A light suddenly illuminated the pitch-black corridor. The soft sound of leather shoes on the floor easily brought horror movies to mind.

Jiang Qingli’s heart leaped in alarm. She quickly pushed Baili Jing around the corner, intending to hide with him.

Just as she moved, she heard a young man’s cool, clear voice call out, "Sister-in-law?"

Jiang Qingli relaxed upon hearing the familiar voice.

"It’s Yuan Shiyao," she whispered to Baili Jing, her explanation quick and practiced. "He’s here to rescue Gu Nian, too."

"Is that so?" Baili Jing’s lips curved into a smirk. "How responsible of him."

"I didn’t expect them to be this responsible either," Jiang Qingli said, taking his hand. "Come on, let’s go find Gu Nian with him."

Baili Jing didn’t move.

He glanced at the corner, then lifted Jiang Qingli’s hand, kissing the back of it before letting go.

"Go with him to get Gu Nian for now. The Student Council will keep you safe," Baili Jing said. "I have something to take care of."

"What is it? I’ll go with you."

Clearly, Jiang Qingli would rather be with Baili Jing than Yuan Shiyao.

This subconscious choice made Baili Jing’s eyes curve into a smile.

"Baby, I won a gift for you at the auction just now. I have to go pick it up." The white-fox youth lowered his gaze, reaching up to gently ruffle the top of her head.

In the faint, approaching light, the young man bent down to meet his Xiao Qing Mei’s eyes, their noses touching.

He promised solemnly, "I swear, I’ll come find you as soon as this is over, and then I’ll take you home."

Her heart skipped a beat.

Jiang Qingli froze, the words suddenly sounding very familiar.

It was as if she could see a tall boy in a white shirt under the shade of a tree at dusk, books in his arms, bending down to gently ruffle her hair and smiling as he said he’d come to take their Xiao Li home...

"Sister-in-law?"

Light illuminated the surrounding darkness. Jiang Qingli snapped back to reality to find that Baili Jing was gone. In his place was the black-cat youth, slowly approaching her.

Only then did she realize the light wasn’t from a lamp but from a fist-sized orb of light floating beside Yuan Shiyao, illuminating the area.

’Is this his Superpower?’

The question had barely formed in Jiang Qingli’s mind when Yuan Shiyao walked right up to her without pausing.

He was already less than two feet away from her, yet he showed no sign of stopping.

Her personal space was shrinking. Jiang Qingli subconsciously sensed danger and took a few steps back until her back was flat against the wall.

His leather shoes stopped right by her feet. Now, only a few inches separated them.

If he took just one more step, their skin would touch, and they would feel each other’s warmth.

At such a close distance, the young man’s breathing grew faint.

His emerald eyes were half-lidded, his gaze so tangible it felt like a physical touch, slowly tracing over her brows and eyes. It finally settled on her cherry-pink lips, which shone with a crystalline moisture, outlining their shape in the darkness.

Jiang Qingli didn’t know what he was going to do. His silence was becoming a little frightening, and she held her breath.

A moment later, Yuan Shiyao suddenly raised his hand, bringing it toward her face.

Jiang Qingli flinched instinctively. Yuan Shiyao froze, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

Before she could get a clear look, she heard him say in a low voice, "Your lipstick is smudged."

As he spoke, the pad of his finger gently brushed the corner of her lips.

He felt very warm, and though his fingertip was calloused, his touch was exceptionally gentle.

As if he were handling a delicate flower petal, afraid to leave a mark with even the slightest pressure.

After a few seconds, Yuan Shiyao pulled his hand back and took a step away, creating some distance. He held out his hand to show her the pad of his thumb.

The boundary between them had been briefly pushed, then quickly restored, so fast she barely had time to react.

Seeing the obvious red smudge, Jiang Qingli’s cheeks flushed. She hurriedly wiped her lips with the back of her hand, her tongue nearly tripping over itself. "Th-Thank you... What are you doing here?"

"I saw you leave, so I followed." Yuan Shiyao shot a cold glance down the empty corridor, but his gaze softened imperceptibly when it returned to the girl’s face. "Are you going to get Gu Nian?"

"Yes." Jiang Qingli nodded. "The attendant from earlier said Gu Nian was in a deluxe suite, but I don’t know where that is..."

"I do," Yuan Shiyao said. "I’ll go with you to get her, and then I’ll escort you both out."

Jiang Qingli looked at him, pleasantly surprised. "Oh, thank you so much!"

