Lap Pillow～Lap Pillow

The Next Day

Su Cheng woke up early. Since his bicycle was at school, he had no choice but to take the bus today.

As he sat on the bus, gazing at the passing streets, his mind wandered to the S-rank skill—how could he unleash its full potential?

Just then, a news report playing on the bus's TV caught his attention.

It was about a collaboration between the Hualuo Group and the Ji Family. The heir to the Hualuo Group happened to be Ji Qingyi's fiancé.

The Hualuo Group was one of the seven major oil conglomerates.

However, this consortium wasn't based in Flame Country but in Europe, part of a larger petroleum alliance. Along with over forty merged companies, they controlled more than 85% of oil concessions, 90% of crude oil reserves, and nearly all global oil trade.

In other words, they dictated market prices.

Together, these seven institutions held 12% of the assets of a major European bank and 26% of the insurance industry. Their influence spread across Europe, even extending into politics—a terrifyingly vast power.

Individually, one of them might not be a match for the Ji Family, but united, they were a different story.

Though the Ji Family's wealth was on par with the consortium, the latter held far greater international authority and influence.

"People like that exist in a completely different dimension from me," Su Cheng muttered under his breath. If he hadn't met Ji Qingyi, he probably would never have come into contact with someone of that caliber.

And yet, tonight, he was supposed to visit the Ji Family. Honestly, he was nervous—unsure how to face that prodigious young master.

If the guy had been some spoiled, good-for-nothing playboy, Su Cheng could have handled it. But from what he'd heard, the man was shrewd, meticulous, and even kind, considerate, and gentle...

Every flattering word in the dictionary could describe him.

"Now that's the protagonist of this world," Su Cheng couldn't help but quip.

Ji Qingyi had asked for his help, and for the sake of the club president's happiness, he would give it his all, no matter what.

After getting off the bus, Su Cheng was still lost in thought when he reached the classroom door—until a soft hand tugged at his sleeve.

"Good morning."

Su Cheng turned his head to see Li Guanqi standing beside him, her face as expressionless as ever.

He blinked, then smiled. "Good morning."

Li Guanqi remained as cool and indifferent as always, giving no sign that anything had happened. She simply nodded and returned to her seat.

Same outfit as usual—black tights, long straight hair—but as she sat down, her scrutinizing gaze lingered on the small hair tie around his wrist.

"Showing favoritism might make others unhappy," she remarked lightly before pulling out a book and focusing on it.

Su Cheng froze, only now remembering the hair tie the club president had given him yesterday. He quickly glanced around, making sure no one was watching, and stuffed it into his pocket. Then, curious, he asked, "Unhappy... like who?"

Li Guanqi paused mid-page, slowly lowering the book. Her eyes met his, her tone calm. "Who do you think?"

Despite her even voice, he sensed a hint of danger.

Without hesitation, Su Cheng pulled out his secret weapon—the "Chess Countermeasure."

A small candy.

As he stealthily retrieved it from his pocket, Li Guanqi's eyes finally flickered. She stared unblinkingly at the candy in his palm until he placed it on her desk. Only then did she pick it up, tucking it into her skirt.

Su Cheng exhaled in relief, then cheerfully headed to his seat, musing, "Li Guanqi is so easy—just one candy makes her happy."

Once seated, he glanced at her in the corner.

Sure enough, she had propped up her book like a shield and was now unwrapping the candy behind it, popping the small treat into her mouth with delicate fingers.

Watching her sneakily munch away, Su Cheng couldn't help but smile, his mood lifting further as he turned to gaze out the window.

"Su Cheng, please leave yesterday's math homework on your desk. I'll collect it soon."

The math class representative suddenly walked in, eyeing him as she made the announcement.

"Homework?!"

Su Cheng stiffened. There had been homework yesterday?

How had he missed that?!

For a moment, he wished he could will all homework in the world to vanish.

Frantically digging through his notes, he realized he hadn't written anything down. Just as he was about to ask Li Guanqi for help—

"Here, take this."

Xuan Ying suddenly appeared, sliding a sheet of paper labeled "Essay" onto his desk.

"Uh... what?" Su Cheng stared at it, utterly baffled. What was this?

"You didn't take notes yesterday, so I wrote out the answers for you. Class is about to start—hurry up and copy it."

Her cheeks flushed, Xuan Ying spoke in a shy, hurried tone before darting back to her seat like she was fleeing disaster, leaving Su Cheng dumbfounded.

One question echoed in his mind: "Am I the kind of guy who copies homework?"

"Cough." Su Cheng looked at the notes in his hand, torn between laughter and tears. But since she'd already given them to him, he couldn't just return them. He quickly started copying the problems and solving them.

