song Fu, who could be his neighbor, probably wasn’t doing too badly either. “You two seem really close.”
Ci Ye crossed his arms, chin lifted slightly, thinking Lu Qunwen had some eyesight after all. He was just about to explain their closeness in detail when Song Fu spoke first from beside him.
“Is that how it seems to you?”
Her tone carried an indescribable strangeness.
Ci Ye’s upturned mouth corners fell. Elation turned to unease.
Song Fu wasn’t done. “Actually, no. We just happen to live close by, and our parents get along well.”
It was clearly a brush-off. Neither Lu Qunwen nor Ci Ye was too dense to understand.
Lu Qunwen watched as Ci Ye’s face visibly darkened. Clearly, this answer was one-sided; the other party didn’t agree.
And yet Song Fu showed no sign of taking it back.
Ci Ye’s mouth opened and closed, his voice weakening. “It was wrong of me to follow you. Is that why you’re mad? Or…” Or was it because Lu Qunwen was there, and she didn’t want to be misunderstood in front of this guy? Ci Ye’s eyes chilled. Unable to accept it, he reached out and grabbed Song Fu’s sleeve—only for it to be shaken off the next moment.
Song Fu’s brows furrowed. Her pretty eyes didn’t look at him, her tone helpless. “Enough. Don’t hang around with us anymore.”
Ci Ye choked, a wave of bewilderment rising. “Then what about me?”
Song Fu’s voice softened too. Her slender white fingers gripped the strap of her bag. “Find something else to do, or just go home. Whatever.”
“I get it.” Ci Ye ended up leaving, leaving just Song Fu and Lu Qunwen behind.
Lu Qunwen watched Ci Ye’s retreating back and inexplicably felt a pang of empathy, like a fox grieving a dead rabbit. But at the same time, a vague hope stirred. Could it be that Song Fu was worried about him misunderstanding? “What do you want to eat? There’s a really good movie out lately. Want to catch it together? I just happen to have two tickets, or they’d go to waste.”
Song Fu came back to herself and shook her head. “Sorry, I have other things to do.”
Regret showed plainly on Lu Qunwen’s face. He gritted his teeth. “Um, if you and Ci Ye aren’t that close, then… how do you see our relationship?”
Song Fu paused for two seconds, staring into the expectant gaze before her. She answered dryly, “Classmates. Smart classmates.”
Lu Qunwen’s heart shattered into pieces.