Chapter 53: To Receive Without Giving Back Is Discourteous

Suddenly, Yao Yanyan froze in place as if struck by lightning. Her pupils constricted sharply, as though she could not believe that Qin Luo would actually do such a thing.

Xu Ke’s eyes widened abruptly. The words Qin Luo had just spoken were still echoing relentlessly in her mind. Before her turbulent thoughts could even begin to settle, Qin Luo’s subsequent action dealt her yet another heavy blow.

For a moment, the entire classroom felt as though the pause button had been pressed, falling into a suffocatingly dead silence.

Only a few seconds later did Qin Luo’s lips brush past Yao Yanyan’s delicate face, finally coming to a halt beside her ear.

"Though I have no idea what is truly going on in your mind, well... courtesy demands reciprocity. Consider this my return gift to you."

As those soft words drifted into her ear, Yao Yanyan finally snapped out of her daze.

She stared blankly at Qin Luo, her pupils reflecting his slightly cavalier smile. Her eyes flashed with colors of the utmost complexity, and the heartbeat that she had finally managed to calm down once again spun completely out of control.

Her lips parted slightly as if she intended to say something, but before any sound could escape, Qin Luo had already turned and walked away.

Yao Yanyan watched with her own eyes as Qin Luo approached Xu Ke, only to walk right past her without the slightest hesitation or pause.

In that very instant, she noticed Xu Ke’s body tremble noticeably.

"D-Don't go..."

Xu Ke forced out a few syllables through a strained, difficult voice, as if she were expending every last ounce of her strength.

Qin Luo heard her, yet he did not stop. He simply walked out of the classroom, absorbed in his own stride.

Just outside, he noticed three beautiful girls of varying heights, each possessing her own distinct charm, standing by the wall.

Tang Yu stared at him with a complex and shocked gaze, watching him unblinkingly, her lips parting as if she had much to say but held back.

Chu Shijin held a bag of snacks, one hand frozen deep inside it, failing to pull out a single bite for the longest time.

Chu Liunian, dressed in a JK uniform, blinked as she watched him. A trace of astonished wonder was visible in the smile on her face, resembling a spectator who had just witnessed a brilliant and thrilling drama.

Qin Luo swept his gaze across the three of them and smiled faintly. Reaching into Chu Shijin's snack bag, he plucked out a potato chip, popped it into his mouth, and—taking advantage of Chu Shijin's stunned state—lightly pinched her cheek.

"Bye."

He waved his hand and strode away.

His tall, broad figure radiated a sense of effortless poise and unconstrained freedom in every movement.

Tang Yu watched his departing figure with complicated emotions all the way until he completely vanished from sight, only then turning to the other two to ask, "What are your thoughts?"

Chu Shijin bit her lip and muttered blankly, "I don't really know what to say. It's just... I feel a bit heavy inside, and I've lost my appetite..."

With that, she retrieved a potato chip from the bag, intending to put it into her mouth, but ultimately chose to drop it back in.

Chu Liunian crossed her arms and remarked with keen interest, "Such a move could easily be considered a classic even in an anime! If I ever get to draw manga in the future, I must include this scene. Who knows, perhaps after it gets adapted into an anime, it'll become an immortal classic!"

The fact that it could cause the foodie Chu Shijin to lose her appetite, and lead the veteran anime fan Chu Liunian to hail it as a classic, clearly demonstrated just how massive an impact Qin Luo’s performance had inflicted upon them.

Tang Yu’s mind was likewise far from calm. From her perspective, Qin Luo’s pursuit of Xu Ke over the past three-plus months was nothing more than a straightforward, youthful infatuation.

Yet precisely because she was a bystander, she could neatly summarize it with such a simple phrase.

Without immersing oneself directly into Qin Luo's perspective, who could truly untangle the complex web of emotions intertwined within it?

