Su Cheng felt somewhat frustrated. Looking at the teacup on the table, he decided to stop talking and simply sit quietly until Gu Ruoxue voluntarily gave him the answer.
However, he miscalculated this time. Gu Ruoxue merely glanced at the teacup on the table, then lowered her head to look at the documents in her hands, showing no intention of revealing anything to him.
Seeing this, Su Cheng wasn’t in a hurry today either. After all, he didn’t have any club activities to attend. So, he reached into his pants and began rummaging around, soon pulling out a limited-edition 'Sugar Tangerine.'
It was worth noting that such fruit wasn’t available in this season. He had bought it during the New Year and stored it in his system space.
Then, with his legs crossed, he started munching on the tangerine, saying, "Eating this in summer has its own unique charm!"
He did it on purpose, wanting to see if Gu Ruoxue would be surprised or curious about it.
But he was disappointed. Gu Ruoxue remained completely unfazed, not even glancing at the tangerine in his hand.
Su Cheng felt a bit annoyed and couldn’t help muttering, "How boring."
With a *snap*, Gu Ruoxue closed the file in her hands and looked at Su Cheng as if observing a small animal causing a fuss. "I know you’re eager to get an answer from me."
Hearing this, Su Cheng’s heart skipped a beat.
She had cut straight to the point.
At that moment, Su Cheng nodded excitedly.
"Unfortunately, I promised someone I wouldn’t say anything."
Seeing her respond so calmly, Su Cheng began to feel irritated. She had promised him last time that she would reveal a little, but now she was giving him this kind of response. His anticipation and nervousness had been struck down in one blow. How could he not be furious?
So, he asked in a low voice, "Senior, didn’t you say you’d tell me? Are you going back on your word now?"
"Have you been living solely on your spinal cord reflexes until now?"
Gu Ruoxue looked directly into his eyes, enunciating each word clearly, "If I had promised, of course, I would keep my word. But I never made any such promise."
Su Cheng took a deep breath, then sat back down and began recalling their conversation in the school parking lot last time. He remembered that she had indeed said she wouldn’t tell him, but at the end, she had added a 'however' before turning and walking away.
"I’m sorry, I got a little carried away just now."
Su Cheng looked at her, his tone carrying a hint of sincerity. After all, she had saved his life. So, he continued to ask, "Then, what did you mean by 'however'?"
Hearing this, Gu Ruoxue seemed to ponder for a moment, closing her eyes and letting out a small cough before saying, "You’ll have to find the answer yourself. Otherwise, it won’t mean anything to either of us."
Hearing this, Su Cheng sighed inwardly, but he held back his frustration and asked, "If that’s the case, and you, as the only person involved, won’t say anything, how am I supposed to find the answer?"
Gu Ruoxue opened her eyes and simply stared at him in silence.
Su Cheng didn’t look away either, just staring back. The two of them locked eyes for a full five seconds.
She said nothing, yet it felt as though she had said everything.
How to find the answer?
Without a doubt, it still lay with Gu Ruoxue.
Thinking this, Su Cheng couldn’t help but want to test her. But before he could even open his mouth, she nodded first.
"What’s going on…"
Su Cheng was dumbfounded. He had originally wanted to ask: If that’s the case, are we friends now? Can I come to this club often to hang out?
Now, seeing Gu Ruoxue’s expression that seemed to say 'do whatever you want,' he had no choice but to press on. But before he could speak, she nodded again.
"Huh?"
Su Cheng couldn’t hold back any longer, and his mind screamed in disbelief. He was convinced that this Gu Ruoxue must have some kind of mind-reading ability!
Thinking this, he stared at Gu Ruoxue and thought to himself: *If you can read minds, blink twice in a row.*
Then, he kept his eyes fixed on her, waiting to see if she would respond accordingly.
Fortunately, Gu Ruoxue didn’t blink. She just kept looking at him, as if waiting for his next question.
This made him breathe a sigh of relief.
If this flat-chested woman really could read minds, that would be way too overpowered!
Who would dare to interact with someone like that?
But the next second, the atmosphere suddenly turned tense, because he saw Gu Ruoxue’s expression grow icy cold, as if her gaze could burn through his skin. That coldness gave him the illusion that she was about to kill him!
