The two weeks of military training came to an end.
On the final day, Su Ci received a message from Shen Xue, celebrating their liberation. Shen Xue also sent a video of Lu Zhe practicing martial arts. The footage was shot from a distance, but it didn't diminish the fact that Lu Zhe looked incredibly handsome.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door of Su Ci's room. She saved the video before going to open the door. It was the housekeeper. "Miss, dinner is ready."
Su Ci glanced at the time. "Why so early today?" It was only a little after five.
The housekeeper replied, "It was Madam's instruction."
Su Ci nodded. "Alright, I understand."
She closed the door and headed downstairs.
Su Ci always dressed elegantly, even at home. Today, she wore a delicate light pink dress made of soft, skin-friendly fabric. The hem of the dress reached just above her knees, revealing her fair, straight legs. She stepped down the stairs at a leisurely pace, her soft-soled slippers matching the color of her dress.
Around her slender ankle, a clumsy little rabbit charm swayed with every step she took.
Ji Chi, who was sitting on the sofa, casually glanced at her. He quickly looked away, not daring to linger.
"Ci Ci, it's time to eat," Su's Mother called out, instructing the staff to bring the dishes to the table.
Su Ci walked over to her mother. Not seeing Su's Father or Su ZhiYuan, she asked, "Is Dad and Big Brother not back yet?"
Su's Mother explained, "Not yet. They have some business to attend to and will be back later. Ji Chi is moving into the school dormitory tonight, so I had the dinner prepared early to avoid delaying him. It wouldn't be good for him to arrive at the dorm late and have to unpack."
"Moving tonight?" Su Ci looked surprised as she turned to Ji Chi.
Ji Chi had already taken a shower. His black hair was still damp, slightly messy over his forehead. His sharp, cold features gave off a sense of aloofness.
Noticing the girl's gaze, he met her eyes calmly. "Yes, classes start tomorrow. It's better to move tonight."
His wounds had fully healed, and it was no longer appropriate for him to stay at the Su family's home.
Su's Mother asked Ji Chi, "Have you packed your things already, Xiao Chi?"
Ji Chi nodded. "Yes, I have."
Su's Mother continued, "After dinner, I'll have the driver take you to the school. It's not convenient for you to carry so many things."
This time, Ji Chi didn't refuse Su's Mother's offer. "Thank you, Aunt Su."
After dinner, Ji Chi brought down his luggage. When he had arrived, he had only brought a black backpack. Now, as he left, he still carried only that same black backpack.
Seeing how little luggage Ji Chi had, Su's Mother couldn't help but say, "Xiao Chi, I heard that dormitories require bedding, mattresses, and other daily necessities. Aren't you taking those?"
"Aunt Su, I can buy those at the school."
"You're too polite, child. We have all of that here. There's no need to buy them at the school," Su's Mother instructed the staff to prepare a new set of bedding, mattress, and other essentials for Ji Chi.
Ji Chi stood still, waiting. "Thank you for the trouble."
Little Su Ning was sitting on the sofa. He suddenly realized that Ji Chi going to school was different from him going to school. Ji Chi would be living in the dormitory and wouldn't be staying at their home anymore. He wouldn't be able to see Ji Chi.
"Chicken Wing Brother, are you leaving?" Little Su Ning asked in a sweet, childish voice.
"Yes, I have to go to school," Ji Chi replied. On days when he wasn't working, Little Su Ning and Xiao Tiancai would often ask Ji Chi to play with them. They both adored this cold yet gentle older brother.
"Chicken Wing Brother, will you come back to play?" Little Su Ning looked up at him, his big, round eyes shining brightly.
Ji Chi's gaze fell on Su Ci, who was sitting next to Little Su Ning. She too was looking at him with her dark, glistening eyes.
Seeing the two siblings' bright, watery eyes, Ji Chi's heart softened. A faint smile appeared on his usually stern face. "Yes, I will."
Su's Mother added, "Xiao Chi, come over for meals whenever you have time during the holidays."
She knew that Ji Chi was a quiet and reserved young man. If she didn't remind him, he might worry about being a burden and never visit the Su family again.
Ji Chi agreed, "Aunt Su, I understand."
The housekeeper, following Su's Mother's instructions, packed the bedding and other essentials for Ji Chi and loaded them into the car.
Ji Chi, carrying the same black backpack he had arrived with, got into the car as well.
As the car drove away from the Su family's home, Ji Chi looked out the window. His hand reached into his pocket and touched the little rabbit clip.
His gaze darkened, and he let out a self-deprecating smile.
The next day, classes officially began.
Su Ci lazily dragged herself out of bed. She picked out a beautiful dress to wear.
During this period of time, being pampered at home had made Su Ci even more fair and delicate. As she walked to school, she naturally became the focal point of attention.
