Chu Bai leaned against the balcony railing in the corridor, enjoying the evening breeze as he watched two stunning beauties walk by arm in arm below.

Shuizhe High School was known for having three recognized school beauties, all of whom were in the senior year. One of them was Xu Muyan, and the other two were the girls who had just passed by downstairs.

“If only those two could be my girlfriends at the same time,” Chu Bai fantasized to himself.

Just then, a powerful force struck his lower back. Someone had sneakily attacked him, delivering a fierce kick.

Chu Bai almost vomited his dinner. Turning back in anger, he saw that the attacker was none other than Chen Zishi.

“Are you out of your mind?!” Chu Bai roared, barely restraining the urge to retaliate. If he hadn’t just been disciplined again, he would have pinned Chen Zishi to the ground.

Chu Bai had been in countless fights and despised those who attacked from behind without honor.

“You beast!” Chen Zishi shouted in a frenzied state, accusing him angrily.

“I’m innocent! You’d rather believe a woman than your own brother, wouldn’t you?” Chu Bai guessed that Wen Jing must have told Chen Zishi about the incident; otherwise, Chen Zishi wouldn’t have lost control like this.

“I don’t believe a word of it!” Chen Zishi cursed.

“Screw you, you’re just a fool, an idiot, being deceived without even knowing it. I don’t need a brother like you, we’re done!” Chu Bai’s anger boiled over.

“You despicable creature, fine, we’re done!”

…

[Ding! The host’s manipulation has successfully caused the protagonist Chu Bai and the important supporting character Chen Zishi to fall out, earning 300 villain points. Chu Bai’s protagonist halo -20, host’s villain halo +20.]

“Perfect!” Wang Haoran nodded in satisfaction after receiving the system’s notification. The plan had gone exactly as he had envisioned.

…

After the evening self-study session, students and teachers were preparing to head home.

Song Zhenyu, to avoid suspicion, lingered in the office for a while longer, just as she had the previous day.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Wang Haoran prepared to drive Wen Jing home.

In the car.

“Darling, I’ve completed all the tasks you assigned. Are you satisfied?” Wen Jing asked sweetly.

“You did beautifully,” Wang Haoran praised, noticing Wen Jing’s slightly red eyes. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine now,” Wen Jing shook her head dismissively. To her, any hardship was worth it if it meant successfully completing Wang Haoran’s tasks.

Wang Haoran took out his phone and transferred 188,000 yuan to Wen Jing as a reward.

Wen Jing was stunned. Her family’s annual income was only about 50,000 to 60,000 yuan, and her monthly allowance was just a few hundred. 188,000 yuan was an enormous sum for her.

Being with the boy she loved and having so much money to spend, Wen Jing felt increasingly that choosing to be with Wang Haoran was a wise decision.

“Let me take you home,” Wang Haoran suggested, ready to have the driver start the car.

However, Wen Jing suddenly held Wang Haoran’s hand, looking at him affectionately. “Darling, I miss you so much…”

“Are you feeling better?”

“No.”

“Then let’s get you home. You’ve cried so much today, aren’t you tired?”

“I’m… I’m okay,” Wen Jing said, lowering her head.

“Then I’ll take you to a hotel first. I have some things to do, and I’ll come find you later,” Wang Haoran decided, grateful for the foresight of his father, who had given him a black gold VIP card. It allowed him to book a room without prior reservation.

“Okay!” Wen Jing nodded eagerly, quickly taking out her phone to call her family.

…

Xu Muyan returned home, took a shower, and washed away the day’s fatigue. Passing through the living room, she saw her father still watching TV.

“Dad, I’m going to my room to sleep,” Xu Muyan said.

“Yanyan, wait a moment. Dad has something to tell you,” Xu Muyan’s father called her over.

“What is it?” Xu Muyan asked curiously.

“There’s a student named Chu Bai in your class, right?”

“Yes, how do you know him, Dad?!”

“I met him at the station.”

“What did he do?”

“Nothing,” her father shook his head, showing a look of admiration. “A student from your school reported a group of criminals. You should know about this case; I’m handling it. The student who reported it was Chu Bai.”

“Oh, it was him,” Xu Muyan said, her expression indifferent.

“Yanyan, you seem to have a bit of a grudge against Chu Bai, don’t you?”

“He tried to harass my friend. I wish I could beat him up.”

“Is that so? Tell me more about it,” her father said.

Xu Muyan relayed the information she had received from Wen Jing to her father.

“Your friend only heard a sound and touched the person’s hair. That doesn’t prove it was Chu Bai,” her father’s professional instincts kicked in.

“But he admitted it.”

“Based on your description, all the evidence points to Chu Bai, and the girl chose to settle the matter by having Chu Bai apologize. It’s normal for Chu Bai to choose to avoid trouble.”

“Dad, you seem to be defending Chu Bai,” Xu Muyan said, puzzled.

“I’ve only met Chu Bai once, but I’m sure he’s not that kind of person. There must be some misunderstanding,” her father said.

“Could Wen Jing have made a mistake?” Xu Muyan wondered. Her father, due to his work, dealt with all sorts of criminals daily and had a keen eye for people. Xu Muyan trusted her father’s judgment, but she also believed her friend had no reason to lie. However, since the matter had already been settled, there was no need to dwell on it.

Xu Muyan shook off her thoughts and suddenly asked, “Dad, why did you bring up Chu Bai?”

“Oh, I almost forgot,” her father said, tapping his forehead. He pointed to the phone on the tea table. “Chu Bai called you earlier. You were in the shower, so I answered it. I told him you’d call back when you were done.”

“Ah?” Xu Muyan was reluctant.

“You don’t want Dad to break his promise, do you?” her father said, spreading his hands.

Xu Muyan had no choice but to call back, putting the phone on speaker.

Chu Bai answered immediately.

“Is it Uncle or Xu Muyan?”

“It’s Yanyan,” her father replied for her.

Xu Muyan couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her father before speaking indifferently, “What do you want?”

“Xu Muyan, I really didn’t do anything to Wen Jing. I’m being framed!” Chu Bai hurriedly explained. Since Wen Jing had told Chen Zishi, Xu Muyan, as Wen Jing’s best friend, would surely know about it too. Chu Bai wasn’t afraid of falling out with Chen Zishi, but he feared Xu Muyan’s disdain. So, after the evening self-study session, he called Xu Muyan as soon as he thought she could use her phone, wanting to tell her the truth.

“His tone is firm, and there’s no hesitation in his speech. He seems to be telling the truth,” her father’s professional instincts kicked in again, prompting him to comment and tell his daughter, “Yanyan, it seems Chu Bai is indeed innocent.”

“Thank you, Uncle Xu! Xu Muyan, you believe I’m innocent too, right?” Chu Bai said excitedly over the phone.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. You should focus on the upcoming joint exams,” Xu Muyan said, not wanting to dwell on the matter.

“I’m not worried about the exams. I’ve been studying hard lately. I can at least make it into the top ten in the class,” Chu Bai said confidently.

“You’re boasting!” Xu Muyan scoffed. The top ten in the class were all top students with a good chance of getting into prestigious universities. Chu Bai had always been at the bottom of the class. His last monthly exam score was only mediocre, still considered a “poor student.” Jumping into the top ten was simply impossible.

“I’m not boasting. If you don’t believe me, let’s make a bet. If I make it into the top ten, you’ll be my girlfriend. If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me. Do you dare to bet?” Chu Bai challenged.