Chapter 1

Thump.

hiss--

You Congxi's vision went black as she felt her brow bone slam into something hard, causing her to gasp in pain.

When did they install pillars in the cafeteria?

She instinctively covered her wound, but a faint, extremely familiar fragrance lingered in her nostrils—

It smelled like a quilt that had been thoroughly sun-dried, with a clean scent of soapberry.

Where have I smelled it before...?

Her hand covering her brow bone blocked her vision. She wanted to lower her hand and look up, but as she moved, a drop of sweat trickled into her eye. She shuddered from the sting, and her eye twitched as if it were twitching upwards.

"......"

Damn it, when you're down on your luck, you can bump into pillars even while walking.

You Congxi rubbed his eyes more and more, and the dull pain in his brow bone, the soreness in his eyes, and the buzzing noise in the cafeteria were like a triple attack.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance and let out a heavy sigh.

I rubbed my eyes a few times, and that familiar aroma stubbornly wafted into my nostrils again, sounding particularly refreshing in the air filled with the smells of food and sweat.

She blinked hard, trying to make out what the newly renovated pillar in front of her actually looked like—

Shen Yue watched helplessly as the girl he had a crush on walked straight toward him.

He stood frozen in place.

The next second, the girl's head hit his protruding shoulder blade, like a hollow watermelon, making a "thud".

Before he could react, the girl rolled her eyes at him unexpectedly and clicked her tongue impatiently.

He even sighed.

A big mouthful.

Shen Yue went from being flattered to being shocked; his heart felt like it was about to shatter into eight pieces.

Before he could speak, the person in front of him moved.

He watched as the girl in front of him widened her eyes in disgust, as if she had encountered some madwoman who had escaped from a mental hospital, and jumped three feet high to escape from his sight.

He Qi was carrying back two plates of freshly cooked rice when he saw You Congxi's eyes widen and he took off running. After realizing what had happened, he punched his good friend on the shoulder and said, "Wow, Yue-ge, your reputation as the school bully has spread to this extent. Good students are like ghosts when they see you!"

ghost:"......"

He Qizheng had no idea that the top student who was always among the top three on the honor roll was his brother's crush. Right now, all he could think about was Shen Yue's dark face and the girl's leg swinging rapidly.

Shen Yue gritted his teeth: "Try smiling at me again."

He Qizheng's face turned serious in a second.

"......"

After a two-second silence, Shen Yue opened his palm, indicating, "Give me the mirror."

He Qi was excitedly pulling a mirror out of his pocket and handing it to Shen Yue. Shen Yue watched as Shen Yue frowned and looked at his handsome face from every angle, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"What's wrong? Did you realize you're unbelievably handsome?"

Shen Yue remained silent for a long while, then sighed, "Zheng'er."

"Oh, what are your orders, sir?" He Qi was all ears.

"Am I ugly?" Shen Yue asked with a serious expression.

He Qi was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed in shock: "Who dares to say you're ugly?! Who?! My brother's only presentable face, who dares to say my brother is ugly?!"

Shen Yue: "......"

Shen Yue scratched his hair, which he had carefully styled that morning: "Then why did she roll her eyes at me?"

He Qizheng: "...Rolling his eyes? Who? Who's so bold??"

Someone actually dared to roll their eyes at Shen Yue?

How dare someone roll their eyes at Shen Yue, the infamous and fearsome school bully of No. 1 High School?

He Qizheng rolled up his sleeves: "Grab your weapons and get him!"

Shen Yue's gaze shifted to He Qizheng's face, and he tentatively asked, "If a girl rolls her eyes at you for no reason after seeing you, what does that mean?"

He Qizheng: "That means she's annoyed with you."

Shen Yue remained expressionless: "...What if she sighs again?"

He Qizheng: "That means she's doubly annoyed with you."

Shen Yue closed his eyes briefly: "What if she runs away as soon as she sees you?"

He Qizheng didn't say anything, only chuckled twice.

Silence speaks louder than words.

