It’s Exciting to Snatch the Supporting Male Lead and Run Away [Quick Wear] - 111

 

IETSTSMLARA | The Top Student is Flawless | 111

In a class where a troublemaker asked questions, their gentle class monitor patiently explained, but this troublemaker was focused on the drawing.

This scene made some classmates uncomfortable. Ye Huaitang tightened his fingers, smiled, and said, “Class is about to start soon. You can take the drawing back and review it yourself. If you still have questions, you can ask me later.”

“Alright, thanks,” Lin Su took his draft notebook, ripped out a page, but not neatly—he tore it crookedly, leaving some scraps, making the originally neat notebook look like it was missing a piece.

“You!” A girl, unable to tolerate it, stood up and said, but was pulled back by another girl who whispered, “Yingying, don’t provoke him.”

“But he’s clearly bullying people,” the girl sat down and whispered, “It’s just that the class monitor has a good temper and is easy to push around.”

“But we can’t afford to offend him,” another girl said.

“It’s just a couple of petty things. Is there no law in this world anymore?” The girl’s chest heaved with anger.

Lin Su glanced over, put an arm around Ye Huaitang’s shoulder, and sensing the tension said, “Class monitor, I’m just asking a question. They seem to think I’m bullying you. Is it now that being second to last means I don’t deserve to ask questions or learn?”

“No,” Ye Huaitang’s clenched fist tightened. He wasn’t used to people getting so close. Typically, classmates kept their distance and didn’t get this close, but this person…

Even though it was autumn, in a classroom with only a fan, the boys were sweaty. The damp feeling made Ye Huaitang reluctant to get close and the smell of sweat made him want to cover his nose. 

But this person... didn’t seem to have that odor.

This realization slightly relaxed Ye Huaitang’s nerves. He smiled and said, “They didn’t mean it that way. They just think that taking other people’s things without permission is not a good habit.”

He forcefully suppressed his emotions. Lin Su patted his shoulder, stood up, and said without being too oppressive, “As expected, the class monitor gives good advice. I tore one page of your notebook, and I’ll return a whole notebook tomorrow. What’s that saying? A drop of kindness should be repaid with a flood, right?”

Others rolled their eyes out of sight, but Ye Huaitang, relieved that Lin Su had let go of him, said, “Classmate Lin, class is about to start.”

Lin Su waved the torn page and returned to his seat, sitting comfortably under the gaze of his classmates. He even took a nap during the next class, giving off no impression of someone who was focused on studying.

In the following classes, Lin Su dozed off, but fortunately, he didn’t ask Ye Huaitang any more questions. 

Instead, he behaved himself and sat in his own seat, allowing his classmates to experience that a lackadaisical student who at least tried to study was more likable than a student who, though enthusiastic, caused trouble everywhere.

No matter what had happened before, they wished Lin Su would return to his previous lazy, sleepy self. They were no longer secretly annoyed that he was just coasting through school on his parents' money.

Unfortunately, things did not turn out as they wished. During evening study hours, Lin Su once again pushed aside the classmate sitting next to Ye Huaitang, forcibly swapped seats, and sat next to Ye Huaitang, saying, “Class monitor, I’m here again.”

【  Host, if you keep this up, people will start to dislike you.】 System 06 said.

【  If I didn’t have the ability to reverse the situation, it’s better not to use this method.】 Lin Su replied with a smile.

He could certainly become the top student and outshine the entire class, but that would only create more psychological pressure for Ye Huaitang. Such a display of power, which Ye Huaitang had to look up to, would only cause him to hide his stress without being able to release it. This kind of annoying yet avoidable approach was actually the best form of stimulus therapy.

If a person cannot face their true self and reveal their inner feelings, how can they ever form genuine friendships or relieve their own emotions?

Ye Huaitang remained on edge, not expecting him to return. It was clear that Lin Su was ready to sit next to him through the entire evening study session.

“Do you have any questions you don’t understand?” Ye Huaitang asked softly.

