You said you hated men, why are your eyes now full of love?

The morning sky was clear and bright. The sun hung high, its golden halo merging into a deep blue-gray horizon. Wisps of cloud drifted across the light, blending together like a painter's palette accidentally overturned, creating an unintentional masterpiece.

Ruan Qingqing looked up, her charming eyes sparkling with a glassy brilliance, reflecting the young man's face. For her, no matter how breathtaking the countless beautiful scenery above her head was, it could not compare to the person in front of her.

She lowered her eyes. His fingers were long and slender. Although he gripped her wrist firmly, she didn't feel any pain, probably because he was being deliberately gentle. Her skin was pressed tightly against his palm, and heat flowed steadily from him.

She allowed the young man to lead her without a single thought of breaking free.

Mu Mu... you're a bit domineering.

…

They reached the familiar little bamboo grove at school. Ji Mu released her hand, sauntering over to a bench and lazily sitting down.

"Mu Mu..." she called softly, fidgeting like a child who knew they'd done something wrong.

"Why are you just standing there?" Ji Mu patted the seat beside him. "Aren’t you tired?"

Prompted by his words, Ruan Qingqing finally moved and sat down slowly. The two sat under the shade, barely a meter apart. The branches above rustled, green leaves curling in the warm air, carrying the faint scent of soapberry.

The fragrance lingered and mellowed in the heat. Ruan Qingqing could hear his quiet breathing beside her and nervously swallowed.

"Mu Mu, I..."

She was just about to tell him what happened in the office when he looked at her and asked softly, "Does your face still hurt?"

Ruan Qingqing's words lingered on the edge of her lips, a feeling she couldn't quite describe touching her heart.

He didn't ask what had happened earlier; he only cared about whether she was in pain...

The tension around her faded. Her chilled limbs began to warm.

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

She gently touched the spot where he had held her wrist. Her lips curled into a soft, tender smile.

"I feel a lot better now~"

Ji Mu had no idea that his gesture had once again left her heart in disarray. His gaze passed briefly over her porcelain-white face.

The once visible red mark had long since faded.

The redness from earlier had faded. Her delicate skin bruised easily, but thanks to her special constitution, it also recovered quickly.

"That's good," Ji Mu said, relaxing his shoulders as he looked away. "Tomorrow is the second joint test of the six schools. Are you nervous?"

"A little bit..." she admitted, lowering her eyes.

After all, they were competing with students from five other schools. There was no way not to feel pressure.

Ji Mu paused slightly.

After a few moments of thinking, he carefully chose his words to comfort her, "Just treat it like an ordinary exam, relax."

Ruan Qingqing's lips curved into a faint smile, "How can I relax? I still have to make an effort."

She hesitated. "Even though... the results will probably be the same as always."

She pressed her index fingers together, forcing her tone to sound relaxed.

Her grades were mediocre, neither outstanding nor poor, with nothing remarkable.

"Do you have so little confidence in yourself?"

Ji Mu picked up a fallen leaf and waved it in front of her.

"Silly goose, I've seen your recent efforts. You'll definitely achieve better results than ever before in this joint test."

"It’s not that..." she shook her head gently.

It wasn't that she lacked confidence in herself. Rather... she just had a clear understanding of her own limits.

She didn't have a natural aptitude for studying. The fact that she was able to maintain an above-average level was solely due to her relentless hard work day and night.

Compared to those top students born with brilliance, her hard work seemed insignificant. The gap between them felt like an insurmountable chasm that only brought a sense of despair.

"Let's not talk about it anymore, Mu Mu."

She hid the flicker of gloom in her eyes and gently shifted the topic.

"What did you think of what the teacher said earlier?"

Ji Mu idly played with the leaf in her hand, "I don't have any thoughts on it."

Youth has no price, and retirement is in the present. The significance of twenty-five million is obvious. Even if the teacher had offered more generous terms, he wouldn't have cared.

"As long as it doesn't affect you, they can say whatever they want."

"Mu Mu..." Ruan Qingqing was stunned. Those words automatically translated into a different meaning in her mind.

Heat rose from her palm to her chest, pulsing like the roots of a giant tree growing upward, each leaf shaking loose a new ripple in her heart.

She knew his personality very well.

Unassuming, lazy, not fond of trouble.

But whenever she was in danger or hurting, he never hesitated to step up for her.

Thinking about the series of actions he had taken for her, which were completely out of character for his usual lifestyle… Ruan Qingqing pressed her hand to her chest.

She could feel the tremble beneath her ribs. Her gaze grew complicated.

She had so many things she wanted to say, but when she tried to speak, she couldn’t find the right words.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally murmured, "Mu Mu, actually, I think the teacher was right."

