Brow, he looked into Gu Wang's eyes and said with utter seriousness, "Wangwang, my mom always said you were smart when we were little. I never believed her. Who knew you'd be this amazing once you got serious?"
So playing games counted as getting serious. Gu Wang didn't really understand the world of poor students. Shen Zhao was already like this over a game. If Gu Wang later came first in their grade and crushed He Qinghuan, wouldn't Shen Zhao put him on an altar and worship him?
Gu Wang thought about studying and decided he still couldn't suddenly shoot to the top. High school courses were easy for him, but for the Original Host, who had been a poor student since childhood, no amount of intelligence could explain such drastic improvement in such a short time. It would raise too many suspicions. He would have to take this gradually.
"Wangwang, Yan Gouzi said in the group chat, congratulations on escaping He-'He Qinghuan's web of love.' Is that true?" The three of them had a small group chat called The Rich Guys You Can't Have. After analyzing the situation, Shen Zhao and Song Zhiyan had concluded that Gu Wang was so hopelessly infatuated with He Qinghuan because He Qinghuan must have deliberately spun a web of love for him. Now that Gu Wang had come to his senses, hadn't he escaped it? This was wonderful news worth spreading far and wide!
Gu Wang nodded. "Yeah."
Shen Zhao nearly cried with relief. "Wangwang, you've finally figured it out. Seriously, look at all the money you spent on He Qinghuan. Think how many hot pot meals that could've bought us!"
Gu Wang said, "..."
Shen Zhao had wanted to hug Gu Wang and carry on for a while longer, but someone suddenly blocked the light in front of them. Gu Wang and Shen Zhao looked up in unison at the person standing before them.
He Qinghuan's gaze was cool, yet a mocking curve lifted the corners of his mouth. His voice wasn't the cold sort; it was even somewhat gentle, his tone even. Yet it conveyed a powerful sense of distance that made people afraid to defy him.
"The teacher wants you inside."
Gu Wang met He Qinghuan's eyes for a moment and said, "Oh." Then he lowered his head and bumped Shen Zhao's shoulder. "Another round or not?"
Shen Zhao snapped out of his daze at He Qinghuan's breathtaking good looks and nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes!"
He Qinghuan still hadn't left. While the game was loading, Gu Wang narrowed his eyes at him and smiled. "Sorry for the trouble, class monitor, but please tell the teacher I've recognized my mistake and feel I need to reflect deeply on it. I'll come in once I've reflected enough."
He Qinghuan looked at Gu Wang, who was sitting on the floor playing a game while claiming to be reflecting deeply. With a scoff, he turned and entered the classroom, as though saying even one more word to Gu Wang would be a bother.
Chapter 3
He Qinghuan entered the classroom. Not seeing Gu Wang behind him, their homeroom teacher, Zhou, asked gently, "Where's Gu Wang?"
"He said he still needs to reflect." He Qinghuan relayed Gu Wang's words directly to their homeroom teacher, then went straight back to his seat. When he reached into his desk for his workbook, his fingers brushed something hard.
He Qinghuan pulled the object out along with his workbook.
The premium chocolate came in dark brown packaging with cursive English lettering. Someone had unnecessarily tied a pale purple bow around it, with a slip of paper tucked into the bow.
Wow, another day of liking you! -Your loving Wangwang.
Wangwang?
Hah.
He Qinghuan recalled the scene he had just witnessed in the corridor. The two boys had been incredibly close, Shen Zhao practically leaning against Gu Wang, while Gu Wang had shown no sign of objecting. Everyone knew they were close.
But just what kind of close were they?
He thought of the forum thread about Gu Wang. It listed the people Gu Wang had flirted with over the years. There were more named people than he could count on both hands, both men and women. The original poster's final conclusion was that Gu Wang was a fickle playboy who took all comers, male or female.
Yet he had pursued He Qinghuan for an entire semester, the longest stretch listed in that thread.
He Qinghuan lowered his eyes to the chocolates on his desk. His fingers were pale and slender, without calluses on the joints despite years of holding pens. He effortlessly tore the pale pink card into several pieces and tossed them into the wastebasket by his feet.
His expression was so calm that even his deskmate couldn't tell whether he was pleased or displeased. He was probably displeased, though. Almost everything Gu Wang gave He Qinghuan ended up being given to someone else.
