My Supernatural Exes Are Desperate to Win Me Back

Zhan Xingye was completely taken aback.

Xu Xining wrapped an arm around his shoulder, flashing a bright smile that screamed “best buddies”: “What’s with the formality between us? Come on, come on!”

With her delicate and innocent face, she exuded a boldness more akin to a street punk, as if Zhan Xingye had just asked her to join a brawl, and she, with a swagger, replied, “Boss, just point and I’ll strike!”

Xu Xining was that kind of person; when she considered you a friend, she’d do anything for you.

She tucked her golden hair behind her ear, revealing a side profile so fair it was almost translucent, with even the fine fuzz on her cheeks visible.

Her soft cheek was so close.

He was a complete anomaly, pretending to have a heartbeat and breath in his daily life, a habit formed over twenty years.

But if someone noticed now, they’d see he had neither heartbeat nor breath.

Perhaps because over the years, every time he had to touch Xu Xining, he imposed harsh penalties on himself, leading to a situation where, even with her permission, he couldn’t bring himself to move closer.

Like a beast long chained, bewildered when the chains were finally removed.

Xu Xining tilted her head, catching sight of his stiff, awkward demeanor, and with a mischievous grin, she tiptoed closer.

Zhan Xingye had no time to dodge, only feeling the soft touch of her cheek against his lips.

So light, like a petal landing on water, yet so heavy that even if a mountain fell on him, he might not blink, but now he nearly stumbled backward.

Zhan Xingye didn’t react; he couldn’t react, but his tendrils went wild!

In the invisible space to humans, the tendrils around Zhan Xingye suddenly danced like they’d drunk fake wine!

Shen Shiqing pressed down her skirt: “Is the window open? There’s a sudden strong breeze.”

Xu Xining paid no mind, turning her head to say, “Let’s go again!”

Truth or Dare resumed, and Zhan Xingye, unable to drink, withdrew from the game, sitting on the sofa behind Xu Xining.

Luckily, the club’s colorful lights swept around, casting a dreamy, vibrant glow… making it hard to see him blushing like a ripe tomato.

After a few more spins, the pointer landed on Xu Xining again, this time for Truth, with questions asked on the spot.

“Let me ask,” Shen Shiqing straightened up, casually smoothing her wavy hair, “I used to love the roasted sweet potatoes your father made in high school. Where does he have his shop now?”

Everyone had been expecting some juicy topic, like whether Xu Xining had ever been with a man, but Shen Shiqing suddenly brought up this.

“Roasted sweet potatoes? Xu Xining, your dad sells roasted sweet potatoes?” someone asked, puzzled.

“You didn’t know?” Shen Shiqing’s sidekick boasted, “It’s at the snack street outside the east gate of the high school. I often go there.”

Many were shocked!

For some reason, no matter how down-to-earth Xu Xining seemed, she always had an air of being raised in luxury, leading many to assume her family was wealthy.

Once in high school, a foreign professor with blond hair and blue eyes attended a parent-teacher meeting for Xu Xining, saying her father was busy and he was there on his behalf.

Professor Wen’s appearance and demeanor left a deep impression on all the parents and teachers, leading to strange rumors at school for a long time, suggesting Xu Xining’s family background was unfathomable, even connected to foreign nobility.

People often asked Xu Xining about the relationship between that Professor Wen and her family, and there were even girls who fell for him at first sight, asking Xu Xining to pass on love letters.

Xu Xining was open about everything, except when it came to Teacher Wen, where she was stingy, always dodging the topic with a laugh, and returning the love letters unopened.

“I can’t help you with that,” she would say with a smile, “because Teacher Wen is mine alone.”

Roasted sweet potatoes…

At this moment, everyone imagined a dark-faced man squatting by the roadside, tending to a stove.

How embarrassing.

The way people looked at Xu Xining changed instantly, some gloating, some arrogant, some curious, and some hypocritically sympathetic.

“Ah, that must be tough, right?”

“What about your mom?”

“Don’t ask that,” someone immediately tugged at the speaker’s sleeve, lowering their voice, “Her parents are divorced.”

