Chapter 3 — The Ice-Cold Senior and the Fated Nickname

I thought deeply about the situation while taking a long sip of my bubble tea. The school leader chuckled softly. "You haven't even figured out a solution, and the milk tea is already gone." I glared at him. "Shut up! Let me use my brain!" He made an inviting gesture, leaning back against his chair and watching me intently with a very smug expression. His gaze made me so restless that I couldn't sit still. "How about... you just tell them I framed you?" The school leader looked displeased. "If I'm someone who can be so easily framed by a little girl, where would I put my pride? Besides, with looks like mine, just imagine — what if flocks of girls start coming over to 'frame' me in the future?" This remark was both narcissistically vain and... somehow completely reasonable. I was left speechless, truly unable to refute him. His slender fingers tapped lightly against the tabletop, snapping me back to reality. His voice remained lazy yet unintentionally carried an immense weight. "How about this — pretend to be my girlfriend. We will just say it was a couple's quarrel, and sweep everything under the rug." I rubbed my earlobe, beginning to doubt my own hearing. "???" The school leader threw his head back and sighed dramatically. "You must have planned to trap me a long time ago, didn't you? Oh well — now your plan has succeeded! Smile, be happy. A 'good boy from a strict family' like me has finally fallen into your trap." I: "......" Wait a minute. Why did I notice his ears turning red?

The imposing aura of a "school boss" when he is serious is genuinely pressuring. He stared right at me, clearly waiting for an answer. That intense gaze made me feel thoroughly uncomfortable. Just as I opened my mouth to reply, I let out a loud hiccup! The atmosphere instantly plunged into absolute silence. My face flushed crimson in a split second. The school leader burst out in a sudden laugh. His typically deep eyes suddenly blossomed with radiant amusement, looking utterly captivating... Ahhh! Why do I always humiliate myself in front of him? Every single one of my most shameful moments over the past twenty years had been exclusively performed for his viewing pleasure. I forced a stern expression, pretending as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and declared with righteous dignity: "I refuse!" The school leader raised an eyebrow. "Give me a reason." I replied, "Playing pretend lovers is an ancient trick; I refuse to force myself just for some meaningless gossip. Whoever wants to talk can go ahead and talk." The school leader tapped his fingers on the table once more. "You seem to have forgotten one little detail — right now, all that gossip is aimed straight at me." I was instantly choked into silence. "...Ah, right!" This whole mess started because of me! He shook his head and sighed. "Fine then, no more pretending. Let's talk like normal people." I asked vaguely, "Talk about what?" The school leader looked at me with utmost earnestness. "Let's talk about romance. Chu Doanh, go out with me." I froze. "Are you joking with me?" He sighed helplessly. "I have no choice. You 'seduce' me in my dreams every single night. You've genuinely made my heart fall for you." I stammered defensively, "There's no way it's every night; it was obviously just last night..." Panic-stricken, I slapped my hand over my mouth. He immediately brightened up. "Ha! You just admitted it!" I slammed the table in anger. "You set a trap for me!" He raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine, fine, I admit it." His hand suddenly covered my clenched fist—dry and warm. It felt as though I had been struck by lightning, leaving my mind completely blank. His voice dropped low, husky, and softening into a gentle whisper: "Chu Doanh, you storm into my dreams every night and do whatever you please. So tell me... how am I supposed to keep my heart from falling for you?" Shen Diting looked at me with an unwavering gaze, and in that fleeting moment, I found myself entirely unable look away.

