"Bzzzz."
Mu Feng: Rolled over.
"Bzzzz."
Mu Feng: Scratched his head.
"Bzzzz"
Mu Feng: Irritably stretched out his leg and kicked at the air.
"Bzzzz..."
He picked up the phone beside his pillow, his face flushed with anger as he glared at whoever had interrupted his beautiful dream. He was going to make sure they knew that people with morning grumpiness were not to be messed with!??
When he went crazy, he even dared to hit himself.
"Is this ever going to end!!!!"
"It's so early in the morning. Can't you sleep? What the—"
Mysterious Partner: "Today, you need to stay with Xia Yan at all times. It would be best if you could take pictures of him and Lin Qingyu fooling around together. Once it's done, we'll be even."
"3"
"2"
"1"
Mu Feng: "At your command (serious)??."
"I'll expose Lin Qingyu's true colors, that wicked woman. Brother Yan... is too deeply poisoned (regretful). As his brother, my heart aches..."
There was no reply.
Mu Feng sighed, put down his phone, and rubbed his eyes in confusion.
Why was he so determined to go against Brother Yan...? Weren't they usually on good terms...? Although Lin Qingyu was a little scheming, she and Brother Yan did make a perfect match.
Two years of college without a single scandal, top of her class, serious and responsible toward others—a pure rich beauty...
Sigh...
Who could blame him? His weakness was in the hands of the prison flower. Besides, she didn't seem like someone with social anxiety...
Hmm?
Mu Feng looked suspiciously at the fat bear, who had also sat up and was staring at his phone. He said in surprise,
"How did a proper old American like you wake up?"
Xiang Guan looked at his phone, then silently raised his head. The dark circles around his eyes were as thick as a panda's, and the deadness in his gaze seemed ready to spread throughout his entire body.
"My Ling'er wished me good morning (exhausted)."
"Seriously..." Mu Feng's mouth twitched.
Although he really wanted to mock Xiang Guan mercilessly, he remembered that even at one in the morning yesterday, Xiang Guan's face had still been shrouded in a faint green glow...
Forget it. A simp was a simp. In the end...
He wouldn't even have his underwear left.
"I'm going back to sleep. Don't wake me." With that, Mu Feng lay down on the bed like a corpse.
Xiang Guan did not answer. He continued staring absently at the message from two minutes ago.
Lin Qingyu: "I want Xia Yan's entire itinerary today. You can't leave Xia Yan's side for even a second. Once it's done, I'll let you have a meal alone with her."
"3"
"2"
"1"
Xiang Guan: "At your command (serious)."
"Um (cautiously)... Does Ling'er need anything today...?"
"Complete your task."
The cold tone surged through the words, and then there was no further message.
Xiang Guan silently opened the messages he had sent Xiao Ling the previous night. There were more than twenty of them, including several long essays, ranging from childhood anecdotes and friends' embarrassing moments to workout tips and discreet confessions of love.
Not one had received a reply.
Uh...
Xiang Guan suddenly reached out and clutched his left chest, where his impressive pectorals were. The sudden cramping pain in his heart left him barely able to breathe. His vision, fixed on the cluster of green messages on his phone, slowly blurred and swayed. Waves of palpitations made him collapse onto the bed and convulse as if he had been electrocuted by Haijing...
"Uu~"
Xiao Ling: "Morning."
The next second—
Xiang Guan (standing at attention): "Senior, have you eaten breakfast? I'm out jogging this morning. What would you like? I'll go buy it right now??"
His eyes shone brightly, his heart no longer hurt, and even his dark circles had vanished. The exhaustion from sleeping only half an hour had flown away as well.
Xiao Ling: "Hmm... Could you buy me a serving of xiaolongbao and soy milk and deliver them to Dormitory 3, Room 3601, where Senior Lu lives?"
"I owe him a favor from last time. Please?"
Xiang Guan: "..."
He might have been a bit of a simp, but wasn't she obviously treating him like a tool?!
Xiang Guan gave a cold laugh and grabbed the blanket...
Xiao Ling: "You'll help me, right? (wink)"
He grabbed the blanket and flung it aside, then got out of bed as fast as if an earthquake had struck, slipped on his slippers, and ran out. His eyes were filled with unwavering loyalty and determination toward love.