“I don’t understand anything in this book,” Lin Su said, placing the math book in front of Ye Huaitang. “Could you go through it from the beginning? Didn’t the teacher say that students who are good at studying should actively help those who are not? By explaining it once, you’ll learn it again yourself. Don’t you think so?”

His behavior clearly seemed to be intentionally provocative. If Ye Huaitang went through the entire book, he would have nothing else to do for the whole evening study session.

“Actually, you don’t need to cover the entire book. Could you show me the test papers from the last monthly exam? I want to see where you might be weak,” Ye Huaitang suggested patiently.

Lin Su recalled how the original owner handled the test papers and thought there was a 99% chance they were lost. “The papers were thrown away long ago.”

His attitude didn’t seem like that of someone wanting to study seriously. In their class, except for the two of them, who didn’t carefully organize their test papers? It was impossible to just say they were lost.

The people nearby were reaching their limit. Ye Huaitang pressed his lips together and smiled with a hint of aloofness. “In that case, I’ll first prepare a set of practice problems for you. After you finish, I’ll review where you have weaknesses.”

“Class monitor, you’re really a good person,” Lin Su said with a smile. “I’ve decided that you’re going to be under my protection from now on.”

Ye Huaitang actually didn’t want to get too entangled with him. Smiling, he flipped through the test papers he had already worked on. “We’re classmates, so there’s no need to think of it as someone bullying someone else. You don’t need to protect me, but thank you anyway.”

As Ye Huaitang organized the problems, he showed patience, carefully writing out each problem in a notebook. His straight posture and lowered eyebrows made him look particularly earnest.

Being tolerant and not taking others’ unreasonable behavior to heart is a sign of great character, but if it requires patience, it’s not about letting oneself off the hook.

Normal people would practice their tolerance, but would still vent their frustrations privately to their best friends or loved ones. However, Ye Huaitang exhibited remarkable patience even towards someone as inconsequential as Lin Su.

Even though he ignored Lin Su, no one would criticize him, considering the original owner’s poor reputation. Still, he wanted to present his most perfect self.

Keeping oneself enclosed within walls, powerful methods cannot pull one out.

But there’s no rush; psychological counseling requires patience above all.

Lin Su, feeling bored, fiddled with his phone, then idly grabbed a piece of paper and began to doodle with a pencil. At first, Ye Huaitang thought he was just scribbling randomly, but as he glanced over, he saw that Lin Su had drawn a cute, chibi character.

The little figure was sitting properly at a desk, holding a pen and writing something earnestly, with a slightly furrowed brow, looking both adorable and pitiful.

At first glance, the drawing looked a bit like him, but Ye Huaitang was sure he never showed such an expression.

Leaving that aside, the drawing beside him was really well done. 

Ye Huaitang was drawn to the image and found himself looking at it more seriously. When the pencil finally stopped, he looked up and met Lin Su's gaze. Feeling a bit awkward, he turned his gaze away and said, “You draw very well.”

Snooping was definitely not a good thing, especially not something that should happen to him.

Lin Su smiled and made a few more strokes on the paper before placing it in front of Ye Huaitang. “Since you think it’s good, I’ll give it to you. Consider it a return gift for the drawing you gave me this afternoon.”

Ye Huaitang, who liked art, could naturally see the skill in Lin Su’s drawing. “Have you studied art before?”

“No,” Lin Su said, leaning on the desk with his arm as a pillow and watching him. “Looks like the class monitor really likes it. Does it look like you?”

“This is me?” Ye Huaitang’s hand paused as he picked up the drawing. “It’s quite accurate.”

Could he really have looked like this while organizing the problems?

He naturally tucked the drawing into his book, clearly cherishing it. However, when he resumed organizing the problems, it was clear he had no intention of continuing the conversation.

Organizing the prepared problems wasn’t difficult. After one class period, Ye Huaitang placed the notebook in front of Lin Su and said, “I’ve organized it. Now write down what you know.”

The problem set was densely packed with questions. The original owner would only write his name and casually fill in the options during exams, leaving everything else blank. Now, having to write so much…

“Writing is fine, but will there be a reward when I finish?” Lin Su bargained, “If there’s no reward, I won’t write.”

