Seeing Xia Fu making smooth progress, Fatty immediately raised his hands, clapping and praising, “As expected of our sister-in-law! The moment she draws her sword, its edge gleams. Looks like this credit is a done deal. Thanks to Brother Fang for carrying me along!”

With a big grin, he glanced at Fang Jingcheng, expecting him to have that proud expression he usually wore during team meetings, chatting back with a few casual remarks. But surprisingly, Fang Jingcheng, the usually cheerful young master, was clenching his fists, his handsome face clouded with a dark expression.

In Fang Jingcheng’s mind, his cousin Fang Siyu had always been the type to keep people at a distance. Polite and aloof, Fang Siyu had a way of pushing people away with a calm, almost desireless look. He wasn’t one to show much enthusiasm, disliked people probing into his personal space, and although he excelled at work, anyone who sought him out for a professional discussion would get only a few words of guidance before being redirected to a specialist or a book.

Chasing an illusion is a frustrating experience, especially over a long period. Even someone as resilient as Li Yue Tong had once felt exhausted, eventually leaning toward Fang Jingcheng, who was better at providing a sense of value.

Originally, Fang Siyu should have turned Xia Fu down as well, avoiding her silently on the day of the competition. But this time, Fang Siyu merely lowered his gaze, tilting his head slightly, fingers subtly twisting the watch around his wrist. Like a vampire lacking sunlight, with stalled vitality, his fingers looked faintly purple, and the skin on his inner wrist appeared unnaturally pale. Just ordinary movements left reddish marks from the silver watchband on his skin.

This slight adjustment loosened the watchband’s restraint and silently triggered some hidden switch within Fang Siyu. He let out a quiet sigh, then raised his head again, handing the conversation to Xia Fu with a polite gesture.

“The Challenge Cup is also a great opportunity to apply professional knowledge practically. Xia Fu, would you mind sharing your experiences in more detail?”

With her in-depth research, Xia Fu was no longer a rookie. She had many fresh ideas to review for the competition and was quick to start explaining.

“Our team’s senior member is a programming whiz currently working on a small investment app. We used a model we developed during the competition to create a virtual portfolio, competing on who could earn the most. But I always fall behind by a lot, which has been a bit frustrating.”

Even though it was just simulated income, her dark eyes sparkled whenever she talked about money.

Fang Siyu, having risen to a director-level position, wasn’t just about technical skills. He had always been a great conversationalist, knowing precisely how to engage people. “Is that so? Have you considered trying a different method for data preprocessing?”

He practically spoon-fed her his experience and knowledge with an indulgent attitude.

What began as a simple show of spirit to boost her boyfriend’s morale became an unexpectedly pleasant professional exchange with someone as brilliant as Fang Siyu. His expertise in professional knowledge rivaled Zhou Hongxia’s, and his years of work experience gave him unique insights that perfectly dispelled her research doubts. As Xia Fu gazed at Fang Siyu, she couldn’t help but have a flicker of anticipation, wondering how her abilities would measure up and how her ideas would be received.

Through his patient guidance, Xia Fu relaxed, gradually lowering her guard and immersing herself in the discussion.

“I get it! I’ll adjust the hidden layers after class. Once I outperform our senior, I’ll definitely treat you to milk tea, Teacher!”

In her eagerness to note down the new ideas, she slipped up and forgot Fang Siyu’s status. Both froze in that instant.

Compared to Xia Fu, Fang Siyu’s awkwardness was more evident. The pure, straightforward goodwill threw his perfect persona slightly off-kilter. His lips parted slightly as if to smile, yet no sound emerged, making him look almost exasperated.

Quickly averting his gaze, he replied, somewhat ambiguously, “It’s nothing… Just keep studying, and you’ll surpass him.”

Then, adjusting the glasses on his nose, he turned to the students below. “Alright, anyone else interested in giving it a try?”

The content of the discussion was excellent, and Fang Siyu’s unreserved guidance indeed had a specific preference. Thus, the entire process merely went through formalities, with a few students asking minor questions but no one objecting to the final choice.

“So, Xia Fu, I’ll leave it to you then. Today’s class ends here; the assistant will send the prep materials for the next session in the group later.”

The conversation ended successfully, and the extra credit was secured. However, her boyfriend’s mood seemed far from pleasant.

As Xia Fu left the podium, she spotted Fang Jingcheng watching quietly. His fingers interlaced on the table, lips pressed tightly together, looking remarkably like a cat on the balcony, glaring down at the owner feeding stray cats by the gate.

As expected, once she sat down, her boyfriend promptly reminded her, “I think it’s better not to treat him to milk tea.”

Seeing Fang Jingcheng’s rarely seen cautious expression, Xia Fu felt a bit guilty. She placed her hand over his, playfully scratching the back of his hand. “What’s wrong? Was I too close with him? Are you unhappy?”

“Not really… It’s just that his heart can’t handle caffeine. I wasn’t sure initially either. When we were kids, I once gave him cola, and my mom scolded me for it.”

Wanting to repay kindness is human nature. When he was young, Fang Jingcheng had also tried to foster a good relationship with his cousin, who occasionally helped him with homework. But things hadn’t gone as he hoped; he still remembered his mother pushing away the drink with a look of disdain, as if he were a little monster sent by his grandma to harm his cousin.

This was the last class of the afternoon, and as it ended, the students began to leave, giving the two some private time.

Fang Jingcheng placed Xia Fu’s hand on his cheek, rubbing her thumb with his lips as he muttered, “But I really don’t want to see you two together… Even though we’re brothers, I feel like we don’t share as much common ground. Watching you two discuss academics so smoothly while I can’t join in makes me a bit nervous, wondering if you might like his type more.”

No matter how much he criticized him, it didn’t change Fang Siyu’s excellence.

When his brother talked to Xia Fu, the atmosphere was very much like the carefully orchestrated group project he had tried to set up. And as a professional, Fang Siyu had resources that doubled his own.

Fang Jingcheng sensed failure looming from the start of his resistance. He could hardly imagine the situation if Fang Siyu seriously approached Xia Fu.

With Fang Jingcheng’s forlorn confession, the jealousy in the air was thick enough to wrinkle Xia Fu’s nose. She chuckled, shaking her head, and said, “No way.”

“Before I met you, I never thought about being with anyone. And after meeting you, I can’t imagine being with anyone else. Love isn’t something others can just barge into, is it? Even if you don’t have confidence in yourself, at least have some in me.”

It sounded cheesy, but every word was true.

Love was never a necessary part of Xia Fu’s life plan. At a critical moment, Fang Jingcheng had been her lifeline, and after stabilizing, she realized she could live even without a soulmate. Being with him now was simply because she liked him. If they were to break up, she probably wouldn’t accept anyone else.

Initially, she thought Fang Jingcheng was just being possessive, like a child drawing boundaries—“I don’t like him, so you can’t talk to him.” But then he mentioned romantic feelings.

Even if there was a rift between brothers, would he really worry about his brother stealing his girlfriend?

Xia Fu finally pinpointed the real issue and asked, “Why are you so afraid of your brother?”

Fang Jingcheng’s heart skipped a beat, sensing that payback was due. He bit his lip and muttered, “Because I did something wrong.”

Trying to prove his worth, he had pursued girls who liked his brother. It was only fair that he faced Fang Siyu’s retaliation.

But Xia Fu was different.

Breaking the rules recklessly, he realized the pain only when karma finally struck him like a boomerang. He buried his face in her palm, trying to avoid any scolding, and confessed:

“I should’ve told you sooner, but since you’re close to Xu Sihui, you probably know… I once pursued Li Yue Tong just to spite Fang Siyu. But she turned me down on confession day. Being with you made me realize my mistake, so I asked Fang Siyu not to interfere. But he just ignored me.”

“He doesn’t even like Li Yue Tong, never cared about any of those admirers, but he had to act all superior with you.”

The mention of his brother reignited his resentment.

Impressive. As if he wasn’t already guilty, Fang Jingcheng still managed to sound so aggrieved…

Xia Fu had already heard of this from Xu Sihui before dating Fang Jingcheng. But what did it matter?

She kissed him, then sighed, “I think instead of worrying about your brother, you should apologize to Li Yue Tong.”

When he heard her calm response, Fang Jingcheng didn’t feel relieved. If anything, her indifference terrified him. Did she not care at all anymore?

He quickly promised, “Alright, I’ll apologize. I’ll even let her slap me if she wants. If she’s still not satisfied, I’ll set her up with Fang Siyu. But can you promise not to talk to him?”

Rendered speechless, Xia Fu thought: No wonder such a handsome 6’ guy ended up in the proverbial trash bin—he really had his reasons.

With such a display, she smoothed his short hair and replied offhandedly, “We’ll see. I have something to hand to Teacher Zhou anyway.”

Leaving, Xia Fu came across none other than Fang Siyu, sitting on a worn wooden bench under the moonlight.