In truth, Mu Xi's intentions were very simple. Since Li Chang'an would be leaving soon, she just wanted to have lunch with him every day until then. Not seeing him at noon today left the shy girl feeling strangely empty inside.
So during lunch, she mustered her courage and asked a few students from the Elite Class. After finding out that Li Chang'an was in the classroom, she went to the canteen and carefully picked out a generous portion of all his favorite dishes. She even took the time to remove all the fatty meat. Only after that did she gather her courage and head to Li Chang'an's classroom.
What she didn't expect… was to see Li Chang'an entangled with another girl right inside the classroom—and Mu Xi recognized her too. It was none other than the Saintess, Hu Liena, whose name was spoken in the same breath as Li Chang'an's.
"Clatter!"
The exquisite lunchbox slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor. Food spilled everywhere, and the lean meat she had carefully chosen rolled far across the room…
Mu Xi's peach blossom eyes shimmered with tears as she looked at the scene before her. Though she hadn't experienced much and didn't know a lot, anyone could guess what was going on here. She had no idea what to do. Her heart felt like a complete mess… chaotic and confused.
Her reaction may have been a little slow, but still faster than Li Chang'an's. She quickly wiped her tears with the sleeve of her white blouse, turned, and ran off. That frail figure retreating made anyone who saw it ache with sorrow.
Hu Liena, of course, heard the words "Xiao Li." Who else in this classroom had the surname Li? And from the look in Mu Xi's eyes when she saw Li Chang'an, Hu Liena instantly understood a great deal.
This girl… also liked Junior Brother, didn't she?
Although the scene unfolding before him was far from what Li Chang'an had expected—and in his previous life, he had rarely encountered something like this.
Within seconds, Li Chang'an had already come up with a strategy. In fact, he saw this as an opportunity—an opportunity for Mu Xi and Hu Liena to get to know each other.
The cultural perspective on relationships in the Douluo Continent was quite different from what Li Chang'an had in his past life. Here, it wasn't uncommon for men to have multiple wives and concubines. So while the resistance he faced wasn't overwhelming, it certainly wasn't negligible.
After all, both Mu Xi and Hu Liena were proud girls. Deep down, they held onto that pride. The prouder the girl, the less willing she would be to share the man she loved. What's more, Li Chang'an had told each of them before that she was his "only one."
"Chang'an, she… she's also your…" Hu Liena took two steps back, her eyes filled with a trace of desperate hope as she looked at him. She wanted to hear him say it was just one-sided, that the other girl was mistaken. She wanted to believe that she was still Junior Brother's only one.
Li Chang'an gave a solemn nod. "Nana, I don't want to lie to you. She's my girlfriend too. Back then, when the vice dean led us to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt soul beasts, I ran into the Titan Giant Ape…"
Using a more concise and restrained tone, Li Chang'an spun a tale—tragic and full of cliché—about his and Mu Xi's relationship. He described how the two of them were stranded together in the Star Dou Great Forest for three miserable days, and how during that time, they gradually developed feelings for each other…
Hu Liena had actually heard something about that event. After all, the Titan Giant Ape appearing on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest was no small matter. Li Chang'an being trapped there for two or three days had caused quite a stir.
What she hadn't known, though, was that there had been a girl with him during that time. In such dangerous circumstances, it was easy to imagine how emotions might develop between them.
"Even though Mu Xi is my girlfriend," Li Chang'an continued, "I can promise you this—from the first time I met you in this classroom, I already saw you as my girlfriend."
"I may not have said it out loud, but in my heart, Nana, you've always been the first. The most important one."
Li Chang'an didn't use any flashy words. Instead, he calmly laid out a reasonable story. Then, he used it to steer the conversation back to Hu Liena and gave her exactly the answer she cared about most.
From reasoned explanation, to clever redirection, to finally hitting on Hu Liena's deepest emotional concern, Li Chang'an's performance was seamless, each step building on the last. It left Hu Liena unable to stay angry, her heart softened in an instant.
"Is… is what you said true?" Hu Liena covered her mouth, her eyes red as she looked at him. At this moment, she wasn't worried about who Mu Xi was or why there was another girl in his life.
All she cared about… was one sentence:
"I saw you as my girlfriend from the very beginning."
'So… from the start, he already thought of me that way?'
Li Chang'an raised his hand solemnly and swore, not even blinking: "Of course. I, Li Chang'an, swear to the heavens—if I lied today, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"
"Don't—don't say that. I believe you!" Hu Liena quickly covered his mouth with her hand, her eyes firm and unwavering.
"Go check on that girl. She clearly likes you a lot, too." Once Hu Liena calmed down, her voice softened.
But Li Chang'an shook his head firmly and pulled her into a gentle embrace. "I won't go. I only love you, Nana."
Even though he was panicking on the inside, he couldn't leave the moment she asked him to. If he did, it would surely hurt her feelings.
Sure enough, Hu Liena's heart melted at his words. She gave him a light pat on the shoulder. "Alright, I'm fine now. Go check on her."
Li Chang'an gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. "You're an amazing girl. I love you, Nana."
"I love you too. Go on," Hu Liena said sweetly.
As long as most of this man's heart belonged to her, what did it matter if there were others?
Only then did Li Chang'an finally release her and step out of the classroom.
The moment he passed through the doorway, he broke into a run, simultaneously unleashing his spiritual power to scan the entire academy. At the same time, the Donghuang Bell materialized in his left hand!
"Found her!" A wave of relief washed over him. As light shimmered around the Donghuang Bell, Li Chang'an vanished from his spot, reappearing three hundred meters away.
There, by the lake, Mu Xi had buried her face in her arms.
Li Chang'an gave himself a hard slap in his mind and quickly began to disguise himself.
He mussed up his clothes to make them look disheveled, splashed some water on his outer robe and forehead to simulate sweat, and adjusted his breathing to sound heavy—just like someone who'd been running frantically.
"Mu Xi! Mu Xi, there you are! Do you know how many places I searched for you?" Li Chang'an panted loudly as he ran up to her…
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