Shen Yue: "......"

He Qizheng narrowed his eyes: "The girl you scared away just now rolled her eyes at you."

Shen Yue: "".

Shen Yue: "No."

He Qizheng had a knowing look on his face and said nothing more.

"......"

Ten minutes ago.

In the afternoon of September, the canteen of No. 1 Middle School in City C was still stuffy and stale, even though the summer heat had subsided.

You Congxi was so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his back. He raised his arm to wipe the beads of sweat that were about to fall from his chin, and stood on tiptoe, searching with difficulty for his best friend Qu Qi's signature curly hair in the dark crowd.

Everywhere you look, there are people with thick black hair and short haircuts. C City No. 1 Middle School has strict management: boys' bangs must not go past their eyebrows, and their hair must not go past their chins; girls' hair must be long and not past their shoulders. Outlandish clothing, hair dyeing and perming, piercings and tattoos are prohibited.

For You Congxi, who has mild face blindness and relies mainly on hairstyles to recognize people, this was like playing a real-life version of spot the difference. She finally managed to recognize everyone in her class in her first year of high school, but at the beginning of her second year, the class was reorganized and reshuffled.

Thinking of this, she sighed and continued to painstakingly identify Qu Qi's curly hair among the crowd that looked like a copy-paste job.

It's so hot!

You Congxi almost wanted to stick her tongue out, but as soon as she opened her mouth, the stench of sweat, human smell, and food mixed together assaulted her senses, almost making her faint from the stench.

She held her breath as she made her way through the crowd of athletes, hunching her shoulders and weaving through the gaps in their clothes, carefully avoiding getting even a scrap of their clothing on her.

Just when she thought she was about to suffocate, the dawn of victory finally waved to her—

"Thump"

The iron plate landed on the table with a soft thud. The two found a place to sit down. He Qi was licking his lips when he suddenly remembered: "You actually know You Congxi?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yue paused for a moment while picking out scallion segments with his chopsticks. After a brief pause, he said casually, "The outstanding student representative who spoke at the opening ceremony this morning, the one whose picture is always under mine on the honor roll."

Is that You Congxi on stage this morning?

And why would Shen Yue take the initiative to pay attention to his defeated opponent?

He Qi was trying hard to recall, but all he could think of was Arthur, who had ruined his underwear and given him a 0-6 score.

Shaking his head, He Qi suddenly remembered that Chen Yue had refused to play duo with him that morning, instead sitting upright and staring intently at the stage. He exclaimed, "Oh! No wonder! That's why!"

Which one?!

Did he know I stared blankly at You Congxi throughout the entire opening ceremony?!

He knows I like swimming in the Congxi River?!

Shen Yue looked up in horror at He Qi's mouth, which was about to open—

I don't like it—

"Because she took first place in your grade, you hold a grudge and want to kill her with your sharp eyes!"

Shen Yue: "......"

He Qizheng: "You Congxi saw your sharp eyes and held a grudge, so he decided to roll his eyes at you to death in the cafeteria!"

Shen Yue: "".

He Qizheng: "What did you just say? What xi?"

Shen Yue said with a straight face, "I said I don't care to fight for this."

He Qi patted Shen Yue's shoulder with a "brother, don't be stubborn, I understand" look on his face, and coaxed him in a tone that sounded like he was talking to a child: "That's right, we won't fight her for this."

Sigh! His brother is good in every way, except he's too thin-skinned and too stubborn!

This morning, his brother's eyes were practically piercing. How jealous and obvious must he be for a girl to roll her eyes at him so hard she could die!

Shen Yue: "......"

The phone on the table kept vibrating, making the plates on the table almost jump.

He Qi glanced at the discussion group, which had soared to 99+ in five minutes, and looked up to instruct, "Don't forget the usual place after school today. Damn it, you've come here looking for trouble. Don't you even know whose territory this is!"

Shen Yue didn't look up, casually picking at the ginger strips, and absentmindedly hummed in agreement.

