68: Chapter 68, the clarification post, became a new thorn in the side.

I don't know how much time had passed.

This feeling was quite wonderful, as if drifting on a cloud for a while, or soaking in water at just the right temperature.

Huang Mao's eyelids twitched, and his consciousness gradually returned.

There was none of the soreness or numbness typical of sleeping on a desk; his neck didn't ache, his arms weren't numb, and his vision hadn't even become blurry from pressure on his eyes.

This sleep was incredibly refreshing, even more restorative than sleeping an entire night on his own two-meter-wide bed.

He slowly opened his eyes, and above his line of sight was the familiar ceiling... No, he couldn't see the ceiling.

Instead, there was a pretty face looking down at him, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Seeing him wake up, the eyes of Su Muxue, which had been fixed on him all along, instantly curved into crescent moons. Her voice was as soft as if she were afraid of disturbing something: "Master, are you awake? Do you feel okay?"

"Mm..."

Huang Mao responded and propped himself up to sit.

He stretched his neck, which let out a soft "crack."

Comfortable.

It really wasn't a joke; this top-tier lap pillow combined with professional head massage had an immediate effect.

If he had been sleeping on the desk just now, his arms would probably be so numb by now that it would feel like millions of ants were crawling over them.

"Um, thank you for your hard work."

Huang Mao rubbed his temples and said with casual politeness.

Although the other party was a "maid" who considered herself to be in a superior position, he was, after all, a modern youth who had received nine years of compulsory education.

Letting someone use their lap as a pillow for so long without saying thank you felt like something was missing.

"Being able to serve Master is Muxue's honor."

The blush on Su Muxue's face hadn't faded; instead, it seemed even more charming because of those words.

As if performing a magic trick, she pulled an exquisite thermos cup from the bag behind her, unscrewed the lid, and handed it to Huang Mao with both hands.

"You must be thirsty after just waking up, right? This is warm water, the temperature is just right."

Huang Mao was taken aback.

His gaze fell on the pink rim of the cup, which was clearly a girl's style.

This... should be her own water cup, right?

Does this count as an indirect kiss?

This girl is really...

However...

Looking at Su Muxue's hopeful eyes, filled with cautious ingratiation, it seemed as if she would burst into tears of grievance the next second if he refused.

Forget it.

For someone whose mental state wasn't exactly normal, it was better to just accept these relatively minor things.

"Thanks."

Huang Mao took the cup and, without deliberately avoiding any spot, tilted his head back and took a few gulps.

The warm liquid slid down his throat, instantly dispelling the dryness from just waking up.

Comfortable.

He praised it in his heart and handed the cup back.

And opposite him.

Su Muxue looked at the rim of the cup that Huang Mao's lips had touched, and her whole being seemed to be glowing.

Master drank it.

No disgust, no hesitation, he just naturally accepted her personal item.

This was more than just drinking water.

This was an acceptance, an acknowledgement, a kind of... intimacy that didn't need words.

She carefully held the cup, her fingertips gently rubbing the residual warmth on the cup body, the obsession in her eyes almost overflowing.

"Um, what time is it?"

Huang Mao's voice interrupted her "spellcasting."

Su Muxue came back to her senses, hurriedly glanced at the watch on her wrist, and said softly: "Twelve-ten, it's the peak time for dining at all the restaurants. Master, are you hungry?"

"A little."

"Then... shall we go eat?" Su Muxue asked tentatively, a hint of expectation in her eyes.

If possible, she certainly hoped to sit at the same table with Master; even just watching him eat would be a pleasure for her.

But she also knew that the current situation didn't allow it.

As expected.

Huang Mao stood up, brushed the wrinkles off his clothes, thought for a moment, and said: "We definitely have to eat, but it's best if we walk separately."

"For the sake of our mutual peace and quiet, it's better to keep a low profile."

Su Muxue nodded obediently, without any objection: "Mm, Muxue understands."

Sensible.

Too sensible.

Huang Mao couldn't help but sigh again in his heart.

Afterwards, the two walked out of the classroom one after another.

Huang Mao walked in front, hands in his pockets, his pace leisurely.

Su Muxue deliberately lagged behind by five or six meters, maintaining a distance that didn't appear intimate but allowed her to see him at any time.

Although his back was turned to her, Huang Mao always felt a chill on his back.

If anyone had noticed Su Muxue's gaze at this moment, they would probably be scared into a cold sweat.

That girl, known throughout the school for her gentleness, was currently locking onto the back of the man in front with an almost greedy gaze.

That was a believer gazing at a deity.

That was a hungry wolf watching its prey.

That was... a madwoman who had completely fallen.

But as long as Huang Mao turned his head slightly or stopped, the madness in her eyes would instantly recede, and she would turn back into that gentle and considerate little maid.

