A New Kind of Annoyance

Qiyu rested his chin in his hand, his moist, almond-shaped eyes fixed on his phone without a blink. Having been pampered and cherished since childhood, this was the first time he felt utterly humiliated.

‘How embarrassing! Oh, heavens!’

“Who are you messaging?” Wen Nuo poked out his fluffy head, a hint of confusion in his voice.

“Prying into someone’s privacy could land you in jail!” Qiyu quickly pressed his phone screen dark and tossed it into the desk drawer.

Wen Nuo stared at Qiyu’s flushed ear tips, remaining silent. He wasn’t particularly interested in prying, but he leaned in closer. “What exactly is your relationship with Lu Xingye?”

Wen Nuo teased, “It feels like you absolutely detest the guy.”

“In novels, you two would be archenemies, the kind who even fight in bed,” Wen Nuo said, narrowing his eyes before flashing Qiyu an ambiguous smile.

Qiyu feigned composure. “There’s no relationship whatsoever. If I had anything to do with him, I’d be a dog. Why are you such a busybody?”

Qiyu forced a smile, inwardly consoling himself. ‘I’m already a dog, so being one again won’t make a difference.’

If the Qiyu from a few months ago were to travel through time and witness this scene, he would undoubtedly clap in shock and shake his head. ‘You’ve utterly disgraced me!’

“Wen Nuo, have you forgotten you nearly dropped out of Class A? Do you know what that means? Your allowance will be cut off,” Qiyu said, a chilling smile playing on his lips. This was the only tactic that truly threatened Wen Nuo.

“Do you still want my exclusive study guide?!”

He still remembered how heartbroken Wen Nuo had been on the day of the entrance exam, clutching his report card and weeping. Wen Nuo had sworn that if he ever scored so poorly again, he would…

…cry even harder.

The reason behind it all was simple: Wen Nuo’s father placed immense importance on his only son’s academic performance.

“I was wrong, Brother Yu! I won’t say another word. You two look so innocent; my eyes must have been blind to spread such rumors,” Wen Nuo declared, his voice firm and sincere.

Qiyu nodded in satisfaction. However, once Wen Nuo turned away, Qiyu’s brows furrowed in confusion once more.

‘Normally, that dog replies faster than anyone. What’s going on now?’

Irritated by the wait, Qiyu ignored the teacher at the front of the classroom and prepared to take a nap, resting his head on his desk.

The teachers all chose to turn a blind eye to Qiyu’s sleeping. Only the homeroom teacher would occasionally offer him a few words of admonition.

The reason was as follows:

Qiyu was a person who could not tolerate any injustice. If anyone provoked him, he would immediately retaliate. Logically, such behavior should have led to a host of enemies, expulsion, and being sent packing.

Yet, he always acted as if nothing had happened, and no one could do anything about him. Before long, someone with keen eyes uncovered the truth: ‘This person is actually Young Master Lu. No wonder he’s so arrogant.’

It was at this time that the title of ‘Campus Tyrant’ was bestowed upon him.

These teachers had long since categorized Qiyu as a “problem student,” adhering to the principle of “intervene only if absolutely necessary.” As long as he didn’t excessively disrupt classroom discipline, they let him be.

The morning light filtered gently through the window, spilling softly onto Qiyu’s exquisite profile. His thick, dense eyelashes fluttered a few times, as if displeased by the untimely sunlight disturbing his peaceful slumber.

In his hazy state, he felt someone sit in front of him, and a considerate hand reached out to shield him from the dazzling light.

‘Wen Nuo, what a truly kind person.’

Fortunately, he didn’t utter those words aloud, for the person in front of him was Lu Xingye!

On the adjacent, long-vacant desk, a stack of books had already appeared. Lu Xingye, seeing Qiyu awaken, even greeted him with a composed smile, “Hi.”

Qiyu was utterly dumbfounded, his expression blank. Faint red marks from sleep still graced his fair cheeks, and his crimson lips were slightly parted in surprise. ‘When did this dog move here?’

He had assumed it would be at least the next day.

“I thought you missed ‘gege’ so much that you moved here early. Are you happy?” Lu Xingye hadn’t even finished speaking when Qiyu clapped a hand over his mouth.

Lu Xingye possessed two distinct personalities: first, a sharp-tongued, scheming individual who wished to verbally poison Qiyu to death;

second, a provocateur full of suggestive remarks, aiming to thoroughly disgust Qiyu.

Qiyu bit his lip, his heart pounding. He was fortunate to have reacted so quickly, otherwise, news of him being a ‘fake young master’ would be plastered all over the school’s notice board by tomorrow.

Seeing the murderous glint in Qiyu’s eyes, Lu Xingye felt a genuine surge of joy.

Unexpectedly, Qiyu glanced around, and after confirming no one was watching them, he leaned in and whispered into Lu Xingye’s ear:

“Gege, I miss you too, you know?”