“Living with her dad? The one selling roasted sweet potatoes?”

“I remember her dad always wore a suit to parent-teacher meetings, though?”

“Probably his only suit, haha.”

People are like that; they love to dig into the misfortunes of seemingly perfect people, chew on them, then express some sympathy and regret, feeling superior in at least one aspect.

Because only then can they feel balanced; otherwise, why should someone like Xu Xining have everything go her way?

Whispers spread, and Xu Xining laughed openly: “Old Xu used to sell roasted sweet potatoes, but now he’s upgraded to selling grilled squid near Wenjuan University! Sprinkled with cumin and chili powder! This big!” She gestured with her hands.

“Wow, squid that big!”

“Sounds delicious!”

“Can I see?”

“Sure, sure,” Xu Xining scooted over to show them photos, enthusiastically adding, “Come to Wenjuan University to eat sometime, mention my name and it’s free!”

Xu Xining had this ability, to steer the whole room with her words.

Shen Shiqing watched as they turned to chat about grilled squid with Xu Xining, feeling utterly frustrated.

Haven’t they had grilled squid before? What’s so special about it? When we talked about caviar earlier, they weren’t this excited! Does Xu Xining’s every move smell like roses to them?!

The next round of Truth or Dare, as if bewitched, landed in front of Xu Xining again.

Another Truth, with a random question.

Shen Shiqing genuinely laughed this time, saying, “Perfect, I’ve had a question for a long time.” She crossed her legs, speaking slowly, “Didn’t you say your father was a math professor? How did he change careers?”

Some people suddenly remembered!

Yes, they recalled Xu Xining’s father being a professor at Q University, with rumors swirling for a while, saying Xu Xining was wealthy, from a scholarly family, basically having it all.

“Yeah, I remember, someone asked her before, and she didn’t deny it.”

“Didn’t expect Xu Xining to have a vanity issue… I’d also not want to admit my dad sells roasted sweet potatoes.”

“What Q University professor would switch to selling sweet potatoes…”

“Probably wasn’t a professor at all, just all talk.”

The smile in Xu Xining’s eyes faded: “Shen Shiqing, why are you so concerned about Old Xu? Want to be my mom?”

Shen Shiqing nearly choked, forcing a smile: “Oh, I didn’t know there were questions you couldn’t ask in Truth or Dare. If you don’t want to answer, just drink, no one’s forcing you.”

But some questions, not answering is as good as answering.

Xu Xining lifted her gaze to glance at her, raising her glass: “Old Xu was indeed a professor at Q University, but there was an accident later, not convenient to say, I’ll drink.”

Su Jiachi frowned: “Alright, it’s a rare reunion, let’s talk about something happy.”

Truth or Dare spun a few more rounds, and the atmosphere gradually lightened up.

After all, they were still young, quick to forget unpleasantness once the fun began.

Only Xu Xining sat quietly, drinking one glass after another.

Old Xu used to be a prodigy, but after a car accident, he hit his head, and although he mostly recovered, there were lingering effects.

-The part of his brain responsible for logical reasoning suffered permanent damage.

In other words, the math genius who won an international Olympiad gold medal at sixteen and was guaranteed a spot at Q University suddenly couldn’t understand numbers.

Old Xu remained cheerful on the surface, comforting the then seventh-grade Xu Xining, saying, “I thought I was going to die, what’s math compared to life, seems like God was jealous of your dad’s brilliant mind and took it back.”

Until one night, Xu Xining saw through the hospital room door crack, Old Xu sitting alone on the bed, endlessly calculating with a pencil and scrap paper.

He wrote and erased for a long time, crumpled papers filling the trash can, until he suddenly pushed all the papers away in frustration, the scribbled sheets flying like black snow, slowly covering the bed.

The man lay back on the bed, exhausted, covering his eyes with his arm.

In his youth, Old Xu often carried little Xu Xining on his shoulders, playing a game where she would call out a number, and within three steps, Old Xu would calculate its square, cube, and root.

Xu Xining would deliberately challenge him with long numbers, and Old Xu would laugh heartily, answering without hesitation.

