FIMA Ch8: Change

“Ah! Ah! Gu Siyuan is so handsome!”
“The Academic God is the most handsome in the world!”
“Too awesome!”

The crowd watching on the sidelines let out streams of screams and cheers.

Huo Yi excitedly pulled on Xie Qingxiao’s sleeve. “Too awesome, too awesome. Gu Siyuan is drop-dead handsome! From now on, he’s my idol!”

Xie Qingxiao just smiled faintly and nodded, but his heart was completely clear right now.

Shan Kai looked at Gu Siyuan, gritting his teeth: “Hmph, quite the skill.”

Gu Siyuan’s expression remained consistently cold. Those who didn’t know better might have thought he was the one who lost.

Hearing Shan Kai’s words, he merely stated calmly: “Don’t forget your wager.”

“I won’t forget,” Shan Kai said coldly.

As he spoke, he glanced at Xie Qingxiao: “I won’t cause you any more trouble. However, I advise you to stay away from Shen Ting. My business with him isn’t over yet. With that attitude of his… hmph…”

Xie Qingxiao’s smile faded slightly, but his tone was nonchalant: “Don’t worry.”

Gu Siyuan looked outside at the rain, which had completely stopped, and nodded in satisfaction. He grabbed his coat draped over a chair, then snapped his fingers at Xie Qingxiao. “Alright, time to go.”

Xie Qingxiao’s eyes widened, but he obediently followed, pulling Huo Yi along.

After leaving the basketball gym and walking for a while.

Huo Yi suddenly noticed something and hurriedly, anxiously supported Xie Qingxiao: “Qingxiao, your leg is injured! You’re bleeding so much…”

Xie Qingxiao hadn’t felt it just now, but now that he was moving, he realized the wound on his calf from earlier had become somewhat unbearable. With every few steps, he couldn’t help but gasp in pain.

“I’ll go to the clinic and get it checked out later.”

Hearing the commotion behind him, especially the intermittent gasps of pain, Gu Siyuan frowned. A hint of irritation tinged his gaze, but he didn’t do anything more.

Any more… would be crossing a line.

The three of them continued walking like this, one in front and two behind.

“Gu Siyuan, truly, thank you so much today!” When they reached the fork at the school gate, Xie Qingxiao suddenly bowed deeply and solemnly said.

Huo Yi also quickly nodded, smiling as he said, “Thank you, Academic God.”

Gu Siyuan lazily stood on his long legs. With one hand casually holding his uniform jacket, he used the other to sweep his hair back into a slicked-back style. He glanced at Xie Qingxiao and said, “Is that it?”

Xie Qingxiao blinked. “Hm? What kind of thank-you gift do you want?”

Who knows what Gu Siyuan was thinking, but he casually flirted: “Drinking and singing…”

These punchable words, paired with his currently suave and casual slicked-back hairstyle, actually gave off an indescribably sexy, “bad boy” charm.

Xie Qingxiao couldn’t help but roll his eyes and let out a laugh.

This guy usually looked as if he didn’t belong to the mortal realm, but in reality, he genuinely loved to joke around with a completely straight face.

Gu Siyuan also sighed internally; the mission target was truly a bona fide great beauty. Even rolling his eyes was that cute.

After thinking about it, he said seriously, “Then let’s go with something practical. Give me money.”

“Ah…” This time, Xie Qingxiao was genuinely stunned. It took him a long while before he stammered out, “How… how much do you want?”

Gu Siyuan: “Depends on the service provided.”

Xie Qingxiao curled his lip. Given your flirtatious behavior just now, you should be glad I’m not filing a complaint.

Despite thinking this, Xie Qingxiao still took his wallet out of his pocket, pulled out all the cash inside, and handed it to Gu Siyuan in one go.

He added, “If it’s not enough, I’ll go to the bank and withdraw more.”

“It’s enough.” Gu Siyuan took the cash and straightened it out. There was roughly over a thousand yuan.

He cast a glance at Xie Qingxiao, a half-smile hanging on his face. “Not bad, very generous. It seems I can do this ‘hero saving the beauty’ business more often in the future. Should I thank student Shen Ting for providing so many opportunities?”

It seemed like praise, but it was actually mockery.

Yet Xie Qingxiao didn’t get as flustered and exasperated as he had the previous few times.

He merely gave Gu Siyuan a deep look. Why does Gu Siyuan care so much about Shen Ting?

He curled his lips, looking at Gu Siyuan as he said earnestly, “Perhaps you really should thank him. I actually don’t usually carry this much cash on me, but next week is Shen Ting’s birthday, and I brought money to buy a gift.”

Gu Siyuan met his gaze and narrowed his eyes.

Xie Qingxiao also looked back at him quietly, the meaning in his eyes deepening.

