Song Jia, caught in deep contemplation, felt a chill of displeasure, suddenly shuddering, snapping out of her reverie. She watched the departing Inzarota, paused for a beat, then offered a slight smile to Lin Liqiang, who was walking ahead. "Your friend is quite interesting."

"Oh? Which one?" Lin Liqiang’s tone held a trace of annoyance. If she wanted to probe Qin Fen’s strength, she should have asked directly. This calculated testing was going too far! If Qin Fen hadn't so casually dismissed the incident, his own position would have become quite awkward.

"Both are quite interesting," Song Jia said, walking alongside Lin Liqiang. "I was abrupt just now. As an apology, how about I treat your two friends to dinner?"

Lin Liqiang stopped dead in his tracks, standing motionless, his eyes wide with disbelief as he scrutinized Song Jia. After a long moment, he managed, "Are you really Jiajia?"

"What?" Song Jia was taken aback by Lin Liqiang’s reaction.

"The Song Jia I remember never considered others' feelings, and she certainly never admitted fault," Lin Liqiang stated seriously. "But what you did just now—disregarding my feelings to probe Qin Fen’s strength—that’s very much like you. But apologizing? You must be a fake Jiajia, right?"

Two blue veins twitched visibly on Song Jia’s beautiful forehead. Even though everything he said was true, hearing it spoken aloud still irritated her immensely.

"People change," Song Jia’s displeased expression quickly morphed back into a smile. "Just like you, the second son of the Superbeast Conglomerate, one of Earth’s five major financial powers. You, who never had a single friend, somehow have them now, don't you?"

"Is that so? Don't make the dinner too expensive; we never go to fancy places," Lin Liqiang said as he walked. "And by the way, there is no second son of the Superbeast Conglomerate here, only high school student Lin Liqiang."

"Got it."

Song Jia offered a faint smile, and the two walked side-by-side toward the academic building, instantly becoming a striking sight—the man handsome and elegant, the woman beautiful and captivating. They were a perfect match, yet no one knew that neither would ever look at the other romantically.

Upon entering the classroom, Qin Fen immediately dove back into intense study. Get into a good university. Join a reputable interstellar transport company. Become a member of a star-class transport team. Utilize publicly funded opportunities to increase his chances of finding his brother.

Even though humanity had entered the interstellar age, the pressure of employment hadn't lessened much. Therefore, the academic pressure to advance remained significant. At this time, on the cusp of the final push for university entrance exams, almost everyone was nervously reviewing various subjects, with the exception of the genius-level Lin Liqiang, who remained nonchalant.

Song Jia kept turning her pen in her hand, stealing glances at Qin Fen seated not far away from time to time. Ordinary academic performance. A somewhat taciturn personality. His only asset, which he kept completely hidden, was his Two-Star combat capability, with no record of campus sparring whatsoever.

Song Jia was utterly perplexed. Such an individual might be considered excellent among the general populace, but to someone like her, who had encountered many geniuses, Qin Fen seemed merely average. So why did he exude an aura of a Master? And this aura was slowly diminishing… No! It should be described as withdrawing!

Withdrawing! A level far deeper than blending in with nature! Song Jia didn't absorb a single thing from the day's lessons, preoccupied only with how she could devise a more subtle method to test Qin Fen during the evening dinner invitation, to see if he was suppressing his true strength.

Time passes quickest when one is focused. In a flash, classes were over. Students trickled out of the school gates in small groups. Lin Liqiang sauntered up to Qin Fen, his worn satchel hanging loosely, and said, "Dude, Song Jia wants to treat you to dinner as an apology."

"An apology?" Qin Fen looked momentarily surprised, then offered a mild smile. "No need. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten. She was just curious how I ended up hanging out with you two."

Lin Liqiang reached out and touched Qin Fen's forehead, feigning concern. "Buddy, are you really okay? A free, lavish meal—it’s rude not to take it."

"I…" Qin Fen scratched his head, replying with slight helplessness, "I have to work today…"

Song Jia nearby doubted her ears. How many scions of powerful families had offered fortunes just for a chance to dine with her, and all requests had been denied. Today, she was offering to pay for someone’s meal, and he refused? And the reason? He had to work! This made her question if her own allure had somehow diminished.

"If you absolutely must treat me, can we reschedule?" Qin Fen asked softly. "Today, I need to go explain a small misunderstanding with my boss from yesterday."

Reschedule? Song Jia could barely control her breathing. She had never encountered anyone so high-maintenance!

"How about this," Song Jia couldn't help but step forward, saying with a smile, "Classmate Qin Fen, how much is a day of work worth? I could…"

"Alright! We’ll change the day! Old Qin, whenever you’re free, we’ll treat you then," Lin Liqiang suddenly waved his hand, decisively cutting off what Song Jia was about to say.

They were all smart people; Lin Liqiang and Inzarota knew exactly what Song Jia intended to say.

Attempting to buy Qin Fen's time with money? Never mind Qin Fen’s reaction or whether Inzarota would explode right there; Lin Liqiang himself could not tolerate such a lifestyle attitude—trying to overpower people with wealth.

Such an act was an insult! Lin Liqiang would not allow such a thing to happen to his friend.

Inzarota, standing nearby, shot Lin Liqiang a look of approval, clapped Qin Fen on the shoulder, then pointed at his wristwatch. "Late."

Inzarota, the quintessential cool guy, was never stingy with money, but he was notoriously miserly with words among the three of them. The phrase, "If you don't leave now, you’ll be late," was so abbreviated by the time it left his mouth that only two words remained: "Late."

Qin Fen’s eyes lit up. Grabbing his backpack, he called out, "See you tomorrow," and merged into the crowd of students leaving school.

"I’m sorry… I think I was wrong again," Song Jia said, a hint of apology in her voice. The moment the words about setting conditions for Qin Fen left her mouth, she regretted them. To try and buy the time of someone respected by two genius-level figures in the school with mere money was an act of profound foolishness.

Song Jia would absolutely never commit such a foolish act normally. It was only Qin Fen’s refusal that ignited her competitive spirit, coupled with her desperate need to understand what was going on with him, that led her to act so rashly.

Lin Liqiang managed a weak smile. Song Jia, who never apologized, offering two apologies in one day—that truly was a miracle.

ps: This is a bit early to ask for votes, having only uploaded ten chapters. But I’ll throw out the request anyway, and give an early shout-out—I’m hoping to climb the charts when the clock strikes midnight between Sunday and Monday night. Save those recommendation tickets for then.