Back then, Old Xu was truly, full of life.

For some, math is the most hated subject, but for others, it’s a rare meaning in life.

Losing logical ability made it nearly impossible for Old Xu to work.

After the divorce, he left with nothing, raising a school-aged daughter, starting over with a small business, selling roasted sweet potatoes near the school.

Xu Xining once saw girls who disliked her deliberately causing trouble at Old Xu’s stall.

They refused to pay by scanning, claiming their phones were dead and offered cash, giving a hundred-yuan¹ bill for change.

Xu Xining had never seen Old Xu so awkward and downcast.

He tried to find some change, and the girls laughed, saying, “Uncle, are you trying to cheat us?”

Young Xu Xining felt heartache so intense she couldn’t breathe; she wanted to rush over and fight them, but it would only make Old Xu sadder.

Such incidents must have happened countless times out of her sight, but Old Xu never mentioned them.

Back then, she was too far to see the girls’ faces… but after so many years, perhaps due to the alcohol, she suddenly remembered, as if unveiling a veil in her memory.

-It was Shen Shiqing.

At this moment, Truth or Dare landed on Shen Shiqing, and someone asked about the golden gemstone on her neck.

Shen Shiqing had been waiting for this question, proudly lifting her snowy chest: “Haven’t seen it before, right? This kind of golden diamond is something you can’t buy, only Lindberg sells it.”

Lindberg was a top international luxury jewelry brand, and although Su Jiachi’s family was in the jewelry business and considered the richest in Huai River, they were small fry compared to it.

“Wow! I’ve never seen anything like it.” Many girls leaned in to look, “How expensive must it be?”

Under the lights, the diamond sparkled brilliantly, with extremely high purity and transparency, yet within it, golden flecks shimmered like a frozen galaxy.

“The golden specks inside are naturally formed, from the Hengde Mountain Range, only a few have been mined worldwide,” Shen Shiqing boasted, “It has a special name, ‘Golden Rose’.”

The entire room’s attention was captured, and someone shouted, “Su Jiachi, aren’t you the expert on diamonds? Come on, take a look!”

Su Jiachi could only smile wryly. “Shen Shiqing mentioned it herself; Lindberg monopolizes the Hengde Mountain Range mines. I don’t know much about the Golden Rose.”

He remained seated, looking awkward, and instinctively glanced at Xu Xining.

Xu Xining didn’t lift her head.

Shen Shiqing felt a surge of irritation rising within her.

Why look at Xu Xining? Has she ever seen anything this exquisite?

Shen Shiqing raised her voice with a laugh, “I called you over because it’s rare, you know? My dad bought it at an auction. If you miss this chance, there won’t be another. Someone else’s dad would have to sell roasted sweet potatoes for a million years to afford it, right?”

The implication was too obvious, and Xu Xining finally looked up.

The others sensed the tension in the air, exchanging glances, and the room fell silent.

Xu Xining stared at her, then suddenly chuckled.

She was clearly tipsy, her normally porcelain-like skin now flushed with an alluring glow. Her golden hair cascaded down, and her smile, under the dazzling lights, was breathtakingly beautiful.

Shen Shiqing’s heart skipped a beat at her smile, growing even more furious. “I’m not targeting you. I’m just stating facts. I’m letting you see something you’ll never own for free, and somehow I’m the bad guy?”

Xu Xining said, “Alright, you’re showing it to me, so I’ll take a look.”

The others instinctively made way as Xu Xining stood up, walked over, and swiftly grabbed the diamond necklace, pulling it close.

The chain dug into Shen Shiqing’s neck, causing her to lose her composure. “Xu Xining, what are you doing?!”

Xu Xining examined it and laughed. “Since I’m in a good mood today, let me teach you a few things.”

With a flick of her fingers, the necklace unclasped, and Xu Xining held the diamond, raising her hand to scrape it across the coffee table!

A sharp, grating sound pierced the air!

Everyone covered their ears in discomfort.

“Ahhh!” Shen Shiqing screamed, lunging forward. “How dare you?! What if it’s damaged? How will you compensate me?!”