Ji Mu turned to look at her. "Why would you say that?"

"Because... if you didn’t help me deal with all those messy things, your peaceful life would've stayed that way."

She pushed herself to keep her voice level.

Ruan Qingqing gathered her strength to speak, barely managing to keep her voice steady.

"I’ve been thinking, if you had a different friend, maybe someone else... your life would be much easier. Maybe... I’m just not fit to be your friend."

[... Looking at the female lead like this, I can't imagine what she went through in her past life to develop such a dark and twisted personality.]

The system sighed deeply, filled with mixed emotions.

Her personality is so kind, kind to the point of taking all the blame on herself.

She only wanted to concentrate on studying and working hard to earn money to take care of her mother, but she was always targeted and persecuted by the evil around her.

[But in the end, she's just a character in a web novel, created to satisfy someone else's desires.]

The author writes temptation, and the reader consumes it.

And she, having been shackled with the title of the female lead, was nothing but a toy to be observed from beginning to end.

[Tsk, what a poor little thing.]

Ji Mu didn't say anything at first.

After a moment of silence, he looked up at the fragmented light filtering through the bamboo leaves.

"Do you know my life principle? If someone insults me, it's because they're sick. If I insult someone, it's also because they're sick. If they weren't, then why would they insult me? And if they weren't, why would I insult them?"

The young man's unexpected words left Ruan Qingqing slightly stunned.

"The malice in human nature is often baseless. The consequences of the perpetrator's sins are not something the victim should have to bear."

The trees around them stirred in the breeze, bamboo leaves falling in soft waves.

His voice was calm and clear.

"No one dictates that a flower must grow into a rose or a sunflower."

"Whether slowly or with small steps, as long as you move forward, that's all that matters."

Ruan Qingqing looked at him dazedly.

"Silly goose, maybe you're not that impressive, and maybe you can be a bit clumsy."

"But..."

"Your very existence is like a star, crystal clear and unique."

He wasn't speaking with his usual lazy drawl. There was a rare seriousness in his voice.

The certainty in his eyes was more dazzling than the rising sun.

"To me, you are irreplaceable."

Amidst the relentless ringing in her ears, Ruan Qingqing realized he was all she could focus on at that moment.

Ruan Qingqing felt her heartbeat crashing in her chest like wild grass taking over barren earth.

She could clearly sense that a dark thought was taking shape deep within her soul, gradually turning into something hideous and terrifying.

It was pulling her toward the edge.

Ruan Qingqing wasn't worried about becoming someone she wouldn't recognize.

What she feared... was the day she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from hurting him.

She couldn't guarantee that such a future wouldn't happen.

So, for Ji Mu's safety, she could only distance herself from him while she was still in control.

But...

This isn't fair, Mu Mu.

I had finally decided to stay away from you.

Why do you keep coming back to provoke me?

"Silly goose, my daily life is quite routine. Except for the occasional math competitions organized by the school, I usually stay home on weekends."

While her mind was racing, she heard the young man's inexplicable words, and Ruan Qingqing raised her eyes in confusion.

"I mean, you're never alone."

Seeing her confusion, Ji Mu quietly explained.

"If you need me, just send me a message, whether it's going to the library, shopping at the mall, or coming to my house."

As if she couldn't believe that these words came from him, Ruan Qingqing's eyelashes fluttered. After a few seconds, she asked quietly.

"Anywhere... is okay?"

He nodded.

The careless look on his face was gone. His eyes were focused, serious.

"As long as you ask, I'll be by your side."

Her breath hitched.

Her heart twisted. Her throat felt tight.

His unwavering certainty was like a ray of light shining into the cracks, deeply burning the monster with dark thoughts hidden in her broken shell.

She had never told him how many fantasies about him filled her mind, enough to wallpaper a whole classroom.

Most of these fantasies, even eighty percent of them… were sexual.

Too dirty.

And too... promiscuous.

So... could someone like her, with thoughts like that...

Was she worthy of being decisively chosen by someone?

Was she really worth such special treatment…?

She felt the heat sting her eyes.

"Am I worth it?"

Her lips trembled.

The moment the words left her mouth, Ji Mu smiled.

At this moment, his gentle smile was even more stunning than his appearance without the glasses. Heartbreakingly beautiful.

"You are."

The girl he knew was not some disposable character for others to project onto.

She wasn't just a pretty face.

She had a soul. A mind. A strength uniquely her own.

No one is born weak.

She belonged on that stage of life, meant to shine bright and dazzle the world.

Hello readers!

Every review counts.

Hey folks!

We have kept our word and dropped an extra chapter for hitting 20 votes on NovelUpdate!

Feel free to leave comments in Discord now that the comment section is unavailable.