The Moody One

"Haah."

"Haah."

"Haah."

Panting heavily, the red-haired boy struggled up the final step and stepped into the school building's lobby.

Twenty minutes of forced running had left his calves stiff and aching, his mood thoroughly soured.

When he looked down and saw the black slush stains splattered across his brand-new white sneakers, his anger flared to murderous levels.

Distracted by his ruined shoes, he took a few more steps without watching where he was going—until he slammed straight into the person who had stopped in front of him.

The collision ignited him like a lit fuse.

Without hesitation, the red-haired boy shoved the person blocking his path and snarled,

"What the hell are you standing here for, waiting to die?!"

Maybe it was the arrogance of being a school bully, or maybe he was just too pissed off.

His push carried full force, and he even raised his leg as if to deliver a vicious kick to the guy in his way.

But the kick never landed—because something felt off.

Even after that hard shove, the guy hadn’t budged an inch.

Not even a stumble.

The red-haired boy instinctively looked up, his stomach dropping at the sight of the tall, lean figure in front of him.

Then his gaze traveled higher—to the slicked-back, shoulder-length blond hair—and his heart began hammering.

When the face turned toward him, twisted with disbelief and menace, his pulse outright skipped a beat.

His furious expression melted into something close to tears.

"L-Long Ge," he stammered.

Lin Yu gave the stranger a once-over. But with more pressing matters on his mind, he let it slide—mostly.

"Listen here, you little shit," Lin Yu growled. "Clean up that filthy mouth of yours."

"One more word of that garbage, and I’ll beat you into the ground."

Instead of taking offense, the red-haired boy looked almost grateful for the leniency. He scrambled away, while Lin Yu turned his attention back to the electronic display screen in the lobby, showing the latest exam rankings.

He’d already checked a few times, but he still couldn’t believe it.

Tang Manman—ranked 54th in the school?

No way.

She almost never fell out of the top ten.

It couldn’t be her.

But just to be sure, Lin Yu waited, watching as the rankings cycled through again. When the first page of the school’s top scorers reappeared, he scrutinized it carefully.

His stomach twisted when he confirmed it—Tang Manman’s name wasn’t there.

What the hell?

How had her grades dropped so badly?

Was that natural-born bullying magnet being targeted again without him knowing?

Lin Yu’s worry spiked.

When it came to Tang Manman, he couldn’t just stand by.

It wasn’t just because she was the main heroine of some manga-like scenario, or because she had feelings for him.

It was because of that one time she’d saved him.

Because of her, he owed her everything.

If not for her—

Given my condition that night, if the Fire Scorpion gang had found me and given me a few more beatings, I might have really ended up transmigrating to another alternate world.

A three-day tour of the hentai world, so to speak.

Speaking of which, why did Tang Manman's grades drop so drastically?

Lin Yu felt utterly bewildered, like Louis XVI—completely clueless.

After some thought, Lin Yu decided to ask Gu Yue about it.

She was responsible for looking after Tang Manman, so she must know a lot about her recent situation, right?

Back in the classroom, after two forty-five-minute lessons, Lin Yu didn’t rush to the cafeteria this time. Instead, he waited for Gu Yue, planning to ask her about Tang Manman.

Seeing Gu Yue step out of the classroom, Lin Yu approached her and pulled her toward the quieter stairwell.

Once there, Lin Yu turned to look at Gu Yue, a question mark practically floating above his head as he asked,

"What are you grinning about?"

At that moment, Gu Yue was pressing her lips together, trying to suppress a smile, but the amusement still seeped through every expression on her face. She looked excited, her big, sparkling eyes blinking rapidly as she offered a completely unconvincing reply:

"Huh?"

"I’m not grinning."

Lin Yu frowned, unable to fathom what went on in Gu Yue’s head day in and day out.

What was there to deny?

If she was happy, so what?

Was he going to stop her from being happy?

Shaking off those random thoughts, Lin Yu got straight to the point:

"Have you noticed anything unusual about Tang Manman lately?"

...

The light in Gu Yue’s eyes dimmed visibly.

The barely contained smile that had lingered at the corners of her lips and eyes vanished in an instant.

She looked dejected for a moment but quickly pulled herself together, shaking her head as she replied,

"No, nothing."

"Did something happen to her?"

Lin Yu nodded gravely.

"Her grades this time were terrible."

"She only ranked 54th."

At this, Lin Yu eyed Gu Yue skeptically and asked,

"Are you sure no one at school is bullying her?"

"I’m sure!"

Gu Yue said loudly.

Pouting slightly, her tone carried a hint of grievance.

"I ask my friends every day how Tang Manman is doing at school, whether anyone’s giving her trouble."

"She’s doing fine now—no one dares to bully her."

"Not even the usual snide remarks."

"Besides,"

"with you watching her back,"

"who would even dare...?"

Gu Yue muttered under her breath.

"That’s weird,"

Lin Yu mused, stroking his chin.

"If no one at school is bullying her, how did her grades end up like this?"

"It’s not like her performance would just plummet for no reason."

"Could someone outside school be bothering her?"

"Or is there trouble at home?"

While Lin Yu was still analyzing, Gu Yue lost patience.

Her face fell as she snapped irritably,

"I don’t know."

"I’m leaving."

"Going to eat."

With that, she stomped down the stairs, the heavy thuds echoing through the stairwell.

The sound of her footsteps disrupted Lin Yu’s train of thought.

He watched Gu Yue descend, his frown deepening.

What was her problem?

She was fine just a second ago.

Why the sudden mood swing?

So inexplicable.

After silently complaining about Gu Yue's mood swings, Lin Yu also headed downstairs.

Her mind was preoccupied with possible reasons behind Tang Manman's declining academic performance...

...