Zhou Zhiyi had once considered telling others about Fate Marks, but he quickly buried the thought.

Even if anyone would believe him, the sheer terror deep inside locked his throat shut—it felt like a divine warning.

Speaking it aloud would surely bring death.

Yet here it was, happening right before his eyes.

*Would chatting on QQ avoid this? And who’s on the other end?*

He knew all his contacts’ QQ accounts. This couldn’t be someone close. Then why did she know about Fate Marks?

In any manga, the plot always revolves around the protagonist. If she wasn’t near the MC, how could she possibly know?

*"Why so quiet? Scared you’ll die if you mention Fate Marks?"*

*"Who are you?"*

Zhou Zhiyi typed slowly, unsure if speaking of Fate Marks would kill him.

*"Is this how you flirt? Shouldn’t the guy introduce himself first?"*

*What do you even want from me?!*

Cold sweat slid down Zhou Zhiyi’s temple. He feared the Rascal Lolita God might kill him for revealing Fate Marks.

But no dread surged in his chest yet. *Maybe… it’s safe?*

*"I’m Zhou Zhiyi. A sophomore at X City No. 7 High."*

He exhaled after hitting send. Nothing happened. The real test was whether mentioning Fate Marks would trigger disaster.

*"Since you shared, I guess I should too."*

Her tone made Zhou Zhiyi picture a mischievous girl.

*"I’m Che Qingshi. A sophomore at X City No. 9 High."*

She mirrored his format exactly.

*Che? Such a rare surname…*

But she wasn’t from No. 7. How did she know about Fate Marks?

*"Hey, No. 7 and No. 9 are close. Wanna meet this weekend?"*

Just as Zhou Zhiyi dodged the Fate Mark topic, Che Qingshi ignored it entirely, bluntly suggesting a meetup.

*Is this real? What’s her goal?*

*"Why overthink it? Wouldn’t you be thrilled to meet a gorgeous girl?"*

*Seriously? Who calls themselves ‘gorgeous’?! And how do I even know what you look like?!*

He bit back the retort.

*"…Okay."*

*"Then see you Saturday. G’night."*

*"Night."*

*"Night."*

Zhou Zhiyi shut his laptop and lay back, staring at the ceiling—white as a maiden’s skin—as he replayed the chat.

*She was probing about Fate Marks earlier. Why drop it? Planning to ask in person? What if I don’t know?*

*What’s she really after?*

Unable to decipher her motives, he shifted thoughts to Qin Huan.

In manga logic, when the female second lead asks the male second lead about his ideal girl, it’s always setup for her to become the MC’s love interest.

The moment had caught him off guard earlier. Now it clicked: this was textbook teen romance manga material.

No story ever had the female second lead truly liking the male second lead from the start. He was just the MC’s shadow. Ironically, the second lead often seemed more impressive than the protagonist—a bitter joke.

True, the second lead suffered. But Zhou Zhiyi wasn’t doomed to that role.

He recalled the Rascal Lolita God’s words: *"When a Fate Mark is held by another, it loses power. If someone else bleeds on it, the Mark becomes theirs."*

*A classic xuanhuan trope.*

But becoming the protagonist required more. The Rascal Lolita God had added: *"This works for side characters. Useless against the MC. To become the protagonist, there’s only one way—"*

*"Kill the protagonist."*