Chapter 157: Xia Xia’s Bitter Heart

Within a single day, the university forum and various video platforms exploded, and even Weibo was in an uproar.

That evening, Luo Yixia leaned against her headboard, nibbling on an apple while browsing through the posts on her laptop one by one.

[Our school’s academic god has a girlfriend. See the photo below—it’s blurred out—isn’t he just so loving towards her?! I’m so jealous.]

Sure enough, Luo Yixia saw a few pictures where her face had been blurred. The comments section already had thousands of entries. She took another quiet bite of her apple, thinking it was all too exaggerated. Many people were crying out that they felt heartbroken, a sight so cringe-worthy she couldn’t bear to look and scrolled to the next video.

It had already hit the trending list. It was footage from lunch in the cafeteria. Luo Yixia had accidentally eaten a chili pepper and was struggling with the heat, her little face flushed red as she stuck out her tongue and fanned it. Beside her, Song Chengyi was smiling with doting affection, taking the water from her and feeding her small sips.

Watching this video now, Luo Yixia realized that this was how Song Chengyi had looked at the time—he was so incredibly gentle.

The video had already surpassed a million views, with tens of thousands of comments below.

[AWSL, this guy is so handsome! I’m going to get him on the trending list and help him debut!!!] (13k likes)

[That look in his eyes… my heart skipped a beat. How can he be so charming!] (11k likes)

[This is the male god from our A University Medical School. He was the top science student in the A City college entrance exam, and he’s always been the top of his grade. The girl next to him is indeed his girlfriend. It seems they never officially announced it, but they recently performed together at the New Year’s gala and totally stole the show.] (22k likes)

Many people were commenting, and of course, when Luo Yixia saw a few praising her for being pretty, she happily gave them a like. Naturally, there were also trolls claiming the girl wasn't good-looking or that the two were a bad match. These comments didn't affect Luo Yixia’s mood; she knew everything had two sides—the good and the bad.

Song Chengyi walked out of the bathroom after his shower. "What are you looking at?"

"We're famous. No, wait, *you're* famous." Luo Yixia turned the laptop to show him.

Song Chengyi gave it a fleeting glance, then took the laptop from her. He sat on the edge of the bed and began typing. Luo Yixia noticed his hair was still damp, so she got up to fetch the hairdryer and dried it for him. Once his hair was dry, Song Chengyi finished his task and handed the laptop back.

Luo Yixia leaned beside him and checked the screen, only to find it displaying "Page Not Found." She clicked on the previous video, but it failed to play.

"??!"

Luo Yixia looked at Song Chengyi in shock. "Did you hack it?"

"Hmm? What's wrong?" he asked, looking perfectly calm.

"How did you do that?"

"Just like that," Song Chengyi said nonchalantly.

Luo Yixia’s mouth twitched. "An academic god is truly an academic god."

"I took a computer science course for a semester; this level is easy," Song Chengyi said, lying back with his hands behind his head.

"Did you delete that previous post about me, too?" Luo Yixia suddenly remembered a time when she had been secretly photographed with He Zhen and it had appeared on the forum, only to disappear shortly after.

"Yes."

"I knew it..." Luo Yixia thought to herself, *as expected, his jealousy is quite strong.* "Well, thank you..."

"You're welcome," Song Chengyi replied with complete seriousness.

"Heh... heh..." Luo Yixia decided to keep her mouth shut.

For the next week, the two of them lived quite comfortably, no longer needing to hide. Of course, with final exams approaching, no one had the energy to concern themselves with anything else.

The study rooms and libraries were packed. Luo Yixia had wanted to study in her dorm, but she couldn't focus there—the bed and the computer were too tempting. She tried to claim a seat, but no matter how early she woke up, there was always someone earlier. After failing to find a spot for two days, a frustrated and tearful Luo Yixia went to find Song Chengyi.

"Wuwuwu, I can’t find a seat to study."

Song Chengyi pondered for a moment. "How about you come study in our classroom? Some of our students have gone off for internships, so there are plenty of empty seats."

Luo Yixia realized this, but still felt hesitant. "If I go to your class, will it cause any trouble for you?"

"Hmm, I’ll be in class, and you can just do your homework next to me, is that okay?" Song Chengyi asked.

"I promise not to disturb your class, and I definitely won't talk or pass notes!" Luo Yixia was intrigued. She had never attended a class with Song Chengyi before. The high school dream of holding hands and passing notes was something she had never experienced, and despite her solemn promise, she felt a thrill of excitement.

"Okay," Song Chengyi nodded. "We don't have classes this afternoon, so you can come. You know where my classroom is, right? You can find your way?" He was too busy organizing materials to pick her up.

"Yes," Luo Yixia nodded vigorously.

After a nap in the dorm, Luo Yixia climbed out of bed early to get ready. "Yanyan, wake up. Does this coat look better, or this one?" she asked, holding up two options.