Right at this moment, Gu Siyuan suddenly let out a slightly exaggerated “Ah”.

Xie Qingxiao blinked. The inexplicable emotions in his heart vanished, replaced by confusion as he looked at him.

Gu Siyuan’s lips pulled into his most genuine smile so far. He pointed behind Xie Qingxiao and said, “Hearing you say that, I am truly deeply grateful to student Shen Ting, and also deeply apologetic. Because right now, your boyfriend seems to be coming over. I hope he won’t mind that you gave me his birthday gift money?”

After saying that, he waved his hand, agilely slipped into a taxi he had just hailed, and completely vanished.

Xie Qingxiao was momentarily caught between laughter and tears.

Then, he slowly turned his head. As expected, Shen Ting’s untamed and handsome figure entered his line of sight.

Shen Ting walked over expressionlessly, sized him up, and uttered that familiar sentence again: “As long as you’re okay.”

Looking at Shen Ting’s perfect composure, and recalling Gu Siyuan’s mocking smile and teasing just now, an inexplicable surge of emotions swelled in Xie Qingxiao’s heart.

His infinite patience toward Shen Ting seemed to dissipate for the most part in an instant.

He narrowed his eyes, asking the question he had wanted to ask for a long time: “Shen Ting, is Lu Jiayang hurt very badly? Why did you run away so fast just now?”

This didn’t seem to be the first time he had been abandoned by Shen Ting, and every time, it seemed to involve Lu Jiayang.

“He’s alright,” Shen Ting replied casually.

Xie Qingxiao seemed to have expected this. Thus, his gaze deepened, and he stared at Shen Ting, continuing to ask in a gentle voice: “Then… why did you run so fast just now? Someone who didn’t know better would think he was your partner.”

His voice was very airy, carrying an indescribable undertone.

Even the usually boisterous Huo Yi, looking at him, didn’t dare to make another sound.

But Shen Ting seemed completely oblivious to it, or perhaps he simply couldn’t be bothered to care.

He impatiently ran a hand through his hair and said with slight irritation, “As long as you’re fine now, that’s enough. Stop constantly bringing up Jiayang; what does this have to do with him? Stop making such a fuss.”

Xie Qingxiao narrowed his eyes, a dark glint flashing through them.

In the past, whenever he tried to confirm Shen Ting’s feelings, Shen Ting would always have this impatient expression, looking as if he were on the verge of exploding.

Xie Qingxiao cherished this relationship very much, so he was very afraid of making Shen Ting angry, afraid that Shen Ting would leave him because of it. Therefore, every time this happened, he would proactively apologize or change the subject.

But at this moment, Xie Qingxiao suddenly didn’t want to say anything at all.

He gave Shen Ting a faint look, then turned to Huo Yi and said, “Let’s go.”

Watching their retreating backs, Shen Ting slightly raised his eyebrows.

The students at Beichuan High School generally had good financial backgrounds, so there were always plenty of taxis waiting for passengers at the school gates year-round.

The car drove for a while.

Huo Yi thought about it again and again, but still couldn’t help complaining, “I really find it weird. What exactly is Shen Ting thinking? You are his boyfriend, yet he has this attitude?”

Xie Qingxiao leaned against the seat, laughing lightly. It sounded like he didn’t care at all, yet also like self-deprecation: “Hasn’t he always been like this?”

Huo Yi grew even angrier: “He was clearly the one who actively pursued you in the beginning! What is this now? He can’t see that your leg is injured like this, but when Lu Jiayang, a whole Alpha, gets a little bump, he acts like his own father died.”

Xie Qingxiao licked his lips. Looking at the scenery rapidly receding outside the car window, he fell silent, not knowing what to say.

However, some vague thoughts in his heart were yearning to break through the soil, clearer than ever before…

At this moment, Huo Yi grabbed his arm and said with extreme delight: “But… Qingxiao, you’re different from before!”

Xie Qingxiao looked at him and smiled gently. “How am I different?”

Huo Yi snorted angrily, “In the past, you used to defend that bastard Shen Ting so much. Every time I said bad things about him, you’d pretend you couldn’t hear, or even change the subject. Now you actually know how to agree with me.”

Xie Qingxiao was quiet for a moment, his gaze remaining calm and unruffled. “Isn’t it better this way?”

“Of course it’s better. It shows that you’ve grown up and realized the true nature of that guy,” Huo Yi said solemnly.

Xie Qingxiao nodded. Not knowing what he was thinking of, his voice was soft yet firm: “I also think it’s quite good.”

Huo Yi puffed his cheeks. “Hmph. Shen Ting is only a bit handsome. Compared to the Academic God, he falls far short.”

Xie Qingxiao looked at him, somewhat wanting to ask, Why are you comparing the two of them? They are clearly completely different people…

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