News of Hu Ming and Su Liu spread through the school like wildfire.

The only explanation anyone had for Hu Ming was that he’d probably just grown tired of pursuing Su Liu.

But to them, it was mere after-dinner chatter—nothing worth digging into.

Unless Su Liu came chasing after *them*!

At a breakfast shop near campus, Hu Ming held a fried dough stick in one hand, soy milk and wontons sitting on the table before him.

Though the Khan Family’s chefs made delicious breakfasts, Hu Ming preferred these little hole-in-the-wall spots.

Partly because he sometimes picked up useful gossip here; partly because the walk doubled as morning exercise.

This body of his was genuinely frail—if punched, he’d likely land straight in the hospital.

Come to think of it, Han Shuyi had been unusually quiet lately.

Though they never spoke anyway, he hadn’t specifically targeted Hu Ming this time.

Hu Ming found it oddly surprising.

"Han Huming?"

A voice cut through his thoughts. Hu Ming looked up instinctively.

Ye Qiuxue stood before him, holding a plate of rice noodle rolls, her expression faintly startled.

"Hm? President, good morning. Fancy meeting you here."

"...I eat here every day."

"Then running into me *is* quite the coincidence."

A smile tugged at Hu Ming’s lips. Ye Qiuxue ignored his gaze and sat down opposite him.

She swept her ink-black hair aside and ate the rolls with quiet elegance, head bowed.

Watching her, Hu Ming couldn’t help but wonder:

*How could the original owner of this body overlook a beauty like Ye Qiuxue? Or did he just dislike cold personalities?*

Sensing his stare, Ye Qiuxue slowly lifted her head, her puzzled eyes meeting his.

"Why are you staring?"

"Don’t you know you’re beautiful, President? Appreciating beauty is only human nature."

Hu Ming spoke boldly, unbothered by their strained history.

Ye Qiuxue’s cheeks flushed crimson. She glared at him and kicked his shin hard under the table with her stockinged foot.

Hu Ming sucked in a sharp breath, his pained grimace comically exaggerated.

Ye Qiuxue rolled her eyes, but her gaze at him had shifted.

She’d heard plenty about Hu Ming and Su Liu. She couldn’t understand how he’d so easily abandoned that relationship—after all, he’d once crossed her repeatedly just to win Su Liu over.

Now that he’d seemingly reformed his ways, she was genuinely curious about his thoughts.

Sensing her scrutiny, Hu Ming rubbed his sore leg and said lightly,

"Ask whatever you want. I’ll answer any question from our esteemed Student President."

"Flatterer... But fine. About Su Liu—what made you change your mind?"

"What’s there to think about? If you don’t like someone, you just don’t. No reason needed."

"But you chased her so relentlessly before! You can’t just drop it like that?" Ye Qiuxue studied his face, searching for cracks in his calm.

Unfortunately, Hu Ming looked utterly unfazed, as if discussing the weather.

"President—"

"Don’t call me that!"

"Qiuxue? Xue’er?"

"Do you *want* to die?"

Seeing her fist clench and her eyes turn icy, Hu Ming straightened up seriously.

"Ye Qiuxue. Imagine if you kept doing kind things for someone, but they treated your efforts as trivial—something to show off. How would you feel?"

"...So you knew she was stringing you along all along?"

"Of course. I was just playing along. If my true background hadn’t surfaced, I might’ve kept it up longer."

Hu Ming lied without blinking.

Ye Qiuxue was completely taken in—until she snapped back to reality a second later.

A smile spread across her face as her fingers pinched Hu Ming’s arm.

"So you *were* deliberately provoking me? Did you think I was just another toy too?"

"Holy crap—stop!"

Amid the breakfast shop’s chatter, the two students’ antics drew amused glances.

They looked like a bickering couple, making passersby smile knowingly.

.....

When Hu Ming saw Li Yue again, her reaction struck him as strange.

The Li Yue he knew had always been timid and shrinking. Yet now, when their paths crossed, she actually met his eyes.

"Hu Ming, have you noticed anything different about me?"

"...Different? You seem more confident."

"Mm-hmm!"

Li Yue nodded eagerly, excitement bubbling inside her at his acknowledgment.

Her family had secretly met with the Khan Family again, behind Hu Ming’s back.

The discussion was simple: since Han Shuyi was the true heir, he should replace Hu Ming as her fiancé.

Li Yue had refused at first, remembering Hu Ming’s warnings.

He was the only one who’d never looked down on her.

Though she could sense he didn’t truly like her either...

Her resistance proved useless.

Soon, she had her first proper meeting with Han Shuyi.

They’d met before—Han Shuyi hadn’t seemed bad then. But out of loyalty to Hu Ming, she’d avoided him.

As they spent time together, she realized Han Shuyi wasn’t the monster Hu Ming described. In fact, he treated her better than Hu Ming ever had.

*"What you need most right now is confidence. You’re no worse than anyone else."*

Han Shuyi’s words echoed in her mind long after he left.

Hu Ming had never said anything like that to her.

That night, Li Yue lay awake.

Days later, she heard about Hu Ming and Su Liu’s breakup.

She began dressing boldly, styling herself carefully. Though the red birthmark on her face remained obvious, her tall, slender figure drew attention on the streets.

People’s stares no longer held disgust—only surprise.

*Han Shuyi’s advice really works!*

For the first time, Li Yue felt a flicker of warmth toward him.

But she still feared angering Hu Ming, so she avoided Han Shuyi.

Now, standing before Hu Ming, she waited hopefully for his reaction to her transformation.

"You’ve been meeting Han Shuyi?"

Hu Ming’s words made Li Yue’s heart lurch. She didn’t understand how he knew.

Seeing her panic, Hu Ming couldn’t help but sigh.

He’d already warned her.

"I—"

"If I told you Han Shuyi is using you," Hu Ming said calmly, his face unreadable, "would you even believe me?"