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Gu Chen had nothing to say.

Jin Wei and Tao Jiang exchanged a glance and immediately stepped in to smooth things over. "Great God, don't listen to Young Huo's nonsense. He saw you eating alone and deliberately came over to join you!"

As they spoke, they carried their trays over and sat beside and across from Gu Chen. Huo Mingzhang snorted, chased away the childhood friend sitting opposite Gu Chen, and took the seat himself.

He stared intensely at Gu Chen, his face full of provocation. "Gu Chen, tell me, aren't you ungrateful?"

Gu Chen: "..."

Huo Mingzhang was still hung up on it. "On your first day of school, when you weren't feeling well, I was the one who took you to the school infirmary, right? During your half-month military training, when you stood in the sun every day, practiced military stances, and marched until your feet were nearly blistered, I was the one who told you how to deal with it, right? And when you went to intern at the Great Zhou World sales office, wasn't it because you had that basketball battle with me, Zhou Xiaoting saw it, wanted you to join the basketball team, and offered you that arrangement in exchange?"

"I helped you so much, and fine, maybe you don't appreciate it. But why do you hate me?" Huo Mingzhang simply couldn't understand it. He might not have been the sort everyone adored, but ever since childhood, he had friends everywhere and got along wherever he went. So why, with Gu Chen, did he end up being hated by everyone and everything?

Huo Mingzhang felt this was a grave insult and trampling of his personal charm.

Gu Chen was completely confused. "So?"

Huo Mingzhang: "..."

Gu Chen's question left Huo Mingzhang stunned. "What do you mean, so?"

Gu Chen patiently repeated himself. "What does me hating you have to do with you?"

Huo Mingzhang: "..."

"Pfft!"

Jin Wei and Tao Jiang couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

Huo Mingzhang glared at his two childhood friends in embarrassment and anger. He couldn't help leaning forward, lowering his voice as he demanded, "Gu Chen, are you messing with me?"

Gu Chen had absolutely no intention of messing with him. He was serious. He even felt rather innocent. Patiently, he reasoned with Huo Mingzhang. "I just subjectively dislike you. I haven't said it out loud, nor have I badmouthed you to anyone else. I've just quietly disliked you. How has that gotten in your way?"

Compared with the way these people had openly toyed with, tormented, and bullied others in his previous life, Gu Chen felt his dislike was already very polite and restrained.

"...So I should thank you for only quietly disliking me instead of saying it out loud?" Huo Mingzhang stared at Gu Chen in disbelief. Was there something wrong with this kid's train of thought?

"Of course!" Gu Chen was equally baffled by Huo Mingzhang's behavior. "Did you want me to say it out loud?"

Huo Mingzhang: "..."

Huo Mingzhang nearly choked to death on the breath stuck in his throat.

If they hadn't been concerned about Huo Mingzhang's dignity, Jin Wei and Tao Jiang would have laughed themselves to pieces.

How had they never noticed that Gu Chen was this entertaining before?

"Brother, so you were here?" Gu Xiu had searched the cafeteria for quite a while before finally spotting Gu Chen and Huo Mingzhang's group in a corner. He looked at Huo Mingzhang with some confusion. "Why are you eating together?"

"We happened to run into each other." Huo Mingzhang had nearly suffered a heart attack from Gu Chen's retorts, then been mocked by his two heartless childhood friends. Hearing Gu Xiu give him an opening, he hurriedly changed the subject. "Why are your eyes red? Did someone bully you again?"

"No." Gu Xiu shook his head, looking as though he wanted to say something but held back. "It was all my fault. It had nothing to do with Shang Rui."

Huo Mingzhang was utterly confused. "And who is Shang Rui?"

"I know!" Jin Wei raised his hand to answer first. "She's the newly chosen freshman class beauty. She's pretty and innocent-looking, and her smile is so cute!"

"She's a girl in our class. I think she likes my brother." As Gu Xiu spoke, he glanced at Gu Chen and said hesitantly, "I only told her that you could never like her, Brother, and that she shouldn't waste her time. Then she got angry and scolded me."

"Well, then you deserved it." Before Gu Chen or Huo Mingzhang could say anything, Jin Wei said bluntly, "How could you talk like that in front of a girl? Don't girls have pride too? Especially a girl as pretty and adorable as Shang Rui!"

"Exactly!" Tao Jiang shook his head as well and sighed. "No wonder you have no luck with girls. No girl can stand someone as blunt as you."

"If you keep this up, you'll never find a girlfriend."

Gu Xiu: "..."

"Gu Xiu is still young! Why would he be looking for a girlfriend?" Huo Mingzhang glared at his childhood friends, then remarked, "Still, I never noticed that you're quite popular with girls, Gu Chen!"

There had been Zhou Xiaoting before, and now Shang Rui. For no apparent reason, Huo Mingzhang felt a little sour. No matter how he looked at it, he didn't think Gu Chen was all that handsome, so why did girls like him so much?

Huo Mingzhang suddenly remembered that Zhou Xiaoting seemed to have mentioned that Gu Chen was quite popular with the girls at the Great Zhou World sales office too.

"...That's quite a talent for being a pretty boy." Huo Mingzhang said sourly. "Why not work harder and land a rich, beautiful girl early? At least then you could save yourself twenty years of hard work."

Gu Xiu's heart skipped a beat. Quietly clenching his fists, he said, "Stop talking nonsense. My brother isn't that kind of person."

Gu Chen couldn't even be bothered to respond to Huo Mingzhang. He silently finished his meal, stood up, and left.

Huo Mingzhang snorted and called after him, "Don't forget to come play with the basketball team tonight!"

Gu Xiu glanced at Huo Mingzhang, then turned and ran after Gu Chen.

"Brother, wait for me!" Gu Xiu caught up to Gu Chen and reached out to grab his wrist. "Why have you been ignoring me lately?"

"I don't want to talk to you." Gu Chen pulled his arm back. "And don't come bother me either."

"Gu Chen!" Gu Xiu was so angry that he shouted Gu Chen's name. "I don't understand how I offended you! What are you dissatisfied with? Can't you just tell me? I'll change!"

Their argument was a little loud, and the students passing by couldn't help glancing over.

Gu Xiu seemed not to notice. "Ever since we were children, I've listened to whatever you said. I obediently did whatever you asked me to do. You don't like Wang Miao and Xia Tian, so I don't eat or attend class with them anymore! What else do you want from me?"