But envy was useless.
Su Yun rolled around on the bed a few more times before finally deciding to get up and study.
After all, didn’t Qin Xue’s sister hate people who didn’t study?
Then, if she became the top student in the academy, wouldn’t that mean she’d be liked instead?
Su Yun felt like she had just found her goal. She immediately walked to the desk, feeling in top shape, and picked up her books and phone to begin self-studying.
……
……
Nighttime. It was quiet inside the Third Hospital. Half the lights in the hallway had already been turned off.
Zhang Deyi was lying alone in his hospital bed, staring at the ceiling.
Aside from his parents dropping off meals at noon and in the evening, the rest of the time, he was by himself.
And this situation would last at least a week.
Zhang Deyi felt a little bored, but he didn’t regret what he had done.
If he could do it all over again, he’d still bring people with him and go, only this time he’d be even more ruthless—no loose ends.
Thinking about it, Zhang Deyi couldn’t help but smile while lying there.
Because after this, something like that probably wouldn’t happen again.
(The club president’s in the hospital? Why?)
(You didn’t hear...?)
Inside the support group of over 500 members, some of the older members began telling the newcomers about the operation Zhang Deyi had led.
After hearing the full story, the new guys were fired up, saying if something like that happened again, they wanted to go too—to experience that feeling of protecting a princess.
But this time, they had an additional target to protect—the president himself. And there were quite a few of them who lived near Zhang Deyi’s dorm.
(I can’t move right now, so I’ll be counting on you guys for those missions...)
Zhang Deyi typed this in the group chat with a bit of helplessness. In his current condition, protecting the princess was clearly out of the question. Time to retire.
(That won’t do, Boss! If you don’t organize us, how will we know what to do?)
(Yeah! We’ll wait until you’re discharged. You give the orders, and we’ll follow them!)
“Ah...” Zhang Deyi looked at his phone, at a loss for words, a bit moved.
What did this mean?
It meant that even if Zhang Deyi showed up at school in a wheelchair, all he had to do was call out, and nearly 100 people would rush to help deal with the bad guys—he wouldn’t even have to move, just give commands.
Strange when he thought about it. He couldn’t get a girl to do a tiny favor, but he could rally so many guys to risk themselves for justice.
Thinking about it, Zhang Deyi lay flat on the bed again and replayed the video from this morning’s sports meet.
“Meow~” came a cute sound from the video.
For some reason, his next thought was to message Su Yun.
Zhang Deyi had always wondered—this morning at the sports meet, the school beauty had cried so hard on stage. As her so-called “boyfriend,” where had Brother Yun been?
(Brother Yun, good evening. What are you up to right now?)
……
……
Su Yun had been completely focused on studying all night.
She studied from a bit past six all the way until eleven.
And after eleven, Qin Xue called via voice chat.
“Sister Xiaoyun, do you want to go out and play tomorrow morning?”
Right off the bat, Qin Xue invited her out to play, catching Su Yun off guard.
“We’re going with the club to Summer’s End Plaza. I’ll cover the cost. Consider it a reward for all your hard work this time.”
“Mm, okay.” Su Yun quickly agreed once she heard the second part.
If it were a private invitation, she might have been too embarrassed to go. But going with the club was fine.
With the whole club there, there’d be so many people—the focus wouldn’t be on her.
“You agreed so fast, Sister Xiaoyun. Is there anything you want to do tomorrow?”
“Not really. You guys can do whatever. I’ll just tag along.”
“...Alright.” Qin Xue hesitated for a moment, unsure what she was thinking, then readily agreed.
Knock knock. Just as they’d barely started talking, a knock came from outside the door.
“Who is it?” Su Yun got up and walked over to the entrance.
“Don’t tell me it’s that girl from before again. Sister Xiaoyun, don’t hang up on me this time,” came Qin Xue’s slightly anxious voice from the phone.
“Okay okay.” Su Yun agreed quickly and opened the door.
Outside stood Xia Rou, once again holding her cat.
“Xiaoyun, are you busy right now?” the girl asked gently, her tone soft and polite.
“Shouldn’t be... I guess?” Su Yun hesitated.
“Then can I come in?”
“Mm.”
“...” Su Yun brought the girl inside. Meanwhile, her phone was completely silent.
“Meow~” The little orange cat leaped from Xia Rou’s arms the moment it saw Su Yun, jumping straight into her lap.
It was obvious—the cat really liked her, like it had found one of its own kind.
“Hello.” Just as the two girls sat on the bed, a third voice suddenly echoed in the room.
“Huh?” Xia Rou looked around in confusion, panic flashing across her face, paired with a soft little gasp—it actually looked kinda cute.
“Haha, that’s just the voice on my phone. I’m on a voice call,” Su Yun explained and showed her the phone.
But for some reason, as she looked at the phone sitting in the middle of the bed showing a voice chat in progress, Su Yun had the strange feeling that she was showing off a ‘pet’—so she quickly picked it up.
“I’m Xia Rou, Su Xiaoyun’s neighbor. Nice to meet you.” Xia Rou greeted Qin Xue naturally and gently.
“I’m Qin Xue, Su Xiaoyun’s... friend.”
Su Yun wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt like Qin Xue didn’t really want to say the word “friend.”
Could it be that Qin Xue didn’t want to be friends with her? Ah...
That thought alone sent Su Yun spiraling, leaving the two women chatting beside her.
……
“Do you have plans tomorrow, Sister Rou? Want to meet up?”
“Well... My brother’s coming over tomorrow. Sorry, big sister...”
“No. You have to come.”
“Hey, hey, stop stop stop!” Su Yun had only zoned out for a minute, and it already felt like the two were about to fight. She quickly grabbed the phone back and cut off their conversation.
What was going on?
I always thought Sister Xue was super gentle—why was she so pushy when talking to people over the phone?
“We’re going out to play tomorrow. If you’ve got stuff to do, go ahead and take care of it.” Su Yun explained to Xia Rou.
“Hmph.” But as she was explaining, she heard an unhappy humph from the phone.
Su Yun was at a loss.
“I just remembered I’ve got things to take care of at home, so I’ll head out now. Sorry.”
Xia Rou stood up by the bed, her face carrying an apologetic smile—somewhat pale, but still sweet.
“Eh.” Su Yun tilted her head, staring blankly at her.
Why was she leaving after just a few minutes?
When she’d brought Xia Rou in earlier, she’d seemed pretty eager. She didn’t seem like she’d leave so soon.
Something left undone... oh well. At least that solved the problem she’d been worrying about.
“If you like Little Orange, you can let her stay with you for the night.”
“Eh, no need. You need her more.” Su Yun got up, wanting to return the cat.
“No no, I’m going to sleep—or do things—when I get home. I won’t have time to keep her company. Please play with her for a bit.”
“Ohh, alright then.” In the end, Su Yun walked her to the door and said goodbye. This time, Xia Rou had only stayed a few minutes.
(End of Chapter)