56: Reunion! Jiangnan University

In the afternoon, Wu Yueyue, holding onto a somewhat weary Ling Xian, stood at the main gate of Jiangnan University.

"Brother Ling Xian, it's all your fault! You said you'd just nap for a bit, but you slept the whole morning. Now we definitely won't be able to get a good dorm spot." Wu Yueyue pouted, her tone tinged with reproach.

Ling Xian forced a bitter smile to placate her. "Don't worry, Yueyue. If there really aren't any suitable ones, we can just stay at the villa."

It was the start of the new semester, and the campus was brimming with youthful, vibrant energy.

Watching the couples walking side by side past him, Ling Xian's thoughts drifted uncontrollably to the past.

Once, he and Xia Mo had also left many beautiful memories on this very campus.

"He's so handsome!" The exclamation from a girl in one of the couples abruptly snapped Ling Xian out of his reverie.

He thought to himself that Xia Mo would never scream like that for another guy, putting her companion in an awkward position.

"Brother Ling Xian, you're quite popular, huh?" Wu Yueyue felt secretly pleased. She reached up and patted Ling Xian's shoulder, her eyes full of curiosity. "Speaking of which, you're a senior alumnus of Jiangnan University. Were you a real heartthrob back in the day?"

Ling Xian smiled wryly and shook his head. "Me back then? Thick black-framed glasses, awkward and quiet. No one would have liked me."

"No way?" Wu Yueyue's face was full of disbelief. She paused, the hand pulling her suitcase stopping, her footsteps halting too. "Brother Ling Xian, you're so rich. Even if you weren't good at dressing back then, surely someone would have been interested? There must have been girls drawn to your money who approached you?"

Wu Yueyue's words weren't without reason.

However, back then, although Ling Xian relied on the Xia family and received a monthly allowance of over a million from Ling Tianshi, his personality was incredibly stingy.

Even on Valentine's Day, he was unwilling to buy Xia Mo a bouquet of red roses, insisting on only one, and even argued righteously that 'holidays are just a formality.'

Looking back now, Ling Xian wished he could slap his past self.

Back then, he was truly an out-and-out clueless straight guy, bluntly speaking his mind without any regard for Xia Mo's feelings.

To this day, he couldn't imagine how Xia Mo must have felt hearing those words.

After Wu Yueyue finished her registration, the two walked to the dormitory building. Ling Xian remained lost in memories of the past.

"You go up by yourself. I'll wait for you here." Facing the girls' dormitory building, guarded by a dorm supervisor, and even if he could enter, those inside likely couldn't compare to Wu Yueyue, so there was really no need for the extra trouble.

Wu Yueyue nodded obediently. "Brother Ling Xian, you must wait right here for me."

When she reached the stairwell, she turned back, her eyes carrying a hint of worry. "Don't leave, okay? If you sneak away, I'll never speak to you again."

"Alright, alright, I won't leave," Ling Xian agreed helplessly.

He clearly sensed that Wu Yueyue was becoming increasingly dependent and clingy towards him.

Watching Wu Yueyue's figure ascend the stairs, Ling Xian sat down on a nearby bench to wait.

The students passing by frequently cast glances his way. Even if they were careful, with his powerful Spiritual Power, he could clearly perceive those gazes.

"Wow, he's so handsome!"

"Is this hunk a freshman? How come I've never seen him before?"

"He's definitely going to be this year's campus heartthrob at Jiangnan University! He's totally my ideal type!"

"That face! I'm in love!"

The murmurs gradually increased, and the surroundings became somewhat noisy.

Many female students secretly took out their phones to sneak photos, posting them to Jiangnan University's forum.

Even though they were all profile shots, that handsome face still sparked a frenzy of heated discussion on the forum.

"Why is Yueyue taking so long?" Ling Xian yawned and muttered a low complaint.

"Who's Yueyue?" A voice, so familiar it was etched into his bones, suddenly came from behind him.

Ling Xian stiffened all over, instinctively turning to look.

Xia Mo stood there with a smiling face, though that smile seemed to hold a hint of something deeper.

"Xia Mo? What are you doing here?" Ling Xian quickly changed the subject, his heart inexplicably racing.

