"Mm..." She raised a hand to shield her eyes as the dazzling sunlight filtered through her fingers and fell across her face. Chu Lian yawned, glanced around, and noticed her classmates already moving about. It seemed class had ended.
"What's wrong with you?" The voice of a girl came from beside her.
Chu Lian looked up and saw Liu Yanran. She instinctively leaned closer, half-closing her eyes as she rested lazily against her waist. "Nothing. Just a bit sleepy, so I took a nap."
"You..." Liu Yanran hesitated before continuing, "That wasn't just a nap. You slept the entire morning. It's almost noon now."
"Ah! How is that possible? I wasn't that tired, was I?" Chu Lian wasn't surprised that no one had woken her. What shocked her was that she had slept for so long. If her physical and mental attributes were still at the powerless state she had been in before the school trip, that would make sense.
But now her body had grown strong to a remarkable degree. Forget drowsiness—even pain wouldn't make her sleep that long. The only time she had experienced something like this was when Ayase had been locked in the Punishment Space...
The moment she thought of Ayase, she understood. A faint, bitter smile curved her lips. Wasn't this just like last time? Whenever Ayase disappeared or left, it had a profound impact on her body.
Last time, when she was confined to the Punishment Space, Chu Lian had felt inexplicable fatigue and drowsiness, sleeping far more than usual.
This time, her departure seemed not to have affected her much on the surface. Yet this sleepiness still crept in—like a constant reminder whispering, "You've lost someone very important."
"I understand now. This state will probably last quite a while. I'll have to squeeze out more time to study, or I won't have enough time later." Once Chu Lian figured it out, she refused to let others worry. After saying that softly, she glanced at Li Xiu'er's empty seat and asked, "Where's Xiu'er?"
"The Li family is apparently discussing marrying her off. To put it bluntly, they don't want her anymore. They're trying to secure the greatest possible benefit," Liu Yanran said, biting her lip. She disliked seeing such things happen, but it wasn't something they could control.
Don't be fooled by how free she seemed now, how much her parents doted on her. When the time came to discuss marriage, she would have no say. They would inevitably arrange what they believed to be a suitable husband for her.
Her own parents had been brought together that way. At first, they hadn't been particularly fond of each other. Only after living together for a long time did feelings develop—and then she was born. Because of that, they firmly believed such marriages could bring happiness to their daughter and would undoubtedly make the same choice for her in the future.
Even she, deeply cherished by her parents, had already been subtly informed of her likely future. For Li Xiu'er, who was not favored, the outcome was even more obvious. If she had never met Chu Lian, her destiny would have been nothing but marriage as a bargaining chip.
Such was the fate of women born into great families. Without overwhelming power to break free from their shackles, no matter how unwilling they were, there was nothing they could do. That was the result—and also what she wanted to change.
Cai Ya had fought for a chance to alter her destiny through sheer persistence. Even if that contract might eventually be nullified, at least she had tried.
Now Liu Yanran was the same. Though she appeared unchanged after recovering her memories from a past life, she had already made her decision. In this lifetime, she would live only alongside Chu Lian. Whether it was love or not, she would never abandon her.
Having already suspected as much, Chu Lian was not surprised by what Liu Yanran said. Wasn't it inevitable? This obsession with family status had existed in Huaxia since ancient times. In essence, it had never changed. If anything, it had grown more severe as the nation prospered.
Families as open-minded as the Chu family were rare. Not everyone was Li Mingxue. Not everyone was Chu Xiao. And not every daughter was Chu Lian. Breaking such rigid convictions required immense external force.
"Let me shatter this ridiculous so-called fate for you. You are mine. Whether as Yu Ji or as Yanran—you are mine. No one will take you away." She sensed the thoughts stirring within the girl and murmured softly. When she opened her eyes, they were filled with determination.
"I believe you. Xiu'er will be the first. I'll be waiting for you," Liu Yanran replied with a gentle smile. She knew those words were a promise. Having her was truly wonderful.
"Mm. I'll go. Tonight. I'll settle this matter. I'm worried that if we delay, something unexpected might happen. That would make things troublesome." Chu Lian had grown decisive. If she was going to help Xiu'er, she would resolve it immediately.
"At noon, let's talk to her first. Ask what she really wants. That will be enough." Liu Yanran glanced around. Though several people had noticed their closeness, no one looked too deeply into it. Quietly, she reached out and clasped Chu Lian's small hand, feeling her warmth.
"Do you want to come with me?" Chu Lian didn't know what she might face. But solving the girl's problem could give them confidence too, couldn't it?
"No. I'll tell Cai Ya about it, and we'll wait for you at your house. I believe you can do it. Because you've never disappointed us. Never." At some point, Inori Yuzuriha's trust in Chu Lian had spread to all the girls, making them unwavering in that belief.