When she arrived at the classroom, Shen Xue and Wen Duoyu were already there. Shen Xue's home was not in B City, and Wen Duoyu's home was far from the school. She planned to go home only on weekends, so both of them were staying in the school dormitory.
Shen Xue waved at Su Ci. "Su Ci, over here."
Wen Duoyu quickly stood up to let Su Ci sit inside.
Seeing Su Ci sit down, Wen Duoyu shyly asked, "Have you had breakfast? I have an extra one here."
Su Ci shook her head. "I've already eaten, thank you."
Hearing Su Ci say "thank you," Wen Duoyu was overjoyed, her eyes crinkling into a smile. She had a small tiger tooth on one side, and her face was filled with shyness.
The goddess looked so beautiful today.
Thinking about how she would be able to attend classes with Su Ci and even sit next to her, Wen Duoyu felt incredibly happy.
On the other side, Shen Xue looked at the exquisite and fair Su Ci and almost cried. "Woo, Su Ci, sitting next to you makes me look even darker."
She had been exposed to the sun for half a month.
Originally, she was also a fair and delicate girl, but the intense sunlight had darkened her skin several shades, despite her efforts with sunscreen.
Su Ci's skin was naturally fair, and now, sitting among a group of people who had been tanned, she stood out like a beacon, drawing everyone's eyes.
Shen Xue extended her arm to compare it with Su Ci's.
She almost cried again.
Although her skin had never been as fair as Su Ci's, the difference was now glaringly obvious—one pale, one tanned. Shen Xue sighed. "I wonder when I'll be able to get my fair skin back."
Su Ci loved her snow-white, delicate skin the most. She knew that even Lu Zhe liked it. Sometimes, when he held her, he would gently caress her arm with his slightly calloused fingertips.
She was glad that her delicate constitution had saved her from the situation.
Su Ci sympathized with Shen Xue. "Winter is coming soon. You'll have several months to recover."
Shen Xue leaned closer to Su Ci's face, full of admiration. She noticed that Su Ci wasn't wearing any makeup—it was pure, flawless skin. Not only was it fair, but it was also smooth, with no visible pores, as if it could be broken by a single touch. "Su Ci, how do you take care of your skin?"
Shen Xue thought her own skin was good, but now, seeing Su Ci up close, she realized there was no comparison.
Su Ci raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I was born this way."
Shen Xue: ......
"You probably haven't checked our school's forum, have you?" Shen Xue changed the subject. "Someone leaked that Lu Zhe has ALS, and there are a lot of posts about him on the forum. Many people at school are talking about him."
Lu Zhe's outstanding looks and impressive performance during the military training had attracted a lot of attention. Now, with the revelation of his ALS, even more people were talking about him.
"There are posts about Lu Zhe?" Su Ci frowned.
"The forum is anonymous," Shen Xue explained, taking out her phone and showing Su Ci the forum page. "We log in with our real names, but when posting, we're anonymous."
Su Ci saw several posts about Lu Zhe on the forum. The titles of the posts not only mocked him but also deliberately incited others to discriminate against him.
"The same person posted all of these," Su Ci handed the phone back to Shen Xue.
Shen Xue quickly checked the posts. "Huh? How do you know? The anonymous names are different for each post."
Su Ci, who had been in the entertainment industry, had seen all kinds of tactics used by trolls. She wasn't fooled by the simple trick of changing usernames. "The language and the way they're stirring up controversy are the same."
Someone was targeting Lu Zhe?
Su Ci's eyes darkened. She immediately took out her phone and sent a message to her older brother, Su ZhiYuan.
"Are you going to report the thread owner?" Shen Xue asked Su Ci, "I can help you apply to have the post deleted."
Su Ci shook her head, "No need, just leave it."
She was protective of her own, only she could bully Lu Zhe, no one else could.
On the other side, the class monitor was having people come forward to collect new textbooks.
Yang Shujing collected her own book and also helped herself to an extra copy. She took the new book and walked over to Lu Zhe's seat, smiling, "You don't need to go collect it yourself; I've already got one for you."
Lu Zhe instinctively frowned.
"You don't need to be polite, I've researched online, ALS patients' limbs will be affected, your feet are not convenient for walking," Yang Shujing said softly, "We are classmates, helping each other is only natural."
Lu Zhe stood up, returning the textbook to her, his voice cold, "My feet are fine, I don't need help."
He strode to the front of the classroom, collecting the books himself.
Yang Shujing's expression was a mix of helplessness and tolerance. She handed the extra new book to another male classmate, "Classmate, I have an extra new book here."
The boy was flattered.
Yang Shujing smiled at the boy, then walked to the seat above and to the left of Lu Zhe's.
She knew that someone like Lu Zhe, suffering from a terminal illness, would harbor feelings of inferiority, afraid to let others get close, using coldness to mask himself.
