[Qinghua University Economics Lecture Hall — September 17, Wednesday, 11:05 AM]
The lecture hall had gone quieter. Not silent—conversations still buzzed in pockets throughout the tiered seating, laptops continued clicking, backpacks rustled—but the ambient noise had dropped several decibels as students processed what was happening.
Su Qingxue stood three feet from Lin Feng's seat, close enough that her expensive perfume cut through the lecture hall's stale air.
Designer jeans that probably cost more than most students' monthly food budgets, a form-fitting blouse that showed exactly enough, makeup applied with the precision of someone who knew their face was an asset.
The campus belle. Perfect as always.
But something was different today. Her usual confidence carried a hint of uncertainty as her eyes moved between Lin Feng and the hooded figure pressed close to his right side.
Her fingers curled slightly at her sides, nails pressing into her palms.
Xiao Yue hadn't moved. Her hand remained on Lin Feng's, possessive and territorial.
The black hoodie shadowed most of her face, but enough light fell across her delicate features to make identification possible.
For anyone who knew what to look for.
Su Qingxue's lips parted slightly. "That's my seat, girl."
Xiao Yue's dark eyes remained fixed on Su Qingxue with the focused attention of someone cataloging weaknesses. Her expression showed nothing—no anger, no surprise, no emotion whatsoever except perhaps mild distaste.
She didn't blink.
"Su Qingxue." Her voice was soft, almost pleasant. "What brings you over here?"
Su Qingxue's gaze shifted to the seat Xiao Yue currently occupied. Her jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
"I always sit there." The words came out with automatic authority, the campus belle expecting accommodation. "So get off!"
Xiao Yue still didn't turn to face her.
Her hand stayed laced with Lin Feng's, thumb stroking slowly across his knuckles.
"No."
One word. Her voice cold as winter steel.
The syllable seemed to echo in the sudden pocket of silence around them. Students in nearby seats perked up immediately, conversations faltering as attention shifted toward the developing confrontation.
Phones stayed in pockets for now, but fingers hovered close. Several students leaned forward in their seats, craning to see better.
Whispers started rippling outward. "Did she just say no to Su Qingxue?"
Su Qingxue's eyebrows lifted slightly, her smile still in place but strained at the edges. "Excuse me? Do you know who I am?"
Xiao Yue still didn't turn to face her fully. Her posture remained relaxed, comfortable.
Her voice came out even softer than before.
"I don't care."
Students gasped audibly. Phones started coming out now, hands moving with practiced speed.
Su Qingxue's face heated with the first flush of embarrassment. Her perfectly applied foundation couldn't hide the color rising in her cheeks.
She turned toward Lin Feng, expecting intervention. Her voice carried a note of appeal she couldn't quite suppress.
"Lin Feng, can you tell her—"
Lin Feng cut her off with a casual gesture toward the rest of the lecture hall, his hand sweeping out to indicate the scattered empty seats. "The seat is occupied. There are other seats available."
He didn't even look up at her. His fingers continued arranging papers on his desk, movements unhurried, completely focused on the mundane task.
Students nearby lost it.
"Did he just—"
"He didn't even look at her!"
"Lin Feng just brushed off Su Qingxue like she's nobody!"
"Wow! Lin Feng sided with the weirdo, I mean mystery girl!"
"Against Su Qingxue!"
The whispers spread through the lecture hall like ripples across water, each row catching the news and passing it along with increasing urgency.
More phones appeared. Students leaning forward in their seats, desperate not to miss what happened next.
The air itself felt charged, electric with anticipation.
Su Qingxue's hands curled into fists at her sides. Her next breath came shorter, faster.
Her voice pitched higher. "We're in the same class. We've sat together before—"
Xiao Yue's response came immediately.
"Were you sitting together? Or were you using a seat next to him while wearing gifts he bought you?"
Students inhaled sharply.
Then the whispers exploded into urgent muttering that filled the lecture hall like static.
Su Qingxue's face flushed deeper red, the color spreading down her neck. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides.
"That's not— I mean— we were friends—"
"Find another seat."
Xiao Yue turned back to face forward, her hand tightening on Lin Feng's with visible possessiveness.
Su Qingxue's breath caught in her throat.
But she couldn't just walk away. Not with hundreds of eyes watching. Not with her status on the line, her reputation crumbling in real-time.
Not when Long Tian had specifically told her to stay close to Lin Feng and gather intelligence.
