“I know you like me. You’ve already said it three times.”
As a wealthy and beautiful girl, Xia Xi had received countless confessions, so she had become somewhat immune to these impulsive “I like you”s.
However, one thing was strange. When the other party stared at her seriously and uttered those words, her own heartbeat actually skipped a beat.
This shouldn’t be happening. Apart from yesterday, this should only be her second time meeting him. She shouldn’t be reacting to his confession. Could it be that she had fallen for this senior who acted a bit like a girl?
Love at first sight couldn’t possibly exist in this world. At least, Xia Xi didn’t believe in it. This senior must have just taken a fancy to her looks, and as for herself…
Well, the other person did seem quite handsome, but she still preferred girls.
Even though she herself was a girl, that didn’t stop her from liking other girls who were sweet, soft, and cute.
As Xia Xi herself would put it, what’s wrong with liking girls? Her sexual orientation was perfectly normal. She absolutely refused to acknowledge any problem with it.
She twisted a strand of hair that fell to her chest, tossing the thoughts from her mind, and continued, “You asked me to come to the rooftop. You probably didn’t just want to say that, right?”
“Of course not.”
Luo Xinyu shook his head.
“I’m saying… let’s skip school!”
“Oh, so it’s just skipping school…”
Xia Xi was listening with a calm expression, but the next second, her eyes widened.
“Wait, what? Skip school? You and me?”
She couldn’t understand where this boy got the courage to say such a thing to her.
Skipping school was absolutely zero tolerance for students like them. After all, she had just transferred here, and the records the teachers received from her previous school showed she was an exemplary student. As a straight-A student, how could she possibly skip school with some unfamiliar senior?
“Yep, just you and me.”
He nodded, nonchalantly.
Seeing his expression wasn’t joking, Xia Xi decisively said, “I’m sorry, but I still believe our age should focus on studies. I think it’s best we don’t interact anymore. I’m afraid of any misunderstandings arising between us.”
Luo Xinyu listened to her words, silently complain to himself: What ‘afraid of misunderstandings’—you’re just afraid I’ll be a bad influence, right?
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
“Then let me rephrase. The two of us—me and you—let’s elope. How about that?”
Xia Xi, who had just calmed down, was once again shocked by his words.
Are students these days so bold? Even talking about eloping!
And there was no real relationship between them. She had already rejected his confession. She wasn’t his girlfriend or wife, so how could it be called eloping!
“I…”
She frowned, about to refuse.
But for no reason, her heart started pounding, thumping wildly. It was the first time she truly understood what “butterflies in the stomach” felt like.
But why?
This was only their second meeting. This shouldn’t be happening!
As a young lady known for her cool, aloof persona, how could she possibly fall for such a frivolous boy? No way! Absolutely not!
“Think it over carefully~ Will you come elope with me or not?”
Luo Xinyu wore a smile, as if he had Xia Xi all figured out.
“But I’ve never…”
Unconsciously, Xia Xi’s stance had shifted from refusal to hesitation.
“How could you have never?”
Luo Xinyu pointed towards Lin Xuening, who was now standing at the rooftop entrance—though of course, this Lin Xuening was just an illusion he’d conjured in the game space, not the real person from the actual world.
“What do you mean?”
Although Xia Xi was a bit surprised by Lin Xuening’s arrival, she was more focused on his previous words.
“Haven’t you skipped class with Lin Xuening before to go shopping?”
Luo Xinyu was referring to that time in the real world when they had swapped identities and skipped class, but how could Xia Xi, with her altered memories, remember any of that?
“I don’t recall anything like that happening between us.”
Xia Xi glanced at Lin Xuening, then turned back to face Luo Xinyu.
“That’s fine. I remember it, and that’s enough.”
Luo Xinyu’s words left Xia Xi utterly bewildered.
How could he speak as if it were an undeniable fact, when she was sure she’d never done such a thing?
He was no different from those fabricators of history!
“I don’t remember it either.”
Lin Xuening had now walked up to Xia Xi’s side, taking her arm with a concerned expression.
“Xia Xi, you mustn’t agree to this. Talking about eloping—I think he just wants to have his way with you and then not take any responsibility.”
Clearly, Lin Xuening, who had arrived at some point, had overheard their conversation.
Xia Xi frowned again.
She really didn’t want outsiders interfering in such matters. Moreover, Luo Xinyu acted as if he knew her so well, which piqued her curiosity intensely.
After thinking it over briefly, Xia Xi finally made up her mind.
“I’ll go with you.”
Getting the answer he wanted, Luo Xinyu’s smile brightened even more.
“Is that agreeing to be my girlfriend?”
He said this deliberately. Teasing her was just too fun~
“No. I mean I agree to skip class with you.”
“Oh…”
Seeing Luo Xinyu put on a disappointed look, a strange sense of loss welled up inside Xia Xi again.
“If… if you can impress me while we’re skipping class… then being your girlfriend isn’t entirely off the table…”
As she said this, a blush had already spread across Xia Xi’s cheeks. Her posture and expression were no longer the cold, unapproachable demeanor from before, but bore a resemblance to the awkward shyness of a young girl.
“Have you lost your mind? You’ve only met him twice! How can you agree to such an unreasonable request!”
Lin Xuening was visibly agitated.
“I’m going to tell the teacher. You won’t succeed in skipping school!”
She hurriedly left the rooftop, apparently to find a teacher.
Xia Xi glanced at Lin Xuening’s retreating figure, adjusted her mindset, and looked back at Luo Xinyu.
“So, what’s your plan now? When the teacher comes, don’t blame me for distancing myself from you.”
Hearing her words, Luo Xinyu waved a hand.
“Let’s not waste time. We’ll make a run for it now!”
With that, he grabbed Xia Xi’s hand and pulled her towards the stairwell.
“Slow down! We don’t actually need to be in such a hurry. My bodyguards are at the school gate. We can just leave by car then, and the teacher won’t catch us.”
It was as if Xia Xi’s intelligence had taken a nosedive. She could have easily left campus by making up any excuse to ask for leave from a teacher, yet here she was, listening to Luo Xinyu and actually planning to run away to skip school.
Perhaps it really was as Lin Xuening suspected. This young lady, who even felt estranged from her own body, had fallen head over heels in love.