This time probably wouldn't be any-
Thud.
He Qinghuan threw the imported chocolates, worth several thousand, into the wastebasket without batting an eye. The noise was loud enough to make everyone nearby look over. Unmoved, He Qinghuan hooked a pen toward him and began working on problems without a change in expression.
Yang Le swallowed. For some reason, he felt a chill down his back.
Song Zhiyan, who was slumped over his desk playing on his phone, witnessed the entire scene. He frowned, then let out a relieved breath, feeling somewhat thankful. Hopefully, Gu Wang really meant it about giving up this time.
Against someone like He Qinghuan, even ten Gu Wangs wouldn't stand a chance.
Gu Wang thoroughly enjoyed his gaming session outside. Shen Zhao looked back with every step as he reluctantly said goodbye and returned to his own classroom. Gu Wang also returned to his seat after class.
Gu Wang picked up the test papers from the floor. Before he could get a good look at the questions, several papers were tossed in front of him. "Copy away. Daddy won't charge you."
Gu Wang said, "..."
He tossed the papers back. "I'll do them myself."
"Oh." Propping up his chin, Song Zhiyan swiped a few times on his phone and held it in front of Gu Wang. "Which ride do you want in on? I'll add you."
Gu Wang got a clear look at the lively group chats: "Answers in Hand, Q University in the Bag," "The Temptation of Answers." He was utterly speechless. Pushing Song Zhiyan's phone back, he said helplessly, "I want to do them myself."
Still holding his phone up, Song Zhiyan gaped in disbelief. It took him a long time to close his mouth. "Did you get struck by lightning?"
"What goddamn lightning bolt did this to my son?" Song Zhiyan hugged Gu Wang and began fake-wailing.
Gu Wang pushed him away and put on the look of someone who had attained enlightenment after a devastating blow. "I've figured it out. The reason He Qinghuan doesn't want me is that I'm not good enough. I'm not worthy of him."
Song Zhiyan looked puzzled. "Wangwang, didn't you just..."
"I'm not doing this for He Qinghuan," Gu Wang said helplessly. "But he is the reason. If I keep being this useless and letting myself go, then even if I meet someone else I like, I still won't be able to win them over. Do you understand?"
Song Zhiyan stammered, "Wangwang, you... I'm really not used to you suddenly getting this sentimental."
Gu Wang put on a bitter smile.
He had a sweet, youthful face, soft hair falling over his forehead. With his moist, almond-shaped eyes lowered like this, he looked terribly wronged.
Song Zhiyan instinctively softened his voice. "But we're not short of money."
Gu Wang said, "..."
Oh, he'd forgotten. Song Zhiyan was also a third-generation demolition-compensation rich kid, and so was Shen Zhao. Although their families didn't have the Gu Family's business acumen, they weren't doing badly either.
Even if the three of them remained this useless forever, their family fortunes were more than enough for them to squander until they died.
Gu Wang frowned. That would leave the Original Host just as useless, still powerless against the male lead and He Qinghuan. Even without He Qinghuan, his presence had changed the course of the Original Host's life. Who knew what people might appear later or what new plot developments might occur? None of it could be predicted. He had to be prepared.
Gu Wang never fought an unprepared battle.
He looked at Song Zhiyan with an expression Song Zhiyan had never seen, speaking in a tone he had never heard. "Song Zhiyan, do you want to be a good-for-nothing your whole life?"
As though bewitched by those beautiful eyes, Song Zhiyan instinctively shook his head, falling into Gu Wang's trap.
Gu Wang suddenly grinned. "Good. You agreed to that yourself."
Song Zhiyan and Shen Zhao hadn't ended well in the book, either. If the Original Host hadn't died, those two probably would have become lasting regrets for him, too. Because they had always stood by Gu Wang, the male lead had punished them by association. Their family fortunes were smaller than the Gu Family's, and bringing them down had been child's play. In the book, Song Zhiyan and Shen Zhao had become a courier and a food delivery worker.
Gu Wang didn't mind giving everyone on the Original Host's side a helping hand. That should improve his chances of going back, right?
His smile was so beautiful it could almost leave people dazed. Returning from the teachers' office, He Qinghuan glanced in Gu Wang's direction.
