Lies

As she opened her eyes, Chu Lian was startled to see several people gathered around her. The shock was enough to make her forget the deep exhaustion lingering from the potion—she quickly sat up and looked around.

Under the lights, she finally saw clearly that the ones surrounding her were Li Xiu'er, Ruriko Nana, Cai Ya, Bai Tiange, and Wang Tingsi.

Before she could ask what had happened, Li Xiu'er anxiously exclaimed, "Chu Lian, you're awake? You scared me to death! We couldn't wake you no matter what—we thought something had happened to you…"

Indeed, during the "absolute coma" state, it was completely impossible to awaken by any external means. It was precisely this dangerous side effect that made such a powerful potion priced so low by the system.

"I'm fine. I was just a bit tired and fell asleep, that's all. Mmm, Xiu'er, what time is it now?" Of course, Chu Lian couldn't tell them the truth and could only divert the topic to steer them away from focusing on her health.

"If you don't want to say, then just leave it at that," Cai Ya suddenly spoke, piercing through Chu Lian's intentions, prompting a wry smile from her.

"Alright, alright… I just used a type of medication that doesn't harm the body. Otherwise, do you think I could have lasted so long on stage by myself? This medicine only reduces fatigue and prevents long-term strain injuries. The only side effect is feeling extremely tired. I just took a nap."

A good lie is seven parts truth, three parts vagueness—it becomes far easier to believe. And what Chu Lian said wasn't entirely false. She had indeed used a potion, and its side effect was indeed exhaustion.

Aside from some discrepancies in the details, there were no obvious holes in the story. For those unaware of the truth, it was convincing enough.

Even with Chu Lian's explanation, Li Xiu'er still looked worried. "Are you sure it's safe? I've never heard of a medicine like that being sold anywhere."

This silly girl—always asking exactly what's on her mind. So adorable, yet her words made Chu Lian inwardly panic.

The others had just barely accepted the explanation. But now Li Xiu'er had raised a critical point—where did the medicine come from?

Chu Lian's mind raced to find an excuse, but nothing came to her right away. She stood there awkwardly, and the atmosphere suddenly turned heavy.

"I knew it…" Wang Tingsi rubbed his forehead. He had only half-believed Chu Lian's earlier explanation. Having known her for nearly a year, he understood some of her secrets. He knew her story had holes, but also that silence was the best choice in that moment. Who would've thought Li Xiu'er would be so perceptive—and worse, say it out loud.

As he mentally cursed Li Xiu'er for being a classic sweet-on-the-outside, dark-on-the-inside type, he also began thinking of ways to help Chu Lian out of this mess.

But before he could speak, Cai Ya's voice rang out: "Oh, Chu Lian used a new drug developed by my dad's company. I didn't recognize it at first, but when she mentioned it just now, I remembered."

"It's called 'Physique.' It's still in the confidential R\&D phase and won't hit the market for at least three years. Its effects are just as she described. I'm surprised she got her hands on it—she really keeps things well-hidden."

"Also, please don't spread this around. If a rival company found out, it could cause big trouble."

When acting, one must commit fully. Since she had decided to help Chu Lian, Cai Ya naturally tried to minimize any flaws in her story. None of the people here were easy to fool. Chu Lian had already tricked them once—if she explained again, her credibility would suffer. Only a third party stepping in could help her convincingly clear things up.

She didn't know why she chose to help her, but when Chu Lian looked at her with that grateful gaze, she couldn't help but feel pleased. "Hmph, I'm just repaying the favor of you letting me go on stage. We're even now!" With a casual glance, she conveyed her meaning, and Chu Lian's expression finally relaxed.

Still so tsundere. Looks like there's no hidden agenda. Who would've thought this girl would cover for me? Truly unexpected. But thank you—for giving me a way out.

If Cai Ya could hear her thoughts, she would probably rip apart every part of her lie and storm off. Unfortunately, she didn't have telepathy and had no idea the little schemer was using her once again.

Everyone had learned quite a bit about Cai Ya's background over the past few days. She was born into a renowned family—her father the chairman of the largest pharmaceutical company in Huaxia, her mother a well-known domestic musician.

Growing up in such a household, it was only natural that she wasn't just some helpless heiress. It made sense for her to know a few secrets.

After hearing her explanation, the others fully believed Chu Lian's story. They now saw her earlier hesitation as the struggle of revealing or protecting a secret. And indeed, if they were in her shoes, they wouldn't have been so quick to share it either.

"You're okay now, right?" Li Xiu'er stepped forward and gently took Chu Lian's arm, asking softly. Just hearing those words triggered a wave of exhaustion that swept through Chu Lian's body. Her knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed.

Luckily, Ruriko Nana caught her other arm just in time, preventing her from falling.

"Still tired? Should we go to the infirmary?" Li Xiu'er held her with the gentlest touch, afraid of hurting her. Her eyes were full of concern—clearly, Chu Lian's earlier state had frightened her deeply.

"I'm fine, I'll recover soon… By the way, how did you find me? Shouldn't you be at the awards ceremony?" Chu Lian waved her hand, then remembered something else—why were they here?

This time, Bai Tiange answered: "It was that lady in red. She found us about ten minutes ago and said you were here. She asked us to check on you while she went to deal with something." As he mentioned "the lady in red," a blush suddenly appeared on his face—he looked shy.

Chu Lian, standing nearby under the light, noticed his expression instantly. She couldn't help but silently mourn for him. So young, yet already experiencing a crush. Of all people, why fall for someone older—and someone completely unattainable? If you don't let go, that longing might torment you endlessly.

Still, she wouldn't point it out. She had always believed that unless someone confided in her, she wouldn't interfere in others' emotions. So she merely nodded to show she understood.

No wonder Ayase didn't respond earlier—she must have gone elsewhere. But what matter needed her to go alone?

A faint concern welled up in her heart. Even though she knew Ayase, as the system's spirit, was in a state where she couldn't die, she still worried whether Ayase might run into trouble.

"It's 8:05 now. The awards ceremony is about to start. If you're not feeling well, you don't need to go," Wang Tingsi said after a moment's hesitation, seeing her current condition.

Chu Lian shot him a cool glance. "I'm not that fragile. The sooner it ends, the sooner I can go home and rest. Xiu'er, Nana, I'll trouble you—please help me get over there."

"Just don't trip on the way. If you want to go, then go—no one's stopping you," Cai Ya said as she turned and walked ahead, then glanced back and added lightly.

Chu Lian smiled. She knew her body best. Though the "Unlimited Stamina Potion (Type A)" had a clear side effect—two hours of absolute coma—her body was too delicate, and the potion's strength too intense. That's why the fatigue lingered.

It wasn't hard to fix. A big meal and over ten hours of sleep would do the trick. So she didn't speak further, just nodded, signaling Li Xiu'er and Ruriko Nana to support her.

Behind them, the practice room light was switched off by Wang Tingsi, who walked last. He gave one long look at the now-empty room before closing the door and following the group toward the large gymnasium.

That space had served as the main performance venue in the morning, had been divided into smaller stages for the afternoon, and by evening—it was time for the school anniversary's grand finale: the awards ceremony.

Now, the gymnasium was brightly lit and filled with people. A lavish stage had been fully assembled. The same host from the morning performance was already on stage, speaking to the crowd…