In the classroom, Jiang Huai sat at his desk, watching Lu Wanyin interact so harmoniously with the other students, and he couldn't help but feel a bit strange.
Her behavior in school was exactly as Jiang Huai remembered—her liveliness and cheerfulness seemed innate, always easily drawing everyone's attention.
Her smile was as warm as the sun, and her words were always so graceful, making it impossible not to be captivated by her charm.
If Jiang Huai's major had someone like Chen Ning, the rich girl everyone avoided, then Lu Wanyin was the little sunshine everyone loved, someone everyone wanted to befriend.
Every move she made was full of charm, as if she were born to be a dazzling star. Of course, Jiang Huai knew that all of this was just an act, but the fact that she could perform it so well was truly impressive.
Jiang Huai's image among his classmates was that of Chen Ning's loyal follower. He had been chasing Chen Ning since high school.
But now, she was with a rich second-generation heir.
Jiang Huai was nothing more than a complete fool.
But this morning, when Lu Wanyin appeared in class, holding Jiang Huai's arm, it caused quite a stir.
"...Wanyin, what's going on? You and Jiang Huai...?"
"Wanyin, Zhou Zhou said you and Jiang Huai are together. Is that true?"
Faced with the girls' questions, Lu Wanyin wore a sweet smile and a hint of shyness in her eyes.
She didn't say much, only blushing slightly and nodding.
She even stole a glance at Jiang Huai beside her, her gaze filled with affection and adoration.
But Jiang Huai felt uncomfortable all over. The girl's eyes were full of acting.
At that moment, Jiang Huai's phone buzzed with a text message.
He picked it up and saw it was from Chen Ning.
[Jiang Huai, I want the milk tea from that shop on Central Street.]
Jiang Huai didn't reply.
[Jiang Huai, are you listening?]
Still no reply. Jiang Huai put the phone back in his pocket.
At this moment, Chen Ning, in a different department's classroom, noticed that Jiang Huai hadn't replied to her message.
She felt a strange unease.
In the past, no matter how much she ignored or insulted Jiang Huai, as soon as she sent him a text saying what she wanted, he would immediately comply.
Her request meant that she had forgiven him.
Why wasn't he replying now?
Had he gone to buy the milk tea?
It must be that.
Chen Ning secretly convinced herself that Jiang Huai could never ignore her.
What had happened the previous night? It must have just been him trying to make her jealous by staging a scene with someone.
It was also convenient that Lu Wanyin's family was supposedly poor.
It was reasonable that she would act in exchange for money.
Just then, Chen Ning's best friend sat down beside her.
"Ning Ning, I heard that Young Master Zhou invited you to dinner yesterday. Did you go?"
"Mm." Chen Ning replied, a bit smugly.
"Congratulations~ I heard you and Young Master Zhou got intimate, are you going to become the future Young Mistress of the Zhou family?" teased her best friend.
"He was drunk..." Chen Ning's face turned slightly red, but she kept an eye on her phone.
"Jiang Huai and Young Master Zhou are no match at all~"
Her friend, Wang Mengmeng, glanced at Chen Ning's phone screen and noticed it was displaying Jiang Huai's conversation.
"Don't talk nonsense. Actually, Jiang Huai has been pretty good to me," Chen Ning defended, as she thought about how Jiang Huai would soon be sweating while bringing her milk tea.
"Jiang Huai has really been patient, I heard he's been chasing after you since high school," Wang Mengmeng remarked.
"He did it willingly. I never forced him," Chen Ning said with her chin held high.
"By the way, do you guys want milk tea? Jiang Huai is going to get me some."
"Yes!"
"I want some too~"
"I want it, why not?"
Soon, half of the class gathered around, all wanting to get Jiang Huai to buy them milk tea.
Chen Ning snorted and sent another text to Jiang Huai.
"Remember, buy twenty cups. My classmates want some too."
She estimated that when Jiang Huai went to get milk tea, it usually took him about half an hour by bike, and a round trip would take around an hour.
Since she wanted more this time, she gave him some extra time.
But from the first class to the third class of the day, Jiang Huai still hadn't shown up at the classroom door.
"Ning Ning~ where's the milk tea? We're switching classrooms next period."
"If Jiang Huai can't find us later, he'll really lose out."
"I told you, the junior would eventually wake up. Look, he's not even replying to Chen Ning now," a boy said, laughing.
Chen Ning was now both ashamed and furious.
She squeezed her phone and sent Jiang Huai another message.
"Within ten minutes, I want to see you and the milk tea, or else there will be consequences."
The moment she sent the message, Chen Ning froze.
There was a red exclamation mark in front of her message.
Had Jiang Huai blocked her?
Chen Ning sat there stunned, her face turning sour.
Wang Mengmeng glanced over, saw that Chen Ning had been blocked, and became infuriated.
"This Jiang Huai, he's really got some guts! I'm going to find him!" she said angrily.
"No," Chen Ning said, standing up.
"I'll go myself," she said coldly and walked out of the classroom.
Meanwhile, Jiang Huai and Lu Wanyin had only two classes that morning, and they were getting ready to go home.
"Don't move."
Suddenly, Lu Wanyin walked up to Jiang Huai.
"Have you gotten taller?" Lu Wanyin gave Jiang Huai a once-over.
"Just an illusion. I've always been this tall," Jiang Huai scratched his head.
"Hmm... no, compared to last night, you've definitely gotten taller."
