[Holy shit!]
Yao Tao hurriedly reached for it.
[He's trying to murder me with ice cream!]
[How vicious!]
[I love it!]
[If you round it up, he's feeding me ice cream!]
[Boohoo, he really loves me so much!]
He Zhen: ...
"What are you doing?" Zeng Rou asked, stunned.
He Zhen merely said, "She likes ice cream."
Zeng Rou: ...???
"Hahaha, we bought ice cream and cake to celebrate Cheng Yu and Han Qinglu officially getting together!" By the time Zhao Yixiao spoke, Cheng Yu had already unpacked the cake.
"Yeah, I wanted to make an ice cream cake." Amusement sparkled in Cheng Yu's eyes. "Don't you girls love a Patchwork Ceremony?"
"It's a little slapdash today," Cheng Yu said, reaching for Han Qinglu's hand. "But cake plus ice cream still counts as an ice cream cake, and we could pick the ice cream they like, too."
By "they," she clearly meant Yao Tao and Zeng Rou.
[Holy shit, that's so romantic!]
[Hahahaha, this is way more fun than just eating an ice cream cake!]
Yao Tao's eyes shone as she ate her chocolate Cornetto.
[Don't tell me she's already hidden a ring in the cake!]
[Oh my god, even if it's not a ring, she must have hidden something in there!]
[I bet fifty cents she did!]
He Zhen gave a dry cough.
Were all girls like this? She'd guessed it already. Hadn't Cheng Yu gone to all that trouble for nothing?
"Why are you coughing?" Zeng Rou had been in a good mood, but He Zhen's cough annoyed her again. "What have you got a problem with?"
[Hahaha, what are you doing?!]
[The atmosphere was so nice, and you had to cough!]
[Hahahaha, now Zeng Heroine's going to turn her anger back on you! Hahahaha!]
[Poor little He Bao, Zeng Bao's punching bag. Hahaha, just how many times have you stood them up? Hahaha.]
[Quick, say something went down the wrong way! Hahaha, otherwise I'm afraid you're going to get beaten up!]
Yao Tao kept a straight face while secretly gloating.
"Something went down the wrong way," He Zhen said without so much as a blush.
[Oh my, the little guy's learned to lie! Incredible!]
Yao Tao launched into another round of mental commentary.
He Zhen couldn't help glancing at her, then glancing at her again.
Yao Tao: ...?
[Why's he looking at me?]
He Zhen pointed to the corner of his mouth. "It's dripping."
Yao Tao: !
She immediately wiped the corner of her mouth, but there was nothing there.
She'd been wondering how such tiny bites could leave a whole blob at the corner of her mouth, let alone make it drip.
*[?]*
[He tricked me!?!]
[Am I still half asleep, or is this really happening???]
"I was tricking you," He Zhen said mischievously.
Yao Tao was stunned!
He Zhen smiled.
[He Zhen, you're breaking character!!!]
[Where did my god He go!!!]
Hearing that, He Zhen's smile faded a little. What character did he have to maintain? He'd simply been suppressing himself.
A sense of loss welled up without warning. All she liked was the version of himself He Zhen presented to her.
[Damn it, He Bao is adorable like this too!]
[So mischievous!]
[Is this what it feels like when a fictional character comes to life?!]
[Hahahahaha!]
[Girls, I'm downing this one first!]
[Hahahaha, he feels so real!]
[I like him even more now! Drool, drool, drool!-]
[Collector's edition: He Zhen, who plays little tricks on you!]
[Doesn't this deserve its own SP date card?!]
He Zhen: ...He still didn't understand enough, but then again, he didn't really seem to want to understand.
The inexplicable agitation in his heart faded, and he joined in cutting the cake.
"Come on, stop zoning out! Everyone gets a share!" Zhao Yixiao eagerly cut a slice topped with mango and handed it to Zeng Rou. "Here, Zeng Rou. The mango's super fresh!"
Zeng Rou happily took it. "Little Peach, what flavor do you want?"
They'd bought a large cake made up of small square fruit cakes. Each little cake could be cut into four portions, and there were all sorts of fruit toppings.
[Dragon fruit!]
[Dragon fruit is delicious!]
[Strawberry's good too, but that one's so close to Han Qinglu. She must have done something to that cake!]
[They got back pretty quickly, so I bet the strawberry one's hollow inside! Hahaha!]
[I want dragon fruit!]
[Never mind, never mind. We introverts can't volunteer opinions. Gotta act shy!]
He Zhen paused while cutting a quarter of the grape cake, then switched to cutting a quarter of the dragon fruit cake.
Yao Tao cleared her throat. "Anything's fine. I'm not picky."
"If anything's fine, have some kiwi!" Zeng Rou said. "Zhao Yixiao, cut some kiwi cake!"
[Sis, you're my own dear sister!]
[I don't want kiwi!!!]
[Out of all these fruits, how did you manage to pick the one I don't like?! Aaaaaah!-]
Yao Tao screamed in despair.
