“Thank you, A-Mo.” Mu Fu’s eyes sparkled, her gratitude truly sincere.
Yu Mo accepted her thanks easily; it felt completely deserved.
After everything that had just happened, neither of them could really focus on work.
Mu Fu blinked, her voice soft and familiar. “A-Mo, why don’t we go out for a bit? We can get you some new clothes. You’re the one wearing them, after all—it only makes sense you come.”
“Mm, later?” Yu Mo paused, thinking about his day. His only real task was to write three thousand words. He even had some saved up. If he didn’t write today, he could just catch up tomorrow.
Mu Fu nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, let’s head out later. And we can grab dinner while we’re out.”
“Alright.”
Yu Mo got ready quickly. By the time he was dressed, Mu Fu still hadn’t come out. Instead of waiting downstairs, he just stood right outside the women’s dorm door. He was hard to miss—a tall guy just standing there—so it didn’t take long for someone to spot him.
“Yu Mo, are you waiting for someone? Want me to call them for you?” Xia Sihan had just come upstairs and noticed Yu Mo clearly waiting. Her eyes glimmered a bit as a warm, pleasant smile spread across her face.
“No need.”
This time, Xia Sihan didn’t leave, even after his usual cold response.
“Who are you waiting for? Are you heading out?” she asked again, pretending not to notice Yu Mo’s furrowed brow.
She was starting to get annoyed. Why weren’t her usual tricks working here? First Xu Kangning, and now Yu Mo too.
“Yeah,” Yu Mo said simply, giving her nothing more.
He found Xia Sihan incredibly tactless. He’d made it perfectly clear he didn’t want to talk, yet she kept pushing. So why should he bother being polite?
Even as Xia Sihan put on her best wounded expression, Yu Mo just leaned against the wall, arms crossed, showing not the slightest intention of comforting her. He wasn’t the type to pity pretty faces.
Still, when Mu Fu came out and saw the scene, she might get the wrong idea. That thought annoyed him. With a hint of impatience in his voice, he finally said, “Did you need something?”
Xia Sihan forced a smile, but her red-rimmed eyes gave her away—she was clearly upset. If one of her admirers had seen her like this, they’d probably rush to comfort her and hunt down whoever had upset their “goddess.”
Unfortunately, she had run into someone with a heart as cold as stone—Yu Mo.
Yu Mo stared straight at her, his gaze deep and unreadable, but unmistakably icy.
“If you’re not doing anything, don’t stand in my way. I’m trying to enjoy the view.”
From this hallway, you could clearly see the scenery outside the villa. What he said wasn’t unreasonable, but to others, it sounded unnecessarily harsh and callous.
Xia Sihan had been trying to find an excuse to keep talking, but now, there was no need.
Tears suddenly spilled down her cheeks. She looked at Yu Mo with tearful eyes, then turned and fled back to her room, slamming the door shut with a loud bang—loud enough for people downstairs to hear.
Moments later, Xu Kangning came up the stairs and saw Yu Mo standing alone outside the women’s dorm door.
He glanced at Yu Mo’s unreadable face, then asked, “What are you doing here? What just happened?”
“Nothing.”
Xu Kangning didn’t believe that for a second. “Who are you waiting for?” His eyes narrowed as he stared at Yu Mo.
“None of your business,” Yu Mo replied, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
Xu Kangning’s temper flared instantly. He was never one for patience—if he were, he wouldn’t have done something as selfish and outrageous as lying about his feelings three years ago.
“What’s with the attitude? You think you’re better than everyone else?”
He had had enough of Yu Mo’s cold demeanor. Add to that Mu Fu’s special treatment of him, and all the old and new resentments surged up at once.
“You’re overthinking it,” Yu Mo said calmly.
He didn’t say much, but the quiet mockery in his eyes made Xu Kangning’s blood boil.
Just as Xu Kangning was about to lunge at him, Mu Fu came out of her room.
The moment she saw the tense atmosphere between the two men, her heart skipped a beat. If she’d come out even a minute later, the two of them might have been throwing punches.
She looked at Yu Mo and asked in a soft voice, “What happened between you two?”
Mu Fu instinctively stood on Yu Mo’s side. Knowing him, he’d never be the one to pick a fight. That only left Xu Kangning as the likely instigator.
Mu Fu had heard the loud slam of a door just moments earlier. Could that have had something to do with these two?
Suspicion flickered in her eyes as she glanced from Yu Mo to Xu Kangning.
“What’s with that look, Mu Fu?”
The second she stepped out and sided with Yu Mo, especially when she stared at him like he was the bad guy, Xu Kangning’s temper flared even hotter.
“N-no, it’s nothing,” Mu Fu said with an awkward smile. She hadn’t realized how obvious her expression had been—so clear that Xu Kangning caught it instantly.
Yu Mo took her by the wrist. “There’s nothing going on between me and him,” he said quietly. “I don’t know what kind of tantrum he’s throwing, but he suddenly came over and started yelling at me.”
His voice carried a trace of grievance, as though he were the victim here.
“You—Yu Mo, you’re the crazy one!” Xu Kangning shot back.
The moment Mu Fu turned her back, Yu Mo’s eyes sharpened with a chill that seemed to cut through the air. Xu Kangning suddenly froze under the weight of his stare, like he was being watched by a predator. The words caught in his throat, unable to come out.