Lu Wanyin wasn't short either, standing at about 168 cm, tall with curves in all the right places.
She was one of the top beauties on campus.
But now, standing in front of Jiang Huai, she had to look up slightly to meet his gaze.
"You used to be about the same height as me, but now you're a lot taller."
Jiang Huai had felt this change too.
When he woke up this morning, he noticed his pants had become a bit short.
At this moment, a glint of coldness flashed in Lu Wanyin's eyes.
"Or... are you starting to show symptoms of being an infected?"
Jiang Huai quickly explained, "Sister, it's totally normal for boys to grow at 20, don't be so sensitive."
Lu Wanyin thought for a moment and then smiled, nodding.
"That makes sense. I once saw a regeneration-type awakened person who had lost a leg. When the leg grew back, it was actually a little shorter than the other one."
Lu Wanyin chuckled as she spoke.
Jiang Huai laughed along, inwardly thinking: This girl has such low standards for humor.
Suddenly, Jiang Huai seemed to notice something, frowned, and said to Lu Wanyin, "Turn around."
"Huh? Why?" Lu Wanyin looked confused.
But Jiang Huai had already placed a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to turn her back to him.
"Wait, what are you doing? Don't try anything funny! Even in school, I can take you down."
Lu Wanyin became nervous, but in the next moment, she realized she was overreacting.
Because Jiang Huai simply removed the hairpin from her hair.
Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, hanging around her waist.
"What are you doing?" Lu Wanyin asked, slightly turning her head to look at Jiang Huai, clearly displeased.
"I have OCD. You had a few stray hairs sticking up in the back," Jiang Huai said as he fixed her hair.
"Such a considerate guy..." Lu Wanyin chuckled softly.
Then, she plopped down on a desk, crossing her long legs and letting Jiang Huai fix her hair.
"Don't move."
Jiang Huai held her head with one hand and used the other to straighten her long, dark hair.
"This hairpin's a bit old, it might not stay in place much longer. Why don't you get a new one?" Jiang Huai looked at the chipped little bunny hairpin.
Lu Wanyin moved fast, immediately taking the hairpin, carefully tucking it away.
"It still works."
Jiang Huai could tell that at that moment, she had lost her usual act.
But he didn't say anything more, just redoing her hair.
"Done."
Lu Wanyin stood up from the desk, took out her phone, and handed it to Jiang Huai.
"I don't trust your skills. Take a picture for me."
Jiang Huai took the phone and noticed it was an old, cracked model.
"Your phone can still take pictures?"
Jiang Huai smiled.
"...Uh... yes, it works," Lu Wanyin replied, a bit embarrassed. She turned and quickly took her phone back, clearly not wanting Jiang Huai to see her awkwardness.
She smiled, saying, "How about you take a picture with your phone instead?"
Jiang Huai nodded and used his phone to take a picture.
"Not bad, you're actually pretty good. Do you often help others with their hair?"
Lu Wanyin looked at the photo of her hair neatly tied into a ponytail with satisfaction.
"I used to learn some techniques from others, but I never had a chance to use them," Jiang Huai scratched his head.
"Well, from now on, my hair will be your responsibility every morning," Lu Wanyin said, leaning into Jiang Huai's arms, rubbing her head against his chin.
"Stop it, that's ticklish."
"Come on~ Let's take a selfie~ Cheese~"
"..."
"Can't you smile just a little?"
Meanwhile, outside the slightly ajar classroom door, Chen Ning was standing frozen.
She had originally planned to barge in, but after seeing how close Jiang Huai and Lu Wanyin were, she felt uncertain about her previous assumptions.
Maybe Lu Wanyin wasn't just acting with Jiang Huai?
Could it be...
He really doesn't like me anymore?
...
...
At the same time, on the rooftop of a tall building in Lingyu City, a man wearing a worn-out coat and a cowboy hat was sitting on the edge of the building, legs dangling freely. He seemed completely unafraid, leisurely eating instant noodles.
Suddenly, his cracked phone, resting beside him, rang. He quickly put down the noodles, picked up the phone, wiped his mouth, and said, "Hey, it's me, having breakfast."
[You're eating instant noodles for breakfast?]
A confused voice came from the other side.
"Heh, my little disciple just got into college. Paid her tuition and bought her some new clothes, now I'm out of cash."
[She's our family too. If you're having trouble, just say so, don't carry it alone.]
"I've been carrying it for over ten years. I can handle it," the man said with a smile.
[Alright, Yu Luo just took on a job. A pioneer-level beast has torn a rift and is hiding in Lingyu City. Go investigate.]
"Pioneer-level? Nothing special. How much are you paying for this?"
[Third-party commission... Not much.]
"Alright, send the info to my phone. I'll check it out. By the way, is Xiao Lu keeping an eye on things?"
The man took a sip of beer.
"Old Du, don't let that girl take on any weird tasks. She might seem careless, but she's actually scared. Don't let her face anything dangerous alone."
[Don't worry, it's just a surveillance mission. If the regulator confirms any infection signs, we'll eliminate the target. This is a legit task from the association.]
"Alright, as long as it doesn't involve beasts... I don't want her dealing with them before she overcomes her psychological issues. I'll go now, but my breakfast isn't finished yet."
[Remember to investigate...]
The man hung up the phone, picked up his instant noodles again, and finished eating, smiling as he looked out at the city.