I really don't want to date a girl addicted to the internet!

"Where is she?" The boy looked around.

"I just went out," the girl said softly.

"Is she alright?" the boy couldn't help but ask worriedly.

It's a bit hard to imagine how Shen Xi managed to bring him back so quickly.

"Cheng Fei, you should leave her alone." Nagasaki Asuna lay down and hugged the boy, rubbing her face against him like a cat. "How are you feeling now, Cheng Fei? The doctor said you're fine, but you haven't been able to wake up."

"Don't worry, I'm just a little tired." The boy looked at the ceiling, gently stroking the girl's soft cheek, feeling an indescribable sense of relief.

"Cheng Fei, classmate." Nagasaki Asuna closed her eyes slightly, obediently and proactively responding.

The door to the dormitory cabin suddenly opened.

A cool, aloof girl with long, dark hair walked in carrying a neatly folded towel. After taking in the situation in the room, her expressionless face underwent a dramatic change.

"Cheng Fei?! You're awake?" Shen Xi rushed over to check on the boy, her brows furrowed and her face showing undisguised worry.

"Teacher Shen." The boy blinked at her, then hesitated for a moment, asking curiously, "How did we get back?"

"I..." The aloof girl opened her mouth.

"Shen Xi, please be quiet and don't disturb Cheng Fei's rest." Nagasaki Asuna tilted her head, narrowed her eyes, and spoke in a soft voice with a hint of hostility.

The aloof girl froze, first biting her lip slightly in displeasure, then her eyes flickered, she turned her face away and shut her mouth, as if she dared not refute.

The boy's gaze darted back and forth between the two, and he realized something.

It's likely that Nagasaki Asuna saw him being brought back unconscious and blamed everything on Shen Xi.

"Nana, don't do this." The boy gently stroked the sweet girl's head.

“Cheng Fei, but…” Nagasaki Asuna looked up and met his gaze, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Silly girl, go outside for a bit, let me talk to Teacher Shen alone." The boy pinched her cheek.

"I understand." Nagasaki Asuna hesitated for a moment, then finally stood up with her hand on her chest, turned around and left. Before leaving, she glanced at the aloof girl standing next to her, feeling a sense of displeasure.

After the door closed, the boy looked at Shen Xi, who was standing motionless with her head down, and asked casually, "Little cutie, what's wrong?"

The girl looked up at him, her beautiful face showing a complex expression. She sat down on the edge of the bed, her lowered eyelids trembling slightly. Her cool, soft hand grasped his palm and squeezed it tightly. "Cheng Fei..."

"There's no need for this, is there? At least I'm not dead, no matter what." The boy opened his arms to her as proof.

"Cheng Fei!" The aloof girl suddenly threw herself into his arms, burying her head near his neck, her slender body trembling violently.

"So how did we get back?" the boy asked again, adding that he thought he would wake up in a monitoring station or something similar.

“I brought you back to the monitoring station. The Foundation originally wanted you to have a medical check-up, but I had a helicopter bring us back.” The girl’s voice trembled slightly, as if the chill of the icy plains still lingered before her eyes.

"I see, you truly are my little darling." The young man gently stroked the back of her head.

The girl slowly raised her head, and warm liquid silently dripped onto the boy's face.

He was stunned for a moment, staring at that beautiful little face that was trying hard to keep a straight face, but still couldn't stop the tears from falling from her chin.

"Teacher Shen, how come you've become such a crybaby?" The boy smiled with a sense of relief.

"Cheng Fei, why did you lie to me?" Shen Xi wiped away her tears, stared intently at the young man, and spoke softly, a stubborn glimmer surging in her pure, dark eyes.

1019. Cheng Fei publicly confesses his feelings again.

An endless expanse of white ice.

After the blizzard that lasted all night ended, the world fell silent.

Until one moment, the roar of rotors broke the silence, and a small black dot appeared from the horizon as a silver-gray heavy transport helicopter entered the airspace.

Upon seeing the scene on the ground, everyone in the cabin was stunned.

Within sight, it would not be an exaggeration to describe it as a scene of devastation, as if two giant beasts had once fought here. The solid ice layer was covered with spider web-like cracks, each crack being wider than a person and bottomless. The winding and twisting fissures crawled across the ground like the tracks of an icebreaker or like a child's random scribbles.

A large crater appeared in the center of the area. The ice layer was smashed through, revealing black permafrost. The hard rocks at the bottom of the crater were crushed into dust. It got deeper and deeper towards the center, as if a meteorite had fallen first and then been excavated by construction machinery.

If you look closely, you will also find some charred marks at the bottom of the pit. Most of them are small and scattered, but one mark is connected and forms a huge claw mark, which makes it impossible to imagine what kind of creature left it.

