This wasn't the first time the system had unexpectedly dealt Lu Shizhen a heavy blow; she couldn't even remember how many times Xu Shiyue had deducted points from her seemingly without any apparent reaction.
Compared to Xu Shiyue's calm demeanor that showed no emotion in the past, Lu Shizhen could clearly sense some emotion in her voice when she said this.
She didn't seem to like his earlier suggestion that he was recommending Shen Yanxing to her.
What's this?
Does the female protagonist already possess possessiveness before she even awakens to it?
Lu Shizhen didn't think that when she read the original novel, Xu Shiyue was the kind of character who would have a strong possessive desire.
She and Shen Yanxing were the same kind of people, calm and strong. Sometimes Lu Shizhen even had the illusion that the two of them were not like lovers, but like teammates with perfect chemistry.
Besides, in story-driven novels, the point is simply to enjoy the story.
Who wouldn't want to see these beautiful women team up, wearing sky-high heels, and deliver a stunning double victory?
Lu Shizhen liked it too, of course.
This is also why she, a straight woman, was able to read this yuri novel in the first place.
Thinking about this, Lu Shizhen realized a crucial question.
She's straight, a total straight woman!
There's no way she could possibly like Shen Yanxing!
Although she didn't know why Xu Shiyue had developed such possessiveness after only meeting Shen Yanxing once.
But she was truly innocent.
Thinking about the fact that almost everyone in this world is a lesbian, Lu Shizhen suddenly felt like crying.
She was nothing more than a pitiful matchmaker who wanted to help the female lead get a pair of healthy legs.
Thinking this way, Lu Shizhen decided to make a struggle, at least to clear Xu Shiyue of the fact that she had "developed feelings" for Shen Yanxing.
"No, I just met her today, how could I be interested in her?" Lu Shizhen replied to Xu Shiyue with feigned ease, not forgetting to flatter the Shixing couple, "I just thought Shen Yanxing was quite good-looking, and she seemed to get along well with you, so I paid more attention to her a couple of times."
After all, they are both cunning and shrewd people who keep their true feelings hidden.
Lu Shizhen secretly added to her thoughts, a slight smile playing on her lips.
She felt that her words were truly brilliant, as they both distanced herself from her feelings for Shen Yanxing and praised Xu Shiyue for being a good match for Shen Yanxing. It was a win-win situation and deserved to be included in the system's teaching materials.
Before she could even feel smug about her explanation, the system announced another message: "-40".
"...?!"
Lu Shizhen was suddenly stunned.
The sunlight was almost level with the windowpane, bringing the last rays of the setting sun into the room, dazzlingly casting an illusory shadow over the world.
She looked at Xu Shiyue sitting on the small chair and couldn't help but worry that she might have the illusion that this person could hear her thoughts.
After all, aside from the mental rant she added, what she just said was practically flawless.
Lu Shizhen looked puzzled, while Xu Shiyue slightly raised her eyes to stare at the blurry figure in front of her.
Her expression was calmer than ever before, but her dark pupils seemed to be churning with waves in a storm.
"Lu Shizhen, is it that anyone with even a little bit of looks is worthy of your attention?"
Xu Shiyue asked this question, her voice even colder than before.
Lu Shizhen was taken aback, unsure how to respond to Xu Shiyue's question.
She did say that Shen Yanxing was quite good-looking, but it was just to flatter her and Xu Shiyue, implying that they were a good match!
Lu Shizhen realized that Xu Shiyue had misunderstood her again, and quickly explained, "No, I..."
But Xu Shiyue didn't give her a chance to explain, her voice still cold: "I'm tired and want to rest. Don't call me for dinner, I'll call room service."
Xu Shiyue hadn't treated her so coldly in a long time, and Lu Shizhen didn't know how to respond.
She still doesn't know what she said wrong; besides feeling bewildered, there's also a feeling she can't quite put her finger on.
She seemed to sense that even seemingly indifferent people weren't entirely indifferent.
The reason why Xu Shiyue rarely revealed her emotions in her past impressions may simply be because she has not yet met the person who would make her calmness and indifference no longer possible.
And now that person seems to have appeared.
And what this lunatic just said might threaten her...
