Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Cheers and teasing erupted around me.

Lu Qinian lowered his gaze. A faint smile gleamed in his eyes.

“Is that for me?”

My heart pounded.

I was just about to tell him I liked him when a woman’s voice suddenly appeared in my head.

【Ha. A supporting girl who sets her sights on the male lead never comes to a good end.】

My fingers clenched hard around the envelope.

Lu Qinian looked mildly surprised.

The voice in my head continued.

【Confessing to the male lead will only get you brutally rejected. Then disaster will follow.】

I looked up into Lu Qinian’s smiling eyes. He was gazing at me with complete attention and unmistakable tenderness.

When our eyes met, the corner of his mouth curved up.

His lips were full. I wanted to bite them.

Lu Qinian didn’t like me?

Then why did he spend every day parading in front of me and tempting me half to death?

The woman’s voice exploded with rage.

【Why do you think? Because you’re a lecherous pervert.】

【Do you seriously want him to reject you in public and humiliate you?】

As her final syllable fell, a video abruptly appeared before my eyes.

In it, I confessed to Lu Qinian, and he turned me down gently but firmly.

I stood there at a loss, tears in my eyes. “You don’t like me? Then why do you treat me so differently from everyone else?”

Lu Qinian looked helpless, as if he hated to hurt me.

Someone nearby laughed and answered for him.

“Chen Youxi, the greatest illusion in the world is thinking someone likes you.”

The entire crowd burst into laughter.

When the video ended, my heart sank.

Everything—from my reaction to Lu Qinian’s tone—had felt far too real.

I could even hear the sigh he had breathed beside my ear.

Lu Qinian was still waiting for my answer.

Looking into his expectant eyes, I felt a sudden, inexplicable flare of anger.

Whenever he spoke to me, he bent down and leaned close to my ear, supposedly because he was afraid I would not hear him. His voice always sounded like a hook pulling me in.

If the law allowed it, I would have thrown my arms around his neck and taken a bite out of him.

Whenever he finished playing basketball and I offered him water, his fingers somehow always brushed mine.

His fingers were so long and beautiful. If I had not exercised saintly restraint, I would have grabbed his hand and kissed it twice on the spot.

And last time he wiped away his sweat, he had obviously shown me his abs.

I had not been able to tear my eyes away.

If none of that counted as seduction—

【You’re only a supporting girl. What makes you think you deserve him?】

The woman scoffed, her disdain impossible to miss.

Why didn’t I deserve him?

I was beautiful, wealthy, and smart. I neither smoked nor drank, and I did not hit men. How could I possibly be unworthy?

I glared fiercely at Lu Qinian, even as my hand unconsciously offered him the letter again.

He froze, then seemed to understand. His fingers came to rest on the envelope.

His voice held unmistakable delight.

“Thank you. I’ll cherish your feelings.”

“Because I—”

I jolted back to my senses and yanked the letter toward me.

In my panic, my entire face twisted.

“Give it back.”

Confusion filled Lu Qinian’s amber eyes, but he obediently let go.

His pale, elegant hand retreated. As if by accident, it skimmed the back of mine, leaving a fleeting trace of warmth.

“Sorry.” His voice remained gentle.

I stared at him longingly.

Why did I like every single thing about him?

Especially that face. It had haunted me day and night since the moment I first saw him.

My gaze drifted lower, catching the faint outline of his abs beneath his white T-shirt.

He flaunted himself in front of me every day but would not let me touch him. Shameless flirt.

I crumpled the letter into a ball and bowed to him.

“How could a bookish girl like me dare touch a shameless flirt like you?”

“Goodbye.”

I spun around and ran.

Behind me, everyone dissolved into noisy laughter.

“Holy crap, I thought I was about to witness true love!”

“Lu the Legend, did you hear that? The princess called you shameless!”

…

I glanced back. Lu Qinian was staring at me without expression, his eyes dark and unreadable.

Guiltily, I whipped my head around and ran even faster.