35: Chapter 35 She Has Changed

Su Muxue.

This name was like a bolt of lightning; following her greeting, it instantly pierced through the firewall in Leng Qingxuan's brain regarding her "list of boring social interactions."

She remembered now.

That girl who always sat quietly in the corner at the Su Family banquet, looking like an exquisite porcelain doll.

Her mother had specifically instructed her before, saying that the young lady from the Su Family was at the same university as her and that she should go say hello if there was an opportunity.

At the time, Leng Qingxuan nodded repeatedly on the surface, but in reality, it went in one ear and out the other, her mind completely filled with the game *Zelda* that she hadn't finished yet.

She hadn't expected that the so-called "opportunity" would be at this stairwell corner, filled with melodramatic clichés.

Leng Qingxuan's gaze lingered on Su Muxue's face for half a second, and then, uncontrollably—or rather, pulled by some immense gravitational force—it shifted downwards by fifteen centimeters.

There, the beige fabric was stretched into a breathtaking arc.

If Leng Qingxuan's figure was the golden ratio calculated with precision, where adding a fraction would make it fat and subtracting one would make it thin, then the person before her was simply someone the Creator had accidentally pressed an extra "0" for when modeling.

That was a magnificence that even a loose, high-end couture dress couldn't conceal.

"E... No, at least E+."

As a rigorous data analyst, Leng Qingxuan quickly gave an assessment report in her mind and subconsciously puffed out her own chest, which, while not bad, seemed slightly thin at this moment.

An inexplicable sense of crisis, stemming from the instinct of a female creature, welled up.

But this sense of crisis was quickly diluted by another emotion—she urgently needed to see Huang Mao now.

She had consumed too much of her "social" mana bar on the rooftop just now, and she was currently in a weakened state, urgently needing to return to the fountain to replenish her status.

Thinking of Huang Mao, and thinking that she would soon be able to find an empty classroom to be alone with him to chat and play games, the corners of Leng Qingxuan's previously tense mouth relaxed unconsciously, even carrying a lightness she hadn't noticed herself.

"Ah, it's you."

Leng Qingxuan spoke, her tone devoid of the bone-chilling coldness she had shown when facing Wang Hao, instead carrying a bouncy feeling, like an elementary school student rushing home after school to watch cartoons.

"Long time no see, Classmate Su Muxue."

This sudden "enthusiasm" clearly stunned the Su Muxue standing opposite her.

A flash of astonishment flickered in those eyes, which were veiled in misty rain.

In Su Muxue's impression, the Eldest Miss of the Leng Family was an iceberg that never melted all year round, a sharp sword always drawn from its scabbard.

No matter the occasion, she always held her chin high, looking at the world with a scrutinizing gaze, as if everything around her owed her five million.

But now...

This sword seemed to have a scabbard?

Or rather, was there a ball of fire hidden beneath the iceberg?

Su Muxue keenly caught this hint of incongruity, but she did not show it.

She just smiled slightly, her smile as standard as a textbook etiquette demonstration, leaving no room for criticism.

"Indeed, long time no see, Classmate Leng." Su Muxue's voice remained soft and pleasant. "I saw many people gathered downstairs just now; I heard it was a bit... lively over here?"

"Lively?" Leng Qingxuan scoffed and waved her hand. "It was nothing more than a ridiculous farce directed and performed by a clown."

"He's still kneeling up there; I reckon he'll have to kneel for a while longer to cure his weak-kneed problem."

The tone she used when mentioning Wang Hao was as if she were talking about a fly that had accidentally crashed into a glass pane and died.

Su Muxue nodded thoughtfully, her gaze crossing over Leng Qingxuan's shoulder to glance at the stairs leading to the rooftop, before withdrawing her gaze and landing it back on Leng Qingxuan's face.

"Then, are you now..." Su Muxue paused, seemingly weighing her words, "It looks like you seem to be in a rush?"

"Ah, yes."

Leng Qingxuan answered subconsciously, Huang Mao's face and voice appearing in her mind.

"I'm going to..."

The words reached her lips, and she slammed on the brakes.

Go where? To go to an empty classroom to be alone with a boy? And play a few rounds while she was at it?

Although dating in university wasn't taboo, her persona as "Leng Qingxuan" couldn't have any issues, especially when facing this "acquaintance," relatively speaking.

More importantly, Huang Mao was her "private treasure," her exclusive dungeon.

How could she casually tell others the coordinates of such a treasure? Especially to the woman in front of her... who looked like she had an extremely high threat level.

Leng Qingxuan's words came to an abrupt halt, her eyes flickering, and she stiffly changed her answer: "To the library. Yes, to study."

This excuse was so terrible that even she didn't believe it. What kind of decent person would have an expression like they were going on a date when going to the library to study?

Su Muxue watched her quietly, a flash of understanding passing through those eyes that seemed capable of insight into the human heart.

She did not expose her, but instead, with extreme naturalness, stepped back, widening the distance between the two.

"Apologies, I have overstepped."

Su Muxue bowed slightly, her movements impeccably elegant. "Since Classmate Leng has things to do, I won't disturb you. Wish you... a pleasant study session."

"Mm, you too..."

Leng Qingxuan nodded haphazardly and, as if fleeing a crime scene, brushed past Su Muxue with quick steps.

