"Let's finish our lunch quickly. It's almost time for class," Gou Feng suggested.
Huan Zhan and Shen Jiu nodded in agreement.
However, just as they picked up their chopsticks again, both cousins seemed to remember something at exactly the same time.
Their movements froze, and slowly, they turned toward Gou Feng in perfect synchronization.
Gou Feng nearly choked on his melon juice, because of their weird actions.
"...What?"
The expressions on their faces immediately made him wary.
They looked as though they had just received news of their impending execution.
"A-Feng..." Shen Jiu began cautiously.
"Could you accompany us somewhere after class today?"
"Just this once," Huan Zhan quickly added.
Gou Feng blinked.
"Why?"
"Yeah, why?" Huan Zhan echoed automatically.
Shen Jiu turned and smacked him on the arm.
"You were literally about to explain it."
"Oh. Right."
Huan Zhan rubbed his arm before clearing his throat.
"Cheung Qi-ge called us this morning."
"And?" Gou Feng asked.
Huan Zhan and Shen Jiu exchanged a look.
Then Huan Zhan lowered his voice dramatically.
"He told us to report directly to Lord Bao's office after class."
The moment those words left his mouth, Shen Jiu and him visibly paled.
Gou Feng stared at them.
"...So?"
"So?" Shen Jiu repeated in disbelief.
"A-Feng, that's Lord Bao."
Huan Zhan immediately grabbed Gou Feng's sleeve.
"Please come with us."
"For the sake of our friendship," Shen Jiu added, clasping his hands together.
"We're terrified."
His eyes even looked suspiciously watery.
"We're begging you."
Gou Feng sighed.
Truthfully, he had already decided to agree the moment they asked.
The two of them had been beside him for years.
Besides, seeing them this frightened was almost amusing.
"Fine."
Both cousins froze.
"Really?"
"Really."
Gou Feng nodded.
"I only have one afternoon class anyway."
He took a bite of his food before continuing.
"After that, I'll wait for both of you and we'll go together."
"YES!"
Both cousins practically leapt from their seats.
Before Gou Feng could retreat, they lunged forward and wrapped him in a sudden group hug.
"A-Feng, you're amazing!"
"You're a lifesaver!"
"We'll never forget this kindness!"
Gou Feng nearly dropped his drink.
"Enough."
He struggled to pry them off.
"People are staring."
Sure enough, several nearby students had already turned to look at their table.
One girl was openly laughing.
Another had taken out her phone and recorded them.
Shen Jiu immediately released him.
"Right."
Huan Zhan sat back down as though nothing had happened.
"Let's act normal."
"You two don't know what normal means," Gou Feng replied.
"That's hurtful." Huan Zhan quickly reacted.
"But accurate," Shen Jiu admitted.
Huan Zhan gasped in betrayal.
Watching their usual antics, Gou Feng could not help but smile.
Sometimes they were idiots.
Most of the time, actually.
But they were his two best idiots.
And despite all their nonsense, he wouldn't trade their friendship for anything.
"Our food is getting cold." Gou Feng reminded them.
The two immediately sat down again.
"Right, right."
Despite their words, the relieved smiles on their faces never disappeared.
Just as the three resumed eating, a soft female voice suddenly spoke from beside their table.
"Excuse me..."
The conversation stopped.
Gou Feng, Huan Zhan, and Shen Jiu looked up simultaneously.
Standing there was a beautiful young woman with fair skin and long dark hair.
Her cheeks were visibly red.
Behind her stood four equally nervous friends, all watching the scene with anticipation.
The moment Shen Jiu and Huan Zhan understood what was happening, they immediately straightened in their seats, and slowly turned toward Gou Feng with wide eyes.
The woman took a small breath, gathering her courage.
"My name is Angela."
She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before meeting Gou Feng's gaze.
"Gou Feng, I heard that you still don't have a partner for prom night."
The entire table became quiet.
Several nearby students had already begun paying attention.
Everyone knew Gou Feng, not only because of his good grades and appearance, but because he was one of the most popular students in their year.
As a result, scenes like this were not entirely uncommon.
Still, Angela's courage earned the admiration of many students nearby.
Gou Feng blinked, before politely nodding.
"I don't."
Angela's cheeks grew even redder.
One of her friends immediately made a small cheering gesture behind her.
The poor girl looked ready to faint from embarrassment.
Taking another breath, Angela finally forced herself to continue.
"Then... would you like to go to prom with me?"
Silence followed.
Absolute silence.
Even Huan Zhan and Shen Jiu unconsciously stopped eating.
All eyes landed on Gou Feng.
Meanwhile, Gou Feng himself looked slightly caught off guard.
Not because of the invitation.
