"Oh, so it was the president!"
On his way home, Su Cheng opened the photo album on his phone and realized that the person standing next to Li Guanqi was none other than Li Zhaohao.
"I can't believe I missed that."
Su Cheng felt a headache coming on. He could already imagine being bombarded with questions by his classmates when school resumed in two days.
Even those two tsunderes had been unusually curious. It all boiled down to the fact that Li Zhaohao's looks were simply too striking—any human being would naturally be drawn to her.
But the problem was, Li Zhaohao's identity was far too special. She usually wore a mask, and revealing the truth would likely cause a huge uproar, potentially damaging her reputation.
The fact that she wasn't wearing her school uniform made it clear that she didn't want to be recognized. So now, Su Cheng needed to come up with a way to deflect the questions.
As he pondered this, he took out his keys and unlocked the door to his home. The first thing he did was feed his pet crow, Yaya, and then let it out for a stroll.
After resting for a while, he took a shower and changed into fresh clothes. Then, his gaze fell on the neatly cleaned hair ties on the table, and he sank into deep thought...
He hadn't controlled his strength earlier, and the cola had splashed onto the hair ties, staining almost all of them.
In the end, he took a deep breath and made a decision: he would remove all the hair ties from his wrist.
He carefully placed them in a delicate box, arranging them neatly before storing them in his system space for safekeeping.
He suddenly felt that wearing them on his wrist every day wasn't a sustainable solution. Given the trend, the number of hair ties would only keep increasing, and there was always the risk of accidentally damaging or dirtying them. It was safer to just store them away.
After finishing this task, he looked at his now bare wrist and nodded in satisfaction.
He chose not to carry anything with him. Although Liu Qingyue had gifted him a watch, he didn't wear it either.
Instead, he tossed it into his system space, where he could easily retrieve it if needed.
Truth be told, he wasn't in the habit of wearing watches.
"Ding dong~"
Suddenly, his phone chimed with a notification.
Su Cheng opened it to find a message from Liu Qingyue, containing just one line:
Liu Qingyue: "Junior, I'm heading back now. Feel free to call me if you miss me. Also, I hope you enjoy your campus life~"
At first glance, the message seemed innocuous. If it had been yesterday, he might have dismissed it as a simple farewell.
But after the thrilling conspiracy he had experienced last night, he couldn't help but feel there was more to her words.
"Enjoy your campus life?"
Why specifically mention campus life?
Wouldn't it make more sense to say, "Enjoy life"?
However, unable to figure it out for now, Su Cheng decided not to stir the pot. He simply replied with a polite response and put his phone away, sinking back into thought.
Soon, he made up his mind to test the waters with the club president.
He opened the chat window and typed out a message: "President, are you there? There's something I'd like to ask you."
After sending it, he sat quietly and waited. About five minutes later, Ji Qingyi replied.
Ji Qingyi: "What is it?"
Looking at the three words on the screen, Su Cheng took a deep breath and typed out his response: "It's about last night."
Ji Qingyi: "Last night?"
Seeing her confused reply, Su Cheng's breath hitched. He quickly typed another message and sent it: "It's nothing... I just wanted to thank you for the gift you gave me last night. I really appreciated it."
After sending the message, he began pacing around the sofa.
From her response, he could deduce that the person he had video-called last night might not have been Ji Qingyi after all.
But if it wasn't Ji Qingyi, who could it have been?
He had seen her clearly last night.
Could there be someone who looked exactly like Ji Qingyi?
!!!
At this thought, his expression froze.
He didn't dare to think further.
Because, damn it, there actually was someone like that!
Aino Marui.
But what on earth was the point of all this?
This is so frustrating!
Su Cheng lay on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, feeling utterly miserable. He cursed inwardly while letting his thoughts run wild.
"Ding dong~"
Ji Qingyi: "I'm glad you liked it. No need to thank me."
Reading this message, he couldn't help but recall the president's usual demeanor.
Calm, rational, wise, and knowledgeable—she was aloof and unapproachable to others, but she had always been exceptionally gentle with him. It left him with a bittersweet feeling.
Just as he was lost in thought, the doorbell rang.