"That's right. I didn't fail before. I won't now. And I never will. I'll keep succeeding so you'll always believe in me." Chu Lian's free hand trembled slightly, yet her face bore a proud expression. She wanted them to know she was capable.
"Mm. She's back," Liu Yanran said softly, her gaze shifting to Li Xiu'er entering through the classroom's front door.
Chu Lian nodded, indicating she had seen.
There was still a faint mist in Li Xiu'er's eyes. That silly girl must have gone off to cry alone again.
How similar it was to before they went to Japan, when she had found her in the restroom while recording "Bird's Poem." Only back then, she had been crying from happiness. Now, she was crying from sorrow.
"I will save you. No matter who I must face, I will do it." Chu Lian murmured softly. This was what she had to do—what she was destined to do. These girls trusted her. She was their support. No matter what others thought, she would always believe that—and act accordingly.
After whispering a few words softly to Liu Yanran and waiting for her to release her hand, Chu Lian stood up and walked over slowly. Looking at the girl's fragile back, she bent down slightly and murmured near her ear, "Xiu'er, no more crying. I'm here."
"Ah, Chu Lian, I... I wasn't crying." Hearing that, Li Xiu'er's small hand instinctively clutched the hem of her skirt. She turned her face toward her and forced a smile.
"Every time you lie or feel nervous, you grab a corner of your clothes or skirt to ease your emotions and keep others from seeing what you're really thinking. Maybe you haven't noticed this little habit, but I always have. So don't try to fool me."
Chu Lian reached out and gently flicked her small nose, gazing into those watery eyes as she spoke tenderly.
"I... I wasn't..." Even now, she still wanted to hide it. Unfortunately, when it came to them, Chu Lian could be utterly unreasonable.
If a girl didn't want to speak, she usually wouldn't press further. But when it involved matters like this, she would not allow her to lie to her—even if it was supposedly for her own good.
Leaning forward slightly, Chu Lian suddenly pressed her lips against the girl's soft cherry lips, cutting off whatever she had intended to say. Seeing her flustered yet frozen expression—too stunned to even push her away—a trace of amusement flickered in Chu Lian's eyes.
It was a very brief kiss, only a few seconds long. Yet Li Xiu'er's cheeks had already flushed like a sky painted with rosy clouds. Even her delicate little ears were red, betraying her shyness.
Many people saw that kiss, and all of them were dumbfounded. Unfortunately, it lasted far too short a time—so short that before those watching could even react, it had already become a memory.
After all, during breaks they were either reading or secretly glancing at someone they liked, whether of the opposite sex or the same. Many eyes were always on Chu Lian, and quite a few people often took photos of her.
But this moment had come too suddenly and ended too quickly. By the time anyone realized what had happened, it was over.
What remained now was Li Xiu'er covering her flushed cheeks with both hands, her face full of shy embarrassment, and Chu Lian standing there with a gentle smile, her hands clasped behind her back.
Under the midday sunlight, they looked like a painting.
Sadly, no one had managed to capture that fleeting scene.
"Chu Lian is being far too reckless. What if someone had taken a picture of that just now? What would we have done?"
Cai Ya had returned alongside Li Xiu'er and had been listening to Liu Yanran explain Chu Lian's proposal. She hadn't expected to witness this scene instead. While a trace of jealousy rose in her heart, she also couldn't help feeling a bit angry.
Her path as a rising star had only just begun. If news like this broke out, it would certainly cause enormous controversy. It would also place unbearable pressure on her and might even ruin her career.
Cai Ya could not accept that. Didn't she understand that only by continuing steadily along her path in the entertainment industry could she have the justification to pursue her own dreams? You idiot!
The girl, inexplicably jealous, suddenly appeared rather adorable in Liu Yanran's eyes. So she did care—she had merely been forcing herself not to. What a foolish girl.
"I... Chu Lian, if you help me with this, you'll get into a lot of trouble. I don't want..." She tried to continue, but the finger Chu Lian pressed gently against her lips stopped her from saying another word.
"No matter how troublesome it is, could it possibly be worse than what we faced during the school trip? I don't think so. You're worried about someone, aren't you? I remember you once told me about a girl named Ruoxue. Am I right?" How could Chu Lian allow her to say such things? Once she made a decision, the other party only needed to accept it.
"Mm..." With everything laid bare by Chu Lian, Li Xiu'er fell silent for a moment before finally nodding.
"Stop crying. We'll talk at noon..." Chu Lian had intended to say more, but the distant sound of the class bell interrupted her. After giving that final reminder, she turned and returned to her seat.
"Chu Lian, meeting you truly is the most beautiful thing in my life..."
She wanted to cry.
But Chu Lian had said she wasn't allowed to cry.
So she would smile instead.
With a smile on her face, she looked out at the sky beyond the window.
When would she finally be free?