Su Hao watched from the side, genuinely envious in his heart.
When they were young, he and his sister used to bicker and tussle; their relationship wasn’t particularly close or distant—just your average sibling dynamic.
Then, when he got to middle school, he finally realized what it meant to be “blessed without knowing it.” In this day and age, having an older sister or a younger sister—what a blissful life!
Especially among their group of Society Persons—if anyone’s sister was willing to pretend to be their girlfriend and take a stroll around the school—
Whoa! Their status would shoot straight up!
Unfortunately, though his own sister looked decent, she didn’t like to dress up and was rather reserved; the older she got, the harder it was to find things in common.
Last time they met at school, who knew how long it had been since she washed her hair—it looked greasy and sticky. How could she stand it?
Su Hao wanted to say something but decided not to bother; after all, they didn’t even go to the same school.
Other people’s sisters pretend to be girlfriends for show.
If his own sister pretended to be his girlfriend… Forget it, it’d just be hard on both of them.
“Hey bro, I heard Qin Sheng has a boyfriend now? You know anything about that?”
Asking about a boyfriend out of the blue?
Of course—it was that familiar look in the eyes. Shen Xiyan couldn’t be more familiar with it.
I once had an old friend just like you; now his grave is covered with lush green grass.
Most high schoolers have the urge but not the guts; their wild fantasies are their limit.
But Su Hao clearly had both the urge and the guts, yet lacked all sense.
“Don’t you already know? Even people not from our school know.”
Shen Xiyan figured he should feel jealous, but he didn’t; his current mood was more like a father looking after his daughter…
Shen Xiyan chalked it up to his heart being made of stone.
But thinking it over, he realized that wasn’t the reason. Deep down, he just never considered Su Hao a threat, always looking down at him, like a three-dimensional being viewing a two-dimensional one.
Don’t be fooled by how shameless Qin Sheng was around him; in front of other guys, she’d lose if she so much as said one more word.
“Saw it on the forums. Your student council president or whatever is strict. Anyone talking about this gets a Ten Circuits ban.”
“Early dating is frowned upon.”
Shen Xiyan pulled out his phone and quietly sent a message to Su Jin.
Shen Xiyan: [Your brother seems interested in Qin Sheng, huh?]
Su Jin: [That’s your problem. That guy’s got his eyes on your girlfriend—teach him a lesson however you like, don’t spare him on my account. Best if you make him scram so he stops bugging me!]
Shen Xiyan: [Qin Sheng isn’t my girlfriend.]
Su Jin: [You’ve already kissed and you still say she’s not? Then don’t use my voice to do shady stuff!]
Shen Xiyan: [???]
Su Jin: [Qin Sheng just snatched my phone away… If nothing else works, take him to an internet café or something. The only reason he’s here now is because of you; he’d feel awkward tagging along with a bunch of girls.]
Shen Xiyan: [It’s not hard to gross him out, but whether I can gross him away, who knows? What if he hits me? Those hyped-up boys can call dozens with a single phone call.]
Su Jin: [Scared? Aren’t you the most experienced when it comes to scheming behind people’s backs?]
There was a long silence.
Shen Xiyan: [So how should I disgust him?]
Qin Sheng: [Just disgust him until he loses all interest in me, so he stops coming around with ulterior motives. A day or two is fine, but if he comes every day, how am I supposed to have any fun? Just don’t make it so weird that it makes things hard for me, okay?]
Shen Xiyan: [OK!]
Shen Xiyan put his phone away.
Su Hao noticed a certain “sincerity” in Shen Xiyan’s smile, feeling inexplicably uneasy.
“I heard her boyfriend is pretty handsome?”
“Hm?” Shen Xiyan raised an eyebrow.
Who?
Such good taste!
Su Hao didn’t realize Shen Xiyan’s words were a question, and replied sourly, “Guys like that just get lucky—chased by a little rich girl, life’s perfect.”
Is “little rich girl” really the only label people see on Qin Sheng?
“She’s all right, I guess. Sure, she’s rich, I’ll admit it, but as for looks… she’s average at best, nothing like the rumors.”
“How is it that a toad eats swan meat? I’ve seen her boyfriend; if you’re just talking about looks, saying Qin Sheng is reaching up would hardly be an exaggeration…”
It’s like those online threads seeking serious advice—no one replies.
But the moment you talk down, a crowd jumps in, though they’ll curse you while doing so.
For example: There’s no such thing as a good-looking foreign girl.
For example: All the FC2 girls look like disasters once they take off their masks.
For example: The teachers’ acting is getting worse and worse.
And sure enough—
Su Hao didn’t have the luck for a girlfriend but caught the sickness—his expression exaggerated: “Qin Sheng only looks average?!”
Shen Xiyan shrugged, “I just don’t see what’s so great about her.”
“You’re kidding, right? She’s ranked number one school beauty at your school!”
As if you don’t know your own wife is beautiful, Liu Qiangdong!
Shen Xiyan curled his lip, “Lin Ci is only ranked third. You think there’s that much difference between them?”
Su Hao thought to himself: This guy’s stubborn.
It’s understandable to defend your girlfriend; in front of her, you’ll always say she’s the best.
But right now, we’re just chatting—can’t you be “honest” for once?
Sure, Lin Ci isn’t ugly, but Qin Sheng’s got makeup on—anyone can see who wins in a landslide, right?
Forget it, it’s not worth arguing about.
“I also heard Qin Sheng’s got a cold personality. Is it true? She didn’t even respond when I said hi just now. Is she like that with you guys too?”
“…Where’d you hear that?”
“Rumors… Heard there were a few persistent guys chasing her, but they all ended up transferring schools?”
Shen Xiyan nodded, “Maybe. Her family’s pretty influential. Liking her is normal—anyone with decent taste would, or at least not dislike her. But if you insist on showing off in front of her, aren’t you just asking for trouble?”
“Then how did she end up liking that guy?”
Su Hao frowned, “She’s hardly ever at school. If she wanted to date, wouldn’t it be with someone outside school?”
That happens all the time, especially with the art students.
They’re always going out to sketch—supposedly supervised, but spending all day together, it’s easy to get close behind the teacher’s back.
“You’re asking me that?”
Even though I’m the person in question, I really don’t know.
Shen Xiyan had even wondered, could it be that in a previous life Qin Sheng was acting too—already harboring feelings, setting up a trap for him on purpose?
And maybe it’s the same this life, just with a different approach?
But thinking about it, it sounded too far-fetched.
Even if it were true, with Qin Sheng’s personality, she’d be showing off her smarts after starting a relationship.
But she hadn’t—so it must really be nothing.
“I guess…”
“But I think Qin Sheng’s got a pretty good temper. She’s always happy to come out if you call her, we just watched a movie together.”
“That was probably because of the others, right?”
“Not really, the vibe was pretty ambiguous, she even fed me popcorn in the theater. I kept saying no, no… Life really is as lonely as snow.”
Su Hao raised an eyebrow.
He looked at Qin Sheng, then at Shen Xiyan, thinking: You?
Big talk—aren’t you afraid you’ll bite your own tongue!