Shocking Rumor

The afternoon sunlight slanted across the path, the air sweet with the fragrance of flowers and grass. Small groups of girls walked arm in arm, their chattering voices mingling with birdsong as they drifted through the campus.

"Did you hear? There's a gay guy in Class 8, Grade 2," a girl with a butterfly hairclip whispered, her eyes sparkling with gossipy excitement.

"Grade 2... Class 8? Isn't that God Gu's class?" her companion gasped, nearly spilling her boba tea in shock.

"Yeah! I heard his name is... Si... Si... Situ Wenyao, that's it! Situ Wenyao publicly confessed to the class's sports committee member after school today!" The first girl deliberately drew out her words, successfully drawing a crowd.

"Wow! Seriously? That’s wild!"

"Totally true! The sports committee member—what was his name again? Eh, doesn’t matter—apparently agreed on the spot."

"WOW!!!"

This elicited a chorus of excited squeals from the onlookers.

Just then, a bespectacled girl carrying a stack of books pushed her way in. "You guys are behind the times. Latest update: Situ Wenyao and the sports committee member have been secretly in love for ages, already promised themselves to each other. They’re always hugging between classes. But guess what? Turns out Situ Wenyao is bi—he’s also dating the English class rep!"

The girls’ eyes lit up like fireworks. "And then?!"

"And then the sports committee member got jealous and forced Situ Wenyao to confess publicly—which is what you just heard." She paused dramatically, smirking. "But that’s not even the juiciest part. Wanna know what is?"

"What?!"

"Tell us already! I’m dying here!"

"..."

Satisfied with the suspense, the girl finally revealed, "The best part? When Situ Wenyao’s girlfriend found out, she immediately agreed to a polyamorous relationship—all three of them together!"

WHOA!!!

The bombshell left the girls reeling.

This was next-level scandalous!

Before they could recover, a passing boy dropped another bombshell: "You guys are still behind. Rumor has it the sports committee member was so moved, he kissed Situ Wenyao right then and there in front of everyone."

WHOA!!!

Holy crap.

The barrage of shocking revelations was too much for the girls to handle.

Meanwhile, Gu Luo and Luo Shuning walked quietly at the back of the crowd, their steps slowing as they overheard the outrageous rumors.

"Sweetheart, is any of this true?" Luo Shuning’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, though she maintained her elegant composure. Clearly, she was just as eager for gossip.

"..."

Gu Luo opened his mouth, hesitated, then shook his head with a wry smile. "Haji Yao did admit he’s... you know..."

"But the rest is just rumors spiraling out of control."

He couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly gossip spread. At this rate, Haji Yao and the sports committee member would be married in a couple of days.

He quickly recounted what had actually happened that afternoon.

The short version? Huang Anlu baited Situ Wenyao into revealing his true feelings with one simple move.

"This... this..." Luo Shuning was equally torn between laughter and speechlessness, at a loss for how to even react.

It was... beyond words.

Thanks to the explosive gossip, nearly every student on campus was buzzing about the drama, leaving Gu Luo and Luo Shuning blissfully undisturbed during their walk.

Seizing the moment, Gu Luo took a quiet breath and, like a magician, produced a flower from nowhere, placing it gently in Luo Shuning’s palm. His voice was soft, tinged with regret:

"Darling, about last night... I’m really sorry... I must have scared you..."

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