Chapter 24: The Humiliating Affirmation

The next day, in an N University classroom.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting dappled shadows across the desks.

Su Mian was listlessly turning the pages of his book.

Suddenly, a familiar figure settled into the seat beside him.

“Ah Mian,”

Shen Zhixia’s voice was laced with a deliberate softness. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t feeling well yesterday, and my attitude was poor. Please don’t take it to heart.”

Su Mian looked up, almost overwhelmed by the unexpected gesture.

Today, Shen Zhixia was radiant.

Her formerly pale cheeks now bloomed with a healthy blush, and the dark circles beneath her eyes had vanished without a trace.

She resembled a flower nourished by morning dew, exuding a vibrant, delicate allure.

Indeed, she seemed even more captivating and alluring than before.

“No, no, it’s fine!” Su Mian quickly waved his hand, his heart pounding faster at her unexpected proximity.

Seizing the opportunity, he mustered his courage and extended an invitation: “Zhixia, we haven’t eaten together in ages. Tonight… let me treat you to dinner?”

“No, I can’t,” Shen Zhixia refused with an impeccable smile, though her gaze involuntarily drifted towards the doorway.

“I’m on a diet lately.”

Just then, a small commotion erupted at the classroom entrance.

It was accompanied by the hushed, excited whispers of female students.

Xiao Moyuan’s figure appeared in the doorway.

Silhouetted against the light, his form was tall, sharp, and strikingly aloof.

Shen Zhixia’s eyes instantly brightened.

“I’m leaving now; I’m going to find Xiao Moyuan!”

With that abrupt declaration, she rose without hesitation.

She gracefully walked towards the magnetic center of attention.

The smile on Su Mian’s face froze.

It then twisted into a burning resentment that scorched his chest.

He glared fiercely at Xiao Moyuan by the door!

As if sensing his gaze, Xiao Moyuan glanced back.

Terrified, Su Mian immediately slumped onto his desk.

He hid his head behind a book.

“Hmph.”

A nearly inaudible scoff escaped Xiao Moyuan’s throat.

‘He’s still just a pathetic nobody, after all.’

“Moyuan, I’ve organized the key notes you marked last week.”

Shen Zhixia had already approached Xiao Moyuan’s usual seat, her voice sickeningly sweet.

Xiao Moyuan settled into the seat beside her.

His gaze subtly swept over her overly rosy face.

Her breathing was steady, her demonic energy contained.

She was a stark contrast to the trace of wild, bloodthirsty aura that had lingered in the alley yesterday.

‘It seems ample “feeding” has significantly stabilized her condition.’

“You today,” he began, his voice devoid of emotion, yet it made Shen Zhixia’s heart clench.

“You look very well.”

A blush immediately bloomed across Shen Zhixia’s face, and a secret delight swelled in her heart.

‘The power of blood truly is miraculous!’

“Moyuan, if you praise me like that, I’ll get shy…”

In the back row, Su Mian watched the pair, who appeared to be ‘enjoying a pleasant conversation’.

His molars ground together, almost shattering from the force.

Especially when he saw Xiao Moyuan’s phone casually resting on the corner of the desk,

A daring, self-destructive thought abruptly surged into his mind.

‘If I can’t beat you in real life, can’t I at least make things difficult for you online?!’

He swiftly pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and tapped on the pink cat avatar.

His fingers, fueled by a surge of vengeful energy, clattered across the keyboard.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Brother, I miss you so much. I miss your voice, I miss your appearance, and most of all, I miss your warm body.]

‘No, text alone isn’t impactful enough!’

He immediately scrolled through his album for that prized, hidden photo: a pair of legs clad in ultra-thin black stockings, captured from a provocative angle.

Gritting his teeth, he pressed send.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Look, don’t my legs look good today…? [Leg Photo]]

His plan was simple: as long as Xiao Moyuan opened his phone in front of Shen Zhixia and saw the explicit chat content,

Shen Zhixia would finally see his true colors as a ‘scumbag’!

The moment the message was sent, Xiao Moyuan’s phone screen, resting on the desk’s corner, indeed lit up.

It vibrated several times in quick succession.

It was happening!

Su Mian held his breath, his heart pounding with a mix of anticipation and nervousness.

However, Xiao Moyuan merely cast an indifferent glance at the flashing screen.

His slender fingers showed no inclination to even lift it.

‘He’s not even looking?!’

Su Mian’s anxiety surged.

A sudden idea struck him.

He quickly located the ‘poke’ function in the chat window and vigorously tapped Xiao Moyuan’s avatar.

This time, even Shen Zhixia noticed the commotion.

She leaned over curiously and gently reminded, “Moyuan, your phone seems to have something urgent? It keeps ringing.”

‘Zhixia, what a divine assist!’

Su Mian cheered inwardly.

Only then did Xiao Moyuan, with a hint of impatience, pick up his phone.

He unlocked it with his fingerprint, and the screen’s light reflected in his deep-set eyes.

Su Mian nervously observed his expression,

Hoping to catch a flicker of panic or embarrassment.

However, Xiao Moyuan’s expression remained utterly unchanged.

Not even an eyebrow twitched.

It was Shen Zhixia, who had leaned closer to look, whose eyes instantly widened.

Her face was a mask of shock and disbelief.

“Moyuan, who… who is this?” Shen Zhixia’s voice held a barely perceptible tremble, tinged with jealousy.

“Why would someone send you… send you such shameless photos and messages in broad daylight!”

Xiao Moyuan turned off the screen.

He briefly glanced at Shen Zhixia, a flicker of disgust for her lack of boundaries crossing his eyes.

He casually tossed the phone back onto the table. “Just an ignorant little fangirl,” he stated. “Not anyone important right now.”

“Her energy is simply too abundant; she always likes sending boring things.”

Su Mian: “???”

‘Not anyone important?!’

‘Then what about his sycophantic behavior over the past half-month, those photos and voice messages so embarrassing they made his toes curl?!’

He felt as if a knife had been plunged into his chest.

What shattered his heart even more was that Shen Zhixia, upon hearing Xiao Moyuan’s explanation, seemed to visibly relax.

Immediately, a shy blush spread across her face, and she spoke in a voice barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz: “I-if Moyuan likes to see… I-I can wear them for you too…”

Su Mian felt his vision swim, as if he could hear his own heart shattering into eight pieces.

‘His Zhixia… his pure, flawless childhood friend, actually offered to wear black stockings for that scoundrel to see?!’

However, the plot’s development once again exceeded Su Mian’s expectations.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Moyuan’s gaze truly did linger on Shen Zhixia’s legs for a moment.

His eyes held the detached scrutiny of someone evaluating an object.

Then, he withdrew his gaze.

With that infuriatingly flat tone, he stated, “Yours won’t be necessary.”

He paused, and as both Su Mian and Shen Zhixia stared in stunned silence,

He unhurriedly delivered the final blow: “Even with black stockings, they wouldn’t look as good as hers.”

“Thump—!”

In the back row, Su Mian, who had been leaning forward, butt jutting out and neck craned to eavesdrop on their conversation, was so utterly shaken by this sudden ‘affirmation’ from his rival that he lost his balance.

He slid directly off his chair, landing squarely on the cold floor with a solid thud.

The entire classroom fell silent for a moment.

Several curious gazes turned in their direction.

Su Mian, however, was oblivious to the pain in his backside.

He remained seated on the floor, his face flushed crimson.

‘To be complimented on his legs by his rival, right in front of the object of his affection, felt truly humiliating.’