Chapter 124: Ch 124: Murderous Glances and Memorized Hobbies

As the confrontation settled, the soft forest light continued to filter through the leaves in shifting patches of gold. Mo Xingxue and Su Wanyan remained close to each other.

Beside Mo Xingxue, Gu Chengze’s hands were clenched so tightly they trembled with barely contained fury. He ground his teeth hard enough that the tension was obvious even to the viewers. The soft rustle of leaves overhead did nothing to soften the sharp edge in the air.

[Wow, look at this BIATCH....]

[Fr fr the audacity??]

[He was the one making some shit behind the scenes, yet he has the nerve to get angry?]

[Who does he think he is? A male lead in a Mary Sue novel??]

[He do be reading/watching many shit like that....]

[How’d you know?]

[I was the fly in his room.]

[Damn, his face is thicker than my wallet!]

[Heh. His face may be thick, but I’m thicker.]

[I... I don’t think that’s how comparison works, twin....]

[Let my upstairs cook.]

["LET HER COOK NOW! I SAID LET HER COOK!" – Downstairs, probably.]

While the barrage freely mocked Gu Chengze’s thick face, Mo Xingxue locked eyes with Su Wanyan. She offered a small, steady smile and gently patted her alpha’s arm in quiet reassurance. The touch was light but certain, a silent reminder that she was still here and still steady.

Su Wanyan looked down at her, then shifted her gaze to Gu Chengze. He met her stare with a pure murderous glare. The usual gentle, laid-back expression on Su Wanyan’s face had vanished completely. She held his eyes without flinching. The golden light through the leaves caught the edges of her glasses again, but none of the warmth reached her expression.

Neither of them backed down. The air between them stayed sharp and heavy until the assistant director’s loud voice suddenly cut through the forest’s peaceful atmosphere.

"Everyone, pay attention!"

He scanned the group, his eyes lingering a beat too long on Gu Chengze. Su Wanyan noticed and inwardly scoffed. He’s not even hiding it at this point, Su Wanyan thought.

The guests waited, all of them hoping the segment would finally end soon. The soft grass pressed under them as they shifted, the quiet tension under the canopy settling heavier than before.

The assistant director cleared his throat. "You will bond with your partner by asking questions back and forth. Each of you may ask ten questions. There are no limits on what you may ask." He stressed the words "no limits," watching them like a hawk. "Is that understood?" he asked. However, his gaze stayed fixed on Gu Chengze.

Everyone nodded and began settling onto the grass with their assigned partners. The soft rustle of movement filled the shaded circle. Su Wanyan looked at Mo Xingxue once more. The omega simply nodded, calm and reassuring.

"Just sit close by, and I’ll be good," Mo Xingxue said with a soft smile. The words were quiet, but the quiet strength beneath them was clear.

Su Wanyan released the breath she had been holding and glanced at Gu Chengze again. "Just call me when it disturbs you," she said, deliberately referring to him as "it." The casual reduction landed with precise intent.

Hearing himself reduced to an object, Gu Chengze’s face darkened further. He started to stride toward Su Wanyan, the movement sharp and sudden—only to freeze when someone cleared their throat nearby. He turned and saw the cameraman pointedly adjusting the camera—an unspoken reminder that countless people were watching. The lens remained steady, capturing every angle.

Gu Chengze clenched his jaw and redirected the full force of his murderous glare back onto Su Wanyan. "You’re crossing the line," he said, voice cold as ice. The words cut through the soft forest air like a blade.

Su Wanyan only smiled, the expression never reaching her eyes. "Is that so? I’ll be careful then." There was not a single trace of sincerity in the words. The soft golden light continued to shift across her face, but the quiet defiance in her posture remained unmoved.

Gu Chengze’s glare intensified. Su Wanyan simply rolled her eyes, then looked back down at Mo Xingxue. She gave the omega a gentle pat on the head, the touch careful and familiar.

"I’ll finish my segment quickly and return to you immediately," she said, tone both gentle and firm. The promise sat solid between them.

Mo Xingxue laughed softly and nodded. "Don’t make me wait, okay?" The quiet request carried a thread of warmth that cut through the heavier tension.

Su Wanyan nodded once in promise.

The barrage, of course, could not resist teasing the clingy pair.

[THEY’RE SO CUTE FAHHHH!]

[AGREED! LIKE OMGGG! THEY’RE SO CUTE TOGETHER!]

[Life is so unfair... Mo Xingxue, Su Wanyan and I are of the same age, yet.. here I am, smiling like an idiot while they stupidly fall in love.. sigh...]

[I smell some vinegar from ya, friend.]

[Are you calling me stinky?]

[I—why did you even come to that conclusion?]

[WHEN IS IT MY TIME, GOD? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!]

[....Please—]

[Don’t do it.]

[Yeah, don’t do it....]

[...Y’all can’t stop me... PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON’T PROVE I’M RIGH—!]

[CATCH THEM! WE’RE GOING TO GET FLAGGED]

[GRAHHH!!]

