Who I'm with is none of your business.

Click.

The sound of the camera taking a picture seemed particularly abrupt beneath the empty bleachers.

Zhao Lei's hands were trembling slightly.

On the screen, the teenage boy was leaning in slightly, and the girl's face was flushed. The distance between them was so ambiguous that it looked as if they were going to kiss in the very next second.

"Are you done taking pictures?"

Chen Zhi didn't spring away in a panic or rush down in a furious rage to grab the phone, as Zhao Lei had expected. Instead, he leaned against the railing next to Pei Ningxue, looking down at the few people below the steps with a teasing gaze.

Pei Ningxue, however, frowned. The panic in her eyes flashed by before she quickly regained her usual cold demeanor. She shot a disgusted glance at the phone Zhao Lei was holding up, and her body subconsciously shrank back behind Chen Zhi.

This subtle movement was like a handful of salt rubbed fiercely into Zhao Lei's already festering pride.

"Chen Zhi, you still have the nerve to smile?"

Zhao Lei took a step forward, looking as if he wanted to shove the phone right into Chen Zhi's face. "You're completely shameless! You just got caught dating Lin Wanwan, and now you're running over here to hook up with Pei Ningxue this afternoon? Two-timing like this, who the hell do you think you are? Wei Xiaobao?"

His voice was loud; he was practically dying to call over everyone on the sports field to watch.

Beside him, Skinny Monkey chimed in, speaking in a sarcastic tone: "Exactly. To think the school treats you like a treasure, who knew you were this kind of trash. If this picture gets out, I'd like to see how you explain yourself to Lin Wanwan and to the school!"

Chen Zhi picked his ear, looking thoroughly disgusted. "Keep your voice down. Are you a megaphone reincarnated? You're spitting everywhere."

He stood up straight, stuffed his hands into his pockets, and slowly walked down the steps.

As he approached, the originally aggressive Zhao Lei actually took a subconscious half-step back.

"Nice phone, an Apple X?" Chen Zhi stopped in front of Zhao Lei and glanced down at his screen. "But your photography skills are absolute garbage."

Zhao Lei was stunned. "Wh... what?"

"You didn't get the lighting right, making me look at least two shades darker." Chen Zhi pointed at himself on the screen and critiqued it with utter seriousness. "Also, this angle makes my chin look a bit round. Could you learn a little about composition before you secretly take pictures next time? Send me the original picture you took, and I'll edit it before giving it back to you. Otherwise, if you post it, I'll be the one losing face."

"You motherf..."

Zhao Lei was completely bewildered by this unconventional response, his brain nearly short-circuiting. "Are you crazy?! Is editing the picture the main point right now? I'm going to report you! I'm going to ruin your reputation!"

"Oh, report me."

Chen Zhi nodded in sudden realization. "Then go ahead. The principal's office is on the third floor of the administration building, take a left. The education bureau's hotline for reporting is 12391."

This brazen, completely unbothered attitude completely infuriated Zhao Lei.

He had originally expected to see Chen Zhi kneeling and begging for mercy, or terrified and pleading with him to delete the photo. That way, he could enjoy the thrill of controlling someone else's fate and trample this so-called top scorer of the high school entrance exam underfoot.

But now, the way Chen Zhi looked at him was like looking at a monkey jumping up and down.

That kind of contempt felt worse than a slap in the face.

"Don't think I won't do it!" Zhao Lei gritted his teeth, his finger hovering over the send button. "I'm submitting it right now! I've already written the caption: Exposing a pair of scumbags, the top scorer two-times his girlfriends! Once this gets out, with thousands of eyes in the school watching, let's see how you show your face around here!"

Pei Ningxue, who had been silent the whole time, stood up.

She was wearing a pair of white sneakers today. Walking a few steps to stand in front of Chen Zhi, she blocked Zhao Lei's line of sight toward him.

The girl had a slender figure and looked calmly at Zhao Lei.

"Zhao Lei."

This was the first time Pei Ningxue had ever initiated calling his name.

Zhao Lei's heart skipped a beat, and a glimmer of hope rose in his eyes. Had his goddess finally seen Chen Zhi's true colors and decided to take his side?

"P-Pei, don't worry, I'm doing this to help you! A scumbag like him doesn't deserve you at all, I..."

"Disgusting."

Pei Ningxue coldly spat out the word, interrupting his self-righteous delusion.

The expression on Zhao Lei's face froze.

"What did you say?"

"I said you're disgusting." Pei Ningxue was expressionless, her tone carrying undisguised disgust. "Sneaking pictures, stalking, spreading rumors. What else are you capable of besides these underhanded tricks? Who I'm with and what I do, what does it have to do with you? Who do you think you are?"

"I..." Zhao Lei's face flushed to the color of pig liver, his lips trembling. "I was trying to help you expose him..."

"I don't need your help." Pei Ningxue sneered. "And delete the picture on your phone. Otherwise, I'll sue you for violating my portrait rights."

Zhao Lei felt a rush of hot blood shoot straight to the top of his head.

To be publicly humiliated by his goddess, and all to defend another guy.