"Why? Let me sleep! I struggled until two in the morning; I’m so tired. If there are any more finals, I’m going to die an early death," Gan Yanyan groaned, covering her face with a pillow.

"Just help me look, I'm going to study in Song Chengyi’s classroom later."

At those words, all three of her roommates sat up at once and stared at her.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Luo Yixia was startled by their intense gazes.

"What did you just say?" Lin Ya stared at her, her eyes practically glowing.

"I said I’m going to study."

"Finish the sentence."

"I’m going to study... in Song Chengyi’s classroom." Luo Yixia wondered if she had said something wrong.

"Damn, we finally have a chance!" Lin Ya shouted, jumping up to get dressed. Gan Yanyan started grumbling, and even the usually quiet Xu Jiayu got up.

"Aren't you all tired?"

"Tired? Who cares about sleep?" Gan Yanyan snapped.

"What's going on? Why is everyone so fired up?" Luo Yixia felt like they were about to attack her.

"Neither of these coats looks good. Why dress so plainly? Where's that designer skirt of yours? Wear that," Gan Yanyan said, rummaging through her suitcase.

"Isn't it too cold for a skirt this season..."

Luo Yixia watched helplessly as they surrounded her suitcase, completely ignoring her, and began picking out clothes. *What are they doing? What is happening?*

In the middle of the afternoon, she was pushed into the bathroom to shower and wash her hair, and then they even made her wear perfume. She put on the outfit they had meticulously selected: a red sweater tucked into nude-colored thermal leggings, paired with a pleated skirt that hit just above the knees. Over that, they chose a very soft, pale pink wool coat. Finally, Lin Ya braided her hair into two pigtail braids, pulled out two strawberry hair ties from somewhere, and finished the look with a khaki beret.

Luo Yixia was so dazzled by the whirlwind of activity that she lost all ability to resist.

"Can you stop moving around me? I'm getting dizzy," she protested.

"Which lipstick color is better, this one or this one?"

"The 'heartthrob' shade! Use the heartthrob shade!" Lin Ya said fiercely, grabbing the lipstick and applying it to Luo Yixia’s lips.

"I don't wear makeup," Luo Yixia dodged.

The three women roared in unison: "Shut up!"

Luo Yixia: "..." *I feel so wronged... I want to cry...*

An hour later, a transformed Luo Yixia appeared downstairs. "It’s too cold, I’m shivering," she said, pulling her coat tighter.

"Let me tell you, you don't know what those losers at school have been like these past few days, especially the girls in Song Chengyi's class. I've had enough of their snide remarks about you, both online and offline. Today, go there, bring the same spirit you have when you dance, and annoy them to death!" Gan Yanyan said indignantly, while the others nodded in agreement.

"Really? I didn't know that."

"Besides being lovey-dovey with your man, what *do* you know?" Lin Ya retorted.

Luo Yixia kept her mouth shut. The three of them walked her to the building housing Song Chengyi’s classroom. "Go on, go on! We’re rooting for you. Crush them with your presence!"

"Actually, I just realized something," Luo Yixia said, looking troubled.

"What?"

"I didn't bring my books..."

"..." "!!!" "???"

After a bit more fuss, Luo Yixia finally grabbed her books, took a deep breath to steady herself, and headed upstairs. It was true that a carefully curated look made a difference; she attracted countless gazes along the way. It was all a bit too much attention.

She walked step by step to Classroom 169. Before she even reached the door, Song Chengyi noticed the many unkind stares directed her way. Luo Yixia didn't think much of it; she was mostly just cold, her legs trembling in her thin outfit. She stood outside the classroom, where everyone was quietly studying. She tilted her head to find Song Chengyi.

She didn't find the person she was looking for, but she did meet several stares she wished she hadn't. *The look... so fierce...* Luo Yixia whimpered internally—what had she done to deserve this? She shouldn't have come.

Perhaps because everyone’s attention had been drawn, Yu Bin noticed the anomaly and leaned out to look. He immediately stood up and walked out.

"Sister-in-law! Chengyi went to the office, he’ll be back soon. Are you here to find him?" Yu Bin’s enthusiasm scared not only the people in the classroom but also Luo Yixia.

*What is this "sister-in-law" nonsense...*

She gave an awkward laugh. "Our study room was full, so I came to borrow a seat to study."

"Borrow? What are you talking about? Where do you want to sit, sister-in-law? You can even take the seat by the podium if you want, though it might be a bit cold from the drafty door."

"No, no, I’ll just sit next to him," Luo Yixia said quickly.

"Right, Song Chengyi sits over there. I’ll take you in," Yu Bin said, pointing to a seat near the back.

"Okay, thank you," Luo Yixia nodded.

Yu Bin waved his hand dismissively. "What are you thanking me for? We’re all family."

Luo Yixia: "..." *Since when were we family? How come I didn't know about this?*