Bro, you've come to the right person

Chen Zhi pushed his bike through the school gates, surrounded by freshmen in camouflage uniforms.

After parking his bike, he grabbed his backpack and headed toward the teaching building.

Just as he reached the classroom door, a figure suddenly darted out from behind a nearby pillar.

Bro, bro, wait a sec.

Chen Zhi paused and turned around in confusion.

The person blocking his way was a tall boy, also wearing a camouflage uniform, evidently a freshman too.

He was clutching a pink carton of Zhenguoli fruit milk, wearing a somewhat flattering expression.

Could you do me a favor and put this milk on Lin Wanwan's desk?

The boy handed the milk over, his eyes full of expectation.

Chen Zhi raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over the carton.

Ah, so you're the guy who sent that strawberry-flavored Zhenguoli yesterday.

Don't send it next time. I'm growing and need to drink pure milk.

Chen Zhi reached out and took the milk, weighing it in his hand.

Bro, you definitely found the right guy.

A meaningful smile appeared on Chen Zhi's face. I sit right behind Lin Wanwan.

Hearing this, the boy's expression instantly changed.

He looked Chen Zhi up and down.

The guy standing in front of him was more handsome, taller, and had fairer skin than him. Most importantly—he sat right behind Lin Wanwan.

As the saying goes, proximity breeds romance.

The seat behind the girl has always been a highly contested battleground in campus romance novels.

Borrowing an eraser, poking her back, passing notes—aren't these all sharp weapons for building a relationship?

A strong sense of hostility rose in the boy's eyes.

Chen Zhi found the guy's bristling reaction amusing.

His thoughts were written all over his face.

Acting completely familiar, Chen Zhi threw an arm around the boy's shoulders and pulled him aside like an old buddy.

Don't be nervous.

Chen Zhi lowered his voice, putting on a heart-to-heart guise.

Rest assured, I have absolutely no inappropriate thoughts about Lin Wanwan.

The boy looked at him suspiciously, clearly unconvinced. Really? Lin Wanwan is so pretty, can you really resist?

I'm already taken.

Chen Zhi looked mysterious and leaned close to the boy's ear. Do you know Li Zhiyi?

The boy froze for a moment, then his eyes widened. Of course! She's a campus belle on par with Lin Wanwan. I heard she has a super gentle personality.

Exactly.

Chen Zhi patted his chest, a hint of showing off in his tone. We grew up together. Childhood sweethearts, you know?

The boy's hostility vanished into thin air, replaced by a look of sheer envy.

Holy crap, that's awesome, bro!

He grabbed Chen Zhi's hand, as excited as if he had found a long-lost relative. The quiet types like Li Zhiyi are super hard to pursue. The fact that you two are childhood sweethearts means you're definitely set!

Keep it low-key, low-key.

Chen Zhi waved his hand modestly. So, you don't have to worry about Lin Wanwan at all. I've got my Zhiyi and that's enough.

He silently added in his heart: Li Zhiyi is indeed a childhood sweetheart, but that doesn't change the fact that Lin Wanwan is also my childhood sweetheart.

Flawless logic.

The boy completely dropped his guard, his eyes now full of gratitude and trust toward Chen Zhi.

Bro, I was judging a gentleman with the mind of a petty man just now.

He scratched his head in embarrassment. Since you sit behind Wanwan, could you help me keep an eye on things? If there's any movement...

Leave it to me.

Chen Zhi patted his chest in guarantee, then changed the subject, holding up the Zhenguoli.

But bro, since we're so close now, I gotta give you some insider info.

What info? The boy immediately perked up his ears.

You're sending the wrong drink.

Chen Zhi put on a look of disappointment. Lin Wanwan is growing right now and hates these sweet, syrupy drinks. Someone sent this yesterday, and she didn't even look at it before tossing it to me to drink.

Ah?

The boy paled in shock, looking full of regret. No wonder! I didn't get any response when I sent them before. So I was sending the wrong thing!

He eagerly grabbed Chen Zhi's arm. Then bro, what does she like to drink?

Pure milk, preferably fresh milk.

Chen Zhi started placing his order. Best if it's the pasteurized kind with only a seven-day shelf life, and it has to be chilled. She says drinking that is good for her skin and helps her grow taller.

The boy had a sudden realization, acting as if he had found a great treasure.

Thanks for the tip, bro! I'll go buy it right now! From now on, you're my sworn brother. I'm Zhu Jianming from Class 1. If you ever need anything, just drop my name.