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, he shivered all over and quickly changed the subject, "I have a request. I hope you can help me."
Hearing this, Gu Ruoxue raised an eyebrow and looked at him, "What request?"
Su Cheng nodded, "I’ve noticed that I’ve been isolated by the entire class."
As he said this, he glanced at Gu Ruoxue, but before he could continue, she calmly said, "I know why you’re being isolated by the class."
Hearing this, Su Cheng was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized that since Gu Ruoxue was equally outstanding, she must have experienced the same thing. So, he nodded, "Of course, I know the reason too."
"Oh?"
Gu Ruoxue was slightly surprised. She hadn’t expected Su Cheng to know?
But the next second, she was stunned again, her gaze turning strange as she looked at Su Cheng, because he explained, "It’s because I’m too outstanding."
Seeing Gu Ruoxue look at him with an expression that seemed to say 'what an idiot,' he felt a bit embarrassed, but then he continued with a boastful tone, "But I think it’s unavoidable. No one is perfect. Weakness and inner ugliness make it easy for people to envy and exclude others. It’s truly unbelievable to me. The more outstanding a person is, the more they suffer in this world. Isn’t that strange? So, my request is to change this. Change everyone. Change the world!"
"……"
Unexpectedly, Gu Ruoxue rubbed her temples as if she had a headache.
Looking at Su Cheng’s impassioned speech, she couldn’t help but feel that his imagination was far too rich. She said, "Well said. Someone as motivated and ambitious as you should be the president of this club."
Hearing this, Su Cheng immediately waved his hands modestly and replied, "No, no, no, you should remain the president. The heavy responsibility of changing the world should fall on your shoulders!"
Change the world?
No way was he going to do that.
"You don’t seem to understand the purpose of our club very well."
Gu Ruoxue’s lips curled into a faint, strange smile that sent a chill down his spine, "The Social Practice Club isn’t here to help. Whether you can achieve your so-called goal depends entirely on yourself."
Su Cheng was taken aback.
Then he fell silent, feeling as though a hundred alpacas were stampeding through his mind, because the joke he had made had been taken seriously by Gu Ruoxue!
However, Gu Ruoxue turned to look out the window, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes.
After a long while, she sighed and continued, "Club activities are about teaching methods, not handing out results. They’re about encouraging independence. Do you understand now?"
Su Cheng nodded, then looked at Gu Ruoxue with some hesitation.
"Although your wish may not necessarily come true, I’ll do my best to help you. So, do you want to sign this request?"
Gu Ruoxue showed an unprecedented seriousness and handed a pen to Su Cheng.
"What request?"
Su Cheng gulped and asked uncertainly.
"Changing the world."
"No, that’s too heavy for me."
Su Cheng quickly shook his head, "If possible, I’d like to start with something simpler, like solving my current problems first."
Hearing this, Gu Ruoxue gave a slight nod and didn’t press the matter further. Instead, she began typing on her keyboard. Then, she suddenly stood up, looking down at Su Cheng from above, "The request has been completed."
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Su Cheng froze, looking at Gu Ruoxue in confusion, "W-what do you mean?"
"You’ll know when you go back to your class."
Without even glancing at him, Gu Ruoxue put a plushie into her bag, picked it up, and walked out the door. Su Cheng quickly followed after her.
"Um... Senior, I still don't understand."
"Was my explanation not clear enough? I told you to go back to your own classroom."
Gu Ruoxue said this indifferently, then glanced at her and continued walking forward.
"Huh?"
Su Cheng stared at Gu Ruoxue's graceful figure, momentarily stunned. Had he heard her correctly?
His classroom?
What was he supposed to do there?
There wasn’t even anyone in the classroom right now!
"Wait!"
He couldn’t help but shout. This riddle-loving person was truly infuriating!
He really wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her wildly.
Gu Ruoxue stopped and turned to look at him. "What is it?"
Su Cheng took a deep breath and then spoke. "Are you saying that if I go back to the classroom now, the issue of being isolated will be resolved?"
"Mm." Gu Ruoxue looked at Su Cheng and responded lightly.
"Then, what about you?" Su Cheng asked cautiously, unsure if Gu Ruoxue was planning to follow him back to the classroom or if she had something else to do.
