Chapter 18 Kissed Until Almost Suffocating, Announced in Front of the Whole School…

Chapter 18: A Kiss That Nearly Suffocated, Announced Before the Entire School…

Yun Dai was baffled, and Yu Xing was equally confused. But seeing Mei Hexuan’s apparent foul mood and recalling his poorly concealed crush on her, she decided to follow him out.

Mei Hexuan strode ahead, his face cold, radiating an oppressive aura. Yu Xing silently trailed behind him.

The two exited the classroom, one after the other, Mei Hexuan leading her to a secluded corner of the hallway.

Once they stopped, Mei Hexuan turned, looking down at Yu Xing with a mix of annoyance and disdain. "I don’t care what’s going on between you and Yun Dai," he stated.

*Oh?* Yu Xing thought. *Just as I suspected. What a contradictory man. If he truly didn’t care about her and Yun Dai, why drag her out here to say this?*

Mei Hexuan spoke again, "It’s also irrelevant to me that you’re a commoner."

*Good heavens,* Yu Xing’s eyes widened slightly. *Does he love me that much? He doesn’t even mind my commoner status.*

"But you’ve disturbed me," Mei Hexuan continued, his fair skin seemingly luminous in the sunlight. His perfectly sculpted lips moved as he spoke, "While I’ve always believed trash belongs in the dumpster, and no matter how much a piece of trash struggles, it can’t change the fact that it’s trash, I have no interest in interrupting a trash’s futile efforts. Provided, of course, that it doesn’t disturb me. Do you understand?"

Mei Hexuan didn’t even bother to look Yu Xing in the eye as he spoke.

Yu Xing was still somewhat bewildered, so she shook her head.

Seeing this, Mei Hexuan took a deep breath, patiently explaining, "Aren’t you dating Gu Ya? Why don’t you transfer to his class?"

Now Yu Xing understood. Mei Hexuan was… jealous.

"I see," Yu Xing nodded slowly.

Mei Hexuan’s cold expression softened slightly. "In that case, you…"

"Come with me," Yu Xing said, hands in her pockets, her tone deep and serious. "I’ll give you an explanation."

Mei Hexuan: "?"

With that, Yu Xing turned and walked away at a steady pace toward the connecting corridor.

Watching her determined retreating figure, Mei Hexuan, though utterly perplexed, followed. *An explanation? What kind of explanation could she possibly give?*

Yun Dai stood at the classroom door, watching the two walk away, her brows deeply furrowed.

She liked Mei Hexuan, and she understood him well. Despite his usual aloof and indifferent demeanor, his disdain for mingling with ordinary people stemmed from his inherent arrogance—he looked down on most.

He especially looked down on "flawed" individuals. So Yun Dai was a little worried: *What did he want with Yu Xing?*

It wasn’t yet class time, and most students were outside. Their building faced the school plaza, and from the connecting corridor, one could see the entire plaza. Likewise, everyone in the plaza could see what was happening on the corridor.

Soon, people noticed them.

"Look!" someone pointed upwards. "Isn’t that Yu Xing and Mei Hexuan?"

Everyone looked up. "It really is them!"

Yu Xing and Mei Hexuan stood facing each other on the corridor. Mei Hexuan asked impatiently, "Why did you bring me here? What do you want?"

"Darling," Yu Xing suddenly looked up, smiling dotingly at Mei Hexuan. "Are you jealous? Don’t worry, you’re always in my heart."

Mei Hexuan froze for a second, then exploded in rage. "You’re talking nonsense…"

Before he could finish, Yu Xing pushed Mei Hexuan.

[Level 1 Broomstick Star: 214/250.]

Caught off guard, Mei Hexuan stumbled back two steps, his back hitting the corridor railing. Yu Xing stepped forward, pressing a hand on Mei Hexuan’s shoulder, forcing a small part of his body to lean precariously over the railing.