"Headquarters, there's no signal at the site, and no visible failures, but you really have to take a look at this, it's unbelievable..."

"receive……"

"Prepare for close reconnaissance..."

The helicopter arrived at the edge of the crater and hovered at a height of more than ten meters. The side door was then pulled open forcefully.

Fully armed passengers filed out of the plane, jumping directly out of the cabin without using ropes. They landed heavily on the ground with one knee, but got up unharmed, their full-coverage helmets scanning the world before them with flashing indicator lights.

Inside the cabin, the person who opened the cabin door looked at the last passenger and said, "Elise, let's begin!"

A gloomy girl with curly hair tied into two short ponytails, wearing the same combat uniform, leaned against the porthole, absentmindedly gazing at the scenery outside. She took two seconds to come to her senses after hearing the shout, nodded without saying a word, put the full-face helmet on her head, and jumped out of the cabin like everyone else before her, landing easily on the ground.

The helmet's first-person view was instantly transmitted to the distant circular combat command center, where gasps of astonishment rang out one after another amidst the rich aroma of coffee.

"How on earth did they manage to create these signs of damage...?"

"I prefer to believe that an army was fighting a failed operation..."

On the large screen hanging in the center, two headshots appeared. The handsome young man with a smile was moved aside, and the expressionless, aloof girl was placed in the middle, her pure, dark eyes seemingly freezing everything she saw.

"What about the two of them..."

"After completing the mission briefing, they insisted on being sent back by helicopter, as if they wanted to continue their vacation, even refusing medical assistance..."

"As expected of an S-rank..."

"Gentlemen, following the highest directive from the Steering Committee, this operation is now officially over. All relevant files have been sealed and are classified as top secret. We are now proceeding with the clearing procedure."

……

Inside the warm dormitory cabin.

Cheng Fei remained lying flat, his eyes meeting those of the aloof girl sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Why did you lie to me?" Shen Xi grabbed the boy's shoulders, lowered her head so that her bangs covered her face so that her expression could not be seen, and a sniffling sound could be heard.

The boy was silent for a moment, then said nonchalantly, "It was my fault. I pretended to be dead and scared Teacher Shen to tears, but I even tried to trick her into kissing me. I was incredibly audacious. I apologize."

"That's not what I meant!" The girl raised her voice and glared at him, her pure, dark eyes brimming with tears and trembling violently.

"Which one is that?" the boy asked with feigned curiosity.

"Why did you lie to me and tell me to run away alone?!" The girl gritted her teeth, her voice filled with sobs and anger.

"I'm not lying to you. Didn't I already tell you that I couldn't do anything with you here, so I let you go first?" The boy shrugged, looking completely matter-of-fact.

“That’s not how it is at all…” The girl gripped his shoulder tightly, her slender body trembling slightly.

"Where isn't it?" the boy asked, looking at her.

"Don't think I can't see through you..."

"What's that little brain of yours thinking about again?"

"Stop pretending! You arrogant, conceited, and lying Cheng Feiyu!!!" The girl suddenly shouted, as if she could no longer bear it, and large tears slid down her cheeks.

The boy stared at her face for a moment, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "Sweetie, don't get excited."

"Trash! You clearly knew you couldn't win, but you used safe words to lie to me without even asking for my opinion!" The girl's voice trembled, her stubborn pink lips tightly closed, and she tried hard to keep her face expressionless. Tears fell one after another from her chin, landing on the boy.

"You're just a servant, what right do you have to make such a decision? What right do you have to trade your life for mine? Do you think you're a hero? You're just a despicable person!" The girl covered her mouth, only her moist eyes showing. Her trembling gaze was fixed on the boy's collar. Her tone was filled with resentment and a sense of unwillingness.

The boy looked at her, then spoke in a relaxed tone, "What exactly is Teacher Shen talking about? What do you mean by trading my life for yours? Didn't I win as we agreed from the beginning?"

"Stop pretending. It just happened to be an accident." The girl stared into his eyes, her sharp gaze, brimming with tears, seemed to pierce through him.

"Teacher Shen, while I don't object to your approval of me, don't you think you're just making things up based on your own subjective assumptions? Don't love me too much, thinking of me as something so great." The boy shook his head and sighed.

“Fine, then Cheng Feiyu will tell me.” The girl raised her chin, looking down at him defiantly.

"Tell you what?"

"Tell me that Cheng Feiyu was really just afraid I would find out the secret, and that she didn't actually want to buy me time to escape." The girl swallowed, her tone unchanged.

"Me," the boy said without hesitation.

“Call me by my name,” the girl interrupted him, squinting her wet eyes.

The boy fell silent, first glancing out the window, then scratching his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Sweetie, I really regret agreeing to use that safe word with you."

