Turmoil in Gwen's mind

As they reached school, some of the students started to stare and gossip, but Max didn't care. Ignoring their eyes, he entered the school building. He saw Gwen speaking with her friends. Unlike Max, Gwen had many friends. Noticing the curious glances, Gwen turned to see Max and Cedric walking side by side, chatting.

"Isn't that Max from your class?" one of Gwen's friends asked.

"I heard he fell from the school rooftop and was admitted to the hospital. Some people said he was in a coma," another added.

"He doesn't seem like someone who's been in a coma but returned from vacation," another girl said.

"Hey, don't be rude."

"Yeah, sure."

Gwen couldn't stand her friends being rude about Max. She was about to say something, but Cedric's voice interrupted her.

"Hey Gwen, look who's here!" Cedric said with a wide grin.

Seeing his expression, Gwen knew he was going to say something in front of Max. 'I will kill him if he says anything stupid,' she thought.

"Didn't you miss... ah..."

Feeling Gwen's glare, Cedric was bewildered. Max smiled slightly, and Gwen's heart beat faster while her friends blushed lightly.

Since Max started to cultivate and condense qi in his body, he had reached the Qi Gathering 1st Stage. This had subtly changed him, making him more attractive and muscular.

"Why didn't I realize before? He's kind of attractive and handsome," one of Gwen's friends remarked.

Gwen's death stare turned to her friends. They quickly ran away, leaving Cedric with her. He sneaked close to Gwen and whispered, "Sister-in-law, you have to be faster, or other girls will take him away."

Embarrassed, Gwen wanted to punish him. "If you call me that, I'll beat you real bad," she threatened.

Cedric ran back to Max and said, "Bro, it seems she's in a bad mood. Let's get out of here."

"Alright, let's go," Max said, smiling at Gwen. She stood there blushing, thinking deeply about what Cedric had said. 'I have to be brave. I can do this. I'll soon tell him how I feel. I hope he didn't hear what that idiot said.'

But she didn't know that after reaching the Qi Gathering 1st Stage, Max's hearing had improved five times more than normal. He had heard every word.

Max walked away, a confident smile on his face. Gwen watched him go, her heart racing. She knew she had to muster the courage to express her feelings. Little did she realize that Max was already aware of her inner turmoil and growing affection.

Max and cetric entered the floor where their class is located. as they was about to enter someone bumped into max.