Yu Jiuyuan seemed oblivious to his coldness, and gave him a slight smile, her voice soft: "Good evening, classmate Xie."

Xie Zhecheng did not respond. He walked straight to the sofa in the corner, sat down, picked up a document and started flipping through it, exuding an aura of "keep away".

The atmosphere around him seemed to become somewhat subtle because of his arrival. The previously relaxed conversation quieted down a bit, and everyone's gaze kept shifting back and forth between him and Yu Jiuyuan, with a hint of inquiry in their eyes.

Rong Shenghan seemed oblivious to the awkward atmosphere and tried to smooth things over with a smile: "Xie Zhecheng, did you bring the art festival venue setup plan you mentioned last time?"

Xie Zhecheng looked up, took a document from his briefcase, and handed it over. The document was neatly bound, without a single crease, reflecting his consistent meticulousness.

"It's very detailed," Rong Shenghan said after flipping through a few pages. "However, I think we could add some interactive elements to make the students feel more involved."

For example...didn't the biology club cultivate some fluorescent fungi? They could be used for decoration; it's both environmentally friendly and creative.

His gaze fell on Yu Jiuyuan, with a hint of inquiry: "Jiuyuan, what do you think? Yuan Xu should be very good at this, right?"

"It's Yuan Xu again." Yu Jiuyuan sneered inwardly, but on her face, she showed a thoughtful expression: "Fluorescent fungus? That sounds interesting."

Yuan Xu had indeed studied this. He said that different fungi emit different colors of light under different environments. It would definitely be beautiful if used for decoration.

Her tone was natural, both responding to Rong Shenghan's words and subtly praising Yuan Xu, making her appear both clever and considerate.

“Not a bad idea.” Xie Zhecheng suddenly spoke, his voice cold but with a hint of scrutiny. “But the cultivation conditions for fluorescent fungi are very demanding, and the luminescence time is unstable. Using them for decoration is too risky.”

He directly rejected Rong Shenghan's suggestion, his tone devoid of any politeness, as if he were merely stating a fact.

The atmosphere in the office froze instantly. No one expected Xie Zhecheng to be so disrespectful to Rong Shenghan.

Rong Shenghan's smile froze for a moment, then returned to its gentle tone: "Student Xie has considered everything very thoroughly; it was my oversight. Let's think of another solution."

His concession eased the tension somewhat, but Yu Jiuyuan keenly sensed the fleeting, invisible tension between them. Like a turbulent undercurrent hidden beneath a calm surface.

She suddenly picked up her teacup, stood up, and walked over to Xie Zhecheng, a perfectly timed smile tinged with nervousness on her face: "Xie, about what happened earlier... I'm really sorry about what happened in the lab this morning. How about I get you a new lab coat?"

She adopted a humble posture and spoke sincerely, appearing to be apologizing from the bottom of her heart.

Xie Zhecheng raised his head, his cold gaze falling on her face. His eyes were like a frozen lake, revealing no emotion. He remained silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking, his voice completely flat: "No need."

Those three simple words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing all the surrounding expectations and curiosity.

Yu Jiuyuan's smile froze for a moment, then, as if hurt by his coldness, her eyes reddened slightly, and her voice lowered: "But..."

“I said, no need.” Xie Zhecheng interrupted her, his tone becoming more forceful and impatient. “Also, stay away from me.”

His words were like a cold knife, stabbing mercilessly. Everyone around gasped, not expecting Xie Zhecheng to be so disrespectful to Yu Jiuyuan.

Yu Jiuyuan swayed slightly, as if caught off guard by his words. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. She bit her lower lip, whispered "I'm sorry," and turned to run quickly out of the office.

That figure looked wronged and disheveled, and anyone who saw it would feel sorry for it.

Rong Shenghan watched the direction she ran off in, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, too fleeting to be detected. He stood up and said to the others, "I'll go check on her."

Only Xie Zhecheng and a few ministers remained in the office, exchanging bewildered glances. Xie Zhecheng lowered his head again, looking at the documents in his hand, as if nothing had happened.

But his fingers, gripping the document, tightened slightly, his knuckles turning white, revealing his unsettled state of mind.

[System Notification: Xie Zhecheng's favorability is 0, and his emotional fluctuation is +10 (negative).]

Yu Jiuyuan, who had run out of the student council office, stopped at the end of the corridor. She leaned against the cold wall, and her previous aggrieved and disheveled appearance vanished instantly.

The redness in his eyes faded, leaving only a cold calm, even with a hint of a barely perceptible smile.

Negative emotional fluctuations are still fluctuations. At least, she finally managed to create a tiny crack in Xie Zhecheng's iceberg.

And this crack will be her next breakthrough point.

Footsteps echoed from the other end of the corridor. Yu Jiuyuan immediately composed herself, reverting to her tearful expression, and turned around, meeting Rong Shenghan's concerned gaze.

"Jiuyuan, are you alright?" Rong Shenghan walked over quickly, his tone full of worry. "Xie Zhecheng is just like that, he speaks his mind directly, don't take it to heart."

Yu Jiuyuan shook her head, tears finally falling and sliding down her cheeks, making her look particularly pitiful: "I'm fine... I shouldn't have bothered him."

Rong Shenghan handed her a tissue, his voice softening even more: "Don't say that. He went too far." Looking at her crying, something seemed to be surging deep within his eyes. "If you don't want to go back, I'll take you back to your dorm."

Yu Jiuyuan raised her teary eyes, looked at him, and nodded gently.

Moonlight streamed through the corridor windows, casting long shadows of the two people.

Rong Shenghan walked considerately beside her, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far, whispering words of comfort. Everything seemed so natural, so reasonable.

But Yu Jiuyuan knew that beneath this calm surface, undercurrents were already surging. And she stood at the center of this vortex, calmly observing and calculating, waiting for the best opportunity to strike.

This game called "taming" is only just beginning to get to the really interesting part.