A Classroom Scandal and a Righteous Interruption

Qiyu was uncharacteristically subdued for a moment. He subtly raised his gaze, observing Lu Xingye’s expression.

Given Lu Xingye’s vengeful nature, Qiyu knew he’d likely face retaliation later. To ensure his survival, he hesitated before speaking.

“Brother…”

“Shut up,” Lu Xingye stated flatly, his brows furrowed.

The attempt at reconciliation ended as soon as it began.

Having been raised steeped in affection, Qiyu didn’t seem to possess much skill in placating others. “You’re so fierce…”

“I was wrong, I swear I’ll never badmouth you behind your back again. You were clearly doing everything for my own good, to improve my grades, yet I was ungrateful and shameless. From now on, I promise to only listen to you, Brother. If you tell me to go east, I’ll never go west.”

While he might not have been adept at coaxing, he certainly had a knack for crafting such lengthy, complex sentences.

Qiyu rattled off these words in a single breath, but Lu Xingye, beside him, offered no reaction whatsoever.

Today’s weather was dismal, much like Qiyu’s increasingly low spirits, which were shrouded in darkness.

“Mm.”

Hearing that faint “Mm,” a heavy weight finally lifted from Qiyu’s heart. His favorable impression of Lu Xingye increased considerably; at least he wasn’t as unreasonable as Qiyu had imagined.

Soon, they arrived at the classroom, where an even greater crisis awaited. Qiyu had never imagined there would be dozens of scandalous news clippings plastered on the wall.

Even worse, they were all about ‘him’ and Lu Xingye.

Lu Xingye had always been indifferent to school gossip and paid no mind to the strange glances coming from all directions. After all, such looks were not uncommon for him.

“Young man defies the entire school for love! Who missed this explosive scoop on the forum last night?”

“Allow me to enlighten you all,” Zhao Yuhang announced, his gaze occasionally darting towards Lu Xingye, as if deliberately speaking for his benefit.

Qiyu had some recollection of Zhao Yuhang. To summarize, Zhao Yuhang’s crush had confessed to Lu Xingye, prompting Zhao Yuhang to launch a series of campaigns against him.

Unfortunately, Lu Xingye remained utterly unconcerned by any of Zhao Yuhang’s schemes.

In everyone’s eyes, Lu Xingye was merely a nouveau riche individual with no significant background, utterly unknown in high society. It was said he’d used up all his good fortune just to secure admission to St. Linxinglan Academy.

Moreover, upon his arrival, he and Qiyu had both become ‘campus celebrities.’

This, in turn, fueled considerable resentment towards Lu Xingye. Who said boys weren’t prone to jealousy?

No one dared to express dissatisfaction with Qiyu because he had been promoted directly from the academy’s junior high division. He had already gained some notoriety during junior high, and some even spread wildly exaggerated rumors about his family background.

Even obviously false rumors, such as ‘offending him means losing your head,’ managed to convince many.

“Who is the protagonist of this week’s story?” Zhao Yuhang asked from the podium, deliberately building suspense.

After all, the post was an incredibly viral sensation, and most people had already seen it last night. Still, a few individuals gazed at him with eager anticipation.

Just before he could speak, a grating screech of a chair echoed from the back row, followed by a book being flung through the air.

“One must be upright and kind.”

“When you brazenly waste your breath gossiping at school like this, what do your parents think at their companies?”

“What about the nanny who cooks for you at home?”

“What about the old gardener who prunes the branches in your villa gardens?”

“And what about the chauffeur who tirelessly wakes up early every day to drive you to school?!”

Qiyu stood lackadaisically at the back, clutching his chest with a look of profound heartbreak. Who could have imagined such “heart-stirring” words would emanate from his mouth?

The air solidified.

Qiyu shook his head, his cowlick bobbing along. As if fearing the situation wasn’t awkward enough, he added, “They’ll only feel their sincerity was misplaced!”

These words reached such a peak of awkwardness that, for the first time, they felt the classroom air grow thin…

Otherwise, why did it feel so suffocating?

