Chapter 1 — The Fierce Honor Student Is Waiting for You Downstairs

Are you completely out of your mind?!

I burst straight into the VIP KTV room, my heart hammering wildly against my ribs. The music was so deafeningly loud that it sent sharp, aching stabs through my eardrums. In the center of the room, my older brother, To Uc, was holding Shen Thien in his arms, grinning like a fool. And that girl... was none other than the exact person Huo Nhan had publicly declared he was going to pursue!

Van Van, what on earth are you screaming about? Thien Thien has finally agreed to be with me!

From the shadowy corner of the room came a sharp, sickening *crack*. Huo Nhan crushed the beer glass in his grip with raw force. Blood began to ooze from between his fingers, dripping slowly down—a truly gruesome sight. He lifted his head, his gaze carrying a chill so lethal it felt capable of freezing the blood in my veins. He stared straight at me, locking his eyes onto mine. Oh no, I’ve really done it this time. I’ve made an enemy for life.

My name is To Huu Van, an utterly ordinary high school student whose most notable trait was having an older brother who constantly gave everyone headaches: To Uc. Aside from that, I harbored a deep, secret crush on the school’s notorious delinquent genius, Huo Nhan. This little secret was known only to the heavens, the earth, and myself; Huo Nhan was entirely oblivious.

What kind of person was Huo Nhan, exactly? Despite being notoriously terrible at his studies, he possessed this effortless, terrifying aura of someone you simply did not mess with. He fought fiercely, possessed a hair-trigger temper, and skipped classes as naturally as eating meals. Yet, his face was devastatingly handsome—the kind of breathtaking good looks that seemed almost offensive to the heavens—drawing a trail of adoring girls in his wake every single day. But he rarely gave any of them a second glance, and certainly not me. Well, perhaps he viewed me with a sliver of “special” attention, though only because my brother, To Uc, was his sworn nemesis.

Why were they sworn enemies? It was a long story, but essentially it boiled down to the classic trope of two rival alphas who could never coexist. They had despised each other since they were toddlers, brawling all the way from elementary school into high school, letting their bitter feud deepen with every passing year. My brother was the student council president, a model student heavily favored by the teachers, and the quintessential "neighbor’s brilliant son" in every parent's eyes. Huo Nhan was the exact polar opposite. Yet, despite being from completely different worlds, both of these opposing forces had fallen for Shen Thien.

Shen Thien was the school's undisputed campus belle—possessing pure, delicate features, a gentle voice, and top-tier academic grades. She was the pristine "white moonlight" glowing softly in the hearts of countless boys, including my brother and... Huo Nhan.

I knew Huo Nhan felt differently about Shen Thien, even though he had never voiced it aloud. But the way his eyes lingered on her was entirely unlike the cold, predatory glances he cast at any other flirtatious girl. There was something almost... restrained in his gaze. Complex, to say the least.

And yet, today, my brother had deployed the ultimate fatal blow!

Inside the dimly lit KTV room, the thick air was heavy with the stench of alcohol and cheap cigarette smoke. My brother had his arms wrapped securely around Shen Thien, smiling like the spring breeze was blowing solely for him, as if he had just hit the grand lottery. Shen Thien leaned against his chest with a shy blush, refusing to cast even a single glance toward Huo Nhan.

When I caught sight of Huo Nhan’s face—dark and menacing, looming like a torrential thunderstorm gathered in the corner—and noticed his hand still dripping a steady trail of crimson blood, my knees instantly turned to jelly.

Brother... I barely started to protest before To Uc cut me off with a blistering glare.

Van Van, head back first. To Uc’s tone left zero room for argument.

I looked at Shen Thien, silently pleading for help, but she purposefully averted her eyes. Fine. I suppose I was completely redundant here. Stiffening my posture, I turned sharply on my heel and prepared to make a swift escape. The moment I reached the doorway, a freezing draft swept down my spine. It was Huo Nhan’s gaze, razor-sharp and slicing into my back. Not daring to look over my shoulder, I practically fled the room.

