In the cafeteria, Fatty Mao happily put his arm around Xia Xin's shoulder.
"Xia Xin, if you have some free time at noon, let's go to the internet cafe and play a game."
"Uh, we can't duo queue. The rank difference is too big."
"Yeah, it's okay. I'm still on a small account, almost level 30. When the time comes, I'll show off and help you soar in the qualifying matches."
"Okay."
Xia Xin agreed with a smile, but inwardly he was praying, "God bless him, and let his account be hacked today."
In reality, Xia Xin was a bit of a scoundrel.
Leaving the cafeteria, it was already midday, a bright and sunny day.
A small crowd had already gathered at the cafeteria entrance.
A large heart-shaped rose was placed at the entrance, attracting passersby.
And in the middle of the roses stood a handsome, rich second-generation man dressed head to toe in designer clothes, his lips rosy and his teeth white.
Finally, the heroine emerged from the cafeteria under the gaze of the crowd.
Clad in a flowing snow-white dress, she outlined her graceful curves. Her slender, graceful legs, and with gentle steps, she descended the stairs.
Her lustrous black hair fluttered in the wind, framing her delicate, snow-white face even more beautifully. Her beautiful eyes were as cold and refreshing as the fresh snow on the mountains.
Leng Xuetong, as her name suggests, was aloof and proud, the undisputed school beauty. In terms of beauty alone, she outshined all the other girls in the school, even rivaling top-tier actresses. But that's... simply in terms of beauty.
"Xuetong, be my girlfriend. I'll always treat you well."
The boy knelt on one knee and said affectionately, "If you tell me to go west, I won't go east. If you tell me to go east, I won't go west. If someone bullies you, I'll help you beat them up. If you bully others, I'll help you beat them up too. From the moment I saw you, I knew I was completely captivated. I couldn't extricate myself. I knew I'd never be tempted by anyone else again."
He then handed over the small box in his hand. Inside lay a diamond ring, which immediately drew the envy of many girls, with boos and exclamations.
"Wow, a diamond ring."
"It's so shiny! How much does it cost?"
"I'd die if I could have a diamond ring in my lifetime."
Leng Xuetong, the person involved, merely glanced at him, her face calm, not even raising an eyelid. "Sorry, I'm busy studying and can't think about anything else right now."
"I'm willing to wait. Until the college entrance exam is over, until you agree."
Unfortunately, Leng Xuetong didn't even look at him and walked away.
The crowd immediately erupted in discussion.
"She's truly worthy of being the campus belle. Even her rejection line is exactly the same as when she rejected those two last time, without changing a single word. I think she's just too lazy to come up with excuses."
"Actually, I'm curious how she plans to reject people after she gets to college. Won't she have to study then?"
"How many times has this month been this? The seventh or eighth?"
"These people are crazy, wanting to go wild before the college entrance exam. They probably think it's no shame to be rejected by a cold campus belle. I wonder if she's rejected half of the rich second-generation kids in the school."
"..."
Xia Xin arrived at the stone bench by the campus lake. Shu Yuewu was already sitting there.
She wore a youthful short-sleeved T-shirt and denim shorts. The shorts were so short that they revealed a pair of long, beautiful legs that she was so proud of.
Crossing her legs, she stared at Xia Xin and said, "Making a girl wait is the most annoying thing girls do."
Xia Xin rubbed his nose. "But you didn't say a specific time."
"Making excuses for yourself is the second most annoying thing girls do, and now you've got both."
Shu Yuewu raised an eyebrow, crossed her arms, and a hint of deliberate anger crossed her charming face.
Xia Xin immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, I'll be more careful next time."
Shu Yuewu chuckled. "I just like you like this. You appear to be sincerely apologizing, but who knows what you're saying inside: unreasonable, petty, self-righteous, and so on. I can tell."
"..." Xia Xin felt a little embarrassed by what he'd said. This woman was difficult to deal with, so he wisely decided not to dwell on the topic. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"
Shu Yuewu patted the left side of the stone bench, motioning for Xia Xin to sit next to her. Although Xia Xin sat down, there was still a body length between him and Shu Yuewu.
"First, I'm at Gold level now. I want you to take me to Master level. As for the reward, I'll certainly not skimp on it. I know my skills are limited, and it might take some time. So, if you can take me to Master level, I'll give you 8,000, and I'll tell you a secret."
"Okay."
Xia Xin agreed without hesitation.
He sighed inwardly at how rich this woman was. 8,000? 300 a week is a lot for an average high school student these days.
Shu Yuewu smiled slightly, her beautiful eyes narrowing as she leaned closer to Xia Xin, folding her hands on his shoulders. Her slender figure leaned forward, almost completely against him.
A slightly teasing voice rang out in Xia Xin's ears. "That's right, you should have been so understanding earlier. It's always been boys who spend money on me, and this is my first time spending money on a guy. How does it feel to have my first time?"
"I'm honored."
"Hehe."
Shu Yuewu deliberately used vague and ambiguous words, but unfortunately Xia Xin didn't accept it.
