IWHBDR Chapter 2

The sudden, abrupt sound instantly caught everyone’s attention. However, the person involved seemed utterly unfazed. His bright black eyes sparkled as he gazed ahead, filled with sincerity. The cat ears atop his head even twitched slightly, indicating his exceptionally good mood.

Rong Shu’s gaze fell on the familiar figure standing at the doorway. The person’s posture was upright, and his features were sharp and well-defined. Even the long, spindle-shaped black dragon scale that stretched from the right side of his forehead across the bridge of his high nose to the left side of his jaw did nothing to diminish his looks. On the contrary, combined with his cool, pale skin and stern demeanor, it made him look incredibly cool.

Shen Huaixiu lifted his eyes and looked in the direction of the sound. The young man sitting in the last row by the window had a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. His black eyes were as clear and bright as obsidian polished by a spring, with slightly curved ends and a faint blush around them. His eyes resembled peach blossoms, and his long, dense lashes curled upwards as if a single blink could stir someone’s heart.

“Can Shen Huaixiu and Xu Shu sit together?”

Zhang Zhicheng snapped out of his surprise and turned to look at the boy standing at the doorway. He had to admit that Rong Shu’s suggestion perfectly resolved the dilemma. Given Shen Huaixiu’s reputation in the North Campus, Zhang Zhicheng had been troubled about how to arrange the seating ever since receiving notice that the principal intended to place him in this class.

Shen Huaixiu nodded and ignored the gazes directed at him, walking straight to the last row.

At this moment, the entire class’s attention followed his movements. No one had expected such an outcome!

The campus tyrant from the North Campus and the heartthrob from the South Campus became deskmates?

And it was the heartthrob from the South Campus who took the initiative!

“Alright, let’s start the class,” Zhang Zhicheng said, knocking on the desk in an attempt to bring everyone back to focus, though it seemed to have little effect.

Although Chen Jing didn’t turn his head, his attention was entirely focused on what was happening behind him. Not far from them, he could even hear whispers: “Am I dreaming? The heartthrob actually became his deskmate. Why?”

“Don’t ask me. I don’t understand the heartthrob’s mind!”

“Maybe the heartthrob is just kind-hearted and beautiful. Realizing that we didn’t want to sit with the new student, so he took the responsibility himself!”

“Hey, I think you might be right. When old Zhang was assigning seats just now, I was so nervous! Even though he looks pretty normal, I can’t help but feel scared when I remember how he tore up that gang leader with his bare hands!”

“Shh, don’t say that! He can hear you!”

Chen Jing thought these people were a bit too naive. Sure, the heartthrob was beautiful, but whether he was kind-hearted was another story.

Just as Chen Jing was thinking this, he heard Rong Shu’s clear voice from behind him: “You probably haven’t had the chance to get your books yet. You can use mine for now.”

Chen Jing, who was bent over, marking the meanings of words, suddenly made a mistake as his pen slipped.

Shen Huaixiu looked up and met Rong Shu’s eyes. He was well aware that they had never met before. There shouldn’t be any connection between them. The other’s repeated kindnesses made him feel a bit uncomfortable. “Thank you.”

His voice was a bit stiff, but still deep and pleasant to hear.

Rong Shu didn’t say much, just smiled at him, as if it was merely a casual gesture to help a classmate. If not for the sly gleam that flashed in his black eyes as he looked forward, it would have seemed even more genuine!

The news that the heartthrob from the South Campus and the tyrant from the North Campus had become deskmates spread like wildfire through the alumni groups of Federal No. 1 Middle School before the class was even over.

⌈I just realized I don’t know how to solve this problem!⌋

⌈Is the heartthrob feeding himself to the tiger?⌋

⌈Am I the only one who thinks that, aside from everything else, Shen’s looks are actually pretty good? The scales on his face are so unique. Sitting next to the heartthrob, with one being cool and the other beautiful—they’re such a perfect match!⌋

⌈Some weird creatures have infiltrated the chat above. Are you already shipping them?⌋

⌈Why isn’t class over yet? I can’t wait to head over to Class 3 in the second year and get a glimpse of them. This is definitely something that belongs in the history books!⌋

During the entire class, hardly anyone could fully concentrate on the lesson. Everyone was too distracted and excited by the sudden news that Rong Shu and Shen Huaixiu had become deskmates, leaving their minds wandering.

When the class finally ended, Chen Jing quickly grabbed his phone from the desk and turned to look at Rong Shu, who had just stood up from his seat. “Heading out?”

According to Rong Shu’s usual habit of skipping breakfast, he would definitely go out to find something to eat after the first period. Chen Jing followed him, encountering quite a few curious onlookers along the way. However, Rong Shu seemed completely unfazed, walking straight downstairs without even glancing to the side. It wasn’t until they had exited the teaching building that he finally looked at Chen Jing. “You look like you’re dying to gossip. What do you want to ask?”

Chen Jing wasn’t annoyed at having his curiosity called out. Instead, he grinned and leaned in closer. “Do you know each other?”

That “you” clearly referred to Rong Shu and Shen Huaixiu.

“No, we don’t.” Rong Shu walked into a bubble tea shop, ordered a lemon tea with less sugar and extra ice, and grabbed a chicken roll to heat up.

Chen Jing, trailing behind him like a little tail, deliberately lowered his voice to ask, “If you don’t know him, why did you want to sit next to him?”

