Chapter 1

What Sui Houyu hadn’t expected was that by simply waiting for someone, he would end up spectating such a farce.

It was actually quite entertaining.

It was mid-August, and more than half of the summer vacation had already slipped away. The weather was so oppressively hot it felt almost criminal. Although there had been a light drizzle when he woke up that morning, all traces of rain had long since vanished. The dry ground didn’t even hold a hint of moisture in the shadows. Everything exposed to the sun seemed to be emitting heat; the air was even thick with the acrid scent of melting asphalt.

The cicadas screeched with desperate intensity, as if trying to prove to the world through their noise that they hadn’t been roasted alive yet and possessed a stubborn will to survive.

Sui Houyu leaned against a railing, still able to feel its warmth through his clothes. He looked down at the drink in his hand, holding it with one finger hooked through the pull-ring. He popped it open, took a sip, and scanned his surroundings with an air of boredom.

If he hadn’t navigated here via GPS, he probably wouldn’t have known such a place existed in this city. This place, called Xiangjia Lane, required one to get on the highway toward the neighboring city, exit halfway, and drive another thirty minutes to reach. It was essentially a wedge of land caught in the gap between two cities.

Despite its location, it was still considered part of the city’s six main districts—a sort of isolated territory standing alone in a forgotten corner.

He looked left and right; there were no particularly tall buildings here. The highest were only six or seven stories, and he saw a few disabled-accessible tricycles driving along the road. The restaurants all looked like small, local storefronts, most of them bearing signs that read “XX Farmhouse Cooking.” Recently, the area had been developing its tourism industry. Surrounded by mountains and water, the lifestyle seemed quite pleasant.

Overall, it wasn’t bad. He wondered if he’d be able to see the stars at night.

He had just spoken on the phone with the owner of the guesthouse. The owner said he was currently in the middle of a Mahjong game and would come to pick him up after this round, asking him to wait a little longer.

It was the standard, slow-paced life of a small town.

After hanging up, he saw a notification at the top of his screen—someone had @-mentioned him. He clicked into his class group chat and saw his classmates cursing up a storm, seemingly ready to start a fight. He scrolled up through the chat history and saw that someone had reposted a screenshot showing the students in the Fenghua Private High School group chat openly dissing Sui Houyu.

He opened the screenshot. It was nothing more than rumors that he was “hated by cats and dogs alike,” had a “revolting face,” and “zero class.” Then, the chat pivoted to bragging about how handsome and amazing their own school’s “Big Boss” was—good at sports, top of the class, a literal golden child. This “Big Boss” was being treated like a “Savior God.” Some girls were even expressing worry, fearing Sui Houyu would go looking for trouble with their Big Boss once the semester started.

Sui Houyu glanced at it briefly and closed it.

In order to move up a rank, Sui Houyu’s high school had suddenly merged with another. Once school started, students from both schools would be attending together. Both sides were gossiping, and some people had even gone undercover in the other school’s group chats. Clearly, everyone was bored out of their minds this summer.

Sui Houyu typed a reply in the group: In a way, their evaluation of me is quite objective.

Ran Shu: Revolting face? They clearly don’t know the definition of “heavenly beauty.”

Former Class Monitor: Dangerous adjective warning.

Ran Shu: Holy crap… It’s not that I want to kneel, my knees just suddenly felt a bit weak.

Sui Houyu gave a light snort, ignored the rest, and put his phone back in his pocket. While he continued to wait, he happened to witness the clumsy acting of two boys.

Not far from Sui Houyu stood a girl who had also just come out of a convenience store. She was tall with a ponytail, wearing a simple T-shirt and denim shorts. Her skin was a sun-kissed wheat tone, giving her a very “cool older sister” vibe; she was quite pretty.

First, a “thug” guy approached to harass her, saying, “Hey little sis, how about adding me on WeChat? Talk to me for a bit.”

The girl’s response was short and to the point: “Scram.”

Then, the thug started to get aggressive, reaching out to grab her arm as if to drag her away. Just as the two were on the verge of a confrontation, another boy suddenly rushed out to play the hero, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Stop!”

The sheer melodrama of that shout made Sui Houyu laugh out loud.

The “thug” gave Sui Houyu a nasty glare, seemingly warning him not to meddle. Sui Houyu was happy to comply; he dragged his suitcase to the side, completely ignoring them and clearing the stage so he wouldn’t interfere with their “performance.”

Because of the noise made by his suitcase, the girl glanced at Sui Houyu.

With just one look, she couldn’t tear her eyes away.

Sui Houyu could be described as a “2D boy”—he looked like he had stepped right out of a manga. Specifically, a shoujo manga; otherwise, no artist would dare draw a boy that beautiful. His features were exquisite, perhaps even excessively so. Standing at 183 cm, he possessed a face so stunning it was practically a national disaster.