Ye Huaitang’s efforts in organizing the problems for an entire class were visible to all the students, making Lin Su’s attitude seem particularly excessive.

“Enough already. You came to us with questions, not the other way around. If you don’t want to learn, then go back to your seat,” a student said with a stern face.

At this age, students, especially good ones, are under the protection of teachers and schools and haven’t yet faced the blatant social realities of the world, making their tolerance notably low.

“That’s right. You’re usually arrogant, but now you’re bullying the class monitor? What’s that about?” another student said.

Ye Huaitang had a good reputation in the class, and once one person spoke up, others couldn’t hold back.

“Talking about how the second-to-last student isn’t worthy of studying, it’s true. You don’t deserve to study if you can’t even correct your attitude. It’s just talk when you say you want to study,” a female classmate said directly.

“Yeah, just go back to your seat and stop bothering the class monitor.”

“You’re rich anyway. Enjoy life at home. Why come to school and ruin the school’s atmosphere?”

“…”

Everyone started speaking out, clearly voicing their accumulated frustration. It was evident that Lin Su was facing the consequences of the old saying, "When the wall falls, everyone pushes."

Ye Huaitang's lips curved into a slight smile, and he felt a certain satisfaction with the situation. Though he appeared gentle, he wasn't someone easily bullied; otherwise, he would have been a punching bag from elementary school until now.

Having aroused collective anger, Lin Su should have known when to retreat.

Lin Su remained seated, listening to the barrage of criticism until the voices subsided. He then casually wrapped his arm around Ye Huaitang’s shoulders and said, “I’m willing to bully him, and he’s willing to be bullied by me. If he hasn’t complained, why are you all so riled up? I don’t need to explain why the girls are upset, right?”

As soon as his words were spoken, the entire class fell silent. Lin Su smirked and looked at Ye Huaitang, “Am I really bullying you?”

Someone who always played the role of the good guy couldn't openly speak ill of others, and Ye Huaitang’s mood was complicated at that moment. He even felt a bit of admiration for Lin Su’s courage—the courage to remain unbothered despite being disliked by everyone.

“Everyone, stop arguing. Lin Su is just struggling with learning; he didn’t mean any harm,” Ye Huaitang said with a smile.

Lin Su shrugged and said, “See, even the person involved is saying it’s nothing. Why are you all making a fuss?”

The classmates who were ready to voice their complaints found themselves silenced by Ye Huaitang’s words. Some even began to think for the first time that the class monitor’s patience was perhaps too much; it felt as if he was letting others take advantage of him.

The anger and mild disappointment were suppressed, leaving the classroom eerily quiet. Ye Huaitang, being highly sensitive to others' emotions, felt as if he had made a mistake in the moment.

“Class monitor, a reward,” Lin Su extended his hand with a smile.

He seemed completely unaffected by the others' emotions, or rather, their feelings didn’t seem to matter much to him; he lived as he pleased.

Ye Huaitang asked softly, “What do you want?”

Lin Su pointed to the desk and said, “I just gave you a portrait of yourself. Once you finish, you should give me one too, as a testament to our friendship.”

It was just a drawing; it wasn’t an excessive request. This request made the students who had been defending Ye Huaitang feel that their previous actions were unreasonable.

Their guilt started to rise, but they were too embarrassed to bring up an apology.

Lin Su pulled out the exercise book and casually took a blank sheet of paper to use as a draft and said, “If you don’t answer me, I’ll assume you’ve agreed.”

He buried his head in his work, and Ye Huaitang, with a gentle “mm,” didn’t say anything more.

Though Ye Huaitang should have been diligently working on the assigned tasks and preparing for the upcoming content, his gaze kept drifting to the person beside him. 

Despite Lin Su’s disheveled appearance and hair dyed like a rooster’s crest, which made him look like a hooligan, he didn’t have any unpleasant odors.

 Instead, he carried a faint, refreshing scent that seemed at odds with his appearance.

