Li Guanqi was a strong and self-reliant individual.
Just as her name implied, she observed chess games without speaking.
However, her heart was full of calculated schemes, never revealing her true intentions.
If one thought she had a gentle and virtuous personality, they would be greatly mistaken, because from the beginning, it was not she who was accompanying Su Cheng, but rather, Su Cheng was under her control.
There was a mix of reality and illusion.
"Thud~"
Su Cheng turned around and bumped into Li Guanqi, causing the cake in her hand to fall to the ground, instantly turning into a mess with cream everywhere.
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
Su Cheng first looked regretfully at the cake on the ground, then raised her head and apologized with a face full of regret to Li Guanqi.
"It's okay, I was standing too close."
Li Guanqi remained as calm and composed as ever, her words sounding indifferent, yet making Su Cheng feel even more embarrassed.
"I'll go clean it up."
Su Cheng headed towards the janitor's closet, but as soon as she took a step, Li Guanqi followed, her gaze calm and profound as she looked at Su Cheng: "Let's do it together."
"I can handle it by myself."
"I share the responsibility."
"Alright."
After Su Cheng agreed, the two of them entered the workshop together, one sweeping and the other wiping the floor.
Working together, there was always an awkwardness between a man and a woman.
So, both Su Cheng and Li Guanqi remained tacitly silent, but this did not prevent their eyes from exchanging meaningful glances in the air.
These past few days, Su Cheng had been sleeping on the rooftop during lunch, so they hadn't had much contact, only occasionally bumping into each other by accident.
Just like today.
"I'll go to the pastry shop and buy one to replace it for you."
After they finished cleaning, Su Cheng proactively suggested.
"Don't dwell on it. It was actually my fault for standing too close."
Li Guanqi still maintained her composed demeanor, her voice low and clear, devoid of any emotion.
"No, I have to compensate you!"
Su Cheng's attitude was firm, as if this compensation was very important, causing Li Guanqi to slightly frown.
"Since you insist, then I'll wait for you on the lawn."
Li Guanqi seemed unwilling to argue further about this matter, so she chose to compromise and turned to leave.
Her back view appeared somewhat aloof and solitary, causing Su Cheng to pause for a moment, but he quickly snapped back to reality and headed towards the cafeteria.
After a long while,
Su Cheng walked out of the pastry shop, holding a bag with two boxes inside.
Why two?
Because today the pastry shop had a promotion, not only offering discounts but also buy one get one free.
The free item was a sandwich.
Exactly the same as the one Li Guanqi had given him last time, which meant that the sandwich Li Guanqi gave him last time was also a free gift.
Soon, he arrived at the lawn.
Li Guanqi was already seated on the lawn, waiting. Her black hair gently swayed in the wind. She held a book in one hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with the other, revealing her fair and slender neck and her exquisite, beautiful profile.
A typical image of a literary girl.
Su Cheng walked over with the cake, stopping half a meter away from Li Guanqi. He took out a cake and placed it beside her, saying, "This is the cake to compensate you."
Li Guanqi lifted her gaze to look at him, then her eyes fell on the other sandwich in Su Cheng's bag before she lowered her eyes again.
"Please don't use the word 'compensate.'"
Her tone turned cold and distant, clearly displeased with the word "compensate."
"Ah, this…"
Su Cheng felt a bit awkward.
After all, he had bought it, but the other party refused to accept it.
"Then, how about I treat you to it?"
Su Cheng tried a different phrasing.
"Thank you."
Li Guanqi said, placing a bookmark on the page and closing the book. Only then did she pick up the cake from the side and slowly began to eat it, her eyes closing gently as if savoring the cake Su Cheng had bought.
Seeing this, Su Cheng was about to leave to find a place to eat, but unexpectedly, Li Guanqi suddenly opened her eyes. Her pitch-black pupils, like black obsidian, were dazzling as she slowly said, "Sit down and eat together."
"Okay."
Su Cheng was slightly surprised but nodded and sat down beside Li Guanqi, starting to eat the sandwich.
After all, it wasn't the first time. Although they didn't have each other's contact information, strictly speaking, they were friends, so sitting together to eat was fine.
But if she hadn't invited him, he would never have stayed to disturb her.
"Here, for you."
Just as Su Cheng took a bite of the sandwich, Li Guanqi spoke again in a calm tone, holding a box of milk and pushing it towards Su Cheng.
"Uh."
Su Cheng was a bit surprised, looking at Li Guanqi with confusion, only to see her still gazing calmly.
"It's a gesture of goodwill."
"…Alright."
Su Cheng nodded upon hearing this, picked up the milk, opened it, and took a light sip, immediately smelling its rich aroma.
He couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, realizing that good milk indeed tasted wonderful.
Then, he continued eating, finishing the sandwich in no time.
"Is it tasty?"
Suddenly, Li Guanqi asked.
"Yes."
Su Cheng didn't think much and nodded in response.
The sandwich contained fat, protein, and vitamins, providing him with the nutrients he needed. Moreover, its taste and texture were excellent.
For him, it was a luxury.
"If you don't mind…"
She paused here, then looked at Su Cheng.
"What is it?"
"Well…"
Li Guanqi spoke in a steady manner, then took out another sandwich from her bag, looking somewhat troubled as she said, "I go to buy pastries every day. But now, every purchase comes with a sandwich as a gift. I tried one and found it doesn't suit my taste, but refusing it feels like a waste."
After saying this, Li Guanqi handed the sandwich to Su Cheng and continued, "I think it's a good solution for both of us."
The implication was clear: she would give the sandwiches to Su Cheng in the future.
Her tone carried a hint of anticipation, making it hard to refuse, especially since her voice had softened, like a gentle breeze blowing into one's heart.
However, Su Cheng shook his head and directly refused, "If you don't like it, you can tell the staff that you don't want the free gift."
In essence, this was still a matter of owing someone a favor, and he didn't like taking advantage of others.
Upon hearing this, Li Guanqi's eyes flashed with disappointment, but she quickly regained her composure and placed the sandwich on Su Cheng's lap before saying, "Then, help me finish this one."
After saying this, she picked up her book again and started reading, making it look like a little quarrel between a couple.
"Alright, thank you."
Su Cheng looked at the sandwich on his lap, didn't hesitate, and finally reached out to take it, then thanked her.
"You're welcome."
Li Guanqi replied calmly, then flipped a page in her book and slowly said, "This time, you defeated Xu Tianyi. I admire you. But what I admire even more is your perseverance."
"You're exaggerating. This time, it was partly due to luck."
Su Cheng smiled and replied, then lowered his head to continue eating the sandwich.
"No need to be modest. Actually, there's something I want to ask you about."
"Go ahead."
Su Cheng nodded upon hearing this.
Li Guanqi continued, "Recently, my grades have dropped, and I feel it's my fault, so I want to ask about your study methods."
Su Cheng took a bite of the sandwich and casually remarked, "Just stop reading those random web novels."
Regarding Li Guanqi's habit of reading web novels, he had been quite annoyed.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
