The Coward

With a mix of wry amusement and pity in his heart, Lin Yu let out a light sigh, preparing to step in.

He couldn’t just stand by and let Tang Manman be bullied like this. Given the temper of those delinquent girls, who knew what kind of despicable things they might do?

If they took compromising photos of her, Tang Manman’s life would be ruined.

Just as Lin Yu was about to intervene and put an end to the bullying, his peripheral vision caught a familiar face in the crowd.

It was the delicate-looking boy who had been helping out at Tang Manman’s mother’s food stall the day before.

Tang Manman’s childhood friend.

And—the male lead of this erotic manga! (Though the kind who gets cuckolded.)

Recognizing him, Lin Yu relaxed slightly.

Good. Now he wouldn’t have to get involved himself. It was better to minimize interactions with Tang Manman, especially something as cliché as a heroic rescue that would skyrocket her affection for him.

But as he waited for the boy to step in, something felt off. A nagging suspicion crept into Lin Yu’s mind.

Wait a minute—

Lin Yu suddenly realized.

The boy was standing even closer to the scene than he was, meaning he must have arrived earlier.

So he must have seen Tang Manman being bullied long before Lin Yu did.

Then why hadn’t he done anything to help her yet?

Unless…

Lin Yu’s eyes locked onto the boy’s timid, fearful gaze. Shock and frustration surged through him.

You’re the male lead! The childhood friend, the official love interest in this erotic manga!

And you’re just going to stand there and watch the girl who’s practically your girlfriend get humiliated like this?

Are you even a man?!

Angry as he was, Lin Yu held back from acting rashly.

Maybe there was a reason the boy hadn’t stepped in yet?

Perhaps he’d only just arrived?

Or maybe he had some unspeakable circumstances…

Damn it.

No excuses.

If you can’t even stand up for your almost-girlfriend when she’s being bullied like this, you’re just a spineless coward!

While Lin Yu was mentally cursing the boy, the purple-haired delinquent girl tormenting Tang Manman made her next move.

Annoyed by the growing crowd, she barked a few curses before grabbing Tang Manman by the collar of her school uniform and dragging her toward the girls’ restroom.

The circle of delinquent girls parted, and now everyone in the hallway could see Tang Manman being bullied.

With the obstruction gone, Tang Manman’s eyes swept over the crowd—and landed on her childhood friend.

A flicker of hope lit up her tear-filled, terrified gaze. She reached out toward him, silently pleading for him to save her from this nightmare.

At last, the boy stopped playing the role of a coward.

With newfound determination, he took a step forward.

But that was all.

After just one step, a short delinquent boy with hair dyed red, yellow, and green blocked his path.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” the multicolored gremlin snarled.

The delicate boy wasn’t short—in fact, he was quite tall, towering over the gremlin by at least a head.

Yet despite his physical advantage, he froze under the gremlin’s glare, too scared to even argue back.

Like a cat terrified of a mouse.

The brief flash of courage in his eyes dissolved back into fear and weakness. A complete and utter coward.

Sensing his timidity, the gremlin pressed his advantage. He jumped up and slapped the boy across the face, shouting,

“Get lost!”

The boy took the hit without resistance. After the gremlin’s roar, he cast one last fearful glance past him—toward Tang Manman, now being dragged into the restroom by the delinquent girls.

Then, shamefaced, he lowered his head and retreated into the crowd without a word.

The gremlin smirked, shaking out his stinging hand as he jeered at the boy’s retreating back,

“Who the hell do you think you are, trying to play the hero?”

Tang Manman’s eyes dimmed, all hope extinguished. The light in them shattered like dull, broken glass.

Leaning against the wall, hidden in the crowd, Lin Yu was speechless.

This guy really is the definition of spineless.

No wonder he gets cuckolded!

Watching Tang Manman being hauled into the restroom, Lin Yu knew he couldn’t stay hidden any longer. It was time to act.

Pushing through the crowd, he strode purposefully toward the girls’ restroom, its door now firmly shut.

On his way, the multicolored gremlin—still basking in his earlier triumph—spotted Lin Yu approaching and instinctively raised an arm to block him, trying to repeat his earlier intimidation.

But Lin Yu had no intention of stopping.

Instead, as he closed the distance, one foot lifted—and the gremlin’s widening eyes were filled with the sight of a dirty shoe sole rushing toward him.

Before he could even react, that foot slammed into his chest with brutal force, sending him flying several meters through the air.