Shu Er’s smile faded a little.
Her name is special, something she had always known. From childhood to now, it wasn’t just that no one shared her name; she hadn’t even met anyone with a similar-sounding name.
In high school, a new male teacher randomly called on students to answer questions, saying he would pick the one with the most unique and beautiful name, and he chose her.
But now, there is a girl with a name that sounded the same as hers? And this girl is gaining quite a reputation recently, to the point that even her good friend Li Mo had mistaken the girl for her.
Li Mo was still excitedly chatting away, “Shu Shu, it’s not just me. At first, Lan Lan also thought she was you. Wow, she even wanted you to introduce her to us.”
Shu Er’s tone grew even lighter. “Really?”
“Yeah! We thought only you had that kind of charm. Who would’ve thought…”
Who would’ve thought they’d mistake someone for her for the first time? Both Lan Lan and her were stunned.
To be honest, no guy had ever treated Shu Er the way they treated that other Shu Er. Gu Mingqian was perfect in every way, but he was emotionally reserved. Even though he likes Shu Er, he never pursued her openly.
Maybe every girl dreams of a passionate, world-famous romance during their school years. But Gu Mingqian’s personality is too restrained and low-key, and given his family background, it was clear he would never make bold or outlandish moves. So, Shu Er never agreed to his pursuit, and they maintained a lukewarm friendship.
As a bystander, Li Mo thought Gu Mingqian was already good enough. But she figured Shu Er must believe he wasn’t quite perfect yet and was waiting for someone even better.
Li Mo was still bustling around on the other end of the phone when suddenly, she let out a surprised shout, “Ah, Shu Shu! Lan Lan just told me that there are still melons to eat. I’m off to hear all about this new school couple. See you tomorrow!”
Shu Er’s voice remained indifferent, “See you tomorrow.”
After hanging up, for the first time, Huo Chao’s name became firmly imprinted in Shu Er’s mind.
Another Shu Er?
She felt an urge to meet her right away.
At this moment, the other Shu Er was also on a call with Ning Meng.
Ning Meng was loudly chattering, “Little Ear, I just heard something.”
Shu Er, with a face mask worth five yuan covering her face, said vaguely, “What is it?”
“That big guy is a sophomore, and he apparently wanted to teach you a lesson! Said he was standing up for Zhang Beibei!”
Shu Er: …
Luckily, she’d been in a crowded convenience store at the time and didn’t give him the chance.
Otherwise, she probably would’ve been in trouble today.
Ning Meng sighed, “At first, when I heard that the big boss broke both his wrists, I thought it was a bit harsh. But now, I don’t think so. He started it, coming after you, a girl.”
When Shu Er first heard what Huo Chao had done to that guy, she was startled.
She thought Huo Chao would at most punch him to avenge her. She didn’t expect him to break both of the guy’s wrists.
Is this really the rich and foolish male lead from the novel? The guy in the story wasn’t this fierce or ruthless, was he?
Shu Er couldn’t help but glance at herself in the mirror.
With her face mask on, all she could see were her lively eyes. Could it be that she was too charming, too good at acting coy, to the point that even the male protagonist was acting differently? Had she gained treatment the female protagonist had never received?
Sure enough, a woman who knows how to act spoiled has the best fortune.
There’s another saying: Men are all masochists.
The more obedient and sensible you are, the more they take it for granted.
But if you act out often and then show some sensibility, they’ll be moved to tears.
Ning Meng was still sharing gossip with Shu Er. “Little Ear, I heard something else.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“The big boss might have to give a public apology in front of the whole school. You know, he went too far with what he did to that guy…”
Although Huo Chao mostly wanted to make an example of that guy to stop anyone else from bothering Shu Er, the truth was, the guy hadn’t had time to do anything to her yet.
Shu Er paused before replying, “I see.”
“Okay then, Little Ear, I’ll hang up now.”
“Goodbye.”
After hanging up, Shu Er quickly sent Huo Chao a message on WeChat.
[Xiao Er: Bother, brother, I heard you’re going to apologize in front of the whole school?]
It took Huo Chao a full fifteen minutes to reply.
[Brother: ?]
[Xiao Er: A lot of people are talking about it.] She didn’t rat out Ning Meng but vaguely mentioned that many people were saying so.
An idea immediately formed in Shu Er’s mind. She had been causing trouble lately, even making the male protagonist break someone’s wrists. So, she decided she would be a little nicer to him. Not too much, just a little.
Sometimes, even Huo Chao needed a bit of sweetness.
She generously messaged, [Xiao Er: Brother, if you feel embarrassed about doing the apology, I can accompany you. I’ll be there the whole time!]
Huo Chao, perhaps too lazy to type, replied with a voice message instead.
“There’s no such thing. Don’t overthink, kid.”
He probably was about to sleep, as his voice sounded a bit hoarse.
