"That guy over there—he had lunch with Xiaomo at noon!!"

"No way! How could Xiaomo even look at such a nobody?! It’s gotta be a lie, right?!"

"Unbelievable—I lost to some nobody I’ve never even heard of?!"

"......"

Now I finally get it. This weird feeling of being stared at like some rare zoo animal—I’m tasting it firsthand. Sorry about snapping at your complaints earlier, Xiaomo...

But this hallway jam isn’t *just* because of Xiaomo. Yep, total gridlock. Too many gawkers crowded outside our classroom.

School had already let out early, but our English teacher—a woman who always kept us after class—finally gave up. Even she couldn’t ignore the noise outside.

Most came to see Xiaomo, sure. Some out of sympathy. Others just to memorize the face of the bastard who stole their goddess—me—so they could hunt me down later. A few were mere rubberneckers. But the first group dominated, all glaring at me through tinted lenses.

"Is Xiaomo being threatened?!"

"Totally possible. That guy doesn’t exactly scream ‘upstanding citizen’..."

"Hey now—who’s threatening *who* here?!" I muttered under my breath.

I glanced left at Mengxiang’s empty seat. She’d skipped afternoon classes. I knew why. "Sick"? Please. She just couldn’t stand the sight of me after what happened.

How could anyone *not* be furious? The guy who just got rejected by his childhood friend suddenly lands a new girlfriend overnight?

"Bai Huiyuan!"

Our English teacher’s voice cracked like a whip—first time I’d seen her this stern.

"Get out. Now."

"Me?!"

The hallway chaos had drowned out her lecture. Honestly, half the class was whispering anyway. But why pick *me*?

Dragging my feet, I shuffled out. First time ever being kicked out mid-class—not counting skips, of course.

"Darling~"

Xiaomo hooked her arm through mine, pressing close. A soft pressure bloomed against my arm. She purred in that honeyed voice only she could pull off, flashing me secret, sultry glances.

*What the hell is this act?! Stop making us look like a real couple!*

*Whoa—chest contact! Chest contact!*

Wait—this was deliberate. That slightly flushed innocent smile. The perfectly pitched sweet tone. Only a veteran flirt could balance purity and temptation like this. For every single guy watching? A one-two punch straight to the heart.

Gasps and groans exploded around us. Mostly rage—I could feel their stares like daggers aimed at my chest.

*"Xiaomo has a boyfriend?!"*

The whispers stabbed my ears again and again. I’d braced for this, but the reality still hit harder than expected.

I walked stiffly—or rather, got dragged along—twisting my face away from the crowd. A futile gesture, but I had to try escaping those judgmental eyes.

"Now I understand how you felt..."

"Yeah?"

"Let’s get out of here. I might not survive the next minute otherwise—"

"Then run away with me, darling~!"

Xiaomo dropped a line straight out of a cheesy romance drama. *Are you trying to get me killed?!*

"Yaaah!"

A girl’s shriek pierced the air as we pushed through the wailing hallway toward the exit. Made me jump—but at least this only happened on school grounds.

Once we cleared the gates, we could go our separate ways.

Exhausted after the day’s chaos, I turned left down a side alley shortcut near the gate. Xiaomo called out just as I was about to vanish. I glanced back. Her eyebrows twitched—definitely angry.

"Forgot something important, *boyfriend*?" She stressed the last word, fake-smiling.

Even knowing it was an act, that smile was impossible to resist. *Damn pretty-girl privileges... Ugh, why are beauties so troublesome?!*

I grunted agreement and trailed behind her. Almost forgot—I had to walk her home. The thought of repeating this nightmare for days made my head throb.

"Walk *beside* me! What’s with those dragging footsteps?!"

I was already six meters behind her, resigned to my fate. Xiaomo spun around, exasperated.

A convenience store hummed to my left. Maybe I could duck in and hide? Xiaomo shook her head, then jogged back toward me—just as the automatic doors slid open.

*Pink hair?! No—help her up first!*

"Sorry about that—"

I reached for the girl Xiaomo had bumped into, apologizing on Xiaomo’s behalf. Same school uniform. Then I froze.

It was Xu Mengxiang.

Her ash-brown shoulder-length hair glowed fiercely in the sunset, catching the light like spun gold.

"It’s fine... Huh?!"

Mengxiang looked up, her deer-like green eyes wide with panic. *I’m* the one who should be panicking.

She yanked her hand from mine, snatched her fallen bag, and stood.

"So you bounced back fast, huh? I never took you for this kind of person!"

Her harsh words stung—but fair enough. Who wouldn’t feel sick seeing someone date immediately after a rejection?

"Oh? And who’s this little one, Huiyuan? A friend?" Xiaomo rose smoothly, looping her arm through mine again. Her tone dripped with false sweetness, as if noticing Mengxiang just now.

"I’m not a kid!" Mengxiang snapped.

"Ah! The elementary school’s that way!" Xiaomo pointed dramatically. "Run along before your teacher worries!"

*You completely missed the point! Actually, you made it worse!*

"I’m not a child! We wear the same uniform!"

"Then who *are* you?"

"I’m Xiao Yuan’s childhood friend!"

Mengxiang said it with sudden, fierce pride. Was that my imagination?

"Oh? A jilted childhood friend?"

"What’s a ‘jilted friend’?! Stop labeling people! And—yesterday you confessed to *me*, today you’ve got a girlfriend? Was my confession just a joke to you?!"

"Oh-ho! So *that’s* what you did?" Xiaomo squeezed my arm. "Huiyuan, darling—which matters more to you? Me? Or this jilted childhood friend?"

"Xiao Yuan?!"

"Huiyuan darling?!"

*Huh?!*