Kong Liu placed his hands on his hips and shot back, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Gu Chenxuan whispered, "I have a feeling... there’s something going on between you and my sister."
"Huh!?"
Kong Liu was bewildered. It was one thing for Shen Xia to try and play matchmaker earlier in the day, but why was Gu Chenxuan doing it now?
Seeing that Kong Liu didn't believe her, Gu Chenxuan immediately explained, "I just feel like my sister treats you differently than she does other men."
Kong Liu gave a wry smile and said, "She certainly does. She detests me."
Now it was Gu Chenxuan’s turn to look confused. "My sister... detests you? Why?!"
"That goes all the way back to when we started freshman year..."
Kong Liu briefly recounted the history of their feud. Once he finished, Gu Chenxuan burst into fits of laughter.
"No wonder! I always felt her attitude toward you was different—so it’s because of something like that, ha ha ha!"
Gu Chenxuan patted Kong Liu’s thigh and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Brother Kong. With me around, she won't dare bully you!"
Kong Liu awkwardly tapped his finger against the desk and said, "Let's leave that aside for now. We're in the middle of a lesson—stop laughing and be serious!"
"Fine, fine." Gu Chenxuan pulled herself together and went back to her practice problems.
This was tutoring time, and the Gu family was paying for every minute of it. If her parents found out they were just messing around, they might think he wasn't taking his job seriously. More importantly, however, Gu Chenxuan’s teasing was incredibly embarrassing—truly embarrassing.
If he had known back then that he would be seeing Gu Chenxi every single day, he would have let death take him before he ever joined Du Hongyuan in gossiping about her at that freshman welcome party.
The two-hour session passed quickly. Chenxuan learned fast, and Kong Liu didn't have to put in much effort.
Mother Gu came in as usual to ask about her daughter's progress and invited Kong Liu to stay for dinner. Kong Liu politely declined the offer, packed his bag, and prepared to take the subway back to campus. Since Gu Chenxi wasn't home that night, he couldn't hitch a ride with her.
Gu Chenxuan tried to hold him back, begging him to play a couple more rounds of a game with her. Seeing how much her younger daughter enjoyed his company, Mother Gu requested that he stay a while longer. Kong Liu, having no other plans, agreed.
With Kong Liu leading the way, playing was like shooting fish in a barrel. They didn't lose a single match, and his fluid, expert gameplay left the young girl completely mesmerized.
The more Gu Chenxuan liked Kong Liu, the more she wanted to pair him up with her sister. Her reasoning was simple: if Kong Liu became her brother-in-law, she’d have someone to carry her in games every day.
"Brother Kong," Gu Chenxuan said during a match, "I have a secret to tell you."
Kong Liu, busy racking up kills as the team's jungler, asked, "What secret?"
"It's about my sister," she said.
"Mm," Kong Liu acknowledged, his eyes fixed on his phone screen.
Gu Chenxuan leaned in closer and whispered, "My sister always keeps a straight face when she's out, so you probably think she's just aloof and cold, right?"
Kong Liu didn't look up from his screen. "Isn't she?"
"Absolutely not!"
Gu Chenxuan immediately retorted, "She’s actually a massive social phobic! That’s the only reason she puts on that icy expression in front of strangers!"
"Pfft."
The explanation made Kong Liu’s hand jerk, causing him to miss his skill shot. He glanced at Gu Chenxuan, half-smiling. "Are you serious?"
"Don't you believe me?"
"I believe you... pfft!"
Despite his words, the uncontrollable smile on his lips betrayed his true thoughts.
"I’m telling the truth! Don't look at me like that—she really is a social phobic; the coldness is just an act." Seeing his skepticism, Gu Chenxuan grew anxious. She even stopped playing to press her point. "My sister used to be just as outgoing and cheerful as I am. It was only after some things happened that her personality changed so much."
"Alright, alright, I believe you." Kong Liu chuckled, pointing at her screen. "But if you don't start moving, the enemy marksman is going to kill you."
"Ah!"
At his reminder, Gu Chenxuan finally snapped back to reality and resumed controlling her character.
After a few more rounds, seeing that it was getting late, Kong Liu packed his things and left the Gu residence. With the dorms closing at midnight, he had to catch the last train.