Since there was no apology, Shu Er didn’t press further. She said goodnight and put down her phone to start her homework.
The next day at noon, Shu Er and Ning Meng had just finished lunch when someone from the student union approached them.
Shu Er didn’t recognize him, but he seemed to know her, the current campus goddess of No. 1 Middle School. As soon as he saw her, he enthusiastically greeted her, “You’re Shu Er, right? Senior Huo is going to give an apology in the broadcasting room shortly.”
An apology?
Wasn’t it settled that there wouldn’t be one?
Shu Er blinked, “Why is there suddenly an apology?”
The boy adjusted his glasses and explained seriously, “The impact was too negative. Senior Huo’s actions were too severe, and the homeroom teacher of the boy whose wrists were broken was very unhappy. Originally, the head of discipline wanted Senior Huo to apologize during Monday’s flag-raising ceremony, but after some negotiation, they agreed he could use the broadcast system for the apology instead.”
Shu Er stood there for a moment before asking, “When does it start?”
The boy glanced at his watch, “In ten minutes.”
After confirming the location of the broadcasting room, Shu Er hurried off.
Since she promised to accompany Huo Chao yesterday, she had to keep her word.
Of course, she also had a small ulterior motive.
Today, she was making an effort to support Huo Chao. Maybe tomorrow, the promised luxury yacht trip would be upgraded to a royal multi-level yacht, complete with a helicopter tour!
So, taking this opportunity to earn some favor points was definitely necessary.
Nine minutes later, Shu Er arrived at the broadcasting room alone. Ning Meng probably didn’t want to feel like a third wheel, so she didn’t follow her.
When Shu Er arrived at the broadcasting room, Huo Chao was not holding any script and seemed prepared to give an impromptu apology.
In the broadcasting room, besides him, there was a female student from the student union.
Seeing Shu Er come in, the girl tactfully left, but not before reminding Shu Er, “Make sure Senior Huo does a good job with his apology, don’t let him act all cool.”
Shu Er nodded, “I know.”
If Huo Chao tried to act cool in this situation, he would likely end up in trouble with his parents, or worse, might get hit again.
So Shu Er said seriously, “Brother, make sure you apologize properly and don’t say anything inappropriate.”
Huo Chao casually looked at the surrounding equipment and hummed nonchalantly.
Even though he responded, Shu Er couldn’t shake off her unease. She felt like something was about to go wrong.
At exactly 13:00, Huo Chao finally began his impromptu apology.
He started with a self-introduction and then recounted the incident. “I’m Huo Chao, and I’m here to apologize for what happened yesterday in the convenience store.”
Hearing this, Shu Er finally relaxed her tense heart.
However, Huo Chao’s apology was still rather brief. Generally, when giving an apology, one would greet the teachers and classmates first and say something grandiose, like, “I feel deeply guilty for the serious mistakes I made” or “I’m sorry for letting down my parents, teachers, and classmates, and I feel guilty for the expectations placed on me. I will reflect on my actions and hope for another chance…”
Huo Chao didn’t say any of that. Given his pride, he probably would never utter such soft words in his life.
Shu Er didn’t expect much; she just wanted Huo Chao to finish the apology without causing any trouble and for the matter to be put behind them quickly.
Huo Chao said, “I shouldn’t have broken that classmate’s wrist yesterday…”
Okay, that was a normal statement.
Huo Chao really didn’t cause any trouble.
It wasn’t easy for him to cooperate and give this apology, especially since it wasn’t a proud moment for him.
Just as Shu Er was preparing to listen to more, Huo Chao suddenly turned off the microphone and, unexpectedly, turned to her, saying word by word, “If it happens again, I’ll do the same thing.”
Shu Er: ???
What? Wasn’t he giving an apology? Why did he suddenly start talking directly to her?
So the male protagonist has such deep tricks and sly moves!
Although this unexpected turn left Shu Er in shock, she couldn’t help but feel that her charm must be so great that Huo Chao was willing to openly play this double game for her in front of everyone.
The seemingly naive and clueless male protagonist actually has this sweet side?
How come the novel never described this aspect at all?
Indeed, a paper character was just a paper character; he was completely different in person! Right now, Huo Chao is flesh and blood, a real person, making him feel worlds apart from the character in the book.
Huo Chao turned the microphone back on and continued to address the whole school, “I shouldn’t have used harsh methods against my classmates, causing them physical and mental harm…”
Then he switched off the microphone again. “If anyone bothers you again in the future, just tell me directly.”
Wow…
Shu Er was stunned for two seconds before slowly walking over to Huo Chao, her eyes shining as she nodded.
Huo Chao resumed speaking into the microphone, “I have recognized my mistakes, and in the days to come, I will be a law-abiding good student and foster unity and positivity with my classmates…”
Then he turned off the microphone again, “With me protecting you, no one will be able to touch you.”