As he bent over his desk, he reached for a pen—only to find that Xuan Ying had left hers behind. To save time, he decided to use it.

But after just a few words—crack—the cheap plastic pen snapped in his grip.

It was the same flimsy, replaceable-ink type he used to use before upgrading to a sturdier metal one after his stamina improved.

Su Cheng: "..."

He'd broken Xuan Ying's pen while copying homework.

"I'll buy her a new one later," he decided without hesitation, pulling out his own pen. He examined it, muttering, "I wonder if she’d like this kind..."

Then, he resumed copying and solving the problems, finishing just before class started.

As he stood to return the notes, he passed by Zhao Yan—who flashed him a radiant smile, her delicate face as dazzling as a winter snow lotus.

Yet, the moment Su Cheng saw her, his mind conjured up an image of those adorable white panties from last time.

Couldn’t be helped—stereotypes were a thing for a reason.

Su Cheng nodded and turned to walk towards Xuan Ying, who was sitting primly at her seat, pretending not to notice despite clearly knowing he was approaching.

Su Cheng didn’t mind. He walked up to her desk and handed her his homework, along with a brand-new pen. "I accidentally broke your pen. Consider this a replacement. Hope you don’t mind."

"Not at all. It’s just a pen."

"Take it."

"Well… alright."

She lifted her head, her cheeks flushed as she reluctantly accepted the homework and pen. She tucked them away neatly, avoiding his gaze and staring at the desk instead. "We’re friends. You really don’t need to worry about such small things."

"Yeah, well, you helped me out a lot today. Thanks."

Su Cheng nodded and turned back to his seat.

Once he left, Xuan Ying immediately slumped over her desk, examining the new pen he had given her with excitement. She brought it to her nose, sniffing it lightly, then pulled out an elegant white pen case and carefully placed the pen inside.

Next, she grabbed her phone and messaged her "best friend," Zhao Yan.

"Thank you! Without you, I wouldn’t have gotten this pen. It’s such a precious gift… and he even thanked me!"

Xuan Ying typed out the message with a giddy expression, clearly thrilled by Su Cheng’s reaction. Not only had he not rejected her, but he’d even given her a gift—something that made her incredibly happy.

Today’s move had been entirely Zhao Yan’s idea. After their argument yesterday and subsequent reconciliation, Zhao Yan had started coaching her, and after some deliberation, she’d come up with this exact plan.

And it worked. Su Cheng hadn’t refused, and Xuan Ying even felt like their relationship had taken a step forward.

"Don’t mention it. I promised I’d help."

Zhao Yan replied quickly, and reading her message, Xuan Ying’s lips curled into a sweet smile. Then, almost instinctively, she shot a smug glance toward the corner where the stoic Li Guanqi sat, thinking, With things going like this, what chance do you have against us?

The thought made her grin widen, convinced she had just scored a victory over Li Guanqi.

The gloom from last time had completely vanished.

………………

"Do you know Chen Xian?"

After finishing his tasks, Su Cheng turned to his backseat classmate, Wang Guancong, to ask.

"Chen Xian? The heir to Hualuo Group?" Wang Guancong stared at Su Cheng in surprise. "Why are you asking about him?"

"Oh… no reason. Just curious."

Su Cheng shook his head but pressed further. "Do you know him?"

"Yeah, I’ve seen him a few times at banquets when we were kids. Not close, though. He’s a pretty mild-mannered guy, decent overall." Wang Guancong paused, then added, "But someone like him is way out of my league. Rumor has it there’s nothing he can’t do except give birth. A superhuman genius—honestly, kind of terrifying."

"I see."

Su Cheng nodded and didn’t ask anything else.

Noticing his silence, Wang Guancong suddenly said, "Wait, why the sudden interest in Chen Xian?"

"Just wondering. Never thought there’d be someone so incredible out there. I bet a guy like that has tons of admirers."

Su Cheng chuckled to himself, while Wang Guancong nodded in agreement. "Well, Chen Xian might be rich and powerful, but he’s never been involved in any scandals. He’s known for being extremely disciplined. And because he’s so outstanding, he’s practically a legend in certain circles."

Wang Guancong’s expression grew serious as he spoke.

"A legend? What do you mean?"

Su Cheng looked at him curiously.

"It means he’s got extraordinary intelligence, wisdom, courage—plus real power. He’s one of the top young business prodigies out there. And he treats everyone, from subordinates to strangers, with kindness. His international influence is unmatched."

Wang Guancong paused, then added, "Oh, right. I heard he’s returning to Flame Country from abroad soon. And during that time, our school might host a business summit. From what I know, it’ll gather elites from all fields—people like him, government officials, even celebrities."

