Jack stretched lazily while walking beside Ryan.
"My back is dead."
Ryan glanced at him.
"You were sitting for two hours, not fighting a war."
Jack immediately looked offended.
"You clearly don't understand the pain of maintaining a handsome posture."
Ryan sighed.
Jack suddenly grabs Ryan's hand with his hand and pulls him casually. "Come on."
"Where?" Ryan asked and kept his tone light.
"The cafeteria." Jack replied.
Ryan raised an eyebrow.
"You look excited to go there?."
Jack looked serious.
The two of them entered the central cafeteria building.
The moment Ryan walked inside the cafeteria. He doesn't feel slightly surprised after seeing the cafeteria because everything here inside the University is top quality stuff.
The cafeteria looked like a luxurious hotel. Every dish was made by a 9-level chef from the international Grover Hotel.
Ryan glanced across the cafeteria.
A group of girls sitting at a nearby table were deep in discussion about something, their laughter lighting up the corner.
Beanbag seats and a chalkboard menu completed the picture. "Okay, I can see why you brought me," Ryan admitted, folding his hands on the table.
Jack whistled softly.
"This place probably costs more than my monthly gaming setup."
Ryan looked at him strangely.
"Your gaming setup probably costs more than most people's salaries."
"…Good point."
The two grabbed food before finding seats near the middle section.
As Ryan calmly ate, he suddenly heard nearby conversations.
"My father's company plans to acquire another hotel chain."
"The cryptocurrency market is unstable right now."
"I heard the Anderson Group expanded overseas again."
"Ethan Vale bought a new sports car last week."
Ryan listened silently to their conversation.
In the original novel Anderson group was expanding their business overseas and the one who helped them was the Vale family.
That's why Ethan can easily take advantage of this situation to make the Anderson family agree to a marriage alliance.
Suddenly many students looking turned toward the entrance of the cafeteria like someone important appeared there.
Ryan immediately understood why.
Sophia Laurent had entered the cafeteria.
Today, she wore the same university uniform as everyone else here yet somehow—
She still stood out from others effortlessly.
Elegant. Cold. Untouchable.
Several girls glanced at her with admiration like they were looking at their role model while many male students stared openly like they had seen goddess.
Nearby girls also looked toward Sophia.
One of them sighed.
"How is her skin so perfect?"
"Forget her skin. Look at her figure."
"God really has favorites."
Several wealthy young masters immediately straightened their posture.
One secretly adjusted his expensive watch.
Another fixed his hair using his phone camera.
A scholarship student sitting nearby lowered his voice.
"The Laurent Family's heiress..."
"The future successor of a trillion-dollar company."
Jack whispered dramatically:
"And the goddess arrives."
Sophia calmly walked through the cafeteria while ignoring the surrounding attention completely.
Ryan quietly observed her.
'Needed, she is gifted with a stunning figure, goddess of University…what I am thinking' he thought.
The slight tiredness in her eyes.
The way she avoided unnecessary eye contact.
The emotional distance she maintained from everyone.
She looked less like a college student—
And more like someone carrying invisible pressure constantly.
Then—
Another familiar figure entered from the opposite side.
Lucas Reed.
The protagonist of the novel.
Unlike Sophia, his entrance didn't even attract a little bit of attention; they completely ignored him.
He was wearing the same university uniform as other then also his appearance looked ordinary.
'It's his first day of University with his brother(adopted). In the original novel there is a rift between his family and him because of his brother.'
'Today he will be bullied by some students. That was perfect timing to save him and become friends with the protagonist to avoid future problems.' he thought
Jack also noticed him looking at Lucas.
"You know him?."
Ryan calmly drank water.
"He was at the auditorium earlier."
Lucas walked toward the food counter quietly to take food to eat.
At that exact moment, a female student walked straight forward Lucas.
She was holding a tray of food. Her hands looked steady but Lucas noticed the tremor in her fingers.
'She's trying to make a mistake,' he thought. 'An accident that isn't an accident.'
She walked closer to him but her eyes darted toward the corner where three rich students were sitting on chairs and watching everything with bored expressions.
'They are the ones who plan this situation to embrace Lucas on his first day of University.' Ryan thought.
He reacted quickly and shifted his foot just enough to bodge her.
Sarah's tray missed him completely. The food crashed to the floor instead
Several rich students immediately frowned in annoyance and moved away.
One rich young master frowned.
"Watch where you're going."
Another student shook his head.
"She dirty the whole floor. These scholarship students didn't have any manners."
"I'd leave immediately if that happened to me."
Ryan notices some students have a sign of disappointed expression on their face.
The girl lowered her head, wishing she could disappear into the ground.
But Lucas instinctively stepped forward first.
"Are you okay?"
He helped pick up the fallen tray naturally without hesitation.
The nervous girl looked embarrassed.
"Th-thank you…"
"It's fine," Lucas replied casually, trying to smile.
'You really think I didn't see your move. My brother really knows how to play,' he thought.
Meanwhile, Sophia Laurent silently witnessed the entire scene from nearby.
For the first time—
Her cold expression changed slightly.
Ryan noticed immediately.
'…So, she also noticed that the girl tried to split food on Lucas purposely to make him embrace in front of the whole students.' he thought.
In the original novel, moments like these slowly caused Sophia to notice Lucas.
Jack suddenly whispered:
"Should I also help random girls to become popular?"
Ryan looked at him blankly.
"With your personality, you'd probably get slapped first."
Jack clutched his chest dramatically.
"You wound me."
Ryan almost laughed.
At that moment, Lucas and Sophia unknowingly each other they crossed paths near the cafeteria exit for the first time.
Neither spoke.
But the story had already begun moving forward quietly.
Ryan leaned back slightly while watching them.
The protagonist and second female lead had finally entered each other's world.