Normally, Ye Huaitang wouldn’t have paid much attention. His previous impression of Lin Su was that he was flamboyant, but now he found that Lin Su didn’t seem as unattractive as he had thought. 

In fact, his features were quite delicate, although his demeanor made him seem difficult to approach.

In contrast to his appearance, Lin Su's handwriting was exceptionally beautiful—so stunning that it was breathtaking at first glance.

Unlike Ye Huaitang’s own handwriting, Lin Su’s writing had a sharpness to it, with no hint of concealment.

Lin Su would ponder over each question; it wasn’t that finding the correct answer was difficult, but rather, how to effectively avoid the correct answer made it seem as if he had no basic understanding. His attitude could not be careless either. 

With a filled-out test paper, getting a zero was far more difficult than scoring a hundred.

Given his efficiency, Lin Su naturally didn’t finish the questions during the two periods of self-study. When class ended, he simply closed the exercise book, tucked it under his arm, and said, “I’ll bring it for you to see tomorrow. Don’t forget my reward.”

He leisurely returned to his seat with the book, clearly planning to continue working on it. His quiet and concentrated work during the two periods had already astonished everyone, and now his behavior made everyone feel as if they were in a dream.

Perhaps he really wanted to make an effort.

Other students naturally didn’t dare voice their doubts, but Ji Heng could. He tapped on Lin Su’s desk and asked, “Brother, did you take the wrong medicine?”

Where was the dignity of a poor student?

“I already said I wanted to study hard,” Lin Su looked up at him.

“I thought you were just kidding,” Ji Heng felt a bit exasperated; this was not what he had imagined.

“Just kidding. As a man, you must keep your word. As brothers, we share both joys and hardships. How about I make a copy for you?” Lin Su suggested amicably.

Ji Heng glanced at him with disdain and said, “You’ve already done it, so you have the answers.”

“Do you actually believe I got them right?” Lin Su asked.

Ji Heng: “……”

Damn, this guy’s answers are no better than having none at all.

“A true brother should be generous. Enjoy this luck yourself; I won’t take advantage of you,” Ji Heng patted his shoulder.

He had five thousand words to write for an inspection himself and couldn’t be bothered with solving questions.

Once Ji Heng considered someone a brother, his attitude changed entirely. While others dared not provoke him, Lin Su was fearless: “Alright, let’s go.”

They left together, and Ning Qiu and Ye Huaitang, who had been watching and holding back, both sighed in relief.

Lin Su was much quicker at doing work in private than he appeared. Writing out the various messy and seemingly logically connected steps only took him about ten minutes. 

After completing those tasks, he started drafting his five-thousand-word inspection.

In student life, if you don’t copy a few paragraphs from the internet, it feels like the inspection has no soul. Lin Su followed this practice, and the principal was likely prepared for them not to come up with five thousand words on their own and to rely on copying.

In reality, just writing the five thousand words was enough to give them a lesson.

Lin Su organized his paragraphs. Writing wasn’t difficult; occasionally leaving in some grammatical errors even added a touch of authenticity.

Halfway through, Ji Heng sent a message: “Wanna play games? Let’s meet up.”

“One thousand words warning,” Lin Su replied.

“Hehe, you wrote it? I found someone to ghostwrite it for me. Fifty bucks for five thousand words, definitely sorted,” Ji Heng sent another message.

“Want to join in? Two people get a discount.”

“No thanks, I’m broke,” Lin Su sent back and then set his phone aside to continue writing his inspection.

If he was going to be a poor student, he needed to fully experience the joys of being one.

Otherwise…

The principal, holding two inspection reports, looked at them with a smile and then placed one in front of Ji Heng, saying, “This one is ghostwritten, isn’t it?”

Ji Heng: “...” How could he tell?! He promised it wouldn’t be obvious!”

“It’s too sincere,” the principal said, glancing at him helplessly. “How could someone with your attitude, who refuses to admit mistakes, write something that shows a deep understanding of their errors, knowledge of the law, and compliance with rules?”

Ji Heng: “...”