He started running toward the convenience store, but turned back after two steps and pointed at the Zhenguoli in Chen Zhi's hand.

That bottle is yours, as a thank-you gift!

With that, the Class 1 boy named Zhu Jianming dashed toward the store like a gust of wind, terrified that the fresh milk would be sold out if he was late.

Chen Zhi stood there, watching his retreating back, and nodded silently. The kid was teachable.

He strolled leisurely into the Grade 7 Class 3 classroom.

Less than half the class had arrived, and it was still somewhat quiet.

Everyone had just received their military training uniforms and were excitedly trying them on and adjusting them.

It had to be said, the quality of the camouflage uniforms issued by the school was truly concerning.

The fabric was as stiff as canvas, and the color was a tacky dark green. They hung loosely on the students' bodies, utterly devoid of any aesthetic appeal.

But this didn't dampen anyone's enthusiasm in the slightest.

After all, for their first military training, this was their first time wearing a uniform, and the novelty was overwhelming.

Chen Zhi's gaze swept across the room.

In the corner, Li Jiahao was adjusting his collar in front of a small mirror, trying to make the sack-like uniform look like special forces gear.

Seeing Chen Zhi walk in, Li Jiahao immediately shot him a look of jealous resentment, then snorted coldly and deliberately turned his head away.

Chen Zhi couldn't be bothered with this attention-seeker.

His eyes landed on the third row by the window.

A quiet figure sat there.

Li Zhiyi had already changed into her military training uniform.

The oversized camouflage clothes made her look exceptionally petite.

Her sleeves were rolled up several times, revealing a stretch of fair wrist that looked like a tender lotus root.

Her belt was tied tightly, outlining the slender waist of a young girl just beginning to develop.

Although the clothes were tacky, they couldn't hide her natural beauty.

That delicate little face looked even more pale and translucent against the sea of dark green, like a small white flower blooming from the dirt.

At this moment, she was nibbling on a meat bun while staring at an English vocabulary book on her desk.

Her cheeks were puffed out, moving with every chew, like a little hamster eating its food.

She was completely immersed in the world of vocabulary, not even noticing Chen Zhi walking up beside her.

Zhiyi.

Chen Zhi spoke up suddenly.

Cough—!

Startled, Li Zhiyi choked on a mouthful of bun. Her face instantly flushed red, and she began to cough violently.

She patted her chest in a panic, coughing so hard tears almost came to her eyes.

Why are you so easily scared?

Chen Zhi shook his head and casually handed over the Zhenguoli, having already pierced it with the straw.

Here, here, drink some milk to wash it down. Don't choke.

Li Zhiyi didn't care about being polite right now. She grabbed the Zhenguoli and took a huge gulp.

The cold, sweet liquid flowed down her throat, finally washing down the piece of bun that had been choking her.

She let out a long sigh and patted her chest, her large, dewy eyes looking at Chen Zhi with a hint of reproach.

"Chen Zhi, why don't you make any sound when you walk..."

Her voice was soft and sweet, carrying a trace of hoarseness from her recent coughing fit, making one's heart tremble slightly at the sound.

"It's because you were too focused."

Chen Zhi pulled out the chair next to her and sat down, resting his chin on one hand as he looked at her. "You're just memorizing vocabulary. Do you have to push yourself so hard? Are you risking your life for this?"

Li Zhiyi blushed and defended herself in a small voice, "A slow sparrow has to make an early start... Besides, military training starts today, so I probably won't have time to memorize them tonight."

She looked at the fruit milk in her hand, then looked back at Chen Zhi.

"Thank you for the milk. How much was it? I'll pay you back later."

This girl was always so polite, terrified of taking even the slightest advantage of anyone.

"No need to be so polite with me."

Chen Zhi waved his hand, smiling brightly. "I didn't buy this milk. If you want to thank someone, wait until Lin Wanwan gets here and thank her properly."

Li Zhiyi froze.

She blinked her big eyes, looking confusedly at the fruit milk in her hand.

Thank Wanwan?

Did Wanwan buy it for her?

But Wanwan wasn't even here yet.

Seeing her bewildered expression put Chen Zhi in an excellent mood. He didn't explain, but simply pulled his military training rubber shoes out of his backpack.

The soles of these shoes were as hard as iron plates.

He tapped the soles with his knuckles, producing a solid thudding sound.

"This is going to be a tough battle," Chen Zhi sighed.

Just then, a commotion broke out at the front door of the classroom.

"Whoa—"

Many of the boys stared blankly.