It was Lu Xingye’s turn to be stunned. Qiyu’s gaze was sharp, yet his words were so sweet—truly a face capable of two very different expressions.

The two remained in that position for a long while until Lu Xingye finally reacted, pulling Qiyu’s hand away. ‘What could possibly be the reason for Qiyu’s drastic change?’

Qiyu’s heart bloomed with laughter as he saw the utterly disgusted expression on Lu Xingye’s face. ‘Doing what Lu Xingye hates most? That’s simple enough.’

It was well known that Lu Xingye loathed his own unsavory identity, and by extension, he loathed Qiyu himself.

Even more, Qiyu planned to deliberately exploit this identity, throwing tantrums, acting out, pushing boundaries, and provoking him to death.

By then, Lu Xingye would have no choice but to pack his bags and leave, perhaps even wishing to stay far away from Qiyu—and ideally, never speak to him again for the rest of his life.

After Qiyu provoked him, Lu Xingye did, indeed, behave unusually docile for a short while. This only solidified Qiyu’s inner resolve to continue annoying him in the future.

The last class of the morning had concluded, marking the usual time for lunch. As always, Qiyu arranged to meet Wen Nuo and Jian Lin to eat at the cafeteria.

However, just as he stood up, Lu Xingye tugged at his sleeve. Qiyu almost cursed aloud, but he turned, still greeting him with a smile. “Is something wrong?”

He wasn’t yet accustomed to constantly calling him ‘gege’; even if he wanted to disgust Lu Xingye, he couldn’t bring himself to do it to that extent.

“You’re not allowed to leave,” Lu Xingye said, smiling as he looked at Qiyu.

Qiyu: “?”

He hadn’t even uttered the question “Why?” when his confusion was answered.

Lu Xingye sat backward on his chair, his eyes curving into crescents, and mouthed a word to Qiyu: “Little dog.”

“You have to stay with me.”

“That’s right.”

Qiyu’s lips pressed into a thin line, so furious he didn’t know what to say. Yet, considering his objective, he could only swallow his anger.

‘Endure, endure, endure… If I don’t go along with him, he’ll expose my identity. Just bear with it.’

Qiyu collected himself and calmed down. “Gege, do you need me to do anything for you?”

Lu Xingye lightly tapped the desk with his fingers, watching Qiyu with a smile. “How about this? Go to the convenience store and buy me lunch. I don’t want to go to the cafeteria.”

“Oh, give me the card,” Qiyu said, failing to control his expression for the nth time that day, a clear sign of impatience on his face.

Hearing this, Lu Xingye took out the student ID card he had already prepared and handed it to Qiyu, unable to resist asking, “Are you that broke?”

The remark almost made Qiyu cough up blood. ‘Does this person have no shame? He asks someone to buy him food, then calls them a pauper?’

Qiyu, holding the student ID card, couldn’t help but let out a mischievous chuckle as he stepped out of the classroom. Wen Nuo and Jian Lin had been waiting for him by the door for quite some time.

He casually tossed Lu Xingye’s student ID card into his pocket. Beside him, Jian Lin was already scowling. “Xiaoyu, why did Lu Xingye transfer to your class?”

Qiyu shot him a furious glare. “Don’t call me by that nickname; it’s utterly childish.”

That nickname was reserved only for his parents. When anyone else called him that, he felt an inexplicable sense of shame, as if they were treating him like a child.

“Do you think I *want* to be in the same class as him? I’m absolutely fed up,” Qiyu retorted. He used Lu Xingye’s card for his meal, deliberately swiping for the most expensive items, and even played the benevolent benefactor, treating several passersby to lunch.

Without exception, those innocent students all wore expressions as if they had seen a ghost. Only the students from the news department were ecstatic; they had their hot topic for the week:

‘The Bully of Shenglin Xinglan Academy Turns Over a New Leaf.’

Jian Lin wore a look of profound distress. “Yuyu, don’t fall for that pauper Lu Xingye’s tricks.”

Unbeknownst to Jian Lin, Qiyu was using the ‘pauper’s’ student ID card. Feeling a slight pang of conscience, Qiyu casually remarked, “He’s not poor, is he? Don’t say that in the future.”

To Qiyu’s surprise, Jian Lin seemed to explode upon hearing this. He looked incredulous, then stopped eating, leaving his seat with a choke and even breaking into a small run as he departed.

Qiyu asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong with him?”

Wen Nuo shrugged indifferently. “Oh, when is he *not* acting crazy? Today, he’s probably playing the Cinderella script.”

With that, he pointed to a pair of shoes left behind on Jian Lin’s escape route. “We probably don’t understand the world of geniuses.”

Qiyu’s face remained impassive. “Tell him for me, Cinderella doesn’t leave a pair of basketball shoes by the roadside.”

The phone in his pocket vibrated. It was a message from Lu Xingye.

[Lu Xingye: ?]