Mother Gu offered to have their driver take him back, but Kong Liu felt bad about the trouble, so he simply asked the driver to drop him at the subway station.
He arrived back at school by 10:30 PM. In the dorm group chat, Du Hongyuan was begging Kong Liu to bring back a bottle of cola from the campus shop. Kong Liu initially wanted to refuse, but under the barrage of Du Hongyuan’s pleading "Father," he eventually gave in.
The campus shop was fairly empty, making it much easier to shop than during the day. The stamina of the freshmen was terrifying; they occupied the cafeterias and shops all day long, making it impossible to get in or out without waiting in long, grueling lines. Fortunately, that situation would end this Friday when military training concluded.
"Young lady, if you don't have enough money, you can go back and get some. We don't close until 11:30, there's still time."
As Kong Liu was setting his drinks on the counter, he caught sight of a familiar figure: Gu Chenxi.
She was flushed, digging frantically through her pockets. Based on what the clerk said, she had forgotten her money.
***
Chapter 19: Don't Worry, I'm Here
Kong Liu walked over, placed his drinks on the counter, and said to the cashier, "How much is it? I'll cover her."
The cashier glanced at Kong Liu, visibly startled. Gu Chenxi turned around and was shocked to find it was Kong Liu.
Kong Liu gave her a small smile and said to the cashier, "We're classmates."
"Oh, I see," the cashier said, suddenly understanding. "That'll be fifty."
Kong Liu held up his payment code to be scanned, then paid for his own drinks. By the time he picked up his bag, Gu Chenxi had already vanished. She hadn't even said thank you—what a rude person!
"I forgot my phone. I’ll pay you back when I get to the dorms."
As Kong Liu stepped out of the shop, he heard Gu Chenxi's voice. He turned to see her standing by the entrance, clutching a black plastic bag. She hadn't left after all. The flush of embarrassment on her face was starting to fade.
Kong Liu waved a hand with a smile and said, "Don't worry about it."
He then held out a cold drink he had just grabbed from the fridge. "Want one?"
"No," Gu Chenxi replied, immediately putting on a cold face and rejecting his kindness.
"Alright then."
Used to her aloofness, Kong Liu didn't mind. He cracked open his own drink and took a refreshing sip.
After finishing the drink, he glanced at the black plastic bag in her hand and asked, "What did you buy?"
It was a casual question, but seeing Gu Chenxi's face turn bright red again, he immediately realized something was off. Although he didn't understand why she was suddenly angry, he could guess that his remark had annoyed her.
"..."
Gu Chenxi quickly shoved the black bag into her pocket, lowered her head, and said in a stuttering, flushed tone, "Thank you... for today."
Before Kong Liu could even respond, she turned and hurried away.
"It's the middle of the night, she's out shopping by herself without a phone... what a strange person."
As Kong Liu watched her retreating figure, it suddenly clicked. The contents of that black bag were likely menstrual products.
Once he realized this, he understood why the clerk had told her, "We don't close until 11:30, there's still time." He also understood the look the clerk had given him earlier.
Kong Liu slapped his forehead. *No wonder she turned down the ice-cold drink without a second thought!*
He had thought she was just being cold...
Thinking back on it, that expression earlier hadn't been anger—it was... shyness?!
As he put the pieces together, Kong Liu felt that Gu Chenxi’s attitude tonight hadn't been aloof at all; it was, in fact, something else.
Was this a "gap moe" effect?
Kong Liu’s mind suddenly echoed with what Gu Chenxuan had said earlier: "She’s actually a massive social phobic! That’s the only reason she puts on that icy expression in front of strangers!"With this thought in mind, Kong Liu looked once again in the direction where Gu Chenxi had left, and muttered to himself, "The aloof Campus Belle, the clingy online girlfriend, or the socially anxious sister... Just... which one of you is the real you?"
Through just a few days of interaction with Gu Chenxi, Kong Liu found that this legendary aloof Campus Belle was shattering his perception of her with her actual actions, over and over again.
He really...
Wasn't so sure anymore.
Carrying the paper bag, Kong Liu returned to the dormitory. Not long after, he received a message from Xixi.
Xixi told him her stomach hurt today, acting coquettishly and asking him for comfort.
