Chapter 17: The Green Tea Is Too Bitter—it Backfired on Her!

“It's alright, I just arrived.” Su Leyao smiled sweetly, causing Ruan Nan to lose himself for a moment.

“My goodness! This drama just keeps getting better and better—Su Leyao is here!” The drooping-eared beastman in front of them couldn't help but exclaim as he watched the two exchange smiles.

“Right? I thought Ruan Nan coming over today was already exciting enough, but it turns out the real excitement is yet to come. The relationship between Ruan Nan and Su Leyao is pretty ambiguous, after all.”

“Tsk tsk, I'm getting more and more eager to see how this unfolds,” the sheep-horned beastman sighed with fascination.

“What are you two talking about? Leyao isn’t that kind of person. She’s simply here to ask Ruan Nan for help,” someone else chimed in.

“Exactly. Don’t think of her in such a dirty way. Leyao is very pure. You, sheep, might look gentle, but you sure have a sharp tongue—like a gossiping woman,” another beastman retorted, glaring fiercely at the two.

Hmph, just a couple of mindless fans.

And they actually believe Su Leyao is some kind of saint.

The sheep-horned beastman kept a straight face but inwardly scoffed. If it weren’t for the desire to continue enjoying the spectacle, he would have debated them thoroughly.

Where is Su Leyao pure? Where is she innocent?

For the sake of exams, she’s always cozying up to one beastman or another. On the surface, it sounds very diligent, but who knows how many hidden tricks she’s using.

Honestly, she’s not even as straightforward as Hua Susu.

Susu simply admits when she can’t do something; she wouldn’t stoop to cheating.

The crowd’s chatter was soon interrupted by another voice.

“Sorry, Senior Ruan, but you probably won’t be able to enter the lab today,” Fan Tong said as he hurried out of the laboratory, looking troubled. “The princess is here.”

He spoke cautiously, hiding some unspoken difficulty, but every word hinted at something.

Ruan Nan frowned instantly. “She can’t even do experiments, why is she here?”

Hearing he was barred from entering the lab, his anger flared. “She told you to say that? She’s not letting me in?”

“Give me the chip key. I’ll go find her myself. Why shouldn’t I be allowed in?”

“Um... Senior Ruan, I don’t have the golden chip key. The princess took it back.”

“Taken it back?” Ruan Nan’s pupils contracted in shock. “Why would she do that?”

What on earth is Hua Susu up to?

Why would she take back such an important chip key?

Thinking of how she’s been constantly reclaiming his belongings these past few days—and even causing him to walk and live in the dormitory—Ruan Nan narrowed his eyes. “She’s doing this on purpose? To force me to submit!”

No doubt about it.

She’s gathering everything back, humiliating him, trampling on him.

Doesn’t she fear that he’ll never want to see her again?

Ruan Nan was proud and stubborn. Told this way, he definitely wouldn’t swallow his pride and would clash with Hua Susu.

Fan Tong saw Ruan Nan’s anger and knew his guess was right.

The chip key was handed over, and to retrieve it again, Ruan Nan would have to fall out with Hua Susu.

At that time, to appease him, Hua Susu would willingly return the chip key once more.

In this way, the key would end up back in Fan Tong’s hands.

He had pondered this plan for a long time while in the lab.

Standing outside the lab’s door, Ruan Nan glared inside with fiery eyes and shouted, “Hua Susu, come out! What do you mean by this?”

Inside the laboratory.

After receiving the golden chip key, Su Yu swiped it at the highest-level lab door, changed into a white lab coat, and entered.

Hua Susu watched Su Yu seriously inspecting the experiments and couldn’t help but sigh again. A top scholar really is a top scholar; just looking at the instruments, he knew how to use them, unlike her, who couldn’t even understand them.

Su Yu seemed quite impressive. He probably didn’t need much help with his studies. She could perhaps provide him with more experimental materials or equipment.

As Hua Susu considered whether to open her light-brain interface and browse the lab’s virtual store to buy some experimental tools, the noise outside interrupted her.

“Hua Susu, come out here!” The voice was intense and lofty—no need to guess, it was that freeloader phoenix man causing a ruckus.

Annoying.

She glanced at Su Yu through the glass window and gently tapped on it. “I’ll go see. There’s a dog outside making a fuss, disturbing your experiment.”

With that, Hua Susu left.

Su Yu, upon hearing this, said nothing. His hand holding the lab equipment trembled slightly, but moments later, his expression returned to normal as he focused on his experiments, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

The biggest virtue of a poor student is not to disturb a top scholar’s studies.

Hearing Ruan Nan and the others shouting outside, Hua Susu couldn’t help herself.

She strode out, hands on hips, sizing up Ruan Nan with disdain. “Why is it you again? What are you yelling about, disturbing my Su Yu’s studies?”

“My Su Yu?”

Ruan Nan, still angry moments before, was caught off guard by her words, feeling awkward inside.

Since when did she and Su Yu become so close that she’d call him ‘my Su Yu’?

But soon enough, he realized this was probably a new tactic of hers—to bring Su Yu into the picture to provoke him, to make him “nervous.”

Hmph, she shouldn’t think that trick would work on him.

He didn’t like her, so provoke all you want.

He wouldn’t fall for it.

With that thought, he raised his chin arrogantly. “Hua Susu, why did you take back my chip key?”

“That’s an interesting question. It’s my own property; why shouldn’t I take it back?”

“Are you saying taking the chip key back is some kind of insult to you?”

Ruan Nan’s throat tightened at her words. He wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to speak.

The golden chip key to the advanced lab was a resource few could access. He could easily give up on other things she gave him, but not this key. Without it, he couldn’t conduct high-level experiments.

Seeing the argument about to erupt, Su Leyao stepped in gently as a mediator.

She smiled softly at Hua Susu. “Princess, maybe there’s a misunderstanding. There’s nothing between Senior Ruan and me. I came today just to ask him about an experiment question, that’s why I’m here.”

“If you’re unhappy, I’ll leave the lab right now.”

The more capricious and willful Hua Susu acted, the more tolerant and magnanimous Su Leyao remained.

She had been infatuated with Ruan Nan before, but now she suddenly changed her attitude—probably because she felt threatened by Su Leyao.

Retreating to advance was the best strategy.

Hearing the green tea’s speech, Hua Susu rolled her eyes repeatedly and snapped, “Of course you should leave. I never intended to let you into this lab in the first place.”