Li Ming had a splitting headache—no, an *exceptionally* splitting one.

The source of his agony sat calmly in her seat, gazing out at the campus scenery as if it held some profound secret. To Li Ming, that view was just an excuse for her to avoid him.

His intuition about girls’ minds had never been sharper.

The girl giving him this headache—Li Qianying, the class flower of Class 9—had just turned away with obvious impatience. Don’t mistake Li Ming for some creep harassing girls. He was simply frustrated that his work wouldn’t be finished on time.

*She’s actually enjoying this.*

His gut told him the aloof goddess pretending to be annoyed was secretly relishing his persistence. *What the hell? Did this ice queen get kicks out of messing with people?*

“…Li Qianying, is there really no way you can hand over your contact info this afternoon?”

“Yes. I forgot my phone.”

Li Ming wouldn’t endure the whole class’s weird stares unless it was work-related. Still, he’d rather suffer than send unreliable Zhang Qianxing to get kicked out by Li Qianying.

*He’d actually been stood up for work.*

They’d agreed that morning—she’d bring it this afternoon. Now, watching her admire the view with that pretty, evasive face, Li Ming felt utterly dumbfounded.

*This job won’t be smooth sailing from now on.*

As Li Ming agonized over what to do, he didn’t notice Li Qianying glance at him. Surprise flickered across her face, then a barely noticeable smile.

*Forgetting her own number? Ridiculous.* Only someone like Li Ming would trust others so easily.

He never imagined the cold, distant Li Qianying would deliberately toy with him.

Truth was, Li Ming shone too brightly. Talented people naturally drew attention. Even Li Qianying didn’t realize her thrill came from watching a top student stumble—a dangerous sign. She was already treating him differently.

“This is trouble. I hope the class teacher hasn’t submitted the files yet. Missing one student’s info means redoing everything and burdening the admin staff.”

Li Ming blamed no one. His good upbringing—and Senior Bailin’s past lessons on handling surprises—kept him level-headed.

Just as he weighed solutions to get Li Qianying to bring her number tomorrow, an unexpected savior appeared.

“What’s this? Li Ming, worried? That’s not like you.”

“Ah! Xu Lu. Afternoon. Sorry, I didn’t see you.”

“No problem. I just arrived and caught you stressing. Looks like our Qianying forgot her promise. Luckily, the class teacher isn’t strict. Don’t worry.”

Xu Lu smoothly stepped between them at the perfect moment. She rescued Li Ming—and interrupted Li Qianying’s hand, which had been reaching into her desk.

*She hadn’t forgotten. She’d brought her phone. She was just playing with him.* But with Xu Lu here, Li Qianying couldn’t keep up the act.

“Don’t be so familiar. I don’t know you. Stay away.”

Xu Lu’s cheerful smile ignited sudden fury in Li Qianying. She spared no courtesy for the study committee member—and shot Li Ming a glare too.

“No worries. I’m Xu Lu, study committee member. Now we know each other, right?”

“I said *stay away*. Are you deaf?”

Xu Lu’s outstretched hand was ignored. Trapped between Class 9’s two beauties, Li Ming felt a chill down his neck. The air had turned icy.

“Everyone’s watching,” Li Ming murmured, low enough for only them to hear. As class monitor, he couldn’t let division fester. A fractured class was a doomed class.

“Hmph…”

“How could I disobey the monitor?”

Sparks flew between Xu Lu and Li Qianying’s locked gazes. But with Li Ming present, now wasn’t the time to clash. Both retreated silently, pretending nothing happened.

Xu Lu’s playful smile felt far warmer than Li Qianying’s frozen expression.

“But the monitor still has a problem, right? Qianying, are you worried about privacy? Don’t fear—I’ll keep your number secret with Li Ming.”

“Shut up! I just forgot it!”

*Admitting she lied? With Li Ming here? Impossible.* Xu Lu’s “solution” backfired.

“Forgetting your own number is rare. Here—take mine. Call me tonight, and we’ll sort it out.”

Xu Lu scribbled her number on paper and handed it over. Li Qianying snatched it, crumpled it, and shoved it into her pocket—eyes flicking to Li Ming beside Xu Lu.

Li Ming hadn’t found a single gap to speak. *Xu Lu completely outmaneuvered her.*

*That’s some serious skill.*

“Why are you still spacing out, Monitor? Qianying won’t forget again. Let’s go.”

“Ah! Please don’t forget this time!”

Li Ming’s intuition flared again—he sensed Li Qianying’s simmering irritation. Unsure how to comfort her, he was already being dragged away by Xu Lu.

Li Qianying stared rigidly out the window, her grip tightening on the crumpled paper ball in her pocket.

Her heart was in chaos. All she could see was Xu Lu’s possessive hand on Li Ming’s arm.