After going online, Kong Liu discovered that a new skin had just been released, and it happened to be for Gu Chenxi’s favorite support character. Without a second thought, he gifted it to her. Then again, considering he had used the money she sent him earlier that evening to buy the gift, was this a case of "borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha"?
Gu Chenxi had been in a good mood after chasing away an annoying suitor earlier that evening. Seeing the gift from her "Boyfriend," she was even more delighted, and in a fit of happiness, she immediately sent him several skins worth over a hundred yuan in return.
"Good grief!" Kong Liu muttered to himself as he looked at the pile of skins in his mailbox. "Looks like the little rich girl is in a great mood today."
After playing a few rounds, the two went offline to chat.
Gu Chenxi sent a message: "Baby, I’m in bed now, hugging the doll you gave me today."
Kong Liu replied: "As long as you like it."
Gu Chenxi: "Of course I do! It’s from my baby, after all."
[Kitty Cuddles]
Gu Chenxi: "Baby, didn't I tell you today was my birthday? I had such a chaotic day, let me tell you..."
Gu Chenxi began recounting the various trivialities of her day to Kong Liu. She had already mentioned the confession and the fight from that morning, so she summarized them briefly, then moved on to the joy of receiving the doll, the birthday banquet in the evening, and how that "annoying male classmate" had stepped in to help.
Reading her messages, Kong Liu imagined Gu Chenxi lying beside him, clutching the doll, murmuring about her day with such gentle intimacy. That feeling... it seemed quite wonderful.
***
Chapter 16: The 8:00 AM Class
"Old Liu, stop sleeping! It’s 8:00 AM, and it’s Old Man Ma’s class. That guy is notoriously strict. Get up!"
Wang Qi shouted while pulling on his pants, looking at Kong Liu still lying in bed. The other two roommates were busy—one washing his hair in the bathroom, the other brushing his teeth at the sink.
Because he had been chatting with Gu Chenxi quite late last night, Kong Liu was in a deep sleep. It took several shakes from Wang Qi for him to wake up in a daze.
He glanced at his phone, and the drowsiness vanished instantly. It was already 7:50 AM—only ten minutes left until class.
He scrambled out of bed at top speed, threw on his clothes, dashed to the sink for a quick rinse of his mouth and face, and tried to tame his messy hair with wet hands. He failed; his hair seemed determined to defy him, so he gave up, grabbed a cap from under his bed, and slapped it on his head.
Finally, he swapped his slippers for shoes and followed the other three toward the academic building.
Fortunately, their 8:00 AM class was in the integrated building, which wasn't too far from their dormitory. If they took a shortcut, they could make it just in time.
As the morning bell rang, the four of them appeared at the classroom door.
The old professor on the podium, about to start roll call, looked at the four who had arrived at the last second and said, "Don't let it happen again."
This professor was the "Old man Ma" Wang Qi mentioned—a Management professor famous for his strictness. He had a rule: three unexcused absences and you’d have to retake the course.
Because of this, almost no one dared to skip his class. Furthermore, he was an excellent lecturer, often drawing students from other majors to audit, leaving the room packed.
Indeed, there were no empty seats; some students were even sitting on the steps to listen.
Arriving last, Kong Liu and his roommates were resigned to sitting on the steps for the two-session lecture.
"Kong Liu!"
Just as they were heading toward some empty steps, someone called out.
Kong Liu turned to see a beauty with wavy hair waving at him. It was Shen Xia, Gu Chenxi’s best friend and roommate. She was gesturing toward an empty seat next to Gu Chenxi.
Kong Liu’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at Gu Chenxi, who was looking down at her phone, not even bothering to look up.
Because of Gu Chenxi’s cold personality and intimidating aura, she didn't have many friends aside from Shen Xia and her other roommates. No one usually dared to sit near her, leaving the space around her often empty.
Even in a class where seats were so hard to come by that people would rather sit on the steps, others avoided the spot next to her.
But Kong Liu didn't care, and since she had invited him personally, it would be rude to refuse.
He turned and walked over to the empty seat next to Gu Chenxi, sitting down quite naturally.
His three roommates, seeing him abandon them to sit next to the Campus Belle, gave him a collective middle finger and muttered, "Traitor!"