The principal handed the inspection back to Ji Heng and said, “Rewrite it. Do you think I don’t know what your scribble looks like?”

Ji Heng could only accept it.

The principal then handed Lin Su his inspection report and said, “Nice handwriting. They say the handwriting reflects the person; make sure to keep up the effort.”

“Got it, Principal.” Lin Su responded politely, though his bright red hair was quite eye-catching.

The principal glanced at the red hair and said, “When are you going to fix that hair of yours? Red makes you look darker, while black makes you look fairer.”

“My brother isn’t trying to be a pretty boy; he’s aiming to be a robust man, so what if it makes him look darker?” Ji Heng said, only to receive a tap on the head from the principal with the rolled-up inspection report. 

Lin Su stood upright and said, “Principal, as a man, I shouldn’t look too fair.”

Amidst a sea of black hair, the red hair was truly unique. Once Lin Su’s body was fully recovered and no longer in a sub healthy state, he was confident he could pull off any hair color.

“A man, huh…” The principal dismissed them with a wave. “You haven’t even grown all your hair yet, you little rascal. Get to class and stop causing trouble.”

He didn’t mention the possibility of reading the inspections over the school broadcast again, and Lin Su pretended not to notice. The issue with the inspections was over for Lin Su, but Ji Heng still had to deal with it for another week.

“I finished all the work. Where’s my reward?” Lin Su placed his completed exercise book in front of Ye Huaitang during the break.

Ye Huaitang glanced at him and placed a sheet of paper in front of Lin Su. The drawing was not in a chibi style but realistic. Although it only depicted Lin Su’s upper body, the vividly portrayed flying hair and slightly menacing, arrogant demeanor were captured very well.

“You’ve made me look really cool in the drawing. Thanks, class monitor. Here’s a candy as a return gift,” Lin Su placed a candy in front of Ye Huaitang. “It’s also a thank-you gift for helping me with the corrections.”

The candy had a bow on it and looked very girly. Ye Huaitang glanced at it and said, “Sorry, I don’t eat sweets.”

“Well, it’s a gift for you, so you can give it to anyone you like,” Lin Su shrugged and returned to his seat.

Ye Huaitang hesitated for a moment but eventually put the candy in his pocket.

Meanwhile, Ji Heng started his second day of keeping a close watch on people. When he got tired from staring, he’d nap for a bit and then continue watching.

Ning Qiu: “……”

My desk mate might be sick in the head.

Perhaps because the surveillance was too intense, Ning Qiu, taking advantage of Ji Heng’s absence, approached Lin Su during the break and said, “Hi, I see you have a good relationship with Ji Heng. Would you be interested in sitting together?”

The protagonist seemed to be on the edge of a breakdown; otherwise, he wouldn’t be considering changing seats. But he couldn’t change, and since he made this mess, he had to deal with it.

Lin Su looked up and said, “We do have a good relationship, but sitting with him would affect my studies. Do you dislike him?”

Ning Qiu: “Not really.”

Disliking wasn’t quite the right term; it was just that Ji Heng seemed to be intent on finding evidence and holding him accountable later, which was a bit overwhelming.

Lin Su gave a slight “oh” and lay down to continue his nap, showing no intention of changing seats.

Ning Qiu: “……”

As expected, he seemed to be possessed by the god of sleep—birds of a feather flock together?

Ye Huaitang didn’t spend long correcting Lin Su’s exercise book, but the mistakes made him realize just how poor a student’s math skills could be.

The draft paper showed that Lin Su had genuinely attempted the problems, but not a single one was correct. Even purely guessing shouldn’t result in such outrageous errors.

Ye Huaitang didn’t want to deal with the trouble that Lin Su represented, but since he was responsible for the student, he needed to produce some results to avoid criticism that he was just a figurehead as the top student in the grade.

“Lin Su, I looked at your basics and they are indeed a bit shaky,” Ye Huaitang approached Lin Su with the exercise book and said, “So I think we should start from the fundamentals.”

Lin Su sat up and asked, “How should we study?”

