Chapter 465

Wu Liang took the clothes and headed back to the dormitory, feeling somewhat uneasy on the way back.

He was somewhat bothered by what He Xue had just said; it was hard not to pay attention to the hidden meaning in her words.

He Xue is actually very smart, and she always analyzes things from the highest perspective. She doesn't act impulsively, nor does she speak up for anyone she's on good terms with.

She is an extremely fair girl, and she can often be absolutely fair when facing certain things, which is something that Yao Shi cannot do.

Because Yao Shi tends to be extremely biased towards herself when it comes to matters concerning herself, but He Xue doesn't; that child is the one who can truly act as a notary.

He Xue will not be drawn into the incident, nor will she be influenced by anyone. She can see things from both sides' perspectives with the clearest viewpoint.

"In other words, in this chaotic situation, He Xue is the only one who is clear-headed. She is not blinded by love like Yao Shi and Han Yu."

"So she was able to discover secrets that no one else had noticed, secrets about me."

Wu Liang, who was walking down the corridor, suddenly stopped and looked at the clothes in his hands.

If you think about it this way, it makes sense why He Xue's presence is always the weakest in his eyes, and why He Xue is always the most overshadowed compared to Yao Shi and the others.

It's not that He Xue herself had a low profile, nor that Yao Shi and the others had particularly outstanding qualities, nor that the other girls had pushed He Xue out of the room.

"It's because the child is deliberately diminishing her presence in front of me and intentionally avoiding direct contact with me."

"She minimized her presence to the point that it was hard for me to notice her, and even when she appeared in front of me, she would always bring Han Yu and the others to distract me."

Suddenly realizing something, Wu Liang gripped the clothes in his hands tightly. Now that he came to his senses and thought about it carefully, it seemed that it really was true.

Recently, every time he met He Xue, she would coincidentally be with Han Yu and Su Qian.

If one or two times could be explained by coincidence, then it's a bit too much of a coincidence that it happens every time.

And it's not just that. If he were just spending time with Han Yu and the others, that would be fine, but every time he tried to talk to He Xue about something, that girl would always steer the conversation toward Han Yu and the others.

For example, he initially wanted to talk to He Xue about something, but the conversation would always inexplicably turn to Han Yu or Su Qian.

As a result, He Xue's figure rarely appeared in his sight, and even when she did, she would only be there for a brief moment before disappearing.

His attention would gradually be filled by other girls, while He Xue would be forgotten in a relatively remote corner.

"It is precisely because we did not participate that we were able to stand at a distance and rationally analyze everything from a God's-eye view."

"Intentionally lowering one's own profile is to ensure that one can see the situation clearly and not follow the crowd. Intentionally staying away from me is to better understand my thoughts and offer advice to me."

After understanding He Xue's good intentions, Wu Liang smiled, a rare occurrence for him. This was probably the most natural smile he had given in the past few days.

No wonder he felt that He Xue hadn't been appearing very often lately. Even though she was always around everyone, she seemed like an ethereal spirit that he couldn't touch or see.

The reason was that the girl had already seen through his worries about the future, so she chose to stay far away and silently watch over him and Yao Shi.

He Xue's inconspicuousness is not because she is too ordinary, nor because she is weak and insecure, nor because she is less charming than Yao Shi and others.

On the contrary, it is precisely because she is so outstanding and her presence is so strong that she has no choice but to step down.

A closer look at recent events reveals the truth: helping Ning Shuang overcome her past trauma, reconciling Ning Shuang and Su Qian, resolving Han Yu's emotional distress over losing her best friend, attending a cosplay convention with Teacher Ye, impersonating Su Qian's boyfriend to solve her blind date problem, and even getting along as friends with Yao Shi's other personality, etc...

He Xue in all these events; she participated in them without anyone noticing.

He Xue may have just said something casually, or done something insignificant, but those things became the golden keys needed to solve the problem.

She was like an inconspicuous, barely perceptible strand of silver thread, quietly connecting everyone and everything, and becoming the backbone of the group.

She shared all the time she had with Wu Liang, just to see clearly what Wu Liang's worries were, and to determine if she had the ability to help Wu Liang avoid that dangerous future.

"When exactly did it start? How come I'm only noticing those little things that girl is doing now?"

Wu Liang awkwardly touched his nose, feeling somewhat helpless at the thought of his innermost thoughts being laid bare.

But the warmth from the depths of his heart made him feel as if he were enveloped by He Xue's tenderness.

He Xue had silently and selflessly done so much for him without his knowledge, so how could he possibly refuse her feelings?