Su Cheng quickly got up and went to open the door, only to find Cornelia standing there with red, teary eyes.
She was looking down, her lips trembling, with tear streaks still visible on her cheeks. She looked utterly pitiful.
Seeing her like this, Su Cheng understood and asked, "Did she not forgive you?"
Cornelia nodded: "She got into the car and left without giving me a chance to explain."
Hearing this, Su Cheng shook his head and sighed.
Seeing him shake his head, Cornelia felt even worse. She bit her lip, her eyes reddening further, and wiped her tears before choking out, "Is Sister Su still here?"
She then peeked into the house, her expression a mix of anxiety and hope, as if she wanted Sister Su to give her some advice.
After all, during their time living together, Sister Su had been incredibly clever and resourceful, even to the point of making Su Cheng suffer.
Besides, she felt too embarrassed to ask Su Cheng for help, especially since she had photoshopped a picture to make it look like it was just the two of them. It was too awkward and shameful.
"She's gone."
Su Cheng stepped aside, gesturing for her to come in.
"I see."
Cornelia walked into the house, her face filled with disappointment. But then she suddenly turned and asked, "Can you give me Sister Su's contact information?"
"Uh..."
Su Cheng hesitated. Giving Cornelia Liu Qingyue's contact information was a risky move. Who knew what might happen if the two of them suddenly decided to cause trouble together?
"Is it inconvenient for you?"
Cornelia asked, her voice tinged with sadness. Her eyes betrayed a hint of disappointment and hurt, as if she had been deeply wronged.
Seeing her like this, Su Cheng quickly went to the kitchen and took out a bottle of "Eight Walnuts" from the fridge. With a serious expression, he said, "Why do you always turn to others whenever something happens?"
"I don't!"
Cornelia's eyes widened in shock. Her sadness was quickly replaced by anger.
Su Cheng had once called her someone who only relied on others, a golden retriever of failure.
Hearing this again, she couldn't help but feel upset and angry.
"No, you misunderstood."
Su Cheng handed her the bottle of Eight Walnuts: "What I meant was, I think you can handle this situation on your own."
Cornelia looked at the bottle in her hand and took it: "I can handle it myself, but... but..."
Her voice trailed off as she spoke.
Seeing her hesitate, Su Cheng pressed on: "But what?"
Cornelia bit her lip and looked up: "She blocked me. I went to her house, but she wasn't there. I don't know where she is now, and I can't find her."
"I don't know what to do, but I think you can definitely come up with a solution!"
Su Cheng's gaze shifted to the bottle of Eight Walnuts in Cornelia's hand, his meaning clear.
Truth be told, Su Cheng did have a solution, but after what happened yesterday, he had decided to stay out of women's conflicts. He would only observe from the sidelines.
Why?
Because he realized that to resolve conflicts, one must first become entangled in them.
So, in the interest of self-preservation, he decided not to get involved anymore. At most, he would be a bystander.
"You can't help... but I can figure it out myself?"
Cornelia looked down at the bottle of Eight Walnuts in her hands. After a long pause, she opened the can and took a sip. The moment the walnut drink touched her lips, her gaze became distant, as if her thoughts had ascended to the cosmos.
"A solution?"
"What's a good solution?"
She knew that if she didn't come up with a good plan, her friendship might come to an end.
In that instant—
Her mind came to a halt, as streams of formulas floated past the back of her head. Then, her thoughts drifted to the primal era of the law of the jungle...
"No, I'm a person of the modern era."
She felt a pang of pain, but in an instant, her thoughts swept across skyscrapers, with images of both eras flashing by.
This left her mind blank for a moment. The next second, countless scenes, some familiar and some strange, surfaced in her mind. However, she quickly pieced them all together.
Soon, the collision of the two eras occurred.
She had already distinguished the fundamental differences between them.
And she had arrived at an answer.
The difference between modern society and primitive society lies in values, and the core values of modern society are fairness and justice.
"Yes, fairness and justice!"
At this moment, her previously dull and lifeless eyes suddenly radiated the brilliance of human wisdom, making her appear more lively and vibrant than before—even more so than she had ever been.