Shen Shiqing flailed, but Xu Xining held her wrists with one hand, pinning her to the chair.

“First, diamonds are the hardest known natural mineral. They can be shattered but not scratched.” Xu Xining’s voice was eerily calm. “See the scratches? Your ‘diamond’ is softer than marble.”

Shen Shiqing was livid. “You’re saying mine’s fake? You’re talking nonsense!”

Xu Xining raised her hand and slammed the pendant onto the coffee table!

A resounding crash echoed, startling several girls into screams!

Xu Xining appeared slender, but her karate-trained strength was formidable. The impact left a web of cracks on the table!

Her hand was cut by the glass shards, blood dripping down.

But she was unfazed, sifting through the shattered diamond pendant to find the golden particles inside.

“Second, the golden specks in a Golden Rose aren’t gold. Gold and diamonds form under different conditions and can’t coexist in the same mine.” Xu Xining chuckled. “Even if you’re making a fake, at least make it believable.”

The surrounding people exchanged skeptical glances. They didn’t know much about jewelry, but Xu Xining’s words sounded convincing.

Besides, if she wasn’t certain, how could she dare to smash something so expensive?

Shen Shiqing, pinned on the sofa, struggled and gritted her teeth. “I’ll get Lindberg’s certification! You just wait to pay up! You and your roasted sweet potato-selling dad, I want to see how many years it’ll take you to pay for my necklace!”

Xu Xining’s smile was radiant. She leaned down, patted Shen Shiqing’s face, and said amiably, “I’m looking forward to your certification. But there’s a third thing: Golden Roses are only found in the Hengde Mountain Range, and less than 500 carats have ever been mined. There are only thirteen pieces worldwide over ten carats, but you’ll never buy one. Do you know why?”

Shen Shiqing, having never heard of such a thing, instinctively asked, “Why?!”

“If your necklace were smaller, I’d need to verify it. But such a large Golden Rose is definitely fake.” Xu Xining’s smile was cold. “Because Lindberg never sells Golden Roses over ten carats…”

“-Every single one in existence is either fake or mine.”

…

The weight of that statement was explosive, leaving Shen Shiqing gasping on the sofa, incredulous and furious, yet wanting to laugh.

Xu Xining must be drunk out of her mind! Does she even know what she’s saying?! Everything hers, who does she think she is?!

Shen Shiqing instinctively looked at Su Jiachi. The Su family was the wealthiest in Huai River, in the same league as her, and the only one in the room who would join her in mocking Xu Xining’s delusions.

However, Su Jiachi’s face showed no amusement. His gaze towards Shen Shiqing was filled with pity and annoyance. “Xu Xining never let me say it, so I kept her secret… Lindberg is the international name; domestically, it’s part of the Lin Group.”

Shen Shiqing felt a foreboding sense of dread, forcing a smile. “What are you saying? Isn’t her last name Xu?”

“Her mother is Lin, now the head of the Lin Group, Lin Wei,” Su Jiachi said calmly. “She’s the only daughter of the Lin family’s first generation. Even if her parents divorced, that doesn’t change.”

Shen Shiqing’s face turned pale. She turned to look at Xu Xining, but Xu Xining had already left the club without a backward glance.

Su Jiachi sighed inwardly.

He knew this because he had met Xu Xining once when he was young.

The Su family had worked tirelessly to secure a partnership with the Lin Group in the Huai River area, and he was invited to the Lin family’s eldest daughter’s birthday party.

Back then, little Xu Xining wore an angelic white dress but played wildly with the other kids, dragging Zhan Xingye around, playing hide and seek on the yacht.

Su Jiachi, mature beyond his years, privately asked Xu Xining if she could ask her mother to sell him a Golden Rose.

Xu Xining was surprised, asking why he wanted such a thing.

Su Jiachi explained that it was his sister’s birthday next month, and she had always wanted one, but Lindberg never sold Golden Roses over ten carats.

Xu Xining laughed and said there was no need to ask her mom. He should just come over to play on the weekend.

Su Jiachi was puzzled but politely visited that weekend.

