In the restroom, Chen Yuzhe finished washing his hands and turned on the faucet.

Water whooshed over his skin, its icy chill creeping slowly up his arms and into his mind.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror, his expression somber.

So it had come to this.

Truthfully, he shouldn’t have stepped into the game so easily. He’d always preferred pulling strings from the shadows. Once personally involved, perspectives narrowed, options shrank, and complications multiplied…

In short, it became a mess.

Yet this time, he’d chosen to step forward—to stand against Huang Yanchen in the eye of the storm.

It defied Chen Yuzhe’s nature. His very code.

Even now, he couldn’t deny a flicker of regret. With more time, he might have found a cleaner solution—one that didn’t require his presence.

But he couldn’t deny this either:

The moment Jiang Xiaoyao collapsed, something in him snapped.

Everything after that had been fueled by rage.

Rarely did reason dim for him, letting emotion steer his actions. This time left him unsettled.

*Why… did I do it?*

Placing himself at the storm’s center. Bearing everyone’s suspicious stares.

Gaining nothing. For someone barely an acquaintance—hardly even a friend?

*Hmph.* Chen Yuzhe let out a soft sigh.

*Never again.*

*Never show kindness.*

For someone like him, kindness was terrifying. No one understood that danger more viscerally than Chen Yuzhe.

It was life-threatening.

Well. Since the deed was done, he’d need to carefully extract himself.

He splashed water on his face, shook his hands dry, and turned to leave—

The restroom door swung open.

Gu Chengjin walked in.

Ignoring Chen Yuzhe completely, he strode to a urinal and spoke casually:

"Senior really is impressive."

"In what way?" Chen Yuzhe didn’t look up.

"In every sense." Gu Chengjin’s voice was leisurely. "Spotting the winning cards hidden in Seniors Huang Yanchen and Li Wanmei so quickly… That kind of observation isn’t common."

Chen Yuzhe’s hands stilled over the sink.

"And during your talk with Senior Huang—you used subtle psychological cues, didn’t you? Testing your theories by steering his words?"

Gu Chengjin zipped up, then walked over to the sink beside Chen Yuzhe, smiling as he washed his hands.

"Truly impressive."

"Far more impressive than the surface lets on."

"What’s your point?" Chen Yuzhe’s voice turned icy.

"Ah, don’t misunderstand—I mean no harm." Gu Chengjin chuckled, drying his hands under the warmer. "I studied psychology in France. Old habits make me notice these things."

"If I must say one thing—" He paused, then spoke calmly: "Senior Chen Yuzhe."

"Please—"

"—stop doing this."

Silence crashed down. Neither moved. Only the faucet’s whoosh filled the air.

"Senior Jiang Xiaoyao’s approach to me… you had a hand in that too, didn’t you?"

"And Xinyu, who came with us—her gaze lingers on you strangely. That wasn’t natural either, was it?"

Chen Yuzhe cut in coldly: "So what?"

"Senior." Gu Chengjin turned off the dryer. "My first psychology professor in France told us:

‘Psychology is dangerous. Master it, and you can manipulate emotions.’

‘With great power comes great responsibility,’ he said. ‘Use this gift for good—’"

His eyes slid to Chen Yuzhe.

"—not to feed selfish desires or justify doing as you please."

He left, closing the door softly behind him.

—

—

"Where’s Old Zhe stuck? Gu Chengjin went in after him and came back ages ago. Did he fall in?"

Han Cheng shoved the restroom door open, unzipping his pants—then froze mid-motion.

"Holy shit! Old Zhe! What the hell are you doing? Scaring people to death?"

Chen Yuzhe stood rigid against the sink like a statue, water still gushing from the tap before him.

Han Cheng crept closer, peering at his face.

What he saw made his blood run cold.

Chen Yuzhe’s eyes burned with fierce intensity. A savage grin twisted his lips. His whole body trembled faintly, vibrating with raw exhilaration.

He whispered Gu Chengjin’s name under his breath.

*Heh… heh heh.* A low, chilling laugh escaped him.

*Interesting.*

*Truly interesting.*

*It seems my college life… will be far more entertaining than I imagined.*