“Formulas. First, memorize the formulas. It’ll be much easier to use them once you have them down,” Ye Huaitang handed him a notebook and said, “This is a copy of my notebook. Look it over first, and after you’ve memorized it, apply it to solving problems. You won’t make so many mistakes.”

Ye Huaitang’s notes were definitely something many girls would want to have; even just borrowing and flipping through them for a bit would be something to brag about.

The male idol is something everyone can admire but not reach. Anyone who tries to cross that boundary to develop a closer relationship is likely to face both overt and covert exclusion.

But Lin Su was different. As a male, he wasn’t subject to the exclusion and wariness that girls might impose. Although there were plenty of fujoshi, people usually didn’t think it would happen to them personally.

“Alright.” Lin Su took the notebook but placed it on top of a pile of books, clearly showing no intention of looking at it.

Ye Huaitang pressed his lips together and said nothing further, turning back to his seat.

The notebook remained where it was. Lin Su didn’t even look at it. Days turned into weeks, and the notebook collected a layer of dust without Lin Su ever giving it a glance.

“Class monitor, let’s play games after school,” Lin Su invited again after a few days.

Ye Huaitang shook his head and said, “Sorry, I have to go home after school. I might not have the time.”

“What era is this? I didn’t expect the class monitor to be such a good kid,” Lin Su said as he sat on his desk. “Don’t your parents let you make friends?”

“It’s really because I have things to do,” Ye Huaitang said patiently.

“Not giving face, huh? Then I’ll come find you on the weekend. You should be free then,” Lin Su said, shifting his body to press down on the notebook and crumpling its edges.

Ye Huaitang instinctively reached out to fix the crumpled notebook. As he took it out, it still had indentations from where it had been pressed. He tightened his grip on the notebook and suddenly looked up at Lin Su, smiling as he asked, “What kind of games do you usually play?”

“Shooting games, It’s really thrilling. Interested?” Lin Su’s expression was somewhat excited. “Let’s go this weekend. Actually, it’s been too long, how about going out tonight instead?”

“Sure,” Ye Huaitang replied with a smile. “I’ll let my family know and we can go together.”

Lin Su was very excited when he heard this, but other students thought Ye Huaitang was crazy. Ye Huaitang’s desk mate quietly advised, “Class monitor, you really shouldn’t go play games with him. It might affect your studies.”

“It’s settled then,” Lin Su announced loudly.

Ye Huaitang said softly, “It’s alright. As class monitor, I should care about my classmates’ lives outside of class. If he isn’t studying well, there might be a reason for it.”

“Class monitor, you’re such a good person. If I had to deal with someone like that, I would have lost my temper long ago,” the desk mate sighed.

After school in the evening, Ye Huaitang packed his books into his bag and waited for Lin Su at his seat.

Ji Heng, observing Lin Su’s recent behavior, said, “What are you up to? Do you have a problem with Ye Huaitang? Did he offend you?”

“No, I just want to be friends with him,” Lin Su said with a smile. “I’m being very sincere.”

Ji Heng: “…… I can’t figure out why you two are almost at odds. How did I become friends with someone like you? It’s really confusing.”

“Don’t bother trying to understand it. Instead of spending your time here, you might as well look for your evidence. If you keep staring at Ning Qiu all day, people might think you have a crush on him,” Lin Su said.

Ning Qiu was drinking water nearby. Upon hearing this, he couldn’t hold back and ended up spitting out a mouthful of water. A portion of it accidentally landed on Ji Heng’s pants.

Ning Qiu couldn’t stop coughing: “No… cough, cough… it’s impossible…”

“Let’s not discuss what’s possible or not. My pants,” Ji Heng looked down at his pants and then at Ning Qiu. “Did you do that on purpose? Was it a deliberate act of retaliation?”

“I didn’t mean to. I’ll wash them for you,” Ning Qiu managed to catch his breath and said, demonstrating his ability to acknowledge his mistakes.

“Do you know how much these pants cost?” Ji Heng insisted on his point.

Ning Qiu looked puzzled: “No matter how much they cost, they can be washed. They’re not disposable.”