Her voice came out louder than intended. "Who even are you? Some random girl hiding under a hood—"
Xiao Yue's response came swift and devastating.
"I'm the woman who sleeps with Lin Feng."
The words cut through the lecture hall like a thunderclap.
Dead silence.
Absolute stillness.
It was the kind of silence that felt physical, pressing against eardrums. Every conversation stopped mid-sentence. Every typing hand froze above keyboards.
Every phone came out in a synchronized wave of motion. Every eye turned toward them.
Two full seconds of complete shocked silence where nobody moved, nobody breathed, nobody could process what they'd just heard.
The air itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then absolute chaos exploded.
"WHAT?!"
"DID SHE JUST SAY—"
"SHE SLEEPS WITH HIM?!"
The volume erupted like a dam breaking. Students losing their minds, voices overlapping in excitement and disbelief.
Phones everywhere, screens glowing, recording everything, capturing the moment for posterity.
Xiao Yue's voice carried without effort, her every word landing with surgical clarity.
"I slept beside him last night. I woke up beside him this morning."
"I don't see your name on this seat. And I don't think you have any papers proving this is your seat." Her hand tightened on Lin Feng's. "This seat is mine because I'm his girlfriend."
Su Qingxue's eyes widened. "Girlfriend? You're lying—"
"Am I?"
Xiao Yue's voice cut through the chaos, calm and clear and completely audible across the suddenly electric room.
"She slept with him last night?!"
"Lin Feng has a girlfriend?!"
"They're living together?!"
"Is that why he rejected Su Qingxue?!"
"Who is she under that hood?!"
Messages flying. Fingers typing frantically, thumbs moving at impossible speed.
Group chats exploding with notifications. Gossip spreading exponentially across campus networks at lightspeed.
Within minutes, thousands would know. Within an hour, the entire university would be buzzing.
Su Qingxue stood frozen in the aisle.
Her face burned with humiliation that felt like physical heat radiating from her skin. Hundreds of eyes on her now, watching her reaction, documenting her defeat.
Everyone had heard that declaration. Everyone knew she'd just been publicly demolished.
The campus belle. Rejected and dismissed.
Standing alone in the aisle while another woman claimed complete ownership of the man Su Qingxue had once controlled with a smile and a casual request.
The professor pushed through the door at the front of the lecture hall, briefcase in one hand, coffee in the other.
"Everyone to your seats! Class is starting NOW!"
His command broke the frozen tableau. Students scrambled to sit, bodies moving with reluctant urgency.
Conversations dropped to urgent whispers that hissed through the room like steam escaping. The energy stayed volatile despite the forced order, crackling just beneath the surface of obedience.
Su Qingxue had no choice.
She walked away mechanically, each step feeling like wading through deep water. Her legs moved on autopilot.
She found a seat two rows behind Lin Feng and the hooded girl. She sat down stiffly, spine rigid, hands folded on the desk in front of her.
The stares burned into her back. The whispers weren't quite quiet enough. Phones angled toward her, screens glowing in her peripheral vision.
Around her, students leaned toward each other, lips moving rapidly. Their eyes kept darting back to her, then forward to the hooded girl, then back again.
The professor began his lecture on macroeconomic policy. His words washed over a room where nobody was listening.
-----------------------
Xiao Yue sat beside Lin Feng, her hand still laced with his.
She'd stopped paying attention to the professor minutes ago. Something about government spending. Fiscal something. She didn't care.
Her eyes stayed on Lin Feng.
HA! That bitch thought she could take me out of Lin Feng's life!
The anger was still there, simmering beneath her satisfaction.
Does she think I'll just let her waltz back into Lin Feng's life? To spy on him?
Her thumb moved across his knuckles without thinking. His hand felt warm in hers. It felt real. He was here.
That's not going to happen. Not on my watch.
Around them, whispers kept going. Students leaning together, phones out, eyes darting toward her and away and back again. She could feel their stares prickling across her shoulders.
Then she thought about Lin Weiwei for a second. That was different. Lin Weiwei had history. Lin Weiwei had actually been there, actually cared, actually fought for Lin Feng even when she'd been wrong about how.
That incest whore actually earned her place. She's actually competent. She's real competition.
But Su Qingxue? Four years of taking and she has nothing to show for it.
Xiao Yue's hand tightened on Lin Feng's. The pressure grounded her, pulled her back from the anger.
She could feel his pulse against her palm. Steady. Calm. The warmth of his skin seeped through where their hands pressed together.
