Chapter 3

“Chuqi, whatever you do, do **not** provoke Mo Xun. You know, the guy sitting behind you.” Chu Wanning suddenly leaned close to Gu Chuqi’s ear and whispered a warning. Gu Chuqi looked at her in confusion. “His family has a very powerful background. Most of the school buildings were donated by his family. Since he's excellent at science and his family has connections, even the teachers can't do much about him.” “You'd better be careful around him. He doesn't care whether you're a boy or a girl. If you make him unhappy, he'll curse you out or even beat you up.” Gu Chuqi's brows furrowed even more as she listened. She had indeed seen him fighting yesterday, although he had only been fighting back after being surrounded. “Is he really as terrifying as you say?” “Aiya, just listen to me. You’re new here, so you don't know. I heard he gets into fights all the time, and the people he beats don't get out of the hospital for ten days to half a month.” Gu Chuqi clearly believed her. After all, on her second day in Jiangcheng, she had already witnessed this notorious school bully beating people up. And, unfortunately, she had even flirted with him. She wondered if he had taken it to heart. Then she remembered the intimidating look he'd given her that morning and decided it would be better to stay far away from him from now on. As long as she could peacefully get through the next two years here, everything would be fine once she became an adult. Throughout the morning classes, Gu Chuqi noticed that the person behind her had been sleeping with his head down the entire time. She couldn't help wondering what he'd done after beating those people up last night to make him sleep so much. During the lunch break, class monitor Song Shuhang came to find Gu Chuqi. They agreed to have lunch first, after which he would take her to collect her school uniform and textbooks. “Chuqi, let's go eat.” As soon as class ended, Chu Wanning came back to life and enthusiastically invited Gu Chuqi to the cafeteria. Jiangcheng No. 1 High School was a semi-closed campus. Students weren't allowed to leave during lunch. Those who lived on campus had to stay for evening self-study, while students who lived off campus were free to go home afterward. Fortunately, Jiangcheng No. 1 High School was practically a private elite school. Not only did it have advanced teaching facilities, but even the food in the cafeteria was delicious enough to rival dishes prepared by five-star hotel chefs. The school had two cafeterias, and the dishes served in each cafeteria were different from Monday through Friday. Chu Wanning took Gu Chuqi to the second floor of the first cafeteria. She explained that students could order dishes individually here. The chefs here were said to be the best in the entire school. The only downside was that the food was somewhat expensive, making this cafeteria particularly popular with the wealthy young masters and heiresses. Chu Wanning ordered sweet-and-sour pork ribs, Kung Pao chicken, and a serving of stir-fried vegetables. Gu Chuqi ordered two relatively light dishes. The two girls found a quiet corner and sat down. “Chuqi, are you really going to eat that little? No wonder you're so skinny.” Chu Wanning looked at the sweet-and-sour pork ribs in front of her and suddenly felt like they weren't as appealing as before. After struggling between _eating one more bite and gaining weight_ and _eating one less bite and staying just as skinny_, she ultimately chose the former. Gu Chuqi smiled. “I normally don't eat very much. And you're not fat either. It's nice to have a little bit of meat on you.” Halfway through their meal, a sudden commotion erupted at the entrance of the cafeteria. The two girls looked toward the source of the noise. It was Guo Yichen, Xu Hao, and Zhou Xinxin, along with two students from other classes. Walking behind them was the notorious school bully, Mo Xun. The flamboyant and rebellious young man wasn't wearing the school uniform. His hoodie, jeans, and sneakers were all expensive designer pieces, each costing at least four figures. With a lazy expression, he casually tapped away at his phone. The silver diamond stud in his left ear glimmered under the lights. He walked straight over and stopped in front of Gu Chuqi. “Here.” Before Gu Chuqi could react, he turned around and walked over to the chair beside the round table where he usually sat. His sudden action caught Gu Chuqi completely off guard. By the time she reacted, he was already gone. She looked down at the strawberry-flavored yogurt sitting on the table. It seemed to still carry the warmth of the young man's palm. Gu Chuqi stared at it for several seconds before finally realizing what he meant. _An apology for what happened during English class._ She couldn't help smiling. So the supposedly untouchable school big shot actually knew how to make someone feel better? Before she could even pick up the yogurt, a chorus of excited voices erupted from the crowd. “Holy crap, who is that girl? I've never seen her before. Why did the big shot give her yogurt?” “Is she his girlfriend? Didn't everyone say