But that scream could only thunder through her mind; her throat felt sealed shut, unable to squeeze out a single word.
[Words spoken are water spilled!]
[I hate 'anything's fine'!]
Yao Tao was going crazy.
[It's over. I said anything was fine, but if I don't actually eat it, well, there goes any chance for us.]
[Damn it!]
"She'll have dragon fruit." He Zhen set the quarter portion of dragon fruit cake in front of Yao Tao. "Give me the kiwi."
*[!]*
[My baby, my god!]
[Mommy's love wasn't wasted on you!!!]
[The next time Zeng Rou snaps at you, I swear I'll-]
[Help you curse her out in my head!!!]
[He Bao, spread your wings without fear!]
"Just eat." He Zhen placed a fork beside her.
"Ooh, didn't Little Peach just say anything was fine?" Zeng Rou's teasing gaze swept over them. "Earlier, I heard Little Peach say you two weren't that close yet, were you?"
"Come to think of it, it's strange. If you were making it up to us, why did you insist on bringing Little Peach along?"
"Did you specifically want to introduce her to us?"
Zeng Rou made no attempt to hide her wicked sense of fun.
[Holy crap, girl, you!]
[What a genius!]
[Has it not occurred to you that maybe I wanted to get to know you too?!!!]
[I'm heartbroken. You only have eyes for He Bao, not me!]
[Sob, sob, sob!-]
[Such is the fate of cannon fodder. Boohoohoo!-]
"Yeah, I brought her so you could meet her."
He Zhen's answer made even Cheng Yu look directly at him.
"That's nice," Cheng Yu said.
*[???]*
[Huh?]
[Do you all skip lines when you talk?]
[Wait, why does this sound like meeting the parents?!?]
[I get it. Have He Zhen and I started dating without me even realizing it?!!!]
He Zhen almost really choked!
What on earth were Yao Tao's thought processes made of?!
[So should I just call him hubby the next time I open my mouth?!]
[Wow, is it really this exciting?!?]
"I think it's nice too." Smiling, Han Qinglu sliced into the strawberry cake in front of her, only to meet resistance from a puffed-up pocket of air. "This is-!"
Han Qinglu stared in surprise at the object wrapped in a food-safe bag.
It had been pushed in through the bottom.
"Even for a confession, this isn't formal enough." Cheng Yu was a little embarrassed. "I had it made at the last minute, so it's a bit rough, but I prepared the necklace ages ago!"
"Han Qinglu, I like you. Will you go out with me and be my girlfriend?" Cheng Yu got down on one knee and confessed earnestly.
[Aaaaaaaaah!-]
[She even did this!]
[Boohoo!]
[If they confess and get together this early, does that mean I've helped change their tragic future a little too?!]
[Even though I don't think I did anything!]
[Aaaaaah, but Han Qinglu's taken now! She won't be falsely accused anymore!!!]
[Hahahahaha, now all they have to do is stay away from Fu Xin!]
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Zeng Rou, even more unhinged than Yao Tao, actually dared to say it aloud.
"Zeng Rou!" Han Qinglu stamped her foot.
"Are you happy?!" Zeng Rou was genuinely delighted for her best friend. "You've dragged this out until you're almost in your junior year. Were you planning to keep dragging it out until you started working?!"
"Who has time for romance once they start working?" Zeng Rou's analysis sounded quite convincing as she ate her cake. "Better to make her yours now!"
[What a goddess of a sister!]
[Work will run you ragged, and you'll have even less time to date!]
[Fall in love now!]
[Once you start working, go straight into old-married-couple mode!]
[How wonderful!]
[If you follow the original story, you'll both be miserable!]
[Do it now! Don't hesitate!]
[Date! Make this romance as sweet as you can!]
[If the sweetness doesn't kill you, keep piling it on!]
"Say yes! Say yes!" Zhao Yixiao joined in the teasing.
"Didn't I already say yes?!" Han Qinglu laughed.
Cheng Yu pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, Qinglu."
"So cheesy!" Han Qinglu pushed her away. Despite calling it cheesy, she was so flustered she didn't even know how to cut the cake anymore!
"I'll cut it." Cheng Yu held her hand.
"It's all your fault. You only bought one strawberry cake, and you even put something inside it." Blushing, Han Qinglu began babbling.
"Oh, so you're blaming Cheng Yu for not buying enough cake!" Zeng Rou burst out laughing. "I'll order an even bigger one and have it delivered!"
[Boohoo, this sweetness is killing me!]
[I'm willing to die of sweetness right here!]
[Everything's perfect!]
[Now this is romance! Aaaaaah!-]
[He Bao, open your eyes wide and take a good look.]
The mood in the karaoke room instantly heated up again.
"Whatever you can think of, Cheng Yu's already thought it through." He Zhen's mood lifted too.
This seemed like what a normal romance should be.