Beneath the cute, fluffy rabbit mask, the girl’s eyes sparkled. Yuan Shiyao glanced at her for just a second before looking away as if he’d been burned.

"It’s nothing." Secretary General Yuan coughed lightly into a fist, his back straightening even more. "The suites are downstairs. The elevators are out, so the stairs will be faster."

After speaking, Yuan Shiyao pointed toward a hidden stairwell.

The corridor was silent in both directions; the only thing breaking the darkness was the bright glow from the orb of light beside Yuan Shiyao.

After the power cut, the world had become eerily quiet. Jiang Qingli felt a bit cold, but since she wasn’t familiar with Yuan Shiyao, she just rubbed her arms and hurried to catch up.

Her eyes fell on the only light source, and Jiang Qingli started a conversation to fill the silence. "By the way, is this your Superpower?"

She reached out and touched the orb of light. It was warm, and the sensation was peculiar.

Unable to resist, she touched it again.

Yuan Shiyao watched her pinch the orb of light with her slender fingertips, and he felt the soft touch as if it were on his own skin. A tiny electric current shot up his spine, leaving a trail of tingling numbness.

His Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably. Yuan Shiyao took a deep breath, his expression calm. "Yeah. My Superpower is ’Light.’" He asked casually, "My brother... he never told you?"

"No." Jiang Qingli didn’t bother pretending she and his brother had a harmonious marriage. "We don’t really talk about things like that."

Hearing this, Yuan Shiyao raised an eyebrow slightly.

’He didn’t even tell her what his real Superpower is? Looks like his relationship with Yuan Shimo is pretty mediocre.’

Yuan Shiyao’s mood improved considerably at this realization.

He gently tapped the orb of light with his index finger.

The next second, the palm-sized light scattered, transforming into tiny, falling motes of light.

The motes of light danced gently like fireflies, landing on the girl’s hair and dress, surrounding her in the darkness.

"So cool," Jiang Qingli couldn’t help but exclaim, reaching out to poke a point of light near her.

The mote of light seemed a bit shy. It trembled and retreated.

It paused for a second, then bounced a few times in mid-air and began to circle Jiang Qingli at an accelerated pace.

Like little stars revolving around her.

Finding it amusing, Jiang Qingli reached out again and gathered the fluorescent lights in her palm.

The light nuzzled between her fingers, as docile as a beloved pet.

She turned her face to show Yuan Shiyao. "Your light is so cute!"

Yuan Shiyao paused, looking somewhat taken aback.

Then, the faintest of smiles touched his lips. "Are you still scared?"

"Oh, so you noticed." Jiang Qingli touched the tip of her nose, admitting it sheepishly.

’No wonder he suddenly started doing magic tricks with his Superpower. He was trying to ease my anxiety.’

’I never would have thought... Yuan Shiyao always seems so cold and distant, but he’s actually quite thoughtful. He even looks out for a fellow student’s feelings. No wonder he’s the youngest Secretary General.’

"Thank you," Jiang Qingli said softly. "You’re actually a pretty nice person."

Yuan Shiyao’s expression stiffened.

Jiang Qingli realized her words sounded like she was putting him in the ’friend zone’. She quickly tried to recover. "I mean... I’d actually... really like to be friends with you."

Yuan Shiyao was silent.

The motes of light around them visibly dimmed. Jiang Qingli felt a little uneasy. "What’s wrong?"

’Was I being too presumptuous?’

By this point, they had reached the door to the stairwell. Yuan Shiyao pushed it open and, like a gentleman, gestured for Jiang Qingli to enter first.

As she passed him, Jiang Qingli seemed to step on something and stumbled.

An arm shot out to steady her, and Yuan Shiyao leaned in close.

"Alright. Let’s be friends, then."

His lips were inches away, his grip on her arm was hot and strong, but his voice was a soft, flirtatious whisper in her ear.

"Sister-in-law."

His breath tickled her ear. Once Jiang Qingli regained her balance, she tried to push him away, but he withdrew his hand as if he’d anticipated her move, restoring the normal social distance between them.

It was as if that moment of intimacy had just been an illusion.

Yuan Shiyao glanced into the stairwell. Motes of light drifted down around them, illuminating the path ahead like a cluster of stars.

He turned his back to Jiang Qingli and crouched down in front of her.

"You’re wearing heels, so this will be difficult. I’ll carry you on my back."