Seeing the message she sent, Kong Liu became even more convinced that what Gu Chenxi had bought tonight were indeed menstrual products.
Kong Liu patiently coaxed Xixi, telling her to soak her feet in hot water and to sleep with a thicker blanket tonight.
Already curled up under the covers and hugging her LinaBell doll, Gu Chenxi looked at the messages sent by her Boyfriend and obediently replied with "Okay." His thoughtfulness sent a warm current rippling through her heart.
As they chatted on and on, somehow, looking at that long string of conversation history, Kong Liu's face suddenly popped into Gu Chenxi's mind.
Tonight she had hurried out the door so fast that she only realized she had forgotten her phone when she was buying the items. In such an awkward situation, Kong Liu had happened to show up and help her out of a tight spot...
Thinking back to yesterday when Qin Zizhuo had tried to hit her, Kong Liu had stepped in front of her just as timely.
"Why is it that he always manages to show up right when I need help?"
Gu Chenxi thought to herself, her gaze falling back onto her phone.
Her online boyfriend's in-game name was "Don't Fear I'm Here". She had randomly added him from the "People Nearby" list during the freshman welcome party to play games together.
When playing games with him, Gu Chenxi felt an incomparably familiar sense of reassurance. Every time she was targeted by the enemy team, he would always show up in the nick of time to save her, just like his in-game name.
That was why Gu Chenxi had latched onto this gaming expert. Later on, as they chatted more and more, Gu Chenxi found that this online friend always gave her a sense of familiarity that only existed in her memories. On a sudden impulse, Gu Chenxi had actually confessed her feelings to him.
That's right, Gu Chenxi had been the one to initiate the confession.
And he had accepted, so the two of them began a year-long online relationship—though in truth, most of the time, it was Gu Chenxi who took the initiative to chat with her online boyfriend.Just as Gu Chenxuan had told Kong Liu, Gu Chenxi had indeed been a lively and outgoing little girl when she was a child.
Later, she suffered a kidnapping, though fortunately she managed to escape safely in the end.
However, after that harrowing experience, Gu Chenxi's personality changed dramatically. Upon her return, she had become much more withdrawn. When she went out, she hardly spoke and rarely smiled, forever wearing that cold, icy expression.
The memories of the kidnappers' den, even after a full ten years, remained vividly branded into Gu Chenxi's mind.
At the time, another little boy had been kidnapped alongside her. In the dead of night, the boy had found a way to break free from his bonds and untied the ropes for her as well, wanting to take her with him as they escaped. But she had been far too terrified back then; her legs had turned to jelly from panic, making it impossible for her to run, and she had almost held the boy back.
Instead of abandoning her, the boy had patiently comforted her and told her not to be afraid.
Encouraged by the boy, they actually managed to escape.
The two wretched children ran desperately through the dark night. They had no idea how long they ran, until the sky turned pale with the first light of dawn, and they finally reached an inhabited area and ran straight into a police station.
Tonight, Gu Chenxi dreamed that dream once again. In the dream, she tried hard to see the boy's face clearly, but everything before her eyes remained a blur.
Only the boy's warm words echoed: "Don't be afraid, I'm here. We'll definitely make it out."
Those words kept reverberating through her dream, adding a touch of sweetness to an otherwise bitter memory.
Chapter 20: The Welcome Gala
Back in high school, teachers always claimed that college would be easy.
Yet once they actually entered university, most people found themselves longing for those high school days spent striving toward a goal.
College life was dull and monotonous. In fact, if you lacked a goal, you would drift through every day in a daze—and if your classes were few, that sense of bewilderment born from having no direction became even more pronounced.
Case in point: Kong Liu had spent the entire day at the study room, and upon returning to the dorm, good grief, Wang Qi and Du Hongyuan had been lying around like corpses all day long without even getting out of bed. Kong Liu vaguely remembered that when he headed out in the morning, these two guys were holding the exact same sleeping postures without the slightest change.If it weren't for the occasional snore echoing through the room, Kong Liu would have suspected that those two guys were dead in their beds.
Although Chen Zhirui wasn't lying in bed, he wasn't doing much better. He was playing a computer game underneath his bunk. Just a couple of days ago, he had claimed he was going to follow Kong Liu's example, but after spending two days in the library studying for the English CET-4, he couldn't take it anymore and had once again given up on himself.
