I choose Chen Fan

Huh?

Chen Fan was still feeling glum when he suddenly noticed the notebook in front of him.

"What are you doing?"

Chen Fan blinked and quickly looked up.

Su Ruochu was staring at the podium with a "serious expression," but she looked noticeably nervous.

Was she... passing me a note on her own initiative?

Chen Fan suddenly grew excited.

His gloom vanished in an instant.

His mood immediately turned bright and sunny.

Ruochu started talking to me.

Ruochu cared about me.

Grinning like an idiot, Chen Fan quickly wrote a sentence in the notebook and pushed it over to her.

"Lately, there's been a rumor in class that I like you. Let me clear that up: it's not a rumor."

Su Ruochu glanced down, and her pretty face immediately flushed.

She cast Chen Fan a fleeting look, somewhere between playful reproach and helplessness.

That was the look.

Chen Fan felt as though an electric current had struck him, leaving him almost giddy.

When they had been dating in his previous life, she had always given him that look whenever he did something that left her speechless.

Playful reproach and charm, mixed with a trace of "I can't be bothered to call you out."

Although her expression now lacked some of the tenderness and allure it would have a few years later, it had a fresh, endearing charm of its own.

Chen Fan's heart was practically melting.

He hurriedly continued writing: "All right, here's a serious answer. I'm actually working hard for our future."

Su Ruochu rolled her eyes and automatically ignored his nonsense.

After some thought, she finally wrote another sentence.

"Pay attention in class. The college entrance exam is coming up."

The corners of Chen Fan's mouth lifted slightly when he read it.

"Whatever you say. In this life, you're the only person I'll obey without question."

Su Ruochu seemed to have been defeated by him.

Blushing, she put away the notebook, tore out that page, and tucked it into her pocket, unwilling to bother with this shameless guy anymore.

For the rest of the lesson, however, Chen Fan really did stay focused and listen attentively.

His behavior stirred a feeling in Su Ruochu that she couldn't quite put into words.

At the very least, she was pleased that Chen Fan listened to her so readily.

And as for this deskmate of hers...

Some strange change really did seem to have come over him lately.

Chen Fan had never been so "smooth-talking" before, nor had he ever said anything so embarrassingly sweet to her.

Could it really be because the college entrance exam was so close?

Su Ruochu attributed all of it to the approaching exam.

The moment the final bell rang that afternoon, Guo Shuai rushed over excitedly from the back row.

"Hey, didn't you say this afternoon that you needed a computer? I thought about it, and we happen to have one at home. Why don't you come over?"

Chen Fan shook his head.

"Better not. Your dad treats that computer like his most prized possession. He won't even let you touch it. Besides, I can't keep going to your place every day..."

"So what? We're brothers, aren't we?"

"True brothers are always close at heart."

"Forget it. I appreciate the offer. I'll think of something else."

Beside them, Su Ruochu glanced at Chen Fan, quietly shouldered her schoolbag, and walked out of the classroom.

Guo Shuai winked at Chen Fan.

"Well? Aren't you going after her? Giving up already?"

Chen Fan laughed and cursed at him.

"You don't know shit. Chasing girls takes stamina. I need a halftime break so I can land the winning shot next time and make her mine."

"Oh, please. I don't think you two have a chance."

"Cut the crap. Don't forget the oath you made the other day. You'd better get your shit ready in advance. I'll personally feed it to you when the time comes."

"Fuck off!"

The two walked out of the classroom, laughing and chatting, and headed straight for the bicycle shed.

To their surprise, they ran into their class monitor, Huang Hu, there.

He had stopped Su Ruochu and seemed to be saying something to her.

Seeing this, Chen Fan hurried over.

"Su Ruochu, we take the same route home. Why don't we go together?"

Huang Hu said with a smile, "There are a few problems the teacher covered today that I still haven't figured out. I was hoping to ask you about them."

Su Ruochu was just about to speak when she spotted Chen Fan, and a flicker crossed her face.

