"Us two?"

Lu Chengzhou glanced at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen met his gaze.

Lu Chengzhou remained perfectly calm.

But the corners of Lin Chen’s mouth curved upward slightly.

As the male lead, Lin Chen’s greatest strength was his excellence in science.

Lu Chengzhou?

A guy whose grades lingered in the lower half of the class—what could he possibly compete with?

Sharing the podium to solve problems? Purely handing Lin Chen a chance to show off!

Lin Chen sincerely thanked their math teacher.

He’d already stepped up.

Lu Chengzhou lagged behind, dragging his feet.

Thanks to the system’s skill buffs, the blackboard problems looked as simple as 1+1=2 to Lu Chengzhou.

But as a supporting male character, he knew better than to shine.

Clash with the male lead? Steal his spotlight? Never.

One survival mantra: stay behind the hero. Be an utterly ordinary nobody.

The moment chalk touched his fingers, Lu Chengzhou began his performance.

Lin Chen shot him a cold snort. "Just give up. This problem’s beyond the curriculum—you can’t solve it."

Lu Chengzhou nodded. "Mm. You’re right."

But claiming inability meant punishment. Capability was one thing; effort was another. Ability vs. attitude.

Frowning, he racked his brain: *How wrong should it be? Enough to avoid suspicion, not enough to anger the teacher?*

After a long pause, he wrote—slowly, deliberately.

Lin Chen scribbled at lightning speed, yet kept sneaking glances.

Seeing Lu Chengzhou’s initial steps, his brow furrowed. *He used that advanced formula?*

Then it eased. *Pure guesswork. The rest is mostly wrong.*

*"So calm—thought he was a genius? Tch. Even covering his paper? Afraid I’d copy his mistakes?"* Lin Chen smirked, growing smugger.

...

The teacher tapped Lu Chengzhou’s answer. "See? A very common error! You can’t assume these lines are perpendicular—prove it first!"

Then he turned to Lin Chen’s work, smiling warmly. "Learn from Lin’s solution. This is correct."

Lin Chen beamed below.

Lu Chengzhou sighed, frowning convincingly—frustrated, defeated.

Beside him, Meng Wanyu smiled slightly and passed a note:

*You knew the answer. You deliberately wrote it wrong, didn’t you?*

Lu Chengzhou froze for a heartbeat.

A second note followed:

*I saw you. Third formula—you wrote the right version halfway, hesitated two seconds, then erased it.*

He glanced at her, smiled faintly, and wrote back:

*Haven’t you ever changed a correct answer to a wrong one? Especially in English reading comprehension?*

Meng Wanyu shrugged, scribbling:

*Fair point. I was hasty. Lunch together at noon?*

Lu Chengzhou shook his head, tucked the note away, and tossed it.

*Sherlock Holmes? Not quite.*

*But... who could see through a flawless act?*

Su Qiaoman gazed at Lin Chen with ardent admiration.

Everything unfolded exactly as Lu Chengzhou planned.

Perfect.

One step closer to survival.

...

After morning classes, Lu Chengzhou headed to the cafeteria—rumored to have amazing food. *Must try.*

But the moment he arrived: that familiar, delicate voice—

"Ah Zhou~"

Ugh. Bad luck.

He turned. Su Qiaoman waved. Beside her stood Lin Chen.

*How shameless—to call me that right in front of him? Trying to make Lin Chen jealous to death?*

"Attention! Lu Chengzhou! Proceed to Seat 106, Zone A! Repeat: Seat 106, Zone A!"

Simultaneously, Meng Wanyu’s voice boomed over the PA system.

Lu Chengzhou facepalmed. *Is this little princess trying to get me killed?*

He dashed to Zone A, snatched the mic, and cut the broadcast.

"Please don’t randomly invite me to meals. I don’t eat with girls," he said firmly. "The dean might think we’re dating. Bad for both our reputations."

Meng Wanyu arched a brow, smiling knowingly. "Do you really think the dean would dare meddle in *my* affairs?"

Lu Chengzhou: "...Crap."

*Right. She’s no ordinary classmate.*

"Sit. I bought two bentos. Delivery’s coming."

He had no choice.

No sooner had he sat than Su Qiaoman approached with her tray.

"Ah Zhou, I called you earlier," she said, eyes glistening with faux grievance.

Her voice stayed gentle.

Yet laced with that fake-innocent, manipulative sweetness.

"I know you spent all your savings on that bouquet yesterday... I worried you’d have no money for lunch."

The words hung.

A murderous glare pierced Lu Chengzhou’s shoulder.

Lin Chen gripped his milk tea cup, face dark with simmering jealousy.

*Again?! I did nothing!*

Lu Chengzhou facepalmed.

Surviving as a side character was brutal.

*Think fast. Protect yourself. Now.*