Mei Hexuan was furious, reaching out to push Yu Xing away. But someone had spilled water on the corridor, and his foot slipped on the wet spot just as he raised his hand, nearly sending him tumbling backward off the building.

So, his hand, instead of pushing, instinctively grabbed. The moment he seized Yu Xing’s shoulder, Yu Xing forcefully kissed his lips.

In that instant, Mei Hexuan’s mind went blank. Yun Dai, who had secretly followed, also blanked out. And the vast number of Seventh Middle School students watching from below—their minds went blank too.

So many people were stunned into silence by the scene that the usually noisy campus suddenly fell quiet.

After a brief blank, Mei Hexuan’s mind finally regained some basic cognitive function. Trembling with rage, he prepared to resist violently, even if it meant killing Yu Xing in front of the entire student body.

However, his precarious situation remained. Half his body was still suspended outside the railing. If he let go of Yu Xing, he would fall. And with Yu Xing pressing against him, his position became even more dangerous. He not only had to hold onto Yu Xing tightly to prevent himself from falling but also keep his feet firmly planted on the ground; otherwise, even if he held onto Yu Xing, a single misstep could send them both tumbling down.

Though he was so angry he wanted to vomit blood, a sliver of rationality remained: he couldn’t die, and he certainly couldn’t die with Yu Xing.

So, he could only maintain this desperate grip on Yu Xing, head tilted back, enduring the kiss in a posture that was almost sacrificial.

The scene was so incredibly beautiful that students, snapping out of their daze, quickly pulled out their devices to record this wonderful moment.

It wasn’t just students; many teachers were also drawn by the commotion, gathering to witness this "kiss of the century."

A male god from District A kissing a commoner girl from District D—such a thing hadn’t happened in decades, had it? It certainly deserved to be called a "century" event.

The teachers stood stiffly in the plaza below, their emotions a complex mix. Emotionally, they wished this hadn’t happened, but logically, they had no standing to stop it, as Seventh Middle School did not prohibit student relationships.

Moreover, one of the protagonists was Mei Hexuan. Which teacher at Seventh Middle School didn’t know about Mei Hexuan’s prominent family background?

If they were to disturb this young master and displease him, it was hard to say whether teachers with ordinary backgrounds like themselves would face secret retaliation.

For a moment, no one dared to act rashly. Everyone could only gather and silently observe.

After a long while, one teacher asked in confusion, "Yu Xing… isn’t she dating Gu Ya?"

Only then did the other teachers realize, *Oh right, the other protagonist is Yu Xing!*

Their feelings grew even more complicated. This Yu Xing… she seemed to be involved in quite a lot lately. Almost every major incident at school in the past few days had something to do with Yu Xing.

Another teacher thought, *Thank goodness Gu Ya hasn’t been to school these past two days; otherwise, he would surely raise hell.*

Unlike the teachers’ relief, the students watching were all reveling in the drama. Some who were friends with Gu Ya even sent the video directly to him, urging him to hurry to school.

Of course, most people at this moment weren’t thinking too much; their eyes and minds were entirely dedicated to the kiss.

Finally, Yu Xing released Mei Hexuan’s lips.

Mei Hexuan’s eyes fluttered open slightly, his thick, upturned lashes trembling like butterfly wings. He gasped for air, his mouth hanging open.

In his fury, shame, and tension, he had forgotten to breathe. Had Yu Xing kissed him any longer, Mei Hexuan would likely have become the first person in history to die from suffocation during a kiss, an event worthy of the history books.

Yu Xing lowered her head, looking at Mei Hexuan’s flushed face and tear-filled eyes. She chuckled softly, leaning in to whisper in his ear with an almost doting tone, "Sweetheart, I’ve announced our relationship in front of the entire school. Are you satisfied now?"

The advancement of modern technology exceeded Yu Xing’s imagination. For example, the recording function on their devices could not only capture distant scenes clearly but also simultaneously collect audio from the footage and even remove background noise.

