“Has that guy’s brain been kicked by a donkey? Do I Lu Guifan got faster and faster, from an initial BPM of 120 all the way up to BPM 150. Jiang Ruotang, who spent her days in the art studio, genuinely had less stamina and athletic ability than Lu Guifan. He was directly defeated, standing there with her hands on her hips, giving up.

He glanced sideways again and thought, “My goodness!” Lu Guifan actually had both hands in his pockets, a blank expression on his face, with only his feet tapping to the rhythm.

People with long legs just look better, coupled with his leisurely demeanor, passersby probably thought he was some kind of big shot!

Jiang Ruotang took out her phone and snapped several photos of him.

“Hmm?” Lu Guifan turned his head, glancing at her in confusion.

“Leaving evidence of you at the arcade, so I can threaten you with it later.”

Lu Guifan said nonchalantly, “Then think carefully about what you want to threaten me with. Anyway, there are only seven months left until high school graduation.”

“Oh, you’re talking back to me? Believe it or not, I’ll mass-text the teachers in the grade group!”

“Then send it. I’ll suggest the teachers come here for exercise after class.”

“…”

Finally, the tokens Lu Guifan bought also ran out.

Jiang Ruotang collected a handful of small tickets. Lu Guifan lowered his eyes and asked her, “What are these for?”

“You can exchange them for gifts, but they’re just things like cups or dolls that aren’t very useful.”

As Jiang Ruotang expected, their tickets were only enough to redeem a small night light, and it wasn’t even an induction one, but the kind that stays on once plugged in, and the style was very simple.

“Here, you can have it. My family won’t use it,” Jiang Ruotang scratched the back of her head.

Lu Guifan took it and looked at it. “Alright, I can modify it.”

Just then, Xiao Gao called, saying he was almost at Jinshang MALL and offered to drive Lu Guifan back as well. It was getting late, so Lu Guifan didn’t decline.

Sitting in the car, watching the city lights flash by, Lu Guifan smiled faintly.

He had never imagined he would enter an arcade in his life. He knew Jiang Ruotang only made him play relatively simple things, but it seemed that being with him always led to trying and experiencing things he usually ignored or wasn’t interested in.

---

After returning home, Jiang Ruotang was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. He had been concentrating all day and then played for so long at the arcade with Lu Guifan.

After blow-drying his hair, he hugged his quilt and fell asleep.

In a daze, he felt something gently stroking his ear and hair. Jiang Ruotang slowly opened his eyes and realized that Lu Guifan was sitting by his bed!

In the darkness, Lu Guifan was looking at him like this, with a completely different aura than during the day. It was as if something was seeping out from the depths of the night, flowing steadily, and Lu Guifan was that crack.

Jiang Ruotang’s eyes widened. He found it incredible. Just as he was about to ask, “How did you get here?”, Lu Guifan’s finger touched his lips. That slight pressure made Jiang Ruotang’s heart tense, and his eyes seemed to tell him, “If you make a sound, I will disappear.”

Lu Guifan gently hugged Jiang Ruotang’s leg through the quilt, resting his face on it. His heavy black-rimmed glasses slid up, slowly brushing his bangs, then falling back down, as if crashing onto Jiang Ruotang’s heart.

He looked at Jiang Ruotang’s eyes with no obstruction.

Beautiful and deep, yet an invisible force extended from them, captivating Jiang Ruotang’s mind and pulling him down.

The invitation in those eyes was too obvious; not refusing was consent.

His lips curved, and his dimples showed.

Jiang Ruotang swore he had never seen Lu Guifan smile like that before, like a devil who had gotten his way.

He pulled away Jiang Ruotang’s quilt, almost driving Jiang Ruotang to madness. When he raised his head, the scene was like rich cheese pulling a string in the air, falling heavily, his soul plummeting from the clouds to hell.

Jiang Ruotang gasped, suddenly sat up, and stared wide-eyed at the room. There was no trace of Lu Guifan.

Realizing something, Jiang Ruotang reached into the quilt…

Damn it!

Was this a side effect of being young?

Just seeing Lu Guifan eat a cheese pizza could make his imagination run wild!

Jiang Ruotang gritted his teeth, pounded the bed several times unwillingly, and could only resign himself to going to the bathroom.

---

That evening, Bai Yingchuan sat at his desk, connecting his phone to his computer and playing the video Jiang Huaiyuan had taken of Jiang Ruotang.

Walking amidst the golden ginkgo leaves, Jiang Ruotang’s smile was pure and bright.

Frozen in time, wanting to retrieve it, constantly replaying it.

It was as if he was born for first love.

At this moment, a knock came at the door, and Bai Yue’s voice followed.

“Yingchuan, can I come in?”

Bai Yingchuan immediately turned off the video and said, “Mom, what’s wrong?”

Bai Yue walked in and sat in front of Bai Yingchuan. “It was indeed a very wise decision for you to insist on acting in ‘The Booming Era’.”

“It’s rare for you to agree with me when our opinions differ.”

