The Male Protagonist of a Wish-Fulfillment Novel

The classroom was bustling before the morning reading session, the clamor seeming especially grating in the early morning air.

Chen Zhi had just returned from the track, radiating heat. He casually wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and stepped briskly through the back door.

Li Zihan, trailing behind him, didn't look nearly as suave. The chubby boy was pale-faced, his tongue hanging out. His legs dragged across the floor as if filled with lead, and every step was accompanied by heavy, ragged panting.

"Brother Zhi... can we... run one less lap tomorrow?"

Li Zihan leaned against the doorframe, feeling like his lungs were about to explode.

Chen Zhi ignored his wailing and walked straight to his seat.

Just as he was about to shove his backpack into his desk, he suddenly paused.

Lin Wanwan's desk currently looked like a sacrificial altar.

Sitting squarely on the otherwise tidy surface were two cartons of Mengniu pure milk and a cute pink bottle of fruit-flavored yogurt.

It was clearly the handiwork of some pubescent teenage boy.

Lin Wanwan was slumped over her desk, her delicate brows knitted together. She stared at the anonymous dairy offerings with an expression of deep resentment.

Over the past few days, as the freshmen gradually got to know each other, the exceptionally pretty girls in the class had quickly become the center of attention for the entire school.

Lin Wanwan, in particular, with her cheerful personality and sweet looks, had a daily line of boys trying to court her that could stretch from the classroom door all the way to the stairwell.

Chen Zhi raised an eyebrow, a teasing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Whoa, did the sweet drinks respawn again?"

While teasing her, he leaned over with practiced ease. His long, slender fingers deftly navigated the assortment of bottles and cartons, plucking out a carton of pure milk that was still ice-cold.

"Just what I needed. I'm parched."

Before he even finished speaking, he punctured the foil seal with the straw with a sharp pop.

Chen Zhi tilted his head back, his Adam's apple bobbing. In just a few large gulps, the milk carton was already half empty.

Lin Wanwan suddenly shot up, her almond eyes wide with shock.

"Are you asking for a death wish, Chen Zhi!"

The girl's scolding voice carried a hint of genuine annoyance. Her fair little hand darted out and viciously pinched the soft flesh at his waist.

"Hiss—"

Chen Zhi drew in a sharp breath, nearly spitting out his milk. He twisted his body, nimbly dodging Lin Wanwan's follow-up attacks.

"Let go, let go, it's going to bruise!"

Chen Zhi rubbed his side, looking at her with an innocent expression.

"I only drank one carton of your milk. Did you have to be so ruthless? It's not like you were going to drink it anyway. It's just taking up space."

"I didn't say you could drink it either!"

Lin Wanwan puffed out her cheeks angrily.

"These were gifts from other people, and I was planning to return them. Now look what you've done. You drank it, so what am I supposed to give back?"

"Return what? Those cowards didn't even have the guts to leave their names. Who exactly are you going to return them to?"

Chen Zhi casually crushed the empty milk carton flat and tossed it. It traced a perfect parabola through the air, landing squarely in the trash can at the back of the room.

"Besides, rather than throwing them away and wasting them, you might as well support a growing pillar of the nation. I burned a lot of calories on my morning run and desperately need the protein."

He spoke with absolute self-righteousness, showing not a shred of shame for freeloading.

Lin Wanwan was left completely speechless by his twisted logic and could only glare at him resentfully.

"You're so thick-skinned."

"Thanks for the compliment."

Chen Zhi replied with a cheeky grin, his eyes dropping back to the bottle of fruit yogurt.

"This stuff is too sweet for me. But as for this other carton of milk..."

He casually snatched up the remaining carton of pure milk, turned around, and tossed it to Li Zihan, who had just collapsed into his chair.

"Catch. A reward for you."

Li Zihan, feeling like he was about to die of dehydration, practically had stars in his eyes. He scrambled to catch the milk and, without caring who it was from, jabbed the straw in and began sucking furiously.