I was suddenly reminded of Co Due. Back then, his confession had been remarkably simple; he had someone hand me a love letter. The wording was utterly innocent, containing only a single sentence: "I like you, will you be my girlfriend?" Back in high school, that was more than enough to set someone's heart aflutter. I was too young at that time, brimming with romantic illusions about love yet utterly incapable of understanding what love truly meant. Co Due was handsome, academically gifted, and popular throughout the school. I gladly accepted. Yet clearly, despite him pursuing me first, I constantly harbored the persistent feeling that I was the one chasing after him. I was inherently slow-witted, and Co Due assumed I was oblivious to everything. As three years slipped by, I gradually came to realize the truth — he never actually liked me all that much. Whenever I acted foolishly, his gaze would fill with undisguised disgust. When I happily indulged in cheap snacks, he couldn't even be bothered to share the moment with me. If we went out together and I accidentally got too lively or playful, Co Due would actually pretend not to know me. Throughout those three years of relationship, the one always running after him was me. Walking away requires courage, and I simply lacked that bravery. I pretended not to care, pretended to live happily on my own terms. I pretended to be foolish enough not to notice that the person who loved me no longer loved me back. I locked all my emotions away in a secluded corner of my heart, quietly accepting every bit of it until the very end when we broke up. It was the appearance of this "school boss" that shattered the emotional box I had so deliberately sealed. In front of him, I never had to hide a thing. I could freely be my truest self, laughing from the very bottom of my heart. Even my most embarrassing moments ceased to be agonizing humiliations, transforming instead into humorous, vivid, and beautiful memories. Charmed by his smile, I couldn't help but nod slightly. He flashed a brilliant grin and let out a long breath of relief. "That was close, I almost lost miserably." I was baffled, completely failing to catch his meaning. Immediately afterward, I received a text message from Truong Viet Viet: "What is going on?! Ten minutes ago, the school boss posted on the forum announcing he's dating you!" "The whole school forum has blown up!" "You're amazing, Chu Doanh! I thought you were just honest and naive, but you actually know how to keep secrets from us!" I jumped in shock: "!!!" He simply raised an eyebrow. "I was just introducing my girlfriend to everyone, that's all." I thought for a moment: "Wait a minute, ten minutes ago I hadn't even agreed yet?!" "I scheduled the post to go live before I came out. Tsk, who would've guessed it would take you a full ten minutes to finally nod." "Well then, I'm taking back my agreement right now." "Don't be like that. Minor details aside, the important part is that you agreed, so you can't go back on your word. Otherwise, I'll raise hell. I'll tell everyone that Chu Doanh is a heartless, unfaithful wretch." I couldn't believe it — such a towering, imposing "school boss" was actually resorting to such shamelessly underhanded tactics. Let me ask, is there any way to stuff a newly "unpacked" boyfriend back into his box? Just as we were bickering, Truong Viet Viet sent another message: "Liu Linh Linh has gone completely crazy, she just posted something too!" "Chu Doanh, stay calm, don't panic..." I felt my blood run cold.

Liu Linh Linh's post bore an extremely eye-catching title: "Hoping certain scumbags can reveal their true faces so girls won't get hurt anymore." Although she didn't name anyone directly, she attached a screenshot of a chat conversation. The content consisted of ambiguous flirtatious remarks, ending with a final line that read: "Liu Linh Linh, I was just toying with you, I'm done playing now, goodbye!" The other person's name was blurred out, but the profile picture clearly belonged to... the delinquent honor student. Students on the school forum quickly figured out who it was. Those who had just been enthusiastically cheering for his new romance now mostly fell silent. The atmosphere became intensely awkward. Anyone who still brought it up mostly expressed sympathy for me. "Even Liu Linh Linh got played by the honor student, I wonder if he's even sincere with his new girlfriend..." Comments of this nature were echoed by numerous people. Truong Viet Viet kept messaging me: "You have to stay totally calm. Luckily it's just the beginning, you can still back out in time. Don't be foolish enough to trust someone you just met like that. Honestly, we don't really know anything about him, do we?" I raised my head and stared straight at the honor student. "What is the meaning of this?" The honor student was browsing the forum and had clearly seen it already. He frowned, his expression looking utterly dreadful. He ruffled his hair in frustration and muttered angrily, "I don't know if you'll believe me..." It sounded rather foolish, but I cut him off: "I believe you. As long as you're willing to explain, I'll believe you." The honor student's eyes instantly lit up, and his expression softened significantly. His mood visibly improved. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief and said, "I never exchanged messages with her in the first place. The person in that chat screenshot is definitely not me." The honor student sighed, his eyes full of guilt. "I can prove I didn't do it. But the situation that makes things difficult for you has already happened. I'm sorry." Just as I was about to speak, my phone lit up with a new notification. It was... a message from Co Due.