Bai Shinan’s third-year classroom was on the second floor. As he reached the stairwell corner, a dark figure suddenly jumped out, patted his shoulder, and winked exaggeratedly, saying, “So? Did you win over the campus belle, Mu?”
Looking at his high school best friend Li Pengfei, a wave of emotions surged in Bai Shinan’s heart. Ever since they started university, Bai Shinan had been so busy trying to please Mu Yuwei that he gradually drifted away from Li Pengfei, and their bond had slowly faded.
Back then, even during university, Li Pengfei had advised him not to hang all his hopes on Mu Yuwei. But he wouldn’t listen. He naively believed that persistence would bring reward, even getting into a huge argument with Li Pengfei over it.
“She turned me down. Don’t joke about me and her again. There’s no chance between us,” Bai Shinan said as he gave Li Pengfei’s shoulder a friendly punch, his tone filled with the excitement of reunion.
“Huh? No way!” Li Pengfei’s mouth dropped so wide it could fit a fist, disbelief written all over his face.
Sure, Mu Yuwei was the campus belle of Jinling No. 2 High School, but Bai Shinan wasn’t lacking either—standing 1.8 meters tall, with fair, handsome features and melancholic eyes, even bare-faced he could outshine most so-called fresh-faced idols.
If the whole school hadn’t known that Bai Shinan was obsessively devoted to Mu Yuwei, the stack of love letters he would’ve received would be taller than anyone else’s.
Although Bai Shinan’s grades had recently slipped from the top ten to the top hundred, wasn’t it obvious to Mu Yuwei who he was sacrificing for?
“Let’s stop talking about her. I’ll treat you to ice cream,” Bai Shinan didn’t want Mu Yuwei ruining his mood and also owed Li Pengfei an apology.
“Ice cream? At a time like this?” Li Pengfei stared at the cheerful Bai Shinan, seeing no trace of someone who had just been rejected. He couldn’t help but wonder if Bai Shinan was just pretending to be happy.
“Why are you being so fussy? Are you eating or not? If not, I’m going to get one myself.” Bai Shinan made a move to leave.
“Eat! Who turns down a freebie? It’s rare to see a penny-pincher like you spend money.” Though Li Pengfei didn’t understand what was going on, he decided to play along.
The two strolled off with arms slung over each other’s shoulders, laughing as they headed toward the school’s small shop. Bai Shinan was basking in the joy of rebirth, while Li Pengfei chatted to comfort his heartbroken friend.
Mu Yuwei stood on the second-floor corridor, watching as Bai Shinan and Li Pengfei walked further and further away. He actually left… just like that… he left!
“Jerk! Jerk! Jerk!” Mu Yuwei stomped her white sneakers against the railing in frustration. He was the one who asked her to meet for a confession, and now he dared throw a fit at her? And to think she was ready to reluctantly accept him!
“Yuwei, why are you here alone? Did Bai Shinan not confess to you?” A girl with light makeup stepped out from the shadows. Her name was Liu Tiantian, Mu Yuwei’s best friend and her so-called love advisor.
“Don’t even mention him. He’s such a jerk. One moment he’s declaring his love and promising to protect me forever, the next he’s talking about never seeing each other again!” Mu Yuwei’s voice was choked with tears, thick with grievance. She had never been treated like this by Bai Shinan before.
“Bai Shinan must’ve lost his mind. With a girl like you willing to date him and he doesn’t treasure you?” Liu Tiantian was furious too and criticized Bai Shinan harshly.
With Liu Tiantian’s backing, Mu Yuwei felt even more wronged. If even her best friend thought Bai Shinan was in the wrong, then she must be right.
“Yuwei, let’s go get something to eat. That kind of guy isn’t worth your tears or anger. Three-legged toads may be rare, but two-legged guys are everywhere on campus. If Bai Shinan can’t appreciate you, there are plenty of guys who’d love the chance to protect a flower like you.”
Liu Tiantian spoke with kind intentions, but her words had unintended consequences. They reminded Mu Yuwei—if Bai Shinan stopped chasing her, could she find someone better?
The answer was obvious. She couldn’t.
At least not within her current circle. There was no second guy as outstanding as Bai Shinan. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have even considered agreeing to be his girlfriend.
“Wait, Tiantian… even though Bai Shinan is a jerk, maybe our demands were a bit too much. He seemed like a different person after hearing them.” Mu Yuwei grabbed Liu Tiantian’s hand, her voice starting to weaken.
Truthfully, when Mu Yuwei heard that Bai Shinan was going to confess to her, her initial expectations were quite simple—if she said yes, he should continue treating her as well as he did while pursuing her. She didn’t want him to get lazy or careless once they were together.
Worried about this, she sought advice from her best friend. But once they started brainstorming, it snowballed out of control. Liu Tiantian ended up giving her a full page titled “The Modern Boyfriend’s Three Obediences and Four Virtues.”
In the end, even Mu Yuwei felt it was too much. After trimming it down, it became the three rules she presented to Bai Shinan. She thought she was already being considerate. Yet that jerk didn’t appreciate it.
“So what, Yuwei, are you saying it’s all my fault you and Bai Shinan didn’t work out?” Liu Tiantian’s expression darkened.
“No, no, I think your suggestions made sense. But maybe… some of the rules were a bit double-standarded. Like, I asked Bai Shinan to keep his distance from other girls, but also told him not to interfere with my friendships…” Mu Yuwei blushed slightly.
It did seem a bit unfair.
“Yuwei, you’re great in every way, but you always care too much about others and forget yourself,” Liu Tiantian said, frustrated. “Let me ask you this—if you became Bai Shinan’s girlfriend, could you guarantee you’d never cheat on him? That you’d love only him?”
“Of course I could!” Mu Yuwei immediately answered with some indignation. If she agreed to be his girlfriend, she would absolutely stay loyal. She wasn’t the kind of girl who flirted around.
“Good! Then let me ask you again—can you guarantee that Bai Shinan would never cheat on you and stay faithful forever?”
Mu Yuwei was instantly speechless. Of course she couldn’t guarantee what was in someone else’s heart. People’s hearts were unpredictable.
Seeing Mu Yuwei fall silent, Liu Tiantian gently took her hand. Her tone softened, becoming earnest rather than aggressive. “Now you understand, right? Still think it’s double standards? If he really likes you, agreeing to those rules shouldn’t be a problem. It’s what any decent boyfriend should do.”
The confusion in Mu Yuwei’s eyes gradually faded, replaced by a growing determination.
“Tiantian, you’re right.”