Ouyang Zixin, a Late-Stage Love-Brain Patient

The Promotion Tournament progressed faster than anyone had expected.

Class Five first faced Class Three. Gu Yue's elemental suppression, combined with Xie Xie's flanking ambushes, forced Class Three's main fighters to surrender in under two minutes. Class Two was much the same—nearly identical tactics, an easy sweep.

Three consecutive victories.

Class Five, the bottom-ranked class that no one had thought highly of at the start of the term, had fought its way all the way to the finals. Their next opponent was Year One Class One, the strongest freshman class, with a lineup of geniuses like Wu Siduo, Zhang Yangzi, and Wang Jinxi.

The dark horse versus the strongest.

Without a doubt, it was bound to be a thrilling match.

Yet over the past few days, Lin Xun's life had suddenly become absurdly bizarre.

The bizarre part was simple.

His reputation at Donghai Academy had skyrocketed in an entirely twisted direction.

Before, when students talked about him in private, at most they would toss out a casual comment:

"Oh, that scumbag who got together with Senior Ouyang within three days of school starting, then dumped her right afterward."

That was all.

But now, things were different.

The version spreading across the school had directly jumped up several levels.

Whenever anyone mentioned Lin Xun, they all said the same thing:

"That international scumbag who swindled Star Luo City's number one genius out of her family heirloom elixir, then immediately fled across borders."

Lin Xun was completely dumbfounded.

International?

Star Luo City and Donghai City were both within the Federation. At most, it counted as crossing cities.

When had it been upgraded into some cross-border major case?

No matter how hard he thought about it, he could not understand.

Then Xie Xie patted him on the shoulder and solemnly enlightened him.

"The point isn't geography. It's the style."

"An international scumbag sounds like an elite monster among scumbags. The class is instantly above your average campus scumbag."

Lin Xun immediately refused to accept such a ridiculous title.

But whether he accepted it or not was completely irrelevant.

One undeniable fact had already spread throughout the entire intermediate division.

The Promotion Tournament match between Year One Class One and Year One Class Five had been hyped up as the most anticipated showdown of the year.

On one side was Wu Siduo.

Star Luo City's number one genius, with twin top-tier martial souls. Talent, strength, looks—she had it all, a favored daughter of heaven.

On the other side was Lin Xun.

Donghai Academy's recent king of popularity, the universally acknowledged representative scumbag of the entire academy.

The students had imagined eight hundred different scripts for this match.

Some said it would be a genius crushing an ordinary nobody.

Some said it was a head-on clash between the poles of good and evil.

Even more absurdly, the version most people believed was this—Wu Siduo's public revenge execution.

After a while, Lin Xun stopped caring. Scumbag it was, then. Anyway, his system points were increasing every day. Infamy was still fame, and being controversial was still being popular.

Having lived through so many eras, he had long understood one truth: reputation was like a soul ring—the darker its color, the more useful it was.

As for whether that color was purple or black, that was someone else's concern.

Compared to this vague gossip and sensational nonsense, the outcome of the Promotion Tournament and the opinions of outsiders were not worth mentioning to him.

The matter at hand was far more important than this spectacle.

With the academy relatively free before the match and neither classes nor training particularly demanding, Lin Xun simply took the initiative to ask Gu Yue out for a meal.

His thoughts were very clear.

First, it was to fit in with their daily interactions and gradually cultivate his relationship with Gu Yue.

System missions always came first, and a stable close relationship was always the foundation for completing missions.

Second, he had serious business to discuss.

Just yesterday, he had received an exclusive soul communication from Leng Yaozhu of the Spirit Pagoda.

The contents were simple.

Gu Yue's side had already sent someone to contact Leng Yaozhu, naturally with the intention of taking her as a teacher.

Lin Xun would first explain the general rules to her. Once the academy had little going on in a while, they would head to Donghai City for a basic assessment.

Lin Xun stood waiting beneath the girls' dormitory building.

The setting sun slanted down, dyeing half the sky red.

Students streamed in and out of the dormitory building, the air filled with noise and chatter. Yet he stood amid the crowd with a carefree air, utterly unaffected by the discussions around him.

He had not waited long before a slender, immaculate figure slowly emerged from the corridor exit.

Lin Xun subconsciously looked up.

With that one glance, he froze slightly.

Gu Yue usually wore nothing but the academy's neat uniform.

Cool, sharp, and distant.

There was always a faint sense of detachment in her eyes and brows, warning strangers to keep away. Like jade carved from ice and snow, she was too aloof to approach.

But today was different.

She had changed into an extremely simple white dress.

Its design was clean and elegant, without any excessive embellishments. Its simplicity only accentuated her slender, upright figure.

The evening breeze gently lifted the hem of her dress, making it flutter slightly.

The sharpness she showed during training was gone, and the cold, hard aura she carried every day had faded away.

At this moment, she was refined, pure, and gentle to the extreme.

The contrast in her temperament made her seem like an entirely different person.

Gu Yue had always been exceptionally beautiful, her presence eclipsing everyone in her year. But after changing into this plain white dress, she was so beautiful that she hardly seemed real.

Much of her icy, snow-like chill had faded, replaced by a touch of warmth and softness.

The sunset fell across her delicate profile, her lashes casting faint shadows. She was so pure that she looked like a quiet painting.

At that moment, Lin Xun had only one thought in his mind.

Once she dressed up, he could barely recognize her.

He had countless ex-girlfriends, and she was one of them. But this was still the first time he had seen Gu Yue like this.

Who would have thought that after quietly getting herself ready and heading out in a white dress, she would be this stunning?

All he could say was...

Long live the contrast!!!

Gu Yue walked up to him at an unhurried pace.

Seeing Lin Xun standing there in a daze, she blinked slightly, her tone as indifferent as ever.

"What's wrong?"

Only then did Lin Xun come back to his senses. He hid the surprise in his eyes and returned to his usual relaxed, careless manner.

He smiled softly and answered honestly.

"Nothing."

"It's just that seeing you in a dress caught me off guard."

"You look too beautiful. I almost didn't recognize you."

Rule number one of a scumbag's dating playbook: say something nice when you meet. Don't make it cheesy—simple sincerity was enough.

Lin Xun had mastered that balance to perfection.

He had been in too many relationships to count, so he understood girls far too well. Flowery sweet talk only came off as exaggerated. The most comfortable approach was praise at just the right moment, paired with a relaxed, natural attitude.

Especially when dealing with someone as cold-tempered and emotionally detached as Gu Yue, excessive attentiveness would only make her dislike him. Relaxed favoritism and thoughtful consideration were the best way to get along with her.

Lin Xun naturally stepped half a pace forward and stood beside her, his posture lazy.

"It's rare for you to dress up so nicely today. You have to treat yourself well."

"What do you want to eat? Your call today."

Gu Yue raised her eyes. Her cool gaze rested quietly on him, her face devoid of any extra expression, as aloof and indifferent as ever.

After two seconds of silence, her thin lips parted as she said lightly, "I want fish."

Lin Xun paused slightly at her words.

For some reason, hearing Gu Yue say that so expressionlessly made a classic scene flash through his mind.

Old Mo, I want fish.

"Zi Xin, why are you being so stubborn!"

Mu Xi plopped down onto a chair in the milk tea shop, so angry that her golden hair practically stood on end. She slammed the cup of pearl milk tea in her hand onto the table.

"I already told you, that Wu Siduo is Star Luo City's number one genius! She has twin top-tier martial souls! She transferred all the way here from Star Luo City just to block Lin Xun's path. Do you know what she said in front of the entire training field? 'He tricked me out of my family's inherited White Tiger Pill,' 'he left without saying goodbye,' and 'I came here specifically to find you.'"

"Isn't that enough to prove the point?"

Ouyang Zixin sat across from her, cradling a cup of warm mango pudding milk tea and taking small sips.

After listening to Mu Xi's rapid-fire tirade, the girl's expression barely changed. She simply set down her cup gently.

"I know."

"You know, and you still look like that?" Mu Xi's eyes widened. "Your ex-boyfriend has a childhood sweetheart in Star Luo City. He swindled her family's inherited elixir and then fled to another city. He's a repeat offender—a professional scumbag! And you still haven't woken up?"

"Wu Siduo isn't his girlfriend." Ouyang Zixin's tone remained gentle. "I looked into it. They were only classmates in the same class at their junior academy. Childhood sweethearts don't necessarily mean lovers. When she talked about him 'swindling the elixir' and 'leaving without saying goodbye,' not once did she mention that they had ever been together. She was angry because he left without saying goodbye, not because he cheated on her."

Mu Xi opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. Stunned, she asked:

"You specifically looked into that?"

"Mhm."

"You looked into your ex-boyfriend's childhood sweetheart, then concluded that they were never together, so you still think you have a chance?"

Ouyang Zixin neither admitted nor denied it. She merely picked up her milk tea again and lightly poked the pudding at the bottom of the cup with her straw.

"You really are beyond saving."

Seeing her gentle, unyielding expression, Mu Xi was so angry she became speechless.

After taking several deep breaths, as though forcibly suppressing the irritation in her heart, she stared at Ouyang Zixin and asked in a deadly serious tone.

Fine.

You won't listen to reason, huh?

Then let me ask you the most practical question.

"Zixin, I'll ask you one last time."

Mu Xi sat up straight, her gaze incomparably serious as she fixed her eyes on her best friend across from her.

"If you and Lin Xun end up in a long-distance relationship someday, and he's training and studying in another city, too lazy to wash his clothes, so he packs up a huge pile of dirty laundry he's accumulated and mails it all to you..."

"What would you do?"

The question was vicious enough.

Any normal girl's answer would definitely be that there was no way she would indulge him.

Why should dating someone mean working part-time as a free laundress?

But the next second—

Ouyang Zixin did not hesitate for even half a second. The answer nearly blurted out of her mouth:

"I'd wash them for him."

For an instant, the world fell silent.

Mu Xi froze in her chair, staring blankly at Ouyang Zixin, who still looked as though it were perfectly natural. Her mind went completely blank for a full three seconds.

Three seconds later—

Mu Xi completely broke down on the spot and threw her head back with a long sigh.

"It's over."

"You really are completely beyond saving!"

She could hardly believe her own ears.

When other people dated, they got pampered and cherished.

When you dated, you actively signed up for the job, complete with built-in maid instincts!

On the path of being love-brained, Wang Baochuan could only rank second—Ouyang Zixin would definitely be first!

"Fine, he swindled elixirs and flirted around everywhere. Fine, he's the academy's biggest scumbag!"

"And you'd willingly wash his dirty laundry when he mails it to you from another city?"

Mu Xi held her forehead, caught between laughter and tears.

"Ouyang Zixin, did he put some soul-guide mind-control curse on you?"

Meanwhile, Ouyang Zixin, the person in question—

Still looked calm and composed, lightly holding her milk tea cup.

Faced with Mu Xi's frantic complaints, she only blinked softly. Her voice was gentle, but exceptionally earnest.

"Dating is about accommodating each other in the first place."

"He's tired from training, busy, and doesn't have the time. I have free time. It's only washing a few clothes for him—it's not that big a deal."

Mu Xi was thoroughly defeated by her. She slumped back in her chair, utterly drained of the will to live.

"Fine."

"You like it, you're willing, it's your call."

"I'm shutting up for good."

"Anyway, if you get bullied into tears someday, I definitely won't comfort you."

"How did I end up with a love-struck idiot for a best friend?!"

At that, Ouyang Zixin merely curved her brows in a faint smile, quietly took a sip of milk tea, and said seriously, "I'm not love-struck. I just understand him too well."

Mu Xi, out!

Mu Xi was completely defeated by her gentle, self-brainwashing expression. She had been about to continue complaining when her gaze accidentally swept across the street outside the milk tea shop.

The evening breeze was slightly cool, pedestrians were sparse on the street, and the streetlights had just lit up with a warm glow.

Just then, two figures walking side by side slowly entered the private fish restaurant with the best atmosphere across the way.

The boy had a tall, relaxed figure, and the lines of his profile were casual yet pleasing to the eye. Who else could it be but Lin Xun?

And beside him...

In a plain white long dress, with an aloof, ethereal air and a slender, elegant figure, she looked as clean as a girl formed from moonlight.

Gu Yue.

The two walked together side by side, their steps relaxed and their atmosphere harmonious, making for an especially pleasing sight.

Mu Xi's pupils instantly contracted, and a massive spotlight seemed to flash on in her mind.

An opportunity! A heaven-sent opportunity!

No matter how much she talked, Zixin just kept making excuses for him in her head and blindly taking Lin Xun's side.

A thousand words were nothing compared to seeing it with her own eyes!

Today, she was determined to scold Ouyang Zixin awake once and for all!

Mu Xi's eyes immediately lit up. There was no trace of her earlier dejection as she instantly perked up.

She suddenly grabbed the wrist of Ouyang Zixin, who was still leisurely drinking her milk tea.

"Stop drinking! Let's go!"

Ouyang Zixin froze, her eyes filled with confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Don't ask! Come with me!"

Mu Xi gave her no chance to react. She directly dragged her to her feet, paid the bill, and hurried out of the milk tea shop.

She lowered her voice, feeling secretly certain.

I refuse to believe it!

I'll personally show you him going on a private date and having dinner alone with another girl.

Once you see it with your own eyes, let's see how you can still defend him!

Let's see how you can still stubbornly insist it's all a misunderstanding, that he's innocent, that he has his reasons!

The two quietly followed the backs of the pair ahead and slipped into the elegant fish restaurant.

The restaurant was refined, with soft lighting, staggered partitions, and booths that offered excellent privacy.

Lin Xun and Gu Yue chose the quietest table by the window and sat down.

Mu Xi's gaze sharpened as she quickly scanned the room.

She immediately locked onto the most secluded booth in a corner.

Without a word, she pressed Ouyang Zixin into the seat, squeezed in beside her, and lowered her voice to remind her.

"Don't make a sound."

"Watch quietly."

This corner offered a perfect view. They could clearly see Lin Xun and Gu Yue by the window, while the other two would never notice them.

Ouyang Zixin's entire body stiffened slightly.

She followed Mu Xi's gaze.

At the end of her line of sight—

The young man sat casually, smiling as he patiently listened to the girl across from him speak.

Gu Yue, dressed in white, sat quietly opposite him.

Cold and ethereal, with an exceptional temperament.

She had the kind of top-tier beauty that would make any girl feel pressured.

The two were having dinner alone, sharing a table in a quiet, private atmosphere.

Soft music drifted through the restaurant.

Mu Xi stared at the scene, secretly clenching her fist.

Done.

This time, the evidence was ironclad.

She wanted to see how Ouyang Zixin could keep being an invincible love-struck idiot after today.

After Lin Xun finished ordering, the servers brought dish after dish to the table, filling the entire solid wood dining table.

Braised chunks of fish, pan-seared soul beast tenderloin, honey-glazed roasted beast ribs, red-braised lean beast meat cubes... The dishes stretched across the table in a packed row, every last one a rich, hearty meat dish. He scanned them again and again, yet could not find even half a stalk of greens or a single mushroom garnish. It was meat, through and through.

Gu Yue lowered her eyes and swept them over the meat-covered table. Her cool brows shifted slightly as she looked up at Lin Xun across from her and spoke softly.

"How did you know I only eat meat?"

That simple question caught Lin Xun completely off guard.

The chopsticks holding a chunk of meat froze sharply in midair, and his heart sank with a heavy thud.

This was bad. He had been careless.

This was not a preference he had learned through their interactions in this life. It was a habit etched deep into his distant memories.

Back when she had lain dormant in the depths of the Star Dou Forest, the Silver Dragon King did not eat food at all. Even when she did, she had always craved only the essence of flesh and blood, detesting light vegetarian fare. Whenever he had nothing to do back then, he would often personally prepare the soul beasts he had hunted and cook them into meals. Every time, Gu Yue would only eat meat in great mouthfuls and never touched vegetables.

When ordering just now, his mind had not caught up. Relying on the deeply ingrained instincts of his previous life, he had unconsciously ordered nothing but meat dishes, completely forgetting his current identity.

In this life, he and Gu Yue had known each other only a short time. Logically, there was no way he could know such a private dietary habit.

The flaw had been exposed so plainly.

Lin Xun truly deserved to be called the king of playboys. He reacted instantly, smiling. "You're a little too narcissistic. I just ordered according to my own habits."