Lu Shizhen paused for a moment, thinking about the conclusion she had just reached.
She didn't know if she realized that Xu Shiyue's persona wasn't actually that calm and perfect, or for some other reason, but her mood suddenly plummeted.
"Oh." Lu Shizhen opened her mouth and uttered a simple syllable, "Okay."
She didn't know what was wrong with her, but she felt that her steps weren't as light as they used to be today.
But there's clearly nothing wrong with her legs.
The sunset was rather pale today, and the sky at sunset looked somewhat gloomy.
Lu Shizhen walked to the door, but just as her hand touched the doorknob, a voice called out from behind her: "Lu Shizhen."
It was Xu Shiyue.
Lu Shizhen was somewhat surprised, yet also felt a strange sense of anticipation. She turned her head and asked, "Huh?"
“You are still a minor,” Xu Shiyue said calmly, her voice softening.
This sentence sounds like a reminder, but it's unclear what it's reminding us of.
It came without any precondition or follow-up, as if it floated up out of thin air.
Lu Shizhen blinked, somewhat confused as to what Xu Shiyue meant.
Before she could even ask, Xu Shiyue immediately assigned her a task: "Finish all the work on centripetal force (Part 2) in the physics workbook. We'll go over it tomorrow night."
Lu Shizhen never expected that she would have to do her homework while accompanying Xu Shiyue to the competition.
Having been deducted fifty points in a row, she didn't dare to bargain and simply nodded in acceptance: "I understand, Teacher Xu."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Shizhen stepped out the door.
He simply replaced his left foot, which he had just lifted to step over the door frame, with his right foot.
The door was closed from the outside with a crisp click, and then the room became completely quiet.
Xu Shiyue remained seated beside her suitcase, a striking red dot lit up on her phone's chat screen.
—That was a system-generated greeting message.
Shen Yanxing: We've become friends now, let's start chatting.
The system in blind mode automatically played this message for Xu Shiyue.
Even though the voice was calm and emotionless, Xu Shiyue's brows furrowed into a deep frown.
She wasn't interested in this new friend and didn't want to start chatting with her.
She didn't know whether she should attribute her current distress to jealousy. The childishness she had learned from Lu Shien pushed her to raise her hand and swipe away the message notification.
Night fell, enveloping the earth like a fine net, shrouding the city in silence.
The music that had flown over the wall and into the room gradually faded away, leaving only the sound of turning pages in the quiet room.
There was also a long yawn from the girl.
"ah--"
Lu Shizhen held a pen in her hand, leaned back in her chair, and stretched vigorously.
She looked at the exercises she had just finished, feeling utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.
The questions on centripetal force were incredibly difficult, and there were so many of them.
Lu Shizhen didn't know if Xu Shiyue was unaware of this matter, but she managed to stay up until midnight before she could barely finish.
After her brain had been working at high speed for two or three hours, she had absolutely no mind to call Qiuqiu out to plan the matchmaking process, or perhaps subconsciously she was resisting thinking about it.
Exhausted by the torment of physics knowledge became a convenient excuse for Lu Shizhen toss her pen onto the table, unbutton her school uniform shirt, and head to embrace her big bed.
"Ah, so comfortable." Lu Shizhen's body was supported by the soft bedding, and she couldn't help but rub her face against the pillow that had a slightly fragrant scent.
As night deepened, moonlight filtered through the curtains and fell on a corner of the room, its soft glow gently lulling one to sleep.
Lu Shizhen slowly closed her eyes. Just as she felt her mind gradually relaxing and about to fall asleep, there was a knock on the door next door.
The knocking sounded rather unfriendly and unlike what one would expect from hotel staff.
Lu Shizhen's sleepiness was abruptly shattered, and her furrowed brows were filled with dissatisfaction and annoyance.
"Who is it? Can't a person get some sleep at this hour?" Lu Shizhen was very annoyed.
Qiuqiu floated out upon hearing the sound: "Host, it seems the door being knocked on is Xu Shiyue's room."
Upon hearing Qiuqiu's words, Lu Shizhen immediately sat up in bed.
The knocking coming through the crack in the door gradually grew louder, and it seemed to be mixed with faint human voices.