Su Cheng froze. He hadn’t expected his casual question to lead to so much information.

He fell silent for a long moment, suddenly feeling like this Chen Xian was so flawless it was almost unfair. Now I’m the villain in this story?!

"What’s wrong?"

Wang Guancong noticed Su Cheng’s troubled expression and couldn’t help but ask.

Su Cheng shook his head and turned to gaze out the window. In his mind, however, he kept replaying Ji Qingyi’s plea for help yesterday—the hope in her beautiful eyes that left him feeling heavy-hearted.

Up until now, without his system, nothing he’d done had ever worked out perfectly. But using system items on someone like Chen Xian… it almost felt wrong.

Yet, without those tools, his own meager abilities wouldn’t be enough to change anything. Just impulsive effort wouldn’t cut it.

He knew he was being overly sentimental, but this frustration wasn’t just some abstract concept to him.

So now, he had no choice. Even if it meant acting underhanded once, he’d do it—just so he wouldn’t have to see Ji Qingyi’s disappointed gaze again.

The president’s future… I’ll protect it myself!

"Do you think it’s meaningful?"

Just as he was lost in thought, Li Guanqi’s calm voice suddenly broke the silence.

Su Cheng blinked, realizing it was already lunch break. Li Guanqi’s eyes held a trace of concern—she’d clearly noticed his absentmindedness all morning, as if he were wrestling with some major decision, and had come over because of it.

"It is meaningful."

"Then that’s enough."

Li Guanqi finished speaking and gestured toward the door, signaling they should go eat together.

"Okay."

Su Cheng stood up, nodded, and followed her.

The two walked in silence until they reached the lawn, where Li Guanqi spread out a blanket from her bag.

"Meat bun."

Su Cheng handed her a large meat bun, and in return, Li Guanqi pulled out a sandwich and milk from her bag, passing them to him.

Su Cheng smiled, unwrapped the sandwich, and took a bite before handing Li Guanqi a bottle of water.

They exchanged food and ate quietly. Once they finished and cleaned up, Li Guanqi was the one to speak again.

"Want to take a nap?"

He nodded, expecting Li Guanqi to pull out her usual small pillow as always. But instead, she suddenly stretched out her black-stockinged legs and patted the space beside her thigh, signaling for him to rest his head there.

A lap pillow?

Su Cheng froze, realizing that the two of them had never shared such an intimate gesture before. He coughed awkwardly, then mimicked her by straightening his own legs and patting his thigh. "I suddenly don’t feel sleepy anymore. Are you tired? Want to give it a try?"

"I didn’t bring a pillow today."

Li Guanqi glanced at his thigh, her tone almost as if she could see right through his bashfulness, which only made Su Cheng feel even more flustered.

"Then... I’ll lie down?"

Su Cheng decided not to overthink it. After all, who could refuse a lap pillow from a beautiful girl?

He stole a glance at her skirt before asking softly.

Li Guanqi didn’t respond verbally, only nodding in approval.

So Su Cheng propped himself up on his hands, shifted closer, and slowly lowered his head onto her soft thighs.

The intense scent of Li Guanqi filled his senses, making his heart race. He squeezed his eyes shut, his breathing growing uneven as warmth surged to his head.

The smooth fabric of her stockings brushed against the back of his scalp, sending tiny electric currents tingling through him.

Then, Li Guanqi raised her hands and gently ran her fingers through his hair. Su Cheng’s nose was filled with nothing but her fragrance.

His body stiffened slightly as he kept his eyes closed.

The two of them lay there on the grass, neither speaking, yet an inexplicable harmony settled between them—as if they were two people in love, nestled together, savoring a fleeting yet serene moment of intimacy, dependence, warmth, and peace.

Time passed indeterminately until Su Cheng felt Li Guanqi’s fingers tenderly caressing his cheek. He opened his eyes and found her face mere inches from his.

Their gazes locked.

In that instant, something inexplicable took root in both their hearts—like a seed quietly planted, then rapidly sprouting, branching out with wild intensity.

There was no denying that, up until now, their relationship had remained strictly platonic.

Yet this friendship, in and of itself, carried all the fervor and hallmarks of love.

Unable to resist, Su Cheng slowly raised his right hand and gently placed it against Li Guanqi’s cheek.

Well, she had touched him first!

At first, Li Guanqi tensed slightly under his touch, but she soon relaxed and softly rested her own hand over his, interlacing their fingers.

Then, in broad daylight, Su Cheng blurted out an untimely and utterly bewildering remark.

"The moon is beautiful tonight."