"Cheng Fei, you piece of trash." The girl said softly, her cool, soft hands suddenly covering his cheeks from both sides, forcing him to look directly at her.

Then, tilting his head slightly and leaning closer, the beautiful little face, covered in tear stains and expressionless, gradually magnified in the boy's eyes, allowing him to see every detail on it. Its fragile and translucent quality, like that of a glass artifact, was like the most beautiful work of art in the world.

A cool, delicate touch, indescribably gentle, imprinted itself firmly on the boy's heart, and a familiar, faint fragrance had never been so clearly permeated by the scent.

Those pure, ink-black eyes met his gaze without blinking, conveying sadness, resentment, and other complex emotions that were hard to define. The distance between them was closer than ever before.

The boy's eyes widened, feeling as if there was no need for time zero; time was stretching infinitely, yet also seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

After the brief contact, Shen Xi straightened up and pulled away, looking down at him again. Her stubborn, pink lips remained tightly closed, and her cold expression showed no change, as if nothing had happened.

The boy hesitated for a moment, gazing at that delicate, beautiful, and captivating face, a hint of worry in his eyes. "Could it be that she's trying to force me to reveal a secret?"

"No need," the girl said coldly, without a trace of emotion.

"what?"

"I said I don't need it." The girl subtly turned her face away, leaving him with a cool, soft cheek.

"What does this mean?" the boy asked, observing her.

"It doesn't mean anything." The girl's eyes flickered.

The boy thought for a moment, smacked his lips, and said, "Okay, can we do it again? It was a bit too short just now."

Unlike Nagasaki Asuna, who was incredibly bold and unrestrained with her first kiss, the aloof girl in front of him touched him in the purest way, as pure as the girl herself.

"Don't even dream about it. Make it clear that no one here has any special relationship with you that obligates you to do this. What just happened was just a one in a billion chance accident," the girl said in a muffled voice.

"Teacher Shen, don't be like this. Even if we do it again, it's only two in a billion. It's okay, right? I'm sure you want to too." The boy was a little anxious and grabbed her small hand.

"Don't even dream about it. Nobody here wants you, you self-righteous Cheng Feiyu!" The girl raised her voice, glared at him fiercely, and struggled symbolically but couldn't shake him off.

"Okay, if Teacher Shen really doesn't want to, then so be it. The fact that she kissed me on her own initiative is quite cute, even once." The boy stared at the ceiling, looking lost.

The girl glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then immediately looked away, her voice becoming barely audible, "Trash, if you really want this so badly, then just start dating already."

The boy was about to say something when the door to the dormitory cabin suddenly opened.

"Husband! You're awake?" Lin Xuanqi ran to the boy's side to observe him, her brows furrowed slightly, her charming face, flushed with worry, filled with concern.

Ye Shuang bit her lip and followed silently behind, secretly relieved after seeing the boy's condition.

Nagasaki Asuna walked at the back with her hands behind her back, casually watching Shen Xi.

The aloof girl turned her face away, refusing to look at her.

"Um, Miriam said she's getting ready to leave. Is Cheng Fei alright?" Zhou Han peeked out from outside the door, arm in arm with Ruan Jingyi, her round eyes observing the situation inside the dormitory cabin, looking completely bewildered.

……

Around noon, the students of Yinghua gathered in the open space of the research station, ready to bid farewell to this cold continent.

While waiting, the boys and girls chattered excitedly, discussing all sorts of things they planned to do when they got back.

"Junior! I heard you weren't feeling well, are you alright?" Milian ran up to Cheng Fei, her eyes sparkling.

"Not feeling well? I'm fine." The boy, who had been expressionless and unfocused, looked at her, opened his arms and smiled, then hugged the blonde girl tightly. "Senior, you're still so cute."

This scene caused the aloof girl next to him to look up at him abruptly, her delicate brows furrowed and her face showing displeasure.

"Huh?" Nagasaki Asuna blinked, her clear, bright eyes reflecting the boy's face, and tilted her head in confusion.

Lin Xuanqi and Ye Shuang exchanged a glance, both seeing suspicion on each other's faces.

"Junior, you're..." Miriam was also stunned, looking at the boy with deep concern, "Are you really alright? Did you bump your head somewhere?"

"We'll talk about that later, I have something else to do." The boy affectionately ruffled her hair, then turned and walked to the center of the group.

"Everyone!" He clapped his hands loudly, drawing everyone's attention to himself, and raised his voice, "There's something I want to announce now. After all, in such a beautiful place, you might never have a second chance in your life, right?"

The students who were waiting in the assembly all looked at him. Although they didn't understand why, they subconsciously paid attention to him and waited for what he would say, because of the young man's long-standing reputation.