His breathing was even beside her. Unhurried. She matched her own breath to his rhythm without thinking. In. Out. Slower.
The hoodie's fabric brushed against her cheek as she tilted her head slightly toward him. The shadow it created felt like a private space, even surrounded by hundreds of students.
Xiao Yue smiled beneath her hood.
Su Qingxue, let me show you how to be affectionate instead.
-----------------------
[Lin Feng's Perspective]
Lin Feng kept his eyes on the lecture slides. Government spending multipliers. Fiscal policy charts. His hand stayed in Xiao Yue's grip.
But his mind was somewhere else entirely.
She really went nuclear this time.
In front of hundreds of witnesses.
With phones recording everything.
The lecture hall felt warm. Too many bodies packed into tiered seating. Someone's cologne mixed with coffee and the musty smell of old textbooks. The professor's voice droned on, words blending into background noise.
Xiao Yue's hand was still laced with his. Warm. Possessive. Her thumb hadn't stopped moving across his knuckles since they sat down.
Weiwei's definitely heard of this by now.
When I get back to the penthouse, I'm dead.
He kept his expression neutral. Apparently focused on fiscal policy charts. But internally processing the implications of what Xiao Yue had just done.
She hadn't lied, technically.
They did share a bed. They did sleep next to each other every night—well, starting from last night, with Lin Weiwei too. They did wake up together this morning and immediately start fighting over who could call him husband.
Physical facts: accurate.
But the implication she'd deliberately created? That they were sleeping together in the more intimate sense?
She'd let everyone draw that conclusion without explicitly stating anything false.
Looking at the bright side...
At least Long Tian's getting exactly what I wanted him to hear.
Two rows back, Su Qingxue was probably typing frantically under her desk right now. Messaging Long Tian. Reporting the disaster. Begging for instructions on how to salvage her spy mission.
That's good.
She'll report I've moved on completely. That I have a live-in girlfriend.
And then Long Tian will receive exactly the intelligence I wanted him to have.
The strategic value was perfect. Long Tian wanted intelligence? He'd get intelligence. Just not the kind that helped him.
A girlfriend confident enough to make public declarations. Beautiful enough that students were already pulling up the restaurant video, comparing her to Su Qingxue. Territorial enough to demolish the campus belle without hesitation.
Let him process that. Let him wonder who she is and what else he's missing.
Meanwhile, Qingxue can figure out her own irrelevance.
Lin Feng's fingers tapped once against his desk. The only outward sign of the thoughts running through his head.
Xiao Yue's method was nuclear. No subtlety. No hesitation. Just complete territorial domination in under five minutes.
He couldn't control her tactics even if he wanted to. She fought her own battles her own way.
And it worked.
The professor said something about interest rates. A few students actually took notes. Most were still whispering, phones hidden under desks, stealing glances at him and Xiao Yue.
Lin Feng kept his eyes forward and let them look.
-----------------------
[Su Qingxue's Perspective]
Su Qingxue sat two rows behind, spine rigid, shoulders hunched forward like she could make herself smaller. Her breathing came shallow and quick.
She couldn't focus on anything the professor was saying.
Humiliation burned through her chest like acid. Her phone sat under the desk, screen illuminated with desperate messages to Long Tian. Her hands trembled slightly as she typed, thumb slipping twice on the keys.
Everyone heard.
Hundreds of students heard that woman claim Lin Feng in front of all those phones.
And I just stood there like an idiot.
Whispers continued around her despite the lecture. Students still messaging frantically under desks. Gossip spreading across the entire campus in real time.
By lunchtime, everyone would know. The campus belle, publicly rejected by a hooded stranger who claimed complete ownership of Lin Feng.
Her fingers moved across the screen, messages pouring out in desperate succession.
[Su Qingxue: Lin Feng has a girlfriend!] Sent: 11:20 AM
[Su Qingxue: They're SLEEPING TOGETHER] Sent: 11:21 AM
[Su Qingxue: She just announced it in front of everyone] Sent: 11:22 AM
[Su Qingxue: I couldn't sit next to him. She refused to move.] Sent: 11:23 AM
[Su Qingxue: He sided with HER] Sent: 11:24 AM
[Su Qingxue: She said she sleeps with him every night] Sent: 11:25 AM
[Su Qingxue: Brother Tian, I don't know what to do] Sent: 11:27 AM
She stared at the screen. The "read" indicator appeared immediately—he was checking messages.
But no reply came.
Her grip tightened on the phone until her knuckles showed white against the case.
