Chapter 4System Update: The Heart’s Variable

Results day. I woke up early to queue at Golden Lotus. I walked into school carrying the bags, still half-asleep. The bulletin board had just been updated. Only a few people were there. As I walked over, a voice like a clear spring stream sounded beside me. "Good morning, Stella."

I turned. A tall, bamboo-straight figure stood there. The boy looked down at me with a smile, making even the ugly school uniform look high-fashion. His face was unforgettable. But I felt like I’d never seen him before— Then I met those beautiful eyes. I hesitated. "Liam...?"

"Yeah," he said. "Long time no see."

I was happy. "Did you come back to school?" "Finished my business," he said nonchalantly, stopping beside me. His smile was bright, like a summer breeze. "So I came back a couple of days ago to take the exam."

The crowd around the bulletin board grew loud. "Holy crap!" Someone screamed. "The #1 spot isn't Julian anymore! Who is Liam Xubai?!" "718 points? Is he human? He beat Julian by like twenty points..." "Liam? The transfer student? I think I saw him during the test." "Three years, and Julian finally lost the top spot!"

The noise grew louder. My eyes grew wider. I looked at the handsome youth standing before me, stunned. "You're the Class Rank One?"

[OH MY GOD!!! STELLA!! We don't have to look at Julian's stank face anymore!!] The System screamed in my brain. [Switch binding! Switch binding! Processing now!!]

I stared at Liam blankly. "If there isn't someone else with my name, then I guess so," Liam said casually, changing the subject. "It's still early. Want to go to the cafeteria for breakfast?"

Breakfast. I looked down instantly at the shrimp dumplings and scallop porridge in my hand. The aroma was amazing. Better than the cafeteria. "Do you eat this?" Without hesitation, I held up the plastic bag. "Here. Let's eat together."

"Really?" He looked surprised, then his eyes curved into crescents. "Then I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow. Deal?"

Julian had never said anything like that to me. He never brought me breakfast. I didn't know how to react, but something deep inside me cracked open, and a warm feeling sprouted from the fissure, spreading through my limbs.

The System eagerly displayed a holographic screen: [Please confirm switch. Target Julian Xu changed to Target Liam Xubai.] In my heart, I whispered: "Confirm." It was done. I looked at Liam, pursed my lips, and smiled. "Mm!"

"Stella." A familiar voice rang out. I turned. A group of boys stood behind me—the same ones who were laughing yesterday. In the center, Julian stood with a face dark as thunder. He must have been watching for a while. He stared at the breakfast I was handing to Liam. He pulled the corners of his mouth into a sneer and commanded, "Come here."

In the past, I did whatever he asked. Even when I didn't want to. But Julian never cared about what I wanted. I shook my head. "I'm going to eat breakfast."

Julian looked incredulous. It was like he couldn't process me rejecting him. But quickly, he reverted to form. Looking down at me, his voice cold and threatening, "Stella. I won't say it a second time." Last time he used this tone, he ignored me for two weeks and threw all my gifts in the trash. He knows I’ve always been afraid of him ignoring me. It always works.

People were watching. I swallowed my words, turned my back to him, and looked at Liam. "Let's go."

In that moment, the certainty in Julian's eyes shattered. He instinctively took a step forward, like he wanted to grab me. But he stopped. He looked at me for a few seconds, then turned and walked away without a word.