But because he genuinely had not thought much about prom.
Between classes, assignments, and occasionally helping Hei Bao with errands, the event had barely crossed his mind.
Seeing Angela's nervous expression, however, he knew she had spent a lot of courage to walk over here.
For a brief moment, he carefully considered his answer.
Whatever he said next, Gou Feng knew he had to be careful.
He did not want to embarrass Angela.
Not in front of so many people. At the same time, he had no desire to make himself uncomfortable either.
Caught between the two, he instinctively looked toward his best friends for help.
Surely one of them would save him.
Gou Feng glanced at Huan Zhan.
Huan Zhan immediately lowered his head and became deeply interested in the fried meat on his plate.
Then he looked at Shen Jiu.
Shen Jiu picked up his drink and stared into it as though contemplating the meaning of life.
Neither of them returned his look.
Not even once.
Traitors!
Gou Feng felt a headache coming on.
The two of them had abandoned him without the slightest hesitation.
Meanwhile, Huan Zhan silently stuffed another piece of meat into his mouth, pretending not to notice anything.
Shen Jiu nodded seriously to himself while sipping his drink.
Neither showed the slightest intention of helping.
Some friends truly could not be relied upon when it mattered most.
Gou Feng could only suppress a sigh.
Truth, be told it had been a long time since he had received this kind of attention from a girl.
Still, it was obvious what was happening.
Angela was interested in him.
If he accepted her invitation, there was a good chance she would confess her feelings on prom night.
At least, that was usually how these things went.
Honestly, Gou Feng never understood this kind of thing.
In his own opinion, he was average.
His appearance had never seemed particularly special to him. Yet ever since he was young, people had always treated him differently.
Perhaps it was because of his white hair, perhaps it was his unusual eye color. Or maybe it was simply because he was approachable, and easy to talk to.
Whatever the reason, attention seemed to follow him wherever he went.
Even when he did not want it.
Back in kindergarten and elementary school, he had already experienced it.
As he grew older, the situation only became worse.
That was one of the reasons he avoided joining clubs and extracurricular activities after entering university.
While many students were busy building connections and social circles, Gou Feng had volunteered to work at the library counter.
It was quiet and peaceful.
Most importantly, fewer people approached him there.
Even in the dormitory, he rarely went out unless necessary.
If he wanted food, he often ordered takeout.
If he needed something from outside, he usually wore a cap or took less crowded routes around campus.
Unfortunately, none of it worked very well.
People still found him somehow.
Sometimes they admired him,
Sometimes they mocked his white hair.
Sometimes he became the target of jealous boyfriends or girlfriends because their partners happened to like him.
More than once, he had been dragged into trouble he had nothing to do with.
The entire situation was exhausting.
What confused him most was that many people who claimed to like him barely knew him at all.
Some praised his appearance, others mentioned his personality.
Yet most of them had never even spoken to him for more than a few minutes.
How could someone genuinely like a person they hardly knew?
Wasn't liking someone supposed to involve understanding them?
Knowing their habits, flaws, fears, and dreams?
Or perhaps he was the strange one for thinking that way.
Either way, he had never cared enough to find out.
Romantic relationships had never been part of his plans.
Ever since Hei Bao had taken him in and given him a second chance at life, Gou Feng had already decided what he wanted to do.
He would study.
Work hard.
Repay Hei Bao's kindness.
Remain by his side for as long as he was needed.
That was enough.
More than enough, at least for him.
The thought of dating someone simply because they found him attractive felt uncomfortable.
Almost unsettling.
After entering university, Gou Feng had assumed the attention would finally begin to fade, as he now rarely appeared in public unless necessary.
As a result, the attention surrounding him had gradually decreased.
For the first time in years, life had become relatively peaceful. Or at least, peaceful enough.
Gou Feng had fully expected things to continue that way.
Unfortunately, life rarely followed people's expectations.
What he hadn't anticipated was that his determination to maintain excellent grades would attract a different kind of attention altogether.
Originally, his goal had been simple.
He wanted to make Hei Bao proud.
After all, the man had invested so much time, effort, and resources into raising him. The least Gou Feng could do was prove that those efforts had not been wasted.
So he studied harder than most, and attended every class. Submitted every assignment on time.
Consistently ranked among the top students in his department.
Unfortunately, excellence was difficult to hide.
The more he tried to keep a low profile, the more people noticed him.
Before he realized it, his name had somehow spread throughout the university.
Then came the title.
The Most Popular Student on Campus.
A title he had never asked for.
Nor wanted.
Which was precisely why his current situation left him feeling somewhat helpless.
He had spent years trying to avoid attention.
Yet somehow, attention always managed to find him anyway.