Chapter 9: What Did You Just Say?

[By the way, Host, the Main System issued a notice. I have to head back for a while. While I’m not watching you, you… sigh… forget it. It makes no difference whether I’m here or not.] Toward the end, the system’s voice grew increasingly melancholic.

The two of them were practically making out, yet to the system, it had looked like they were brawling.

[Go early and come back early then. Bye-bye,] Zhao Xue replied with a smile, not bothering to ask what the trip was for.

[Okay, I’ll be back soon,] the system responded.

As the system departed, Zhao Xue clearly felt a brief, lingering sensation of emptiness in her mind. She wasn’t worried at all about being left alone. For her, dying here would be a fine end; she had lived for far too long.

Zhao Xue’s expression grew cold unnoticed. Her clear eyes turned dark and heavy, and her entire being exuded an indescribable loneliness.

[Bai Jianming: Favorability +5] [Bai Jianming: Favorability 5/100 (That feeling just now was a bit strange)]

The broadcast ringing in her head caused Zhao Xue’s eyes to flicker, and in an instant, she reverted to her usual self.

Before long, class ended. She glanced toward the classroom door and, sure enough, saw Bai Jianming standing there with his hands in his pockets, watching her. Meanwhile, a classmate approached her and said in a small voice, “Student Zhao Xue, someone is outside looking for you.”

The girl’s face was flushed, her lashes trembling uneasily. She seemed terrified of Zhao Xue, yet unable to refuse Bai Jianming’s request.

Zhao Xue gave a soft, melodic laugh. The girl instinctively looked up, meeting Zhao Xue’s smiling gaze. This time, not only her face but her neck turned red as well.

“Tell him I’m busy.”

“Student Zhao Xue says she’s busy,” the girl repeated honestly to Bai Jianming.

Bai Jianming’s brow furrowed slightly, a hint of surprise in his heart. Zhao Xue had indeed been “off” since their last encounter. He had initially assumed her words to Su Xu were just spoken in anger, but he hadn’t expected her to remain out of sight for so many days.

This was the first time Bai Jianming had proactively sought her out. In the past, wasn’t it always Zhao Xue who came looking for them with longing eyes?

A spark of interest rose in Bai Jianming’s heart. Ignoring the blushing girl beside him, he walked into the classroom with a smile and approached Zhao Xue.

A shadow fell over her. “Zhao Xue, I’m hosting a party this weekend. Are you coming?” Bai Jianming asked.

Zhao Xue didn’t even lift her eyes, continuing to stare at the scenery outside the window. Her look of boredom caused the smile on Bai Jianming’s lips to widen. “Su Xu will be there. So will your other friends.”

Zhao Xue finally moved. She turned her head, leaned back in her chair, twirled a lock of hair around her finger, and raised an eyebrow. Seeing this, Bai Jianming laughed inwardly. As expected, was the talk of not liking Su Xu just for show?

“You’re being a bit noisy.”

Bai Jianming’s expression froze for a moment, looking shocked. He instinctively asked, “What did you say?”

Zhao Xue let out a scoff, her eyes devoid of mirth. “I said, you’re noisy.”

In an instant, her aura became overwhelming. Even while sitting, she seemed to look down on Bai Jianming. She truly detested these bugs that crawled toward her for no reason.

The students eavesdropping nearby shuddered. Zhao Xue really had changed—she actually dared to snap at Bai Jianming, to whom she used to be exceptionally kind.

Noticing that some people had started taking photos, Bai Jianming’s expression darkened. When had he ever been humiliated like this? But he quickly regained his composure, his face returning to its habitual playful grin. “There might be something you’re interested in. It’s at the Black Pearl. If you change your mind, you’re welcome to come.”

As a “5G surfer” on the campus network, Lin Shuang was always the first to see various gossip. But lately, the hottest thing was still that specific post.

What started as a thread to bash Zhao Xue had taken a very strange turn. The photos of Zhao Xue and Meng Yao posted recently were simply too beautiful—they looked like a scene from an idol drama. Although Meng Yao was also a girl, she and Zhao Xue looked incredibly well-matched.

Lin Shuang had seen so much of it that she was starting to “ship” her seatmate with Zhao Xue; the atmosphere between them really did seem increasingly ambiguous. However, those brave enough to openly ship them in the thread were in the minority and often faced backlash.

— Ship my ass. Anyone who falls for their bully is an idiot. — LMAO, are you blind? How can you see ‘ambiguity’ in this? — So disgusting. She stops causing trouble for a few days and you immediately change your tune? MY would be livid if she knew you were shipping her with ZX. — Aren’t lesbians gross? Get out!!!

But today, the photo updated in the thread was of Zhao Xue and Bai Jianming! Lin Shuang clicked in immediately.

Family, the girl surnamed Z is too much of a flirt. Since she couldn’t seduce God Su, she’s moved on to God B.

The thread was quite popular now, and many people posted things about Zhao Xue, though they were mostly negative. Usually, people didn’t dare to be too excessive because Zhao Xue would use her means to track them down and teach them a lesson. But perhaps because Zhao Xue had been so quiet lately, others had grown bolder and more disrespectful.

Seeing the photo, Lin Shuang looked like she had struck gossip gold and couldn’t wait to share it with her seatmate. “Meng Yao, look! Why did Bai Jianming go to Zhao Xue’s classroom to find her?”

Meng Yao was quietly working on a problem, but hearing Zhao Xue’s name, she stopped her pen and slowly looked up. A photo entered her vision.

The scene was beautiful: a handsome man and a stunning woman, with sunlight spilling over them as they gazed at each other. The photographer probably didn’t expect a casual shot to look so perfect.

