Chapter 34: Transformation

“Did the kid go drink flower wine?”
In the cafeteria hall of Nanhua University, Kai Xin carried a plate and approached the Lonely Three Wolves. The group exchanged smiles, each with a meaningful look:
“Can’t tell from looking at him. Coming from the Murong family, he’s truly extraordinary—already ahead of us.”
“…”
Kai Xin wondered inwardly. He clasped his hands and blew, his nose twitching. “No smell of alcohol.”
“Nonsense!”
The Lonely Three Wolves were furious at him, while Qi Ci wore an expression of deep self-reproach: “Kai Xin… you’re stupid.”
“Haha! If drinking alcohol in the game allowed you to bring it outside, then why come down here? Just stay in and keep drinking and eating for the rest of your life!” Of course, it was because after class they returned to the dormitory and heard someone shouting drunkenly, “Two more pounds of beef and a pound of red wine!” They really wanted to drag that kid off the bed.
Their voices were loud, and a group at a nearby table happened to see this. They burst into laughter. “Hehe, typical bookworm.”
“Stop laughing! They can hear us,” Xu Xin said, blushing and quickly lowering her head.
Over the past half month, she had secretly heard quite a bit about Chen Kaixin. It was said that Chen Kaixin hadn’t attended classes for over half a month, and the teachers hadn’t said anything. As a result, many people wanted to try negotiating with the teachers like Chen Kaixin had, but they all returned defeated…
It was simple.
The teachers gave them last year’s final exam papers to work on…
Thus, rumors spread around the school that Chen Kaixin had self-studied enough to graduate. This news made Xu Xin both curious and admiring, with a hint of secret joy in her heart.
What disappointed Xu Xin was that since that incident, she hadn’t seen Chen Kaixin anywhere on Student Avenue or elsewhere. If it weren’t for hearing that he appeared in the cafeteria at noon, she might have thought he had left school due to the shock of that incident and the rumors.
This time, she suggested eating in the cafeteria hall to see if he was okay.
But to her surprise, Kai Xin still seemed energetic, his eyes brighter and more confident than before. The moment he entered the cafeteria hall, it seemed he wasn’t affected at all by the strange looks around him, acting very relaxed. But…

The few women around her seemed to see through her thoughts. As Happiness arrived, their voices rose intentionally or unintentionally, while several pairs of eyes from across looked over at her with curious, intense gazes, leaving her extremely embarrassed and wishing she could sink into a crack in the ground. But the “women” around her didn’t think so at all: “What’s wrong, Xiaoxinxin? You’ve learned to care about others so fast?” “No way! Caring about that bookworm?” “Luo Luo, why that tone? After all, he’s also a handsome guy.” “So Xiaoya likes handsome guys with a scholarly vibe? How about you, Xiaoxinxin, help her out? Give her a chance?” The women burst into giggles, chatting loudly without any sign of lowering their voices. The men on this side were completely frustrated… The Lonely Three Wolves glared at them with shared indignation… Happiness! “Xiaoya is pretty nice too.” “Happiness, you’re lucky.” It was then that Happiness realized that among those beautiful girls across from her was Xu Xin, the school’s most popular girl whom she had longed for day and night, leaving her stunned. “Xiaoxinxin, the handsome guy with a scholarly vibe is looking at you.” “If you keep talking nonsense, I’m not waiting for you.” Xu Xin glared fiercely at Luo Luo who spoke, but still couldn’t help but steal a quick glance in that direction, only to meet Chen Kai’s astonished gaze before blushing and lowering her head. For some reason, seeing Xu Xin again calmed Happiness’s mood. The school’s most popular girl, whom she had secretly loved for so long without ever having a chance, remained gentle and charming, so shy and innocent—only to wonder which lucky man would be able to hold her in his arms… That person… shouldn’t be herself. With that thought, Happiness almost instinctively nodded and smiled at Xu Xin, then subtly turned away, sitting down among the Lonely Three Wolves in the sudden silence across from them. “…” Happiness’s sudden bright smile made the group of girls across the table suddenly silent. On this side, the Lonely Three Wolves, who had been paying close attention to Happiness’s mood, were as stunned as if they had seen a UFO in broad daylight, speechless with frozen expressions. Had they seen wrong? The brother who had almost committed suicide out of shame half a month ago due to that incident could remain so calm and composed when facing Xu Xin up close… “Are you still Happiness?” “Xiaobai, check his alcohol level.” Chen Fan spoke seriously, but received only Happiness’s eye roll: “Shut up for a bit. By the way, if any of you need money lately, I have some.” Although he had spent nearly three thousand taels drinking yesterday, he still had almost six thousand taels in savings, which was a considerable sum.

“You brat, don’t try to change the subject.” Qi Ci directly exposed his intentions, slapping the table in a manner reminiscent of a police officer urging confession: “Be honest—aren’t you… really drunk?”
“I don’t bother with you guys.”
With a roll of his eyes, Kai Xin began slowly eating the food in his plate.
Well, with a beauty by his side, he still needed to pay attention to his image. Damn, what hypocrisy.
While cursing himself inwardly, Kai Xin still tried his best to act polite, putting on a civilized facade alongside the three lonely wolves…
Before long, Xu Xin and the others cleared their plates and left.
Unbeknownst to them, they chose to leave through the aisle near Kai Xin’s table.
Even more surprisingly, Xu Xin walked up to the group’s table with a slightly blushing face:
“Chen Kaixin.”
Her gentle voice carried a hint of shyness: “Could you come here for a moment? I’d like to talk to you.”
“Sure.”
Realizing she had something to say, Kai Xin quickly got up politely. Under the astonished, envious, and jealous gazes of the many wolves in the cafeteria, he followed the girls to the side of the cafeteria’s snack shop.
The three wolves watched them go, gritting their teeth as they stared at the grains of rice in their plates:
“Worthless guys who forget about humanity when there’s a woman around.”
“Go back and deal with him.”
“Right.”
…
At the cafeteria snack shop, the three girls from Dormitory 203 took it upon themselves to keep watch, giving Xu Xin and Kai Xin some privacy. Yet their keen ears were perked up, eavesdropping on their conversation out of curiosity.
“I’ve actually been looking for an opportunity to apologize to you. What happened last time was reckless, and it must have troubled you, right?”
Kai Xin took the initiative to start the conversation. Thinking of his own foolish behavior back then, a faint smile appeared on his lips. The embarrassment from his past life now seemed to have a chance to be resolved in this life.
It felt pretty good to get a second chance.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Xin turned around, her delicate face showing a hint of apology: “Actually, I’m the one who should apologize. If I could have explained things properly, there wouldn’t have been so many rumors… I heard you drank a lot after that. You must have been very upset, right?”
“No, not really. At least I’m happy now. If it weren’t for those rumors, how would I have gotten the chance to talk alone with the campus beauty? Speaking of which, hehe, I should even thank them.”
Kai Xin smiled openly, while Xu Xin’s fair face turned slightly red.