The moment they brushed past each other, a faint scent, like gardenias after the rain, drifted into Leng Qingxuan's nose.

It smelled very good.

But it also made one feel a sense of distance.

Only after walking several meters away did Leng Qingxuan slightly slow her pace.

"Strange woman."

She muttered in her heart.

In her impression, Su Muxue seemed to always be like this.

Gentle, polite, sensible, like a perfect AI with pre-programmed settings. The elders all liked her, praising her as the model of a young lady from a prestigious family.

But in Leng Qingxuan's view, Su Muxue was always wrapped in a lingering sense of oppression.

That feeling was just like...

Just like her former self.

Trapped in a cage named "Family Honor" and "Perfect Persona," where even breathing had to be done with caution.

"Looks like she has never really been happy..."

Leng Qingxuan looked back at the empty stairwell corner, shook her head, "Forget it, whatever. Everyone has their own dungeon to clear."

Her primary task now was to go find her "mobile fountain of blood."

Thinking of this, Leng Qingxuan quickly took out her phone, her fingers dancing rapidly on the screen.

【Leng Qingxuan: That idiot is taken care of. I urgently need to replenish my sanity.】

【Leng Qingxuan: Come here immediately to pick me up! I want to find a place where there's no one and play a few rounds of games hard!】

After the message was sent, within a few seconds, the phone vibrated.

【Huang Mao: I already guessed it.】

【Huang Mao: Classroom 502 in the General Building, that was the old Student Union office, I have the key, no one will go there except me, it's much better than the place you found yesterday.】

Looking at the reply on the screen, the corners of Leng Qingxuan's mouth curled up wildly.

Look! This is tacit understanding!

This is the awareness of a top-tier support!

And there's actually such a "secret base"?! Does this count as him accepting her further? Does it mean she can unlock more special CGs there in the future?

Before she finished being happy, the next message popped up immediately.

【Huang Mao: By the way, An Ran doesn't have classes during the first and second periods this afternoon either.】

【Huang Mao: She wants to come along too; I already brought her here once just now. She's gone to buy snacks and drinks now.】

The smile on Leng Qingxuan's face froze instantly.

An Ran?

The originally envisioned "sweet duo queue for two" instantly turned into a "crowded three-person Shura field."

"Tsk."

Leng Qingxuan clicked her tongue in displeasure.

Although she lost the opportunity to be alone, this didn't mean it was a bad thing.

Games, you have to speak with strength, they are the perfect "competitive platform"—in every sense.

It's just right, using this opportunity, let Huang Mao see who is the best gaming partner for him!

【Leng Qingxuan: That's great.】

【Leng Qingxuan: Today I will let her know, in esports there is no such thing as a childhood sweetheart, only being bad is the original sin.】

After replying to the message, Leng Qingxuan put away her phone, held her head high, and walked towards Classroom 502.

Her steps were firm, and she was brimming with murderous intent.

...

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the General Building.

Su Muxue pushed open the heavy iron door, and the wind blowing in her face messed up her carefully styled long hair.

She paid no attention to Wang Hao, who was still slumped on the ground in front of her like a pile of mud.

She didn't even spare him a glance from the corner of her eye.

Just arriving on the rooftop, she headed straight for the other side of the rooftop, finding a section of railing that looked the cleanest.

Then, she took a handkerchief out of her bag and carefully wiped away the slight dust on the railing, her movements gentle and focused, as if she were wiping a rare treasure.

After finishing, she folded the handkerchief and put it away, only then leaning against it gently.

The wind was strong.

It blew her skirt, making it flap loudly, and also blew away the perfect disguise on her body.

Su Muxue watched the undulating teaching buildings in the distance, watching the crowds walking or jogging on the playground, those eyes that always carried a polite smile now became bottomless, empty enough to make one's heart palpitate.

"Classmate Leng Qingxuan..."

Her red lips parted slightly, her voice torn apart by the wind.

"She has changed."

The former Leng Qingxuan, although arrogant, had dead eyes.

That kind of dead silence, Su Muxue was very familiar with, because whenever she looked in the mirror every day, she could see it in her own eyes.

That was a look that lacked expectation for life, just mechanically playing the role of "the self in others' eyes."

But just now...

The Leng Qingxuan from just now, although she tried her best to hide it, the vivid, lively joy that flowed from the corners of her eyes and brows was something that could not be hidden at all.

"What could it be for?"

It wasn't hard to guess.

She had someone she wanted to see.

She had a place she wanted to go.

She had... a secret of her own.

"How nice."

Su Muxue murmured, her tone impossible to tell whether it was envy or lament.

She reached out a hand and grabbed at the void, as if wanting to catch some kind of scent carried in the wind.

"Besides disgust, could there be any other reason why she rejected this person?"

Su Muxue turned her head slightly, her gaze falling on Wang Hao, who was still sobbing not far away, a flash of faint disgust crossing her eyes, before quickly returning to that calm as an ancient well.

"If I also had that kind of opportunity..."

"Would I, too, be able to become like her, a little... happier?"

She closed her eyes, letting a slightly stronger gust of wind blow against her cheeks, as if enjoying this slight pain.

"..."

"If I tried to ask her, would she be willing to tell me?"