The Unintended Protection of a Persistent Admirer

Thus, Luo Yao deliberately ignored Su Mengqi, who remained lost in her own fantasies.

He spent the entire morning without incident, yet throughout the classes, Su Mengqi frequently found herself gawking foolishly at Luo Yao.

Luo Yao, however, simply gritted his teeth and forced himself to continue with class, for he found it inherently uncomfortable to be stared at so inexplicably by others.

Moreover, a persistent sense of foreboding had been steadily festering within Luo Yao’s heart.

It seemed there was more than one problem brewing; compounding this, his parents hadn’t returned home yesterday, which only intensified Luo Yao’s uneasy premonition.

A few days prior, Luo Yao had happened to overhear a conversation between his parents, though he had merely been passing by at the time.

He only caught snippets of conversation, the content of which concerned their current financial situation and income.

There was also something about…guarantors, which sounded quite serious, but he hadn’t heard anything else after that.

However, such matters were beyond his scope, and he couldn’t possibly intervene.

“Luo Yao, class is over. Do you want to go to the cafeteria together for lunch, or should we order takeout?”

As lunchtime approached, Su Mengqi reined in her infatuated expression from the morning, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Luo Yao and asked.

As for Luo Yao now, he had already cast aside that uneasy feeling from the morning, pushing it to the back of his mind.

Family issues, he reasoned, had little to do with him.

Even if problems arose, he was capable of living independently.

However, regarding that troublesome sister of his… Never mind.

If something truly went wrong, as her older brother, he would naturally have to lend her a hand.

Before Luo Yao, Su Mengqi was already holding out the latest model of mobile phone, seemingly showing it off, yet also hinting at something to him.

With the wall right beside Luo Yao, he would have to pass by her to leave.

Moreover, Su Mengqi’s presence ensured that other girls who might have wanted to bother Luo Yao had all given up on the idea.

While Su Mengqi was somewhat troublesome for Luo Yao, she also served as an invisible layer of protection.

Her local status, too, helped to deter those delinquents outside the school.

The public security outside the school was notoriously poor, with frequent incidents of students being sexually assaulted.

Consequently, any delinquents who harbored ill intentions or designs on Luo Yao were deterred by her presence.

As for this particular school, its student body largely consisted of individuals from other regions, those who had failed to get into local high schools, or even students expelled from other institutions.

This led to a motley crew of students, further complicated by the frequent appearance of wealthy and influential second-generation scions from the local area.

“I’m going to the cafeteria, and also… Su Mengqi, I’m begging you, please don’t keep following me around, okay?”

Luo Yao’s eyes held a hint of helplessness.

He sometimes felt that Su Mengqi could be incredibly childish in certain situations, yet with a touch of endearing cuteness.

However, returning to the main point.

Whenever Luo Yao went to the cafeteria for a meal, Su Mengqi would invariably trail him, ultimately crafting a contrived, ambiguous ‘chance encounter’ scenario.

Such tactics were, for the most part, the standard approach for girls pursuing boys in school settings in this world.

The rest usually involved sending small gifts and the like, leading, of course, to a matter of mutual affection in the end.

There were, however, some exceptions.

For instance, Su Mengqi, with her ‘domineering CEO’ style, employing both soft and hard tactics.

Compared to other girls, Su Mengqi was far more assertive.

Moreover, due to his striking looks and the fact that he was a transfer student.

He had virtually no friends in this school, or rather, in this class, always keeping to himself.

However, because the prevailing mindset in this world was different.

Even if other sarcastic and envious boys wanted to befriend him, Luo Yao would still feel awkward.

Furthermore, Luo Yao couldn’t stand the sour, snide way other boys spoke.

“Don’t bother going. I’ve already bought you takeout.”

An inexplicable sense of disappointment washed over Su Mengqi when she heard Luo Yao intended to go to the cafeteria.

For Su Mengqi, a grand strategic blueprint for conquest had already unfolded in her mind.

“You bought me takeout? Why?”

Luo Yao looked at Su Mengqi with some confusion.

As for ordering takeout to eat.

It was a common occurrence in this school; though the school clearly prohibited eating outside food and using mobile phones without permission, most students here disregarded this rule, and I’m sure everyone gets the gist.

However, for Luo Yao, whose living expenses were limited.

Eating takeout at school was undeniably a luxury.

Gazing at Su Mengqi’s constantly sparkling eyes.

Luo Yao found it difficult to refuse, yet he also understood the principle that one who takes favors is beholden to the giver.

“Alright, Luo Yao, just don’t go to the cafeteria. I bought some for myself too, and the delivery person is already on the way. It would be a waste if you didn’t eat it.”

Su Mengqi, seeing Luo Yao’s hesitation and sensing an opportunity, immediately pressed her offensive against him.

“N-no, really, it’s too much trouble. And…”

“And what…? Didn’t you say you’d agree to be my boyfriend when we graduated high school? What’s wrong? Are you going to refuse a meal from your future girlfriend?”

Seeing Luo Yao’s hesitation, Su Mengqi remembered the relationship she had fantasized about with him that morning and spoke with brimming confidence.

“What…?”

Luo Yao’s eyes glazed over at her words.

Su Mengqi, unafraid of making a scene, spoke with a considerably louder voice than before.

The classroom was still full of students, and the teacher was still tidying up things at the podium.

Upon hearing Su Mengqi’s words, even the teacher froze in place, a book still clutched in their hand, staring blankly in the direction of Su Mengqi and Luo Yao.

At that moment, the air grew heavy with tension.

As if time had paused, everyone was stunned into silence by Su Mengqi’s brazen actions.

As for the story from that morning, though there had already been over a dozen versions circulating, it seemed the narrative had now been definitively unified.

Luo Yao, one of the parties involved, had already forgotten what expression he had worn at that moment, while the other party involved was brimming with confidence.

Moreover, Su Mengqi wasn’t afraid of such a situation.

On the contrary, she wanted the matter to escalate as much as possible, ideally for the entire school to know about it.

Even if the homeroom teacher or the dean found out, it wouldn’t matter; even if there were repercussions, she didn’t care.

After all, the relationship between the school and her family was well-established, and no matter how difficult they tried to be, they couldn’t do anything to her.

As for Luo Yao, the expression on his face was now utterly indescribable.

‘What on earth is this girl thinking?’

‘Hadn’t I already given her the ultimate Good Guy Card (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘haorenka,’ referring to when someone is friend-zoned, often implying they are a ‘nice person’ but not romantically suitable), making my intentions perfectly clear?’

‘How… how on earth did she interpret what I said to her this morning?’

What was happening now, for Luo Yao, was nothing short of a bomb, utterly disrupting his previously peaceful life.