—

Qu Qi picked up a carrot from the plate and handed it to You Congxi. Recalling the scene she had just witnessed in the distance, she couldn't help but ask, "Little Fish, were you just showing off to your defeated opponent?"

Although she had long heard of Shen Yue's reputation as a school bully, Qu Qi had been practicing Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) with her uncle since childhood. In elementary school, she kicked a boy who pulled her hair ten meters away, and in junior high, she beat a boy who spread rumors about her with a stool. Naturally, she didn't take these so-called school bullies seriously.

You Congxi, engrossed in his food: "..."

Qu Qi pinched You Congxi's cheek with satisfaction, and said with the affection of a loving mother, "Our little Xi is becoming more and more adventurous. Our daughter is growing up so well!"

"Don't be afraid. If he dares to cause you trouble, I'll kick him all the way to Antarctica and let him show off to the polar bears!"

You Congxi swallowed the food in her mouth, afraid that she would be choked to death by Qu Qi's unpredictable behavior again: "No, my eyes just twitched."

You Congxi recalled the shocked look in Shen Yue's eyes that she had just caught a glimpse of, and shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth.

...How could I be so unlucky?

I don't know what happened to me just now. I bumped into someone and apologized properly, but instead I ran away like a ghost. I don't know why I felt so guilty.

Could it be that the fragrance has made him go mad?

This is troublesome. She's messed with the legendary school bully. I wonder what he'll do to her.

You Congxi was so worried that he ate three bowls of rice, and finally returned to the classroom with a bulging belly.

Class 7 of Grade 11 is a full-humanities class. Logically speaking, there should be no key class in a full-humanities class. However, since the top two students in the grade are both in Class 7, and the overall average score is good, everyone tacitly regards Class 7 of Grade 11 as the leader among the five humanities classes.

On the first day of school, during lunch break, not many people in the class were sleeping. Most people were studying with their heads down. Occasionally, a few people would daydream, but they would be whispering to each other with their heads close together.

The baby-faced girl quickly glanced at the boy diagonally behind her and nudged her deskmate's arm: "Hey, did you know that Shen Yue and You Congxi almost got into a fight in the cafeteria today?"

Desk mate: "!!!"

My deskmate: "Really?!"

"Shh," the baby-faced girl gestured for her deskmate to be quiet, then glanced around to make sure everyone was busy with their own things and no one was paying attention to them. She felt relieved. "Of course it's true. I just heard it with my own ears in the washroom. Apparently, it's because You Congxi took first place from Shen Yue, so Shen Yue went to cause trouble for her."

The deskmate glanced at the boy sleeping on the desk, rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, and said, "Isn't You Congxi in big trouble? I heard that Shen Yue is very close to those delinquents outside of school. I remember last semester Shen Yue had to read his self-criticisms at least ten times. I hope he won't hire someone to beat up You Congxi."

The baby-faced girl gasped, "No way... I've never heard of him hitting girls..."

My deskmate said, "Who can say for sure about these things? Don't be fooled by his good looks. They say online that the more handsome someone is, the harder they hit someone!"

......

The violent maniac, who was lying on the table, stirred and slowly raised his head.

I slept in the wrong position just now, and my legs are a little numb.

Shen Yue frowned and tentatively moved his foot. The numbing sensation, like stepping on an electric wire, made his already somewhat aloof face even more gloomy.

As soon as You Congxi entered the classroom, she met Shen Yue's gaze.

His eyebrows were furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly, his eyelids were half-closed, and his gaze seemed to be directed at some inanimate object. His lips were tightly pressed together, and his entire being exuded an aura of displeasure.

You Congxi: "..."

Is it too late for her to escape now?

The thought had barely crossed my mind when my body reacted before my brain could process it—

She abruptly took half a step back, the soles of her shoes scraping against the ground with a slight "scratching" sound that was unusually jarring in the quiet classroom.

Almost simultaneously, Shen Yue's face, like that of a demon king, grew even more stern—

"Hey, You Congxi."