Xuye Cheng followed Ji Qingying onto the sports field. She remained silent the whole time. Walking beside her, Xuye Cheng felt deeply unsettled.

Was there still a chance between them?

Chaotic thoughts flooded his mind.

"Qingying..." Xuye Cheng called her name softly but regretted it the moment the words left his lips.

"Hmm, what is it?" Ji Qingying responded, her voice carrying a hint of a stuffy nose.

Xuye Cheng took a deep breath, his heart pounding slightly with nervousness.

"Can you come back to me...? Was there something I didn’t do well before? I can change..."

"Ye Cheng," Ji Qingying’s voice softened a little, "thank you for comforting me."

"Mm, you’re welcome." Hearing this, disappointment washed over Xuye Cheng.

Was this a rejection...?

Well, it was fine even if she refused. He’d actually guessed she might say no.

He was just too ordinary.

"I think I need to consider it," Ji Qingying spoke again after a pause. "Give me some time. My head is all jumbled right now."

"But Ye Cheng, you’re really good. You understand me better than that scumbag He Xiaohan."

Xuye Cheng was slightly taken aback. His disappointed mood brightened a little.

It seemed there was hope.

Ji Qingying could still come back to him...

Watching her back, a faint sense of anticipation welled up in Xuye Cheng’s heart.

He didn’t want to live like this anymore—not in this confused haze. Even if Ji Qingying had truly been mistreated by He Xiaohan, it didn’t matter. His feelings for her wouldn’t diminish.

Ji Qingying was just a victim whose emotions He Xiaohan had deceived...

As Xuye Cheng thought this, He Xiaohan’s smug, grinning face flashed in his mind. His anger surged again.

"Thank you. I want to go back to the dorm to rest," Ji Qingying said.

"Mm, it’s what I should do," Xuye Cheng replied. She waved at him and headed toward the dorm building.

A wave of nostalgia hit Xuye Cheng.

During their month together, when he returned from his convenience store shift and walked here to part ways with her, it had been just like this.

He actually wanted to ask about He Xiaohan. But Ji Qingying’s emotions seemed unstable. He didn’t dare bring it up.

Xuye Cheng stood frozen, watching her back, his mind in chaos.

That day at the counter, when they bumped into each other, He Xiaohan had handed her that box right in front of him.

He finally understood: He Xiaohan was nothing but a scumbag who played with feelings from head to toe.

He’d dumped Ji Qingying because after sleeping together, he found her boring and moved on.

Xuye Cheng took a deep breath. The anger in his heart surged uncontrollably.

The person he cherished had been treated so poorly by He Xiaohan.

The more he thought about it, the more indignant he felt.

He walked alone on the track, following the path back to the dorm.

After a while, He Xiaohan and the others returned. Zheng Wenxuan’s face was flushed. Liu Xianlin and He Xiaohan looked perfectly normal.

Xuye Cheng’s gaze swept over He Xiaohan, eyes sharp with hostility. He Xiaohan seemed to notice and shot him a puzzled look.

"Brother Cheng, what’s wrong? Still feeling unwell?"

So hypocritical...

Disgust flared in Xuye Cheng.

"Nothing," he replied flatly, turning back to his video.

"Is my precious Cheng okay now?" Zheng Wenxuan asked after washing his face in the bathroom.

"Mm." Xuye Cheng responded, eyes fixed on the screen. He didn’t see the smile on He Xiaohan’s face.

"Speaking of which, it’s a pity you weren’t there. Felt like something was missing," Zheng Wenxuan sighed.

"Sorry," Xuye Cheng said, his tone apologetic.

"It’s fine, it’s fine~" Zheng Wenxuan sat at his desk. "By the way, Lao He, made up with Ji Qingying yet?"

He Xiaohan noticed Xuye Cheng’s hand pause. A glint of cunning flashed in his eyes.

"We broke up," He Xiaohan shrugged nonchalantly. "Just wasn’t interesting anymore."

"Huh?" Liu Xianlin and Zheng Wenxuan exclaimed in unison, utterly confused.

That sentence completely fried their brains.

"But didn’t you say it was just a little quarrel?"

He Xiaohan sighed. "Couldn’t win her back."

Xuye Cheng gritted his teeth, not looking at He Xiaohan’s face. From that indifferent tone, he could picture the annoyingly innocent expression on He Xiaohan’s face.

Fury spread through his heart again.

"Anyway, I didn’t like her either. Better we split. Why cling on?"

Zheng Wenxuan studied He Xiaohan’s face, his expression turning regretful.

"But she’s the department beauty..."

"In my view, there’s no such thing. Only who I like and who I don’t."

Hearing this, Xuye Cheng almost laughed.

After treating someone so poorly, he claimed he didn’t like her.

What a piece of trash.

Xuye Cheng wanted to curse. But with Liu Xianlin and Zheng Wenxuan here, ruining the mood would hurt them. And speaking up would break his promise to Ji Qingying.

He didn’t want to trouble her. Her mind was already chaotic. He’d stay calm.

Zheng Wenxuan knew He Xiaohan’s nature. Feelings should end if there’s no love. He thought He Xiaohan was right.

"Lao He, take care. Hope you find true love soon."

He Xiaohan chuckled. "True love’s everywhere. If I decide someone’s my true love, she is."

Zheng Wenxuan and Liu Xianlin stared, stunned again.

"Lao Han, speak plainly. I don’t get it."

He Xiaohan’s gaze swept over Xuye Cheng’s back. "Find a girl to be my true love. Treat her well. If I believe she’s it, she is."

Liu Xianlin frowned, face scrunching. "Isn’t that just being a simp?"

"Different views," He Xiaohan shrugged helplessly. "Feelings can’t be cut with one knife. Outsiders see clearer."

What He Xiaohan didn’t know was that Xuye Cheng had already turned up his video volume long before this. He blocked out all outside noise to calm himself.

Xuye Cheng stared at the screen, his mind filled with the urge to punch He Xiaohan.

After a moment, he took a deep breath and removed his headphones. Behind him, He Xiaohan sat quietly reading. Xuye Cheng spotted his fallen meal card, picked it up, opened his drawer—and his gaze turned hollow at the sight of the mask inside.