Again, Xu Xining dragged him to play hide and seek with her and Zhan Xingye in the vast villa all afternoon…

Su Jiachi was exhausted, finally bringing up his request. Xu Xining slapped her forehead, “Oh, I forgot!”

She led Su Jiachi to her wardrobe, casually opening a drawer filled with various bracelets, necklaces, earrings, anklets, and many large uncut stones, all piled together, dazzlingly bright.

They were all Golden Roses.

Xu Xining rummaged through them like junk, pulling out a row. “Here, the ones over ten carats are here. Pick one.”

Su Jiachi was speechless. “How come they’re all here with you?”

Xu Xining said matter-of-factly, “Yeah, because I liked them for a while, so my mom saved the biggest ones for me.”

Even though Su Jiachi’s family was in the jewelry business, he was still stunned by her generosity.

He stammered, “How much should I pay you? Don’t worry, I’ll have the adults discuss it with your mother.”

“No need, I’ll give it to you!” Xu Xining cheerfully handed it to him. “We’re good friends! What’s the big deal? Invite me and Xingye to your sister’s birthday!”

Su Jiachi looked at the Golden Rose in his hand, then at Xu Xining’s bright smile, deeply moved.

We played hide and seek twice, and we’re good friends?

…

Your friendship is easy to earn!!

That moment of awe, Su Jiachi has never forgotten.

What are diamonds, jewelry, or Golden Roses compared to an afternoon of her happiness?

She was the true princess, raised with untold wealth.

Two years later, Su Jiachi heard that Xu Xining’s parents divorced, and she chose to live with her father. In the world of the wealthy, this was unimaginable.

No one understood why Xu Xining chose her father, or why Lin Wei couldn’t win against an ordinary man.

Su Jiachi felt regret.

He had seen such dazzling brilliance, fearing to see her dimmed.

Unexpectedly, during the freshman military training, he was dozing off when he saw a girl running across the field, her golden hair billowing like a flag.

Su Jiachi watched the girl run towards him, like a beam of light cutting through the overcast sky, feeling his blood boil.

At that moment, he understood why Lindberg named the rare golden diamond as such.

Because Xu Xining was the one and only Golden Rose, untarnished and unique.

Shen Shiqing never expected Xu Xining to be the sole heir of the Lin Group. Just the luxury brand Lindberg under the Lin Group was already beyond reach.

She had just been showing off, even calling Su Jiachi over to look.

Recalling Su Jiachi’s earlier awkwardness and his constant glances at Xu Xining now felt like a public execution!

Moreover, Golden Roses weren’t easy to counterfeit. This fake had cost her six figures, and Xu Xining smashed it without hesitation.

What could she do now? Ask Xu Xining to compensate for her fake? Wasn’t that humiliating enough?

Shen Shiqing refused to lose face, forcing a smile. “It’s rare for classmates to gather, and Xu Xining just had to sulk! Leaving like that! I think she’s just too drunk! But I don’t care about a necklace… Ah!!!!”

Before she could finish, she suddenly fell onto the shattered coffee table and broken diamonds, her hands and knees bleeding profusely.

She gasped in pain, unable to move, angrily shouting, “Who pushed me?! Someone help me up!…”

Right, Zhan Xingye, if it were Zhan Xingye, he could easily carry her away, right?

Shen Shiqing looked around, only to see Zhan Xingye indifferently grab Xu Xining’s bag, walk past her, and head out the door.

Earlier, his invisible tentacles, unable to contain their anger, had slapped Shen Shiqing onto the debris…

It is clearly a violation of Hermod’s Contract to lay hands on a human, but Zhan Xingye had never cared much for any regulations or contracts.

He was worried about the wound on Xu Xining’s hand and chased after her in a panic. He found her squatting by the roadside outside the club, asking a fruit vendor, “Hey boss, do you sell roasted sweet potatoes here?”

The vendor replied, “…This is a fruit shop.”

Xu Xining then asked, “Hey boss, do you sell fried squid here?”

The vendor responded again, “…This is a fruit shop.”

Xu Xining persisted, “Hey boss…”

Zhan Xingye helped her up and said in a low voice, “You’re drunk.”

