“Twelve o’clock direction 😎.”
“Makeup’s too heavy—neck and face are two different colors. Looks like a mature beauty, but actually Hextech.”

“One o’clock direction 😋.”
“Looks decent, dressed sweetly. Pity the strength doesn’t show—actually a flat board.”

“Two o’clock direction 😨.”
“Press F to enter the tank.”

“Eleven o’clock direction 🤫.”
“I want to have kids with her.”

Watching Xiang Guan stare at Xiao Ling like Tom, Mu Feng’s eyes flashed with a trace of pity. He then expressionlessly took a sip of the ice-cold lemon water.
Poor Tom, toyed with by women.
This life of his is probably just going to be like this.

Other people’s PE guys are all crazily stuffing themselves… meanwhile, someone else…
Sigh.
He’ll behave only when Xiao Ling marries someone else someday.

Mu Feng shook his head slightly and turned his gaze back to the stage in the center of the field. Dusk had fallen, and all the lights were already on, illuminating the surroundings as bright as daytime.

There weren’t that many people here just to join the fun. On weekend nights, those seasoned sophomores and juniors might prefer pulling an all-nighter gaming or playing pool. Still, there were quite a few people like Xiang Guan who came for the girls.
And there was a band and fireworks too.
No harm watching anyway…

(crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch…)

With her back to the two of them, Huaxin lowered her head and curled up slightly, happily annihilating the chips in her arms.

The place they were at was like a small corner—there weren’t many people around. A perfect spot to sneak glances at beauties and do some naughty things.
(Xia Yan had specifically reminded them to bring Huaxin somewhere with fewer people.)

The girl had stayed in the dorm all afternoon reading the novel “I’ll Never Be Happy Again, Give That Back to Me” 👍🏻. Even after finishing the last chapter, Xia Yan still hadn’t returned, so she simply followed Mu Feng and Xiang Guan to the field, conveniently familiarizing herself with the route to the teaching building.

And then…
You know, when faced with the temptation of “eat snacks however you want,” Huaxin stood no chance 😋.

Anyway, tonight she was going to fight Xia Yan and Lin Qingyu to the death, so she might as well eat her fill first.

Cucumber-flavored chips, “Tang Monk meat,” Brazilian barbecue, vegetarian steak… she hadn’t seen these snacks for months! Without coupons, all she could do was stare longingly!

With a grateful heart, the girl gulped down half a cup of ice-cold lemon water.
“Ah… refreshing…”

She didn’t eat too much—just one of each.
After all, these were bought by Mu Feng and Xiang Guan. As for the money… Xia Yan paid for it… heh heh.
She didn’t even plan to leave him the plastic bag 😈.

Sneakily, she took out the last few packs of biscuits from her backpack and stuffed them into the big plastic bag, then put the large bag of snacks back.
One must know contentment.

Mu Feng was gaming, Xiang Guan was watching Xiao Ling—neither noticed her actions.

“Buzz buzz.”
Huaxin took out her phone in confusion.

Xia Yan: “Look at the stage.”

She raised her head.

A tall, straight figure and a cool, beautifully dressed woman slowly walked onto the stage, standing together at the center. Brilliant lights shone on them, making both their looks and temperaments appear exceptionally well-matched.

“Respected teachers, dear students…”

They spoke one line after another as if perfectly in sync, without any pause or gap. Their equally pleasant voices spread to everyone across the field.

Only…
Xia Yan’s voice was no longer as gentle and calm as before. Instead, it was lowered, carrying a faint magnetic quality…

Huaxin frowned and then put on her mask.
She felt like she’d heard this voice somewhere before.

“I say, Lao Xiang, when will you be able to stand on stage with Xiao Ling like Brother Yan and Lin Qingyu, shining like that?”

As if recalling a promise with some wicked woman, Xiang Guan’s eyes flashed with careful confidence. Crossing his arms over his chest, he said decisively, “Ten days!! I only need ten days to take down Xiao Ling!! 😡”

After that, he’d be able to have dinner alone with her. Then, during the ambiguity, confess his feelings… flushed cheeks from alcohol… pouring out love… a hotel room key…

As he imagined it, Xiang Guan instantly sank into his fantasy, saliva almost dripping from the corner of his mouth 🤤.