"Thank you for your imperial grace! Brother Zhi, you're my absolute lifesaver!"

Watching this unfold, Lin Wanwan completely lost her anger.

"You guys are so annoying. A pair of bandits."

Despite her verbal complaints, her furrowed brows smoothed out. She even nudged the remaining fruit yogurt aside, afraid it would get in the way when Chen Zhi needed to grab his books.

In the third row on the other side of the classroom.

Li Jiahao was gripping his gel pen so tightly that his knuckles had turned stark white from the pressure.

He watched helplessly as Chen Zhi chugged the carton of iced milk he had specifically woken up early to snatch up from the campus store. He was so furious his lungs felt like they would burst.

He had bought that for Lin Wanwan!

He hadn't even been willing to drink it himself!

Yet not only was Lin Wanwan not angry, but she was also actively flirting with Chen Zhi?

Li Jiahao felt a metaphorical green hat being shoved onto his head. Even though he had absolutely no relationship with Lin Wanwan, it didn't stop him from feeling unilaterally cuckolded and insulted.

"Chen Zhi..."

He ground the name out from between his clenched teeth, the jealousy in his eyes so intense it practically threatened to physically manifest.

Just then, the crisp clack of high heels echoed from the classroom doorway.

The homeroom teacher, Wang Qian, appeared at the door. Dressed in a sharp, professional suit, she swept her gaze across the noisy classroom before locking onto the very last row.

"Chen Zhi."

Wang Qian beckoned him over.

"Grab a few strong boys and head down to the track to pick up the military training uniforms. The other classes have already gone; let's not fall behind."

Hearing this, Chen Zhi shoved the Chinese textbook he had just pulled out back into his desk.

"You got it."

He stood up and let his gaze sweep over the boys in the classroom.

"Li Zihan, stop playing dead. Get up and get to work."

Li Zihan had just finished his milk and was preparing to put his head down to catch up on some sleep. Upon hearing this, his face instantly fell, looking as defeated as a frostbitten eggplant.

"Brother Zhi... my legs are still trembling..."

"Then tremble while you walk. It's a good way to clear out the lactic acid."

Chen Zhi slapped him on the back of the head, brooking no argument. He then casually pointed out a few sturdy-looking guys he had gotten to know reasonably well over the past few days.

"You there, Sports Rep, and you, the tall guy. Let's go, come do some heavy lifting with your class monitor."

A group of five or six boys filed out of the classroom in a formidable procession.

A thin mist still lingered over the track in the early morning air, carrying the mingled scents of rubber and fresh grass.

Piles of camouflage-colored packages were already stacked in front of the main stage. Class representatives from the various homerooms were crowded around, clamoring like middle-aged women fighting over discount groceries.

"Seventh Grade, Class Three! Over here!"

The logistics teacher yelled at the top of his lungs, waving a roster in his hand.

Chen Zhi led his crew over.

"Teacher, Seventh Grade, Class Three here to pick up uniforms."

"Count them yourselves. The smalls, mediums, and larges are all separated, so don't mix them up. Fifty-four sets in total. Shoes are over there."

The teacher pointed to a nearby pile of cardboard boxes.

Chen Zhi nodded and turned to give orders. "Li Zihan, you go count the shoes. Sports Rep, take two guys and count the uniforms. I'll head over there and cross-reference the sizing chart."

With the division of labor clear, everyone immediately got to work.

One of the boys, named Zhang Wei, was particularly hasty. He scooped up a stack of uniforms and dumped them to the side, counting at lightning speed as if trying to finish the whole job in two minutes flat.

"One, two, three..."

Chen Zhi was reviewing the checklist when he caught Zhang Wei's frantic rushing out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but frown.

He walked over and lightly kicked Zhang Wei in the calf.

What's the rush? Eager to get reincarnated?

Zhang Wei froze, stopped what he was doing, and looked at Chen Zhi with a blank expression.