Chen Fan strode over and stepped directly in front of Su Ruochu.

"You go ahead!"

Huang Hu frowned.

"Chen Fan, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing much."

Chen Fan sneered. "Mr. Class Monitor, don't think I don't know what you're up to."

"You can chase girls all you want, but I'm warning you: stay away from Su Ruochu."

"You..."

With his intentions exposed on the spot, Huang Hu flushed with anger and glared at Chen Fan.

"Who do you think you are?"

"What gives you the right to interfere between me and Su Ruochu?"

Chen Fan smiled faintly.

"I'm nobody special, but I can tell you this: she's my woman."

Behind him, Su Ruochu trembled at those words, and a blush instantly spread across her face.

But she didn't speak up to contradict him.

Huang Hu scoffed.

"You've been daydreaming too much, haven't you?"

"As if Su Ruochu would like someone like you."

"Ruochu, he says you're his girlfriend. Is that true?"

Expressionless, Su Ruochu began wheeling her bicycle away.

"I don't want to answer such a pointless question."

"Don't go."

Huang Hu quickly stepped forward to block her.

"Ruochu, since we've already come this far, I might as well tell you straight."

"I like you."

"I was originally planning to confess after the college entrance exam."

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"No."

Su Ruochu rejected him without the slightest hesitation.

"Why?"

Huang Hu's eyes widened, his expression stricken.

He seemed never to have imagined that he might be rejected.

"Do you really like Chen Fan?"

Su Ruochu glanced at Chen Fan and said coolly,

"That's none of your business."

Her attitude seemed to have stung him, dealing a blow to his proud ego.

For a moment, Huang Hu couldn't accept it.

"Why?"

"Why are you rejecting me?"

"Am I not good enough?"

"In this school, I'm the only one worthy of you. And during the last Math Olympiad exam, when my stomach hurt, you went out of your way to buy me water and medicine. You were worried about me..."

Su Ruochu was speechless.

"Huang Hu, you're reading too much into it."

"I only see you as a classmate and a friend. It's not what you think."

"I would've done the same for any other classmate."

"Impossible! I don't believe you!"

Huang Hu shouted agitatedly, "You must like me too, right?"

"Are you too embarrassed to admit it because these two are here?"

Watching him fall apart like a child,

Chen Fan could barely keep himself from laughing.

What a piece of work.

How could anyone be this full of himself?

He clearly had no experience with relationships. He didn't understand Su Ruochu at all.

If Huang Hu kept this up, Su Ruochu would only dislike him more.

Sure enough, Su Ruochu frowned.

Yet Huang Hu kept shouting in agitation.

"Fine. I'll ask you one last time."

"If you had to choose between me and Chen Fan to go home with, who would you pick?"

"You'd better think carefully..."

"I choose Chen Fan!"

Huang Hu's words cut off abruptly as he stared at Su Ruochu, dumbfounded.

"I choose Chen Fan!"

Su Ruochu repeated herself.

"Huang Hu, the college entrance exam is almost here. If you have this much time, you should put more energy into studying."

With that, she wheeled her bicycle toward the school gates.

Chen Fan hurriedly wheeled his own bicycle after her.

He even remembered to turn and smile at Huang Hu.

"Thanks!"

He genuinely was grateful to him.

If not for Huang Hu, how would he have gotten the chance to go home with Su Ruochu?

Behind them, Guo Shuai grinned at the stunned Huang Hu and waved a hand with an exaggerated expression.

"That's weird. Why does it stink like a toilet here? Did someone fall into one?"

At those words, Huang Hu shuddered in alarm and instinctively looked down at his hands.

Only after seeing that they were completely clean did he realize what was going on. He snapped his head up to look at Guo Shuai, who had already ridden far away.

"Bastards!"

"So you were the ones behind what happened at the internet café last time!"

Huang Hu's gaze turned sharp and venomous.

"Chen Fan, just you wait!"