After what felt like an eternity, the bell for the end of class finally rang.

The little old man, satisfied with his lecture, quickly walked out of the classroom, leaving the students of Class 10 to spring into action. It was as if they had springs attached to their seats. They swiftly packed up their desks and eagerly called to their friends, ready to head out for lunch.

At the back of the classroom, Lin Ran stood up and was just about to head to the door when someone called out to him.

"Lin Ran!"

Zhao Ke, in what he thought was a cool move, hopped over a row of desks and quickly approached Lin Ran with a smile full of enthusiasm.

"Let’s go eat together!" he said. "Today’s your lucky day! First, you got hugged by the school goddess, then you were the one she held hands with—this calls for a celebration! My treat!"

The scene in the hallway earlier had been so shocking that it had taken Zhao Ke the entire history class to process it. After the initial disbelief, he managed to come up with a reasonable explanation: after all, Su Qingyan and Lin Ran were desk partners. Although Su Qingyan was cold and distant, she had a good heart, and it made sense that she would stand up for her desk mate if he was being bullied. As for the hand-holding, it was probably just a way to get back at Shen Lingshan.

With that thought in mind, Zhao Ke's jealousy faded considerably, and now, with a friendly arm around Lin Ran’s shoulders, he even joked, "But seriously, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen Su Qingyan be so friendly with anyone. If she eats with you too, I’ll really believe you two are dating, haha!"

Just then, a fragrant breeze swept by, and a tall, graceful figure walked over.

Su Qingyan's eyes briefly swept over Zhao Ke before she looked at Lin Ran and asked, "Are we eating?"

The three simple words, delivered in a calm and ordinary tone, had the power to shake the very air around them.

Zhao Ke froze.

Just a moment ago, he had been laughing heartily, but now it was as if someone had choked him. His voice faltered and he looked utterly lost.

Lin Ran glanced at Zhao Ke and casually pointed to him, saying, "Zhao Ke said he’s treating."

Zhao Ke's face froze. He had just been full of excitement, but now he was standing there as if paralyzed.

Su Qingyan raised an eyebrow and turned to him. "You're treating?"

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Her expression didn’t change, but the temperature of the air seemed to drop a few degrees.

Zhao Ke, now fully aware of the situation, hurriedly nodded frantically, "Of course! I’m treating, I’m treating—"

He was thrilled. Who wouldn’t want to treat the whole school’s goddess to a meal? This was a rare opportunity for intimate contact, and he would pay anything for it. But midway through his sentence, when he met Su Qingyan's indifferent gaze, he felt a chill run down his spine. His voice dropped to a near whisper, "I... I’ll treat or... not treat?"

Su Qingyan looked at him for a long moment before responding, her voice as cool as ever.

"You’re not treating."

Zhao Ke immediately nodded like a chick pecking at food. "Right, right, I’m not treating! You two eat, something just came up at home, my mom’s having a second baby!"

And with that, he dashed off without a second glance.

Lin Ran stood there, stunned.

"What the hell?"

"What a top-tier chameleon."

The unwanted third wheel disappeared, and Su Qingyan, satisfied with the outcome, turned her gaze back to Lin Ran. Her expression had returned to its usual calm.

"Shall we eat?"

Lin Ran sighed, feeling resigned, and turned to walk out the door. "Let’s go."

Meanwhile, Zhao Ke, having made it around the corner and hidden behind a wall, cautiously peeked out and watched as Lin Ran and Su Qingyan walked away, one after the other. He swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he muttered to himself, "Wait… are they really dating?"

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Yunnan High School had three main teaching buildings: Yuxiu, Minsi, and Qinda. The senior year classes were in the Yuxiu building. There were fifteen classes in total, with three classrooms on each floor. Lin Ran’s Class 10 was on the fourth floor.

As Lin Ran made his way down the stairs to the first floor, he thought that because the last class had run late, the cafeteria would be packed, and it would be hard to find a seat.

He turned to glance at his desk mate, Su Qingyan.

The afternoon sun was growing hotter, and as Su Qingyan had removed her long-sleeve school jacket, she casually tied it around her waist like a skirt. The sight of her slender legs beneath her long pants, and her tiny waist outlined by the jacket, was striking. Her white arms, exposed beneath her short-sleeve uniform, practically shimmered.

She looked like the most beautiful and captivating sight on campus, standing there in full view of everyone.

"Eating lunch with the school goddess."

"In front of everyone."

"I’m probably going to be on the school’s ‘Most Jealous Guys’ list tomorrow."

Lin Ran, with his mental age of a thirty-something-year-old man, felt his survival instincts kicking in. He turned to her and suggested, "How about we eat outside the school?"

Su Qingyan looked at him for a moment, then nodded with a neutral expression. "Sure."

As she casually brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead, several boys walking by seemed to freeze, staring at her in awe. Lin Ran almost lost his composure and found himself staring too.

"Mm?" Su Qingyan noticed his gaze and, perhaps misunderstanding, raised an eyebrow. She lifted her hand slightly and asked, "Do you want to hold hands?"

Lin Ran: "?"

Lin Ran: "!"

His mind immediately spun into overdrive, shaking his head as fast as a rattling drum. "No, no, no!"

It was the first day of his rebirth.

He had no intention of being beaten to death by jealous classmates.

So, he quickly turned around and hurriedly walked toward the school gate, trying to escape.

Su Qingyan watched him go with a slight smirk, then shrugged with a look of playful regret.

"My little desk mate, still too shy."

With a soft chuckle, she followed him, her steps light and effortless.

"It’s okay."

"Playing with you is fun."