Xia Xin felt the breath from Shu Yuewu's cherry lips touch his ear, making it itchy. He leaned to the left, and as he did, Shu Yuewu leaned in. Startled, he froze, feeling something soft against his arm. This was the first time he'd ever been so close to a woman's body...
Shu Yuewu seemed completely oblivious to the close physical contact.
In a tone tinged with a hint of joy and secrecy, he said, "You know, you've been scammed by that network administrator."
"What?"
"Didn't you get an account up to King of Rank? He told you it was 2,500, you'd get 2,000, and he'd get 500, right? Wrong. The actual price is 12,000. He gets 10,000 for doing nothing, and you work all night long, exhausted, and you get 2,000."
"..."
"And it was the same before. For a 1,000 order, he'd give you 200, but for a 5,000 order, he'd only give you 1,000. You've been ripped off. They call you a capable cow and a fool behind your back, expecting you to work for them forever. They look down on you."
"...Oh." Xia Xin nodded, indicating he understood.
Shu Yuewu was stunned.
This wasn't what she'd expected. Xia Xin's face didn't show the slightest bit of emotion, just a "Oh?"
She'd been looking for expressions of pain, frustration, or anger, yet he was so calm.
"Do you think I'm lying?"
"No, I think everything you say is true."
Shu Yuewu cupped Xia Xin's cheeks with both hands and forcibly turned him around. She leaned in so close that their noses were almost touching, staring into his eyes without blinking.
So close, so fragrant, so white, so soft, so close, so fragrant...
Xia Xin panicked and tried to pull away, but Shu Yuewu held him tightly, preventing him from moving his head.
After a long pause, Shu Yuewu narrowed her eyes and said, "I see. I never thought you'd fooled me. I was so proud to tell you the good news, waiting to see your surprised expression. Humph, you already knew."
Xia Xin silently filed Shu Yuewu into the "smart girl, don't mess with her" category.
The more he interacted with her, the more he felt that Shu Yuewu wasn't the "big-breasted, no-brained" person described in the books. She had breasts, a pretty face, and even more brains.
Shu Yuewu was puzzled. "Strange, you knew so well, why did you do it for him?"
Xia Xin smiled bitterly. "Sometimes, when we don't make other choices, it's not because we think they're better, but because the other options are worse, or because there are no other options at all."
"...I see. What a useless man! You can tolerate being exploited like this?"
Xia Xin smiled, but didn't answer.
At the end of the afternoon, the classroom door was once again blocked by students from Class 2.
Lu Ming walked right in and said to Xia Xin, "Come out."
Fatty Mao jumped to his feet, angrily demanding, "What? You want a fight? You're not going to admit defeat?"
"Get lost! It's none of your business, you loser! I'll crush you in a second," Lu Ming didn't even bother to spare him a glance. Instead, he stared at Xia Xin and said, "I've watched that video over ten times. You can't possibly be Bronze. You must be at least Platinum. Don't play dumb with me. I want to play solo with you."
If he didn't play solo, he was afraid he'd have sleepless nights. He'd stayed up all night watching the video over a dozen times yesterday. The loss was so humiliating, it was completely inexplicable.
"You..."
Fatty Mao was about to explode when Xia Xin patted him on the shoulder, quieting him.
Xia Xin said calmly, "No need! I admit defeat."
After packing up, he prepared to go home, wondering what groceries to buy. He also needed to get his account to Silver so he could play duo with Shu Yuewu. He didn't have the time to waste playing solo with someone.
However, Lu Ming grabbed Xia Xin's wrist, preventing him from leaving.
He said coldly, "Hmph, if you don't fight me fair and square, don't even think about leaving."
Xia Xin narrowed his eyes, a bit displeased. This was a bit too much. He'd said he'd surrender, but what else could he do?
Both sides were furious, ready to fight at any moment. Mao Pang had already raised his elbow. Class One and Class Two had always been sworn enemies.
An unexpected interruption brought everyone to a state of silence.
Shu Yuewu smiled, grabbed both men's wrists, and separated them. "Lu Ming, you want to fight, right? Okay, how much is it? You tell me. You want someone to fight with you, so it can't be for nothing. What's the point of fighting without a stake? Who cares if you win or lose?"
Lu Ming was slightly startled; he hadn't considered this question. "Then what's the price?"
"Yesterday it was 3,000. Today it should be at least 5,000."
The crowd immediately dispersed.
"5,000?"
This was a huge sum for a high school student. Normally, the average student's monthly allowance was only a few hundred. Of course, Shu Yuewu, who earned over ten thousand a month and was considered a "white, rich, beautiful woman," wasn't included. Lu Ming had some money, but not that much.
"Why, you don't dare? Forget it."
Shu Yuewu deliberately displayed a hint of disdain, as if to say, "Are you still a man?" She didn't dare, yet she dared to challenge him to a solo.
As expected, Lu Ming wouldn't back down in front of this beautiful woman. He gritted his teeth and persevered.
He immediately agreed, "Okay, solo. 5,000 is 5,000."
Then everyone looked at Xia Xin.
Xia Xin calmly uttered two words, "I'll take it."