Lin Wanwan had arrived.

Wearing a backpack, she sported a perfectly tailored camouflage uniform.

Clearly, the young lady hadn't been idle after going home last night. She had probably asked her mom to take in the trouser legs and the waistline.

The originally baggy military training uniform actually looked somewhat like a fashionable designer piece on her.

Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, revealing a smooth, full forehead. A few stray strands framed her ears, and she radiated an overwhelming, youthful vitality.

The moment she walked in, she was like a luminous body, instantly lighting up the entire classroom.

Lin Wanwan didn't look sideways, walking straight over to Chen Zhi's desk.

With a heavy bang, she slammed a black plastic bag onto Chen Zhi's desk.

"Here!"

The girl gritted her teeth, keeping her voice very low, with two suspicious blushes on her cheeks.

Chen Zhi raised an eyebrow and reached out to pull the bag open.

Inside, two neatly stacked black packages sat.

Softex, 420mm ultra-long overnight sanitary pads.

"Oh, quite efficient," Chen Zhi nodded in satisfaction. "Thanks."

"Shut up!"

Lin Wanwan glared at him fiercely, looking around guiltily like a thief. "Put them away quickly! If anyone sees, I'll... I'll bite you to death!"

"Relax, I'm a professional."

Chen Zhi tucked the black bag into his chest, then pulled a pair of scissors out of his backpack.

"What are you doing?"

This scene piqued the curiosity of Li Zhiyi next to them.

She leaned over, looking at the black bag. "Chen Zhi, what's that?"

Lin Wanwan instantly tensed up and grabbed Li Zhiyi's hand. "Ah, Zhiyi, don't look! That's... that's..."

"It's a secret weapon," Chen Zhi calmly interjected.

Right in front of the two girls, he pulled out a piece of the secret weapon from the bag.

Riiiip—

The sound of the wrapper tearing wasn't obvious in the noisy classroom, but it sounded entirely different to Lin Wanwan's ears.

She was so embarrassed she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

Chen Zhi, however, didn't change his expression. He expertly unfolded the soft, white item and measured it against the length of his rubber shoe.

Then he picked up the scissors and, with a few snips, trimmed off the extra wings.

His movements were smooth and flowing, as if he were doing some precise handicraft.

Li Zhiyi stared, dumbfounded.

Although she was innocent, she still recognized what this thing was.

"Chen, Chen Zhi..."

Li Zhiyi stammered, her small face flushing bright red. "What are you... doing with that?"

"Shoe insoles."

Chen Zhi didn't even look up as he stuffed the trimmed insole into the rubber shoe and pressed it flat.

"The soles of these rubber shoes are too hard. Standing in them all day for military training will ruin your feet. This thing is soft, absorbs sweat, and is breathable. It's a must-have magical artifact for military training."

He spoke with absolute confidence, as if imparting some Nobel Prize-level life wisdom.

Li Zhiyi listened, completely stunned.

She looked down at the rock-hard rubber shoes on her own feet, then at the shoes paved with clouds in Chen Zhi's hands.

It seemed... to make a lot of sense?

"Does it really work?" Li Zhiyi asked in a small voice, a hint of temptation actually showing in her eyes.

"Absolutely."

Chen Zhi handed the finished shoe to her to see. "Touch it. Is it soft?"

Li Zhiyi subconsciously reached out a finger and poked it.

It really was soft, just like a marshmallow.

"I want one too!"

Beside them, Lin Wanwan, who had been in a state of mortification this whole time, suddenly spoke up.

She looked at Chen Zhi's deluxe edition rubber shoes, then thought about the impending torture her soles were about to endure, and decisively abandoned her sense of shame.

"I want to do it too!"

Lin Wanwan snatched the scissors and pulled the other pack out of the bag. "Zhiyi, you take one too. I spent a fortune on these!"

And so, a bizarre scene unfolded in the corner of the seventh-grade Class 3 classroom.

Two school-beauty-level girls surrounded a boy. The three of them focused intently, holding scissors and sanitary pads, performing precise modifications on several pairs of rubber shoes.

Not far away, Li Jiahao, who had been keeping an eye on them, watched dumbfounded.

He couldn't hear what they were saying; he only saw Lin Wanwan, her face flushed red, handing some private item to Chen Zhi, and then the three of them huddling together to do arts and crafts.

"Damn it..."

Li Jiahao took a vicious bite out of the bread in his hand, his face twisted beyond recognition with jealousy.

"Just how far has their relationship progressed?!"