It was actually him?
But it made sense. After all, she was the campus beauty. An ordinary person wouldn’t need her to confess on Valentine’s Day—only someone like Lu Jingran, the school’s top heartthrob, would deserve such treatment.
But… Zhou Le felt conflicted.
Just now, Lu Jingran had merely glanced at him, yet that spine-chilling sensation still lingered. If he had to deliver milk tea to him… Zhou Le shivered at the thought.
As he hesitated, he suddenly received a payment from the campus beauty.
When he saw the number of zeros, Zhou Le’s eyes went wide.
“1,000 yuan? Whoa!” Xia Linchuan was also shocked.
They were high school students, after all. 1,000 yuan was a huge amount for them—enough for a month’s expenses.
“Wow, not surprising for a wealthy campus beauty. She really knows how to make a move.”
Xia Linchuan marveled, but Zhou Le frowned, unable to feel happy.
If he could avoid it, he really didn’t want to get involved with Lu Jingran and his Alpha gang. Those guys were seriously powerful and didn’t seem easy to deal with. He’d been in the same class with them for over a year and had never really interacted with them.
But 1,000 yuan… that would cover his and his mom’s food expenses for a month.
If he accepted, his mom wouldn’t have to make as much sushi this month. She’d mentioned that her leg had been hurting recently, making her uncomfortable. Plus, he’d get to go home earlier in the evenings instead of delivering food so late—lately, it had been cold at 8 or 9 PM.
Looking at the bright orange numbers on WeChat, Zhou Le rubbed his fingers together, tempted.
Lin Xiaoxiao, however, had a different take. “1,000 yuan just to deliver a cup of milk tea? Something feels off, doesn’t it? Like there’s a catch?”
Zhou Le also realized that something seemed off about this “falling from the sky” deal. He double-checked with Liu Yanyan and confirmed it wasn’t as simple as placing the milk tea on Lu Jingran’s desk. To earn the 1,000 yuan, he had to make sure Lu Jingran accepted the gift and drank the milk tea. Only then would his task be considered complete.
Liu Yanyan: [But don’t worry; even if you just try, I’ll still pay you 20 yuan as a delivery fee, okay?]
Zhou Le: [10 yuan is enough if it’s just delivery.]
Liu Yanyan: [Smile.JPG]
Liu Yanyan: [You’re so cute! There’s no reason to turn down more money, haha.]
Haha.
Zhou Le couldn’t help but smile at his screen.
The campus beauty was as kind as she was beautiful. Even her words had a gentle warmth. Who could resist a big-sister type beauty calling them sweetie and smiling?
Hehe… hehehehe.
He looked up to find Lin Xiaoxiao and Xia Linchuan staring at him with deadly serious expressions.
Zhou Le jumped. “What’s up with you two?”
Lin Xiaoxiao held up a finger and shook it. “Don’t get any ideas, sweetie. Even if Liu Yanyan doesn’t end up with Lu Jingran, she’s not likely to fall for a Beta like you. Let’s keep it real, okay, sweetie?”
Zhou Le: Stop calling me sweetie; you’re giving me goosebumps!
After some thought, Zhou Le decided to give it a shot. Who knows, maybe Lu Jingran would actually like Liu Yanyan and accept her gift. Then he’d have hit the jackpot.
Zhou Le couldn’t help but grin at the thought.
“Hmph,” Lin Xiaoxiao snorted. “Sweetie, I hate to tell you, but you’re dreaming. Last Valentine’s Day, the class rep received a rose, remember how that ended?”
At this, Zhou Le dredged his memory.
Ah…
It was unforgettable for nearly everyone in their class.
That day had been bright and sunny, without a cloud in the sky. At that time, Zhou Le hadn’t started his delivery gig, and his mom hadn’t learned to make sushi yet. Between classes, he was starving, his stomach growling, just waiting for the next break so he could eat the leftover bun from breakfast.
Finally, his wish came true, and break time arrived. It was the last break of the morning, and the class was bustling as usual when suddenly someone appeared—an unfamiliar boy with dyed yellow hair, not wearing the school uniform, clearly a delinquent from another school. How he got in, no one knew.
Holding a bouquet of roses, he glanced around at the door, then walked straight over to Lu Jingran.
At the time, Lu Jingran had his headphones on and was working on a problem.
His expression was cool, his head slightly bowed, lost in thought. He held his pen with a relaxed posture, not appearing challenged by the exercise book in front of him at all.
“You’re the campus heartthrob, Lu Jingran? These are from our No. 2 High school’s boss.”
“Our boss says, ‘Happy Valentine’s Day.’”
And with that, the entire class exploded.
This was the first time anyone had ever dared to give Lu Jingran flowers publicly. Someone as enigmatic and untouchable as him was hardly the type to welcome ordinary displays of affection. Students at No. 1 High School understood this well; no one would even dare to try. But apparently, someone from No. 2 High School was brave enough to try their luck first.
The entire Class 3 buzzed with curiosity. Who could be so bold?
After delivering his message, the blond-haired guy set a large bouquet of fiery red roses on Lu Jingran’s desk, completely covering the study materials he had been working on. At the center of the bouquet was a white card, partially open, revealing just enough of the signature to identify the sender—Gao Jian from No. 2 High School.
