Chapter 2

The honking on the street grew louder, thunder rumbling in the distance. Rain slanted sideways with the wind, a few droplets slipping right into Gu An’an’s mouth. She spat them out immediately, the faint taste of rainwater unpleasant but tolerable.
Her phone read 6:30 p.m., rush hour.
In the middle of the street sat a girl, pretty, delicate, and completely drenched, her wide eyes filled with panic, like a stray kitten that had just lost its mother. She wasn’t moving at all, blocking the entire road. Flashlights from nearby phones flickered across her pale face, making her look even more pitiful.
Gu An’an leaned on her umbrella, watching the scene with open curiosity. What’s Su Ruan waiting for? she wondered. A prince to come lift her into his car?
It wasn’t that she was heartless, she’d just read enough “CEO romance” novels to know that even if everyone else died, the heroine would somehow survive untouched. Sure, the accident looked bad, but Su Ruan probably didn’t even have a scratch.
And as it turned out, Gu An’an was right. Su Ruan wasn’t hurt. The car had startled her, her knees had given out, and she’d sat there for ten minutes, dazed. But now that she’d caused such a mess, it’d look bad if she just stood up as if nothing happened.
She kept glancing nervously at the luxury Bentley in front of her, obviously waiting for the driver to come help her up. But the Bentley’s owner was colder than the rain.
Only the driver’s assistant stepped out, handed her a business card, and left. No one offered a hand, no comforting words, nothing.
Su Ruan clutched the card awkwardly, unsure what to do next.
Rain poured down. Impatient drivers finally got out of their cars, shouting when they saw her sitting stubbornly in the middle of the road like a traffic cone come to life.
Office workers trapped in rush-hour traffic were a species best not provoked. Heroine or not, no one was safe from their wrath.
Gu An’an inched forward, eager for a closer look.
Amid all the panicked, angry faces, hers stood out like a neon sign, amused, entertained, and unmistakably delighted by the chaos. The downpour couldn’t dim her mischievous sparkle; she might as well have had “NPC: Enjoying the Drama” flashing above her head.
Then, suddenly, a sharp, icy gaze swept toward her.
Gu An’an froze. She glanced left and right, no one was looking directly at her. Weird... maybe I imagined it.
The traffic police were at their wits’ end. Su Ruan looked so fragile that no one dared to touch her too roughly, and after half an hour, they’d made no progress.
Then, amidst the confusion, Su Ruan’s tearful gaze landed directly on Gu An’an.
Their eyes met.
Before Gu An’an could even change her expression, she suddenly felt dozens of accusing stares turning toward her. Her scalp tingled as she watched, dumbfounded, when something strange began to shimmer above Su Ruan’s head, like a black bubble, swelling and twisting until it shaped itself into... a heart.
A black, slimy, floating heart.
What the, Is that a heart-shaped slime?!
Right in the center of it, glowing faintly red: –100.
Gu An’an blinked hard. What... what’s that supposed to mean? A heart monitor? Temperature gauge? Negative one hundred degrees of what, exactly?
No one else had one. Only Su Ruan.
Weird. Some kind of “heroine halo” special effect?
Before she could figure it out, a tall man hurried over. “Excuse me, are you Gu An’an from Jing City Media University?”
She blinked. “...Yeah?”
“Thank goodness!” He looked almost relieved. “Your classmate twisted her ankle, could you help her up?”
Gu An’an stared at him blankly. What gave Su Ruan the confidence to think I’d help her after that orientation-night incident? She considered pretending not to see anything... but with everyone staring, the car headlights now trained on her like spotlights, it’d look worse if she didn’t move.
So, wearing a tight, forced smile, she trudged through the rain and, under the astonished eyes of policemen and drivers alike, grabbed Su Ruan by the arm and lifted her clean off the ground with one hand.
The entire street went dead silent.
Even the traffic cops’ eyes nearly popped out. Did that girl just... pick her up? With one hand?!
Su Ruan, startled, forgot to act injured. Her legs instinctively kicked in the air, landing perfectly on her feet.
“See?” Gu An’an drawled. “Not lame after all. So what exactly kept you sitting for thirty minutes?”
Su Ruan’s face flushed pink and white by turns. “I, I just got scared... my legs gave out...”
Her explanation only made things worse. The cops looked even more annoyed now that they realized the massive traffic jam had been caused by nerves, not injury. Still, seeing her about to cry, they sighed and waved her off. “Fine, just go home. Don’t stand in the middle of the street next time.”