She hands on hips, Xu Xining proudly exclaimed, “Nonsense! I can hold my liquor just fine! Ha-”

She burst into laughter like a proud little cat.

Zhan Xingye felt a headache coming on.

He knew Xu Xining was unhappy, which was why she was drinking alone. Seeing her drink so confidently, he thought it wasn’t a serious problem.

Little did he know, Xu Xining’s courage when drunk far surpassed her actual alcohol tolerance. She was fearless, and once she started drinking, she went crazy. If she had delayed even half a step longer, she would have sung the Squid Song in front of Shen Shiqing.

“Squid is our god, la la la,” Xu Xining really started singing, dancing and spinning in circles like a little priestess in a ritual.

“Those who don’t understand squid are in trouble, you come from the sea, cumin and pepper are our gods…”

Zhan Xingye said nothing.

He reluctantly supported Xu Xining under her arms, carrying her to a sink and held her wrist from behind, using the fruit stand’s tap water to wash her wound.

Fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep, but the blood still trickled down with the water, sliding from the palm of Xu Xining’s fair hand.

Zhan Xingye’s eyelashes drooped, his eyes deep and cold, silent as he washed her hand, his lips tightly pursed, yet his movements were gentle.

Leaning against him, Xu Xining said, slurred and boneless, “Xingye~”

Zhan Xingye responded softly, “Does it hurt?”

Xu Xining continued, “Xingye, Xingye, Xingye~~~”

His name melting on her lips, Zhan Xingye replied, “Then I’ll be gentler.”

She looked up at him, aggrieved, “Xingye, why don’t you come play with me anymore?”

Zhan Xingye’s movements froze, water flowing endlessly between their intertwined fingers.

“Is it because I bullied you?” she murmured softly into his chest, her voice on the verge of tears, “I fell while hiking, and you didn’t visit me in the hospital. I looked for you after class, and you always ran away. Later, I asked you out, but you ignored me. Are you mad at me?”

She seemed certain of it.

Zhan Xingye’s eyelashes fluttered, his Adam’s apple bobbed heavily, and he said hoarsely, “I’m not.”

Xu Xining persisted, “You are, you are, you even refuse to ride the same elevator with me!”

Zhan Xingye didn’t know how to explain.

His body was almost a kind of fluid, capable of compressing into a dense humanoid form, so his actual weight far exceeded the elevator’s capacity. Stepping into one would immediately trigger the overload alarm.

Similarly, he couldn’t ride in small cars… if a car hit him, it would be the car that flew off, not him.

Xu Xining, not one to hold grudges for long, quickly became temperamental, hopping around and stepping on his feet: “Zhan Xingye is a bad man! A very bad man!”

She splashed water everywhere, and Zhan Xingye, careful not to hurt her with his strength, held her as if she were a hedgehog, difficult to grasp: “…Sorry, my fault.”

His mind went blank, clumsily trying to please her, “I’ll buy some lemons and make you lemon water when we get home.”

Thus, Xu Xining was placated once more: “Lemon water is our god, la la la,” she sang and danced joyfully, “Lemons on the lemon tree, you and me under the lemon tree…”

Zhan Xingye, worried she couldn’t manage a taxi alone, decided to take her to the subway, though he lamented the distance to the subway entrance and doubted if trains were still running at this hour.

Holding lemons in one hand and grasping her with the other, once he let go, Xu Xining would start singing and dancing away, truly unmanageable.

After playing by herself for a while, Xu Xining rubbed her eyes and said, “Xingye, I’m tired.”

Zhan Xingye squatted down in front of her, and Xu Xining familiarly leaned onto his back. He stood up, carrying her.

It had always been like this since they were children.

After a while, Xu Xining murmured sadly, “Old Xu used to be very smart, but now he’s gotten a bit slow, and people want to laugh at him.”

“…Why? Do they have Old Xu’s achievements? Have they seen the sights Old Xu has seen? Have they reached the heights Old Xu has? When Old Xu stepped down from his peak, they thought they were his equals.”

