CHAPTER 600: CHAPTER 600: MU XIAO

But things had turned out differently. They had been cautious, they had questioned her, and then they had figured out she wasn’t the real Gu Aihan. And strangely enough, they decided to keep her alive.

A faint smile touched her lips. "Especially that girl... Gu Jin. She is sharp, but she is also fair. At least she didn’t pour her hatred on me blindly."

Her hard feelings toward Gu Jin slowly faded, and instead, she felt a small sense of respect. Maybe even fondness.

Meanwhile, Gu Jin was not thinking about her at all. She had returned to her daily routine and focused all her energy on cultivation.

For months, Gu Jin practiced without rest. She trained her mind, body, and spirit.

She spent hours reading, hours practicing alchemy, and even more hours cultivating. Her progress was fast, and she could feel her strength growing every single day.

When the semester exams arrived, she walked into the arena with calm confidence. Her classmates whispered among themselves, already expecting her to do well.

And she did not disappoint.

In alchemy, she finished first. In combat, she defeated all her opponents with graceful, precise movements. In cultivation, her power shone brighter than anyone else’s.

By the end of the exams, Gu Jin was ranked first overall.

The teachers praised her. The students stared at her with awe. And the entire academy buzzed with her name.

"She’s too amazing," one student whispered. "She’s good at everything. Alchemy, combat, cultivation... there’s no weakness at all."

"Yeah," another replied, shaking his head. "She’s like a star. No one can reach her."

And it was true. Gu Jin overshadowed everyone. She was calm, distant, and brilliant, like a mountain peak no one else could climb.

But while most people admired her from afar, one boy was thinking differently.

His name was Mu Xiao.

He had been watching Gu Jin for a long time, sitting quietly in the same classroom, always observing her from the corner of his eyes.

"She’s strong, smart, and beautiful," he thought. "If I can make her my girlfriend, everyone will look up to me. I’ll be important. I’ll stand by her side, and people will respect me."

What encouraged him even more was the way she treated her fiancé, Long Yifan.

Gu Jin was always cold to him. She hardly ever smiled at him. She almost never spoke warmly. To Mu Xiao, this looked like an opportunity.

"If she doesn’t like Long Yifan," he thought, "then maybe I have a chance. If I just show her I care in my own way, she might notice me."

Unlike the other boys who tried to get Gu Jin’s attention with flashy gifts or loud compliments, Mu Xiao chose a quieter path.

He began leaving little notes for her.

Sometimes it was simple words like, "Good luck today."

Other times it was reminders, like, "Don’t forget to rest after training."

He would slip the notes into her books, her desk, or her bag when she wasn’t looking.

He also began leaving meals for her. At lunch, he would quietly put a packed box on her table, then walk away before she noticed. At dinner, he would do the same.

And he protected her too.

When other students whispered rumors, he would step in and silence them. When some boys tried to bother her during training, he stood in their way, warning them to leave her alone.

He did all this in secret, never asking for thanks.

"This way," he thought, "she’ll slowly notice me. She’ll see that I’m different. She’ll feel safe with me. And one day... maybe she’ll look at me with warmth."

Gu Jin, of course, noticed the strange pattern.

She wasn’t foolish. She quickly realized someone was leaving food and notes for her. At first, she was suspicious.

"Who is it?" she wondered. "What is their purpose?"

But when she saw that the notes were never threatening, only encouraging, her suspicion turned into curiosity.

Still, she remained cautious. She did not eat the food. She only glanced at the notes before tucking them away.

Long Yifan, however, noticed too.

One afternoon, he found another box of food sitting on Gu Jin’s desk. His jaw tightened, his hands clenching into fists.

"Who’s leaving this for you?" he asked, his voice low.

Gu Jin looked at him calmly. "I don’t know."

"You don’t know?" Long Yifan’s eyes narrowed. "And yet you don’t throw it away either."

"I didn’t eat it," Gu Jin replied simply. "It’s harmless."

But Long Yifan’s chest burned with jealousy. He could feel it like fire spreading through his veins.

He thought to himself, ’Someone is trying to take her from me. Someone thinks they can stand where I stand. I won’t allow it.’

Meanwhile, Mu Xiao hid in the shadows, watching everything unfold, a small smile on his lips.

Mu Xiao leaned back in his seat, his eyes gleaming with quiet ambition. He could see it clearly now. A small rift was forming between Gu Jin and Long Yifan. It was faint, like a thin crack in glass, but he knew if time passed, that crack would spread.

"If I just wait," Mu Xiao thought, "she will grow colder to him. And when that happens, I’ll be the one standing by her side. Slowly, she’ll realize I’m the one who cares for her most."

What Mu Xiao didn’t know was that while Long Yifan sat in silence, his heart burning with jealousy, Gu Jin herself was feeling something she had not felt in years.

She stared at Long Yifan, watching the way his fists tightened, the way his jaw trembled. He was furious, but he did not shout at her. He did not accuse her harshly.

A strange thrill ran through her chest.

"Why does this feel... exciting?" she whispered inside her heart. "Why do I enjoy seeing him so furious yet unable to say anything?"

Her lips curved into the faintest of smiles. For so long she had lived in a hollow emptiness, unable to feel joy, sadness, or love. But now, watching Long Yifan’s torment, she felt something. A spark. A little rush of pleasure.

She admitted to herself it was a little mean, even toxic, to enjoy this. But it was addictive. To feel something after so long made her feel alive.

As she was lost in thought, Long Yifan suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Gu Jin," he said firmly, his voice low but filled with emotion. "We should get engaged."

Her eyes widened in shock. "What did you say?"

He met her gaze without hesitation. "Let’s get engaged. If we are engaged, people like this pervert who leaves food and notes for you will not dare to come close. And if he still lingers even after our engagement, then it proves he has terrible intentions toward you."

Gu Jin frowned, pulling her hand back slightly. "You are not in the position to make such a decision for us."

Long Yifan froze. Her words pierced straight into his chest. She was right. After all the mistakes he had made in the past, did he really have the right to talk about engagement?

His shoulders sagged, and he looked down. For a moment, he seemed like a child about to lose his most precious treasure. But then he forced himself to take a deep breath.

"If I panic, if I push her too hard, she’ll only grow colder," he thought. "I can’t lose her like that. I need to be patient."

Raising his head, he smiled slightly. "Fine. I won’t push you. But from now on, I’ll sit beside you."

Gu Jin narrowed her eyes. "And why should you?"

Long Yifan smirked lightly.

"Because this is a university. Every student here has equal rights. The academy always promotes harmony among mages. If you refuse to let me sit beside you, wouldn’t that mean you are looking down on me? Wouldn’t that mean you refuse to treat me as an equal?"

Gu Jin’s lips twitched in disbelief. "You’re twisting my words."

"Am I?" he said smoothly, tilting his head. "I only said the truth. You are gracious and beautiful. I know you will not refuse me."

Her chest tightened with frustration. He was shameless, twisting everything she said. And yet, when she thought about it, their classes hardly overlapped anyway.

He was two years ahead of her. Even if he claimed he wanted to sit beside her, in reality, it would not happen very often.

So she sighed and nodded. "Fine. Do as you wish."

A flash of triumph flickered in Long Yifan’s eyes. "Thank you, Gu Jin."

What she didn’t realize was that he had already made his plan. He wanted her to misunderstand, to think it would not matter.

But when the next thunder element class came, he was going to make sure she sat beside him in front of everyone.

The very next day, Long Yifan walked into the thunder element classroom. His classmates were already seated, chatting quietly.

He stepped up to the front, his expression calm and confident. "Today, I will be giving the lecture."