Jiangyx Jiang: [MY ROOMMATES KEEP ASKING WHEN WE STARTED DATING! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO EXPLAIN THIS TO THEM Aaahhh!ヽ(#`Д´)ノ]
Jiangyx Jiang: [AND ALL THOSE CLASSMATES TOO—EVERY SINGLE ONE THINKS WE’RE TOGETHER! (╥_╥) DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN THIS TO EVERY LAST PERSON?! (ﾉ｀⊿´)ﾉ]
Jiangyx Jiang: [PLUS THAT BANNER AT NOON—SO MANY SAW IT… Aaahhh MY REPUTATION’S RUINED BECAUSE OF YOU IDIOTS! (;｀O´)o]
Jiangyx Jiang: [QUICK, HOW DO WE FIX THIS?!?!]
Cheng Yu’s phone kept vibrating. He kept sneaking glances at the messages, sighing helplessly each time.
*What can I do? I’m desperate too—I’m a victim of these rumors!*
At noon, they’d spent ages untangling the whole mess and its contradictions. If Cheng Yu hadn’t held her back, Jiangyx Jiang would’ve strangled Zhou Weihua right then and there.
“I’M NOT DATING HIM! HE NEVER EVEN CONFESSIONED! IF YOU DON’T CLEAR UP THESE MISUNDERSTANDINGS WITH EVERYONE ELSE, I’LL TELL THE HOMEROOM TEACHER AND MAKE ALL OF YOU WRITE SELF-CRITICISM REPORTS!”
Jiangyx Jiang stormed off, fuming. Lin Shengwan followed shortly after, smiling as she bid them goodbye. Knowing the rumors about Jiangyx Jiang and Cheng Yu were false was enough for her—she didn’t care about the rest.
But just before leaving, she glanced at Zhou Weihua resting nearby.
*People around His Highness… seem a bit troublesome…*
Zhou Weihua suddenly felt needles pricking his back. He looked around wildly, cold sweat soaking his shirt.
Cheng Yu knew none of this. Right now, he was forwarding Jiangyx Jiang’s barrage of messages to Zhou Weihua, then typing:
[WHAT DO YOU THINK?]
He watched Zhou Weihua pull out his phone, stare at it for a moment, then start typing.
Zhou Weihua: [THE KAOMOJI ARE KINDA CUTE THO]
Cheng Yu: [DUDE. SERIOUSLY? THAT’S NOT THE POINT!]
Cheng Yu rolled his eyes, shoved his phone into his desk drawer—then pulled it out again seconds later to type:
Cheng Yu: [BUT YEAH… I GUESS THE CLASS REP’S KAOMOJI ARE PRETTY CUTE. NEVER KNEW SHE WAS LIKE THIS IN PRIVATE.]
He put his phone away again. This time, no reply came for a long while.
Cheng Yu tilted his head toward Zhou Weihua. Zhou Weihua stared back, equally confused.
Then Cheng Yu checked his phone.
He’d sent that last message to Jiangyx Jiang.
“Grass!”
The shout ripped through the quiet classroom. Every head snapped toward Cheng Yu at once.
“Ahem… if you have issues with my lecture,” the teacher said dryly, “you may discuss them with me after class. No need to… vent during lessons.”
“No no no, sir, you misunderstand! I meant—grass. The plant.”
Snickers rippled through the room. Whispers swelled until the teacher had to call for quiet three times.
Only Jiangyx Jiang kept her face buried in her desk, hidden from everyone.
*He… he called me cute?*
*No no no—he must’ve sent it to the wrong person. Probably meant for someone else.*
*…But that just means…*
*He talks about me being cute behind my back?*
Her cheeks burned. Even without seeing them, she knew they were crimson.
She remembered noon—how fiercely she’d denied dating Zhou Weihua, denied any confession.
But why…
*Why didn’t I deny liking Cheng Yu?*
…
The afternoon classes finally ended. Cheng Yu turned to find Jiangyx Jiang—but she’d already bolted from the classroom, vanishing without a backward glance.
He scratched his head, sighing. *Guess I’ll deal with this later.*
No evening classes today. No morning classes tomorrow either. Cheng Yu had already planned a full night gaming in his dorm.
Too many chaotic days lately—he hadn’t touched his beloved Flamethrower LMG in ages.
His eyes lit up at the thought. He ditched his groupmates mid-discussion, grabbed his books, and sprinted straight to the elevator.
The elevator crawled upward. Cheng Yu didn’t mind. He pulled out his phone, scrolling through Pineapple Fiction APP, checking his favorite webnovel updates.
Giggles drifted from down the hall. A cluster of girls chatted about dinner plans.
“Ugh, what to eat tonight? So hard to decide.”
“Why bother? Just make that silly girl bring it for us again.”
“…Is that really okay? Every time?”
“Why not? It’s always been like this. Besides, she’s happy to do it—wags her tail like a happy puppy whenever we ask.”
“Yeah… but we’ve never even paid her back…”
“Who cares? Her family’s loaded. And have you seen how those CS guys fawn over her? They’d bring her meals every day if they could.”
“Exactly. Let her taste what it’s like. Saves her from playing innocent around them all the time.”
“I hate girls like her—acting all pure and helpless while boys dance around her… Pfft. If her department wasn’t so guy-heavy, who’d waste time on such a clueless girl?”
“Right? And she keeps saying ‘we’re all friends’ with that innocent face—ugh, what a fake!”
“So yeah. Let her bring our meals. She likes it anyway. Hehe.”
“Oh! Elevator’s here… Hey, guy! Are you getting on or what? Move if you’re not!”
Cheng Yu stepped aside wordlessly, watching the girls pile into the elevator, laughing.
*CS department. Meal-runner. “Friends.”*
No names were said—but Cheng Yu knew exactly who they meant.
*Whatever. They said she chooses this herself. Not my problem.*
[YOU’VE LEARNED SUZHAN YUE’S ROOMMATES’ SECRET. YOUR CHOICE?]
[A: ACT IGNORANT. REWARD: BECOME CEO OF SUXIA ENERGY]
[B: CONFRONT THEM. REWARD: AN ORIGINAL VAN GOGH PAINTING]
[C: REPORT TO CS MAJORS. REWARD: LIMITED-EDITION DIAMOND-ENCUSTED PS5]
[D: TELL SUZHAN YUE THE TRUTH. REWARD: +1 RANDOM ATTRIBUTE POINT]
???
*Hold up. This is messed up.*
*Did they swap A and D? Are they trying to push me into the fire?!*
*I had plans to game all night! Why’s this system obsessed with some girl?!*
*Damn it—I already chose NOT to get involved at noon! Now I’m forced into this just ’cause I overheard?!*
Cheng Yu’s head throbbed. He stared at the options, despair creeping in.
Then, unbidden, Suzhan Yue’s bright, innocent smile flashed in his mind.
*…Guess I don’t have a choice after all.*
He sighed heavily, trudging back to the classroom. He tossed his books and notebook to his roommate.
“Take these back for me. Oh—and grab dinner for Lin Jie too. I’ll return the favor next time.”
Zhou Weihua caught the notebook, bewildered. Hou Chen frowned. “Where are you going?”
“Tutoring.”
Cheng Yu stretched, then met his roommates’ stunned stares with a resigned smile.
“Time to give a clueless girl a crash course in human relationships… and real-world survival.”