The air remained stagnant.

Qiyu, too, belatedly felt the embarrassment. “…”

A minute later, everyone finally realized something, and with great cooperation, they returned to their seats, pretending to read their books.

“Haha, studying can change destiny.”

“That’s right, we shouldn’t betray our parents’ genuine efforts.”

“We’re truly a bunch of little rascals.”

‘If only this idiot didn’t have such a complicated background, I’d really want to beat him to death,’ they all thought.

Of course, Qiyu also realized this, and his embarrassment instantly deepened. “…”

However, this chuunibyou-esque behavior certainly captured the attention of the entire class. Now, no one was discussing Lu Xingye’s scandalous rumors anymore.

He had, after all, underestimated the popularity of campus celebrities. He wondered how much longer he could keep it a secret.

Lu Xingye casually draped his long legs over the crossbar beneath the desk, a smile playing on his lips. “So righteous, are we?” he drawled.

Qiyu bluffed, “What? Is there a problem with that?”

“I’ve always been a rather kind person; you simply haven’t had the patience to uncover the beauty within me.”

Qiyu dared not look directly at Lu Xingye, so he pretended to be sleepy and flopped onto his desk. Yet, the instant he lay down, his nape was pinched.

He looked up, meeting Lu Xingye’s dark, obsidian eyes. “We should begin our studies for today.”

After his laugh, Lu Xingye immediately reverted to his usual poker face. “To prevent you from slacking off and disappearing, you must remain under my watchful eye from now on.”

“If you need to go anywhere, I must accompany you.”

“The first exam is approaching, and time is short with heavy tasks ahead.”

“Then, if I need to use the restroom…” Qiyu asked hesitantly.

“Mm, I’ll help you,” Lu Xingye replied indifferently.

Qiyu’s face flushed with a hint of bashfulness as he pressed his lips together. “Alright…”

“Brother, I am willing to be touched by you.” Qiyu rose, leaned in, and whispered softly into Lu Xingye’s ear.

‘Heh, so he wants to play dirty, does he?’

Lu Xingye’s expression froze for a moment before returning to normal. He looked at Qiyu and chuckled. “Alright, just you wait.”

‘He must hate me, right…?’

At school, he dared not get too close to Lu Xingye, fearing that these gossiping rich second-generation students would discover there was another ‘fake pair’ here.

To prevent this situation from escalating further, he pulled out his phone, opened the ‘Green Bubble’ app, and intended to message the forum administrator:

‘From now on, discussing vulgar gossip is forbidden on campus.’

There was no doubt about the administrator’s authority; at the very least, they could effectively curb the public discourse.

Before sending the message, he glanced at Lu Xingye, who was occupied with his own matters and showed no intention of stopping him. Reassured, Qiyu relaxed.

Instead of sending the message, he noticed a certain group chat was frantically spamming. The chat box kept popping up, and his curiosity led him to tap into the group.

[Puppy Cheese Roll: What’s that Qiyu going crazy about again this morning?]

[Tutu: No hero’s destiny, just a hero’s complex. (Facepalm emoji)]

[ , . : Huh? Does no one else know?]

[Depressed Pure Luo Shao: Finish your sentence, is there any gossip? (Listening emoji)]

[ , . : Apparently, that Lu Xingye is Qiyu’s kept man!]

[Tutu: A kept man? What a name…]

[R: He’s certainly a kept man. Even with Qiyu, he still reeks of poverty. Qiyu’s probably just toying with him.]

[Xue Shanshan: I always thought they had nothing to do with each other.]

[Most Handsome Man in the Universe: There is indeed no relationship whatsoever.]

After Qiyu sent this message, he felt the subtle, lingering gazes from various corners of the classroom. His mouth twitched; he hadn’t expected these people to dare discuss him so openly.

The group chat began to flood with messages again, most people saying:

‘Kick him out!’

[Most Handsome Man in the Universe: I am the group owner.]