[Su Qingxue: Brother Tian... the task you gave me... I don't think I can get close to him anymore] Sent: 11:30 AM
Still nothing.
Maybe Brother Tian is thinking about what we should do next. He's probably processing this new information, thinking through the next steps.
Brother Tian will respond soon. After all, he is the best man out there, he's a dragon among men…
If there is someone who is smart enough to deal with Lin Feng's antics, it would be him.
He always knows what to do.
But right now, I don't care about strategy.
I care about this humiliation.
They've all seen me getting dismissed by that girl like I was some nobody.
The gossip spreading like wildfire. If that happens, where will I be able to put my face? How would Brother Tian look at me then?
She couldn't stop herself from glancing forward. Her neck turned despite her better judgment, eyes finding Lin Feng two rows ahead.
He sat with apparent attention on the lecture. The hooded girl pressed close to his side, their hands joined under the desk where everyone could still see. The way they leaned into each other. The casual intimacy. The complete comfort.
The way he'd dismissed her earlier. That casual gesture. Like she was nothing. Like she didn't matter at all.
Su Qingxue's eyes snapped back to her desk. Her chest constricted, ribs squeezing tight around lungs that couldn't quite fill.
I don't want Lin Feng anymore.
I have Brother Tian. He's better. Smarter. Actually destined for greatness instead of just family money.
He's my soulmate. And I am his girlfriend.
But still...
Lin Feng moved on so completely.
That woman made public claims without hesitation.
He replaced me so thoroughly.
The ache spread from her chest up into her throat. Sharp and hot and completely unwelcome.
And lower. A different kind of heat that made no sense, that she immediately pushed away.
Why does this hurt so much?
Why does it feel like...
No. She wasn't going to finish that thought.
Su Qingxue turned her gaze towards the woman beside Lin Feng. She could still remember how this girl humiliated her yesterday. How her delicate chin, her perfect pale lips, her graceful movement even while sitting—
Everything about her was better. More beautiful. More confident.
Tsk! If it wasn't for this girl, I would have done Brother Tian's mission.
This is so annoying. So frustrating!
Her pulse quickened. Her skin felt too warm, flushed in a way that had nothing to do with embarrassment and everything to do with something she refused to acknowledge.
The memory of Lin Feng cutting her off. Not even looking at her. Treating her like she was nobody.
The memory of him years ago, grabbing her arm to yank her back from traffic, his grip firm and angry as he'd snapped at her for not paying attention. The way he'd looked at her then. Commanding. Annoyed. Completely in control.
Before he'd become pathetic.
How dare he replace me so quickly with someone more beautiful!
How dare he look so manly right now!
Her breath caught. Wrong thought. Wrong reaction.
I...
Heat flooded her face. Something twisted in her stomach that felt nothing like anger, everything like the confusing flush she'd felt back then when he'd manhandled her to safety.
I hate you Lin Feng! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!
Su Qingxue's hand formed into a fist. She stared at the hooded girl as if she wanted to stab her right then and there.
-----------------------
[Long Tian's Dorm Room — 11:35 AM]
Long Tian stared at his phone screen, each message from Su Qingxue making his stomach drop further.
Lin Feng has girlfriend.
Living together.
Public announcement.
Su Qingxue blocked from getting close.
Mission compromised.
Each message worse than the last.
His system interface materialized in his vision, calm and analytical as always.
-----------------------
[INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: Lin Feng - THREAT ASSESSMENT]
├─ Previous Status: Minor Villain (Low Threat)
├─ Current Status: Minor Villain (Low Threat)
├─ Partner Details: UNKNOWN
└─ Overall Assessment: Low Threat
[Relationship Analysis]
└─ N/A
[Mission: Su Qingxue Observation]
└─ Status: SEVERELY COMPROMISED
-----------------------
He thought back to this morning. He'd had two girlfriends. Lin Feng had none. He'd thought to himself: "Lin Feng doesn't have this."
Now Su Qingxue was telling him Lin Feng had a live-in girlfriend?
They only broke up days ago!
How did this happen so fast?
Qingxue must be devastated.
He needed to respond. She was already hurting enough. She needed to know he wasn't upset with her, that this wasn't her fault.
He typed his response carefully.
[Long Tian: Don't worry about it] Sent: 11:40 AM
[Long Tian: You did your best] Sent: 11:41 AM
[Long Tian: Let me think about next steps] Sent: 11:41 AM
[Long Tian: Focus on your classes for now] Sent: 11:41 AM
There. She needed reassurance. Understanding. She'd tried her best in an impossible situation.
