Chapter 3 — Break Destiny, Embrace Happiness

Hua Tinh Nhiem immediately raised her hand to make a "silence" sign over her mouth, then... winked at me full of complicity. The scene was as chaotic as a broken market. Until there was the sound of someone coughing lightly from behind. To Uy Xuyen - standing behind all this time, his face was extremely panicked. “Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation.” “Just… please give me directions, I have to go home.” The three of us immediately separated, like puppets with strings pulled, pressed against the bookshelf. Hua Tinh Nhiem seemed to glow, her eyes looking at To Uy Xuyen were full of passion and enthusiasm, her hand squeezed my hand, almost breaking my little finger. After walking a few steps, To Uy Xuyen turned back: "The homeroom teacher of grade 12 is looking for early love." “On Monday I am on duty outside the school gate.” “Guys… be careful.” His eyes fell right where Hua Tan Nien and I were standing. Male lead... did... did you misunderstand something?! Can I just die right here?! 7 System: 【Just now his favorability level skyrocketed to 60, I even got bonus points!】 【Host, this afternoon there will be an extremely important episode: To Uy Xuyen will be beaten by his father - a brute. Then, his seriously ill grandmother rushed out to intervene, but was unfortunately beaten to death!】 【It will cause a commotion, that bastard father is afraid of going to jail, so he will accuse the male lead of intentional murder!】 "You bastard! As a father, you can do such a thing?!" I was just going to think it in my head. Who would have thought that the words were accidentally blurted out. Hua Tinh Nhiem turned and asked: "What did your sister-in-law say?" "To Uy Xuyen... is about to be beaten by his father again... he-" Before he could finish his sentence, Hua Tinh Nhiem rushed like the wind out of the bookstore. It took me a while to wake up: Wait — Shouldn't the story of the beauty saving the male lead be done by me?! Because she kept calling me "sister-in-law", I forgot what my original goal was! Now it's gone. She ran first, so I can't run after her to save someone? I looked towards the door, so impatient that I spun around like a top. But at that moment — a tall figure stood in front of me. I raised my head. The face that caught my eye was Hua Tan Nien - face black as ink. I clenched my fingers: "You... what's wrong?" He looked at me, his eyes carrying clear discomfort: "How did you know that To Uy Xuyen would be beaten today?" “His family matters… do you know that well?” It was clear that the bookstore had warm air conditioning on, but I shivered, not sure if it was because of the cold or because of... fear. And that damn system... plays a game of losing signal at the right time. Hua Tan Nien slowly walked closer, the pressure around her becoming increasingly heavy: "Don't tell me - this is also something you 'dreamed about'." Crazy... really crazy... Or should I just tell the truth? That day I was just afraid of being beaten back so I made up a story about liking him. No matter what happened, there was a reason... it's not too much to forgive, right? He still stared at me: "Don't say?" “So, Yu Xi — are you joking with me?” The system finally agreed to go online: 【If you tell the truth, you will surely die!】 【Think of the look in her eyes when Hua Tinh Nhiem called her "sister-in-law"! Think about the funny videos she sent you last night!】 【Do you have the heart to steal someone else's sister's man?!】 【If you take it, Hua Tan Nien will hate you for the rest of your life! But if not win, then he wouldn't aim at you — right?】 …Sounds reasonable. There's no more time to analyze. I immediately avoided Hua Tan Nien's sharp gaze and quickly joked: "My deskmate and he live in the same area." "He's the school's male idol. Isn't it strange to know a little about him?" "I just said it casually, it's not necessarily true..." 8 Hua Tan Nien clearly still didn't completely believe me. He took another step forward, pressing me close to the bookshelf behind him, pinning me between his body and the wall of books. In front of me was his hot breath, and I... my heart felt like it was about to jump out of my throat. "System! He doesn't believe me, right?!" 【Then... I have to try harder to confess!】 【Coax him to soften like a dough, divert his attention, understand?】 I took a deep breath, raised my head, looked straight into his deep black eyes like an autumn lake. The sunlight slanted through the black hair, falling on the angular face, creating light and dark streaks like a painting, dazzlingly beautiful. “So what if To Uy Xuyen is a male god?” “In my eyes, you are a hundred times more handsome than him.” Hua Tan Nien visibly stopped, his arms holding the bookshelf tightened, his muscles also tensed, the left side of his neck slid up and down... as if he was holding back something. The distance is too close. I felt like my face was burning like an egg. “I am a very loyal person.” “If you like someone, you will like them forever.” “Even if you don't like me, it's okay.” The system murmured: 【Haha, inside he must be happy to death.】 