Meng Yao took one look and withdrew her gaze, lowering her head to continue her work, though her grip on the pen tightened.

Lin Shuang curled her lip. “Scholar Meng, you really are getting more and more boring.”

The sound of wet, sticky kisses filled the air. Zhao Xue’s fingers couldn’t help but tighten around Meng Yao’s shirt. She was pressed into the bed, her lips held open by the other girl’s mouth. Any saliva that escaped her lips was immediately licked away.

“Mmph… ah.”

Zhao Xue kept her mouth open, allowing the other person’s invasion, being thoroughly plundered. She felt that Meng Yao was a bit crazed today; the kisses were too heavy, as if she wanted to swallow her whole.

Finally, Meng Yao released her lips. Zhao Xue was breathless, her eyes now truly filled with a hazy, flirtatious charm.

“What’s wrong with you today?” Zhao Xue asked with a frown. Her mouth was red and swollen, her cheeks flushed, and her shirt was disheveled, revealing her porcelain collarbones. She didn’t realize how enticing she looked lying on the bed with watery eyes; she only stared with slight displeasure at the person who had just kissed her senseless.

Meng Yao’s eyelids were half-lowered, her pupils hidden by long lashes, letting in no light. Her lips were also swollen, and her cool, pale cheeks were tinged with red. A trace of passion had appeared on her cold, thin-lipped face.

Zhao Xue could clearly sense Meng Yao’s unhappiness, but she couldn’t figure out why.

Seeing Zhao Xue in her current state, Meng Yao’s eyes flickered. She kissed her again, and her hands began to move differently. One hand slid from the slender waist slowly upward; she was losing control.

Zhao Xue was the one who had initiated this dynamic, but Meng Yao was the one sinking into it.

Meng Yao tightened her fingers. She was nervous—her hands were shaking—but the moment she thought of the photo she had seen today, her heart was filled with an unshakeable gloom. It was sour and bitter, a feeling she had never experienced and thus didn’t know how to resolve, so she could only act on instinct.

Feeling Meng Yao’s movement, Zhao Xue’s heart gave a violent jolt. Even through the fabric, it felt “wrong.” She had lived a very, very long time, but she had never experienced these things. Her body was being controlled by another, but it felt unexpectedly good—even a bit addictive. So, she didn’t refuse Meng Yao’s further touch.

In the gaps between kisses, Zhao Xue whispered indistinctly, “Your hand… mmh… put it… inside.”

The moment Zhao Xue said this, Meng Yao suddenly pulled away. As if only just realizing what she had done, a visible change appeared on Meng Yao’s rare expression. Her brow was furrowed tightly, and her face looked somewhat grim.

She clenched her fists, not daring to look at the person on the bed again, as if the bed held a man-eating spirit. She turned her head and said, “I’m sorry, I—”

Before she could finish, she was interrupted.

Zhao Xue laughed. She sat up, leaned against Meng Yao’s shoulder, reached out to cup her chin, and pressed her thumb against Meng Yao’s lips, forcing her to turn her face back. Zhao Xue’s eyes were brimming with the spirit of spring, her gaze soul-snatching.

They were face-to-face, very close. Zhao Xue’s breath and fragrance washed over Meng Yao’s cheek. “It’s okay. If this makes you happy, I don’t mind.” Her voice was gentle, like a lover’s murmur. Meng Yao’s heart trembled, her eyes flickering.

When she met Zhao Xue’s smiling eyes, she understood: words spoken in the heat of passion were just passing thoughts—they couldn’t be taken seriously or held in the heart.

“Zhao Xue, I’m a bit tired. I have a part-time job tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Zhao Xue’s expression didn’t change, but her gaze grew cold. She released Meng Yao, lay back on the bed, and let out a scoff. “Meng Yao, you really are getting more and more boring. Saying these things in a situation like this… are you just ‘not capable’?”

She played the role of a temperamental, unpredictable lunatic to perfection.

Zhao Xue didn’t actually intend to stop Meng Yao from her part-time job. If she completely “domesticated” her, making her rely entirely on another to survive, psychological problems would arise and eventually explode.

Meng Yao merely clenched her fists, telling herself over and over not to sink further. She was just a pastime for Zhao Xue’s boredom. Helping her grandmother was just a trivial deed for these rich kids; it was nothing to be concerned about.

You aren’t special to her. I heard she’s had several boyfriends, so you’re just a novelty. Maybe Zhao Xue is like this when she kisses others, too. She would seduce others just as she’s seducing me now. She might have been ‘kissed through’ by others long ago—like her previous partners.

Thinking of this, a fire burned in Meng Yao’s heart. Because she might not be Zhao Xue’s first kiss, and because Zhao Xue might have shown this side of herself to others before.

Zhao Xue lay on the bed with her eyes squinted, watching the girl stand by the bed lost in thought. Meng Yao’s expression was becoming increasingly grim, her brow furrowed deep enough to catch a fly. Zhao Xue felt somewhat gratified; the female lead was becoming more “lively,” more like a normal person.

After a long moment, Zhao Xue let out a yawn, preparing to go back to her own room to shower. Meng Yao stood there dazed, not stopping her.

Only as Zhao Xue turned the doorknob did Meng Yao speak in a soft voice: “I… am I the first person you’ve kissed?”

Zhao Xue’s hand was still on the handle. Hearing this, she turned around and asked, “What did you just say?”

She truly hadn’t heard clearly; Meng Yao’s voice had been like the buzzing of a mosquito, and the sound of the door opening had drowned it out completely.

Meng Yao: “…Nothing.”