Locking away my heart and love! Going back to 2000 to be a top student again.

He was so calm, as if he hadn't heard a thing.

Those things that had shaken Xu Su to his core and left him in disbelief seemed utterly unimportant to him...

"What's wrong?" Xu Su stood still. Xi Zirong held her hand and looked down at her. Suddenly, he sighed and pulled her into his arms. "It's very windy. If you want to say something, just say it."

Xu Su placed her hand on his chest, pushed him away slightly, and looked up: "Didn't you feel anything after hearing those words? Gu Yunjia likes you so much."

"What kind of feeling do you want me to have?" Xi Zirong met her gaze, her tone completely flat. "Xu Su, Gu Yunjia is right. Those choices were her own, and you don't need to be affected by them."

“She used to be my good friend, and even if we’re not friends anymore, she’s still our classmate.” Xu Su said as if she were seeing the person in front of her for the first time. “Even if you hear about a stranger going through something like this, you’d feel sorry for them. Xi Zirong, is your heart made of iron?”

With a sudden tightening around her waist, Xu Su was held by Xi Zirong and pressed against the railing.

"Don't you know whether my heart is made of iron or not?" He leaned closer and asked softly, "Xu Su, what do you want me to do? Show her pity? Comfort her? Or rescue her from this hellhole and offer myself to her?"

"No! But you shouldn't be like this." Xu Su interrupted loudly, wanting to reprimand him, but she couldn't even find a reason to do so.

Yes, he never liked Gu Yunjia from beginning to end. It was always Gu Yunjia who was infatuated and took the initiative to pursue him...

Gu Yunjia had once poured her heart and soul into him, but now Xi Zirong, knowing what she had gone through, remained unmoved.

Xu Su stared at him quietly for a while, then suddenly looked bewildered: "Xi Zirong, are all boys this heartless?"

Xi Zirong paused slightly, her gaze intense: "I don't know about other boys, but Xu Su, as I've said before, I've never been a very emotional person. Apart from the people I care about, other people and things don't affect me much. I feel sorry about Gu Yunjia's matter, but that's all."

He reached out and touched the girl's red nose, saying with a hint of helplessness, "I understand you're shocked that this happened around you. However, it was consensual. No one forced her to take the money. Xu Su, don't think about it anymore."

What a calm assessment...

No one forced her to collect the money.

'It was consensual between them...'

Xu Su's eyelashes fluttered, her thoughts drifting far away...

Her complexion was very bad. Xi Zirong frowned slightly when he saw this, unzipped his coat, and wrapped her in his arms.

Xu Su remained unresponsive throughout, seemingly lost in thought.

Xi Zirong gently rubbed her chin against the top of the girl's head, somewhat worried: "What are you thinking about?"

"What if it were me, Xi Zirong? What if what happened to Gu Yunjia happened to me today?" Xu Su reached out and grasped the hem of his shirt at his waist, asking in a daze, "What if I took someone else's money and then 'mutually consented' to being with that person?"

"What did you say?"

The arm around her lower back tightened suddenly, as if trying to constrict her body. A warm, large hand gripped the back of her neck, which was wrapped in a scarf, and Xu Su was forced to lift her head, meeting Xi Zirong's eyes. His voice trembled slightly as he repeatedly asked, "Whose money are you taking?"

Xu Su was taken aback, not expecting Xi Zirong to be so agitated. She lowered her eyelids to avoid his gaze and said with a cold sarcasm, "I was talking about hypotheticals. If something happened to my family and I was desperate for money, I might sell myself for money, in a 'mutually consented' way."

How is Gu Yunjia's current experience different from her previous life?

Besides Zhou Mochen being younger and having a higher social status...

Are there really any other differences?

They all had family members in trouble and were desperate for money...

Oh!

There is a difference; she sold herself for 200,000, which is 150,000 more than Gu Yunjia.

Xu Su chuckled self-deprecatingly; she was quite valuable.

"You scared me to death." Xi Zirong breathed a heavy sigh of relief, bent down and leaned closer to her, and said in a serious tone, "Don't say such things carelessly in the future, Xu Su. You have me. I won't let you be left with no way out."

Xu Su's heart skipped a beat, and tears quickly welled up in her eyes.

I won't let you end up with nowhere to go.

But where were you in your past life?

In her previous life, she only studied in the advanced class for one semester and had no interaction with Xi Zirong.

After leaving the elite class, they lost contact even more. If it weren't for his renowned academic genius and subsequent top score in the college entrance examination, Xu Su might not even remember him.

"Su Su, don't cry..." Her tears kept streaming down her face, making Xi Zirong anxious and helpless. He tried to comfort her again and again, but it was no use. So he simply lowered his head and kissed her, kissing away her tears little by little.

Xu Su stood there blankly, beginning to feel that everything was absurd, as if everything was shrouded in a fog.

Turning her head away from his close face, Xu Su wiped away her tears haphazardly and pushed Xi Zirong away: "Do you think Gu Yunjia's choice was voluntary, so whatever she does now is her own fault?"

Seeing that she had finally stopped crying, Xi Zirong visibly relaxed.

Thinking of the conversation he had just overheard, he remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "I deeply sympathize with you."

Xu Su: "......"

"See, I'm just going along with what you want to say, but you still don't believe me." Xi Zirong pinched the back of her neck helplessly. "Then let me tell you the truth, I'm not as soft-hearted and kind as you. I really can't empathize with other people's feelings, especially since she targeted you before."

Xu Su also thought of how Gu Yunjia had previously formed a clique to isolate her, and for a moment she was speechless.

This makes her seem like some kind of saint, but the truth is, Gu Yunjia's experience simply reminded her of herself in her past life.

"Alright, stop thinking about those things. Why were you crying just now..." Xi Zirong smiled and leaned closer, "Were you so moved by my words? Is this the second time you've cried for me?"

The second time I cried for him?

Xu Su was stunned. This was more than the second time.

She remembered the last time she cried was on the playground; she was worried about Xi Zirong and cried because she was scared.

The last time was in Shen Chen's car, also because of Xi Zirong, out of concern for him.

Further up was Teacher Wu's office. When the rumors of their relationship first came out, the teacher called them in and gave them a lecture.

Looking back now, the few times she cried after her rebirth were ultimately related to Xi Zirong.

Xu Su's expression was somewhat complicated. She stood silently until a warm touch covered her lips, and the familiar scent of the young man passed through her nostrils.

Feeling her lips being gently sucked, Xu Su suddenly reached out and pushed him away hastily, "What are you doing!"

Xi Zirong wiped her lips with her thumb and apologized with a smile: "I'm sorry, it's been so long since I've been this close to you, I couldn't help myself."