Are they diapers?

“Different parts need different washing methods. Do you know how to clean them properly?” Ji Heng said. “If you ruin them, it would be too costly to compensate.”

Ning Qiu asked, “So what do you want to do?”

They still had a long way to go as adversaries. Lin Su packed his bag, glanced at Ye Huaitang, who had been sitting in front for a while, and walked over with his bag in hand.

The conflict continued, and Ji Heng cleverly said, “Here’s the deal: you write me a letter of apology, and I won’t make you compensate for my pants.”

“I had a feeling you were just waiting for me here,” Ning Qiu wasn’t fooled.

“Are you going to write it or not…” Ji Heng said.

Lin Su stood in front of Ye Huaitang and said, “Let’s go, class monitor, let’s get going.”

Ye Huaitang picked up his bag and walked out of the classroom with him. By the time the last self-study session ended, it was already past eight in the evening. 

The autumn night was dark, and even though there were streetlights, they didn’t provide much illumination in the crowded student area.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, excuse me,” someone accidentally bumped into Ye Huaitang.

“It’s okay,” Ye Huaitang straightened up and replied.

However, misfortune rarely comes alone. Someone else stepped on his shoes. Ye Huaitang didn’t even want to see what his shoes looked like now; he just took a deep breath and continued walking.

“Watch where you’re going! Do you think the school roads are your family’s?” a student ahead said as they turned around.

Normally, Ye Huaitang could tolerate such minor issues, but today he felt particularly irritable. 

He gritted his teeth, but then a hand rested on his shoulder. The hand pulled him along, and suddenly his surroundings felt more spacious: “Class monitor, we’re just leaving the school. There’s no rush. Waiting a bit won’t make the game run away.”

The voice belonged to the person he disliked, but the gesture was undoubtedly considerate.

“The main road of this school is like his family’s property. If you’re not happy, go open one yourself,” Lin Su retorted angrily.

The student, initially angry, started to say something but, upon seeing Lin Su’s head of red hair, just muttered and turned away: “I won’t argue with you.”

“You’re going to make people dislike you,” Ye Huaitang said softly.

“I don’t need everyone to like me,” Lin Su said. Being taller than Ye Huaitang, he had no trouble protecting him as they left.

With his appearance, other students who were wary of trouble wouldn’t dare to provoke him.

Once they were out of the school, Lin Su’s home wasn’t far. Despite the broad road, there were no pedestrians around when they arrived, only vehicles rushing by.

Lin Su was casually swinging his keys when someone suddenly jabbed him in the knee and pushed him against a nearby wall, pinning his hands behind him.

System 06 seemed to have witnessed a marvel of the world, and recorded it with great enthusiasm: 【Host, are you okay?】

【I'm fine.】 Lin Su replied with a smile.

This little guy’s patience was even less than he’d imagined.

Lin Su tried to turn his head, but it was pressed tightly. Ye Huaitang said from behind him, “Don’t move!”

“Class monitor, what are you doing?” Lin Su struggled.

“I said don’t move!” Ye Huaitang tightened his grip. “If you don’t want your hands, feel free to keep struggling.”

Lin Su relaxed, allowing his hands to be pinned behind him, and asked, “Why?”

“Why? You still have the nerve to ask?” Ye Huaitang sneered. “To be honest, you’re the first person I’ve ever seen with such a thick skin, not understanding either good or bad words. I appreciate that you helped me out before, but I really dislike you, very much. Please stay away from me. If you provoke me again, it won’t be just a warning. I have plenty of ways to make you understand what’s what, got it?”

“If you have any complaints, just say it like this,” Lin Su said with a light laugh.

His attitude was neither angry nor fearful; instead, his smile made Ye Huaitang a bit puzzled. “What?”

“If you’re dissatisfied with my attitude, it would’ve been better to say it earlier,” Lin Su said as he reversed the hold on Ye Huaitang’s hands, pivoting his body. Before Ye Huaitang could react, their positions had already changed dramatically.