“The revised script for ‘The Booming Era’ has passed the TV station’s review. It’s said that there have been many changes in rhythm, dialogue, and character settings. They invited a younger scriptwriting team, including some popular online novelists, so compared to the previous rigid entrepreneurial narrative, there are many unexpected plots for the audience. It was originally a C-grade script, but now it’s rated A+. If famous actors are invited, it will be an S+ project.”

“It seems your news travels faster than mine.” Bai Yingchuan laughed at himself internally. The first thing his agent, Sister Yu, did after getting the news was tell Bai Yue, not him.

“Several veteran actors also found the script very interesting. It’s true, as you said, it has the potential to become a tribute drama.”

“So I can take on this role?”

“Yes, but you mentioned hoping I’d pay more attention to collaborating with Director Jiang. I still need to remind you of one thing—Jiang Huaiyuan, while talented, doesn’t understand the ways of the world. In this industry, human connections are more important than ability. The internal workings of Huanyu Pictures are more turbulent than you imagine. Lin Chengdong has a much higher chance of winning than Jiang Huaiyuan.”

In other words, even after Bai Yue lost tens of millions by investing in Ark with Lin Chengdong, he still firmly supported Lin Chengdong.

Bai Yingchuan scoffed internally. This was truly hitting a wall and not turning back, seeing the coffin and still deciding to be buried.

“Then I’ll support Jiang Huaiyuan.”

“Yingchuan, what’s wrong with you? Are you going through a rebellious phase? You used to listen to me. What’s gotten into you?”

Bai Yingchuan quietly looked at Bai Yue. He suddenly didn’t understand why he used to take everything Bai Yue said as gospel truth.

In reality… he was just gambling.

He thought Lin Chengdong was cunning, but this guy had too small a vision. Just look at how he taught Lin Lu.

At this point, Bai Yingchuan also keenly sensed that his mother probably had some leverage in Lin Chengdong’s hands, otherwise he wouldn’t be so foolish.

Lin Chengdong’s sinking ship was one Bai Yingchuan absolutely did not want to board.

“Mom, do you know how the three Zhuge brothers invested? They placed their bets on three sides: Wei, Shu, and Wu. The eldest brother, Zhuge Jin, served Sun Quan. Zhuge Dan was the General who Conquers the East for Wei, and Zhuge Liang was the Prime Minister of Shu. So, Ms. Bai Yue, Lin Chengdong must have spit out a lot because of the fall of that financial director, Huang Tengyue, right? How do you know that with Zhao Yunshu’s cunning and the Qin family’s support, Lin Chengdong won’t suffer continuous defeats?”

Bai Yue was stunned. Although Bai Yingchuan’s grand pronouncements sounded a bit childish, it was true that one shouldn’t put all their eggs in one basket.

“Then you go ahead and try. I also want to see if Jiang Huaiyuan still has the ability to promote you further.”

With that, Bai Yue got up and left.

But what Bai Yingchuan was thinking about was Jiang Ruotang.

This boy, despite being roughly the same age as himself, had a calm response to emergencies and could accurately predict industry news.

More importantly, Bai Yingchuan could feel that Jiang Ruotang’s advice to him was far-sighted. His vision was simply on a different level than Lin Lu or even Lin Chengdong.

---

On the first weekend of December, Zhao Changfeng was about to represent the school team in the provincial championship final.

Since the college entrance exam had just ended, Jiang Ruotang wanted to relax, so he skipped art class and dragged his friends along to watch the game and cheer for Zhao Changfeng.

This was the first time the three of them had watched such a formal game live.

Xiao Gao dropped them off at the entrance of the stadium. Cai Ji was the first to get out, and he happened to run into the school bus bringing the athletes.

First, the coach, assistant coach, and school doctor got off, then the captain and key players.

It wasn’t until almost everyone had gotten off that Meng Yang slowly emerged. The moment he saw Cai Ji, anger surged within him.

If Cai Ji hadn’t gotten Li Chun arrested, Li Chun wouldn’t have implicated Meng Yang, leading to Meng Yang being given a major demerit and a suspension.

This game was so important; coaches from top 985 and 211 universities in the province would be watching, and Meng Yang had completely lost that qualification.

Seeing Cai Ji, he looked as if he wanted to grab Cai Ji’s head and smash it against the bus door.

“Look, look, who do we have here? Cai Ji, your brother’s gone in, so you’re feeling brave now, the little rat from the gutter coming out to bask in the sun?”

But these days, Cai Ji had friends, people who cared about him, and he was no longer the timid coward who would shrink into his hell at a scare.

He lifted his head, looking at Meng Yang, who was more than half a head taller than him, and said, “There’s nothing wrong with being a little rat. Before, you trampled on little rats. One day, little rats will live on your grave.”

“Cai Ji! I think you want to die!” Meng Yang was about to grab Cai Ji’s collar when the coach saw him.

“Meng Yang—is suspension not enough? Do you want to be expelled?”

Meng Yang released Cai Ji’s collar and said coldly, “Do you really think clinging to Zhao Changfeng will make you soar? Wake up, without me, Beicheng Guangyao won’t win!”