“Xu Kangning, could you stop acting like a child?” Mu Fu finally said, her brows furrowed. “You’re not a kid anymore. Can’t you learn to manage your temper? This isn’t your house—what makes you think people here have to put up with your moods?”
She had wanted to say those words for a long time but never found the right moment. Now, they spilled out all at once.
Xu Kangning’s lips pressed into a hard line, his expression a tangled mix of embarrassment and frustration. He hadn’t expected Mu Fu to see him like this.
“So this is how you see me?” he asked quietly.
Mu Fu looked at him. “Isn’t it true?”
Back in high school, he’d been the classic spoiled rich kid—always slacking off, doing nothing productive. If it hadn’t been for that face of his, would she even have clicked on his profile?
Later, despite her resistance, he showed up in a flashy car with expensive gifts, aggressively pursuing her. No matter how many times she told him it wasn’t necessary, he did whatever he wanted, making her the subject of gossip and whispers.
When they joined the show, she thought he had matured. But it didn’t take long for his old self to show through. He hadn’t changed a bit.
Xu Kangning’s expression shifted. Then he looked away with a bitter smile. “Yeah… I guess I am that kind of person. I saw you hanging around someone shady and thought I should warn you—make sure you didn’t get hurt. But in your eyes, I’m just worthless.”
Mu Fu’s face was unreadable, but inside, she felt nothing but cold detachment. When he lied to her and hurt her feelings back then, where was all this self-awareness? And now he wanted to make up for it and pretend like nothing ever happened?
Dream on. She was going to make sure he felt that regret—right down to his bones.
Mu Fu opened her mouth, about to say something, when Yu Mo gently tugged on her wrist.
“A-Fu, it’s getting late. I booked a restaurant for us—if we don’t leave now, we’ll be late.”
“Oh—right, I almost forgot,” she said quickly. “Let’s go.”
In moments, the hallway was empty, except for Xu Kangning.
“A-Fu… huh. How sweet,” he muttered bitterly.
Yu Mo had been holding her wrist the whole time, and Mu Fu hadn’t made a single move to shake him off. If she had shown even the slightest discomfort, he would’ve stepped in without hesitation.
But she didn’t. She didn’t mind Yu Mo holding her hand at all.
When had they gotten so close? Just yesterday, there had still been a distance between them.
“…Was it this morning?” Xu Kangning murmured to himself.
He thought it over, and that was the only window of time—after he had left—that something could’ve happened between them.
Xu Kangning lowered his gaze. Even if he hadn’t left, judging by how Mu Fu treated him, he wouldn’t have changed a thing.
After standing there a moment longer, he finally turned and walked away.
Mu Fu… I regret it.
But no one would ever know what it was he regretted.
Back in her room, Xia Sihan dropped the act completely. With no one around, there was no need to keep pretending. Still, she sat by the bed, sniffling quietly, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with tissues—eyes that barely had any tears to begin with. Under the repeated friction of the tissues, her eyes grew redder and more swollen, making her look heartbreakingly pitiful.
Anyone who saw her now would probably feel a twinge of sympathy.
But despite waiting, no one came to comfort her. Instead, voices rang out loudly from the hallway outside.
She paused her sobs, creeping to the door to eavesdrop. After catching the entire exchange, Xia Sihan quietly stepped into the bathroom.
She gently stroked her own face in the mirror. Her expression now was the very picture of delicate vulnerability—enough to stir both a man’s basest desires and his protective instincts.
And yet… it hadn’t worked.
She smiled softly, lips curving into a perfectly tender and obedient expression.
The two men she cared about most were somehow both drawn to Mu Fu—a girl who, while super pretty, was cold, quiet, and not very likable. Xia Sihan had always figured her biggest rival would be Wu Qingyi. But now, it seemed even she could be wrong.
“Mu Fu… You are really good at hiding, aren’t you?”
……
Coming back from her shopping trip, Feng Ningran walked into a surprisingly quiet villa. She blinked.
“Huh? Weren’t there a bunch of people who stayed in today? Where is everyone?”
She had brought back a ton of groceries, planning to show off her cooking skills a little. Back at school, she’d secretly practiced at a friend’s house just for a moment like this.
“Seriously? Not a single soul here?” She pouted as she checked the kitchen and the gym. “Then what’s the point of cooking?”
But then she paused—maybe everyone had just gone upstairs?
Heading to the second floor, she knocked on Xu Kangning’s door. She was sure he’d still been home when she left around nine in the morning.
“Kangning? Are you in there?” she called gently.
No response.
Unwilling to give up, she knocked again. After a moment, she finally heard slow footsteps from inside.
Straightening her clothes and making sure she looked perfect, she flashed a dazzling smile just as the door opened.
“Kangning, have you eaten yet? I brought some dessert. Want a bite?” she said sweetly, handing over a small cake. She had brought it just in case—just one portion, just for him. As for the others? She didn’t bother. Let them fend for themselves.
“Thanks, but no. I’m not hungry.”
Xu Kangning gave her a strained smile.
At that moment, he didn’t want food.
And he definitely didn’t want company.
Axolotl Translations 
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