Meanwhile.

In a corner of the First Cafeteria.

Leng Qingxuan sat by the window, with a serving of Braised Chicken Rice that was no longer steaming in front of her.

She held chopsticks in her hand but hesitated to move.

The sauce on the rice was almost congealed, and the chicken had lost its original appetizing color, becoming a bit dry.

But she had absolutely no appetite.

Her gaze drifted toward the entrance of the cafeteria from time to time, and every time someone pushed the door open, her heart would jump.

After seeing it wasn't the familiar figure, it would fall back down heavily.

She was waiting for Huang Mao.

Although there was no agreement, and although reason told her that Huang Mao might not come here at all, she still stared fixedly at the direction of the entrance.

She wanted to see him.

Even if just for a glimpse from afar.

She wanted to know, after the morning's turmoil and that awkward confrontation, what would Huang Mao's reaction be when he saw her now?

Would he smile at her helplessly and dotingly like before?

Or would he... pretend not to see her and ignore her directly?

At the thought of the latter possibility, Leng Qingxuan's hand holding the chopsticks couldn't help but tighten, her knuckles slightly pale.

Time passed minute by minute.

The people in the cafeteria changed wave after wave, the noise rose and fell, but it all seemed to have nothing to do with her.

She was like an isolated island abandoned by the world.

Finally, she had to admit a fact—

Huang Mao wouldn't come.

Perhaps he went to the Second Cafeteria, perhaps he ordered takeout, or perhaps... he was eating with that woman named Su Muxue.

Thinking of Su Muxue, a wave of irritation rose in Leng Qingxuan's heart.

That person actually transferred majors directly; this drive...

She took a deep breath, put down her chopsticks, and took out her phone.

Since she couldn't wait for him, she would check the forum.

Although she really didn't want to face those rumors and gossip, she had to know what the current public opinion trend was.

Besides, she had to admit, there were many guesses or fabrications about her and Huang Mao's relationship in the comment section, and she actually quite enjoyed reading some of those claims.

Her finger slid across the screen, clicking on the familiar school emblem icon.

However, the pinned post "Explosive! Iceberg Campus Belle suspected of getting off the market" was gone.

Replacing it was a new post whose popularity was skyrocketing—

"【Apology Statement】 Regarding yesterday's post slandering Student Leng Qingxuan and Student Huang Mao, it was malicious rumor-mongering by me."

Leng Qingxuan was stunned.

She subconsciously clicked into it.

The poster's ID was the same person who had broken the news earlier.

The content of the post was very long, and the tone was so sincere that it was almost humble.

The general idea was: Because I had some unilateral dissatisfaction with Student Huang Mao, and wanted to grab attention and earn traffic, I used AI to forge that so-called "intimate photo."

To increase credibility, the post also attached several decent-looking "AI generation process screenshots," as well as the original "source images"—those were photos of two completely unfamiliar passersby chatting in a classroom.

The logic was closed, the evidence was solid, and the attitude was sincere.

The onlookers who were originally eating melons immediately turned against the poster, and the comment section was full of people calling the OP "immoral" and "shameless for traffic."

As for the scandal between Huang Mao and Leng Qingxuan?

That was a rumor! It was AI-generated! Disperse, disperse!

If anyone still believed it at this point, they really should get a phone number so they could sell them health supplements when they get old.

Leng Qingxuan looked at the screen, and the nerves that had been tense all morning finally relaxed.

She let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if the big rock pressing on her chest had been moved away.

It's fine.

The crisis was resolved.

Without needing to think, she knew this must be Huang Mao's doing.

Although she didn't know how he did it, or even how he managed to produce such realistic "AI evidence," he really did it.

He said he could handle it, and he really handled it cleanly.

Reliable enough to make one feel at ease.

But...

A more sour and bitter emotion spread in the bottom of her heart.

The matter started because of her.

The trouble was solved by him.

From beginning to end, besides worrying anxiously on the side and causing him trouble, what had she, Leng Qingxuan, done?

She was like a useless person.

Clearly an aloof campus belle, clearly a young lady held in everyone's palms, yet at the critical moment, she could only hide behind him, watching him face all the storms alone.

This feeling of powerlessness was even more uncomfortable for her than being pestered by a hundred idiots.

Leng Qingxuan sighed and subconsciously slid her finger down, wanting to see everyone's final opinion on this matter.

Most people were scolding the rumor-monger, and some were lamenting that current AI technology was too terrifying.

Suddenly.

A comment with a very high number of likes, like a thorn, stabbed fiercely into her eyes.

