The next day.

Before dawn, a knock sounded at the door.

Lu Chengzhou, still groggy, got up and shuffled to answer it.

Su Qiaoman’s voice came from outside—the original story’s female lead.

“A-Zhou, I brought you breakfast. Open up.”

Lu Chengzhou froze.

*Is she serious?* Su Qiaoman bringing breakfast to a “simp” like him?

He knew she had that “white lotus” vibe, but in the original plot, she’d never given him *anything*. All effort had been one-sided—his.

Curious, he opened the door.

Su Qiaoman smiled sweetly, seemingly untouched by yesterday’s incident. She handed him the eight-treasure porridge and steamed buns.

“A-Zhou, shall we walk to school together today?”

*Walk together?!*

Lu Chengzhou nearly doubted his ears.

Had his actions yesterday scrambled her brain?

She was *voluntarily* asking to walk with a “simp”?

Seeing his silence, Su Qiaoman felt a flicker of smugness. *See?* she thought. *A tiny kindness, and A-Zhou’s too moved to speak. Of course he still loves me. Yesterday was just him sulking.*

A “white lotus” mindset—unconventional, to say the least.

But Lu Chengzhou simply shook his head.

“If we walk together, Lin Chen will get upset.”

A perfectly reasonable excuse.

Su Qiaoman blinked, stunned. Her innocent eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

“A-Zhou… are you still upset I like Lin Chen? Even if we end up together, we can still be forever friends, right?”

*Oh, please.*

Lu Chengzhou almost smelled the faint scent of “green tea.”

Speechless, he shook his head again. *Hopeless.*

Checking the time, he grabbed his things.

Su Qiaoman lingered stubbornly by his door.

When he stepped out with his backpack, she hurried after him.

“A-Zhou, wait! I’m on my period—my stomach hurts. I can’t walk fast,” she pleaded pitifully.

Lu Chengzhou strode ahead, avoiding her “green tea aura” like plague.

At the building entrance, Su Qiaoman seized her moment and faked a stumble.

But Lu Chengzhou “tied his shoelace,” deliberately stepping aside as she tumbled.

“Waaah… A-Zhou, it hurts!” Tears streamed down her face.

“My arm’s scraped. Do you have a band-aid?”

He shook his head and pointed across the street—to the newly opened clinic.

“You could ask there.”

Su Qiaoman choked on her words.

This A-Zhou felt utterly foreign.

And… was it her imagination? Since yesterday, he’d carried himself with sharper poise—almost strikingly handsome.

*How?* Just because he didn’t give her the flowers?

“It’s late. I’m leaving. Goodbye.”

He walked off without a glance back.

Su Qiaoman stared after him, letting out a soft “hiss.”

The fake fall hadn’t hurt—but the real one did.

No one helped. She struggled up, inch by painful inch.

…

At school, Lin Chen napped face-down on his desk.

*Who arrives early just to sleep?* Lu Chengzhou wondered.

He scanned the classroom—then froze in horror.

*No. I’m seated next to the male lead?! Ugh. Bad luck.*

Thankfully, Lin Chen remained dead asleep.

The prep bell rang. Su Qiaoman finally arrived.

Her seat was right in front of Lu Chengzhou’s.

As she sat, Lin Chen woke. His eyes locked on the scrape on her arm. His brow furrowed.

“What happened?”

“Nothing,” Su Qiaoman said with a faint, tear-glazed smile. “Don’t blame A-Zhou. I was clumsy.”

Lin Chen’s gaze snapped to Lu Chengzhou—murderous.

“You made her fall?” He snorted, then leaned close under the guise of adjusting Lu Chengzhou’s collar. A whisper, icy: “Watch your back, kid. Or you might not know how you died.”

Lu Chengzhou stayed silent a beat.

*Bro. Did you *see* me push her? No? Then why plan my river burial already?*

*Gotta fix this rashness.*

A slight smile touched his lips. “Classmate Su Qiaoman, you really shouldn’t have. Bringing me breakfast so kindly… and getting hurt? I feel awful.”

Both faces shifted instantly.

Especially Lin Chen’s—the jealousy flared like a starved zoo leopard.

Though not official yet, their bond was clear. *She brought breakfast to another guy?*

Su Qiaoman flinched, ready to explain—but Lin Chen slammed the desk and stormed out.

Lu Chengzhou watched silently. *Let the female lead squirm.*

This angsty romance script? Just the warm-up.

He hoped she’d hold up.

As long as he stayed clear of her? He was safe.

“Settle down, class!” The homeroom teacher entered with a long-haired girl in uniform.

Gasps rippled through the room.

*Stunning.* Like she’d stepped from a celebrity poster—too flawless to be real.

Even Lu Chengzhou blinked in surprise. *Wait… is she even in the book?*

“Hello, everyone. I’m Meng Wanyu.”

She wrote her name on the board, bowed with a gentle smile.

Her gaze flickered—almost imperceptibly—toward Lu Chengzhou.

*Perfect.* He looked utterly stunned.

She could already picture his reaction when she later declared herself his girlfriend.

“Please take care of me from now on.”