Once I stepped outside the KTV establishment and the biting night air hit my face, I finally regained some semblance of composure.

I was doomed. Completely, utterly doomed. My brother’s stunt was no different from driving a dagger straight into Huo Nhan’s heart, and worse—he had practically used me as the handle! Regardless of anything else, the entire school knew I was To Uc’s younger sister. Would Huo Nhan assume I had a hand in this scheme? Would he think the two of us siblings had conspired together to humiliate him?

The more I thought about it, the more panicked I became. I pulled out my phone, intending to text my brother and give him a fierce tongue-lashing, only to realize how utterly futile it would be. All I could do was pray that Lord Huo Nhan possessed a generous heart... Ha! If he were the forgiving type, he wouldn't be the reigning terror of the school!

I slumped down onto the curb, my mind tangled into a chaotic knot of anxiety, before finally forcing my weary limbs to trudge home. The night wind whipped past, freezing cold, but my heart was even colder. I had carried a quiet torch for Huo Nhan for so long, never daring to hope for anything extravagant. All I ever wanted was for him not to despise me. Now look at where we were—thanks to my brother's brilliant orchestration, he probably hated my guts.

By the time I reached home, my brother hadn't returned yet. I collapsed face-first onto my bed, my mind spinning with fragmented images of Huo Nhan’s icy-cold glare and his bloodied hand. Would he hunt my brother down to start a brawl? Knowing his volatile temperament, it was entirely possible! Irritated, I tugged at my hair in frustration, then resignedly dragged myself up to search the medicine cabinet for bandages and antiseptic spray. Just in case... just in case they really did end up fighting, right? Though I wasn't even sure I'd have the courage to hand them over if the moment came.

Just as I was fussing with the supplies, my phone chimed sharply. A text message from an unknown number.

[To Huu Van?]

My heart skipped a beat, a heavy sense of impending doom washing over me. With trembling fingers, I tapped out a reply:

[Who is this?]

The other end responded almost instantly:

[Huo Nhan.]

[!]

[Downstairs. Get down here.]

Four short words, carrying an absolute, unquestionable tone of command. My legs turned to water, and I nearly lost my balance entirely. He had come looking for me! He had actually tracked me down! Was he here to settle the score? Did he truly believe my brother and I had conspired against him?

Countless terrifying scenarios flashed through my mind—being cornered in a dark alleyway, threatened, or intimidated. What should I do? What on earth should I do? Go down and face him? Or pretend I was dead?

I gripped my phone so tightly that my palms were slick with nervous sweat.

[You have three minutes.]

Another message popped up instantly, bringing with it the suffocating pressure of a ticking countdown.

Well, that was that. The "playing dead" strategy was officially out the window. Taking a deep, shuddering breath as if I were marching toward the gallows, I frantically slipped on my shoes and hurried downstairs.

With every single step I descended, my heartbeat accelerated exponentially. When I finally reached the glass doors of the apartment building, I peered cautiously outside. Sure enough, standing beneath the amber glow of the streetlamp was a tall, slender silhouette.

It was Huo Nhan.

His back was turned to me, clad in a black hoodie with the hood pulled up over his head, obscuring his expression. One hand was shoved casually into his pocket, while the other... seemed to be holding a cigarette. The fiery tip glowed faintly in the thick darkness of the night.

What about his injured hand? Had it been bandaged yet?

Hesitating for a fraction of a second, I finally pushed the glass door open and stepped outside.

Hearing the soft crunch of gravel, Huo Nhan spun around. The harsh streetlamp overhead cast jagged shadows across his sharply sculpted facial features, making him look even more unapproachable and stern. His dark eyes locked onto me in total silence.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze solid. I swallowed hard, my nervous throat clicking, while my ten fingers instinctively twisted together in panic.

"Huo... Huo Nhan, did you need something... from me?" My voice came out as faint as a buzzing mosquito's.

He took a single step forward. Reflexively, I took a step back, my spine colliding against the cold iron of the door behind me. He closed the distance with another slow, deliberate step, looming directly over me, practically caging me in.