Jiang Ruotang, who was buying drinks at the stadium entrance, saw this and immediately ruhed over to Cai Ji’s side. “Meng Yang, what kind of trouble are you trying to stir up now?”

Meng Yang glanced at Jiang Ruotang, muttering inwardly, “You really think you’re a savior, don’t you?”

“I don’t know if he’s a savior, but according to Li Chun’s confession, you bribed Li Chun to physically harm Cai Ji. If Cai Ji decides to press charges, it could result in a fine at best, or administrative detention at worst.”

Meng Yang’s face instantly changed. He scoffed and turned to leave.

Jiang Ruotang and Cai Ji both turned to see Lu Guifan’s calm face.

“Class monitor, you’re amazing!” Cai Ji’s face showed admiration.

Jiang Ruotang looked at Lu Guifan, and that familiar sense of security surged in his heart again.

Lu Guifan raised his hand. Jiang Ruotang expected him to rub his head, but he only used his fingertips to lightly touch the cowlick on Jiang Ruotang’s head.

“Next time you want to help a friend, don’t just rush in headfirst.”

“Got it. I need to be like you, winning beautifully without a fight.”

Lu Guifan smiled faintly.

---

Several girls among the spectators entering the stadium looked in Lu Guifan’s direction.

These high school seniors wore school uniforms almost 365 days a year. This was the first time Lu Guifan was wearing his casual clothes.

A simple woolen coat over a fleece hoodie, casual pants, and white sneakers, which highlighted Lu Guifan’s simple and clear temperament. He was truly like a jade tree, elegant and refined.

“They’re looking at you,” Jiang Ruotang said with a teasing smile.

“What’s there to look at me for?” Lu Guifan didn’t pay much attention to the gazes of others.

“Because you’re handsome. Even if you don’t make a living through knowledge later, you can rely on your looks.” Jiang Ruotang put on that expression again, trying to tease Lu Guifan.

“Your skin is so thick, even if you don’t get into the Academy of Fine Arts, you probably won’t starve to death by relying on your looks.”

After saying that, he actually pinched Jiang Ruotang’s cheek.

Jian Sha, not one to let things go, leaned in and said, “Oh, you can pinch out a fish ball! Jiang Ruotang, have you gained weight?”

“A cup of milk tea every day, you’re the one who’s gotten fat.”

Their friends and family all went to the spectator stands.

Jiang Ruotang thought about Meng Yang’s attitude just now. He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but he always felt that when Meng Yang turned around, there was a sneer on his lips.

In his previous life, Meng Yang had used friendship to manipulate Zhao Changfeng, making Zhao Changfeng grab rebounds, assist, and screen for him, then feeding Meng Yang the ball to let him rack up points.

With Zhao Changfeng’s selfless dedication, Meng Yang had been like a god in the previous games, gaining a lot of goodwill from coaches. Zhao Changfeng, on the other hand, didn’t score much in the semifinals, appearing like a side dish compared to Meng Yang.

If it were just like this, would Zhao Changfeng truly go unnoticed? Jiang Ruotang felt that these university coaches shouldn’t be so incompetent.

What else happened?

How did Zhao Changfeng perform in the finals?

Jiang Ruotang desperately searched his memories for what Zhao Changfeng had told him.

This scoundrel had one good quality, and also a bad one: he would only badmouth others when he was truly fed up. Even if he hated someone to the core, he would usually accept his fate.

The only person he would curse at in front of Jiang Ruotang was Lin Lu, because he couldn’t stand how Lin Lu had squeezed all of Jiang Ruotang’s efforts and value dry.

No matter how Jiang Ruotang thought about it, he felt uneasy. He called Zhao Changfeng.

“Hmm? What’s up with the call?”

“Is Meng Yang still on your team? Wasn’t he suspended? Why is he still there? Logically, he shouldn’t even be on the bench.”

Zhao Changfeng was putting on his ankle brace. Hearing Jiang Ruotang’s words, he glanced up and replied, “He’s just in the locker room, handing out water to teammates, managing things, and such.”

Hearing that, Jiang Ruotang’s vigilance shot up. “Don’t let him touch your things, and don’t drink any water he gives you. Go buy your own from the vending machine.”

Zhao Changfeng paused, then whispered, “It wouldn’t go that far, would it? He can’t even play, what’s the point of him messing with things?”

“Remember what I told you? He’s not your true friend, so he won’t wish you well or be proud of your success. Just like you always tell me Lin Lu isn’t reliable, I also think he’s very unreliable.”

Jiang Ruotang’s “bro” made Zhao Changfeng’s heart stir. He knew Jiang Ruotang was genuinely worried about him, and very, very serious.

“Okay, I got it, bro.” Zhao Changfeng nodded.

Hanging up the phone, Zhao Changfeng bent down to pick up his basketball shoes. He untied the laces and just as he put his toes in, a sudden premonition surged through him.

Jiang Ruotang had just said, “Don’t let him touch your things.”