Vol. 1 - Ch. 188 - Friends

Ignoring the driver’s gaze, HuMing turned his head back to Han ShuYi.

At this moment, their eyes met, and both gazes were filled with hostility.

"If you're not convinced, you can try yourself. I’ve already said it—until the matter upstairs is resolved, no one is going up without my permission."

With his arms crossed over his chest, HuMing delivered the statement with undeniable authority.

Others may doubt him, but the driver, who had personally tested HuMing’s skills, believed he wasn’t bluffing. Seeing HuMing’s ease and confidence earlier, the driver was convinced he wasn’t his match.

However, since this matter involved Han ShuYi, things wouldn’t be so straightforward.

The driver leaned closer to Han ShuYi and whispered, "Miss is right behind him. I believe that without this HuMing guy, your relationship with Miss would improve significantly."

Han ShuYi froze for a moment but quickly glanced at the driver. He wasn’t foolish enough to blindly follow the driver’s suggestion to go after HuMing.

It was obvious that the driver wanted to use him to deal with HuMing. If he fell for it, any consequences would undoubtedly fall on his shoulders.

Moreover, he’d overheard clearly—Xia XiaoXi was upstairs comforting a classmate, presumably Wu Qing. If he barged in now and disrupted Xia XiaoXi, she wouldn’t take it kindly.

After some thought, Han ShuYi’s eyes flickered. He turned to HuMing and said, "Can you guarantee Xia XiaoXi’s safety upstairs?"

"Why not?" 

"Fine, I’ll trust you with this once. But I’m staying here to wait with you until she comes down."

Seeing Han ShuYi refrain from charging forward, HuMing felt slightly disappointed.

Still, he hadn’t expected Han ShuYi to act without thinking. After all, he’d laid everything out clearly. If a conflict arose, HuMing would undoubtedly have the upper hand in justification.

The driver’s eyes widened at Han ShuYi’s response. Just as he was about to protest, Han ShuYi pulled him aside to explain.

Time ticked by, and the sound of a door closing upstairs caught everyone’s attention. All eyes turned toward the staircase.

Moments later, Xia XiaoXi and Wu Qing appeared, descending together.

When they saw the group waiting below, their faces showed surprise. Wu Qing looked a bit embarrassed but still politely nodded at HuMing.

"What are you all doing here? It’s getting late," Xia XiaoXi asked, her gaze sweeping over everyone.

As soon as Xia XiaoXi came down, HuMing got up and left without a word.

The driver quickly stepped forward, trying to explain. "Miss, I tried to come find you earlier, but that boy HuMing blocked my way. I think there’s something off about him!"

"Why would you come up? I was just chatting with Wu Qing. What could possibly happen?" 

"Well… I was just worried about your safety. But that HuMing even got physical with me. You should be careful around him."

"Enough. I’ll verify what you said later, but for now, stop talking!" Xia XiaoXi’s tone carried a hint of impatience.

Her mood was clearly not great as she turned to Han ShuYi with a serious expression.

"Han ShuYi, can you handle this matter properly?" 

Han ShuYi nodded quickly. "Don’t worry, I’ll give you an explanation."

"An explanation for me? This is about Wu Qing being hurt. As the student council president, it’s your responsibility to resolve this. The fact that you don’t even understand the core of the issue is truly disappointing."

Xia XiaoXi shook her head. With that, she turned and left with Wu Qing, leaving Han ShuYi frozen.

He hadn’t expected his words to trigger such disdain from Xia XiaoXi. This wasn’t part of his plan at all!

Who was to blame for this outcome? The students? The teachers? No.

It was HuMing!

If HuMing hadn’t insisted on blowing this up, Xia XiaoXi wouldn’t have gotten involved.

To Han ShuYi, Wu Qing’s matter was trivial. Or rather, compared to his own priorities, everything else was insignificant.

But now, Xia XiaoXi had formed a negative impression of him. It was a costly mistake!

Fists clenched, Han ShuYi slammed one against the railing. "HuMing! It’s always you! You keep ruining my plans!"

…

HuMing, hands resting on his hips, waited at a crosswalk for the pedestrian light to turn green.

Thinking back to today’s events, he found Xia XiaoXi rather impressive.

As the heroine, Xia XiaoXi indeed had her unique charm, while Han ShuYi seemed consumed by darkness.

Perhaps perspectives shaped how people viewed others, he thought, shaking his head as he calmly walked toward home.

He hadn’t gone far when a hand suddenly tapped his shoulder.

Turning around, HuMing saw Xia XiaoXi smiling brightly at him.

"Why are you walking so fast? I almost couldn’t catch up!"

"Why are you chasing me? Shouldn’t you be heading home?" HuMing asked, continuing toward his destination.

Xia XiaoXi trailed beside him. "Wu Qing said she could make it home on her own and wouldn’t do anything foolish. She just needs time to calm down. We exchanged contact info, and I told her to reach out whenever she feels upset."

"Getting the contact info of an idol would brighten anyone’s mood."

"Hmph, if it’s that simple to save someone, I’d say it’s worth it. But…" Xia XiaoXi suddenly stepped in front of him, her expression earnest.

"Earlier, at the broadcast station, you really surprised me!"

"Surprised you?"

"Yeah! I thought you were the type to avoid trouble. But you stood up to those two students and the teacher in front of everyone. Most people wouldn’t want to get involved in something so messy."

"I just don’t like seeing people ridicule others’ dreams," HuMing replied straightforwardly.

Xia XiaoXi flashed a dazzling smile, revealing her pearly whites. She patted his shoulder and said,

"I feel the same way! No wonder we became friends so easily."

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