Chapter 63: Mind Reading (4)

[My fiancé walks around dressed like this outside? How many people have seen him like this? Every part of him, from head to toe, belongs solely to me!]

[How dare he be so seductive without me around? Does he use those eyes to gaze at others? No, no, absolutely not… He can only speak to me, touch me, and desire me alone!]

[I will grant him pleasure, making his longing unbearable. He’ll want to possess me, he will, he must do it…]

The young girl’s thoughts echoed like whispers from a demon, continuously reaching Jin Yingyao’s ears. His chest felt constricted, as if he were suffocating.

“Oh?” Xiao Lingfei approached Jin Yingyao, “Is there something you’d like to say?”

Xiao Lingfei didn’t expect that after his question, Jin Yingyao would remain frozen with a blank stare, showing no reaction.

“What’s wrong with him?” Xiao Lingfei glanced sideways at others nearby. “Did something happen?”

Gu Li replied mildly, “Perhaps a belated adolescence…”

Xiao Lingfei’s mouth twitched. “What do you mean ‘belated adolescence’? Can’t you just say it straight?”

Gu Li maintained his gentle smile. “Well, you’d have to ask him yourself.”

Jin Yingyao hastily regained his composure, “No! I’m not going through puberty!”

“Don’t keep your troubles bottled up inside,” Xiao Lingfei patted Jin Yingyao on the back. “I’m here for you.”

Tong Ling chimed in with a single message: 【Jin Yingyao, huh.】

This brief “huh” seemed to encapsulate the girl’s endless scorn and disdain.

Jin Yingyao’s carefully composed expression nearly crumbled again. Only after witnessing Yan Ling did he truly understand what unequal treatment meant. Shouldn’t he be relieved that he wasn’t this freak’s target? But why did it feel so frustrating?!

“Let’s get back to business!” Lu Yifan urged, “Quickly, quickly, quickly!”

Jin Yingyao reluctantly explained to Xiao Lingfei that Lu Yifan wanted them to participate in a performance at the drama club. Without hesitation, Xiao Lingfei declined, “No way.”

Just thinking about memorizing lines and acting made Xiao Lingfei’s head spin. “Don’t call me for such drawn-out performances; I don’t have time for it.”

Lu Yifan lamented, 【Wahhh, looks like I still need to find Lingling…】

Exasperated by Lu Yifan’s persistence, Jin Yingyao had no choice but to swallow his pride and plead with Xiao Lingfei, “Are we good friends or not? If I go, you come too. As long as you join us, I’ll cover your expenses for the next month.”

At this point, Xiao Lingfei felt something was seriously off with Jin Yingyao. “Have you lost your mind? Is Yifan’s wild fantasy contagious now?”

With a 50% chance of drawing a cross-dressing role, Xiao Lingfei would never risk such stupidity.

Gu Li chuckled lightly, “It seems we’ve reached a conclusion.”

Jin Yingyao’s face turned ashen. “I’m begging you, please just come with us… For Lu Yifan! He has sacrificed too much already!”

“How long has he been acting like this?” Xiao Lingfei had only arrived at the club slightly late; how did Jin Yingyao seem to have completely lost it?

Gu Li checked the time, “He’s been exhibiting these symptoms for over an hour now, and it looks like they’ll continue.”

Jin Yingyao remained speechless.

“Let’s not dwell on this right now.” Gu Li remembered Yan Ling was still present, “Yan, you’ve been waiting patiently. We won’t disturb you further.”

As Gu Li spoke, he gently pulled both Jin Yingyao and Xiao Lingfei up from the sofa, “Come along, I also need to discuss something with you two.”

“Lingling, let’s talk about the play another time!” Lu Yifan waved, obediently following close behind Gu Li.

Jin Yingyao desperately wanted to stay, but his peculiar behavior had already raised suspicions in Gu Li. Before he could say anything, the seemingly mild-mannered Student Council President forcefully escorted him away.

With their departure, Xiao Lingfei took the seat opposite the young girl. Both Lu Yifan’s deferential attitude towards her and Jin Yingyao’s peculiar behavior piqued Xiao Lingfei’s curiosity to learn more about Yan Ling.

Xiao Lingfei tossed his suit jacket onto the sofa, crossed his long legs, and scrutinized Yan Ling with those fox-like eyes. “Are you here today again because of your parents’ wishes?”

“No.” The girl’s eyes sparkled brightly as she replied evenly, “This time, I’m here for myself.”

Chin resting on one hand, Xiao Lingfei said bluntly, “I don’t have anyone I particularly like at the moment. Asking me to thwart the arranged marriage between our families just for you is not something I’d do; it’s too thankless a task. Of course, if you don’t want the marriage, you can always bring it up with your own family. I have no objections.”

Xiao Lingfei’s words were unapologetically direct, reflecting his usual straightforward nature, unlike Gu Li who was more considerate of others’ feelings.

The fact that both the Xiao and Yan families encouraged their interaction implied that the arranged marriage was virtually settled.

While the elders claimed they respected the couple’s willingness to enter into engagement voluntarily, it was largely a formality. Unless they openly expressed mutual disdain, the outcome was unlikely to change.

A business marriage involved not just two individuals but two entire families. Backing out first would offend the other party, and Xiao Lingfei never cared much about who his nominal fiancée might be, so he remained indifferent.

“I understand now,” the young girl responded with remarkable composure, showing no signs of anger. “It seems I misunderstood.”

“Misunderstood?” Xiao Lingfei asked. “What misunderstanding?”