there had never been a girl around him?” “I heard from a friend in Science Class One that they're getting a transfer student. She's probably the one.” “Wow, the transfer student is insanely beautiful!” “Yeah, yeah! I feel like she's even prettier than our school beauty, Wang Feifei.” Gu Chuqi was a true southern beauty. She had delicate willow-shaped brows, phoenix-shaped eyes, and refined, elegant features. Her slender figure was graceful and curvaceous, while her skin was smooth, soft, and fair. Almost everyone who saw her couldn't help complimenting her appearance. “The school bully is making a move! Has he fallen for the transfer student?!” “Ahhhhh! The transfer student and the big shot are already giving us a love story! This is so exciting!” “I’m officially shipping them!” “What was that girl's name again?” “I just asked a friend from Class One. The beauty's name is Gu Chuqi, and today is her first day at school.” “Then let's call them the ‘Final Exam CP’—‘Qi-Mo CP.’ Bring on the sweet romance! From now on, I won't be scared of final exams anymore.” Most of the girls who witnessed what had happened in the cafeteria felt their hearts shatter. _The school bully already has someone? Just like that?_ Wang Feifei, who showed up on the second floor of the first cafeteria every day in hopes of seeing Mo Xun, was furious when she saw what was happening. Hearing the students' comments only made her glare resentfully at Gu Chuqi. The few girls beside her usually followed her lead. After all, Wang Feifei's family was wealthier than theirs, and she would sometimes give them branded items she no longer used. Naturally, this was the perfect opportunity for them to flatter her. “Feifei, don't listen to them. You're much prettier.” “Exactly! Who does she think she is? How could she possibly compare with you, Feifei?” “We don't even know which backwater village she transferred from. She really thinks she's something.” “...” Gu Chuqi naturally heard all those comments. Suddenly, she felt as though the bottle of yogurt in her hand had become too hot to hold. A few minutes earlier, Mo Xun and the others had been at the school's convenience store. Xu Hao and the others each grabbed a bottle of mineral water. When Guo Yichen noticed that Mo Xun had been standing in front of the refrigerator for a full minute without doing anything, he asked, “Xun-ge, what are you doing? Why have you been staring for so long? There's nothing you like?” Guo Yichen draped an arm around Mo Xun's neck. “Wasn't it soda you usually drink, Xun?” Xu Hao took a bottle of soda from the refrigerator and handed it to Mo Xun, but Mo Xun didn't take it. Instead, he reached farther into the refrigerator and took out a bottle of yogurt. Strawberry flavor. “???” Everyone looked at him in confusion. _Did Xun-ge suddenly change his taste? And to something this strange?_ Strawberry yogurt? _Wasn't this the kind of thing girls drank?_ It wasn't until they saw what happened afterward that Guo Yichen and the others finally understood. Zhou Xinxin thought: _Xun-ge really knows how to make a move._ Guo Yichen thought: _Could Xun-ge have fallen for my goddess?_ Xu Hao, meanwhile, was somewhat relieved. _Ah Xun finally has an interest in girls._ There were plenty of girls at school who were attracted to Mo Xun's handsome face, but he had never shown any interest in any of them. Whether they were beautiful or cute, they were all ignored when they approached him. He even seemed to have a slight dislike for girls. There used to be girls coming to Science Class One every day to secretly stuff love letters and gifts into his desk. Every single time, Mo Xun would simply throw them into the trash. Sometimes they would send him food, which Guo Yichen would shamelessly beg for before happily putting it into his own stomach. There was even one time when the school beauty, Wang Feifei, came to the back door of Class One from the neighboring classroom during a break when hardly anyone was around. Unfortunately, before she could put the gift on Mo Xun's desk, he returned to retrieve something and caught her in the act. Yet Mo Xun didn't even spare her a glance. “Move.” Wang Feifei's face turned red as she stared at him, wanting to say something but hesitating. “Something wrong?” “Mo Xun, I'm Wang Feifei. I like you. Will you be my boyfriend?” “Oh. Are you done? If you're done, move. You're blocking the way.” His tone was so cold and indifferent that it was as if he weren't even the person being confessed to. He then walked straight toward the door without waiting to see whether she moved. In the process, he accidentally knocked Wang Feifei over, causing her knee to hit a chair. The pain brought tears to her eyes. Mo Xun, however, didn't pay any attention to her and simply walked out. The students who witnessed the scene without knowing what had really happened soon spread the story around. It eventually became: _The school beauty Wang Feifei confessed to the school bully, only to be rejected and even reduced to tears by him._ After that, no matter how much the girls liked Mo Xun, they no longer dared to casually send him gifts.