In this moment, she even felt a surge of confidence, wanting to throw her head back and laugh. She wanted to laugh at Su Cheng for his lack of wit and strategy.
"I'm going back. I've figured it out!"
She stood up, waved at Su Cheng, and then eagerly ran toward the door.
"Hey, wait! At least tell me what you're thinking!"
Su Cheng, full of curiosity, called after her, but Cornelia was faster than a rabbit and disappeared from the living room in the blink of an eye. Looking at the now empty room, he shook his head helplessly.
"If only I had that kind of special ability, I wouldn't be so troubled."
Lying on the sofa, he glanced at the eight walnuts on the table and couldn't help but sigh with envy.
...
Meanwhile, Cornelia quickly opened Photoshop to restore the previous group photo. She then proceeded to edit everyone out, leaving only herself and Ailiya.
An hour later, she looked at the photo, now featuring only her and Ailiya, and finally let out a sigh of relief. She saved the photo and sent it to Ailiya via MMS.
The message contained only the photo, with no additional text.
She was certain that Ailiya would calm down after seeing it.
Sure enough, after a few minutes of anxious waiting, Ailiya called. Cornelia immediately answered.
……………………………………
Nighttime.
Su Cheng returned home after spending the afternoon adapting to his new body. After a high-intensity session, he could now perfectly control his Level 7 physique.
However, he felt both physically and mentally exhausted.
As he entered the house, he noticed Ya Ya (a bird) watching cartoons on the sofa.
"Bring the clothes drying outside into my room," Su Cheng casually instructed as he walked past Ya Ya, who was engrossed in the cartoon.
Su Cheng's household didn't keep idle pets.
Upon hearing his command, Ya Ya obediently pecked the remote to pause the cartoon, then flapped its wings and flew to the balcony. It grabbed the dried sportswear, flew back, and dropped it on Su Cheng's bed before returning to the balcony...
Meanwhile, Su Cheng sat on the sofa chatting with Li Guanqi. They had agreed to take her for a medical check-up the next day, so they were discussing the plans.
9:00 PM.
He sent a "Goodnight" message to the club president.
The response came back with a simple "Mhm."
9:30 PM.
He and Li Guanqi exchanged goodnights.
Li Guanqi would come to his place the next morning.
10:00 PM.
Su Cheng lay in bed, chatting with Liu Qingyue for a while.
The senior had already reached her destination and was now discussing rewards with him.
Liu Qingyue: "If it's a B-, I think it might be 0.5 attribute points. But then again, your stats are probably surpassing mine and the young lady's, right?"
Reading this, Su Cheng fell into deep thought again, feeling that there was more to her words.
Why "again"?
Because nowadays, every time Liu Qingyue replied, he would fall into this state until she sent another message to pull him back to reality.
Liu Qingyue: "Hey, why are you replying so slowly? I'm about to fall asleep waiting. Did something happen?"
Seeing this message, a hint of panic flashed across Su Cheng's face, and he quickly typed, "I was just a bit busy."
Liu Qingyue: "Oh, I see. But you can tell me anything, you know? After all, I'm not some kind of villain. (Serious emoji)"
Reading this, Su Cheng felt a headache coming on. While Liu Qingyue wasn't a villain, she was definitely a troublemaker—gorgeous, with a curvaceous figure, and always scheming to stir up some entertaining drama.
When he first read the message, he almost couldn't hold back from retorting. But he restrained himself and typed out a response.
Su Cheng (username: Doesn'tLikeOranges): "Got it. But, by the way, how do you see yourself?"
Liu Qingyue: "Of course, I'm the gentle, considerate, kind-hearted, and pure-hearted heroine! (Shy emoji)"
Su Cheng: "..."
He decided it was best not to continue this topic, or else Liu Qingyue might say something that would break the fourth wall.
After a brief exchange, Su Cheng, utterly exhausted, bid her goodnight and adjusted his sleeping position in bed.
Originally, he had planned to stay up until midnight to listen to a recording, but he was too tired to keep going.
The intense physical adaptation earlier that afternoon had drained him completely, so he decided to sleep and listen to the recording the next day.