Mu Feng sat up in confusion and looked around the dormitory, which was as calm as ever.
"Was that an earthquake?"
"Should I run?"
"I'll stab you to death, stab you to death, kick you to death, I'll..."
Hua Xin furiously plucked petals from a flower she had randomly grabbed by the roadside, as though deciding how to murder Xia Yan. Her wide sleeves had been forced to bunch around her forearms, making them look extremely bulky.
"Who starts kissing first thing in the morning...?"
"Jian Fu Yin Fu... Jian Fu Yin Fu!!"
"Today, I'll make you two reveal your true colors... Just you wait..."
After wandering around in circles several times before finally finding the right direction and road, she had gone through untold hardships to reach the school—only to see a scene like that. Even the happiness she had felt upon smelling the spicy-and-sour noodles vanished instantly.
Afraid of getting eye floaters, Hua Xin entered the school without even looking back.
She had no intention of letting Xia Yan and that wicked woman laugh at her.
The flower in her hand had already been plucked bare, leaving only a stem, and the girl stopped in her tracks.
Wait.
Where was this?
Hua Xin stared blankly at the woods before her, along with the cobblestone path and wooden pavilion inside them.
Wait, where were the teaching buildings???
The cafeteria?
The sports field?
Where was this place?!!!
The girl nervously swallowed. Just as she turned around, intending to retrace her steps, she saw several laughing figures approaching her.
(afraid.)
She wasn't particularly afraid in crowded places like the streets, but in a quiet, sparsely populated place like this, with people approaching in small groups...
Some unpleasant memories would always surface in her mind.
That invisible pain in her body would be recreated as well.
Hua Xin gripped the strap of her schoolbag. Instead of leaving, she walked into the small woods.
As she headed toward the pavilion in the distance, she secretly examined the scenery around her.
Uh.
Trees... She didn't recognize their names.
Grass... Ordinary grass.
Flowers... No idea.
"Phew..."
As she stepped across the cobblestones, the girl marveled at the unfamiliar sensation beneath her feet. It was uneven... In her memory, she had only ever seen something like this from far away in a park.
Hiding behind one of the pavilion's pillars, she quietly watched the people leave before slowly relaxing. Fortunately, they hadn't entered the woods. Otherwise, she really would have had nowhere to run.
"Meow."
"?"
Hua Xin lowered her head toward the sound and saw a Chinese Li Hua Cat with black-and-gray patterned fur, white paws, an athletic build, and golden vertical pupils pawing at her trouser leg, which was covered in loose threads from being cut improperly.
The girl's eyes widened first, and then they filled with delight.
"Hachimi!!! Uh, kitty!!"
She wasn't afraid at all. Instead, she happily crouched down and stroked the cat, her voice instinctively brimming with surprise.
For some reason, the Chinese Li Hua Cat wasn't afraid of her. On the contrary, it lay on the ground and exposed its belly, purring contentedly.
"So cute, so cute, so cute, so cute??..."
"It feels so nice..."
"Hey, what's your name?"
Hua Xin sat on the ground, hugged it to her chest, and asked curiously.
"Meow? (What are you saying?)"
"**?"
It flicked its tail and lazily burrowed deeper into the girl's arms.
"Sang Biao?"
There was no response.
Hua Xin rubbed the cat's head and continued asking,
"Cola?"
"Sprite?"
"Little kitty?"
She asked one name after another, but the little Chinese Li Hua Cat gave no answer. It merely closed its eyes and let her play with it.
"You don't have a name...? Let me think. What should I call you...?"
Hua Xin pondered for a moment, then solemnly raised the little Chinese Li Hua Cat high and declared, "From now on, your name is Chun Qiu."
"Since there are Xia Yan and Dong Miao, if he bullies me today, you have to come scratch him for me."
"Did you hear me?"
"Meow... (I want to sleep.)"
The girl smiled happily, then hugged Chun Qiu back against her chest. Gazing at the adorable cat, Hua Xin murmured softly,
"Chun Qiu... Chun Qiu..."
"Can you stay with me from spring until autumn?"
"Throughout these final four years."
Before you continue