At the steps of the school building,
Chu Yi and Xia Yuehan walked one behind the other.
Chu Yi's pace was leisurely, unhurried.
Xia Yuehan, in front, deliberately slowed her steps—
Keeping the distance between them constant.
Neither spoke, silence lingered between them like a veil,
Until they stepped out from the building and entered a quiet, open space.
It was then Chu Yi finally broke the stillness.
"Class rep, thank you for yesterday,"
He said with a faint, courteous smile, glancing sideways at Xia Yuehan.
"Thank me? For what?"
Caught off guard by his sudden gratitude, Xia Yuehan asked instinctively.
"For going to see Mr. Xu on my behalf."
"Oh."
She nodded slightly, yet couldn't suppress her curiosity.
"Yesterday, when Mr. Xu called you to the office... what was it about?"
"Did you really beat up Zhang Kai and the others? I mean, they did start it."
"You're... not in trouble, are you?"
"Oh, I definitely got into trouble."
"Huh? What happened?"
Her voice rose with concern,
But then realizing her own outburst, she blushed and quickly lowered her voice.
"She scolded me harshly,"
"Said if I got into another fight, I'd be expelled."
"What?"
Xia Yuehan's face paled in shock,
Her voice rising again, almost trembling.
If that were true—hadn't she made things worse, despite her good intentions?
Chu Yi could've handled Zhang Kai alone…
Her interference might've only complicated things.
But just as guilt began to well up in her heart—
Chu Yi chuckled.
"Haha, I'm joking."
"Class rep, did you really believe me?"
"What?! You tricked me!"
"I was so worried for you!"
"Chu Yi, you're such a villain!"
Flustered and exasperated, Xia Yuehan couldn't help but scold him.
"It's fine, no harm done,"
Chu Yi replied, with not a hint of remorse—calm, composed.
Xia Yuehan bit her lip, gritting her teeth in mock fury.
Yet in this light-hearted exchange,
The distance between them narrowed.
They were, perhaps, now friends.
After all, Chu Yi was more handsome than Ye Fan,
More refined, more composed—
And he never once hinted at chasing after her.
So, naturally, Xia Yuehan didn't feel annoyed by his presence.
Just then, a voice echoed in Chu Yi's mind:
"Ding! Congratulations, host. Favorability with Xia Yuehan +5.
You have significantly altered the storyline and gained 20 Destiny Points from Ye Fan and 1,500 Villain Points."
Unbeknownst to them, their subtle exchange had caught someone's attention—
Not far off, a group skipping class had seen everything.
"Boss, boss, look—those two over there!"
The blond-haired youth pointed excitedly.
"What's the big deal? It's not like I've never seen people before.
They're everywhere,"
Li Kai responded lazily, dribbling his basketball without care.
"Boss, that's Chu Yi!"
The youth gritted his teeth, then mustered his courage to speak.
"What?! That bastard?!"
Li Kai's expression shifted—he turned instantly, eyes locking onto Chu Yi.
These past days had been torture: sleepless nights, bitter meals—
All consumed with one thought: revenge.
But none of them could match Chu Yi.
They'd even planned to call on 'Brother Dao' from outside school.
But Brother Dao had been unavailable.
Their plan had stalled.
Yet now—Chu Yi was here, right before his eyes.
It was fate.
Li Kai took a step forward—
Then froze, as he saw who was walking beside Chu Yi.
"Hey, Blondie, that girl next to Chu Yi… is that Xia Yuehan?"
He squinted, wiping his eyes.
"Yeah, that's her,"
Blondie confirmed, equally stunned.
"My god, even after Li Ran made it clear no one was to get close to her,
This guy dares flirt with her? Does he have a death wish?"
But Li Kai's lips curled into a sinister smile.
"This is perfect."
"I've been waiting for a reason."
Inside the classroom,
Zhang Ting sat in silent frustration.
Earlier, Ye Fan had knocked over her soy milk—
Now her mouth was dry, and breakfast half-spoiled.
She grabbed her cup, heading out to fill it with mineral water.
But just then, a soft, hesitant voice reached her ear.
"Zhang Ting, I… I brought milk tea."
"If you don't mind, you can have it."
"Consider it… compensation from my boss, Ye Fan."
Standing before her was Li Linhai,
Holding a steaming cup of fragrant milk tea.
When Zhang Ting looked over, startled,
He quickly placed it on her desk,
Then turned and fled before she could say a word.
Left with no time to refuse,
Zhang Ting stared at the cup, caught in silent thought.
Meanwhile, Ye Fan, pretending to read,
Smiled faintly.