There were quite a few people in the shop during the break, and Rong Shu seemed like a beacon of light. Even though most of the people appeared to be buying things, the majority of their attention was actually on him. Especially since, being beastmen, even though Betas didn’t have senses as keen as Alphas or Omegas, some people still overheard the question Chen Jing had lowered his voice to ask.

Rong Shu curved his lips into a smile, his beautiful peach blossom eyes seemingly glowing. The cat ears atop his head twitched slightly. “Don’t you think he’s really good-looking?”

What the heck? What did the heartthrob just say?

Did the heartthrob just compliment the tyrant from the North Campus on his looks?

The people who overheard this sentence froze in place as if they had been paralyzed, their faces filled with confusion like they were asking themselves, “Who am I? Where am I?”

Chen Jing wanted to say, “You can’t be serious,” but after Rong Shu said those words, he intentionally turned to give him a serious, intense look that left Chen Jing dazzled and… a little scared.

Seeing how Chen Jing was left speechless in shock for a long time, Rong Shu kindly patted his shoulder, then turned to retrieve his lemon tea and picked up the heated chicken roll before leaving the bubble tea shop.

Leaning against the tree outside the shop, Rong Shu tore the wrapper off his chicken roll and took a bite, puffing out one cheek like a little hamster while eating.

Chen Jing stood nearby, taking several long sips of his bubble tea as if that was the only way to suppress his shock.

“Xu Shu, so you’re here!”

Suddenly hearing his name called, Rong Shu looked up. Chen Jing was surprised and asked, “Why is Cao Weiyu looking for you?”

Rong Shu swallowed what he was chewing and took another bite of his chicken roll, watching the approaching figure with little interest. He muttered, “I don’t know.”

It was clear that Cao Weiyu had come specifically to find him. Seeing Chen Jing there as well, Cao Weiyu hesitated for a moment, then adjusted the black-framed glasses on his nose. However, the ring of brown fur around his jaw stood out conspicuously.

“Xu Shu, did you know about the things Shen Huaixiu did at the North Campus before you asked to sit with him? If you didn’t, you should look into it. It’s best to be cautious around someone like him. If something happens later, it might be too late. If you regret it, I can talk to the teacher and suggest that he sit alone—that would be the best arrangement.”

“What do you want me to look at?” Rong Shu folded the wrapper of his finished chicken roll, held it in his hand, and looked up at Cao Weiyu. “Do you want me to see how he single-handedly tore apart the gang leader, or how he was falsely accused by the gang leader?”

Cao Weiyu was completely taken aback. He hadn’t expected Rong Shu to know about these things, let alone be willing to sit with someone like that despite knowing. Why?

Cao Weiyu couldn’t understand, but that didn’t stop him from trying to persuade others with his own thoughts. “He managed to handle something even the police struggled with so easily—doesn’t that scare you? Or could it be that he and those people have some sort of… connection?”

Before he could finish his sentence, Rong Shu suddenly patted Cao Weiyu on the shoulder. “Class representative, thanks for your kind reminder, but I’ll judge what kind of person he is with my own eyes.”

Rong Shu brushed past him, throwing the trash in his hand into a nearby garbage bin.

Chen Jing looked at Cao Weiyu, who was frozen in place with a look that said, “I was just being kind, why doesn’t he appreciate it?” He said, “Class rep, you can’t judge people just by their appearances. It’s best not to make assumptions. If you falsely accuse someone who’s actually innocent, would you apologize?”

Chen Jing threw out that last remark and quickly caught up with Rong Shu.

Cao Weiyu turned around, watching the two of them laughing and joking as they walked back toward the teaching building. A shadow crossed his eyes as he muttered, “Why won’t they believe me? How could someone from a place like the Lower District ever be good…”

When Rong Shu entered the classroom, he saw his new deskmate quietly sitting there. The warm sunlight fell on Shen Huaixiu’s stern profile, making the black scales on his face reflect a beautiful light. The harsh and aloof aura around him softened slightly, adding a touch of subtle gentleness.

Seeing Rong Shu’s slightly upturned lips, Chen Jing felt a pang in his heart and quickly returned to his seat, as if not seeing it would keep his mind at ease.

Rong Shu walked over and casually placed the lemon tea on the edge of Shen Huaixiu’s desk. “This is for you.”

The sudden remark made the seated Alpha look up at him, a hint of surprise flashing in his dark eyes. “Thank you, but I don’t eat sweet things.”

“Less sugar, more ice, it’s not sweet at all. The new guy at the shop made a mistake. I only drink the one with more sugar. It’s great that you don’t like sweet things!”

This explanation made perfect sense, leaving Shen Huaixiu without a good rebuttal.

Sitting in front of them, Chen Jing suddenly felt like he knew too much.

Less sugar and more ice—wasn’t that exactly what you ordered? Blaming the new guy at the shop… Aren’t you worried he’ll come crying to you?

“If you really don’t want to drink it, that’s fine. I’ll just throw it away later. No need to force yourself.” Rong Shu frowned, looking dejected after being turned down, crafting an image of himself as a pitiful, innocent figure.

“No need to throw it away. Just leave it here. Thanks.” Shen Huaixiu glanced at him briefly, then quickly looked away, his gaze landing on the lemon tea on the desk, his expression complicated.

“Will you drink it, though?” Rong Shu leaned slightly, looking at him with a soft voice that carried a hint of vulnerability.

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