"Did He Xue deliberately send me away just now so she could talk to Yao Shi and the others about something...?"

Wu Liang glanced at the room not far away with mixed feelings. He suddenly lost the courage to approach it, not knowing what awaited him ahead.

Especially now, he doesn't know how to face He Xue, or how to face the girl who cares so much about him.

Even though He Xue had always been supporting him, caring for him, and worrying about him, he had never seen He Xue and had even ignored her for a very long time, never paying any attention to her.

Although part of the reason was that He Xue deliberately avoided his gaze, the main reason was that his heart was not with He Xue at all.

"Boss!!"

Hurried footsteps sounded from behind. The Rat, who had already eaten breakfast and returned, immediately gave Wu Liang a bear hug without saying a word.

Wuhu~ He's finally caught the boss. He's going to have to ask him what exactly happened last night.

"Boss, what are you doing here? Why are you just standing here like a dumb statue?"

The Rat patted Wu Liang's shoulder twice, and tilted its head in confusion when it saw that the other party still didn't react.

Huh? What happened? It can't be that he knocked his brains out, right? The boss's body isn't that fragile.

"Chive buns".

Wu Liang grabbed the Rat by the collar and threw him aside, pinching his nose and saying with a look of disgust.

Can't this guy just behave himself a little? He's so easily startled, just like a real mouse.

"Ah, breakfast today is pretty good, it's a pity you overslept, boss."

"Hey bro, stop pretending! I know! Something unspeakable happened in your dorm last night!!"

"Take me there right now! Don't try to fool me!! I heard lots of girls' voices next door yesterday!! Boss, you've gone too far!! You threw a party and didn't even invite me!"

The Rat stood with his hands on his hips, grinning lewdly. His once innocent, boyish face looked especially lewd with his exaggerated expressions.

Especially his signature sly smile, which instantly brought Wu Liang back to a few months ago when Rat was still that slovenly, decadent young man.

"That's your auditory hallucination."

After regaining his senses, Wu Liang reached out and placed his hand on the Rat's head, ruffling its hair.

He chuckled as he watched the Rat struggle in his hand. It felt like he had only been in this world for a few days, but so much time had already passed.

The world is in complete chaos right now, and even the Rat, who he always thought was a good-for-nothing, has turned into this cute and adorable little boy.

The world he knows and is no longer the game world he is familiar with, and the people around him are no longer the NPCs he just wants to conquer.

They are my relatives and friends. Whether it's Rat or He Xue, they are the most important people in my life and the people I can't let down.

"Get out of here! Don't peek! Why are you always coming over here instead of staying with Miao Lian?"

Wu Liang kicked the Rat's butt, laughing and cursing, "This brat, instead of whispering sweet nothings to Miao Lian, why is he always thinking about gossip?"

"If he wants to go to Miao Lian, he'll probably have to take off his shirt and carry a bundle of thorns with him, otherwise she might not even bother to see him."

"That idiot Rat just spilled apple juice all over Miao Lian, and while he was cleaning Miao Lian up, he also accidentally dropped pizza on Miao Lian head."

Nan Zhu, holding a fruit platter, smiled broadly, revealing the masterpiece that the Rat had just created.

He had just reminded the Rat not to rush, as being flustered could easily lead to mistakes, but the fellow wouldn't listen.

See, now look what's happened. That stupid Rat always messes up over such trivial things.

"Um... I... I didn't do it on purpose..."

The Rat, its face flushed red from the embarrassing revelation, stammered an explanation.

It was an accident. He didn't do it on purpose, and he didn't want to embarrass Xiaolian... Who knew that pizza would end up hitting Xiaolian's head like that...

"Then I think you should hurry up and go and apologize with a bundle of thorns on your back."

Wu Liang grinned as he listened to Nan Zhu's description. He could now even picture the Rat trembling with fear and Miao Lian struggling to maintain her elegant image as a young lady in front of everyone, barely containing her anger. It must have been a very interesting scene.

"Uh... actually, I already went... but I was kicked out..."

The Rat awkwardly scratched his head. In fact, he had apologized immediately, but Xiao Lian had kicked him out.

Well... it's not a big problem... he can go after Xiaolian calms down a bit...

"Boss, the clothes you're carrying look like a women's coat, huh! Something's definitely fishy! Don't think you can fool your brother!!"

"I'm going to your dorm right now to see what you guys were up to yesterday! Don't even think about trying anything funny in front of me!!"

Upon noticing the women's coat in Wu Liang's hand, the Rat's eyes gleamed, and it took off running towards Wu Liang's dormitory.