His hair was pitch black and naturally curly, so thick that it looked heavy, making his face appear even smaller. Under a pair of dark brows were eyes like reflecting pools, with lashes as thick as his hair. His nose was high but not overly so, with a delicate tip. His lips were a pale pink, and a teasing smile played at the corners of his mouth.

The girl stared at him for so long that she didn’t actually see the “heroic” boy and the “thug” boy getting into an intense struggle. The drama was there, but there was no audience.

It wasn’t until the “hero” came over to strike up a conversation that the girl snapped back to reality. “Are you okay?” the boy asked, stepping in front of her.

After looking at Sui Houyu and then looking at this guy, the girl felt a significant psychological drop. This “hero” was… uniquely structured. His appearance was… unconventional. How to describe his features? To use an idiom, one could only use words like “chaotic” or “falling apart.”

His eyes were different sizes—one had a single lid, the other a double—and the double lid happened to be on the larger eye. His eyes were set a bit too far apart. His nose was fine and his mouth was normal, but when put together, the result was not handsome. It was as if his features were all having an argument and refused to cooperate.

The girl replied casually, “I’m fine.”

The hero pushed further: “I’m afraid that thug might harass you again. Where are you going? Let me walk you.”

The girl clearly wasn’t interested. She shook her head in refusal, then walked straight toward Sui Houyu. “Excuse me, could you walk me home? I was just being followed, and I’m a little scared.”

This was a perfect example of a “bait and switch”—executed naturally and beautifully.

Sui Houyu crushed the empty soda can in his hand and tossed it accurately into a nearby trash bin. He replied nonchalantly, “Tsk. Who are you calling ‘big brother’?”

He really disliked being called Xiao Gege (little big brother); it always sounded weirdly flirtatious. Couldn’t people just talk normally?

“Sorry, are you a ‘little brother’ then?” The girl misunderstood his intent.

Sui Houyu ignored her, took some chewing gum out of his pocket, and popped two pieces into his mouth. The girl’s gaze lingered on his profile, and she subconsciously swallowed. She didn’t give up: “Are you waiting for someone?”

Sui Houyu’s profile was a masterpiece—the curve of his nose and jawline was perfect. When he lowered his head, his fluffy hair fell over his forehead, curling just right. This kind of beauty wasn’t common in real life; after all, technology hadn’t advanced enough to put “beauty filters” on the human eye.

Sui Houyu gave a vague hum of affirmation and saw a real-time location share from the guesthouse owner on WeChat. He could see the owner walking toward him.

As he stood up, the girl noticed a cat sitting in the backpack on his shoulders. It was a black cat with emerald eyes, looking cold and cool. She followed him and asked, “That cat is so pretty. What’s its name?”

“Big Boss (Da Ge),” Sui Houyu replied softly.

The girl blinked. “Huh?”

“The cat’s name is Big Boss.”

The girl burst out laughing. “That’s a great name. It fits his aura.”

The “hero” boy, seeing the girl he’d worked so hard to “save” run off with someone else, was speechless. He watched woodenly as the two walked away. Once they were out of earshot, the “thug” walked over and grumbled, “So we just got intercepted like that?”

“Tsk, what a disaster. Do girls nowadays like those feminine-looking guys? Look at that guy’s face…” The boy choked for a moment before giving in. “Okay, he is pretty good-looking. But I’m not bad either!”

The “thug” didn’t want to answer that. Even for a friend, he couldn’t lie that boldly against his conscience. He sighed. “A waste of a performance. I let you hit me for nothing.”

The two boys, still indignant, crouched on the curb side-by-side, looking like the definition of bad luck.

The guesthouse owner who came to meet Sui Houyu had a slight limp. Noticing this, Sui Houyu proactively dragged his suitcase toward him. The owner looked to be in his thirties, a bit pudgy. He glanced at the departing girl and asked, “Do we need to wait for her?”

“I don’t know her.”

“Not your girlfriend?”

“No.”

The owner tried to help with the suitcase, but Sui Houyu declined. The owner chuckled. “I thought you were renting a place to stay with a girlfriend. Guess not?”

“I’m living alone.”

“What brings you all the way out here?”

“Management is strict lately. I’m a minor, so no one would rent an apartment to me.”

The owner nodded in understanding. “No one really checks around here; it’s quite free. But you’re out renting a house… what about your family?”

Sui Houyu followed the owner into the apartment building. As he lugged his suitcase up the stairs, he replied, “I didn’t tell those two families.”

“Two families?”

“Yeah. They got divorced and started their own families. Doesn’t that make two?”

