Gu Chuan was the only guy who’d spend twenty minutes rambling about a League of Legends pro player’s highlights while riding the subway with a cute girl.

But the real oddity? The girl listening—Qiu Muzhe.

She actually enjoyed it.

When their stop arrived, she rose reluctantly. Gu Chuan realized he’d gotten a little carried away.

His gaze sharpened. He reached for Qiu Muzhe’s bag resting on the seat.

“Let me carry it.”

Her eyes lit up.

She murmured the title she’d whispered countless times—met with silence far too often.

“Senior…”

Gu Chuan’s silhouette stepped into the morning sun spilling from the subway exit.

Qiu Muzhe felt a little dazed—until his voice pulled her back, his glance flicking over his shoulder.

“Bell rings in ten. Hurry.”

“…Okay!”

She hurried after him, steps light and eager, like an Akita pup reuniting with its owner.

Above Gu Chuan’s vision, the number symbolizing his heartbeat points flickered silently.

110 → the tens digit shifted to 2.

+10 points. Now 120.

Only 80 away from the 200 needed to buy .

His breath hitched slightly—he’d felt it.

Since leaving home, he’d kept the display hovering in his sightline nonstop, testing how points accumulated.

For someone with OCD, it was borderline torture: a persistent visual glitch—like crooked books, messy handwriting, a chipped phone screen.

Uncomfortable, yes. But tolerable.

He just never expected the trigger to appear so soon.

Qiu Muzhe felt Senior Gu’s gaze sink deep into her.

She didn’t understand why—but her heart raced like never before.

A shy, bashful flush bloomed across her pretty face.

Gu Chuan blinked. *Shy? Bashful?* Qiu Muzhe? She’d always been the bold, relentless one.

Yet one glance from him unraveled her into delicate, flustered sweetness.

The contrast was oddly endearing. He found himself drawn—to her, and to that flickering number.

Heartbeat points +1. 121.

*Because of her shyness?* Gu Chuan’s eyelid twitched. A wild thought struck him.

Maybe “heartbeat points” wasn’t just about heartbeats…

Judging by her reaction just now—*heart-fluttering* fit far better.

Did he need to make others’ hearts flutter?

Or was this merely one collection method among many?

He still didn’t know why five hours gaming with HeyZed added exactly 10 points.

Or what triggered the system’s activation… or why he started with 100.

“Senior… what are you thinking?”

“I’m wondering… if you’ve had your heart flutter for me,” Gu Chuan murmured, unaware how explosive those words were in reality.

The number flickered again.

Heartbeat points +1. 122!

“Senior, you’re so bad… that’s such a leading question!”

Qiu Muzhe gently bit her rosy lip, eyes shimmering with coquettish mist.

*But even if he’s “bad”… don’t I still like him?*

Her hands pressed against her fluttering chest, gaze clinging to Gu Chuan’s back.

“…”

Gu Chuan fell silent. Rarely flustered—but he’d just voiced his inner monologue aloud.

To onlookers, they were a perfect match: the aloof senior, the blushing junior.

Envy and sourness bubbled. *Doesn’t this school have a discipline director to catch PDA?*

As if summoned—Director Liu appeared before them, smiling smugly.

Gu Chuan knew him. The director knew Gu Chuan *better*: a repeat offender, stubbornly unrepentant.

“Student Gu Chuan,” Liu purred, “early romance costs conduct points. You’re heading into senior year—surely you don’t want expulsion hanging over you?”

His smile felt icy. Fake.

Nicknamed “Chameleon” for his talent at reading rooms and playing favorites.

Back when Gu Chuan was “dating” Lin Churou? Liu ganked him hard—ten conduct points gone.

Lin Churou? A light tap: one point. Blatant bias.

Later, with An Qianmeng? He turned a blind eye.

No matter how openly sweet they were—buying drinks, feeding cakes—his beady eyes behind gray sunglasses saw *nothing*.

Why? An Qianmeng’s family held major school shares.

As long as Gu Chuan didn’t “publicly make a baby” with her? Untouchable.

Post-breakup? Just another nobody.

And now—Director Liu was back.

Gu Chuan didn’t even glance up. Voice cold.

“Move. I’m late.”

“Hmph. Since when do you care about punctuality?”

“No explanation about this young lady? Then I’ll call your parents.”

Director Liu was clearly gunning for him today.

“I’m not dating anyone.”

Gu Chuan’s final reply.

“Hah! Saying that *to her face*?” Liu turned to Qiu Muzhe, frowning. “Young lady, I’m exposing his true colors. He won’t admit dating you—how can you trust his sweet talk?”

“Sigh… you youths…”

He geared up to moralize, to savor breaking them apart—

—but Qiu Muzhe cut in, eyes glistening with faux tears and mischief.

“Baldy, Gu Chuan really isn’t dating anyone.”

*“I’m* the one chasing him, pestering him… and he totally ignores me!”

Director Liu froze. Speechless.