Her eyes held a hint of bewilderment, soft and lost, like a kitten.
This tender image starkly contrasted with the ruthless vigor she displayed in fights, or the predatory stance she took when extorting a large sum from the Qin family. Gu Anxi was a paradox, much like the complexities of human nature Bo Xichen himself sought to understand.
As the future head of the Bo family, Bo Xichen maintained admirable restraint.
His hand gently hovered over her hair before he withdrew it, saying softly, "I usually stay in Beicheng."
Beicheng—the city home to the most powerful figures.
Gu Anxi took back her phone. Bo Xichen chuckled lightly. "It’s late. You should go back. In two days, I’ll personally conduct a full examination for Mr. Gu."
She nodded and returned to her hospital room.
「Sunday passed uneventfully.」
Monday was the day of Gu Yuntian’s medical examination, and Gu Anxi had taken the day off from university to be with him at the hospital.
Little did she know, a storm concerning her was brewing and about to descend upon the campus.
Qing University had an online forum where a user had posted about Gu Anxi earlier that day. The post included pictures of her working at the ’Emperor Color’ club and images of her involved in a fight. It even listed the number of classes she had skipped, instances of her sleeping in class, and her exam results—a sea of red—all posted for public viewing.
The comments below were scathing, as if orchestrated.
[Our campus belle is quite something! But with behavior like that, she doesn’t deserve to be on Qing University’s grounds~]
[Did Gu Anxi get into Qing University based on her looks? No, she relied on her exceptional... umm... appearance to secure her spot~~]
[Working at a bar—a privilege of the rich. What kind of deal is hidden behind our goddess representing Qing University’s culture?]
[Indeed, God isn’t fair. Gu Anxi has privileges. As for who granted them, we’ll have to ask her~~~]
Public opinion at Qing University was fermenting, threatening to spiral out of control.
Dean Wang was away, and the department head was rather hands-off.
Professor Gao was furious. He immediately instructed the forum administrator to delete the posts. It wasn’t that he was protecting Gu Anxi; rather, he believed these posts were severely damaging Qing University’s reputation. If word got out, Qing University would become the laughingstock of academia, and Professor Gao took this very seriously.
Dean Wang is too soft-hearted, a classic case of misplaced kindness, easily swayed by pretty young women. Now that Dean Wang is away, this is a perfect opportunity to clean house.
Professor Gao went to Class Two of the Fine Arts Department’s sophomore year. Ha, Gu Anxi wasn’t sleeping in class today. She wasn’t here at all!
Seeing Professor Gao, the classroom fell silent.
Professor Gao asked in a stern voice, "Where is Gu Anxi? Does anyone know?"
Chu Yan raised her hand.
"You, speak," Professor Gao called on her.
Chu Yan, her round face bearing a faint smile, reported, "Professor Gao, I don’t know."
Professor Gao was exasperated. "Then why did you raise your hand?"
"I just wanted to report that I don’t know," Chu Yan said, then suddenly pointed at Shen Wanqing. "You could ask Classmate Shen. I heard she’s quite close with Gu Anxi."
Shen Wanqing’s expression soured.
Gu Anxi is currently embroiled in scandal; how could I be considered close to her?
Just as she was about to say something to defend herself, Professor Gao’s tone softened upon seeing her. "Classmate Shen, do you know anything about Gu Anxi’s situation?"
Shen Wanqing had actually heard about Gu Yuntian’s condition from Qin Siyuan. However, she gently shook her head. "I’m not entirely sure. Anxi isn’t close to her family. Sometimes, even Aunt Gu doesn’t know where she is."