Not long after, Liu Shishi returned. The gauze wrapped around her face confirmed she’d indeed gone to the infirmary.

But… was that slap really *that* bad? Sure, she’d hit hard.

Still, it shouldn’t have left Liu Shishi needing bandages, right??

Her hands weren’t covered in thorns.

Damn… I really shouldn’t have. Didn’t realize it’d be this serious.

Maybe I should apologize later… but she groped me first! Though as… well, as a guy at heart, lashing out just because a girl touched my chest—was I being petty?

Ugh, so conflicted.

Liu Shishi walked into the classroom, face impassive as if the bandages didn’t exist. She headed straight toward Li Mo, who felt her heart begin to race slightly.

Her seat wasn’t even in this row. What did she want? Revenge? Oh crap.

And she was *definitely* staring right at her!

Beneath that blank mask—was there a hint of killing intent? Li Mo couldn’t tell. *Is she gonna attack me right here?*

Whatever! Bring it!

"Huh?"

Li Mo had finally steeled herself after a whirlwind of inner panic, glaring back fiercely—only to watch Liu Shishi turn away at her row and approach a girl in the second row instead. "Xiao Jia, lend me your geography review booklet. I forgot mine."

"Sure… Shishi, what happened to your face?"

Xiao Jia had been hunched over holiday homework. Still looking down, she reached blindly into her bag, pulling out the booklet before glancing up and spotting the injury.

"Whoa, don’t ask—I took a nasty fall. Hurts like hell."

"Be more careful! What if you scar?"

Liu Shishi’s excuse raised no suspicion. After taking the booklet and thanking Xiao Jia, she returned to her seat and buried herself in her book. Xiao Jia went back to her homework. Just a normal student exchange.

Nothing to do with Li Mo.

*Phew…*

Relief washed over her. Thank goodness Liu Shishi hadn’t exposed her. And since *she’d* been the one who slapped her… Li Mo felt a flicker of gratitude.

Yeah, I’ll apologize later.

"Dude, Li Mo! Why’re you AFK?? We’re getting wiped out!"

"Huh? Oh—sorry!"

Tang Zhe’s sudden wail snapped Li Mo back to reality. She’d been gaming with him while lecturing him about emotional intelligence, but Liu Shishi’s entrance had broken her focus.

Too late. Her character was already dead.

"Bro, what’s with the zoning out? Lose one more match and we can’t queue together."

Tang Zhe groaned, rubbing his head. Rank drops hurt both players.

*How is this guy so bad at pure PvP?* Tang Zhe thought, *Feels like carrying a noob who’s all hype and no skill.*

"Relax, next win’s guaranteed. And Tang Zhe—you need bigger-picture thinking! If you’re this impatient with girls later, they’ll ditch you fast."

"With your skills? Carrying you’s worse than carrying a noob girl."

Their renewed closeness let Tang Zhe tease freely. "Also, Mr. Never-Had-A-Girlfriend—why act like you know girls’ minds? Trying to teach *me* how to flirt?"

"I’m worried for you, dumbass! As your homie, I can’t watch you die alone!"

Li Mo stomped on his foot. Tang Zhe yelped, ignoring the game’s countdown to grab Li Mo’s head with one big hand, squeezing hard.

*Soul Drain!*

"Ow—ow ow ow! Stop—!"

*How’s he so strong??* Li Mo shook her head wildly to escape.

*He’s rough with girls too. Everything he does hurts!*

Wait.

She wasn’t a girl.

"*Ahem.*"

A cough cut through their antics. No need to guess who.

Li Mo looked up to see Liu Shishi watching them with an unreadable expression. Her cough had clearly been a warning.

Fair enough. Though the classroom was half-empty, most were studying. Their noise *was* disruptive. Li Mo scowled but stayed quiet. Tang Zhe, new and rule-abiding, reluctantly released Li Mo’s head.

*Weird… His body’s so soft. Like he’s made of tofu. One squeeze and he’d shatter.*

*Not exactly thug material. Seriously strange.*

"Before you school me on talking to girls," Tang Zhe muttered, "fix your own health. Let me drag you on morning runs. Seriously."

As a homie, he worried. With some grooming, Li Mo’s face could attract girls—even if his mouth ran nonstop.

Tang Zhe knew—he’d almost said yes to a middle school confession once. But his single mom’s strict "no dating" rule killed that dream. Zero allowance for romance.

Li Mo was different.

Unless he miraculously found someone into his… vibe…

He’d never land a girlfriend without building some muscle. Looking more masculine was non-negotiable.

*Never land a girlfriend…*

*Wait. Li Mo knows what he looks like. Before transferring, a friend mentioned only 0s—the uke type—act this feminine.*

!

*Weird thoughts intensify.*

"Hey, Li Mo… private question."

"Huh?"

Li Mo braced for disaster.

Tang Zhe leaned in, dead serious:

"Do you like boys… or girls?"