Tang Yu could neither articulate nor straighten it out. Yet upon hearing those parting words from Qin Luo, a sudden surge of lingering sympathy for him arose in her chest. She didn't even feel any excessive resentment regarding the fact that Qin Luo had suddenly kissed Yao Yanyan.

Since Qin Luo had already resolved to give up on Xu Ke, turning his gaze toward other women was entirely natural—even though she knew full well that this outcome had been entirely brought about by Yao Yanyan's initiative.

The only thing she did not know was whether this very outcome was what Yao Yanyan had desired all along.

"Let's go inside."

With those words, Tang Yu stepped into the classroom. Compared to Yao Yanyan, she was now far more curious about what kind of reaction Xu Ke would exhibit.

Would it be regret? Vexation? Emotion?

Or would she maintain her usual proud demeanor, loudly declaring that everything was merely his own wishful thinking?

Tang Yu’s curiosity was satisfied almost immediately.

The moment she crossed the threshold into the classroom, her steps came to an abrupt halt.

A glance ahead revealed Xu Ke standing not far away.

She looked as though she had been struck by a sudden bolt from the blue, or as if her soul had been violently ripped away by a pair of invisible hands, leaving her entire body stiff and numb.

Her naturally fair face now bore an almost sickly pallor, making her look like a lifeless paper flower. Her eyes had lost all their highlights, appearing hollow and vacant.

Though Tang Yu was accustomed to Xu Ke's usual expressionless and aloof demeanor, her current state was worlds apart from that so-called aloofness.

If forced to describe it, it was as if her brain, having suffered severe trauma, had triggered a self-defense mechanism, plunging her entire being into a state of total shutdown.

"Xu Ke, are you alright?"

Tang Yu gently called out to Xu Ke, but received no response. Xu Ke stood there motionlessly like a fool, as if she hadn't heard a sound.

Tang Yu frowned slightly, then cast her gaze toward Yao Yanyan not far away, only to find her sitting in her seat, absentmindedly touching her lips and lost in thought.

Sensible of Tang Yu's gaze, Yao Yanyan snapped out of her reverie, her expression reverting once more to her usual carefree, devil-may-care demeanor.

She walked over to Tang Yu step by step and casually remarked, "Looks like the shock she took this time is quite enough. Let's get her back to the dorm first."

Tang Yu gave her a deep, searching look. After a moment of hesitation where much remained unsaid, she silently nodded.

Shortly after, she and Chu Liunian supported Xu Ke on either side, preparing to lead her back to the dormitory building.

However, once outside the teaching building, Yao Yanyan did not follow along with them, instead turning off in a completely different direction.

Tang Yu instinctively asked, "Where are you going?"

Yao Yanyan turned a deaf ear to her words and walked away without uttering a single syllable.

At that moment, Tang Yu understood that Yao Yanyan's apparent composure was merely a facade masking the tumultuous waves within her heart. The ripples of Qin Luo’s actions had certainly not affected Xu Ke alone.

"What's wrong with Yanyan?" Chu Shijin could not help but ask.

Tang Yu shook her head in silence, causing Chu Shijin to purse her lips and drop the questioning.

She quietly munched on a potato chip, glanced over her three friends, and then looked back at the receding figure of Yao Yanyan, feeling more and more that everyone was acting rather strangely today.

Even herself—she didn't even have the appetite for her absolute favorite potato chips anymore... Wait, did Qin Luo steal one of my chips earlier?

Puzzled, Chu Shijin popped open a bottle of cola and began to chug.

Before long, the group returned to Dormitory 606.

Tang Yu and Chu Liunian guided Xu Ke to a chair and helped her sit down.

Just as they were pondering how to bring Xu Ke back to her senses, they were suddenly startled to discover that two streams of clear tears were quietly tracing their way down Xu Ke's face.

At this sight, the other three girls instinctively widened their eyes in disbelief.

Having been classmates for so long, this was the absolute first time any of them had ever witnessed her shed a tear.