“I thought Xiao classmate had someone he liked.” The girl lowered her head, her long lashes casting shadows over eyes that appeared misty, imbuing her beautiful face with a hint of melancholy. “The forums mentioned that Xiao classmate has many girlfriends; I-I can’t quite accept that…”

“Huh?” Xiao Lingfei’s eyes widened incredulously. “Since when do I have many girlfriends?”

In the past, Xiao Lingfei did date a few people, driven by curiosity and the desire to experience relationships. However, he quickly realized how bothersome having a girlfriend was. Not only were there constant demands and restrictions, but they also got upset easily. Lacking patience for such matters, each relationship ended swiftly after its start.

Perhaps due to these short-lived romances, he inadvertently gained a reputation as fickle-hearted.

“So the rumors on the forum are false?” the young girl questioned.

Xiao Lingfei clicked his tongue, “If I had someone I liked, I’d openly announce it at the academy.”

As he finished speaking, Yan Ling’s lips curved slightly into a smile.

Her smile was genuinely lovely, with cheeks flushed pink and eyes crinkling like crescent moons, radiating happiness from within. Xiao Lingfei, watching her, couldn’t help but smile himself.

“Hey, are you that happy because I don’t have many girlfriends?” Xiao Lingfei deliberately leaned closer to Yan Ling and whispered, “Do you like me?”

The girl immediately pursed her lips, “No, you’re overthinking it.”

Seeing Yan Ling’s feigned composed demeanor, Xiao Lingfei felt even more inclined to laugh, “You’re too shy; there’s nothing wrong with liking me.” Having encountered countless screaming fans, encountering such a gentle and incredibly bashful girl made Xiao Lingfei want to tease her further.

Her blushing face truly looked adorable.

“No, not at all.” Yan Ling shook her head, then shot him a slightly annoyed glare, “Honestly… no wonder those rumors spread on the forum. You really do seem quite flirtatious.”

Even when angry, she remained soft and non-confrontational.

Xiao Lingfei had always disliked easily angered girls, but with this particular young woman before him, he found it intriguing to provoke her.

“Frivolous?” Xiao Lingfei sat next to Yan Ling and reached out, grasping her hands neatly placed on her knees. “This would be more like frivolity.”

The girl’s hand trembled, swiftly pulling away from his grasp as she shifted further towards the edge of the sofa.

“Xiao classmate! Please behave yourself!” Yan Ling’s voice was barely audible, her face flushed red.

Xiao Lingfei burst into laughter.

“Haven’t you ever held someone’s hand before?” Now Xiao Lingfei understood why so many people in the academy wanted to confess their feelings to Yan Ling. His fiancée was exceptionally innocent - who wouldn’t be drawn to such pure and lovely girls? Even just looking at her stirred thoughts of romance within him.

“I must leave now.” Yan Ling stood up. “Goodbye, Xiao classmate.”

Xiao Lingfei’s smile froze, hastily saying, “I… I wasn’t mocking you.”

He simply meant to tease her, without any ulterior motives!

“I know,” Yan Ling replied softly.

“I don’t favor arranged marriages for business, but I’m not opposed to free love.” With these words, the graceful young woman elegantly exited the club room.

Xiao Lingfei pondered these words for a moment before smiling again, “She’s too subtle…”

Once away from the HR club, Tong Ling spoke to the system with a different tone: “My fiancé is truly sexy.”

M577 responded solemnly, [Bell Sister, tell me honestly, were those thoughts you had earlier in front of the male lead genuine?]

Initially, M577 had merely considered the host playful, but now it seriously doubted her mental health standards. [Otherwise, how could you control your thoughts to fill your mind with such disturbing ideas?]

Tong Ling was taken aback, “Disturbing? They were all expressions of ‘love’! Sure, my love may be intense, but how can you call that disturbing!”

M577 seemed to grasp the male lead’s perspective better: [Terrifying indeed; being unaware of one’s own disturbing nature is even more alarming…]

As Gu Li led Jin Yingyao away, Jin Yingyao couldn’t help but glance back at the two conversing near the sofa. With distance growing, he couldn’t hear their voices anymore, which frustrated him immensely.

“Can’t you stay focused here?” Jin Yingyao’s distracted demeanor greatly concerned Gu Li. “If you don’t want to be around, go back to your room and clear your mind properly.”

[Xiao Lingfei is chatting with his future fiancée; why is Jin Yingyao staring at them?] Gu Li thought to himself, [It’s utterly inappropriate!]

Jin Yingyao ignored Gu Li’s concerns and patiently waited for their conversation to end.

Never before had waiting felt so excruciatingly long, especially when Xiao Lingfei moved closer to Yan Ling, sitting beside her on the same sofa. Jin Yingyao nearly jumped out of frustration.

“Yiaoyao, are you having a muscle spasm?” Lu Yifan, assigned by Gu Li to organize files near the desk, couldn’t help but notice Jin Yingyao’s agitated state.

Jin Yingyao paced a few steps in place, exclaiming, “You guys don’t understand!”

[…With such obvious signs, how could I not notice?] Gu Li responded mentally.

Fuming, Jin Yingyao turned away, refusing to engage further with Gu Li!

Finally, as soon as Yan Ling stepped out the door, Jin Yingyao swiftly approached Xiao Lingfei. Before he could speak, however, he heard…

[How can there be such a shy and pure girl, adorable, adorable, adorable!]

[Future fiancée, ha ha, my future fiancée!]

[The Xiao family did something right after all, what great taste! Why didn’t I meet her sooner? Not all girls are that annoying; she seems quite lovely…]

Jin Yingyao was speechless, feeling utterly drained. His heart ached once again - let it all just crumble now.