"You again?"
Chang An's voice was calm, low, a little dry. She looked down at him, brows slightly lifted, like she hadn't expected to meet him again, much less for a second collision involving her chest.
Gu Xi opened his mouth to reply.
But right then—
[Ding—]
Hidden Quest Activated: "Cold Shoulder"
Objective: Ignore Chang An for the rest of the day.
Reward: +10 Charm
Assimilation Time: 12 Hours
Status: Active
Gu Xi blinked.
Then smiled.
Internally.
"...Sweet."
Ignore one girl? Easy.
Sure, she was tall, athletic, arguably the most beautiful girl in school, and ticked all his boxes in terms of physical type—but she wasn't ten charm points.
No woman was ten free charm points.
He made no reply. No nod. No acknowledgment. Just turned, stepped around her, and walked back to his seat like she hadn't spoken at all.
He sat down and opened his bag, pulling out five books on advanced topics in the big three: physics, chemistry, biology.
All university-level. Maybe higher.
The kind of material that would've given him a migraine back in his old life.
Now?
He flipped through them like magazines.
[Savant] made reading feel like breathing. Not just absorbing knowledge—but understanding the structures beneath it. The "why" behind the formulas. The "how" behind the rules. It was like watching the world in blueprint form.
As he scanned a section on quantum states, his mind wandered.
With this level of cognitive acceleration… what path should he take in this world?
He could easily be a researcher. A scientist. A theorist. Someone who rewrote textbooks and reshaped industries. In a gender-reversed society, he'd be the rare male genius—a novelty, a phenomenon.
Imagine that.
Doctor Gu.
Tori Stark, but make it modern-day Jiangsu.
Not a bad dream.
And yet…
There was another path too.
His [Charm] stat was already at 40. And with this latest quest, it'd hit 50 soon. Combine that with rising Physique, and doors opened—entertainment, modeling, acting, athletics. He'd seen the way men were admired in this world: pampered, sponsored, turned into brands.
He could be one of them.
Not just "cute."
A name.
He stared at the word Charm in the corner of the screen.
"...Tough call."
While he debated silently, a shadow lingered near his desk.
Chang An.
She stood beside him for a few seconds longer than necessary, confused.
He hadn't answered her. Or even looked at her.
Her expression didn't shift, but something in her chest squeezed unexpectedly.
What… was that?
Instead of walking away, she reached out, grabbed a book off a nearby shelf, and sat down next to him. Same table. One chair apart.
He didn't flinch.
Didn't glance.
Didn't breathe differently.
It was like she didn't exist.
Her fingers curled slightly around the edges of her book.
She wasn't someone who demanded attention. But this was a first.
She tried to speak again, tone quieter this time. "You're really just going to ignore me?"
Still nothing.
Gu Xi didn't even blink. He was flipping pages at a steady rhythm, eyes never leaving the words.
Was he mad at her?
No… she barely knew him.
So then… what?
She sighed and leaned over slightly, stealing a glance at the titles of the books he was reading.
Physics. Organic chemistry. Advanced cellular biology.
Not light reading. And judging from his annotations and pace—
He actually understood them?
Her brows drew slightly together.
How?
He didn't look like the studious type.
Then again… what was his type?
Her eyes drifted down to his side profile.
Still no makeup. Just naturally smooth skin. Jaw a little sharper than before. Eyes serious. He was clearly still far from the polished, model-tier school princes she was used to seeing, but...
He had something.
A quiet focus.
A stillness that pulled the eye.
And now that she thought about it—he had gotten cuter lately. More proportioned. Better skin. A little taller.
She remembered seeing him fresh out of the library restroom last week—face flushed, bangs sticking slightly to his forehead. For a moment then, she'd almost done a double take.
And now, ignoring her like she was no one?
That unfamiliar pang returned.
Uncomfortable.
"Is it because I'm unattractive…?"
She dismissed it instantly.
No way.
She had a literal stack of confession letters at home. After every basketball game, boys from their school and even others waited outside just to give her snacks, perfume, or music recommendations.
She wasn't clueless.
But this boy?
Just kept flipping pages.
No blush. No twitch. No awkward glance.
She stared at him.
She wanted to know what he was thinking.
Before she could ask again, her phone buzzed.
A message.
Coach.
She stood up reluctantly and said, "I've got to go."
Still, he didn't reply.
She stared for another second.
Then turned and walked away.
As soon as the footsteps faded—
Gu Xi let out a long sigh.
Finally.
He clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath, "That was way more intense than it needed to be."
His phone buzzed.
[Incoming Call: Su Daji]
💅 "Bestie" Calling
He sighed again.
"Let's get this over with."
He picked up.
"Gu Guuuuu!" Su Daji's voice came through in full cutesy force. "You better not flake tomorrow!"
"I won't."
"No backsies!"
"I said I won't."
"Good! I already told my boss you're soooo reliable and super cute, so you have to impress her, okay? Think of this as your job interview!"
Gu Xi rubbed his forehead.
"I said I got it."
"Oh! And there's this new boba shop that just opened downtown—it's SO aesthetic! Come with me this evening! We'll get the pink rose milk series!"
"No."
"Gu Gu~! Don't be like that. I already made us a reservation! And they have live violinists in suits!"
"...Fine."
"Yay! You're the best!"
Gu Xi hung up.
He stared at his phone screen for a second longer.
"Why is my life like this?"