The boy's skin was an unusually milky white. One look told you he was a pampered young master, yet he had such an innocent-looking face. The sunset outside the window draped him in a layer of light. He Qinghuan looked away and thought, No wonder Gu Wang has won over countless people with his flirting. He has the looks for it.
Author's note: Someone is going to be utterly bewitched sooner or later.
Chapter 4
Seeing Gu Wang so confident and enthusiastic, Song Zhiyan thought they should face reality first. "But Wangwang, we don't know how." He grabbed an English test paper and shook it. "Take English, for example. I do the listening section by spinning my pen. Four choices, ABCD, four directions. Whichever way it points, that's the answer I pick. Daddy really wants to help, but it's beyond me."
He beat his chest and stamped his feet, exaggerated and fake.
Gu Wang said, "..."
He had always loved having fun, ever since childhood, so even studying had been like playing to him. None of the people who messed around with him had been particularly bad students, either. This was his first time entering the world of poor students.
"No rush. Take it slowly." Gu Wang imitated his former homeroom teacher's tone, but those few words sounded terribly hollow.
Having finished his performance and played the victim, Song Zhiyan returned to his phone. He didn't believe Gu Wang would actually study seriously. They had grown up together; Song Zhiyan knew him all too well-his enthusiasm never lasted more than three minutes.
When it came to studying, it probably wouldn't last even one minute.
The afternoon sun was scorching. After filling in a few correct answers, Gu Wang deliberately got all the others wrong. He even had to count on his fingers to keep his score and accuracy at a poor student's level.
When he finished, he lay his head on his desk to sleep. Song Zhiyan glanced at him a few times, then pulled his test paper over and checked it against the correct answers in his answer-sharing groups. Well, eight out of ten were wrong, and he wanted to study? Song Zhiyan tossed the paper onto Gu Wang's head. He'd known Gu Wang was just talking nonsense again. If Gu Wang could study seriously, he'd go up to the Podium and have a boulder smashed on his chest in front of the entire school.
Gu Wang hadn't slept long before the clamor beside his ear woke him. He raised his head and rubbed his eyes, discovering Shen Zhao standing beside his desk, hands on his hips, spitting as he cursed someone out.
"Jiang Chi, you're shameless! He Qinghuan never said he liked our Wangwang, but he never said he liked you, either! What the hell are you yapping about?"
"Even if He Qinghuan liked someone, he wouldn't want you! Look how dark you are. How do you compare to our Wangwang? With Wangwang's face, if he entered showbiz, all those young starlets and pretty boys would be out of work. Sexy but not effeminate, understand?"
Gu Wang said, "..." Never mind the first part, but was "sexy but not effeminate" really supposed to be a compliment?
Gu Wang tugged at Shen Zhao, who jabbed him with an elbow. "Don't pull me away. I'm going to roast this bastard Jiang Chi to death today. What, does He Qinghuan belong to you? Nobody else is allowed to like someone you like? Aren't you something! Pah!"
Jiang Chi's expression had visibly darkened.
In all honesty, Jiang Chi really was handsome. As the protagonist, his looks could rival He Qinghuan's, though they were different types. He Qinghuan was cool and aloof, while Jiang Chi was the sunny type.
They were still school students, so any conflicts amounted to little more than trading insults or, at worst, grappling in a fight. Once they reached university, Jiang Chi would stop holding back. Every move would be vicious and deadly.
Gu Wang's original intention had been to keep the Original Host and those around him from having anything more to do with the male lead and his white moonlight. Forget getting on good terms with them; at the very least, they couldn't afford to offend them.
Jiang Chi stepped forward and looked down at Gu Wang. "Aren't you going to control your dog?"
Gu Wang frowned. He hadn't expected Jiang Chi to speak so nastily.
Shen Zhao shoved Jiang Chi and erupted first, pointing at his nose. "Who the fuck are you calling a dog?"
Jiang Chi didn't take Gu Wang or his friends seriously at all. He simply loathed the way Gu Wang clung to He Qinghuan like sticky candy. He smiled, utterly contemptuous. "You."
"Jiang Chi, you're fucking asking to die!" Shen Zhao was blinded by rage, but before he could act, Song Zhiyan suddenly rose from his seat behind them. He sat on the inside, but didn't even ask Gu Wang to move. Planting one hand on the desktop and pushing off with his feet, he vaulted straight out in one remarkably fluid motion.