When Shen Xiyan returned to class, all eyes turned toward him—curious, gossipy, judgmental.
The girls, for the most part, remained aloof—treating it as just another piece of lunchtime gossip.
At most, they quietly wondered: Why would Qin Sheng like someone like him?
The boys had their own concerns. Some worried whether they’d be expelled too.
Others—especially those who’d long been jealous of Shen Xiyan’s close relationship with Lin Ci—were secretly disappointed to see how calm and composed he looked.
But to Shen Xiyan, who had already lived two lifetimes, these petty teenage schemes were completely transparent. He could read them like open books.
Among them, Lin Ci’s concern was the most obvious—her eyes practically screamed it.
As soon as class ended, Li Shuaishuai rushed over. “What did the principal say? Are you getting expelled?”
“I’m literally back in class,” Shen Xiyan said, glancing at him. “Do you think I’d be here if I was?”
“You didn’t get expelled?!”
“It was just a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?!”
…
Shen Xiyan simply nodded, offering no further explanation.
Maybe once upon a time, he would’ve felt compelled to defend his pride—to chase the validation that young boys crave.
But not anymore. He saw through it all now. There was no point explaining to bystanders who just wanted a show.
The girls, however, had already begun whispering among themselves.
“What do you think Qin Sheng sees in him?”
“Hardworking student? Good at enduring hardship? Listens to teachers?”
“Please, you can find ten of those on any given day,” one girl scoffed.
People always wondered—why do jerks seem to attract more attention than the so-called ‘nice guys’?
It’s like junk food. You know it’s unhealthy—makes you gain weight, gives you pimples, ruins your health—but you still can’t resist the taste.
Who’s to blame?
Only that these jerks are emotionally intelligent and know how to be considerate.
Natural-born product managers, they’ve already done a deep dive analysis on every type of girl—their traits, weaknesses, desires—and know exactly which button to push.
Especially those quiet high school girls who don’t get much attention and whose inner worlds are still under construction.
While everyone around them is caught in the springtime of youth, whispering about crushes and sweet nothings, they don’t even have someone to text.
And then—one day—a guy comes along and says he understands everything about her, appreciates her entirely.
Says he sees past her ordinary face into her fascinating soul. Says her dull life shines with a unique light.
Says her flaws don’t bother him, her mediocrity is exclusive in his eyes, and every little strength she has is worthy of praise.
And the sweet talk? Oh, he’s got whole volumes of it.
Tell me—how could she not fall for that?
This wasn’t even about being a jerk or not. It was about knowing how to win a girl’s heart.
And these boys, who weren’t rich or influential, still expected girls to chase them? Dream on.
Lin Ci frowned. “Why can’t it just be because he’s good-looking?”
“???” The others gave her a strange look.
She didn’t realize what was wrong with what she said. Unfazed, she pressed on. “Do you guys really think Shen Xiyan’s ugly?”
“Well… he’s not ugly… but this is Qin Sheng we’re talking about…”
“So what if it’s Qin Sheng?”
“Qin Sheng is just… never mind! You live next door to Shen Xiyan, of course you’d think that way.”
The girls nodded. There was no need to argue with Lin Ci about this.
At best, Shen Xiyan could be considered “delicate.” If you were talking “handsome,” that was a title reserved for the kind of idols you saw on TV.
And Qin Sheng? She could easily match any celebrity. So looks? Definitely not the reason.
Lin Ci rolled her eyes at them. She’d known Shen Xiyan for years—he had nothing going for him except his looks.
These girls just didn’t understand his kind of handsome—it was like a crisp breeze in the mountains, or warm sunlight in an ancient town.
Lunch break.
Some students were heading to the cafeteria, while most went home—better meals, and a chance to nap.
Staying at school during the two-hour lunch break felt like serving time in prison.
Lin Ci could go home—but she didn’t.
Because Shen Xiyan and Shen Wen couldn’t go home. And while they sometimes ate at her place, they were clearly uncomfortable doing it too often.
So she chose to stay behind with them and nap in the classroom.
“Shen Xiyan! Let’s go, or we’ll have to wait in line!”
“You go ahead—I’ve got something to do.”
He declined Li Shuaishuai’s invitation, and the guy didn’t push. He and a few others raced downstairs toward the cafeteria.
As the classroom emptied out, the girls slowly rose as well—none of them wanted to fight the boys for space in the lunch line.
Shen Xiyan stood and walked over to Lin Ci.
She tilted her head slightly. “What is it?”
He nodded and gestured with his eyes, motioning for her to follow him to talk privately.
In the past, that might’ve triggered some snarky looks from nosy girls, but today, none of them seemed interested. The air was oddly clean—gossip-free.
“You guys go eat,” Lin Ci said, waving her friends away. Then she looked at Shen Xiyan. “What’s going on?”
“Qin Sheng will definitely come find me later,” he said. “Let’s pretend we’re a couple in front of her.”
At this point, Qin Sheng still didn’t know the real nature of his relationship with Lin Ci. If she kept coming at him like this, his rejections would always sound too soft.
It’d be best if she got pissed—really pissed. Then they could finally go their separate ways and both move on.
“Didn’t you already turn her down?”
“She’s got connections. Doesn’t matter.”
“She what?!”
Lin Ci, ever the champion of justice, couldn’t let that slide.
Shen Xiyan gave a helpless shrug. “What am I supposed to do—hit her? Better to let her give up on her own.”
“I’ll help you!”
Then her courage flickered. “But what if they call our parents?”
Maybe senior students could brush that off—but as first-years, even being seen together would set off a storm of teasing. So annoying!
“It’s fine. I’ll have Wenwen come with us. That way it won’t look weird.”
“Fair enough.” Then Lin Ci hesitated. “But why not just eat outside the school? She wouldn’t find us.”
Shen Xiyan silently pointed out the window.
Qin Sheng was already standing at the exit, waving at them—with Shen Wen beside her, looking nervous.
Even Wenwen, who could get along with just about anyone, seemed overwhelmed by Qin Sheng’s intensity.
Shen Xiyan led Lin Ci forward. His expression was calm. “Don’t you have class?”
“I’m an art student. Skipping doesn’t matter.” Qin Sheng smiled. “Wanna grab lunch together?”
“You’re crossing the line! Shen Xiyan is my boyfriend!” Lin Ci mustered up her courage and glared at Qin Sheng.
Qin Sheng raised an eyebrow. “Oh… really? This is your little girlfriend?”
“…Ge, when did Lin Ci-jie become…”
“!!!”
Shen Xiyan shot Wenwen a sharp glare.
She instantly shut up, lowering her head like a scolded puppy.
But Qin Sheng wasn’t stupid. There was no way she’d buy that flimsy excuse.
She covered her mouth and laughed, her tone laced with mockery.
“Pfft… Seriously? After what happened last night, you really thought I’d believe it? I just played along yesterday. Now you’re pretending it’s real?”
“Wenwen didn’t know anything about it. And you expect me to believe she’d be clueless if you two were dating?”
Shen Xiyan’s eyebrow twitched. He felt like his intelligence was being steamrolled by the Qin Sheng from ten years ago.
Was she always this hard to fool?
“Xiyan…” Qin Sheng’s tone softened.
“Girls are actually pretty simple. If they like you, they’ll believe anything you say. They’ll lie to themselves just to stay in that feeling. But this lie of yours… I don’t want to believe it.”