【Hua Tan Nien's inner OS: "Du Hi is really crazy in love with me..."】 【To be honest, good grades, happy family, pretty appearance and loyalty - this guy is definitely dead. And whether he has blonde hair or black hair, he always falls for this type.】 Really? Just after being secretly happy for a second - Hua Tan Nien took a few steps back. Before turning around and leaving, he just glanced at me: "Hmm, not a bad trick." 9 So I decided: it would be best… to keep my distance from these troublesome people. Sunday night, right before going to school, Hua Tinh Nhiem sent a text message: 【My brothers and I were stunned all day looking at the lunch box you prepared, sister-in-law, are you still cooking tomorrow?】 I was about to type: Stop it, then the next message came: 【Your cooking is definitely super delicious, I asked to try it but he wouldn't let me - how stingy!】 …This is true. My parents are both good cooks, I was trained from a young age, and my survival skills are impeccable. But thinking about continuing to cook the lunch box, I felt a bit confused. As soon as she put her hand on the keyboard and typed "inconvenient"... she transferred 52,000 VND directly to me. 【Sister-in-law, it's been hard~】 【Tomorrow I also want to have a meal of love! (sparkling eyes)】 I immediately deleted the sentence "too shy and inconvenient" from the chat box. Super fast reflexes: 【Of course! It's just a small thing~】 So angry... What a capitalist, knowing how to use money makes me fall. I - someone without any concentration - carried my lunch box and happily walked off the bus. From afar, I saw Hua Tan Nien standing under a large tree, as if waiting for someone. Normally, he's a guy who takes things seriously, fights like they eat every day, and wears a uniform just for show. Yet today, he obediently wore his uniform. It's rare. The cold early winter wind blew gently, his bangs moved and exposed sharp eyebrows. No wonder the girls around kept stealing glances without stopping. The system was also excited: 【Damn, from "yellow-headed fire demon" has now become "the second rich boy from the capital" - who can stand it?】 【Hua Tan Nien is truly the pinnacle of teenage temperament!】 I've met him, I've met him, no need to bother running to his class to find him. I trotted closer. Hua Tan Nien glanced down and said indifferently: "Are you waiting for me on purpose?" I was stunned: Didn't... just meet by chance? But still obediently held out the bag: "Um, I want to... try to make a little impression on you." Hua Tan Nien paused, pursed his lips. He just raised his hand to take it - when my tablemate suddenly rushed forward and interrupted: "Du Hi!" Tham Tru is the type of person who talks a lot and chirps incessantly when he meets everyone: "Yesterday when I asked you that question, I flipped through the books of exam preparation centers but couldn't find the solution like you did." “You solved it in less than 2 minutes, it's amazing!” For multiple choice questions, you have to use a slightly... deviant method to be faster. As he spoke, his eyes fell on the bag of rice I was handing him - which Hua Tan Nien had not yet received. Eyes lit up like headlights: "Eating the rice you cooked again? Being at the same table with you is really wonderful!" He reached out his hand to receive it. But before he could touch it - Hua Tan Nien coldly took a step forward. His voice was extremely indifferent: “Mine.” The voice was cold as ice. Eyes are like ice. Hua Tan Nien's title of "school boss" is absolutely not a rumor. Only then did Tham Tru realize who it was and was startled: "Er... Hua... Hua Tan Nien?" Behind him, Hua Tinh Nhiem's voice was heard shouting: "Brother! Sister-in-law! Won't you two hurry up and go to class?" Tham Tru quickly seized the opportunity and fled. I turned my head to look at her and saw that her hand was wearing a red bandage. She held it up and boasted: "That's a patrol supervisor, isn't that cool!" I immediately applauded, offering all the "emotional value": "So cool!" Hua Tinh Nhiem was complimented to the point that the corners of her lips curled, but she quickly discovered something unusual: "Oh wait, why is your face so black?" Just finished speaking. Hua Tan Nien snorted coldly, holding a lovely pink rice bag in his hand, his face stewing and walking away like... he was eating explosives. Hua Tinh Nhiem: "Did you take the wrong medicine? I didn't catch you being late!" I remained silent, not daring to say anything. At the school gate, To Uy Xuyen nodded slightly at me. Strange. We're not that close, are we? I just turned my head and glanced at him today wearing a turtleneck sweater under his uniform. It's just... The part that wasn't covered, vaguely revealed a few red marks. This weather... are there still mosquitoes?