"I only complete one task a day. Now that it’s done, I’m going home." After saying this, Gu Ruoxue turned and walked toward the school gate.
However, after a few steps, she stopped again and looked back at Su Cheng. "Oh, by the way, I left a gift in your desk drawer."
With that, she walked away gracefully.
"A gift?"
As he watched her retreating figure, Su Cheng’s mind echoed with Gu Ruoxue’s words.
He was completely baffled. A gift?
Was it a return gift for the doll he had given her?
Thinking this, he hurried toward his classroom in the teaching building, though his mind was still preoccupied with Gu Ruoxue’s words.
A gift?
And going back to the classroom would solve the problem?
These two things left him filled with confusion.
Lost in thought, he made his way to his classroom.
When he pushed the door open, two loud "bangs" echoed through the empty classroom, followed by a shower of confetti and the sight of the classroom’s transformed interior.
He was utterly stunned. The desks were gone, replaced by balloons, drapes, fairy lights, candles, roses, petals, and fireworks...
And there were so many familiar faces—Ji Qingyi and her attendants, half of his classmates, even Cornelia and her group. Notably, Li Guanqi stood beside Li Zhaohao, who wasn’t wearing her mask, and they both looked at him with excitement, as if they had been waiting for this moment.
Suddenly, a chorus of voices rang out: "Happy Birthday!"
Then, countless party poppers exploded, filling the classroom with a dazzling display of color and sound.
Su Cheng stood there, unable to process what was happening.
"My... birthday?"
He muttered to himself, dazed and incredulous.
"Let’s get today’s birthday boy up here to make a wish!"
The class’s cultural committee member suddenly announced.
As soon as the words were spoken, applause erupted, and he felt someone pushing him forward. Another person placed a birthday hat on his head, and soon he was surrounded by everyone as they led him to the cake.
The cake had seventeen unlit candles.
At that moment, he felt both guilty and deeply moved.
He didn’t know what to say, and the surprise had left him speechless.
Amidst the enthusiastic applause, he slowly raised his head, about to look around, when he caught sight of a familiar figure—Ji Qingyi.
She was holding a blowtorch, lighting the candles, and then she looked up at him and said, "Happy Birthday."
Her words warmed his heart.
"Thank you... thank you for your wishes, thank you all. I... I don’t know what to say."
Su Cheng felt his nose tingling with emotion. He glanced around at everyone and then lowered his head again.
Ji Qingyi smiled softly. "Today, you’re the star. You can graciously accept everyone’s blessings."
Su Cheng looked up at Ji Qingyi and noticed a faint weariness in her expression, but more than that, there was a sense of contentment.
It was clear that she wasn’t used to participating in such events.
"President," Su Cheng hesitated but still called out to her.
"Alright, I won’t steal the spotlight," Ji Qingyi said softly, then stepped aside.
Su Cheng looked around and finally noticed Li Guanqi standing in a corner of the crowd. She was making a smiling gesture with her hands, and beside her, Li Zhaohao flashed him a bright, sweet smile.
Nearby, Liu Qingyue was holding a gift, clearly meant for him...
Cornelia was also smiling, and Ailiya, who usually wore a haughty expression, shyly lowered her head when their eyes met...
This warm and joyful scene stirred something deep within him, and he couldn’t quite put his complex feelings into words.
The confusion he had felt earlier was now replaced with clarity.
"Alright, since everyone’s here, I declare that it’s time for Su Cheng to blow out the candles and make a wish!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone began singing the birthday song, while Su Cheng stood there, somewhat at a loss.
He had no idea that birthdays involved making wishes.
A wish?
What should he wish for?
"Hey, what are you standing there for? Close your eyes, make a wish, and blow out the candles!"
Wang Guancong nudged him with his shoulder, urging him to hurry up.
"I don’t know... what to wish for."
"Come on, something like being happy and blessed every day," Gao Ye chimed in, giving him a pat on the back.
"Happy? I don’t think I could be any happier than I am right now."
Su Cheng suddenly lowered his head, his reaction leaving everyone puzzled. Why did he suddenly seem so down?
"What’s wrong?"
"I know!" Liu Qingyue suddenly spoke up, her face lighting up with a radiant smile. "It’s because he’s already surrounded by happiness!"