Zhan Xingye didn’t know how to comfort her, yet listening to her logical talk, he thought she might be sobering up.

The next moment, Xu Xining sang loudly, “Old Xu is our god!!! La la la! Those who don’t understand Old Xu are in trouble! He can do anything! Math is our god…”

Zhan Xingye: “…”

Understood, she wasn’t sober yet.

The little drunkard fluttered behind him, forcing Zhan Xingye to hold her tightly.

Transparent tentacles cautiously formed a safety net behind, fearing she might impulsively jump down.

Xu Xining, holding onto his neck, complained loudly in his ear, “I forbid you to like Shen Shiqing! She’s not good at all!”

“I don’t like her,” Zhan Xingye said.

I only like you.

She had drunk too much, her breath laced with strong alcohol, every breath she took burned him like fire.

Yet Zhan Xingye still held her tightly.

Suddenly, Xu Xining said, “Xingye, there’s something weird about your neck.”

She leaned in hazily to see, scratching with her fingertip, feeling as if the color of Zhan Xingye’s neck had changed, dark and uneven, like peeling paint.

Zhan Xingye felt as if he had been shot, abruptly putting her down on the ground and stepping back with his hand clutching his neck, nearly losing composure.

…The alcohol had corroded his body, causing localized damage that prevented him from perfectly maintaining his disguise, exposing the true shape and color of his tentacles.

Did Xu Xining see it? His filthy and ugly true form.

Zhan Xingye desperately sought her gaze, yet couldn’t bear to meet her eyes, fearing he would see disgust and fear.

Xu Xining didn’t understand why Zhan Xingye had set her down, swaying a bit before stabilizing.

She bowed her head, clutching her stomach.

Ouch, her stomach hurt.

She suddenly remembered someone repeatedly reminding her, if she felt unwell, to call him and he would come to pick her up.

Slowly, Xu Xining pulled out her phone, her mind not entirely clear, and dialed the number.

It rang only once before the other side picked up, the voice gentle, “It’s me.”

With a nasal twinge, Xu Xining urged, “Teacher Wen, please come over quickly.”

Zhan Xingye stood a few meters away, watching her with an indecipherable expression, as if asking.

Why call him?

Why is it always him?

In his study, Wen Nansen asked, “What’s happened? Xu Xi…”

The call was abruptly disconnected, leaving only a dial tone.

Wen Nansen stood up, his expression changing.

He knew Xu Xining was reluctant to contact him unless it was something urgent, urgent enough that she couldn’t bother to dislike him, urgent enough that she didn’t even have time to tell him the address.

As Xu Xining looked up, Wen Nansen was already standing under the dim streetlamp nearby.

He had come in a hurry, wearing only a casual white shirt, the collar buttons undone, revealing subtly defined chest muscles.

Such a disheveled appearance was rare for Wen Nansen; even when just taking out the trash, he would wear a tie under his suit.

Whenever Xu Xining was around, no matter how hot the weather, he would wear long sleeves and pants at home, at most rolling up his cuffs.

But he had just used a high-level spell.

This emergency spatial portal transportation was also a significant drain on him, causing his chest to rise and fall slightly.

He anxiously checked Xu Xining’s condition, then calmed down, buttoning up his collar with one hand, shaking his head with an indulgent smile, “You’ve drunk too much.”

Xu Xining happily rushed over, misjudged the distance, and bumped into Wen Nansen’s chest, patting his back loudly praising, “Nansen! You really came quickly! You’re a good comrade! The organization should reward you!”

Wen Nansen smiled helplessly, bending down to pick her up with one arm, letting her sit on his arm.

Xu Xining getting wildly drunk was nothing new to him; the first time she drank, she grabbed his tie and kissed him forcefully. What else couldn’t she do?

Wen Nansen, holding her, prepared to leave but was blocked by the young man on the path.

The sky looked ominously like it would rain heavily soon.

Massive leaden clouds accumulated low in the sky, a malfunctioning streetlamp flickering above.

Zhan Xingye stood in the flickering light and shadows, his facial features as hard as iron, “You can’t take her away.”

Footnote: