"My fault," Zhong Yun said, using the moment she was speaking to gently feed her the congee. Then, he carefully wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and murmured softly, "Stop crying, or you won't be pretty anymore, and big brother won't like it."

Xiao Ruo's slightly pale face flushed crimson. "Hmph, you're not my big brother. Cough..." Overcome with emotion, she choked on the congee and bent over, coughing violently.

Zhong Yun set the bowl down, patted her back to help her catch her breath. "Don't get agitated." Once she calmed down, he picked up the bowl again, scooping another spoonful. "I'm not your big brother. I'm your younger brother, alright?"

Just as Xiao Ruo was guiding the small spoon toward her mouth, she nearly spat out the congee and the spoon upon hearing that. She fought desperately to hold it in, then erupted into another fit of intense coughing.

After the coughing fit subsided, seeing Zhong Yun about to speak again, Xiao Ruo could hold back no longer. She pleaded earnestly, "Please, stop teasing me."

Zhong Yun shrugged innocently and held up the bowl. "Then you eat?"

"I'll eat," Xiao Ruo hastily took the bowl.

"Don't—"

Zhong Yun's warning came too late.

"Whoa—" Xiao Ruo sprayed the entire mouthful of congee out. The steaming hot rice porridge scalded her mouth badly, bringing tears instantly to her eyes.

Seeing her cherry lips swell up, Zhong Yun immediately rushed over and opened the refrigerator, pulling out a bag of ice. Fortunately, it was summer, and the fridge was always stocked with ice for customers to cool down.

He gripped the ice in his hand. With a quick squeeze, when he opened his palm, an egg-sized chunk of ice had already crumbled into slush. He stuffed the ice fragments into her mouth. "Hold this."

Xiao Ruo looked at him pitifully. Her small hands clutched his clothes tightly. Her nose twitched, and large, round tears streamed down her face. She looked utterly wronged.

Zhong Yun gathered her into his arms, soothing her like a child. "There, there. It's alright." He used his finger to gently massage her swollen, red lips. If one looked closely, they might notice a faint purple glow emanating from his finger.

"It'll be fine soon."

Beads of sweat broke out on Zhong Yun's forehead, and his breathing grew ragged. He was using the Yuan within his body to heal her. He only knew that Yuan could treat injuries, but he had never had the chance to test it this way.

But it seemed remarkably effective. Where the "Purple Finger" passed, the swelling visibly receded at a speed visible to the naked eye. However, the consumption was staggering. In a mere five seconds, all the Yuan in Zhong Yun's body was completely depleted.

Xiao Ruo only felt waves of cool relief spreading across her burning lips. His fingers seemed to possess magical power; wherever he touched, the pain ebbed away like the tide.

Within seconds, the fiery, searing pain vanished entirely, as if the scalding burn had been nothing more than an illusion. She stared at Zhong Yun, dumbfounded, shock etched on her face.

Zhong Yun pulled his hand back and said casually, "See? A little ice compress and it's fine." He was trying to brush it off.

Xiao Ruo might be simple, but she wasn't foolish. Her IQ score during the entrance examination was among the top in the entire school. Such a flimsy lie couldn't fool her.

She raised her hand and wiped his forehead, coming away with a palm full of sweat. She bit her lip. "Are you very tired?"

Zhong Yun's complexion looked rather pale. The sensation of depleted Yuan was unpleasant; he felt waves of weakness, as if he had just finished a strenuous workout, accompanied by a slight nausea, a feeling of wanting to throw up.

"You're so slender, holding you all day isn't tiring," Zhong Yun teased.

Though Xiao Ruo blushed with embarrassment, she still looked bravely into his eyes. A tide of affection rippled in her bright gaze, conveying something that made Zhong Yun reluctant to meet it directly.

Xiao Ruo's lips parted slightly. "I'm hungry."

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

"Damn it, why did you take so long upstairs? You didn't get involved with Xiao Ruo, did you?" Seeing Zhong Yun arrive late, Tian Hai immediately grabbed him and demanded.

The social gathering was already halfway over. On stage, four male students wearing loose casual wear were bouncing energetically to the dynamic music.

"Your mind is too filthy. Is Xiao Ruo that kind of girl?" Zhong Yun was displeased, even though he had practically fled Xiao Ruo's room earlier, fearing what might have happened if he hadn't.

Chen Wen glanced at Tian Hai, then at Zhong Yun, his expression strangely ambiguous. "Between you two... there's no 'bromance,' is there? The way I see it, it looks like a jilted wife berating a philandering husband."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yun and Tian Hai erupted in anger and pinned him down for a thorough beating.

Chen Wen cried out miserably, "Help! Murder!"

The people sitting nearby all looked over, watching the three of them tussle, and instinctively scooted further away, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

After a while, Chen Wen shouted in surrender, "My two heroes, please show mercy, spare this humble one... Damn it, you're pulling my hair? My hairstyle!"

"This is intolerable! I'll fight you to the death!" Chen Wen roared, tackling Tian Hai, who had been grabbing his hair.

Zhong Yun, still harboring resentment from Tian Hai's earlier slander against Xiao Ruo, seized the opportunity to kick Tian Hai's bulky backside twice.

Tian Hai shrieked in fury, "Fine, Xiao Yun, you'd ambush your own ally!" He released Chen Wen and lunged at Zhong Yun. Chen Wen followed suit.

The three immediately plunged into a chaotic brawl, making the scene even more disorderly.

The surrounding onlookers moved even farther back, thinking, "Three lunatics."

What started as a three-way brawl—you hit him, he hit him, he hit you—soon turned into Tian Hai and Chen Wen ganging up on Zhong Yun, because he was so detestable, instigating trouble from the sidelines and hoping to profit from their exhaustion.

Before they could attract the teachers' attention, the three stopped fighting, slipped away to the restroom, and stood facing each other, roaring with laughter. This startled two male students who were just about to relieve themselves by the urinals, causing them both to jump and soak their own trousers.

The trio burst into even louder laughter.

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Because it was the last night of the academic trip, the students were in a state of frenzy. Countless people brought out rolls of streamers they had prepared, spraying anyone they saw, until the air was filled with colorful, cobweb-like ribbons flying everywhere.

Occasionally, one could spot two people wielding two cans of streamer spray, chasing someone, laughing wildly. The pursued person ran for dear life, screaming loudly.

Others brought out non-alcoholic champagne, shaking the bottles vigorously a few times before popping the cork with a bang. They pressed their thumbs over the opening, leaving just a tiny gap, causing the liquid to shoot out in a sizzling stream, making people shriek in mock terror.

Still others had somehow procured trays of small cakes, and when someone wasn't looking, they slapped the cake onto the person's face and smeared it hard.

The entire hotel had become an ocean of revelry, utterly trashed everywhere.

In the end, even the teachers suffered. A water balloon, dropped from above, smashed onto the head of a middle-aged male teacher, soaking his meticulously prepared formal wear completely. It angered him so much that he bellowed loudly.

At the top of the stairs, Tian Hai crouched on the floor, chuckling mischievously, a balloon full of ice water in his hand. He crept away stealthily, searching for his next target.

This night was destined to be sleepless.

P: Tomorrow is Monday, time for the rankings update. Please continue to vote for me, brothers. Thank you.