Chu Xubai: "Thank you for trusting me earlier."
He was referring to the moment when he had shouted, "Run," and Qiao Liuyue had obediently followed the elderly man as he fled.
Qiao Liuyue: "You're the president, and also the organizer of this event. I trust your experience."
Chu Xubai smiled.
He spoke up:
"Although this is our first time at this nursing home, I looked into their records beforehand."
"Professor Zhang, the one who wandered off, was a well-known professor in his younger days—dedicated to teaching. But one year, his daughter went missing during a volunteer teaching trip and was never heard from again."
"Back then, technology wasn't advanced, and the surveillance cameras along the roads were incomplete. Everyone guessed she might have been trafficked by human traffickers on the train for her teaching mission."
"Since then, Professor Zhang has always been haunted by guilt, believing that it was his idea to send her for volunteer teaching that led to this incident, and he's been consumed by regret and self-blame."
Qiao Liuyue nodded thoughtfully.
"So even though he has Alzheimer's and forgets many details, he still keeps a close eye on his 'daughter,' afraid that 'human traffickers' might take her away again?"
Chu Xubai: "Exactly."
Qiao Liuyue praised him: "Class Monitor, you're really observant."
Chu Xubai's lips curved slightly, like ice melting in the sun.
"And you played your part perfectly too, Liuyue. Great teamwork."
They exchanged another knowing smile.
Back at the nursing home, the performance team had already finished their tasks.
One of the girls, named Chen Xue, saw them return together and, nudged by her best friend, nervously walked up to Chu Xubai.
She asked softly, "President, um... I sent you a friend request through the group chat. Could you approve it?"
Chu Xubai's tone was calm.
"Is there something you need?"
Chen Xue stammered, "Y-Yes, there is! Actually, no... I just wanted—"
From behind, her best friend, frustrated by her hesitation, interrupted, "President, just add her as a friend! Chen Xue really admires you."
"If there's no important matter, communicating through the group chat should be fine." Chu Xubai nodded politely.
His demeanor remained gentle but carried a faint sense of distance.
Under the gaze of the crowd, Chen Xue felt embarrassed and flustered. Seeing that her crush wasn't willing to accept her friend request, she could only mutter, "O-Okay then."
After she said that, a ripple of disappointed murmurs spread through the onlookers.
They had thought Chen Xue would succeed, but she too failed to win over this untouchable flower.
A few people huddled together, discussing quietly:
"What kind of girl do you think President Chu likes?"
"No idea. That cold, glamorous department head failed, and now even our sweet, cute Chen Xue failed, and they're both really pretty. Does he prefer someone plain?"
"Ha, hard to say. Haven't you noticed Qiao Liuyue hasn't been assigned to any group and just sticks to the president like a shadow?"
"No way? The president's taste is that quirky?"
Their voices weren't very loud, but in the quiet indoor space, they were still clearly audible.
Qiao Liuyue heard them, of course.
She was about to step forward when someone else moved first, walking straight up to them.
It was Chu Xubai.
The smile behind his glasses was still gentle, but his tone when he spoke was sharp.
"Did you come here to do volunteer work or to gossip?"
"If you have that much free time, why don't you help the cleaning team? They're short-staffed."
"Oh, by the way, the nursing home director just said the restrooms need cleaning. Would you mind taking that on?"
The few people exchanged looks, all left speechless.
One troublemaker retorted, "President, we're on the performance team! We've finished our tasks!"
"Finished?" Chu Xubai arched an eyebrow, countering, "Confirmed by whom? By me? Or is that just your assumption?"
The person fell silent, unable to respond.
Chu Xubai smiled again.
"I don't know if you're here to earn credits or to genuinely volunteer. If it's the former, I'm sorry to say your task isn't done—go clean the restrooms."
"If it's the latter, then you should be more proactive and put in a better effort. What do you say?"
The group's faces turned sour.
In the end, they listlessly grabbed mops and trudged off to the cleaning area.
After handling that, Chu Xubai returned to Qiao Liuyue's side.
He said softly, "I'm sorry you had to deal with that."
"It doesn't bother me." Qiao Liuyue brushed her bangs, acting indifferent. "Actually, what they said is true—I am a bit plain-looking..."
Before she could finish, he quickly interrupted.
Chu Xubai: "No."
Qiao Liuyue blinked, startled: "...What?"
Chu Xubai repeated seriously, "No one has the right to judge your looks except you."
Qiao Liuyue's eyes slowly fluttered.
Chu Xubai suddenly broke into a grin.
"Let's go."
Qiao Liuyue: "Mm."
...
"Liuyue, you're finally back! I'm starving!" Dong Jiaoyan was still lying in bed scrolling through her phone, and her face lit up when she heard the dorm door open.
Qiao Liuyue pulled up a chair and sat down, looking at her.
"Still not up?"
"Yeah, I have to see Feng tonight, so I need to get my beauty sleep." Dong Jiaoyan rested her chin on her hand, then her eyes brightened. "By the way, where's your neighbor heading out from? Should we go pick him up?"
How would Zheng Qingyuan get here?
He was probably arranging to avoid his assistant, right?
Qiao Liuyue: "I'm not sure. He'll probably come on his own."
"Oh." Dong Jiaoyan looked disappointed. Just as she was about to look away, she noticed something different about her good friend.
She hadn't observed closely earlier.
Now she saw that Qiao Liuyue's hair looked much softer, her bangs had been trimmed shorter, and the ponytail hanging behind her was sleek and glossy.
The improvement in her hair texture had elevated her entire presence.
Although she still wore those black-framed glasses, her overall demeanor radiated a warm, jade-like quality.
"Did you get a haircut?" Dong Jiaoyan was quietly shocked.
Qiao Liuyue nodded. "Yeah, I passed a new barbershop on the way back to school that was having a promotion."
Dong Jiaoyan looked at her with a complicated expression.
In truth, Qiao Liuyue's facial features weren't bad at all—she had the gentle, classic beauty of a southern Chinese woman. But the heavy bangs and coarse hair had made her overall appearance seem far less polished.
Now, with her fair forehead exposed, her aura had improved noticeably.
A pang of tension struck Dong Jiaoyan. How could Qiao Liuyue, who had always been the "plain backdrop" making her look better, suddenly become attractive?
So, with a dead serious but disingenuous tone, she said, "Liuyue, your forehead is really big. Cutting your bangs shorter makes you look even uglier. You shouldn't have done that."
"Don't take this the wrong way—I'm just being blunt because I'm your good friend and I care about you."