Kong Liu tilted his head and gave them a grin, as if to say, "You guys suffer together; I’m off!"
He turned his attention to Gu Chenxi, who was busy typing on her phone without glancing at him. Kong Liu knew what she was typing because the message was being sent to him.
[Xixi]: "Baby, I have an 8:00 AM class. I'm so sleepy, I just want to sleep, waah."
Kong Liu’s move caused a stir in the classroom.
"Hey, look, someone is actually sitting next to Gu Chenxi."
"Isn't that Kong Liu?"
"I heard they were dating, I guess it’s true!"
"No! My Campus Belle Gu!"
"Sister, your handsome Kong is taken, and by the Campus Belle at that. Looks like you’re out of luck."
The students whispered among themselves.
Shen Xia leaned over, speaking to Kong Liu across Gu Chenxi. "Hey, is it true that you and our Xiaoxi are dating?"
Shen Xia’s personality was the polar opposite of Gu Chenxi’s. She was warm, outgoing, and popular, and her wavy hairstyle gave her a sophisticated, "big sister" vibe. She was one of the top beauties in the Business School.
"Xiaoxia!"
Before Kong Liu could answer, Gu Chenxi turned and glared at her friend. "Don't talk nonsense. That’s just a rumor!"
Shen Xia clearly didn't believe it. She clicked her tongue and said, "A rumor? Then why did you have me call him over? You just couldn't bear to see him sitting on the floor, could you?"
Gu Chenxi grabbed Shen Xia’s waist, whispering, "If you keep talking, see if I don't rip your mouth shut!"
Though they spoke quietly, Kong Liu heard enough to realize that it was Gu Chenxi who had asked Shen Xia to call him over.
After a brief scuffle with her friend, Gu Chenxi turned her icy expression toward Kong Liu. "Don't get the wrong idea. I only let you sit here because you helped me yesterday. I’m not interested in you, and I already have a boyfriend."
"Understood," Kong Liu replied with a smile. "Actually, I’m not interested in you either, because I have a girlfriend, too!"
"Good," Gu Chenxi said and turned away.
Seeing Kong Liu act so nonchalant about having a girlfriend, Shen Xia didn't believe it for a second. She assumed he was just saying that to avoid feeling inferior to Gu Chenxi.
As her best friend, Shen Xia knew that even though Gu Chenxi had the looks of a celebrity, she longed for a sweet romance. But none of the suitors at school caught her eye.
Shen Xia had watched her obsess over online dating in the dorms, worried she’d be scammed out of her money or her heart. She had been anxious for her.
Now that she had finally met a guy who could talk to her friend—a guy who was decent-looking and had helped her yesterday—Shen Xia certainly wasn't going to let this potential match fizzle out.
She leaned toward Kong Liu, ignoring Gu Chenxi in the middle. "Don't be discouraged. You still have a chance. She doesn't have a real boyfriend; she just met a gaming partner online. At most, it's just an online fling."
"Xiaoxia, you're dead!" Hearing her friend expose her secrets in front of an outsider, Gu Chenxi couldn't sit still and began tussling with her again.
Kong Liu looked at Shen Xia and shook his head with a bitter smile. He didn't really understand why she was helping him; he didn't seem to have any connection with her.
"Quiet! Class starts now!"
Professor Ma’s stern bark silenced the room instantly.
"Everyone, turn to..."
Professor Ma taught differently. He never used multimedia or read from boring PowerPoint slides. Everything he taught was stored in his mind. His lively and interesting lectures were beloved by students.
The students around them followed instructions and opened their books, but Kong Liu’s desk was empty. He had been in such a rush he hadn't grabbed his textbook.
*Swish—*
Seeming to notice his predicament, Gu Chenxi pushed her own textbook in front of Kong Liu. She said nothing, choosing to share the other book with Shen Xia.
"Thanks," Kong Liu whispered, so only she could hear.
Gu Chenxi heard him, but she remained expressionless.
Kong Liu smiled to himself, thinking, *She’s not as cold as she acts.*
In the back row, Qin Zizhuo watched the two of them with an ugly expression. He pointed at Kong Liu’s back and muttered, "Let’s see how long you can keep that up, kid."
***
Chapter 17: The Scar
Perhaps because they arrived just in time for class, Professor Ma had a deep impression of the four roommates. Over the two sessions, he called on everyone except Kong Liu to answer questions.