"Little sister, please open the door. We have a misunderstanding. Please give us a chance to explain in person."
"Don't ignore him. My brother didn't do it on purpose. He just went to the wrong floor. Everyone makes mistakes. Can't you be a little understanding?"
It was a man's voice.
It seems to be the companion of the man who spoke rudely when checking in this afternoon.
This sounds somewhat polite, but not at all.
He barely maintained a basic level of composure in his tone and attitude, but his words were filled with viciousness.
"Little sister, are you awake? Little sister, my brother hasn't been able to sleep these past few days, how come you're sleeping so soundly?"
"Little sister, I'm not the kind of person who holds a grudge. Come out and call my brother to apologize, and we'll call it even, right? What's the point of you hiding in your room and refusing to come out?"
...
Gradually, as it seemed that knocking on the door was having no effect, the man's words became increasingly absurd, and his so-called reasoning was full of threats.
Lu Shizhen originally wanted to teach that man a lesson and have her bodyguards intimidate him at the police station, so she wasn't in a hurry to bring him back.
Unexpectedly, her attempt to chase the dog backfired, as the dog had accomplices, which only brought more trouble to Xu Shiyue.
“We need to communicate when we encounter problems, right? Your teachers didn’t teach you to run away from things, did they? Little sister, little sister.”
With two loud bangs, the man's knocking turned into banging on the door.
Lu Shizhen, who was listening in the room, was startled.
Instantly, the image of Xu Shiyue popped into her mind.
She was alone in the room, and the man standing outside the door was being so aggressive.
What if she was also frightened...
"Little sister, let me tell you, don't think that just because you're a student and have a teacher protecting you, you can rest easy. Society isn't like that. Come out here, you hear me? Don't make me angry!"
The man's words completely tore away his previous polite facade, and his deep voice was full of threat.
Lu Shizhen's heart suddenly started pounding. She had originally wanted to wait for the bodyguard to return and handle the matter, but now she couldn't wait any longer.
Lu Shizhen knew, of course, that Xu Shiyue would never panic or show fear in such a situation.
She must have known that staying in her room and not coming out was the safest thing for her.
But for some reason, Lu Shizhen was now facing Xu Shiyue, who was alone in the room, unable to see what was happening in front of the door, helplessly listening to the man's somewhat humiliating threats.
It felt like a fire was burning inside her body, suddenly stirring up Lu Shizhen's wild heart.
She simply couldn't choose to sit on the bed and wait for bodyguards, security guards, or anyone else to rescue Xu Shiyue.
In this unfamiliar world, she only trusted herself.
The coat she had just taken off was casually picked up from the chair. Seeing Lu Shizhen push open the door, Qiuqiu hurriedly chased after her, calling out, "Host! Host..."
But Lu Shizhen didn't give Qiuqiu a chance to finish speaking before opening the door.
Then came a kick, accompanied by a hateful shout: "Go to hell!"
The original owner was a fitness enthusiast, and had exceptionally strong legs. This kick caught the man completely off guard, and he was kicked to the ground. Pain shot through his waist, and he twisted on the carpet, curling up like a stinky shrimp.
Lu Shizhen was furious, and her voice rose several decibels: "Who's your sister? Do you know that's harassing a high school student?!"
The man clutched his stomach, glaring fiercely at Lu Shizhen who was looking down at him. He gritted his teeth and cursed painfully, "Damn it, what the hell do you think you are, daring to mess with me! Do you even know what you're doing...?"
"It's him! He's harassing my students!"
Just then, Mr. Chen from the band arrived with the hotel security guards and quickly subdued the man, who was no longer capable of fighting and was only left with a stubborn mouth, and pinned him to the ground.
Qiuqiu finally flew to Lu Shizhen's side, anxiously telling her what she hadn't finished saying earlier: "Host! Host! You stole Shen Yanxing's scenes!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Shizhen's eyes, which had been full of anger just moments before, suddenly froze for a moment.
She looked up at the half of the corridor where the provincial No. 1 High School orchestra was located, and in the dim light stood the person she had just scrutinized.
Shen Yanxing stood outside his room.
It felt like I wanted to come over, but then I realized I didn't seem to need to go and help.
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