Back in the classroom, Lu Chengzhou still felt unsettled.

He could only silently pray Xu Xi wouldn’t come looking for trouble.

Then again—she was a sophomore, practically his underclassman.

Under normal circumstances, an underclassman wouldn’t set foot in the senior year classrooms unless she was on Student Union duty inspecting grooming and conduct.

But as the saying goes: what you fear most is exactly what happens.

Sure enough, during evening self-study, when Xu Xi led the Student Union members through the classroom door, Lu Chengzhou instantly ducked his head.

Xu Xi was this year’s Head of the Discipline Committee.

*This is terrible.*

Cool and composed, she walked down each aisle, occasionally commenting:

“You—dyed hair. Minus three points.”

“No ID badge? Minus one.”

“No uniform? Minus three.”

She drew closer to Lu Chengzhou’s seat.

She froze.

He wasn’t in uniform—just a thin shirt.

*His uniform’s still with me.*

But with the whole Student Union watching, she couldn’t skip the deduction.

And she was too flustered to explain.

Meeting his innocent gaze, Xu Xi’s cheeks flushed. She whispered:

“Minus one point.”

Then hurried past, awkwardly.

The underclassman trailing her added timidly, “Lu Chengzhou’s deductions hit the red line this week. He’ll need community service tonight, or it affects finals.”

Softly spoken—but Lu Chengzhou heard. Xu Xi heard.

And Meng Wanyu heard too.

She let out a cold snort. “Ugh, schools for commoners are so tedious. Just say it—how much to wipe the points?”

Xu Xi’s face darkened. “Sorry. We don’t sell points here.”

“Oh? So Lu Chengzhou *must* do community service?”

“Yes.”

“Heh. Fine.”

Meng Wanyu said nothing. She slipped off her uniform, let her hair fall loose, clipped on earrings, and tossed her ID badge aside.

“No uniform? Minus three. Messy hair? Minus three. Earrings? Minus three. No badge? Minus one.”

She smiled, voice dripping with challenge. “If I’m not mistaken, *my* deductions hit the red line too. Please let me join the service. Thank you.”

Xu Xi stared, dumbfounded.

No one ever *asked* for deductions.

*Is this… for him?*

She glanced at Lu Chengzhou again.

He was buried in his test paper, utterly indifferent.

*Wait… is Meng Wanyu chasing him?!*

What charm did this guy even have?

He wasn’t exactly celebrity material…

Meng Wanyu shifted, blocking her view. “Hurry up and deduct my points, Discipline Committee Head.”

Dignity wouldn’t let Xu Xi back down.

She gritted her teeth. “As you wish.”

She nodded to the underclassman to log it.

After the inspection, the group left through the back door.

Far down the hall, Xu Xi glanced back—just once—toward his classroom.

“Senior? Something wrong?” the underclassman asked.

Xu Xi cleared her throat. “Nothing. Let’s go.”

*Still overthinking him…*

*I’ll sneak his uniform back later.*

…

Inside the classroom, evening self-study continued.

Meng Wanyu rested her chin on her palm, watching her deskmate.

Lu Chengzhou stayed locked on his homework, eyes forward.

*Trapped in a romantic battlefield, staying neutral is the only survival tactic,* he reminded himself.

Up front, Lin Chen kept glancing back.

*Meng Wanyu and Xu Xi nearly clashed over him—and he’s still calmly doing homework?*

“Lu Chengzhou,” Lin Chen muttered, sourly, “you’ve got quite the social circle.”

He’d heard it: Xu Xi only deducted *one* point.

But Lu Chengzhou had no badge, no uniform, slightly long hair—he should’ve lost five or six.

Xu Xi was famously strict. Even Lin Chen got docked three points fairly.

Why the exception?

Lu Chengzhou smiled slightly. “Eh, maybe ‘cause I’m handsome.”

Lin Chen scowled. “Hmph. Shameless.”

He turned away.

*Thought he was modest… Guess I was wrong.*

Handsome? *Him?* At best, decent-looking.

*Qiaoman would never like this type.*

But Lin Chen didn’t know—Su Qiaoman, though not looking back, was mentally replaying Lu Chengzhou’s features, his calm tone… *Huh. He really is kinda handsome. Different from Lin Chen, but still…*

And Meng Wanyu? Absolutely.

*The boy I chose—of course he’s handsome.*

The more she looked, the more she liked him.

Time to tease.

“Oops~”

Her pen clattered to the floor.

She nudged it with her toe. It rolled under the desk, stopping near his shoe.

Lu Chengzhou froze.

*What’s the little princess scheming now?*

Meng Wanyu shot him a gaze—sweetly innocent, yet undeniably suggestive.

Under the desk, her fingers brushed his leg.

“Be a dear and pick it up for me?”

…

Awkward.

If he bent down, he’d bump into her.

She could touch freely; he couldn’t.

Boundaries.

And disrespecting the little princess? Riskier than Lin Chen.

After a beat, Lu Chengzhou flicked the pen back with his toe.

“Now you can reach it.”

The pen rolled obediently to her feet.

Meng Wanyu smirked.

She leaned down deliberately, resting her head on his lap as she reached.

A wave of floral scent washed over him.

Lu Chengzhou’s muscles locked tight.

One second. Two… Ten.

When she finally straightened up, he felt sweat cooling on his spine.

He exhaled.

*What a terrifying woman…*