But the questions kept circling in his mind.
Who is this hooded girlfriend?
Where did she come from?
Who is this woman confident enough to live with Lin Feng?
Is she outside the heroine system entirely?
How is that possible?
He pulled up his heroine registry, scanning through the available information.
-----------------------
Active Heroines:
├─ Su Qingxue (2-star) - Affection: 72/100
├─ Zhang Yuting (1-star) - Affection: 80/100
├─ Wang Xiaoling (1-star) - Affection: 66/100
├─ Liu Meimei (1-star) - Affection: 61/100
└─ Chen Ruolan (1-star) - Affection: 61/100
Hidden/Undetected Heroines:
└─ CONQUER LISTED HEROINES OR HAVE A CHANCE ENCOUNTER TO SEE MORE
-----------------------
How did Lin Feng find a beautiful woman outside the system?
Pictures of the hooded girl were already spreading across social media. The restaurant video from two days ago, showing her face when the hood had fallen. Absolutely stunning. More beautiful than Su Qingxue.
Only heroines are that beautiful.
All the heroines are meant for me. The chosen one.
So how...
Long Tian set his phone down and stared at the ceiling of his cramped dorm room.
Wait.
What if she's not a heroine at all?
The thought settled into place with growing certainty.
That's it. She's NOT a heroine.
Lin Feng is a good-for-nothing second generation.
Certified womanizer who does nothing but drink, eat, and have sex.
A man with no future.
He probably hired an escort. Someone to make himself look good.
Her beauty must be artificial. Plastic surgery. Makeup. Professional styling.
That explains everything.
But why do I keep worrying about him?
He looked at his reflection in the small mirror hanging on his wall. Spoke the words aloud, voice steady.
"Yes, he can have that woman. She's not a heroine anyway."
"I have no need for pretty faces filled with silicon and botox."
"I only need to save Su Qingxue, Wang Xiaoling, and Zhang Yuting."
"To prevent them from falling to Lin Feng and give them good lives."
"A good life where they'll be happy with me."
He repeated it. The truth settling deeper with each repetition.
Almost.
His eyes in the mirror showed something that looked like doubt, but he pushed it down.
The system said low threat. The system was never wrong.
Right?
Long Tian picked up his phone again. The system notification still glowed at the edge of his vision.
-----------------------
[Active Mission: Chance Encounter]
└─ Create opportunity to meet Zhang Tingting
└─ Status: IN PROGRESS
-----------------------
Zhang Tingting.
She's still out there. Still needs help.
I have to find her before Lin Feng does.
Su Qingxue knows the campus. After all, Qingxue did say that she is Zhang Tingting's bestfriend and dorm roommate.
He typed quickly.
[Long Tian: Qingxue, forget about Lin Feng for now] Sent: 12:01 PM
[Long Tian: He's not worth your energy] Sent: 12:01 PM
[Long Tian: I need your help with something more important] Sent: 12:02 PM
[Long Tian: Zhang Tingting - have you seen her around campus lately? Any updates on her whereabouts?] Sent: 12:02 PM
[Long Tian: We need to find her before something bad happens] Sent: 12:03 PM
There. Give her something meaningful to focus on. Help her move past Lin Feng's cruelty.
Long Tian leaned back against his bed, phone in hand, waiting for Su Qingxue's response.
I'll find Zhang Tingting.
I'll protect her.
That's what matters.
-----------------------
[Lecture Hall to Hallway — 12:00 PM]
"Class dismissed!"
The professor's words released a dam.
Students erupted immediately, flooding into the hallway in a surge of bodies and noise. Conversations exploded across every group. Phones came out openly now. The energy that had been forced into suppressed whispers during lecture finally released in full.
"Did you HEAR what happened?!"
"Lin Feng is sleeping with someone?!"
"She announced it in front of EVERYONE!"
"Who IS she?!"
"Su Qingxue looked devastated!"
"The campus belle got rejected by mystery girl!"
"They sleep together EVERY NIGHT?!"
"Hey, I have video with mystery girl removing her hood!"
"You have the video? Share it! Sharing is caring!"
The gossip spread like wildfire. Fingers typing frantically across phones. Group chats exploding with messages. Screenshots being shared. The story replicating through group chats faster than anyone could track.
Within an hour, everyone at Qinghua University would know. Within two hours, it would be trending across multiple universities in the province.