Thus, Yu Xing’s words were clearly transmitted to every teacher and student present, their meaning nearly short-circuiting everyone’s brains.

Mei Hexuan, whose mind had just suffered a devastating blow, hadn’t even recovered when he heard Yu Xing’s words. His rationality was finally completely destroyed. In that instant, he cast aside all thoughts of life and death.

*Letting go would mean falling to his death?*

*Potentially dying with Yu Xing?*

*Oh! None of that mattered to him anymore.* All he wanted now was for Yu Xing to die; he only wanted this commoner, who dared to offend and humiliate him, to completely disappear.

So, he released his grip on Yu Xing’s shoulder, reaching instead for her neck, his eyes red as he snarled at her, "You—!"

However, he was truly having an unlucky day. Before he could even utter the words "die already," the prolonged strain on his waist from leaning over the railing caused a muscle injury. The moment he shifted his posture, intense pain assailed him.

His body involuntarily contorted from the agony, cutting off his words mid-sentence. The hand that had been aiming for her neck instead ended up pulling her into a hug.

So, under everyone’s gaze, all they saw was Yu Xing finishing her relationship announcement, followed by Mei Hexuan suddenly becoming agitated. He threw his arms around Yu Xing’s neck, pulling them tightly together, and then, as if pouring out his very soul, shouted three words:

"You give me!"

*You give me?*

*Give me what?*

*Will you give me a kiss?*

Suddenly embraced by Mei Hexuan, Yu Xing wasn’t too surprised. She merely shook her head with a mix of helplessness and affection. *He really does love me so much. He’s been trying so hard to suppress his overwhelming feelings. He’s willing to endure the scorn of dating a commoner for my sake, and the only thing I can do is respond to this profound love.*

"Alright, alright," Yu Xing said, holding Mei Hexuan, in a coaxing tone, like comforting a child. "I’ll give you, I’ll give you whatever you want."

With that, she kissed Mei Hexuan’s beautiful lips again, which were now red and swollen from their previous kiss.

"OHHHHHHH!!!!"

The onlookers, teachers and students alike, were going wild. The usually aloof Mei Hexuan was actually pleading for love from Yu Xing in such a vulnerable posture.

Who would have thought that the cold and distant male god would behave like this in the face of true love?

As the most popular guy at Seventh Middle School, Mei Hexuan naturally had no shortage of admirers. At that moment, his admirers were all gathered in the plaza, looking up at the scene, and seeing Mei Hexuan like this, they couldn’t help but burst into tears.

It turned out that it wasn’t that the male god had no emotions; it was just that none of them were the person he truly desired.

Some watched with gritted teeth, while others, though heartbroken, silently offered their blessings, believing that as long as the male god was happy, that was enough.

But some were unconvinced. "Isn’t Yu Xing Gu Ya’s girlfriend? How can she be with Mei Hexuan? She’s cheating!"

*Oh right!* That reminder struck everyone.

Where was Gu Ya?

Gu Ya… was at home, scrolling through the Seventh Middle School forum.

After his father left, he had resolved that this time, no matter what, he would find a way to destroy Yu Xing. He had to let his father know that he wasn’t useless.

However, he soon received a message from a friend—a simple photo. But the moment he saw that photo, his eyes widened in shock.

The photo showed a young couple kissing. He recognized both protagonists well: the boy was Mei Hexuan, and the girl was Yu Xing.

For a second, he suspected it was a合成图, because no matter how much he disliked Mei Hexuan, he would never believe Mei Hexuan would kiss Yu Xing.

So, he immediately checked the school forum and found that the entire forum was livestreaming the event. He also saw more—many more—videos of the two kissing.

There were numerous videos, from a variety of angles. Gu Ya watched… and then burst out laughing.

It was well-known that he disliked Mei Hexuan. They were similar in age, from comparable family backgrounds, and both had grown up in Seventh City, so they were inevitably always compared.

But Mei Hexuan was steady, academically excellent, and strong in all aspects, always keeping him suppressed. From childhood, he was always "that other kid."

Before Yu Xing appeared—oh no, even after Yu Xing appeared—his most hated person remained Mei Hexuan. Yu Xing was different; Yu Xing was the person he detested the most.

But because their families were equally powerful, he couldn’t do anything to Mei Hexuan. So, he thought, he must win against Mei Hexuan in at least one thing. For example, a girl who originally liked Mei Hexuan might fall for him instead.

But now, as he watched the images playing on his device, he laughed uncontrollably, doubling over.

Some things were good or bad depending on who they happened to. When he was linked to Yu Xing in rumors, Gu Ya was miserable. But when Mei Hexuan was linked to Yu Xing, Gu Ya was overjoyed.

He knew Mei Hexuan well. He knew that unless Mei Hexuan’s brain had been kicked by an Old Era donkey, he would never be with Yu Xing, and kissing her in public was even more impossible. The only explanation was that Mei Hexuan must have somehow provoked Yu Xing, so Yu Xing was using the same tactics on him that she had once used on Gu Ya.

Watching Mei Hexuan’s flushed face and the veins bulging in his neck from sheer agony, Gu Ya nearly died laughing. He felt like he hadn’t been this happy or carefree in a long time.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA—!"

Gu Ya’s wild laughter echoed through the luxurious villa.

Mid-laugh, the door suddenly opened, and Han Jian walked in wearing casual clothes, looking at him with confusion. "What’s got you so happy?"

Gu Ya’s smile didn’t falter; he kept laughing at his device.

Han Jian raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "Regarding the plan to deal with Yu Xing, you said you had a new idea and needed my cooperation. What do you need me to do?"

Gu Ya’s laughter abruptly ceased. He leaned back in his large chair, one hand propping his chin, the other holding his device. His sapphire-like eyes sparkled under the light.

He watched the video on his device. After a long while, he said, "No need to deal with Yu Xing for now."

"Hmm?" Han Jian looked at Gu Ya in disbelief. *Has this rich heir gone mad? He was humiliated by Yu Xing like that, and now he’s decided to let her go?*

"Right now," Gu Ya said with a sinister smile, "she’s more useful alive than dead."

With that, he looked up, adopting a thoughtful expression.

Han Jian felt like he had misjudged Gu Ya. He used to think Gu Ya was just a brainless rich kid who relied on his family’s power to throw his weight around, whose thoughts were easy to predict. But now he found he couldn’t understand Gu Ya at all. For instance, at this moment, he had no idea what was going through Gu Ya’s mind.

So, he asked directly, "What are you thinking?"

"I’m thinking…" Gu Ya said very seriously, "how I can help Yu Xing have a grand and passionate romance."

Han Jian: "???"

Back at Seventh Middle School, the bell for class finally rang.

Yu Xing reluctantly let go of Mei Hexuan. She gave him a shy smile and said, "Class is starting. We should head back to the classroom."

With that, she turned and skipped towards the classroom.

As she passed Yun Dai, she saw Yun Dai’s utterly devastated expression. She considered saying something but decided that silence was more powerful at that moment, so she simply brushed past Yun Dai’s shoulder.

Yun Dai leaned weakly against the wall, her gaze shifting between Mei Hexuan, who stood frozen in place, and Yu Xing’s retreating back. She felt utterly drained, as if her soul had left her body. Like a zombie, she shuffled back to the classroom.

If asked about her current feelings, there was a touch of sadness, as she had pursued Mei Hexuan for over two years. But in truth, she had always seen Mei Hexuan as merely a target to conquer. Winning him over would prove one thing: there was nothing Yun Dai wanted that she couldn’t get.

If it were any other girl, she would have made sure that girl disappeared from Seventh Middle School.

But this person was Yu Xing, who had saved her life on the bus last night. Yun Dai was someone who clearly distinguished between gratitude and resentment; no matter what, she would never harm her savior.

But to watch Yu Xing and Mei Hexuan together… it was truly infuriating!

Even though class had already started, not a single teacher or student in the school could focus on their studies.

Class was in session, so they couldn’t whisper to each other, but everyone could freely surf the school forum.

The Seventh Middle School campus forum was buzzing with activity, where teachers and students were in rare harmony, all obsessed with the same event.

The top-ranked post, which had dominated the forum for ages, was:

[Breaking Down Yu Xing’s Love Square.]

The first entry was the original poster’s analysis:

[Let’s break this down timeline-style.

1. The earliest known event was two months into the first year of school, when Yun Dai publicly announced her pursuit of Mei Hexuan and launched her offensive. (Of course, we later learned that almost at the same time, Yun Dai privately confessed to Yu Xing.)

2. Half a month after Yun Dai declared her pursuit of Mei Hexuan, rumors spread that Gu Ya had feelings for Yun Dai, with multiple witnesses seeing him give her gifts.

3. Fast forward to recent events: First, Yun Dai and Yu Xing suddenly locked lips very publicly in class. It was revealed that Yun Dai never actually liked Mei Hexuan—he was just a cover. Her true feelings were for Yu Xing.

4. The very next day, Yu Xing announced she was officially dating Gu Ya, and the two had already gotten intimate (as evidenced by the now-deleted park video). Given their closeness, it was unlikely they had just started dating—they’d probably been secretly together for a while.

5. Then came this morning at the school gates. From Yun Dai and Yu Xing’s conversation, we learned that the two had spent the night together in District D, with Yun Dai mentioning she had passed out in bed—read into that what you will. From Yun Dai’s tone, it was clear their relationship had gone to the next level.

6. And just now, right before our eyes, Yu Xing and Mei Hexuan were caught in a steamy makeout session. Yu Xing even boldly declared that she was announcing their relationship in front of the entire school.

Summary: Those entangled with Yu Xing romantically: (Yun Dai, Gu Ya, Mei Hexuan). Those Yu Xing has publicly acknowledged: (Gu Ya, Mei Hexuan).

Yun Dai pursued Mei Hexuan. Gu Ya pursued Yun Dai. Before this, Mei Hexuan’s romantic status was unknown…]

[OP is GOATed.]

[Thanks for the breakdown, OP. OP deserves the world.]

[After reading this, the whole thing feels even messier.]

[So when did Yu Xing and Mei Hexuan actually get together?]

[Don’t push it! Hexuan was just confused for a moment!]

[OMG THIS IS WILD!!!]

[More! Give us more!!]

[Classwork knocks me out, but studying love quadrangles has me wide awake.]

[I can’t focus on school at all now, ugly crying rn…]

[Studying? Screw studying!!]

[So Yun Dai liking Mei Hexuan, Gu Ya liking Yun Dai—all just fakeouts? The truth is they all like Yu Xing?]

[I refuse to believe it! No way they'd be into some commoner!]

[I believe it!! I’m here for all of it!! Even if the Federal Chief Executive publicly confesses to Yu Xing tomorrow, I’d believe it!!]

[My mom asked why I’m kneeling before my screen…]

[Yu Xing is showing us flawed folks what's up!!! I’ll always support her! From today on, she’s my ride-or-die queen!!]

[The world should just explode now…]

Besides this post, another thread was just as popular:

[Micro-Expression Analysis of Mei Hexuan’s Emotional Journey.]

This thread had initially been locked by the OP, so the early replies were all their analysis.

[Image.jpg

Let’s look at this GIF—Mei Hexuan leaning against the railing as Yu Xing comes at him out of nowhere. His expression here is straight-up pissed, showing clear shock and anger. This suggests something unpleasant had happened between them earlier.

A friend from Class 9 told me that someone had gone to harass Yu Xing earlier, but Yun Dai fiercely defended her. After that, Mei Hexuan was seeing red and pulled Yu Xing aside for a private talk.]

[Image.jpg

Now this GIF—the moment Yu Xing kisses him. Mei Hexuan’s eyes widen in clear astonishment, indicating he never saw this coming.

From this, can we infer that they were on bad terms before this? Or that, in Mei Hexuan’s mind, Yu Xing didn’t like him and would never do something like this?]

[Image.jpg

This GIF shows Mei Hexuan’s reaction afterward. His reflexes were sharp—faster than mine, at least. He narrows his eyes, then swiftly grabs Yu Xing’s shoulders with a death grip.

And I mean *death grip*—zoom in, and you’ll see his veins popping, knuckles bone-white from the force.

But the real focus is his expression. Face burning red, veins popping on his forehead—this is the look of someone furious. He’s gripping Yu Xing tightly while devouring her in this angry kiss.

So, under what circumstances would someone kiss another person like that? While refusing to let go? My analysis: only when they’re hot with love-hate.

Why would Mei Hexuan love and hate Yu Xing? Love is easy—for whatever reason, he caught feelings.

The hate? Classic love-hate drama. Because he loves her, he resents her—for dating Gu Ya, for being intimate with Yun Dai. Who could stand the person they love being entangled with others?

So he hates her, hence the furious kiss. But he also loves her, hungry for that kiss, not letting her pull away.]

At this point, the OP paused their analysis and opened the thread for comments. Instantly, the thread blew up with 99+ replies.

[!!!!!!!!]

[All I can say is: OP's mind >>>!!!!]

[Your analysis is hitting different—I almost started catching feelings myself!]

[I stan! I stan!]

[NAURRR! I ship Yu Xing and Yun Dai! Why isn’t anyone analyzing *their* videos?]

[Isn’t Mei Hexuan going too far? Even if he loves Yu Xing, if she already has a boyfriend, shouldn’t he back off? This is full-on side-piece behavior!]

[You’re the homewrecker! Why not blame Yu Xing for playing both sides?]

[If there wasn’t a third party seducing Yu Xing, how could she possibly cheat?]

[Actually... Mei Hexuan would only be a side piece, right? Isn’t the real third party Yun Dai?]

[Yun Dai liked Yu Xing first! Yun Dai confessed first! Gu Ya is the third party!!!]

[The person upstairs is truly crazy. By that logic, if I confessed to your mom twenty years ago, would your dad be the third party?]

[Yu Xing!! My one and only girl!!! You’re the best!!!!]

[...]

As for the entire school going crazy over her, Yu Xing herself was unaware. She sat quietly in the classroom, feeling a mix of happiness and slight worry.

She didn’t regret making their relationship public with Mei Hexuan, but she was still a little concerned about Gu Ya. What if Gu Ya absolutely refused to get along with Mei Hexuan?

She pondered this for an entire class before reaching a conclusion. As long as Gu Ya loved her enough, he would try his best to get along with Mei Hexuan—for her sake.

Thinking this, she looked up. *Huh? Why hadn’t Hexuan returned to class?*

Mei Hexuan hadn’t returned to class. He had gone to the infirmary to treat his waist injury. Moreover, he didn’t want to see Yu Xing anytime soon, nor did he want to face his classmates’ stares.

Mei Hexuan lay face down on the infirmary bed as the doctor pulled his shirt down slightly and said, "Your waist injury has healed, but you must be careful in the future. Don’t do such dangerous movements again."

Mei Hexuan said nothing. He sat up, his long, pale fingers grabbing his jacket from the side.

The doctor continued, "Even if you got carried away, you could’ve leaned against the wall. The railing was too dangerous."

Mei Hexuan: "..."

Mei Hexuan’s handsome face twisted violently, his usual cold expression crumbling. His fingers unconsciously tightened, crumpling the collar of his jacket.

The doctor, noticing Mei Hexuan’s murderous look, wisely turned and hurried away.