Looking at the three characters in his dorm, Kong Liu smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"Jingle bell—"
Du Hongyuan's phone alarm suddenly blared, causing Wang Qi and Du Hongyuan, who had been fast asleep, to sit straight up in bed in unison.
"Well, look at the dead rising from their sickbeds." Kong Liu watched the two of them suddenly spring to life and asked, "You two set an evening alarm, are you planning to go thieving or something?"
Wang Qi stretched lazily, looked down at Kong Liu standing in the aisle, and said, "Brother Kong, you're back!"
"Perfect, the whole dorm is complete now." Du Hongyuan, wearing only his boxers, climbed right down from the bed and said, "Get ready, time for us to head out."
"Head out? Where to?"
Kong Liu looked at Du Hongyuan, somewhat puzzled. "Going to a gathering again tonight?"
"Gathering my ass."
Even though Du Hongyuan was only wearing a pair of boxers, he managed to strike a righteous pose, patted Kong Liu on the shoulder, and said, "We're going to do something big!"
"Huh?" Kong Liu was even more baffled by this. "What big thing?"
Du Hongyuan reproached him, "Look at you, you've really studied yourself stupid. I'm genuinely worried you're going to die in the library one of these days."
Chen Zhirui, having finished his game, immediately turned his head and told Kong Liu, "Brother Kong, tonight is the Business School's welcome gala. Didn't you know?"
After hearing Chen Zhirui's explanation, Kong Liu was even more confused. "Isn't a welcome gala meant for the freshmen? What the hell does that have to do with us?"
"Old Liu, you're a well-fed man who doesn't know how hungry the starving are."
Wang Qi threw an arm around Kong Liu's shoulders and said, "You and Campus Belle Gu are all chummy, but the three of us are still single! We want a sweet romance too, you know!"
"Tsk."
Kong Liu curled his lip and said, "So... the three of you are planning to hit on the freshman girls."
Du Hongyuan, pulling on his jeans, said, "Just you wait and see, kid. Tonight I'll let you witness my master-level flirting skills."
Wang Qi didn't waste any breath either, picking his best-looking little outfit out of the wardrobe and putting it right on.
Kong Liu noticed that even Chen Zhirui had specially styled a little hairdo.
Judging by this, these three show-offs were seriously planning to go to the welcome gala to pick up freshman girls tonight.
Too lazy to deal with them, Kong Liu changed into his slippers and sat down at his desk.
Wang Qi looked at Kong Liu, who remained completely unfazed and had even put on slippers, and asked in confusion, "Old Liu, why aren't you moving? The gala is about to start, if you don't get ready now it'll be too late."
"It's not like I didn't attend the welcome gala during my freshman year. Such boring stuff, I have zero desire to experience it a second time."
With that, Kong Liu turned on his computer.
"Crap, you traitor, you're actually not planning to come with us!" Du Hongyuan pointed at Kong Liu and joked half-heartedly, "There are four of us in this dorm, and you're the only one not going to the welcome gala. What's the deal, are you trying to not fit in? Believe it or not, we'll ostracize you!"
For the next ten minutes, Kong Liu was verbally assaulted by the trio. In the end, he had no choice but to reluctantly agree to accompany them to the welcome gala. What could he do? Who made these three his precious sons?
Unlike the three who were meticulously dressed up, Kong Liu didn't change his clothes at all. He wore the exact same outfit he'd worn in the study room during the day, which actually made him look much more casual and natural, unlike those three who looked so forced and deliberate.
Du Hongyuan, the show-off, had even sprayed some perfume on himself, and Kong Liu could smell the alcohol reeking from that cheap perfume from far away.
The welcome gala was being held in the open space in front of the Business School's teaching building. That large lawn was already packed with people. Those who arrived early grabbed seats, while those who came late had to figure it out themselves—some brought small stools from their dorms, and others simply sat directly on the grass.
A huge stage had already been set up right in front of the lawn, and the big screen on the stage was playing video footage of the freshmen's military training. The gala hadn't officially started yet.
These freshmen came to the scene in groups, trying hard to find acquaintances, chatting about domestic trifles while waiting for the gala to begin.
Looking at these youthful faces, Kong Liu was momentarily reminded of himself from a year ago.