"I said, why are you even here?"

Wu Feng, looking as if he hadn’t slept at all, sat up at the words, his face etched with displeasure.

Hey, come on—aren’t you even a little moved by such a pretty girl?

"So mean…"

Chu Xinyue’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her pitifully charming expression stirring a trace of pity in anyone who saw her.

"We were together all that time, and—"

"Don’t you dare say anything that could be misunderstood!"

Wu Feng sprang up as if electrified, covering her lips—soft as flower petals—with his hand. Clearly, they’d shared quite a history.

"What the heck? Since when did Wu Feng get such a gorgeous girlfriend?"

"Is this world beyond saving?"

"Did he blackmail her or something?"

"Seriously, it’s like a rose planted in manure?"

…

Sure enough, as per usual, the crowd erupted into shocked chatter and snark. And as per usual…

"Seriously, man? You didn’t tell me you had such a cute girlfriend? Not cool, bro!"

Right on cue, that inner command surfaced.

Zhou Zhiyi had no choice but to obey it—but honestly, he’d have said the same thing anyway.

*Crack!*

A sharp snap echoed from the podium. Zhou Zhiyi glanced over to see Liu Yongxue, looking eerily yandere-like, slamming her giant ruler against the desk.

"Think you can turn this place upside down? Everyone stands for the rest of class! And I’m taking your break time too!"

Yep, just as expected…

"Take care of me from now on, Xiao Feng," Chu Xinyue said with a smile, sliding into the last empty seat—right behind Wu Feng, close enough to touch.

"Don’t push your luck!" Wu Feng snapped, clearly annoyed by the nickname, his voice rising slightly.

"Got it, Xiao Feng."

"…"

Wu Feng sighed, resigned to the fact he couldn’t change anything, and fell silent.

When does this kind of luck ever hit the second male lead? Why can’t a pretty girl just drop into my life?

Zhou Zhiyi grumbled inwardly but kept it hidden.

During the break, Chu Xinyue quickly made friends. Thanks to their proximity, Zhou Zhiyi overheard their chatter clearly.

Many girls asked why she liked Wu Feng, but she never gave a straight answer.

"Because Xiao Feng is kinder than anyone else," she replied, her smile brighter than sunshine—leaving no room for argument, not even a snarky comeback.

"How far have you two gone?"

"Um… can I skip that?" A cherry-colored blush spread across Chu Xinyue’s cheeks. "It’s… a bit… embarrassing…"

"EHHHHH?!"

Zhou Zhiyi spotted Qin Huan nearby, tearing up scratch paper with terrifying intensity.

Girl, you’re in deep trouble.

"Zhou Zhiyi, where’s that bastard Wu Feng?" Xie Wenbolong, Wu Feng’s best friend, demanded, veins bulging on his forehead like they might burst.

Whoa, calm down—it’s not that dramatic.

"Yeah, where’d that jerk run off to?" Liu Tingyuan fumed. "We all swore we were single! He tricked me! He’s got such a cute girlfriend, right?"

"No clue. He vanished the second class ended," Zhou Zhiyi shrugged. "Probably hiding somewhere."

"Got the guts to get a girlfriend but not to face us?" Xie Wenbolong shot back, then stormed off to find Wu Feng in the bathroom.

He couldn’t really be hiding in the bathroom, could he?

Why can’t a plot like this happen to me?

Zhou Zhiyi thought helplessly.