What Sui Houyu didn’t say was that he had been living on his own for a while, and neither “family” had even noticed; they each thought he was staying with the other.

The landlord didn’t ask further. He simply explained the house rules and the location of nearby shops. Finally, he said, “The cleaner comes around 10:00 AM every day. If you don’t want to be disturbed, just set the ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode on the electronic lock. Press this button inside the door, and the cleaner won’t come in.”

“Got it.”

Sui Houyu sat in the living room, listening to the landlord’s whistling fade into the distance. He silently pulled out his phone to buy earplugs. Even with the door closed, the whistling in the hallway was crystal clear; the soundproofing was abysmal. His sleep quality was terrible, and he was particularly sensitive about it.

After unpacking, Sui Houyu took a look around the place. Before he knew it, evening had arrived. He decided to head downstairs for a walk and find some dinner.

He hadn’t walked far when he spotted the “hero” and the “thug” walking together, arms around each other’s shoulders. Sui Houyu’s amusement for the day was entirely centered on these two. Seeing them again, he let out a snort of laughter.

The two boys obviously saw him too. For them, it was a case of “rivals meeting with eyes blazing.” Sui Houyu’s mocking laughter triggered their sensitive nerves, and they marched straight toward him. They approached with an imposing air, arms swinging. They swaggered up to his side, reaching out to throw an arm over his shoulder, but Sui Houyu dodged them with a nimble move.

The “hero” jerked his chin toward a nearby alley and said snidely, “Hey kid, how about a little walk down the alley?”

It was a classic street challenge. The implication was clear: they wanted to fight him to regain their dignity. Sui Houyu, feeling like he had nothing better to do, actually agreed and followed them into the alley.

Before entering the alley, the two boys planned to “teach Sui Houyu a lesson.” Within five minutes, the alley was filled with the sounds of their wailing and ghost-like shrieking. It was a pathetic sound, delivered with more emotion than a prisoner being interrogated in a TV drama.

The alley itself was a strange place; despite the screaming, no one outside came in. People went about their business, and passersby didn’t even pick up their pace.

After a while, another boy finally walked in. His pace was slow, and he tilted his head as if trying to see who was fighting whom. Seeing this newcomer, the two boys acted as if they’d seen a savior. They yelled excitedly, “Big Brother! (Da Shi Xiong)”

“Yeah,” the boy called Big Brother replied lazily. He walked over, propped himself up with his arms, and sat down on an oil drum. “What’s going on?”

Looking closely, one could see a wooden board placed on top of the drum for seating; clearly, these people were regulars here.

Seeing another arrival, Sui Houyu cooperatively stopped his hands. He wasn’t afraid of the odds being three-to-one; instead, he leaned against the wall and waited for them to talk. Feeling bored, he pulled out his gum and popped two more pieces into his mouth.

While listening to his friends’ scattered and messy explanation, “Big Brother” glanced at Sui Houyu and quickly looked away. After hearing the whole story, he said in a deep voice, “So, you provoked him, failed, and got beaten up. You deserved it. Kid, go ahead and continue.”

With that, he made a “please proceed” gesture and truly stepped out of the way.

Sui Houyu raised an eyebrow, surprised by this attitude. This guy was actually sitting calmly on an oil drum, ready to watch the show. Sui Houyu looked back at the two battered boys, raised his fists, and started hitting them again.

Because he was sitting close, Big Brother could tell that Sui Houyu was a trained fighter. His moves were clean, efficient, and focused on practical combat rather than flashy forms. Even though his two friends were sports students, they were no match for him; getting beaten was only natural.

His friends were like two punching bags—the kind that stubbornly tried to hit back but always missed. Their movements were full of grievance, their expressions humble while being hit, and their wailing was piercing. Big Brother couldn’t help but hiss, “Ouch, tsk tsk tsk.”

Hearing the sound, Sui Houyu suddenly stopped, perhaps suspecting this guy was looking for an opening for a backstab. He turned his head abruptly. Big Brother was startled too. He looked at Sui Houyu curiously and asked, “What? Suddenly dissatisfied with how they feel?”

He even pulled out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and held it up. “Should I provide some lighting for you?”

Sui Houyu decided this guy was probably a freak. But he didn’t plan to look into it further. “Oh, never mind,” Sui Houyu said, and went back to the fight.

After being beaten for a while longer, his friends started calling out again: “Big Brother! Big Brother!”

He refused decisively: “Not helping.”

“No… Big Brother, at least break up the fight!”

“Oh, right.” He finally moved.

The fight was easy to break up, mostly because Sui Houyu stopped on his own. The two who had been beaten looked at each other and simultaneously ducked behind Big Brother.

This was a very undignified end to a challenge.