Chapter 229: Chapter 229

"Sorry, I have a physics competition next week."

"Then take the exam and come back with me afterward. No matter how late it is, I’ll wait for you."

Liu Runxi shouldered his backpack and walked out without looking back.

Helian Yu stared at the boy’s departing figure, her expression shifting unpredictably.

"Yesterday, he was with that Shen You’an, even standing up for her recklessly and putting himself in danger."

What made her even angrier was that Xixi actually went to eat in a shabby little diner like that.

Helian Yu gave a cold snort, "He can’t even be bothered to pretend anymore. A girl from that kind of background will only hold him back."

"I will never allow anyone to ruin Xixi’s future."

The top-floor study room of the city library.

Everyone was focused on studying, and aside from the rustle of pages turning and the soft scratching of pens on paper, the vast floor was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Liu Runxi opened a set of physics exam papers, solved a few problems, and then put down his pen.

His eyes frequently drifted toward the phone beside him.

To calm himself, he pulled out a sketchbook from his backpack and opened it.

The first page featured a face—more precisely, the outline of a face.

A smooth, oval-shaped face framed by a neat cut of ear-length hair.

The detail was so realistic that every strand of hair seemed vividly lifelike.

The second page depicted a nose, sharp and graceful, standing solitary like a lone pine on a cliff—cool and resolute.

The third page showed a mouth, its delicate curve pressed lightly together, exuding an air of cold aloofness.

Next came the eyebrows, shaped like faraway mountains.

Page by page, the girl’s features came into focus.

Finally, on the last page, a pair of eyes brought the entire face to life with a dazzling touch.

He picked up a pencil and, as he’d done countless times before, added depth and shadow to those eyes.

He quietly gazed at the expressive eyes in the sketch, as if locking eyes with that person.

"Hey, what a coincidence." A voice fell from above him.

Liu Runxi calmly closed the sketchbook and lifted his head with an indifferent expression.

Luuo Yunqi sat across from him, holding a workbook for the physics competition. Her delicate face wore a gentle, serene smile, and her eyes sparkled like the stars.

Liu Runxi lowered his head, packing the sketchbook, workbook, and stationery into his backpack. Without a word, he slung it over his shoulder and walked away.

Luuo Yunqi gripped her book tighter and tighter, resisting the urge to chase after him.

Clinging too tightly would only make him hate her.

Luuo Yunqi remembered the glimpse she caught a moment earlier.

The eyes in the sketchbook...

Her gaze dropped, and her eyes flickered with a shadowy gloom.

She had never hated someone as much as she did now—hated them so much she could kill them.

Liu Runxi somehow found himself back at that diner again. The owner, upon seeing him, grew visibly excited and quickly ushered him inside.

"Young Master, are you alone?"

The owner glanced behind him. "An’an didn’t come with you this time?"

Such deferential treatment made Liu Runxi uncomfortable. He replied lightly, "You’re too polite. Just call me Runxi."

The owner quickly waved his hands dismissively.

Yesterday, Ma Liu and his gang had been personally taken away by Director Li. Only then did the owner realize that the boy standing before him was none other than Governor Liu’s son.

Even if given ten times the courage, he wouldn’t dare address Mr. Liu by his first name.

Bowling over, he wiped down a chair with his sleeve and cautiously said, "Mr. Liu, please have a seat."

Liu Runxi sighed, "Boss, just bring me a plate of fried rice noodles."

The boss chuckled, "Same as yesterday?"

Liu Runxi shook his head, "With scallions, ginger, and garlic. And make it spicy."

The owner froze for a second before snapping back to his senses. "Alright, coming right up. Please wait a moment."

Soon, a plate of spicy, fragrant fried rice noodles was placed in front of Liu Runxi.

He picked up his chopsticks, took a mouthful, and immediately started coughing as the fiery heat surged through his mouth and nose.

The owner hurriedly brought over a cup of chrysanthemum tea. "You clearly can’t handle spicy food, so why do you insist on torturing yourself?"

Liu Runxi took a sip of tea to quell the burning sensation, then picked up his chopsticks again.

With each bite, he gradually got used to it.

He smiled faintly. Even though his face was flushed from the heat, he never put his chopsticks down.

The owner watched with a mix of fear and unease.

The boy’s behavior bordered on self-abuse—who would treat themselves ?

Late at night, the boy lay curled up on the bed, his stomach churning in pain.

In the darkness, he exhaled deeply, trying to ease the wrenching ache in his abdomen.

His forehead was drenched in sweat, his face deathly pale.

The sharp pain tearing through his body didn’t shatter his resolve; instead, it made his mind increasingly lucid.

Clenching his jaw, he suddenly let out a low chuckle.

From now on, I won’t back down anymore.