"Yu Xing…" Mei Hexuan gritted his teeth after the doctor left. "You’re asking for death."

"Ah-choo!" Yu Xing sneezed. As she rubbed her nose, she was suddenly surrounded by a crowd.

The group consisted of both boys and girls, some from Class 9 and some not. They all stared at Yu Xing with excitement, as if she were some extinct animal from Old Era.

"Yu Xing," the girl at the front asked with intense, probing eyes, "When did you and Mei Hexuan get together?"

Yu Xing blinked in confusion. "Just now, before class."

"No," the girl shook her head. "I mean, when did Mei Hexuan start liking you?"

Yu Xing’s cheeks flushed slightly as she lowered her head shyly. "How should I know? You should ask Hexuan."

"Oooh~" The crowd immediately erupted in teasing sounds.

Soon, someone else asked, "When did you break up with Gu Ya?"

Yu Xing looked even more bewildered. "I didn’t break up with Ya."

"..."

"!!!"

The room fell silent. After a long pause, the same person asked, "...If you didn’t break up, then how are you with Mei Hexuan? Does Gu Ya know about this? Won’t he be angry?"

"Well... he might be," Yu Xing’s young face twisted in worry before she nodded firmly. "But Ya loves me so much. For my sake, he’ll be willing to get along with Hexuan peacefully."

"..."

Another silence.

The crowd exchanged glances, their eyes filled with disbelief. They split into two groups—one believed Yu Xing was not right in the head, certain that Gu Ya would never agree to sharing his girlfriend and would storm into school to confront Mei Hexuan the moment he found out.

The other group couldn’t believe that Gu Ya loved Yu Xing so much. A rich kid like him was willing to lower himself like this for her?

At the same time, they couldn’t understand—what charm did Yu Xing possess to win over both Gu Ya and Mei Hexuan like this?

Just as they were about to ask more questions, a voice suddenly called out in the classroom. "Yu Xing, come with me for a moment!"

Everyone turned to see Yun Dai speaking.

Their expressions grew even more complicated. How could they forget? Yun Dai was a key part of this love square.

Yu Xing met Yun Dai’s gaze, feeling uneasy. She really didn’t want any further entanglement with Yun Dai. All she wanted now was to live peacefully with Gu Ya and Mei Hexuan.

"What?" Yu Xing asked reluctantly.

"About last night," Yun Dai said. "I want to talk to you properly."

*Last night? Did she mean the bus monster incident?*

Yu Xing did want to understand what had happened last night. She figured Yun Dai must know something, since Yun Dai had acted so differently on the bus compared to everyone else.

So she stopped resisting and stood up to follow Yun Dai out.

After they left, the classroom broke into even louder chatter.

"Wow, I really want to know what happened between them last night!"

"All we know is Yun Dai passed out and slept on a filthy bed, while Yu Xing escaped while Yun Dai was unconscious."

"Should we go eavesdrop?"

"Let’s go, let’s go..."

Yun Dai seemed to anticipate eavesdroppers. She led Yu Xing straight to a teacher’s office—empty.

Once inside, Yun Dai first turned off the office’s surveillance, then turned to face Yu Xing, who stood by the door.

Yu Xing was tall for a "flawed" person, standing at over 1.7 meters, but she was thin—almost like she was malnourished. Her skin was pale, her face quite pretty. Her overall demeanor seemed... a bit vacant.

The kind that looked obedient and like a pushover.

Of course, in the past two years, Yu Xing had indeed acted just like she looked, like an easy target. But recently, she had changed completely.

"Have you become a Divine Chosen?" Yun Dai asked.

Yu Xing pursed her lips. Since arriving in this world, she had heard the term "Divine Chosen" several times—from her original memories and from others—but she still didn’t know what it meant.

Not knowing meant she couldn’t answer carelessly, so Yu Xing simply stared at Yun Dai in silence.