"Fine! Perfect!" Zhao Lei gritted his teeth, his finger ruthlessly pressing the send button. "Since you two scumbags don't know what's good for you, then don't blame me for not holding back! Just wait to be posted on the confession wall and flamed to death by the whole school!"

Watching the retreating backs of the guys as they fled in defeat, Chen Zhi shrugged and turned to look at Pei Ningxue.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Classmate Pei, your combat power is off the charts." Chen Zhi gave her a thumbs-up.

Pei Ningxue ignored his teasing, her brows furrowing slightly. "Are you really not worried?"

Even though the school prohibited bringing phones, once the public opinion escalated, the school wouldn't be able to turn a completely blind eye, no matter how good Chen Zhi's grades were.

More importantly, what about Lin Wanwan?

"Let him post it."

Chen Zhi stretched nonchalantly. "It's free publicity for me. Let everyone know that not only am I good at studying, but I'm also highly attractive."

"You..." Pei Ningxue was angered into a laugh by his thick skin. "Keep acting up. When Lin Wanwan comes looking for trouble, don't blame me for not warning you."

At the mention of Lin Wanwan, a hint of a smile flashed through Chen Zhi's eyes.

If that little jealous jar saw it, she'd probably blow her top again. But well, an angry little kitten just needed some petting to calm down. Besides, how could his relationship with Lin Wanwan be shaken by a few forced-perspective photos?

"Alright, class is about to start. Let's head back to the classroom."

Chen Zhi checked the time. "I should get back and carry those noobs in ranked, or they'll start howling like ghosts again."

Pei Ningxue watched his carefree retreating figure and bit her lip.

Was this guy truly confident, or just lacking a brain?

...

East side of the teaching building, the boys' restroom.

The door to the innermost stall was tightly shut. Zhao Lei was squatting over the toilet, his pants still on, his fingers typing furiously on the phone he held. Skinny Monkey stuck to the doorway like a guardian deity, occasionally poking his head out to look down the end of the hallway.

"Brother Lei, did you send it? That girl just now looked like she was really mad..." Skinny Monkey's voice sounded a bit weak.

"What are you scared of! She was just angry out of embarrassment because she got exposed!" Zhao Lei spat. "It's sent! That confession wall admin loves watching drama unfold. They'll definitely post a juicy rumor like this in seconds!"

[Wallie, submission received.]

Zhao Lei looked at this line of text, the corners of his mouth curling up uncontrollably. This time, not only did he send that forced-perspective photo, but he also attached a carefully concocted little essay:

[Wallie, please blur my info heavily. I really can't stand it anymore. A certain top scorer surnamed Chen looks glamorous on the surface, but behind the scenes, he's a total player! He was just called in for a chat by the homeroom teacher this morning for dating, and by the afternoon, he couldn't wait to hook up with the aloof school beauty, Student P, in a corner of the sports field. Their intimate actions were too much to look at! Does this kind of person deserve to be a role model for the whole school? Picture included as proof!]

This caption gathered all the viral keywords: "top scorer," "player," "dating," and "school beauty."

Zhao Lei quickly switched back to his QQ Qzone.

Sure enough, the [Jiangcheng First High Confession Wall] had just updated with a new post.

The first picture was the photo he took: Chen Zhi sitting on the steps, Pei Ningxue standing in front of him, the two of them very close. The sunlight spilled down, blurring their expressions, making it look genuinely ambiguous.

"Chen Zhi, let's see how you die this time!"

Zhao Lei eagerly refreshed the page.

The activity level of First High's Confession Wall was comparable to a top-tier gossip forum. It had only been posted for a minute, and the views had already exceeded a hundred.

Zhao Lei expectantly clicked open the comment section, ready to enjoy the whole school's verbal crusade against Chen Zhi.

However, the first comment left him stunned.

First Floor (ID: First High Passerby A): [Here before it goes viral! Is this the legendary top scorer bro? He actually looks pretty handsome.]

Second Floor (ID: Cures All Disobedience): [Is the original poster an idiot? This is what you call a secret rendezvous? What's wrong with them sitting together and chatting? I also chat with my desk mate like this all the time, does that mean we have a thing too?]

Zhao Lei frowned; the wind was blowing in the wrong direction.

He continued scrolling down.

Third Floor (ID: Back-Row God of War): [Holy shit! Isn't this my bro Zhi? Bro Zhi is awesome! He even bagged Pei Ningxue from Class 10? A role model for our generation!]

Fourth Floor (ID: Class 1's Top Romantic): [Original poster, you don't know shit! This is called normal interpersonal interaction! Brother Chen went to deliver warmth to his former desk mate. A single dog like you only knows how to secretly take pictures, it's your own fault you don't have a girlfriend!]

Fifth Floor (ID: Honor of Kings Carry): [Which class is the original poster from, you shady freak? How dare you slander my Brother Chen? When Brother Chen was carrying us in ranked matches, you were still playing with mud! If you dare to spread rumors again, believe it or not, we'll block you after school?]

The most unruly class in the whole school was Class 1. The guys in the back row played on their phones during class every day and were always on the front lines of internet surfing.

So the initial comments were basically all from students in Class 1.

Zhao Lei was dumbfounded.

This was completely different from what he had expected!

Why was everyone speaking up for Chen Zhi?