[Host, he dares to provoke you like this, and he’s the female lead’s childhood friend. According to your character, you have to teach him a lesson.]
Fine, I’ll teach him a lesson.
Yu Jinyao shoved her phone into her pocket.
“Sorry then, I can’t return your phone.”
Xu Xinze had his earphones hanging around his neck. In the dim stairwell, his facial features were sharply defined, though somewhat indistinct in the dim light.
His eyes were very bright, but the words that came out of his mouth were infuriating: “No problem, I have a backup.”
Yu Jinyao: “…”
She was genuinely amused by this guy.
Someone like him could be the male lead of a male-oriented web novel?
He could outshine Shen Xinghe?
He looked like a simple-minded, muscle-brained fool who would only charge into battle for the female lead on pure passion!
The girl’s expression suddenly darkened, venom glinting in her eyes. “At Xingyao Academy, it’s very easy for me to discipline a special-admit student.”
“Are you sure you want to offend me?”
The boy’s tone carried a calm, unruffled ease: “Of course. I only stand on the side of justice.”
[Host, he’s asking for death. According to your character, you must train him like a dog.]
Yu Jinyao’s clenched fist relaxed: “Train… train him like a dog?”
She was a proper person.
She didn’t know how to do that.
[Don’t tell me you want to fight him? You can’t beat a strong, healthy boy in a physical fight.]
The System was right.
Going one-on-one wasn’t the way. There was no one else around, and Xu Xinze probably didn’t care about family power or status—he might just beat her up instead.
Yu Jinyao thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “Fine, if you want to post it, I won’t stop you. But don’t you want your phone back?”
She deliberately looked him up and down.
The boy was properly wearing the Xingyao Academy uniform, the shirt washed so many times it had faded to a classic pale white.
He looked somewhat lean, but his face was the kind of handsome that was high-end—monolid eyes, puppy-dog eyes, a high nose bridge.
He probably had a sunny smile, but right now he didn’t look very smart.
“Someone like you probably can’t afford to buy another phone, right?”
On the day of her public humiliation, Xu Xinze had even delivered her food.
He probably had more than just that one part-time job.
Both this male-oriented novel’s male lead and that noble academy’s pure-white flower female lead were equally poor.
The boy seemed a bit embarrassed and didn’t say anything.
“I don’t even care anymore whether you post that video or not. It won’t cause any waves anyway.”
Yu Jinyao looked at the gloomy sky outside.
It seemed to be pouring rain.
She said slowly.
“But you’ve made me unhappy. If you want your phone back, or if you want things to go smoothly for you and Ruan Zhi from now on, you’d better listen to me.”
“For this period of time, be my servant. If you perform well, I’ll let you both go.”
Xu Xinze’s fair face flushed red with anger.
But he had no choice but to agree.
“Do you have an umbrella?”
“Yes.”
“Go pack your things. Now, escort me back to Fontainebleau.”
The boy glared at her furiously, clenched his fists, and walked away.
His retreating figure radiated humiliation.
Yu Jinyao also felt uncomfortable bossing people around like this.
[Plot Richness +1]
[Character Depth +2]
But hearing the System’s notification sound, she instantly felt at ease.
She’d just treat it as acting—practice her acting skills, and maybe she could become an extra someday.
While waiting for Xu Xinze, she checked the overall data panel.
[Plot Richness: 3]
[Character Depth: 7]
Once it reached 100, she could go home.
Xu Xinze didn’t make her wait long. He soon came out with his schoolbag on his back: “Let’s go, classmate.”
Yu Jinyao suddenly remembered that even though they’d met three times, and she knew his name from the System, in reality, they had never exchanged names.
So she asked symbolically: “What’s your name?”
“Xu Xinze.”
The boy said each word with great seriousness: “Xu from ‘wish’, Xin from ‘new year’, Ze from ‘marsh’.”
“Oh. Yu Jinyao.”
She had a bit of name embarrassment and didn’t want to say more.
Unexpectedly, Xu Xinze nodded: “I know you. Can I call you Jinyao?”
Yu Jinyao looked at him with a baffled expression, her eyes practically screaming: Where do you get the nerve?
“Are we that close? You’re the servant, I’m the master.”
The boy humbly asked: “Then should I call you ‘Master’?”
“…No need for that.”
“Call you by your full name?”
That sounded like addressing a subordinate.
Yu Jinyao frowned slightly.
“…Forget it. Call me whatever you want.”
Xu Xinze suppressed a smile: “Mm, Jinyao.”
The capital’s weather changed in an instant. Yu Jinyao hadn’t brought an umbrella when she left.
Luckily, she’d picked up a free servant.
Xu Xinze opened his huge black umbrella, shielding them from the torrential rain.
Xingyao Academy’s drainage system was excellent, but the rain came too suddenly, and Yu Jinyao’s shoes and socks still got wet.
“Jinyao, I can carry you while we walk.”
“Can you handle that?”
Yu Jinyao skeptically looked over his lean frame.
Perhaps no man could tolerate being told he couldn’t handle something.
Xu Xinze said firmly: “Of course. I can carry you with one arm and hold the umbrella with the other!”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Yu Jinyao wasn’t used to being so close to a strange man she’d only met a few times.
Sharing the same umbrella was already unavoidable.
She could smell the faint scent of sulfur soap on him.
Their shoulders brushed against each other.
Fortunately, because of the heavy rain, there was no one else on campus.
After returning to Fontainebleau, Yu Jinyao first shooed Xu Xinze into the bathroom.
Then she changed out of her wet clothes and into a cotton nightgown.
“You can come out now.”
Xu Xinze walked out and directly picked up the school uniform Yu Jinyao had changed out of.
“Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?”
The boy’s puppy-dog eyes looked a little innocent: “Helping you wash your clothes.”
“No need, there’s a washing machine, an underwear washer, and a sock washer in the bathroom.”
“Oh, then I’ll put them in the washing machine.”
Was it her imagination? She felt like Xu Xinze’s tone sounded a bit disappointed?
“What do you want for dinner? I’ll cook for you.”
Yu Jinyao leaned back in her chair, watching him with some curiosity.
He’s this proactive?
“Anything’s fine. What can you cook?”
“Let me first see what’s in the fridge.”
The boy rolled up his sleeves and opened the fridge—it was completely empty.
Yu Jinyao didn’t know how to cook; she usually ate at the cafeteria or ordered takeout, so she never stocked ingredients in the fridge.
“I’ll go out and buy some groceries. Yaoyao, don’t worry.”
“Sure.”
Yu Jinyao sat cross-legged on the chair playing with her phone.
After finishing two rounds of games, the boy was back, the ends of his hair slightly damp and his pant legs wet too.
He left his umbrella and shoes outside and had bought a new pair of men’s slippers to wear.
Seeing Yu Jinyao looking at him, he even explained: “I’m afraid of dirtying the floor. I’ll probably be coming here often from now on.”
What he said made sense, but somehow it felt a little off?
Xu Xinze put on an apron and went to busy himself in the kitchen.