As for his own one-sided devotion, strip away his good looks, and all that seemed to remain was the word "simp."
The posts on the forum seemed to flash vividly before his eyes.
He Zhen felt completely clearheaded now.
His mind had become unusually sharp.
Fu Xin.
Forget her.
At that moment, He Zhen wasn't sure whether he was imagining it, but his whole body seemed to feel weightless, as though he were drunk despite not having had a drink.
It was like walking on cotton, light and floaty.
That floating sensation was interrupted by his phone ringing.
The lively atmosphere quieted down with it.
"Who is it?" Zeng Rou asked.
"Fu Xin's mother," He Zhen answered naturally. "I'm going to take this."
[Ah, happy times never last.]
[What's happened to Fu Xin now?]
[Bye, He Zhen. See you at school.]
"Keep having fun. I'll be right back." He Zhen spoke to Yao Tao, emphasizing every word. "I'll be right back. Don't wander off."
Yao Tao, who had just received those instructions, looked utterly baffled.
[Did I wake up and suddenly become He Zhen's wife???]
[Have I been knocked silly by all the sweetness today?]
Zeng Rou was just about to get angry when Zhao Yixiao stopped her. "Hey, just let him take the call."
"Nine times out of ten, he'll have to leave again!" Zeng Rou bit into her cake. "Has he paid yet? Settle the bill before leaving! I'll order another seventeen or eighteen dishes. We can eat once we're tired of partying!"
"Didn't he tell Yao Tao to wait for him?" Cheng Yu spoke up for him for once. "He won't leave."
Han Qinglu looked at Cheng Yu. "How are you so sure?"
Yao Tao was puzzled too. Her ears had already switched into antenna mode, ready to listen.
"You have no idea!" Zhao Yixiao was clearly even more excited than Cheng Yu. "Fu Xin already called him earlier!"
"Apparently, Fu Xin fell into the water and wanted He Zhen to keep her company at the hospital. We thought he was going to leave too!"
"But after asking Fu Xin a few questions about what happened and getting the hospital's address, he turned around and called her parents!"
"You have no idea how stunned I was!"
Zhao Yixiao looked exactly like a gossip-loving schoolgirl as he told the story.
"Seriously?!" Zeng Rou was the first to voice her disbelief.
"Seriously," Cheng Yu answered her. "I'd already prepared myself for him to leave halfway through again."
Four pairs of eyes landed on Yao Tao.
Yao Tao, who had been listening intently and was just as shocked inside, was still busy being amazed. Why had everyone gone quiet???
She looked up and found four pairs of beady eyes staring at her.
Those looks made her feel like a monkey in a zoo, while they were the visitors!
"What?" Yao Tao asked blankly.
Keep talking!
Her curiosity had yet to be satisfied when her phone started beeping nonstop too.
Bai Jianai: I hesitated for ages because I didn't know whether this would be useful to you. Lots of people were filming.
Bai Jianai: Take a look yourself.
Bai Jianai: If it's no use to you, there's nothing else I can do.
Bai Jianai: The School Forum has crashed. By the time it's fixed, I'm guessing you might not need this anymore.
Yao Tao looked at the video. Despite her itching curiosity, she didn't open it immediately.
The opening frame showed Qin Zhen kneeling beside a river, someone in the water, and a crowd gathered on the bank.
Someone had fallen into the water!
It didn't take a genius to know it had to be Fu Xin.
"Holy shit!" Zeng Rou slapped her thigh, her startled voice ringing out. "Guys, I'm dying! Look at the fun little thing I just got! Hahahaha, this is so satisfying!"
Yao Tao hurriedly sent Bai Jianai a thank-you, then leaned over to join the fun.
It was indeed a video of Fu Xin falling into the water.
But there were more messages in Zeng Rou's group chat.
"I'm dying. They're saying Tan Nianzhi pushed Fu Xin into the water."
"But some are saying Fu Xin was pushed into the river by the Guan Xingchen Fan Club!"
"Hahaha, some even say she jumped in herself!"
Zeng Rou's laughter was positively brimming with glee at Fu Xin's misfortune.
"Guan Xingchen?" Han Qinglu looked thoughtful.
"He's that freshman from the Guan Family. I remember meeting him at some banquet, but you definitely wouldn't remember him." Zeng Rou roared with laughter. "Fu Xin's really something. First, she had Qin Zhen openly pursuing her, then that low-key simp He Zhen, and now she's dragged Guan Xingchen into it too. Haha, brilliant!"
"Does He Zhen know?!" Zeng Rou was practically laughing herself to death.
When He Zhen returned after his call, the very first thought he heard made his head spin again.
[Well, damn. Qin Zhen's fiancée, Tan Nianzhi, made her entrance a little early.]
[The third male lead, Guan Xingchen, has shown up ahead of schedule too?]
[That little psycho wasn't supposed to appear until later!]
[Fu Xin's already gotten mixed up with him???]
Before you continue