"You haven't answered my question yet," Xia Mo pressed forward step by step, her gaze fixed on his face.

That familiar smile now seemed to carry a hint of 'danger' in Ling Xian's eyes.

"That... she's my employee's younger sister. School started today, and I just gave her a ride." Ling Xian hurriedly explained, deliberately distancing himself from Wu Yueyue.

Having faced countless types of beautiful women, Ling Xian was usually composed, but only in front of Xia Mo did he inexplicably get nervous.

It was a physical instinct, also stirred by the feelings in his heart that had never truly been let go.

Memories of his first love were filled with pure, beautiful moments that no one else could replace.

"Your employee's younger sister? Named Yueyue? Sounds quite intimate." The corners of Xia Mo's lips lifted slightly, her tone betraying no emotion.

Ling Xian instantly felt his scalp tingle, his heart suddenly tightening.

Xia Mo's skin was as fair as fine porcelain, her chin small and delicately rounded, her features soft yet refined.

The youthful innocence hadn't completely faded. Her nose was straight with a slightly upturned tip. Her eyes were pure and bright, like clear, bottomless lake water. Her lips were red and full, like blooming roses.

She wasn't a traditionally stunning beauty who would captivate a room, but she possessed a memorable aura, as if being with her promised a future full of infinite possibilities.

"That... let's talk about you first. What are you doing here?"

Facing questions from other beauties, Ling Xian always had several excuses ready.

But facing Xia Mo, it was impossible. He didn't want to lie in his heart, and the words wouldn't come out.

Tell her that after leaving her, he became a playboy?

"I'm a student counselor at Jiangnan University now! That Wu Yueyue you mentioned seems to be my student! I saw that name on this year's student list." Xia Mo felt displeased. After all, back then, Ling Xian was like a block of wood.

Hearing this, Ling Xian's heart skipped a beat. "It can't be such a coincidence, right?"

"That... let's talk about you. Why did you come to Jiangnan University to be a counselor?" Ling Xian avoided her gaze, trying to change the subject again.

Facing Xia Mo, he ultimately didn't want to utter those perfunctory lies.

Was he supposed to tell her that after leaving her, he became a playboy who lingered among flowers?

"I felt like it, is that not allowed?" Xia Mo snorted lightly, a flicker of barely noticeable anger flashing in her eyes.

She was holding back frustration. Back then, Ling Xian was an unromantic block of wood, yet now he was patiently waiting for a girl named 'Yueyue.'

So what was she back then? Dating a block of wood?

"It wasn't because of me, was it?" Ling Xian probed, his gaze locked on her face.

Xia Mo's cheeks instantly flushed red. She retorted angrily, "You're overthinking it! Who would come here specifically for a blockhead like you? In my opinion, anyone who likes you now is either after your looks or your money!"

Hearing Xia Mo's Make complaints, Ling Xian refuted seriously, "That's not true. There's one person who has always genuinely liked me."

Xia Mo was stunned, her heart inexplicably skipping a beat. She thought to herself, "No way? Does this blockhead really have someone who genuinely likes him? Was the message he had Momo deliver last time also a lie? Jerk. After not seeing him for so long, his clueless straight-guy nature has changed, and now he's learned smooth talk!"

"Who?" she asked, forcing calm, though her gaze involuntarily tightened.

"You."

As the words fell, a ghostly blue Undead Divine Fire abruptly materialized in Ling Xian's palm.

The flame, obedient to his will, danced gracefully in the air, first taking the shape of a butterfly, fluttering lightly around Xia Mo for a circle.

The surrounding students, seeing this, exclaimed in surprise, "This handsome guy is a magician too? That's amazing!"

"Such a cool magic trick, I want to learn it too!"

It wasn't just girls screaming; many boys also looked on with envy, thinking if they could learn this trick, they'd surely win girls' hearts.

Under everyone's gaze, the butterfly slowly flew back to Ling Xian's hand, finally transforming into a ghostly blue rose, quietly blooming in the sunlight.

"For you." Ling Xian reached out, offering it to Xia Mo, his eyes filled with sincerity.