Before the class could gossip further, Lu Jingran abruptly stood up.
He was tall to begin with, and now, expressionless, he exuded an imposing aura that made everyone freeze.
The blond guy panicked and started to step back, but before he could say anything else, Lu Jingran raised a long leg and kicked him, sending him sprawling to the floor, clutching his stomach in pain.
Just then, Chen Nan and Sheng Qian returned from playing basketball outside. Upon noticing the card attached to the bouquet, Chen Nan cursed, “D*mn it, Gao Jian, what the h*ll is his problem?!”
Chen Nan dragged the blond guy outside and gave him a good beating in the hallway.
Meanwhile, as class rep, Lu Jingran said nothing, picked up the bouquet, opened the lid of the trash can, and tossed it inside without a second thought. He then stomped on it, grinding the once-elegant roses into a crushed mess devoid of any former romance.
It was the first time Class 3 had ever seen Lu Jingran so angry—coldly, silently furious. He hadn’t said a word, but everyone in the room felt the intensity, almost forgetting to breathe.
Since that day, no one else dared to try giving him gifts.
Even Xia Linchuan recalled this incident, swallowing nervously. “You think… the class rep might vent it on you instead?”
Zhou Le: “…”
Zhou Le: Now I really don’t want to take this job.
–
After much hesitation, though, Zhou Le finally decided to accept Liu Yanyan’s request.
Who could turn down the plea of such a charming senior, especially when she called him “sweetie” every time? Besides, Zhou Le had actually met Liu Yanyan before.
Liu Yanyan is different from other school beauties who are often arrogant and aloof; she’s genuinely refined and gracious. Zhou Le often received requests to deliver love letters and gifts, many of them for Liu Yanyan.
If feelings are mutual, this sort of task isn’t bothersome, but if not, it can get annoying. Zhou Le had been scolded outright for this kind of thing before, so he’d learned to be cautious, only taking requests he thought wouldn’t cause trouble.
But Liu Yanyan was wonderful. She never seemed bothered; she always received him politely and patiently, even smiling at him and offering him snacks. So this time, Zhou Le didn’t mind helping out.
In fact, he came up with a great idea.
In the afternoon, during the second period PE class, there weren’t many people in the classroom, and Lu Jingran’s group of Alphas definitely wouldn’t be hanging around. Seizing the moment, Zhou Le quietly approached Lu Jingran’s desk and placed a strawberry-flavored bubble tea on it.
No one saw—perfect!
Zhou Le was quite proud of his cleverness. Who could possibly know it was him? No one would find out, right? He chuckled to himself (*^▽^*).
However, he didn’t have long to gloat before Lu Jingran and his Alpha friends came back inside.
The Alphas, fresh from exercise, were still slightly damp, their pheromones exuding a stronger-than-usual aura, intimidating the room. The lively chatter instantly died, replaced by an awkward silence, and everyone became cautious with their words.
Just a moment ago, Zhou Le was feeling smug, but the instant he spotted Lu Jingran, he panicked and lowered his head, acting like he was focused on his studies, doodling circles in his math workbook to avoid attention.
“Who left this here?”
Lu Jingran’s desk wasn’t far from Zhou Le’s, only two seats across. Zhou Le heard the question clearly—spoken in a low, casual tone, yet it sent a shiver down his spine. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest.
“Hey, isn’t this a new item from the bubble tea shop?” Chen Nan teased. “It’s pretty hard to get; whoever left it really put thought into it.”
“But who was it? They didn’t leave their name.”
Shen Qian suddenly seemed to realize something and said lazily, “Doesn’t matter if we know who left it—we just need to find out who delivered it.”
As he spoke, he turned to the back of the classroom.
“Who was it?” Chen Nan followed his gaze and spotted a familiar little head.
The attention of two Alphas was impossible to ignore. Zhou Le had no choice but to feel their gazes on him.
Suddenly, it hit him—oh no, he had once delivered a love letter to Shen Qian on someone else’s behalf.
Great. Now the connection was obvious, wasn’t it?
Zhou Le nervously glanced up, just barely.
Oops!
He looked up, only to meet Lu Jingran’s eyes directly.
Zhou Le felt like digging his own grave on the spot.
In that moment of panic, he almost imagined his future tombstone waving at him.
Lin Xiaoxiao, catching on, sighed dreamily, “Ah, the class rep is looking at me.”
Zhou Le: Please, I wish he were looking at you instead.
Lu Jingran strode over toward Zhou Le.
Xia Linchuan whispered, “Oh crap, Zhou Le, hide!”
Zhou Le couldn’t hear anything by now; his whole world had faded out except for the sight of Lu Jingran holding the tea and his terrifyingly cold expression.
It was over…
He was about to be crushed just like those roses.
He instinctively pulled back, curling up and preparing for the worst, even closing his eyes in surrender.
“I don’t drink milk tea.”
A deep, clear voice came from above—Alpha’s voice, calm and cool.
Lu Jingran set down the milk tea, turned, and left.
Zhou Le stared at the strawberry boba now on his own desk, utterly dumbfounded.