Huh? Class Rep, shouldn't we finish up quickly and head back? Morning reading started ten minutes ago. Mr. Wang is going to scold us later.

Chen Zhi rolled his eyes at him, exasperated by his failure to meet expectations, and lowered his voice:

Are you stupid? Why go back? To memorize texts or vocabulary?

He pointed at the lush, green trees by the edge of the sports field, and then at the distant teaching building where the clear sounds of reading could be heard.

The air here is fresh, the scenery is beautiful, and there are no teachers watching us. Let's move this stuff slowly, the more careful we are, the better. It'd be best if we can dawdle until the morning reading period ends.

Chen Zhi shoved his hands in his pockets, speaking with the weathered tone of someone who had been there before.

Being able to skip morning reading legitimately is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Don't you know how to enjoy life?

The surrounding boys were taken aback at first, but then it dawned on them.

The confusion in Zhang Wei's eyes instantly turned into worship, and he gave Chen Zhi a thumbs up.

Damn, as expected of the Class Rep! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

No wonder you rank first in the grade, your brain just works faster!

The previously intense moving work instantly turned into a slow-motion replay.

The boys tacitly slowed down their movements, even finding the leisure to study the fabric quality of the military training uniforms.

Chen Zhi leaned against the parallel bars, watching the clumsy acting of these kids, and shook his head in amusement.

Middle schoolers were so easy to fool.

After dawdling for about twenty minutes, guessing that the morning reading class was almost over, Chen Zhi finally waved his hand.

Alright, that's about enough. Grab the stuff, let's retreat.

Each boy carried a stack of clothes. Although their hands were heavy, their moods were exceptionally bright.

On the way back to the classroom, everyone's chatterboxes opened up.

Without the oppressive presence of teachers, the topic naturally circled back to the area boys were most interested in: girls.

Zhang Wei walked beside Chen Zhi, adjusting the clothes in his arms while winking and asking:

Hey, Class Rep, I saw Lin Wanwan pinch your waist just now. Is there... something going on between you two?

As soon as this question was asked, the ears of the surrounding boys instantly perked up, and even their footsteps slowed down a bit.

Chen Zhi and Lin Wanwan had been coming and going together these past few days, which had already sparked everyone's speculation.

Chen Zhi kept his eyes straight ahead, his tone flat: What do you mean? You're overthinking it.

Tch, give me a break.

Another boy curled his lip, his face full of disbelief.

I've seen it several times. You two leave together after school. That bottle of milk just now, if anyone else had drunk it, Lin Wanwan would have beaten them to death. She treats you completely differently.

Yeah, yeah, Class Rep, give us the bottom line. Are you two dating? Don't worry, our lips are sealed, we definitely won't tell Sister Qian.

Chen Zhi was just about to explain a few words when Li Zihan, who had been holding it in and staying quiet beside them, suddenly couldn't hold back anymore.

As the intelligence officer holding core secrets, not coming out to show off at a time like this would be like walking in fine clothes at night.

Oh, you guys don't know a thing!

Li Zihan hoisted the shoeboxes in his arms higher, a sense of superiority on his face, like he was the only sober one while everyone else was drunk.

What dating? That's too cliché!

He cleared his throat, successfully attracting everyone's attention.

Our Class Rep and Lin Wanwan are proper childhood sweethearts!

Childhood sweethearts? Zhang Wei's eyes widened.

Absolutely!

Li Zihan looked smug, as if he were the childhood sweetheart himself.

You guys have no idea. The fate between those two was destined by heaven. Same hospital, same delivery room, born on the exact same day! Rumor has it their moms were even in adjacent beds!

And get this, their families live right next door to each other, the kind where their balconies face each other. They've been playing together since they were wearing split-pants, went to the same kindergarten and elementary school classes, and now they're in the same middle school class.

Li Zihan spoke with spit flying, his description vivid and colorful.

