Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

September.

The temperature in Beijing remains high, but there's already a hint of autumn in the air. Sunlight filters through the branches of the roadside trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground, and the cicadas' chirping is less frequent than in the height of summer.

The first day of school for freshmen at Jinghua Film Academy.

Lin Yuan got out of bed early in the morning, dragged his suitcase around the living room three times to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything.

Cell phone, computer, charger, toiletries, change of clothes, and two jars of homemade hot sauce that his mother shoved into the suitcase—everything was there.

"Mom, I'm really leaving now." Lin Yuan stood at the door, turned around and waved to Jiang Wanqing.

"Wait!" Jiang Wanqing poked her head out of the kitchen, her hands covered in a dish sponge and foam. "Your Uncle Su said he'd take you and Zhiyuan to the high-speed rail station."

Lin Yuan was taken aback: "Together?"

"right."

Before Lin Yuan could process this information, Su Jianming's cheerful voice came from outside the door:

"Xiao Yuan! Are you ready? Let's go!"

Lin Yuan sighed resignedly and dragged his suitcase out the door.

Su Zhiyuan was already standing in the hallway.

He wore a dark navy blue suit jacket over a white shirt, paired with a blue-gray plaid pleated skirt and black leather shoes. His long, jet-black hair cascaded down his back, and his pale skin made his light blue-gray eyes appear exceptionally clear. His expression was indifferent and aloof, exuding a cold and unapproachable aura.

Hearing the noise, Su Zhiyuan looked up at Lin Yuan, then quickly looked away.

Lin Yuan: "..."

Well, still that icy expression.

"Let's go." Su Jianming patted Lin Yuan on the shoulder with a smile. "You two will be in the same school from now on, so look out for each other."

Li Jing added with a smile, "Zhiyuan has a cold personality, Xiaoyuan, please bear with her."

Lin Yuan nodded with a grin: "Don't worry, Auntie, I'm not afraid of setbacks at all; the colder it gets, the more energetic I become."

Su Zhiyuan: "..."

She glanced at Lin Yuan, her eyes so cold they could freeze.

Lin Yuan pretended not to see and followed Su Jianming downstairs, dragging his suitcase.

On the high-speed train.

Lin Yuan put down his suitcase, checked his seat number, glanced at Su Zhiyuan's expressionless face, and raised an eyebrow: "What a coincidence."

Su Zhiyuan didn't even lift her eyelids: "A coincidence."

Lin Yuan withdrew his gaze, sat down on his own, and remained silent.

Su Zhiyuan ignored him, went straight to the window seat, looked down at her phone, and ended the conversation with silence.

Lin Yuan sat down next to her, scrolling through short videos with a bored expression, occasionally letting out a few ambiguous laughs.

Lin Yuan scrolled through the page for a while, then suddenly felt that the aura around him was a bit off.

He glanced at Su Zhiyuan out of the corner of his eye.

Su Zhiyuan was staring at her phone screen, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper. A rare flicker of emotion appeared on her perpetually cold face.

Lin Yuan curiously leaned over for a peek.

The screen displays a reading page for a novel.

Book title: Zhu Xian.

Author: Old Man of Akina Mountain.

Lin Yuan: "..."

Good guy.

His heart skipped a beat.

Su Zhiyuan...is she reading "Zhu Xian"?

And judging from her expression, she had clearly witnessed some heart-wrenching scene.

Lin Yuan suppressed the turmoil in his heart, pretended to be nonchalant, pulled his head back, and continued scrolling through his phone.

Su Zhiyuan, who was beside her, suddenly moved.

She swiped down on her phone screen, seemingly seeing something hurtful again, and then—

"You old scoundrel."

A cold voice came from the side. It wasn't loud, but every word was clear and carried a gnashing hatred.

Lin Yuan's hand trembled, and his phone almost fell to the ground.

He stiffly turned his head to look at Su Zhiyuan.

Su Zhiyuan was still staring at the screen, her red lips parted slightly, and she uttered four more words:

"You old scoundrel."

Lin Yuan: "..."

It feels like being walking down the street when someone suddenly points their finger at you and yells at you, and you can't even talk back.

Because he is that "old scoundrel".

Lin Yuan touched his nose, with only one thought in his mind—

The school beauty is actually a fan of my books.

Luckily, I was wearing a vest.

Judging from this reaction, he's probably been so badly abused that he wants to kill someone.

If someone were to slip up next to her, wouldn't they get slapped on the spot?

As he was thinking, Su Zhiyuan suddenly looked up and met his gaze.

The two locked eyes.

Su Zhiyuan's gaze was as cold as two ice knives, but Lin Yuan didn't even blink, looking back calmly.

After a few seconds of confrontation, Su Zhiyuan was the first to look away and lower her head again.

Lin Yuan withdrew his gaze and snorted inwardly: Trying to out-stare me?

In a flash, Lin Yuan smiled.

"The Legend of Chusen?"

Su Zhiyuan was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting him to speak.

"...What's wrong?" Her voice was calm, with a hint of wariness.

"Nothing much," Lin Yuan said casually. "I just guessed based on the look on your face that said you wanted to kill someone."

Su Zhiyuan: "..."

"Let me give you a piece of advice: it gets even more gruesome later on, so be prepared." Lin Yuan looked away. "The author is a scoundrel."

Su Zhiyuan's eyes flickered slightly.

"You watch it too?" she asked.

"I suppose so." Lin Yuan didn't explain further, leaning back lazily in his chair. "Zhang Xiaofan has had a tough time, but that's his fate; no one can save him."

Su Zhiyuan remained silent for two seconds.

"...Indeed." Her voice lowered a few decibels. "Zhang Xiaofan has suffered so much."

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow: "So what do you think of Lu Xueqi?"

Su Zhiyuan looked away and returned her gaze to her phone screen.

"She's fine," Su Zhiyuan said softly, "just... too proud."

Lin Yuan glanced at her; sunlight streamed through the car window, casting a soft shadow on her eyelashes. His expression remained unchanged, his heart unmoved—it was just a conversation about a novel, not enough to label her as "cold on the outside, warm on the inside."

"Zhang Xiaofan is fortunate to have met Biyao and Lu Xueqi in this life," Lin Yuan said calmly. "Although life has been tough, at least he has people who genuinely care for him."

Su Zhiyuan didn't speak, but her finger paused on the screen for a moment.

There was a moment of silence.

Lin Yuan looked at the scenery rushing past the window and suddenly found it somewhat interesting.

He and the school beauty were actually talking about a novel he had written himself.

If their identity is revealed, the scene will probably be quite interesting.

He smiled, didn't think about it anymore, and looked down at his phone again.