Liu Xingyu held her head and sighed. Now that it had happened, she might as well go with the flow.

She wanted to leave the area quickly, but Shen Yuan suddenly grabbed her wrist and asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to class," she replied, looking at Shen Yuan. She was genuinely surprised by his actions, but since her mission was to get close to him, this was only to her advantage. She had no reason to refuse.

As for those crazy fans..., well, who cares? As long as Shen Yuan was beside her, no one would dare do anything to her.

Following Shen Yuan, Liu Xingyu became so distracted with these thoughts that she didn’t realize he held her hand the entire way. When they reached the classroom, Shen Yuan naturally let go of her hand and sat down. Liu Xingyu took her seat next to him, glancing at Shen Yuan, unsure of what he was thinking. He had helped her without asking about last night’s events and had even come to school with her.

She racked her brain but couldn’t figure out his intentions. Then she remembered she could check Shen Yuan’s favorability score. "Idiot, how could I forget something so important? At least I can find out his feelings," she thought to herself. She quickly touched her wrist, swiping to the right, only to be startled by the number she saw.

"Damn it, is this his favorability score towards me? After sleeping in the same bed, Shen Yuan, you’re such a... "

Liu Xingyu looked at Shen Yuan and then at the number displayed in front of her: 15/100.

If she could see Shen Yuan’s favorability scores toward others, including his family, she would realize that this score alone was a miracle. His favorability rarely exceeded 10% for anyone, not even his grandfather, who had supported him and given him everything got any higher score.

Liu Xingyu was so annoyed that she didn’t speak to Shen Yuan all morning.

By physics class, Liu Xingyu felt her throat go dry, worse than the day before. It was starting to hurt and itch terribly. She shook her head, trying to keep herself alert.

As the physics teacher explained the lesson on the board, Liu Xingyu struggled to write in her notebook, her vision becoming increasingly blurry. She rubbed her eyes, but it only worsened; now she was starting to tremble, too.

She leaned onto Shen Yuan’s shoulder, on the verge of collapsing, but he quickly supported her.

Everyone in the class noticed, and the girls stared daggers at Liu Xingyu. Even Zhou Lan sneered, "What’s that shameless girl doing? It’s not like she’s going to die or anything, throwing herself on a guy in front of everyone. She has no shame."

The moment she said this, she felt the intense, ink-black eyes of Shen Yuan glaring at her, full of anger and hatred. Zhou Lan was petrified. His eyes looked empty, like those of a killer, as if he was staring at something utterly worthless.

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Zhou Lan was taken aback. Was this the school’s god? She had always thought Shen Yuan was just emotionally detached and cold on the outside but warm and caring inside, which was why she admired him so much. But now, it seemed she was in love with someone ruthless, devoid of any empathy.

Given her father’s political involvement, Zhou Lan had seen many bodyguards who were hardened warriors and killers. She could tell that Shen Yuan was far more dangerous than those fighters and likely had a higher kill count.

Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead as a primal instinct warned her to stay away from him. Little did she know this instinct would save not only her but also her family, as anyone who crossed paths with Shen Yuan or Liu Xingyu would face a fate worse than death later on.

Shen Yuan quickly supported Liu Xingyu as she leaned her forehead on his shoulder, her brow wet with sweat. "What's happening to you? Are you alright?" he asked, frowning with concern.

At that moment, Liu Xingyu felt her legs about to change. If she didn’t get out of here quickly, she’d be exposed. Desperately, she murmured, "Shen Yuan, I feel like I’m transforming... take me somewhere private, quickly. I don’t want anyone to see me."

Shen Yuan hesitated briefly before scooping her up and rushing out.

The physics teacher on the podium was stunned, but before he could ask any questions, Shen Yuan had already left.

Shen Yuan carried Liu Xingyu all the way to the infirmary. Her face had turned pale, her breathing was rapid, and she clutched his shoulders, her nails almost digging into his skin through his shirt.

Upon reaching the empty infirmary, he laid her down on the bed and saw that she was sweating heavily, biting her lip in pain. Her legs glowed as they slowly morphed into a beautiful blue fishtail. Despite the transformation, Liu Xingyu still looked pained and parched.

"The last time you transformed into a mermaid, it wasn’t painful and was caused by water. What’s happening now? Why are you in such a state?" Shen Yuan questioned.

Liu Xingyu covered her reddened eyes with her hands, shook her head, and loosened her collar to reveal her damp neck.

Sitting beside her, Shen Yuan placed his hand on her forehead. She had no fever, yet her face was flushed, and she was drenched in sweat. When he tried to pull his hand back, Liu Xingyu grasped it. "Don’t go. Just... stay with me a while... your hand feels so cool and comforting."

In her daze, she couldn’t even ask the system what was happening. She simply held on to Shen Yuan, finding his touch soothing and the pain lessened slightly.

"Don’t leave me... I... I’m in so much pain. You... you’re my medicine. Just stay."

Shen Yuan narrowed his eyes. Liu Xingyu’s condition was bizarre, though, in truth, nothing about her was ordinary. But if staying would really ease her suffering, he watched as she clung to his hand, rubbing her face against it.

No one could tell what he was thinking at that moment—not even himself.

He realized he couldn’t leave her in the infirmary; with the school day ending soon, it would be dangerous for anyone to see her like this.

He called his driver and wrapped her in a white blanket from a nearby bed.

Liu Xingyu blinked, realizing she couldn’t move and starting to cry as pearls began to drop, bouncing on Shen Yuan’s chest.

Shen Yuan pulled the blanket up to cover her head, leaving just enough room for her to breathe, then carried her out. He avoided everyone and found the car waiting. "Take us home quickly," he ordered the driver.

The poor driver, still unsettled by the events of the previous night, was shocked once again when he saw his young master carrying someone wrapped in a white blanket. His first thought was that Shen Yuan had killed someone, but as he noticed the soft sounds from within, he realized it was the same girl from yesterday.

Suppressing his thoughts, he opened the car door. Shen Yuan sat with Liu Xingyu in his arms and told the driver to speed home.

On the way, Liu Xingyu didn’t stay still, whimpering and struggling against the blanket. Unfortunately, Shen Yuan had wrapped her tightly, leaving her little room to move.

Seeing her discomfort, Shen Yuan loosened the blanket slightly and said, "Liu Xingyu, behave. Don’t move."

As he said this, he placed his hand over her eyes, calming her enough to stop her tears.

When he finally lifted his hand, he saw the mist in her beautiful red-rimmed eyes as if she might cry again. Quickly, he placed his hand on her cheek and gently stroked it. "Don’t cry. I’ll hold you like this. Agreed?"

She nodded, smiling, rubbing her cheek against his hand. Shen Yuan’s heart skipped a beat as his thumb brushed against her lips.

He felt like he was going mad; this girl, whom he’d known for only two days, affected his emotions so effortlessly. He wondered why it was happening.

But he didn’t dislike it—if anything, he found it comforting. Shen Yuan didn’t understand this feeling, but that didn’t matter.

The girl was in his arms, and he would discover things slowly, he is in no hurry.