The group was visibly stunned.

Their expressions quickly shifted to confusion. "Why not? " one of them blurted out, unable to hold back.

Her deskmate was the first to voice her disbelief.

She began to ramble, "Yuxi, do you not like Meng Chenzhou? Or.. does Meng Chenzhou not like you? Neither seems possible!

Don't you know how hard it used to be to talk to him? Back when we were trying to get information about him, the only time he'd respond to us was when we brought you up.

Otherwise, he wouldn't even give us the time of day."

"Oh, and remember that girl who got sent to the infirmary? The only reason he remembered her was because you were the one who took her there."

"And this trip we're on right now-didn't Meng Chenzhou arrange all of it?

Look at all these tourists, yet the staff here only seem to care about you. They even know your preferences when it comes to food! We asked the manager earlier, and he said Meng Chenzhou personally planned everything.

Honestly, who else would go to such lengths to make everything perfect for you?"

"But we've known each other since we were kids, Zhan Yuxi protested weakly. "He's always treated me like a little sister.

Knowing these things about me. it's normal, isn't it?"

The group wasn't buying it. One of them shut down her argument with a single question.

"Fine, then explain this: you've known Fang Jinglin since you were kids too. Can you honestly say you know Fang Jinglin's habits and preferences as intimately as Meng Chenzhou knows yours?"

That question left Zhan Yuxi speechless.

She knew Fang Jinglin's basic habits, sure, but so did everyone else.

However, the details the girls had listed about Meng Chenzhou-— the subtle, deeply personal things—those weren't things even her family, who doted on her, had noticed. In fact, some of them were things she herself hadn't realized.

But they were undeniably true.

In that moment, Zhan Yuxi came to a startling realization: Meng Chenzhou seemed to understand her in ways even she hadn't realized about herself.

A thought crept into her mind, one she couldn't ignore. Was their relationship truly as simple as she'd always believed?

Realizing something, Zhan Yuxi froze in shock.

She stood up, feeling an overwhelming urge to leave immediately, as if staying any longer was unbearable. She was desperate to hear his voice, to see him in person.

Handing the phone back to her classmate, she tried to mask her panic and urgency, saying hurriedly, "Thank you for telling me all this. I need to step out and make a call."

The group noticed her dramatic reaction and, guessing she intended to contact Meng Chenzhou, teased her to seize the moment.