“So much for ‘never messaging casually’!”

Faced with Xia Yuan’s interrogation, Mei Fang found himself tongue-tied:

“No—this has never happened before! Something must be wrong with Guo Yun. Let me ask—”

As Mei Fang typed a reply, Xia Yuan clung to him, peeking at the screen while stealing kisses.

[What’s wrong? School or personal issues?]

[Yes… I’ve taken a leave of absence from school.]

“Leave of absence?!”

Both Mei Fang and Xia Yuan gasped, immediately showing Lin Youxi the message.

“Let’s visit Yunyun this weekend,” Xia Yuan suggested. “Texting won’t cut it.”

Lin Youxi nodded. “Ask if she’s free.”

Mei Fang sent the query. Guo Yun replied instantly, confirming availability—then specifically asked if Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi were coming. If not, she urged Mei Fang to inform them. This considerate gesture instantly softened the girls’ wariness by 30%.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t seen Guo Yun since last year’s launch,” Lin Youxi mused.

“I’d planned to discuss her future role after New Year’s,” Mei Fang admitted, “but homework swallowed that plan.”

“Or was it our cozy distractions?” Lin Youxi arched a brow.

“…Okay, that’s valid.”

“I wonder why she left school,” Mei Fang pondered. “Bullying?”

Xia Yuan shook her head. “Back when she was chubby, maybe. But now? She’s gorgeous—no way.”

“We’ll find out this weekend,” Lin Youxi concluded, ending the discussion.

With a friend in crisis, Xia Yuan stifled her urge to monopolize Mei Fang, quietly conspiring with Lin Youxi to “claim extra cuddles next time.”

---

Guo Yun’s home sat near Han Street, Hongshan District’s most upscale area—a private riverside villa. The trio’s jaws dropped upon arrival.

“I had no idea Yunyun was loaded!” Xia Yuan gaped. “This place might outclass my family! Dad couldn’t afford this.”

“You seriously think your dad can’t buy here?” Mei Fang deadpanned. “He stayed in Bai Mei County for your mom’s teaching job. Bet he owns properties everywhere—you just don’t know yet.”

“Hints were there,” Lin Youxi noted. “Giving away Dove chocolates in middle school? That’s rich kid behavior. Plus her gym membership and art hobbies—way beyond average budgets.”

(Will she still help with games now that we know she’s wealthy?) Mei Fang fretted internally. (No wonder she barely reacted to those bonuses!)

Pressing the doorbell, they heard Guo Yun’s voice:

“Door’s unlocked—come in. Sorry I can’t greet you properly.”

“No worries.”

As they entered, a massive Bernese Mountain Dog bounded over, tail wagging. Xia Yuan squealed:

“A Bernie! Ultimate therapy dog—Wait, Youxi, why are you hiding behind A-Fang?”

Lin Youxi clung to Mei Fang’s back, stubbornly muttering, “I’m not.”

“She’s always feared dogs,” Mei Fang explained, squeezing her hand. “Almost got bitten as a kid.”

“WHAT?! When?! How did I not know this?!”

“That must’ve been during Youxi’s tomboy phase…” Mei Fang chuckled, dodging Lin Youxi’s head-thumping. “Back then, she feared nothing—except Yuan’s waterworks. Ah, nostalgic—OW!”

As he regaled Xia Yuan with tales of their third-grade dog-battling escapades, Xia Yuan approached the Bernese Mountain Dog. “These pups are therapy dogs—super gentle! Look—”

She stroked its fur. The dog wagged its tail enthusiastically, licking her palm.

“Ehehe… It’s kissing—EW! DOG BREATH! I’M GONNA PASS OUT—”

Lin Youxi’s face morphed into the same expression she reserved for spaghetti code: utter revulsion.

“Yuan. You’re banned from touching me until you shower. Decree.”

“So unfair! Youxi, you’re overreacting! It’s just a dog!”

“Also, no A-Fang privileges today.”

“THAT’S your agenda?! Well, now I’m contaminating BOTH of you—”

Xia Yuan lunged. Lin Youxi yanked Mei Fang into a tactical retreat, but Mei Fang intercepted Xia Yuan’s wrist mid-charge.

Unlike Youxi’s visceral disgust, his reaction was colder—a hollow stare devoid of his usual doting warmth.

“Stand down, Yuan. You’re filthy now.”

“EVEN YOU?! I’LL ACTUALLY CRY THIS TIME—”

---

The trio ventured inside, finding the door ajar but the foyer empty.

Footsteps echoed from the staircase. Guo Yun descended slowly, gripping the rail, draped in layers.

“Cough… Sorry, I’ve got a cold today.”

“……”

Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi froze.

“Yunyun… Why are you so thin now?”

Guo Yun had always been fitness-focused, but this wasn’t healthy leanness—it was pallid, fragile. Her once-rosy cheeks were wan, her frame swallowed by oversized clothes. She looked like a consumptive Victorian heroine.

“D-don’t move! We’ll help you—”

Xia Yuan surged forward—only to be halted by dual shouts:

“WAIT—”

Mei Fang and Lin Youxi exchanged glances.

“Um… Yunyun, where’s your bathroom?” Xia Yuan whimpered. “I really need to wash my hands.”

---

They escorted Guo Yun back to her bedroom—Mei Fang’s first time in a non-harem-girl’s room. Fitness gear dominated the space: dumbbells, resistance bands, a wall-chart of workout regimens.

Only one personal touch remained: a framed middle-school group photo on her desk. As a transfer student, this was her sole class memento—yet she’d displayed it prominently.

Guo Yun sank onto her bed, exhaustion palpable. “Make yourselves comfortable… Too tired to tidy up.”

Freshly sanitized, Xia Yuan perched beside her, clasping her hands. “What happened? Who hurt you? Why leave school?”

“Yuan, pace,” Lin Youxi chided. “Let Yunyun explain.”

Guo Yun nodded weakly. “It started… with a confession.”