Chapter 17: Humbling Oneself to Seek Reconciliation

The two of them wandered through the shopping mall until dark before returning to school, carrying various bags and parcels.

Unexpectedly, just as they reached the foot of the dormitory building, a dark figure suddenly lunged from the shadows on one side, rushing in front of them to block their path.

"Ah—!"

Gu Lianxing let out a startled scream. Shen Ci was also jolted, but as soon as she saw the person in front of her, her expression instantly darkened, and her eyes filled with impatience.

Li Xiao’s face was grim, his gaze piercingly cold as he stared fixedly at Shen Ci.

"Li Xiao?" Recognizing him, Gu Lianxing said crossly, "Are you insane? Blocking the entrance to the girls' dorm in the middle of the night—who are you trying to scare to death?"

But Li Xiao turned a deaf ear to Gu Lianxing's reprimand. Instead, he looked at Shen Ci and questioned her with an angry tone, "Why did you move dorms? Are you hiding from me?"

Shen Ci couldn't help but let out an instinctive cold laugh, which caused the chill in Li Xiao's eyes to deepen further.

"Sending 'Carnival' gifts to other guys? Or was it someone in my own dorm? You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

His entire aura was wrapped in a palpable sense of agitation. One could feel him struggling to maintain control, but judging by his tone, he was clearly on the verge of losing it.

Shen Ci lifted her brows slightly, meeting his gaze with undisguised contempt. "Li Xiao, we are finished. Whatever I do has nothing to do with you, and it is certainly not your place to question me!"

"I don't agree!" Li Xiao roared, his eyes turning bloodshot, followed by a sudden moisture in his eyes. He looked at Shen Ci with a face full of resentment and shook his head. "I don't know what I did wrong, or if my mother said something to you! All I know is that I love you, and I do not agree to break up."

As he spoke, as if suddenly remembering something, he lunged forward and gripped Shen Ci's slender shoulders. "You have someone else, don't you? Otherwise, how could you bear to give someone else Carnival gifts?"

"Why wouldn't you take the money I transferred to you, but you're willing to take someone else's? Is their money more fragrant than mine? Is it easier to spend than mine?"

"If you want any amount, just say the word. I can give it to you—any amount!"

"Just don't break up with me. Go and make it clear with that person; I don't mind, I really don't mind!"

At this point, Li Xiao had completely shed his usual arrogance. His voice was thick with suppressed sobs, and he had become utterly humble, sinking into the dust. Even Gu Lianxing, who had intended to intervene, was moved by his display; she looked at Shen Ci, hesitating as if wanting to say something on Li Xiao's behalf.

Only Shen Ci remained completely unmoved by Li Xiao's "devotion." She simply watched him quietly, because she had never seen this side of him before.

He appeared fragile and breakable, as if anyone who wasn't made of stone would feel heartache or moved by the sight.

But to Shen Ci, the Li Xiao before her felt strangely disconnected.

Because the face that surfaced in her mind was the cold, hard face sitting in the back of a luxury car. Back then, she had cried and clawed at the window frame begging for an explanation, but she hadn't received so much as an apologetic glance.

Not until the window slowly rolled up, trapping her fingers in the gap and dragging her several meters before she finally fell pathetically by the roadside.

To this day, she could still remember the pungent smell of the exhaust as the car sped away, hitting her face.

Looking at Li Xiao's face, now brimming with "deep affection," Shen Ci only wanted to tear away his hypocritical mask.

She forcefully pushed away his arms that were gripping her shoulders and spoke with continued composure, "I told you, we are finished."

The light that had been burning in Li Xiao's eyes extinguished visibly the moment Shen Ci finished her cold sentence.

His face turned ashen, and he looked at Shen Ci in despair. "Why? Why are you doing this to me?"

He thought that if he lowered himself and pleaded for reconciliation, Shen Ci would change her mind.

But he had already humbled himself to the point of nothingness. In all his life, he had never been so subservient to anyone. Why was she completely unmoved?

Beside them, Gu Lianxing's face was twisted with anxiety.

However, Shen Ci clearly had no intention of wasting more words; she stepped around Li Xiao and walked quickly into the dormitory building.

Seeing Li Xiao looking so lost and despondent, Gu Lianxing couldn't help but feel pity for him.

Even if he truly had some "deficiency" in that department, he could seek treatment. After all, modern male healthcare was so advanced; it wasn't some incurable terminal illness.

He really didn't deserve to die over this.

"Li Xiao, calm down first," Gu Lianxing said softly to comfort him. "Although I don't know the details of what happened between you and Shen Ci, I don't think she's the type of person to make trouble for no reason. Do you have any evidence for what you just said about her having someone else? If not, that's just slander and defamation! Is this how you're supposed to ask someone to get back together?"

Li Xiao turned his head toward Gu Lianxing. His chaotic mind actually regained a sliver of rationality because of those words.

"Did I say something wrong?" he murmured.

Gu Lianxing sighed. "Don't just say things without factual basis. Even if you have doubts in your heart, you should clear things up before jumping to conclusions."

Thinking about how Shen Ci had been mocked by several former roommates at the small restaurant today—with their words essentially attacking her by saying Li Xiao no longer wanted her—Gu Lianxing felt she should clarify things for Shen Ci. "She didn't move dorms to avoid you; she moved because her previous roommates were ganging up to bully her."

Li Xiao froze upon hearing this. He was unaware of this.

"She... she never told me about any of this."

Gu Lianxing shook her head helplessly. "If you were on good terms with your roommates, how could you not mention anything about them at all?"

Li Xiao was swayed by Gu Lianxing's words, lowering his head in a state of distress and self-reproach.

It was his own fault for not caring enough about Shen Ci; he hadn't even known she was being bullied.

"Go back for now. Go home, calm down, and sort through your thoughts. Don't be so impulsive next time."

Having said her piece, Gu Lianxing walked past him and entered the dormitory.

Back in the dorm, Shen Ci was packing her things. The room had already been cleaned thoroughly by several juniors.

"Wow, it's so clean!"

Gu Lianxing made an exaggerated reaction on purpose, walking over to Shen Ci with a bright smile. "Shen Ci, thank goodness you're here. If I had moved in by myself, I wouldn't have known what to do."

Shen Ci smiled, appearing as if she hadn't been affected by Li Xiao at all. "Hurry up and make your bed, pack your things, and then get in the shower and get to bed quickly, otherwise the lights will be out soon."

Seeing that her state was acceptable, Gu Lianxing relaxed slightly.

However, she didn't say anything more. Although she had witnessed the whole scene and truly wanted to say a few words for Li Xiao—because she could feel that he truly loved Shen Ci—she held her tongue.

She and Li Xiao had known each other since childhood. Although they weren't extremely close friends, they had known each other for a long time, so she felt she could offer some well-intentioned advice.

But Shen Ci was different. Although they had hit it off immediately, they had only just met. She had to maintain proper boundaries and could not interfere too much in Shen Ci's private affairs.