Ah ha, who knows what unspeakable things the boss did with those girls yesterday. If nothing unexpected happens, those girls should still be in the boss's dorm right now.

He only needed to knock on the door to hear if there were any other women inside, or he could wait at the door until they came out, since they would come out sooner or later anyway.

"Damn it! You get back here right now!!"

When Wu Liang saw the Rat rush out, his heart pounded wildly. "Damn it! Can't this Rat just stop causing trouble?"

Oh no, oh no, oh no! Yao Shi and the others are still asleep and haven't woken up yet, and the room is a complete mess. If that brat Rat sees this, we're doomed.

Judging from that kid's current mindset full of lewd nonsense, the Rat might spread some kind of rubbish about him. He doesn't want to be labeled a human-shaped self-propelled pile driver without having done anything, otherwise he'll really be unable to clear his name even if he jumps into the Yellow River.

We absolutely have to stop that Rat brat. Looks like I'll have to use the same trick I used on Nan Zhu back in the student council... (Nan Zhu:?)

"Gossip! Scandals! I'm here!!"

Looking at the dormitory entrance that was so close by, the Rat's eyes lit up and it shouted excitedly.

But just as he rushed to the dormitory door and was about to knock, the tightly closed door was pushed open with a bang.

"Hey, isn't this Classmate Laoshu? Good morning! It's great to be so energetic so early in the morning."

"Oh, by the way, if you ate chive buns, you'd better brush your teeth first, the smell is a bit pungent,"

Qiao Xinying had changed into a pure white dress, yawned and greeted the Rat in a friendly manner.

After smelling the chive bun smell on the Rat, he smiled slightly, pointed to the bathroom and the disposable toothbrush on the counter, indicating that he could brush his teeth first to clean the bad breath.

"Ah... uh... this... is no one in the house...?"

The Rat was startled by Qiao Xinying's sudden opening of the door and quickly took a few steps back, staring blankly at the clean, tidy, and empty room.

Huh? This is really strange... How come there's no one here... It was so noisy last night... And the clothes the boss was holding were for girls...

"There are only Wu Liang and I in this dormitory. Of course, there's no one else here."

"Ah, Wu Liang, you're too slow! I asked you to get some clothes, why did it take you so long? I'm freezing to death!"

Qiao Xinying, wearing slippers, jogged over to Wu Liang and took his coat, draping it over her shoulders.

She blinked her beautiful eyes, her cherry-like lips parted slightly, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"The rooms have been cleaned, and everyone has already gone home. Don't worry."

Chapter 68: The Great Air Conditioner Battle (4K words)

The wide-open windows offer a perfect view of the ancient trees in the back courtyard and the clouds and mist encircling the distant mountains.

The temperature on Bolun Island is very high, with a huge difference between the midday temperature and the temperature at sunrise. It's not exactly humid, but it still feels very hot.

Nan Zhu had already changed into short sleeves and shorts, pulled at her collar to ward off the high temperature, feeling that even with the air conditioning on, it hadn't done anything.

The glaring light and the oncoming heat made him uncomfortable, as if a heavy object was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Although I had prepared for the high temperatures, I didn't expect the temperature here to rise to this level.

The air felt heavy and oppressive, and the sweltering heat soaked his back with sweat; the temperature was truly unbearable.

The temperature difference between morning and noon far exceeded his expectations. Listening to the occasional chirping of insects outside, Nan Zhu suddenly had an urge to lie down under the air conditioner and fall asleep.

However, he quickly dismissed this idea, and if you were to ask why...

"Wu Liang, why is everyone gathered in my and Rat's dorm room now...?"

After taking a sip of iced cola, Nan Zhu looked at Han Yu and He Xue, who were sitting under the air conditioner chatting happily, and said with a hint of helplessness.

Logically, that should be the seat he, the owner of the room, should enjoy, but why is it that as the owner of this dormitory, he can only sit on the sofa far away from the air conditioner and stare blankly?

Although we said at the beginning that we were going to discuss some things, there was no need to gather everyone here. We could have just done a group voice or video call.

Wouldn't it be more convenient for everyone to stay in their own rooms, enjoying the air conditioning, playing on their phones, and video chatting together? Now, gathering in his and Rat's dorm is just making it more crowded.

"I don't know, I suggest you ask Han Yu directly."

Like Nan Zhu, Wu Liang, suffering from the high temperature, waved his hand weakly while wearing an ice pack.

It's so hot, it's unbearably hot. Don't let him talk anymore. If it's just a meaningless question, don't ask him. He doesn't want the water in his body to evaporate faster.