As class was about to end, Kong Liu thought he would be spared.
Instead, Professor Ma drew a blank mind map on the blackboard and called Kong Liu up to fill in the key points from the lecture.
Kong Liu, a straight-A student, had remembered everything, so filling out the map wasn't difficult. He walked up, finished the task, and looked at the professor.
"Not bad. You were paying attention." Professor Ma nodded, satisfied. "What's your name?"
"Kong Liu."
Professor Ma pushed up his glasses, scanned his roll, and jotted down a [+2] next to his name. Earning extra credit in Professor Ma’s class was real, solid credit added to the final grade.
His three roommates, who had struggled through their questions earlier, looked on with envy and gave him the middle finger, whispering, "Traitor!"
Professor Ma waved his hand. "Alright, sit down. And be on time next time."
"Yes, sir."
Kong Liu rolled down his sleeves, dusted the chalk off his hands, and returned to his seat.
Hearing the praise, Gu Chenxi gave him a rare look. Her gaze fell on his left wrist. There was a thumb-sized concave scar—it had healed well, but because a bit of flesh was missing, it was visible up close.
Seeing the scar, Gu Chenxi shivered.
"What happened to that scar?" she asked coldly.
"Oh..." Kong Liu showed it to her openly. "Got it playing around when I was a kid." He then lowered his sleeve, covering it.
"Oh," Gu Chenxi replied distractedly, looking deep in thought.
Before long, the bell rang.
After class, Gu Chenxi had to assist Shen Xia—the Vice President of the Student Union—with rehearsals for Friday night’s welcome party. Kong Liu, having nothing else to do, decided to hit the library before tutoring Gu Chenxuan that evening.
As they left, Gu Chenxi called out to him, reminding him about the tutoring session. The students in the hallway turned to stare.
The rumors of them dating were already rampant, and with Gu Chenxi constantly interacting with him in public, it was impossible to avoid suspicion. Kong Liu just gave her an "OK" sign with a helpless smile.
His roommates immediately cornered him.
Du Hongyuan: "Wait, are you two actually dating?"
Wang Qi: "Confess, kid!"
Chen Zhirui: "Exactly! You were even sitting together!"
Kong Liu shrugged, trying not to laugh. "We really have nothing going on."
The three said in unison: "We don't believe you!"
"Believe what you want." Kong Liu walked off toward the cafeteria.
He had skipped breakfast, so he was starving. Just as he bought two steamed buns, he got a call from the courier. He had to head back to the dorm to open the package—he couldn't eat it on the road as it wasn't very elegant.
At the courier station, the same guy from yesterday handed him a square box. Kong Liu already had a good guess as to what was inside.
This time, the courier didn't ask him to open it on the spot.
Kong Liu walked back to the dorm with the box and his breakfast. Alone, he opened the package.
As expected, it was another Patek Philippe Starry Sky watch. This one was slightly more understated—no diamonds, a smaller dial, and a silver-white sheen. It was perfect for a girl.
He had asked his parents to send some local specialties, and they sent two watches worth millions. Kong Liu didn't know what to say. *Wait, aren't watches the local specialty of Clock Country?*
He realized what his parents were hinting at: *Find a girlfriend.*
He tucked the watches back into the box and hid them in his closet, planning to send them back home later. If his roommates found out, he'd have to explain his identity, and he didn't want to ruin the simple bond he had with them.
"Brother Kong, what are you doing?" Chen Zhirui walked in, carrying food.
"Nothing, just organizing my closet," Kong Liu said, shutting the door.
"Oh," Chen Zhirui replied. "Did you eat breakfast yet?"
"Just some buns," Kong Liu said.
"That's not enough to fill you up," Chen Zhirui said, tossing a chicken leg into Kong Liu's bag. "Here, have some."
Kong Liu felt touched. *This is friendship between ordinary people. It’s nice.*
(End of chapter)
***
Chapter 18: No Money
"Brother Kong, do you like my sister?"
"Huh!?"
Kong Liu, who was tutoring Gu Chenxuan, paused, confused. "Why do you ask?"
"Nothing, just curious."
Gu Chenxuan shook her head and went back to her homework. A moment later, she looked up again. "Actually, my sister isn't as hard to get along with as she looks."