“No saving him.”

Mu Feng complained silently and gave up on rescuing Xiang Guan.
This was even more hopeless than those who get so into VTubers or games that they imagine themselves as the character’s spouse.

Speaking of which…
He sneaked a glance at Huaxin beside him.

Should he still go tail Xia Yan or not? If he waited until Xia Yan finished hosting and performing, wouldn’t he be stuck under the stage like a weathered Terracotta Warrior? 😭 His scrawny arms and legs couldn’t take that.

Mu Feng shifted closer to Huaxin, lowered his head, and asked softly, “Leader, do I still need to go follow—cough—protect Brother Yan?”

Surprisingly, the girl wasn’t frightened at all. She only gently shook her head.
“No need.”
“Afterwards, I’ll delete the recording.”

As for the “thank you” for his snacks and lemon water, Huaxin just couldn’t bring herself to say it.
She was always like this—unable even to express what she truly felt inside.
Who had the spare time to guess what she was thinking, anyway?

“Oh… okay…”

Mu Feng sat back beside Xiang Guan, the stone pressing on his heart finally lifted.
Days of spy life… had finally come to a perfect end.
His mood lightened, filled with a sense of mission accomplished, even tinged with a bit of reluctance to part with that spy life.

Who said otaku can’t be spies?

Huaxin sat quietly on the grass, hugging her knees, her gaze filled with envy and longing as she looked at the dazzling pair on stage.
It was so dark where she was, so bright where they were.

Was Xia Yan trying to tell her that there was an unbridgeable gap between them?

The girl lowered her lashes, watching the lively distance and the stage.

Actually, it wasn’t that bad.
If not for Xia Yan, she probably wouldn’t have had the courage to go out, wouldn’t have met Chunqiu, and wouldn’t be able to come to such a crowded place to see a performance she’d wanted to see since childhood.

Thinking about it this way, it really wasn’t a big deal.
At most, she’d just be mocked or bullied by the two of them.
It wasn’t like she hadn’t been through that before.

Huaxin hugged her legs tighter.
It’s okay…

The program progressed quickly.
In a blink, the school leaders finished their speeches. Then, under Xia Yan and Lin Qingyu’s hosting, student performances began one after another—singing, dancing…
So many wonderful acts.

The girl watched carefully, wide-eyed, as the young men and women on stage radiated youth—some nervous, some composed, but all enjoying the feeling of being watched.

The sky grew deeper and darker.
Yet the cheers and lively discussions only grew louder.

At some point, Xia Yan had changed out of his host outfit into a more tailored white formal suit, triggering waves of screams from the girls who came for him.
It had to be admitted—he was handsome, no matter what he wore.

Huaxin rubbed her eyes. Whether from yawning or rubbing too hard, the corners were slightly moist. She brushed aside the hair covering her eyes and stared blankly at Xia Yan on stage.

With her view unobstructed, everything became exceptionally clear.
After this… it would all end, right?

She heard the rhythmic background music start and saw Xia Yan raise the microphone.

(What are you smiling for…)
(Always putting on that gentle, kind act… so disgusting behind the scenes…)

Huaxin pursed her lips.

Then, as the lyrics flowed line by line, she froze. Her small head slowly lifted, eyes fixed on Xia Yan’s earnest expression.

This wasn’t a love song for Lin Qingyu, nor rap that guys liked, nor some simple, childish pop song.
She had never heard this song before.

What the earlier lyrics were, what the middle lyrics were—she heard none of it. It all went in one ear and out the other.
But she heard the final lines.

She was no longer hunched over, curled into herself.

“Discovering that I’m actually fragile, afraid to speak
When I turn my back to the starry sky
I keep searching
In the boundless universe, where is the life I want
It turns out a hundred kinds are things you only understand after a very, very long time”

The girl straightened up, her hands slipping out from her sleeves to instinctively clutch the artificial grass. She softly murmured the final line. In her eyes, shimmering like flowing light, only Xia Yan’s bowing figure was reflected:

“My hundred kinds.”
“Of life…”