In the hallway of the teaching building, Su Mo glanced at Zhou Heng and made a small movement with her hand, turning on speakerphone.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Did I call the wrong number?”

Su Mo’s voice was as cold as her expression.

A voice immediately came through the speaker.

“N-no, no, you didn’t! I-I just don’t have Senior Su Mo’s number, so it didn’t occur to me that you’d be calling. I’m so honored, really, so honored!”

Zhou Heng, standing behind Su Mo, couldn’t help clicking his tongue. No wonder she was the complete package: top student, beautiful girl, and superpowered. It had taken just two sentences to make Chu Ji as meek as a quail.

The conversation on the phone continued.

“Um, Senior Su Mo, was there something you needed me for?”

Meanwhile, over on the sports field, where Su Mo couldn’t see him…

Chu Ji gave the two bodyguards beside him a look. Wang Tao immediately pulled out his phone. A few seconds later, he nodded to Chu Ji and held the phone out in front of him. A message was displayed on the screen.

“It’s definitely Su Mo’s number.”

Chu Ji let out a sigh of relief, then his mind started racing. He and his two close friends had just been wondering how to win Su Mo over, and now she was calling him. Wasn’t this practically forcing him to get closer to her?

Was there really such a thing as fate in this world?

Or… Chu Ji stole a few glances at his two bodyguards. But Wang Tao and Cheng Xu both looked delighted and surprised by the unknown. Neither seemed confident, as if they’d expected this to happen all along.

Those two roughnecks weren’t subtle enough to hide what they were feeling.

It didn’t look like either of them had arranged this.

Grinning, Chu Ji added another line to the conversation.

“If there’s anything you need your junior to help with, I’ll do everything I can.”

“Have you heard of Zhou Heng?”

Zhou Heng? Who’s that supposed to be?

Chu Ji tilted his head, looking completely baffled.

Wang Tao immediately typed something on his phone and held it out in front of Chu Ji.

“That thug student who’s Wang Ping’s boss—the one who beat up Xu Jin and Wang Yang.”

Chu Ji suddenly understood. In fact, when it came to dealing with Zhou Heng, all Chu Ji had said was that he wanted him to pay. After that, he’d left everything to Wang Tao and Cheng Xu. With Chu Ji’s status, all he had to do was say the word, and his men would take care of the rest.

But once he understood, he was even more confused.

Su Mo was who she was—the student who stood at the very top of the whole school. How could she have brought up a name as ridiculous as Zhou Heng’s?

It was practically beneath her.

“I know of Zhou Heng. Why? Did that delinquent get on your bad side, Senior Su Mo?”

In the hallway of the teaching building.

Su Mo turned to look at Zhou Heng and spoke softly.

“A delinquent? A troublemaker?”

Chu Ji’s voice came through the phone again.

“He’s an idiot who loves fighting, never studies, and is proud of it.”

Su Mo’s gaze turned playful as she looked at Zhou Heng.

Zhou Heng immediately waved his hands and said in a low voice,

“That’s nonsense! I’m being framed! I know I look tough and imposing, but I’ve never done anything out of line. I don’t even smoke.”

Su Mo snorted. She couldn’t care less what kind of person Zhou Heng really was. She just said to Chu Ji on the other end of the phone,

“I don’t care about all that. Zhou Heng says you’re giving him a hard time. Junior Chu Ji, let me play peacemaker. Could you let Zhou Heng off the hook for my sake?”

On the sports field.

Chu Ji froze, then quickly lowered his phone. He turned his head from side to side, exchanging puzzled looks with Wang Tao and Cheng Xu.

Wang Tao, the muscular student, murmured in a daze,

“What the heck? Did I hear that right? The top student Su Mo is sticking up for that little punk?”

Cheng Xu, the sharp-eyed student, stroked his chin, deep in thought.

“That doesn’t make sense. I’ve met Su Mo, so I’ve spent a long time gathering information about her. I’ve never heard that she was close to any guy. And even if she did have a thing with a guy, why would it be some idiot who loves fighting?”

Wang Tao shook his head, then lifted a hand and patted his own head. After a few seconds, he said in disbelief,

“Has some movie plot become reality? A rich young lady with excellent grades and a strict upbringing isn’t interested in rich, handsome guys from her own circle—instead, a little punk has captured her heart?”

Cheng Xu gave a slight nod and grinned slyly.

“Hey, you know what? There really are plenty of rich young ladies who like punks. I don’t know what these women, who spend all day in high society being waited on hand and foot, misunderstand about delinquents. They think they’re real men, real heroes. Heh. They’re just trash from the bottom of society, and people still think they’re manly.”

Su Mo… liked that delinquent Zhou Heng?

Chu Ji’s expression darkened.

He liked Su Mo. In fact, he could even say he admired her.

But this woman, the one he admired, the one who could make him swoon…

Why had she gotten together with a delinquent student Chu Ji looked down on?

His hand, which had lowered with the phone, rose again and held it to his ear. Chu Ji took a deep breath, forced the negative emotions from his mind, and asked as calmly as he could,

“Senior Su Mo, are you helping Zhou Heng because you have some kind of relationship with him?”

Wang Tao and Cheng Xu, flanking Chu Ji on either side, immediately widened their eyes and leaned closer. Their ears, right beside his, practically stood straight up.

“Zhou Heng and I… I guess you could say we’re friends.”

Chu Ji gripped his phone tighter. His chest felt heavy, and something bitter and sour seemed to seep from it through his whole body.

Friends?

A male friend?

There was no such thing as a purely platonic friendship between a man and a woman.

Especially not for Su Mo, who’d never had a boyfriend in her more than two years of high school and had never been rumored to be close to any guy.

Chu Ji had to admit it: he was envious, and furious.

How could the goddess he respected and admired, the one he hoped to get close to, be friends with some lowlife delinquent he looked down on?

Was Zhou Heng even worthy of her?