While the chat descended into its usual chaos, Su Wanyan and Mo Xingxue finally settled into place. They sat only a few steps apart, backs turned toward each other, close enough that either could reach the other in an instant if needed.

Su Wanyan smiled at Han Jiho. "Thank you," she said sincerely, still remembering how he had stood up for them earlier. The quiet gratitude sat solid in her voice.

The omega simply smiled and waved the gratitude away. "It’s not that big of a deal," he replied, offering her a small, easy smile of his own. The dry edge that usually colored his words was softer now, almost gentle.

"Should I go first?" Han Jiho asked, gesturing that he was ready to begin the questions. The soft grass pressed under them as he settled more comfortably.

Su Wanyan nodded. "Please."

Han Jiho settled more comfortably. "Let’s take turns, yeah?"

Su Wanyan agreed at once. The quiet agreement settled easily between them.

He put on a thoughtful expression, glancing past her toward where Mo Xingxue sat with a cold, closed-off face. The omega’s posture was still and carefully distant from the man beside her. A small smile tugged at Han Jiho’s lips as ideas formed.

"What are Mo Xingxue’s hobbies?" he asked, watching Su Wanyan’s slightly stunned reaction with quiet amusement. The question was light on the surface, but the knowing look in his eyes made it clear he had chosen it deliberately.

Su Wanyan blinked. "Xuexue?"

Han Jiho nodded.

A brighter smile curved her mouth as she thought of her "best friend." The soft golden light through the leaves caught the edges of her expression. "Well... Xuexue was always fond of reading. So much so that she influenced me to read too." The memory of the two of them hiding in a quiet corner of the library, whispering over books so the librarian wouldn’t catch them, rose clearly in her mind.

The scent of old paper, the soft rustle of turning pages, the way Mo Xingxue’s eyes would light up when she found a passage she wanted to share—all of it still lived in vivid color.

Han Jiho listened with a knowing look in his eyes. "What else?" he prompted, shifting into a more relaxed position. The soft grass pressed under him as he leaned back slightly.

"Hm...." Su Wanyan thought for a moment. "Ah!" Her face lit up. "She also likes to crochet." She pulled out her phone and scrolled quickly through her gallery until she found the photos she wanted. Turning the screen toward him, she asked proudly, "Isn’t she amazing?"

Han Jiho chuckled and examined the pictures—a soft green crocheted sweater and a matching green blanket covered in little heart designs. The careful stitches and quiet care in every loop were clear even through the screen. He nodded in genuine appreciation.

"She’s good."

Su Wanyan’s smile grew even brighter. "Right?!" She began showing him more of Mo Xingxue’s work, enthusiasm spilling over until she suddenly realized how long she had been talking. She cleared her throat, a little embarrassed, and scratched her cheek.

"Sorry about that."

Han Jiho only shook his head, still smiling. "Don’t be. Continue."

Another memory surfaced, making Su Wanyan chuckle. "And Xuexue is very fond of leaving kiss marks on things." She recalled the many times Mo Xingxue had pressed quick kisses to her notebooks, papers, and whatever else was nearby. The soft press of lips against paper, the faint mark left behind, the way Mo Xingxue would look up with a small, satisfied smile—those moments still carried a quiet warmth.

Han Jiho’s smile turned harder to hide. "Oh?" he said lightly. "She leaves kiss marks on your things?" He stressed the word "your" just enough to make the implication clear. The soft emphasis hung in the air between them.

Su Wanyan, completely missing the deeper meaning, nodded rapidly like a chicken pecking grain. "Yeah!" she answered with pure, bright innocence. The enthusiasm in her voice was completely unguarded.

Han Jiho’s expression grew even more ambiguous, a teasing smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "Is that so?"

The two continued chatting in an easy, gentle rhythm. The soft rustle of leaves overhead mixed with their quiet voices, and the dappled light continued to shift across the grass around them.

A short distance away, Zhao Yichen was dramatically fake-crying, eyes locked on Su Wanyan and Han Jiho. "I’m so jealous!" he wailed, pounding the innocent grass with both fists. The soft earth gave under the exaggerated blows, and a few loose blades of grass stuck to his sleeves.

Song Meiyu only hummed in response. Her gaze was fixed on Lin Xuanyu, who was leaning far too close into Qin Yuran’s personal space. The omega’s posture was carefully calculated, the soft vulnerability still lingering from earlier. Song Meiyu’s smile did not reach her eyes; a cold edge sharpened the curve of her lips.

Meanwhile, between Mo Xingxue and Gu Chengze, silence reigned. The soft grass pressed under them, the leaves whispered overhead, and the quiet distance between their bodies remained deliberate and absolute.

Mo Xingxue had no intention of engaging with him. Her posture stayed closed, her gaze carefully directed away. Gu Chengze, on the other hand, was carefully searching for the perfect questions—questions that might somehow rekindle what he believed still existed between them.

As he looked at her, an obsessive smile slowly formed on his mouth. The soft golden light through the leaves caught the edges of that expression, but the darkness beneath it remained unchanged.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Before y’all attack me, I had class... and I accidentally fell asleep (I almost didn’t attend my afternoon class because of that shi too TvT)