Shi Liaoliao: “”
This life has gone on long enough.
Before she could say anything to ease the atmosphere, Lu Yanzhou beside her very naturally averted his gaze.
[Huh? Maybe he was just spacing out and didn’t notice…]
“It’s still early. Go take care of it.”
Shi Liaoliao nodded mechanically with her usual deadpan expression, the tips of her ears beneath her tousled hair flushed with an unmistakable red.
[Oh heavens, I’ll never call you grandpa again—you really don’t treat me like your grandson, ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!]
[Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]
Listening to the mental screams, Lu Yanzhou took out his phone the moment Shi Liaoliao got out of the car.
He opened the chat window of Bai Liye, whom he had already blocked, and calmly reread the messages a few more times.
Then he switched to the search interface, his fingers somewhat stiff as he opened a certain search engine and slowly typed—
‘What to do if someone is gay?’
Answer: Now recommending the nearest gay bar~
Lu Yanzhou: “”
The weather’s getting cold; that search engine should go bankrupt.
Meanwhile, Shi Liaoliao had already re-tied that bundle of glow sticks with a face full of utter despair.
[Isn’t the female lead coming yet? I can’t go on like this.]
Wanwan didn’t know how to comfort her either.
[Look on the bright side, host… At least the male lead didn’t say anything or give you any weird looks.]
Shi Liaoliao took a deep breath.
[You’re right. Let’s just assume I’m a pervert.]
“Our motto is…”
Wanwan: [Any time! Any place!]
Shi Liaoliao: “Super pervert! Defying the odds!”
When Shi Liaoliao walked back out, she had already regained her deadpan persona, sitting calmly in the driver’s seat as if nothing had just happened.
Lu Yanzhou cooperated perfectly by saying nothing.
“Let’s go.”
He spoke softly.
Shi Liaoliao nodded and started the car.
Lu Yanzhou thought to himself that he absolutely must not show any unusual expression—this was a perfectly normal thing. He had gay friends, and the little manservant hadn’t done anything explicit. As long as he pretended not to know, it would be fine.
Still, the little manservant’s composure exceeded his expectations. To encounter such a situation and quickly regain composure to return to work—truly exceptional.
Shi Liaoliao glanced at Lu Yanzhou beside her, who was turned away as if admiring the scenery outside.
[Don’t be scared, Yanzi. Even though I usually talk a bit dirty, I’m actually a pure romantic at heart.]
Lu Yanzhou: “”
Let me revise my earlier assessment.
Not exceptional—exceptionally perverted.
…
The opening ball. Since it was a ball, of course they wouldn’t have a bunch of boys from the all-male school dancing with each other.
Saint Dun Academy’s balls usually invited students from the neighboring girls’ school to participate together.
After parking the car, Shi Liaoliao went to find Lu Yanzhou, who had already gotten out at the main entrance, and once again ran into the ‘little boy’ who had tugged her sleeve earlier.
Shi Liaoliao nodded at her, and the other’s eyes lit up as she walked right over.
“It’s you.”
Noticing Shi Liaoliao wearing the same academy-issued suit as herself, she blinked.
“You’re a scholarship student too.”
Shi Liaoliao caught the ‘too’ in her words.
“How did you know?”
The boy’s lips curled with a hint of sarcasm. “Only scholarship students wear the suits the school provides. Those rich kids wouldn’t be caught dead wearing clothes as ‘trashy’ as these.”
Shi Liaoliao couldn’t quite agree with his choice of adjectives.
In fact, this suit didn’t look like trash at all—the fabric was quite good and felt comfortable to the touch.
“What’s your name? I’m Gu Xuezhao, a second-year student.”
“Shi Liaoliao,” she replied simply.
Perhaps because he learned that the person before him was also a scholarship student like himself, Gu Xuezhao’s earlier caution vanished.
The two walked side by side into the banquet hall, where Shi Liaoliao was nearly blinded by the dazzling brilliance inside.
The low, soothing sound of a cello drifted into her ears. A massive crystal chandelier hung from the dome ceiling, while handsome attendants in tailcoats carried silver trays, serving champagne to boys and elegantly dressed girls.
Looking at the towering, multi-layered cake, Gu Xuezhao whispered, “What a waste. How many children in this world can’t even afford a meal?”
Shi Liaoliao couldn’t help but ask, “Do you resent the rich?”
Gu Xuezhao shook his head. “I just look down on their behavior. Those wealthy people… they’re really good at bullying others…”
As he spoke, he seemed to recall something painful, and his eyes reddened.
Shi Liaoliao scanned the room for Lu Yanzhou. Almost instantly, she effortlessly spotted the young master, who stood out more than all the glamorous men and women combined.
Surrounded by a crowd, he stood with Bai Liye—who seemed to have fully recovered from her diarrhea—occupying the spot beside him.
Shi Liaoliao decided not to approach, lest her suit get wrinkled in the crowd.
“Oh, but you like Lu Yanzhou.”
She tried to make her tone sound less dismissive.
Gu Xuezhao flinched as if scalded, jerking his head up, his voice trembling with shock. “How did you know?!”
His voice was so loud that passersby couldn’t help but glance back at him.
Only then did Gu Xuezhao realize how loud he had been. Blushing deeply, he lowered his head and mumbled, “No… I mean… I don’t like him. Don’t talk nonsense.”
“And…”
He lifted his gaze, looking toward the young man surrounded by the crowd.
“He’s different.”
I’m different too…
Shi Liaoliao took a sip of the champagne she had casually picked up earlier.
Hmm, sweet, fizzy, almost like soda.
Wanwan suddenly spoke up: 【Host, aren’t you suspicious that she might be the female lead? A scholarship student, and also disguised as a boy.】
Shi Liaoliao suppressed the urge to burp and glanced at Gu Xuezhao, who was gazing obsessively at Lu Yanzhou nearby.
【Unlikely. Didn’t you notice that after Lu Yanzhou saw her, he didn’t say to me, ‘Three minutes—I want all the information on this person’?】
Wanwan: 【………The male lead isn’t gay. How could he be interested in Gu Xuezhao dressed as a boy?】
【Exactly. We’ll decide if she’s the female lead based on his reaction after he finds out she’s a girl.】
Shi Liaoliao said casually.
Besides…
For some reason, a voice inside her told her that Gu Xuezhao wasn’t the female lead.
Just as she was thinking this, the light in front of her suddenly dimmed. Three boys had appeared, blocking their path.
“Hey, pauper, why are you wearing that outfit again? Didn’t you learn your lesson last year?”
The boy at the front spoke harshly. Gu Xuezhao clenched his fists, glaring at him with shame and anger. “This is a public place. You can’t do that.”
The boy sneered. “Wake up. Who cares about a pauper?”
With that, he raised his glass, about to splash wine on Gu Xuezhao.
Shi Liaoliao couldn’t just stand by and watch coldly.
“Is the nuclear wastewater spreading so fast that it’s already reached your brain?”
She spoke up to stop them, but the person beside her merely gave her an impatient glance, then seemed to discover a new world: “There’s another even more effeminate poor guy here.”
The eyes of the person next to him instantly turned lewd: “I like this one, give it to me.”
As he spoke, he started walking over to grab Shi Liaoliao.
The commotion here was quite loud, yet the people around just watched coldly or ignored it, none willing to step forward to help.
Just as that person was about to touch Shi Liaoliao’s shoulder.
A male voice suddenly came from not far away, causing almost everyone to show incredulous expressions.
“Shi Liaoliao, you forgot to lock the door when you came out.”