"It's him! Yes, that's him!" Lin Xue matched the figure to the one in her memory and cried out in excitement.
"Who did you just see?" her best friend, Yang Zi, asked curiously, not understanding why she was so agitated.
"It's my benefactor, the one who saved me! I see him!" Lin Xue replied.
"What? That guy really showed up?" Yang Zi's jaw dropped in surprise. She immediately puffed out her chest and began taking credit. "And here you were, giving me grief about my idea being unreliable. Now you see how great it is, right? The only reason you found your benefactor is because of my brilliant plan. You'd better thank me properly!"
Lin Xue shot her an exasperated look. Seeing Zhao Yuan getting farther and farther away, she grew anxious, broke into a run, and yelled, "Wait a minute! Don't go!"
Yang Zi followed close behind. There was no way she would miss out on a chance to watch some juicy drama unfold.
Lin Xue's sudden action drew the curious gazes of many onlookers. Everyone was wondering just who the Sweetheart Goddess was chasing that would cause her to lose her composure like this.
Zhao Yuan and Wu Yan also heard Lin Xue's shouts.
Wu Yan glanced back and was stunned to see Lin Xue running straight for him.
'What's going on? Why is Lin Xue suddenly chasing me? Did she mistake me for the benefactor who saved her?'
As a self-proclaimed love sage, Wu Yan subconsciously ruled out Zhao Yuan and decided Lin Xue must be coming for him. He was both shocked and delighted.
Straightening his clothes, he shot Zhao Yuan a smug grin. "See that, Third Brother? My skills with the ladies are the real deal! Watch and learn, you'll find it infinitely useful!"
Zhao Yuan, also assuming Lin Xue was after Wu Yan, couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up. "You're something else, Fourth Brother!"
"Of course!" Wu Yan said, smugly ruffling his hair. He appeared calm on the outside, but his heart was racing—after all, he was dealing with a Divine Level goddess! He couldn't help but mutter to himself, 'How should I address her? Classmate Lin? That seems a bit distant. Xiaoxue? Or Xue'er? That's a little too intimate. What if she thinks I'm a smooth-talking flirt and not a serious guy? That would be a disaster...'
Before Wu Yan could decide on a form of address, Lin Xue had already run up to them. He quickly plastered on what he believed to be a handsome smile and strode forward to meet her. "Hello, Lin Xue, I'm—"
He had barely started his sentence when Lin Xue cut him off. "Excuse me, please move."
"Huh?" Wu Yan froze, dumbfounded.
'Aren't you here for me? Why are you telling me to get out of the way? What kind of move is this?'
Seeing Wu Yan standing there motionless, Lin Xue, who had sprinted all the way over, simply twisted her body and dodged around him.
'Lin Xue isn't here for me? Then who is she here for?' A thoroughly confused Wu Yan whipped his head around. Behind him, there was no one but Zhao Yuan. 'Could she be going for Third Brother? That's impossible! Third Brother is a dense blockhead who doesn't have the first clue about how to talk to girls!'
However, things rarely unfold as expected.
As she reached Zhao Yuan, Lin Xue began to slow down. But because it was getting dark, she didn't see a small rock on the path. She stepped on it, her body swayed, and she lost her balance, stumbling forward.
"Careful!" Zhao Yuan yelled, quickly taking a step forward. He threw his arms out and caught Lin Xue, saving her from a fall.
But to the surrounding crowd, the scene looked entirely different. In their eyes, Lin Xue had sprinted across the grounds and thrown herself passionately into Zhao Yuan's arms.
The uninformed onlookers were instantly shocked.
"Who is that guy? The Sweetheart Goddess just jumped into his arms! My heart is completely broken!"
"Holy crap, what's going on? Are they putting on a public display of affection?"
"I never heard that the Sweetheart Goddess had a boyfriend. What is happening?"
"AHHH, MY EYES! Have you no consideration for us single dogs when you do things like this?"
"Another goddess has fallen, and another girl's about to be ruined, WAHHH..."
Wu Yan was also stunned. His jaw dropped, and he couldn't close his mouth for the longest time. 'I'm not seeing things, am I? Lin Xue actually leaped into Third Brother's arms? This is completely unscientific!'
Yang Zi, who had been following close behind Lin Xue, was also taken aback by the scene. 'I never would have guessed! Xiaoxue has such a bold side to her! Leaping into his arms... tsk, tsk. I wonder how many hearts are going to be broken tonight!'
Meanwhile, the two people at the center of it all, Zhao Yuan and Lin Xue, were in a state of utter confusion.
Neither of them had ever experienced a situation like this. Feeling the warmth of a member of the opposite sex, they both panicked, not knowing what to do. They even forgot that they were supposed to let go, and just continued to hold each other in an embrace.
Finally, it was Yang Zi who spoke up and reminded them. "Hey, hey! You two had enough of a hug yet? It's probably time to let go! If you keep holding on like that, I'm afraid the crowd will snap and come burn you two at the stake for this insane display of affection!"
Hearing her words, Zhao Yuan and Lin Xue finally snapped out of it and hurriedly separated. Both of their faces were bright red, and their hearts were POUNDING wildly.
"Oh, so now you're shy? You didn't seem to be blushing when you were wrapped up in each other's arms, did you?" As Lin Xue's best friend, Yang Zi really knew how to twist the knife.
"Don't be ridiculous. That was an accident," Lin Xue quickly explained.
"Uh-huh, whatever you say. As long as you're happy," Yang Zi said, clearly not believing her explanation.
'An accident? How could there be so many accidents in the world? And one that's so perfectly timed!'
"It really was an accident," Lin Xue muttered, pouting. But in her mind, she was reliving the moment. 'That feeling of being in his arms was so strange and wonderful. His chest was so strong and comfortable... Oh my god, what am I thinking? How shameless!' At that thought, her lovely face turned an even deeper shade of red, a blush that spread all the way down to her neck.
Yang Zi, with her sharp eyes, noticed this and became even more convinced that there was a story between the two of them.
Wu Yan sidled up to Zhao Yuan and nudged him with his elbow. "Third Brother, you and Lin Xue knew each other before?" he asked curiously.
"No." Zhao Yuan shook his head, just as puzzled about why Lin Xue had been running toward him.
Lin Xue, having calmed down and cleared her mind of distracting thoughts, said to Zhao Yuan, "Excuse me, do you remember me? On Tuesday night, outside the library, I suddenly fell ill, and you saved me."
"Of course, I remember," Zhao Yuan replied. "But I wasn't the one who saved you; it was that counselor. I just gave him a suggestion."
"The counselor is my benefactor, but so are you," Lin Xue said with a serious expression. "If it weren't for you, I would have been misdiagnosed and never would have recovered so quickly."
It was only then that it finally dawned on Zhao Yuan. Belatedly, he said, "Ah, so you're saying the benefactor you were looking for today... was me?"
"That's right!" Lin Xue nodded forcefully. "You left in such a hurry that I didn't even get your name or find out which department you're in. I had to resort to this just to find you and thank you in person."
Zhao Yuan felt a little embarrassed. "Hey, you don't have to be so formal," he said quickly. "We're both medical students. Saving the dying and healing the injured is our duty, after all."
Yang Zi cut in. "Alright, alright, you two can stop with all the pleasantries. Besides, this isn't the right place to talk, not with so many people watching. Benefactor, would you do us the honor of joining us for dinner? My Xiaoxue has been wanting to treat you."
"Well... alright." After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Yuan nodded in agreement. He was hungry, and at the mere mention of food, his stomach let out a loud GROWL.