He understood his loyal underling perfectly.
Minutes passed.
Chu Yi and Xia Yuehan returned to the classroom.
Thud!
Chu Yi dropped a stack of prep books on his desk—
The sound loud and jarring.
No surprise there—
With college entrance exams looming,
The pile of practice papers and books grew like weeds.
They seemed determined to drown the students in paper.
"Huh? Why is there a milk tea on Zhang Ting's desk?"
Ye Fan suddenly noticed the unfamiliar cup,
Brows furrowing slightly.
She had been drinking soy milk just moments ago.
This was new.
Chu Yi, meanwhile, glanced back with amusement.
There was Li Linhai—his face filled with hope.
Understanding dawned on Chu Yi.
In this novel, no woman was ever "insignificant."
Zhang Ting, Xia Yuehan's best friend,
Was attractive—an 87 by book standards.
Ye Fan, too focused on Xia Yuehan, had never pursued her.
So she was paired with Li Linhai instead.
Though let's be clear—Lin Hai was the one doing all the chasing.
"Hmm, this might be a golden opportunity."
Chu Yi grinned wickedly,
Then, with feigned innocence,
Reached for the milk tea on Zhang Ting's desk.
"Hey, deskmate, I just lugged in all those books—
I'm parched. Mind if I take a sip?"
"Wait—"
Zhang Ting tried to stop him.
But it was too late.
He took a sip.
Her protest stuck in her throat.
A blush crept across her cheeks.
She had… taken a secret sip from that very cup earlier.
"I'll kill you, you bastard!"
Li Linhai watched in horror—
The milk tea he had prepared with such care,
Now inside Chu Yi's stomach.
And worse—
Zhang Ting had sipped it first.
His heart shattered.
He wanted nothing more than to punch Chu Yi.
But the memory of yesterday's fight stopped him cold.
That image—Chu Yi tossing their entire gang like rag dolls—
Still haunted him.
His rage simmered, trembling through his limbs,
Yet his body remained frozen.
This, according to physiology,
Was a manifestation of extreme suppressed fury.
"Wow, Chu Yi, what are you drinking?"
Xia Yuehan, lured by the fragrance,
Asked with a bit of curiosity.
"Milk tea,"
"Didn't you see, class rep?"
Chu Yi waved nonchalantly and took another deep sip.
"Wow, you even have milk tea?!"
"No fair—I helped you carry books! You owe me a cup too!"
"Too bad. My deskmate gave it to me."
Zhang Ting's.
Ye Fan, who had been watching Xia Yuehan the whole time,
Froze when he heard those words.
A dark shadow crossed his face.
Before anger could erupt,
He remembered—Li Linhai.
He glanced behind, anxiety prickling his chest.
But seeing Linhai still seated, teeth clenched but motionless,
Ye Fan breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Though furious, at least he hadn't done anything reckless.
Chu Yi, too, took note—
And smirked.
Not bad. You held it in.
But for how long?
He held no sympathy for Linhai.
In the original novel, after Chu Yi's family business collapsed,
Li Linhai, Ye Fan's right-hand man,
Had ruthlessly helped devour his company.
He was, in a way, a villain in his own right—
A dog of the protagonist who climbed to near-untouchable status.
But that was the future.
Now, Chu Yi's gaze turned to Zhang Ting.
For the first time, he truly looked at Xia Yuehan's best friend.
Short-haired, spirited,
A face that radiated boldness and a carefree nature.
Though only an "87," her energy had a certain allure.
If refined—skin polished, temperament shaped—
She could easily be a solid 94.
By third period, another self-study session began.
The classroom hummed with the soft rustle of pens.
Everyone focused on their textbooks and test papers.
Zhang Ting was no exception.
Perhaps it was because Chu Yi's features were too striking—
His aura too poised—
Or perhaps because they weren't yet familiar.
Either way, his presence made her shy.
She buried her head in exercises.
Meanwhile, Chu Yi moved.
He scribbled something on a slip of paper,
Crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it her way.
"Hm?"
The note startled her.
She hesitated—then opened it.
A single sentence.
Her face turned crimson,
Tiny beads of nervous sweat forming on her forehead.
Chu Yi, watching from the corner of his eye,
Smiled.
It worked.
And moments later,
A soft, bashful voice drifted to his ear.
"Chu Yi… is what you wrote on the note true?"
"Did you sit beside me because… you like me?"
A flicker of uncertainty danced in her eyes—
But within it, a faint, eager spark.
Chu Yi leaned in—
And whispered something warm beside her ear,
Making it tingle with anticipation.