What is this called? This is an unbreakable bond! What do those few crappy bottles of milk you guys give even count for? They have a relationship built on sharing food since they were toddlers!

There was a collective gasp all around.

The way the boys looked at Chen Zhi instantly changed.

It was naked jealousy, so intense it practically threatened to liquefy into lemon juice.

Damn... isn't that way too awesome?

Born on the same day and living next door? What kind of novel protagonist script is this?

It's over, absolutely no chance. Who could ever insert themselves into a relationship of over a decade?

Zhang Wei wailed in despair: If that kid Li Jiahao finds out about this, he'll probably cough up blood in anger on the spot.

Chen Zhi kicked Li Zihan, speechless.

It's a waste of your talents not being a storyteller. Stop exaggerating and let's go.

Li Zihan chuckled and nimbly dodged.

I'm just telling the truth.

Since the flower that was Lin Wanwan was considered taken, the boys' attention quickly shifted to other targets.

Forget it, forget it, Lin Wanwan is out of our league. But our class has plenty of beauties, don't we still have Pei Ningxue and Li Zhiyi?

Right, right, Li Zhiyi isn't bad either. Even though she doesn't talk much, she looks quiet and gentle. I like that girl-next-door vibe.

Pei Ningxue is even better, okay? That temperament, those long legs, she's practically an iceberg goddess. It's just that she's too cold, I feel like I'd get frostbite if I got within two meters of her.

I still think Li Zhiyi is better. She looks so soft and sweet, she should be pretty easy to pursue...

Just as Zhang Wei was having his sweet dreams, he suddenly heard Li Zihan beside him let out a mocking sneer.

Heh.

This laugh was too grating, and Zhang Wei couldn't help but turn his head.

Fatty, what are you laughing at?

Li Zihan looked at this group of ignorant boys with pity, shook his head, and spoke with an almost cruel thrill in his tone.

You guys think Li Zhiyi is easy to pursue?

Isn't she?

Li Zihan sighed, his gaze turning faintly toward Chen Zhi, who was walking at the front.

Let me tell you some unfortunate news.

He paused, and under everyone's expectant yet apprehensive gazes, slowly dropped the second bombshell.

Li Zhiyi is also our Class Rep's childhood sweetheart.

The air suddenly fell dead silent.

The boys stopped in their tracks, the military uniforms in their arms almost dropping to the ground.

Zhang Wei's mouth gaped wide open, his jaw practically dislocating. He pointed at Chen Zhi's back, his finger trembling like a Parkinson's patient.

Wh... what did you say?

I said, Li Zhiyi is also Brother Zhi's childhood friend.

Li Zihan shrugged, continuing to twist the knife.

Although it's not as exaggerated as Lin Wanwan, they've still known each other for six or seven years. They started playing together in elementary school, and Brother Zhi often goes to her house to mooch meals. Li Zhiyi's grandparents treat Brother Zhi like their own biological grandson.

...

Silence.

A few seconds later, a burst of ghostly wailing and wolfish howling erupted in the corridor.

Chen Zhi! You bastard!

Are you even human?!

The drought kills the parched, and the flood drowns the rest! You're monopolizing two school-beauty-level childhood sweethearts all by yourself, how are we supposed to live?!

Good heavens! If Zhou Yu was born, why must Zhuge Liang exist too! I want to live next door to Chen Zhi too!

Zhang Wei was completely devastated, feeling as though his budding first love had been strangled in the cradle before it even had a chance to begin.

He glared at the effortlessly cool silhouette of the boy walking ahead with one hand casually stuffed in his pocket, grinding his teeth audibly.

"That damn class president... he stole my life!"

"How has someone not thrown a sack over his head and beaten him to death yet?"

Listening to the dramatic wailing behind him, the corners of Chen Zhi's lips curled up into an imperceptible smirk.

Living the life of a wish-fulfillment novel protagonist really was as exhilarating as it sounded.

Chen Zhi felt that even the air he breathed today was just a bit fresher.