My stomach aches.

The others were all well aware of Li Ruoying’s temperament. Unless she truly wanted to thank someone from the bottom of her heart, she was the sort of person who wouldn’t say “sorry” or “thank you” even with a knife at her throat. When Xu Ting heard Li Ruoying say thank you, she was completely stunned. What was going on? She couldn’t recover for a long moment before finally exclaiming, “Li Ruoying, have you no spine? Thanking Mu Qingxi—has your brain been frozen or squeezed by a door?”

The sound of Wang Feiyan’s voice made Li Ruoying bristle with anger. On top of that, she really had been chilled to the bone that day, which only worsened her mood. Facing Xu Ting’s direction, she spat fiercely on the ground and cursed, “It’s your brain that’s been frozen and squeezed by a door. I’ll say whatever I want—what business is it of yours?”

Watching Li Ruoying’s awkward display, Mu Qingxi couldn’t help but laugh quietly. At that moment, witnessing Li Ruoying’s complete lack of composure, especially when she spit on the ground, Mu Qingxi was momentarily at a loss for words.

She deliberately coughed and explained, “Ahem, didn’t you hear? Li Ruoying only came to thank me because her uncle told her to—not of her own will—so let’s not jump to conclusions.”

In truth, it wasn’t just Mu Qingxi who was thunderstruck by Li Ruoying’s behavior—so were Bai Fanhao and Xi Haifei, who knew her well. Xu Ting was a prime example. The two of them had been close for so long; how could she not know Li Ruoying’s temper? Yet even Xu Ting was shocked by today’s “thank you.”

The bell signaling the start of class cut through everything. Everyone glanced at each other, said nothing, and entered the classroom.

Mu Qingxi gazed at Qin Yu’s empty seat and sighed. Her thoughts drifted—Qin Yu had only just decided to apply to the University of Media, yet Xu Dong was already giving up. She never expected that the person she had the highest hopes for, the one she envied most, would be in this situation.

Suddenly, Mu Qingxi stood up so abruptly that her books tumbled from the desk to the floor. Her classmates’ eyes immediately turned toward her. Mu Qingxi’s eyelid twitched—she thought, “I’m done for!”

She looked toward their homeroom teacher on the platform and forced a couple of awkward laughs. “Mr. Kong, I’m sorry. My stomach hurts so much I got a bit carried away.”

Clutching her stomach and bending over as if in great pain, she continued, “Oh, Mr. Kong, I must have eaten something bad. May I be excused?”

“Cough, cough, hurry up and go. It might be app-end-ic-itis!” Mr. Kong’s words were full of concern, but he emphasized “appendicitis” so heavily that it was clear he’d seen right through her.

With no choice, Mu Qingxi put on a brave face and left the classroom. She felt that if she stayed any longer, Mr. Kong would surely say, “Mu Qingxi, why are you still standing there? If it doesn’t hurt, keep attending class.” The thought made her even more frustrated. If she really stayed, Mr. Kong would be convinced she was lying and disrupting his class.

She bent down to pick up her books, tossed them carelessly onto her desk, and left the rest of the mess behind.

Once she was a good distance from the classroom door, Mu Qingxi took a deep breath and said, “That was close. I’d better go find Wei Yu and discuss this University of Media business.”

“Mumu.” Qin Yu’s voice sounded from nearby. Mu Qingxi looked up to see Qin Yu and Guo Chen approaching. Qin Yu continued, “Mumu, why are you standing here instead of in class?”

“Heh, I was kicked out by Master Kong for coming to find you,” Mu Qingxi joked.

“Ah, really? Mumu, I’m sorry, it’s my fault…” Qin Yu apologized hurriedly.

Mu Qingxi rolled her eyes, patted Qin Yu on the shoulder, and said, “It’s fine, really. I was just kidding. It’s a long story, so let’s talk about it another time. For now, let’s discuss something else.”

Qin Yu glanced questioningly at Guo Chen, and Guo Chen looked back at Qin Yu. Watching their interaction, Mu Qingxi instantly understood—things were progressing quite smoothly between them!