Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 57 You don’t like me, do you?
The living room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The two people facing off could hear each other's noisy heartbeats and feel their body temperatures gradually rising.

In a flash, Akizuki Makoto suddenly spoke up: "Hime Ye... What a coincidence, I also know someone with the surname Ji Ye."

"..."

Ji Yexue narrowed her eyes and did not speak, because she felt that Qiu Yuecheng had not finished speaking.

However, she was already poised to strike, waiting for Qiu Yuecheng to expose her identity before she would immediately attack him!
"She is far more outstanding than me, whether it is her background, intelligence, or popularity. She is much better than me."

Akizuki Makoto tried to calm his wildly beating heart, making his tone steady, and even revealing a hint of longing.

The corners of his lips unconsciously turned up, as if thinking of that person made him so happy that he couldn't help but smile.

Upon seeing this, Ji Yexue was taken aback, wondering what was going on with Qiuyue Cheng's reaction.

Why do you make it sound like they have a great relationship? They clearly don't have any interaction at all.

"But... I don't think I've been exposed yet."

Amidst surprise and confusion, Ji Yexue inexplicably felt a sense of relief.

If she were exposed, Akizuki Makoto shouldn't have reacted this way.

"...Is the Ji Ye you mentioned the student council president of your school?"

Immediately, she couldn't help but ask, somewhat concerned, what kind of person was the "Ji Yexue" that Qiu Yuecheng mentioned.

"Yeah, in our school, only the student council president has the surname Ji Ye."

Akizuki nodded in agreement and continued, "I admire her a lot. I think her figure has always been dazzling, and she is far superior to me in every aspect. She is the goal I want to pursue."

"..."

Ji Yexue fell silent; her CPU was already somewhat overloaded.

She never expected that Akizuki Makoto would view her in this way.

"Haha, but I beat her in the monthly exam last week, so I've caught up with her a little bit, right? This is the first time I've ever beaten her."

Akizuki Makoto suddenly laughed, then touched the back of his neck somewhat embarrassedly, his tone carrying a hint of smugness.

Ji Yexue, despite the old story being brought up again, did not seem annoyed. Even when Qiu Yuecheng was riding on her back, emphasizing that she had lost to him and sounding quite smug, she was not angry.

"...Really? You don't actually like her, do you?"

After a long silence, Ji Yexue suddenly asked an extremely absurd question.

It wasn't just Akizuki Makoto who thought it was outrageous; she thought so too.

The reason she asked that question was because her sixth sense as a woman, or rather, her nervous system that perceives other people's emotions, caught the hint of affection hidden in Akizuki Makoto's tone and expression.

She had only ever seen this expression on those boring suitors.

"..."

When asked about her question, Akizuki Makoto remained silent for a long time. Then, feeling that it wouldn't be right not to respond, he forced himself to say, "N-no, that's not true. I admire her and want to become as outstanding as her."

Okay, now it's a two-way street.

Ji Yexue felt that Qiuyue Cheng was too outstanding, so she was jealous of him;

But Akizuki Makoto felt that she was even more outstanding, admired her, and even had a crush on her.

Although Akizuki Makoto vehemently denied it, anyone could see that he was just embarrassed to admit it. It was simply a matter of admiration, of taking that person as a role model; how could he possibly smile so happily just from mentioning them?!
The thought that Akizuki Makoto still harbored such feelings for her filled Ji Yexue with utter bewilderment.

So what about all her previous actions?

What's the point?

Just as Akizuki Makoto said, how innocent was he to vent his anger and dark emotions on him?
He still secretly admired and loved her, yet she did this.

"...I'll let you off the hook for now."

Because her thoughts were too chaotic, Ji Yexue left after saying a few words and fled through the wall as if she were running away, looking rather disheveled.

At this moment, she didn't know how to face Akizuki Makoto. Her mind was in turmoil, and her heart was pounding wildly, unable to calm down.

As Qiuyue Cheng watched Ji Yexue's figure disappear behind the wall, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

He slumped weakly onto the sofa, his body still tingling with a tingling sensation from the tension.

"That was so exciting..."

He looked up at the ceiling and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

After calming himself down, he went into the bathroom, filled the bathtub with water, and took a long-awaited bath, allowing his tired body and mind to completely relax.

……

the other side.

After fleeing the apartment where Akizuki Makoto lived, Ji Yexue found a secluded place, deactivated her invisibility, and her heart was still pounding wildly.

"How could such a thing happen..."

She murmured to herself, then turned around involuntarily to look at the apartment building, now only a blurry outline in the distance, and her emotions became complicated again.

Akizuki Makoto is truly hiding his true intentions.

She couldn't tell at all that Akizuki Makoto still admired and secretly loved her.

"No, it can't be said that there are no clues."

Ji Yexue suddenly remembered that Qiuyue Cheng would come to the student council room for lunch every day during his lunch break.

Before this, she didn't think much of it, but now that she thinks about it, he probably wanted to see her and spend some time alone with her.

During lunch break, the student council room is always occupied only by the two of them; the other members never come.

Shortly after Akizuki Makoto joined the student council, he would come to the student council room for lunch every day during his lunch break, rain or shine, and this continued for almost a year!
Thinking about it this way, Ji Yexue immediately felt relieved. After all, she was indeed very beautiful and excellent in many ways—at least in terms of her public persona, she was an unapproachable beauty, loved by all the teachers and students in the school.

It wouldn't be surprising if Akizuki Makoto fell in love with her during that year.

"Heh, you actually like me? Are you kidding me..."

Ji Yexue couldn't help but sneer, wondering if she should take advantage of Qiu Yuecheng's feelings and play with him a bit.

For example, you could pretend to get close to him, then slowly develop the relationship, create ambiguity, make him feel that he likes you too, and force him to confess his feelings.

Then, she harshly rejected Akizuki Makoto, while belittling him, telling him that in her eyes, he was nothing more than a lowly scumbag with no ambition, no family background, no redeeming qualities, no handsomeness, and not even a man.

Ji Yexue had already figured out how she should refuse Qiu Yuecheng.

"Being liked by you makes me feel disgusted."

With just one sentence, it would surely be enough to easily destroy Akizuki Makoto's spirit, causing him to collapse, become despondent, and plunge his life into an abyss of misfortune.
(End of this chapter)