Thanks to the leave slip Shu Yue provided, the two easily bypassed security and walked out of the school gate.

Now that they were off campus, Jiang Fan dropped his gloomy shut-in act. He took off his glasses, pulled a hair tie from his wrist, and tied his long hair into a small braid. Except for his unstyled bangs and lack of a waiter’s uniform, he looked just like he did while working at the bar.

The bite mark left by Mu Yuli had faded, so he wasn’t wearing his oversized uniform jacket today. The blue-and-white uniform looked unexpectedly casual on him. Combined with his laid-back aura, many people didn’t even notice he was a student at first glance.

Lin Mengyao trailing behind him naturally drew even more attention. Her stunning looks always made her the center of any crowd. Still shaken from earlier, she felt both ashamed of her own behavior and conflicted about Jiang Fan’s actions.

She’d stayed silent the whole time, quietly following him without her usual bickering. To passersby, they looked like a couple who’d just argued—Lin Mengyao like a wronged wife, hesitating to approach him despite wanting to.

*“Are these two filming an idol drama? Both the guy up front and the girl behind are ridiculously good-looking!”*

*“Probably not. That guy’s wearing No. 1 High’s uniform. My cousin goes there, and I haven’t heard about any filming.”*

*“Ah! Quick, get your cousin to ask for his contact! I think my spring of love’s finally here!”*

*“Get real. Can’t you see his girlfriend behind him? Do you even stand a chance?”*

*“With the right shovel, no wall is unbreakable!”*

*“…”*

Waiting for the subway, Jiang Fan overheard the girls’ whispers behind him. He didn’t care as long as they didn’t approach him.

Lin Mengyao, however, flushed. Already flustered from the school incident, being mistaken for his girlfriend made her tug his sleeve.

“Aren’t you going to explain things to them?”

Jiang Fan glanced at her, then back at the arrival board. “Explain what? We know the truth. That’s enough.”

If he had to clarify every misunderstanding, he might as well never leave home.

“But your girlfriend…” Lin Mengyao hesitated. *She’s so possessive she won’t even let him like 2D characters. If she finds out about this…*

Why was she even worrying about him? She should’ve enjoyed his suffering.

*…Just repaying the ice cream debt!*

*Yes. Lin Mengyao settles scores fairly. One thing at a time.*

She lifted her head, waiting for his answer.

“Her?” Jiang Fan frowned slightly. “Yeah, she’d probably throw a fit over this…” He shook his head. “Whatever. I’ve got nothing to hide. Why should I fear her?”

Before Lin Mengyao could reply, the train arrived. Jiang Fan stepped forward, cutting her off.

“Any places you want to go? If not, I’ll lead.”

Since this was the starting station, plenty of seats were free. Jiang Fan sat down and looked at her.

“…Anywhere’s fine.”

She’d dragged him out on impulse. Now she’d just follow blindly—even if he sold her, she’d probably count the money for him.

“Chenghua Road, then. The city library’s there. It’s Sunday—Wuyi Plaza and the shopping streets will be packed. I hate crowds in the sun. Let’s finish early, grab lunch, and head home.”

*Mainly because Chen Jing’s bar is near Chenghua Road. After handling Lin Mengyao, I can kill time at an internet café like yesterday, then go straight to work.*

*Don’t think I’ll play gentleman and escort her back. We’re not close.*

Lin Mengyao sat a seat away. When Jiang Fan fell silent, she didn’t know how to start a conversation and just stared at her lap.

The 15-minute ride dragged. Bored, Jiang Fan pulled out his phone. Normally, he’d grind mobile games, but since last night, he’d only managed to download *Genshin Impact* and *Arknights*—even after burning through mobile data.

*Damn HoYoverse. Their games eat storage like monsters. Genshin alone drained my data. Crawling at throttled speeds, I barely finished Arknights’ last 10%… Criminal!*

Now, with throttled data and poor subway signal, he couldn’t even log in. After five minutes stuck on the loading screen, he nearly threw his phone.

*Resin? Joke’s on me—I can’t even launch the game!*

*Sanity? Gone. This Doctor has zero sanity left!*

Then he noticed two thugs with leering grins edging toward them. They clearly planned to sandwich Lin Mengyao. She’d already shifted aside, but they kept closing in. Pale and frozen, she’d never faced such harassment.

*Tch. Women are trouble.*

Jiang Fan clicked his tongue, stood abruptly, and startled the thugs.

“Move. Sit here.”

He yanked Lin Mengyao past them, placing her in his seat against the handrail. He sat beside her, leaving barely any space between them—their arms almost touching.

The thugs glared but, wary of the public setting, backed off without a scene.

“Th-thank you…” Lin Mengyao whispered after calming down, face flushed. But Jiang Fan had already put on his earphones, completely oblivious. Her gratitude curdled into fresh irritation.

*This is exactly why he’s so infuriating!*