Chapter 18: I’m the One Who Likes You Most

Yixin Xue, now dressed, gently opened the door.

“Ling Yuan~ You didn’t run away, did you?”

Ling Yuan’s face was a picture of misery. He wanted to escape, but the door wouldn’t budge, and her place was on the 15th floor—jumping wasn’t an option.

As he scrambled for an excuse, a hand rested lightly on his shoulder.

“So glad you didn’t leave~”

His body jolted, a shiver of dread running through him.

“Class President… I didn’t see anything, I swear! I’ve been studying here the whole time—look, I did a question!”

To prove his innocence, he pointed at his “evidence.”

Yixin Xue leaned over, nodding thoughtfully.

“Hm, no signs of work, and it’s a multiple-choice question… Feels kinda fake…”

“Just say if I did it or not!”

His retort left her momentarily speechless. She softened her tone.

“It’s not good to be so careless. Doing lots of questions won’t help if you’re not serious.”

“Come on, Class President, please let me off! I’m really not into studying.”

Ling Yuan pleaded desperately.

“Let me go, and I’ll do anything!”

Yixin Xue straightened, circling behind him, her voice turning icy.

“The teacher said you weren’t always like this. You used to be top ten in school.”

Before he could respond, warmth enveloped the back of his head. The air seemed to freeze.

Through her thin clothes, Ling Yuan could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra. He felt her heartbeat clearly.

[Thump, thump.]

Fast, so fast.

Despite her cold facade, her heart raced with excitement.

She hid her shyness behind an icy mask, unwilling to show it.

“What made you fall so far, Ling Yuan~?”

The sensation on his neck didn’t make him confess. He shrank back, shifting his head away.

“Class President… this isn’t right…”

Her cold hand slid from his neck to his cheek, pulling his head back into her soft curves.

“You saw everything. You have to take responsibility~ You’re the first guy to see my body~”

Thump!

Ling Yuan dropped to his knees before her. Her sudden intensity sent shivers down his spine, and barging into her room unannounced was his fault!

“Sorry! Class President! It won’t happen again! I didn’t see anything!”

His reaction startled her, but she quickly composed herself. Watching him beg on his knees, she licked her lips.

This pleading… she kinda liked it~

“So cute~”

“Huh?”

Ling Yuan looked up warily, but her gaze drifted to the living room sofa.

“The kitten’s sleeping. So cute.”

[Hey! Those two “cutes” had totally different vibes!]

Gurgle—

“Is that your stomach?”

“Yeah… I haven’t eaten breakfast…”

“Really?”

Yixin Xue raised an eyebrow.

“No breakfast is bad for you. Didn’t I tell you yesterday to eat and rest properly?”

“No choice. I’m kinda broke.”

Ling Yuan shrugged innocently, then glanced at the photo frames on the shelf.

“I’ve always wondered why you left that fancy elite school for ours. Your parents wanted you to study abroad, right?”

Slovia International School was a renowned elite institution, with annual tuition of 400,000 yuan. Since its founding, every student had been admitted to a top 100 global university.

Yan Xi’s mother had wanted her to attend, but Yan Xi wasn’t interested in studying abroad and stayed at Hengjiang High School.

Following his gaze, Yixin Xue looked at the photos of her past.

“Yeah, I was supposed to go abroad. My mom’s British, my dad’s local. I lived in the UK for five or six years as a kid, then Japan for two years for my parents’ business.

Later, we came back here with my dad. My mom loved it here and wanted to settle, but business took them back to the UK, leaving me and my sister, who didn’t want to go back.”

“Your sister’s here too?”

Ling Yuan was surprised.

“Yup, she’s still at Slovia. I wanted to stay in this country, so I transferred to your school. Looks like I made the right choice~”

“?”

A giant question mark appeared on Ling Yuan’s face.

“If I hadn’t come to Hengjiang, how would I have met you~?”

Her icy demeanor melted, replaced by warmth. Sunlight streamed through the study window, illuminating her radiant smile.

“Wait, wait, wait!”

Ling Yuan shook his head.

“What do you mean, met me? Class President, are we… a thing?”

“Maybe not yet~”

Yixin Xue stepped closer, pushing the kneeling Ling Yuan down until he sat on the floor, caught off guard.

“I lost a lot of things I loved to reach the top.”

She lifted her skirt slightly, sitting on his lap.

“Class President, this isn’t right…”

His instincts caught a glimpse of that forbidden zone, but his conscience screamed not to look. He turned away, avoiding her flame-red eyes.

“The last monthly exam hit me hard.”

“I could tell…”

Ling Yuan’s lips twitched.

[Can you get off me first…? If Yan Xi saw this, she’d kill me.]

Her cold hand grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze, a mix of tenderness and obsession.

“But I get it now~ You hide and protect what you love so you don’t lose it.”

“Uh, yeah, makes sense. Can you let me go…?”

She didn’t seem to hear, leaning closer, her white hair cascading down.

“Yesterday, you were so proud showing off your 2D waifus. That’s your type, huh? So annoying~”

[I’m a 2D otaku!]

“They’re just paper girls. They’ll never like you. I’m the one who likes you most, aren’t I?”