【Passerby A: I told you so! It must be fake! Someone brought people to cause trouble for Huang Mao this morning, and I happened to be at the scene!】

【It was almost a fight, and Leng Qingxuan was sitting in the front row, acting like nothing was happening!】

【Passerby B: Indeed, I saw it too. If there really was some special relationship, the man was surrounded and attacked, how could the woman be so calm?】

【School Beauty Leng is a famous iceberg; she probably didn't take Huang Mao seriously at all.】

【Passerby C: +1, at that time Huang Mao was fighting two alone, and Leng Qingxuan didn't even say a word to help. If they could be a couple, I'll livestream eating a keyboard!】

Boom—

Leng Qingxuan felt as if something had exploded in her brain.

Her complexion instantly turned deadly pale, and the blood in her body seemed to congeal at this moment.

It wasn't like that...

She wanted to refute, wanted to shout and tell everyone it wasn't like that!

She didn't not want to help at that time; she just... just didn't know what to do, just afraid that if she spoke up, she would make things worse!

She was so anxious she was about to cry at the time; she was more worried about him than anyone else!

But...

In the eyes of outsiders, this was the fact.

This was the impression she left on everyone—indifferent, selfish, aloof, indifferent to Huang Mao's plight.

Then what about Huang Mao?

He who helped her silently handle everything, how did he view her now?

"No... it's not..."

Leng Qingxuan bit her lip hard, tasting a hint of blood.

Fear engulfed her like a tide.

She couldn't help but think about Huang Mao's expression after seeing these comments.

Was it disappointment? Was it cold-heartedness? Or a cold smile after having seen through everything?

She wanted to delete these comments, wanted these voices to disappear, but she couldn't.

She could only watch these words, like knives, cutting her pitiful self-esteem into pieces.

She suddenly felt she was so ridiculous.

Clearly liking him so much, clearly wanting to get close to him so much.

Now it's fine.

The "scandal" was cleared up.

Everyone believed they had "nothing to do with each other."

...

Second Cafeteria.

Compared to the gloomy atmosphere on Leng Qingxuan's side, on Huang Mao's side...

"Slurp—"

He was slurping noodles loudly without any image, a large bowl of beef noodles with extra meat and egg in front of him, eating until he was glowing with health.

Any worries, any scandals, were nothing in front of carbohydrates.

As long as he was full, even if the sky fell, it would just serve as a blanket.

And diagonally behind him, one table away.

Su Muxue was elegantly eating a salad in small bites.

Although the two were not sitting together and had no communication, Su Muxue's mood was obviously excellent.

While mechanically chewing lettuce leaves, she used her peripheral vision to greedily trace Huang Mao's side profile as he ate.

Watching his puffed-up cheeks, watching his satisfied expression, watching his brows occasionally furrowing slightly because it was too hot...

She wanted to take a picture of his current look, print it out, and cover the entire room with it.

Huang Mao knew Su Muxue was not far from him and could guess she was staring at him.

But he was already somewhat used to it, and besides, out of sight, out of mind.

While eating, he operated his phone on the table, exiting the forum page.

"As expected of Jiang Mengshu, she easily accomplished what ordinary people couldn't, finishing so quickly."

Although he didn't know how she did it, since the matter was accomplished, the proper courtesy had to be there.

He opened his social app, found Jiang Mengshu, and sent a message.

【Huang Mao: Thanks, you handled it beautifully. I'll treat you to milk tea another day.】

The other side replied almost instantly.

【Jiang Mengshu: Mm, I'll look forward to it.】

After sending an "OK" emoji, Huang Mao exited the chat box.

His finger hovered on the screen for a moment, and finally, he clicked into the chat box with Leng Qingxuan.

After thinking for a while, he typed a line.

【Huang Mao: The forum matter is resolved, don't take it to heart.】

Send.

...

First Cafeteria.

The vibration of the phone pulled Leng Qingxuan back from the abyss of despair.

She tremblingly opened the new message.

Looking at that light and breezy comfort, looking at that "don't take it to heart" as if nothing had happened.

Leng Qingxuan's eyes instantly turned red.

No blame.

No questioning.

He was like someone who was unaffected, blocking all the storms outside, leaving her only with a gentle "eat well"...

Clearly I did nothing, clearly I was so useless...

A huge sense of guilt and being moved intertwined, impacting her tear glands.

Leng Qingxuan sniffled, holding back tears.

She tremblingly tapped on the screen, deleting and editing.

A thousand words finally converged into one sentence.

【Leng Qingxuan: Mm, got it, thanks.】

After sending this message, she seemed to have used up all her strength, collapsing in the chair.

But these simple words could not calm the waves in her heart.

Not enough.

Just saying thanks was not enough at all.

If she didn't do something to make up for this incident, she would feel uneasy for the rest of her life.

Tonight.

No matter what.

No matter what the request was, no matter how shameful.

As long as he wanted it.

She was willing to give it.

Even if it was...