The atmosphere thickened with unspoken tension.

After a long silence, Han Cheng blurted out, "Don't worry."

"The party venue issue? Yuzhe will handle it."

Jiang Xiaoyao looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

"That guy Huang Yanchen..." Han Cheng recalled something, shaking his head with a helpless smile. "In a way, he's quite capable."

"Because it's been so long."

"So long."

"since I last saw Yuzhe angry."

Jiang Xiaoyao tilted her head, thinking. "Hmm... you mean Chen Yuzhe is scary when he's angry?"

"How to put it..." Han Cheng looked away.

Perhaps it wasn't just about whether he was scary or not.

That single sentence piqued Jiang Xiaoyao's curiosity. "By the way, you and Chen Yuzhe must be close friends, right?"

"Yeah, we've been friends since childhood."

"Then, what kind of person is Chen Yuzhe?"

Han Cheng turned to look at her. "Why are you asking that?"

"Well... I just..." Jiang Xiaoyao's eyes darted away, her voice tinged with guilt. "I just feel... he's a bit too mysterious."

"Actually, I even went out of my way to ask about him before. But I thought what strangers say might be biased, so I wanted to ask someone close to him, like you."

Han Cheng fell silent for a long time, then slowly shook his head.

"Sorry. I might not be able to answer that question."

"Huh?" Jiang Xiaoyao froze.

"Yuzhe... Chen Yuzhe's story isn't as simple as you think."

Han Cheng seemed reluctant to elaborate, offering only a casual explanation: "What happened to him might be even more extreme than you imagine."

"If you insist on me describing him—"

A shadow passed over Han Cheng's eyes. "He's nothing but a scum who tried to commit suicide."

A suicide... scum? Jiang Xiaoyao was confused.

"Don't overthink it." Han Cheng stood up, casually adding, "Focus on getting better first. Soon, Yuzhe, Gu Chengjin, and Xinyu will come to see you."

"Ah! G-Gu Chengjin is coming too?" Jiang Xiaoyao panicked instantly, frantically scanning for her cosmetics and mirror. Han Cheng cut her off with a sigh.

"Who puts on makeup while sick in the hospital? That's way too much!"

"Mmph..."

Thinking they might have already seen her in an even more embarrassing state, Jiang Xiaoyao felt a pang of dejection.

"In the end, it all went wrong... I'd planned this so carefully, hoping to have fun, or at least bond with the underclassmen... sigh."

However.

How to say it.

In the moment before losing consciousness, Jiang Xiaoyao experienced the most desperate instant of her life.

She had never felt so alone and helpless, not even knowing whose name to call for help.

The moment she collapsed felt like plunging into the deep sea.

Weightless. Silent. Floating lightly in oppressive darkness.

That endless falling sensation, never reaching the bottom, sparked immense panic in her heart.

Fortunately.

In the second before blacking out, she felt herself touch the seabed—a warm afternoon beach.

The sunlight wrapped around her like an embrace. It slowly melted her frozen body, numbed by icy water, warming her through.

Though Jiang Xiaoyao didn't know why that warmth appeared, its meaning might be greater than she imagined.

Was... a god hearing my desperate prayers and sending my angel to save me?

Who was it? Gu Chengjin? Or Han Cheng, who brought me here?

Both sound nice. Being caught by a handsome guy at the last second before falling... hehe. Just thinking about it made her heart race and cheeks flush.

Han Cheng watched her bewilderedly as her expression shifted from gloomy to lovesick, even flashing a perverted grin now and then.

...He didn't know why, but he felt she was thinking something indecent. Han Cheng shivered involuntarily, goosebumps covering his skin.