The bell for the last class of the afternoon had just rung.
Before Lin Mo could finish packing his bag, he heard Su Qing’s voice coming from the classroom door.
“Student Lin Mo, the Student Council has some business with you.”
The entire class turned their eyes toward the door.
Su Qing stood there, wearing a white shirt and a deep blue uniform skirt. She held a heavy meeting minute book in her arms, her expression calm.
Lin Mo’s heart skipped a beat.
“Right now?” Lin Mo asked.
“Yes, it’s urgent.” Su Qing’s voice lacked any inflection. “We need to confirm some details regarding your registration form.”
The reason was perfectly legitimate, leaving no room for complaint.
Under the suggestive gazes of his classmates, Lin Mo stood up, slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked out of the classroom.
Zhou Xiaoyu, that girl, even mouthed to him, “Good luck~”
‘Good luck with what?’ Lin Mo smiled bitterly to himself.
The two of them walked down the hallway, one after the other. It was dismissal time, and the corridor was bustling with noise as students left in groups of three or five.
Su Qing walked very quickly, showing none of the “sprained ankle” symptoms from yesterday. She didn’t head toward the Student Council office; instead, she turned into the stairwell on the west side of the teaching building.
This was the Old Campus. Usually, there were few people here, and it was especially quiet after school.
Su Qing stopped and turned around.
“About the Study Group,” she said, getting straight to the point. “You’re in a group with Shen Qingyue.”
Lin Mo nodded. “Yeah, the Class Teacher assigned it.”
“What do you think about it?” Su Qing watched him, her eyes fixed on his, making it impossible to read her emotions. “You must be very happy to be in a group with the Grade First student, right?”
That tone… Lin Mo’s internal alarm bells went off.
“It’s just for studying,” Lin Mo said, trying to make his voice sound as natural as possible. “It doesn’t matter who I’m grouped with.”
“Is that so?” Su Qing took a step forward. “But I remember you saying before that you admired Shen Qingyue’s grades.”
Lin Mo was stunned. That was back in their freshman year—she actually still remembered?
“I just said that in passing…”
“Then are you even more envious now?” Su Qing took another step closer. The distance between them was now less than a normal social distance. “Three times a week, being alone with her, studying together, discussing problems… She can teach you things you don’t know, and you can watch her solve problems seriously. How wonderful.”
The jealousy in her words could no longer be hidden.
Lin Mo took a deep breath. “Su Qing, I really just admire her academic ability. It doesn’t mean anything else. It’s like admiring how fast an athlete runs; it’s purely a recognition of talent.”
“A recognition of talent?” Su Qing repeated. Her lips curled into a very faint arc. “Then why do you always look at her?”
“When did I ever…”
“Who were you looking at in the hallway just now? Who were you discussing the tutoring time and location with? You certainly seem to forget quickly, don’t you?” Su Qing’s voice was very soft. “And two weeks ago, you bought her cold medicine.”
Lin Mo was speechless. She had noticed everything. And she remembered it all so clearly.
“That medicine was really just because it was convenient…”
“Oh? Then why was it only ‘convenient’ for her?” Su Qing interrupted him, finally looking up to meet his eyes.
The light from the setting sun hit the side of her face. It was only then that Lin Mo noticed her eyes were a bit red, though she was trying her best to hide it.
“I…” Lin Mo didn’t know what to say.
An explanation felt hollow, but saying nothing felt like an admission of guilt.
When in silence, time always seems to move slowly. Finally, the distant noise of students drifted over, but here, it was quiet enough to hear each other’s breathing.
After a long time, Su Qing suddenly sighed.
“Lin Mo,” she called his name, her voice revealing exhaustion for the first time. “Look into my eyes.”
‘Here it comes. Hypnosis again.’
Lin Mo could almost sense what was about to happen. He skillfully relaxed his body and let his gaze become vacant.
Su Qing stared into his eyes for a few seconds. After confirming the Hypnosis had taken effect, her shoulders slumped slightly. Her back, which she always kept perfectly straight, finally showed a hint of vulnerability.
“Do you really…” Her voice began to tremble. “Do you really just admire her academic ability?”
Lin Mo maintained his dazed state and nodded.
“Then why…” Su Qing’s voice grew smaller and smaller, finally turning into a whisper. “Why do you always look at her and never at me?”
The moment she said those words, her eyes turned completely red.
“At school… I try so hard to become the kind of person you might like.” She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously tugging at the hem of her uniform skirt. “Shen Qingyue has good grades, so I worked myself to death to get into the top ten. She seems cold and distant, so I learned to speak less and control my expressions… I thought if I did that, you would look at me more.”
Lin Mo’s heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by something.
‘So that was it. She really was imitating Shen Qingyue.’
“But you still look at her.” Su Qing looked up, tears already welling in her eyes. “Since you were put in that Study Group, are you… especially happy?”
“No,” Lin Mo blurted out.
In the “hypnotized state,” this answer felt exceptionally real.
Su Qing was stunned for a moment.
“Then what do you feel?” she pressed, her voice carrying a hint of cautious anticipation.
“…Worried,” Lin Mo continued, following the state. “Worried that you would be unhappy.”
Those words were like flipping a switch.
Su Qing suddenly lunged forward and hugged him tightly. Her face was buried in his shoulder, and warm tears instantly soaked through the fabric of his shirt.
“I’m afraid…” Her voice was muffled and tearful. “I’m afraid you like her type… I’m afraid you think I can’t compare to her… I’m afraid that if you spend enough time with her, you’ll really fall for her…”
Lin Mo stood there stiffly, not knowing where to put his arms.
“I won’t…” Lin Mo replied mechanically.
“You will!” Su Qing cried even harder. “She’s so outstanding, her grades are so good, and she’s beautiful… All boys like girls like that, don’t they? How… how can I compare…”
“You’re better than her,” Lin Mo said.
The words left his mouth before he could even think about them.
Su Qing’s sobbing stopped for an instant.
“What did you say?” She looked up, looking at him through tear-filled eyes.
Lin Mo looked at her red-rimmed eyes and wet eyelashes. A certain part of his heart softened completely.
“You’re better than her.” He repeated it. His voice was soft but exceptionally firm. “You don’t need to imitate her. You’re already wonderful.”
Su Qing stared at him blankly, and then—
*Clatter, clatter.*
The sound of footsteps came from the stairs. Someone was coming down.
Su Qing suddenly let go, took two steps back, and quickly wiped the tears from her face.
Before Lin Mo could react, she had already returned to her usual cold expression. Aside from her eyes being slightly red, there was almost no trace of her having just cried.
“Relinquish Hypnosis. You will forget everything that just happened,” she whispered, snapping her fingers.
Lin Mo cooperated by blinking, acting as if he had just come to his senses.
The footsteps grew closer as a few students on cleaning duty came downstairs carrying trash cans.
“Then that’s all for today,” Su Qing’s voice returned to its usual calm.
“Huh? Oh…” Lin Mo nodded.
“Also,” Su Qing turned to leave but paused for a moment without looking back. “My mom isn’t working overtime tonight. You don’t need to come to my house for dinner.”