“I didn’t mean to...” Su Ruan’s voice trembled as tears spilled down her cheeks.
Gu An’an tugged at her arm, impatient to leave, while the cops moved on. Su Ruan, feeling wronged, cast her one last wounded look before running off dramatically, like a tragic heroine storming away from a cheating lover in a soap opera.
Gu An’an just stared. What the hell did I do now?
The Bentley engine started up. The car drove past her, the earlier heavy gaze disappearing with it. She scratched her head, uneasy. Who was that guy? Why did it feel like he was glaring holes through me?
She shook it off. None of her business anyway.
By the time she got home, it was dark. She was soaked to the bone, shivering. No way she was checking part-time job listings tonight. All she wanted was a hot shower, except halfway through shampooing, the hot water ran out.
“Perfect,” she muttered. It wasn’t freezing outside, but cold water in June still felt like punishment.
She finished as fast as she could, pulled on a thin camisole, and started looking for her hair dryer when the doorbell went off.
Ding-dong. Ding-dong.
Followed by loud, impatient pounding, like someone trying to break the door down.
“What the hell, ” Gu An’an grumbled, stomping to the door, hair dripping.
The moment she opened it, a fist the size of her face almost hit her. The guy stopped just in time.
“Are you insane?!” she snapped.
Standing in the doorway was a tall guy, maybe 1.85 meters, sharp features, lean build, wearing a varsity jacket and expensive sneakers. Even angry, his peach-blossom eyes practically glowed.
Lu Xingyu.
He froze, momentarily thrown off by her aggression.
And, of course, there was a floating blue slime hovering above his head, the number 32 blinking in the center.
When he recovered, his brows furrowed. “Gu An’an!”
She raised an eyebrow. “What are you yelling for, calling your dad or something?”
Her hair was still wet, sticking to her pale shoulders, a few strands clinging to her collarbones. The sight seemed to throw him off, he took a quick step back, face turning slightly red. “Gu An’an, don’t you have any shame?”
She crossed her arms, deadpan. “Got something to say or not?”
He straightened, trying to regain composure. “I’m here to warn you. Don’t think my grandfather’s gratitude means you can do whatever you want. You’ve gone too far this time, bullying someone like that? It’s disgusting.”
“Oh.” Flat, cold, completely unimpressed.
Lu Xingyu faltered for a second, then continued, “You need to apologize to Su Ruan. Publicly.”
“For what? I just poked a tiny hole in her dress.”
“You ripped it in front of everyone!”
“It ripped itself,” she said dryly. “Poor-quality fabric. Not my problem.”
He glared. “Don’t twist the facts! The surveillance footage shows you touching it.”
“So if I’m in the video, it must be my fault? Did Su Ruan not touch it too?”
“You’re implying she did it to herself?” His voice sharpened. “You think she’d humiliate herself just to frame you?”
Gu An’an rolled her eyes. “Did I say that?”
He looked at her like she was beyond saving. “Unbelievable. I thought you still had some decency left, but I was wrong. You’re hopeless! What do I have to do for you to understand that I don’t like you? Stop doing these childish things, it just makes me hate you more!”
Something twisted in her chest.
Not her emotion, the original Gu An’an’s. That girl had truly loved him.
She took a shaky breath, forcing herself calm, then looked up at him. Her eyes shimmered faintly under the dim light.
Lu Xingyu’s scowl faltered for a second before he turned his head away, frowning.
Finally, she said softly, “You’re right.”
He blinked. “...What?”
“I’ve been stupid. Chasing after you all this time...it really was pointless.” She smiled faintly. “Don’t worry. I won’t like you anymore.”
For once, he didn’t know what to say.
He’d known her for years, since she first came to the Xie family home. She’d always been warm and clingy, following him around like a little puppy.
Now, she sounded so calm it unsettled him.
“I’ve apologized,” she said coolly. “You can leave.”
He hesitated, blocking the door. “You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t believe you. You’ve said that before. Within three days, you’ll be back to pining again.”
She smirked. “If I do, I’m a dog.”
Lu Xingyu stared at her, jaw tightening. “Fine. If I see you within ten meters of me again, you’re out of Jing City Media University.”
“Deal.”
He glared, muttered something under his breath, and stormed off.
As he disappeared down the hallway, Gu An’an noticed his little blue slime flicker. The number in the center dropped from 32 to 27.
She froze.
Wait a second... that thing... could it be favorability?