Ye Huaitang was pinned against the wall now, his beautiful eyes full of surprise. “Were you pretending before?”

“Pretending? You mean your skills? What you’re doing looks flashy but isn’t very practical. I’ve been in more fights than you’ve had meals,” Lin Su whispered with a smile close to his ear.

In a certain sense, his statement wasn’t entirely untrue.

“I admit that my skills are inferior, but everyone knows I’m with you today. If I get hurt, you won’t get away,” Ye Huaitang said, trying to stay calm.

Provoking someone who frequently gets into fights, it seemed inevitable that he would get beaten today.

Lin Su raised his eyebrows and released him, saying, “I won’t beat you today. I’ll wait until you’re alone next time.”

Ye Huaitang, just freed, felt as if his lungs were about to explode upon hearing this. “What did I ever do to you to deserve this?”

“You didn’t offend me,” Lin Su replied. “On another level, I actually quite like you. After all, as class monitor, you’re really good-looking.”

Ye Huaitang’s expression shifted unpredictably. “Like me?”

He’d never seen anyone so openly admit their feelings.

“If I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t care how tired you are from pretending to be a good person, or how you refuse even someone like me,” Lin Su said, looking at him.

“So what does that have to do with you?” Ye Huaitang asked, adjusting his backpack straps. “What do you know?”

"I know that if someone sees you like this now, your 'god-like' image will be ruined," Lin Su said, picking up his phone and taking a picture with the flash on. 

Ye Huaitang's face changed dramatically. "Delete the photo!"

If someone really saw this, all his years of enduring would be for nothing. No one would like someone who is two-faced.

His face turned a bit pale. Lin Su sighed and handed the phone back to Ye Huaitang, saying, "I didn't actually take a picture, the flash was just on for a moment."

Ye Huaitang checked and found that there were no photos of him in his current state. He sighed in relief but didn’t return Lin Su’s phone immediately. "I'll keep this for now and give it back to you tomorrow."

"Alright, I currently don’t have a hobby of secretly taking pictures of others," Lin Su replied with a smile.

Now that he could communicate again, Ye Huaitang, who had already exposed himself in front of Lin Su, didn’t bother maintaining his smile. "Don't mention what happened today."

"Sure, but I have a condition," Lin Su said. "Otherwise, my attitude will be like a dead pig that doesn’t fear scalding water; your usual tricks won’t work on me."

Ye Huaitang felt that the method of driving away annoying people was ineffective on Lin Su. He replied, "Speak up, as long as it’s not excessive."

"Be friends with me and seriously help me with my studies," Lin Su said, looking at him.

Ye Huaitang looked at him with a complex expression and suddenly smiled. "You want to be friends with me? In my view, friends are either useful or useless."

Useful friends deepen the relationship, while useless ones only maintain a superficial connection. Such a selfish person, if exposed in front of others, could never be accepted like he is now.

"My family is quite wealthy, so that should be useful to you," Lin Su said with a smile. "We both weigh the pros and cons, it's the same."

Ye Huaitang was a bit puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Of course, I also consider the usefulness of friendships. For example, Ji Heng and I share similar values and enjoy playing games together, so that's useful. And you’re good at studying, have a good personality, and look good. It’s nice to have someone to look at when I'm tired from studying, so that’s useful too," Lin Su said with a smile. "Don’t you think so?"

"Childish," Ye Huaitang rolled his eyes, but he didn’t seem as annoyed as before.

Being good at studying, having a good personality, and looking good—he knew that himself without needing to be told. But being recognized in this way actually felt quite nice.

"Childish or not, so will you seriously help me with my studies in the future?" Lin Su asked with a smile.

Ye Huaitang retorted, "Wasn’t I serious before?"

"You looked serious before, but actually, it was very perfunctory," Lin Su said, ruffling his hair. "I didn’t have anyone to play with when I was young, so my heart is quite fragile and sensitive."

"Are you trying to make me pity you?" Ye Huaitang shot him a glance.

Lin Su smiled. "Yes, look, you’re already pitying me now."

"Not at all," Ye Huaitang said.

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