Lin Feng and Xiao Yue tried to leave their seats, but the crowd surged around them immediately.
Bodies pressed close from all sides. Phones raised high, screens glowing. Voices overlapping in excited chaos, the noise level climbing until individual words blurred into static.
"OH MY GOD IT'S THEM!"
"Mystery girl!"
"I can't believe I once called you a weirdo, Ms. Mystery Girl!"
"Did you really say—"
"Are you actually—"
Students blocking the exit, everyone wanting a closer look. Desperate for more drama, more content, more confirmation of what they'd witnessed.
The hallway felt too warm. Too many bodies packed into too little space. The air thick with cologne, perfume, sweat, and the electric energy of collective excitement.
Lin Feng found himself trapped in the center with Xiao Yue pressed against his side. Someone's backpack shoved into his shoulder. Another student's elbow caught his ribs.
The crowd kept pushing inward, trying to get closer, phones angling for better shots.
Lin Feng shifted his stance, angling his body to shield Xiao Yue from the worst of the pressing crowd. His free arm came up instinctively, creating a barrier between her and the students shoving from behind.
Xiao Yue's hand tightened on his. Her posture stayed relaxed despite the chaos, almost pleased. A small smile visible beneath the hood's shadow as she let him protect her.
Su Qingxue exited with the general flow of students. Her eyes tracked Lin Feng through gaps in the crowd, trying to get closer despite everything.
Brother Tian needs information.
I can't just give up because it got harder.
But too many students blocked her path. Bodies between her and them. The crowd too dense, too excited, too focused on Lin Feng and the hooded girl to notice or care about Su Qingxue trying to push through.
She found herself forced to the edges. Watching from a distance, phone clutched in trembling hands.
Unable to look away from the way Lin Feng positioned himself between Xiao Yue and the pressing crowd. The protective angle of his body. How naturally she leaned into that protection, like she belonged there.
Unable to escape the scene she'd been publicly dismissed from.
Her phone buzzed in her hand. Once. Twice. Three times in rapid succession. All were from Long Tian.
[Long Tian: Qingxue, forget about Lin Feng for now] Received: 12:01 PM
[Long Tian: He's not worth your energy] Received: 12:01 PM
[Long Tian: I need your help with something more important] Received: 12:02 PM
[Long Tian: Zhang Tingting - have you seen her around campus lately? Any updates on her whereabouts?] Received: 12:02 PM
[Long Tian: We need to find her before something bad happens] Received: 12:03 PM
Su Qingxue stared at the messages. Her grip on the phone loosened slightly.
Brother Tian truly cares about me!
She turned away from the crowd, fingers already moving across the screen.
[Su Qingxue: I'll check the dorm right now] Sent: 12:03 PM
[Su Qingxue: I'll let you know as soon as I find anything] Sent: 12:04 PM
She glanced one more time at Lin Feng and at the hooded girl—at Xiao Yue, trapped in the center of the crowd. Then she pocketed her phone and prepared herself to leave.
The hallway energy kept building. Students pressing closer. More phones appearing. The noise level rising.
Lin Feng tried to move forward, but the crowd wouldn't part. He looked down at Xiao Yue, leaning slightly to be heard over the chaos.
"About that question earlier—"
His words were immediately swallowed by overlapping shouts.
"Lin Feng! Lin Feng! Who is she?!"
"Mystery girl! Take off the hood!"
"Are you guys really living together?!"
Xiao Yue's hand tightened on his. Her dark eyes looked up at him through the hood's shadow, questioning. Waiting for him to finish despite the noise.
The crowd pressed even closer. More students arriving from other classes, drawn by the commotion. Bodies packing the hallway until movement became nearly impossible.
Someone pushed from behind. Lin Feng stumbled forward slightly, catching himself. Xiao Yue's grip on his hand never loosened.
"—what I was going to ask was—"
"HEY! Is it true you broke up with Su Qingxue for her?!"
"When did you guys start dating?!"
"Mystery girl! Who are you?!"
The questions came from everywhere. Students shouting over each other. Phones recording from every angle. The pressure of bodies from all sides making it hard to breathe, let alone speak.
Lin Feng's jaw tightened. His free hand came up in a gesture for quiet that no one noticed or cared about.
Xiao Yue shifted closer to him. Her eyes stayed locked on his face, ignoring the chaos around them. Waiting for whatever he'd been trying to say.
The crowd showed no signs of dispersing.
-----------------------
[End of Chapter 39R]