She had already figured out this type of boy, the more insecure, the colder they were, the deeper they yearned for salvation.
Yang Shujing felt even more eager to make Lu Zhe like her.
She took out her phone, logging into the school forum.
Yang Shujing didn't bother Lu Zhe again the entire morning, until school ended, she saw Lu Zhe packing up to leave, she quickly stood up.
Seeing the girl blocking his way, Lu Zhe frowned, his voice cold, "Is there something?"
He hadn't paid much attention before, but after a few encounters, Lu Zhe realized the girl was using excuses to get close to him, he remembered what Su Ci had said that day in the private room.
Not to have too much contact with the girls in the class.
Yang Shujing looked at Lu Zhe's cold expression, not feeling disheartened, she was prepared for Lu Zhe being difficult to win over.
She knew better than anyone that it wouldn't be easy to get someone in the abyss, in darkness, to open their heart to her.
Yang Shujing's skin was tanned, but her eyebrows were gentle, her smile soft, making people feel comfortable.
She spoke softly to Lu Zhe, "I called my dad yesterday, got the contact of a doctor who treats ALS, luckily, that doctor is also in City B, I had my dad make a call, the uncle agreed to let me take you to see him."
Lu Zhe directly refused, "No need."
Yang Shujing looked at Lu Zhe with patience and understanding, "I really want to help you, I've had sick friends before, I understand how you feel."
Her gaze was warm as she looked at him, "If there's even a little hope, you shouldn't give up treatment, this uncle has some experience with treating ALS, even if it can't be cured, maybe it can help delay the illness."
Lu Zhe's expression was cold, he said coldly, "My affairs have nothing to do with you, you're meddling too much."
Yang Shujing was stunned, her gaze at Lu Zhe darkened, a bit wronged, "I'm sorry, I really want to help you, others look at you with biased eyes, but I'm different."
"How are you different?" A girl's pleasant voice came from the doorway.
Lu Zhe looked over, his cold eyebrows softening instantly.
Yang Shujing was astonished to see an extremely exquisite and beautiful girl walk in, she was so beautiful it was as if she was glowing.
Su Ci walked to Lu Zhe's side, her little eyes looking at him resentfully, "I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Didn't expect him to be chatting with another girl here?
Lu Zhe patted her head, "Sorry, something came up and I was delayed."
Yang Shujing wasn't stupid, seeing Lu Zhe's gentle actions and soft tone with the girl, how could she not realize the girl was his girlfriend?
She was stunned by the girl's beauty, her thoughts a bit chaotic.
Before, when Lu Zhe mentioned his girlfriend, she had instinctively thought of a plain or ordinary-looking girl.
After all, given Lu Zhe's situation, a girl with looks or capital wouldn't waste time on him.
Yang Shujing knew that her appearance wasn't extraordinarily beautiful, but she excelled in her gentle temperament, obedient personality, and soothing voice, making her the ideal first love for many boys.
So, even knowing Lu Zhe had a girlfriend, she didn't take it seriously.
She was very confident.
As long as she worked hard to move Lu Zhe, she could definitely enter his dark world, become the light that illuminated him.
But seeing Lu Zhe's suddenly appearing girlfriend, it was completely different from her imagined image.
The girl's skin was as white as snow, wearing a delicate mist-blue dress, her black eyes gazing at her emotionlessly. For no apparent reason, Yang Shujing first felt a sense of timidity, even embarrassment.
She found that compared to the girl, she was highlighted like an ugly duckling.
Su Ci was already quite displeased with this girl, and now seeing her blocking Lu Zhe in person, her displeasure increased even more. "You said you were delayed, was it because of her?"
Lu Zhe felt that Su Ci was like a little bunny about to get angry, so he soothed her, "Yes, she blocked me, I had no intention of talking to her."
Yang Shujing couldn't believe her eyes, "Classmate Lu?"
Su Ci's stern little face from the previous moment broke into a smile, "I'm hungry."
Lu Zhe held her little hand, "I'll take you to eat."
Su Ci nodded, then looked at Yang Shujing, "Put away your flowery words and hidden agendas. Lu Zhe is my boyfriend, and I know his condition better than you do."
After saying that, Su Ci turned to look at the boy beside her, warning, "If you find such an ugly mistress, give me a green hat to wear, I'll..."
Before Su Ci could finish, Lu Zhe's big hand covered her mouth.
Lu Zhe's tone was helpless yet indulgent, "Don't talk nonsense, I don't even know her name, I only like you."
Su Ci's mouth was covered, she blinked her eyes, full of a triumphant expression.
Yang Shujing felt that this was the first time she had ever been so embarrassed and humiliated.
Su Ci didn't care about the other's feelings; she glanced at the other's wrist, noticing that her life value was a thin red line, with only two days remaining.
A dying person.
Hmph, don't want to save.