"Stop pretending," Yun Dai said, with a look that said she’d figured her out. "From what you did on the bus last night, you’re definitely a Divine Chosen."

Yu Xing stayed silent, not knowing what to say.

Seeing Yu Xing remain silent, Yun Dai thought she was unhappy and said, "Why aren't you happy now that you’ve become a Divine Chosen? Do you know how much I want to be one?"

Yu Xing’s inherited memories from the original host were fragmented, and many key details were missing. Afraid of accidentally exposing that she wasn’t the original host, she hesitated to speak carelessly. But she also wanted to learn more from Yun Dai, so after some deliberation, she finally spoke.

"You…" Yu Xing met Yun Dai’s gaze. "How did you know?"

"Hah." Yun Dai gave her an exasperated glance. "It’s blatantly obvious, okay? Forget your performance on the bus last night—haven’t you noticed how much you’ve changed recently? It’s like you’re a completely different person."

Yu Xing’s eyes widened in shock. *Was she really that obvious? She had tried so hard to mimic the original host—taking insults sitting down, not standing up to teacher bullying, even resorting to jumping off a building. Where had she gone wrong?*

"Really… that obvious?" Her voice shook slightly.

"Yeah."

Yun Dai stepped closer, staring intently into Yu Xing’s eyes. "Some people undergo complete personality shifts after becoming Divine Chosen. So, did you awaken your divine power a couple of days ago?"

"..." Yu Xing stiffly nodded.

"That explains it. No wonder you suddenly changed." Yun Dai looked at her with envy. "So, are you going to keep studying, or will you join the Divine Chosen squad?"

*Divine Chosen squad? What’s that?*

Yu Xing turned her face away, avoiding Yun Dai’s gaze. "I haven’t decided yet."

"What’s there to think about? Of course, you should join the Divine Chosen squad!" Yun Dai was more impatient than Yu Xing. "What’s the point of studying? Joining the team, eliminating pollutants, protecting the city—that’s what really matters!"

*Pollutants?* Yu Xing thought with frustration. *Another term she didn’t understand.*

"By the way, which deity do you worship?" Yun Dai suddenly reached out excitedly to grab Yu Xing’s hand, but Yu Xing dodged. "How did you eliminate the pollutant last night?"

*So that monster was a pollutant?* Just as Yu Xing grasped that concept, she was stumped by the next question—*existence? Worship?*

"I worship the Moon God." As she said this, Yun Dai placed a hand on her heart, her expression devout. "He is the world’s guardian, the founder of the New Era, the supreme among gods, the greatest existence. I long to become the Moon God’s Beloved."

Her gaze turned burning with envy as she looked at Yu Xing. "Which deity do you worship?"

Yu Xing was about to say she also worshipped the Moon God when Yun Dai cut in, "Can’t be the Moon God. A Moon God Chosen’s abilities aren’t like yours."

Yu Xing: "..."

*Heh,* she thought. *If she had to attribute her abilities to any god, the only one that made sense would be the God of Misfortune.*

"Uh…" Yu Xing racked her brain for a way to fish for more information from Yun Dai. She settled on what she thought was a foolproof approach. "Since you want to be a Divine Chosen so badly, let me test you—how many gods are there, and who are they?"

The moment she asked, Yun Dai’s expression abruptly changed.

Yu Xing’s stomach dropped. *Was that the wrong question to ask?*

Gritting her teeth, she braced herself. If Yun Dai saw through her, she might have no choice but to play along as Yun Dai’s girlfriend. Considering how smitten Yun Dai was, surely she wouldn’t harm her, right?

Her expression shifted rapidly before she suddenly heard footsteps outside.

Yu Xing’s eyes darted toward the door, ready to seize the excuse of someone approaching to escape. But then Yun Dai said with awkward hesitation, "Well… there are so many gods. Besides the Moon God, I don’t really pay attention to the others. I honestly don’t know the specifics."