My taste is just fine.

"Damn it! Situ Wenyao, you owe me my reputation!"

In a bubble tea shop far, far away from Guangya High School, the P.E. monitor clutched Situ Wenyao’s collar, looking like he wanted to strangle him on the spot.

The reason they’d chosen such a distant location was simple—they didn’t want any Guangya students to see them together.

"Cough... P.E. Monitor, calm down. I already explained... I just wanted to help that guy out. Who knew it was the vice club president playing truth or dare...?" Situ Wenyao wore a guilty expression, raising his hands in surrender—the universal gesture of surrender.

"You son of a—" The P.E. monitor was about to unleash a string of curses when Feng Youqing, sitting across from them with her legs crossed, shot him a sharp glare. He immediately bit back his words and grumbled, "Then what do we do? The whole school’s spreading rumors that we’re gay! There’s even a version saying we’ve already slept together!!"

"I’ve never even had a girlfriend! What am I supposed to do now, huh? What?"

"Gu Luo already bullies me for not having a sister complex, and now you’re joining in!"

Hearing this, Situ Wenyao felt a pang of guilt and quickly said, "P.E. Monitor, do you know why I didn’t use the class president as an example?"

"...Why?"

The P.E. monitor almost blurted out, "Because I sit in your lap every break," but held back at the last second.

"Because the class president doesn’t have your sense of responsibility." Situ Wenyao patted his shoulder solemnly. "Think about it—we know this is a misunderstanding, but what if there really was a guy who liked other guys? He’s keeping it hidden, but the whole class is practically hunting him down. Is that right?"

"Wouldn’t he feel awful? And if things escalate, what if he starts thinking about... you know, ending it?"

"P.E. Monitor, you’ve suffered for this. Here, let me toast you."

With that, Situ Wenyao raised his bubble tea and downed it in one go.

The P.E. monitor froze, letting the words sink in.

Now that he thought about it, Situ Wenyao had a point.

If there really was a guy like that, watching himself become public enemy number one in class... it’d be unbearable.

He’d been one of the first to jump on the bandwagon earlier, and guilt immediately washed over him.

"Damn... Wenyao, you... you’re not wrong."

The P.E. monitor slowly released Situ Wenyao’s collar, lifting his own drink with a resigned sigh. "Fine, I messed up too..."

"Let’s just leave it at that. You’re right—if this weren’t a misunderstanding, I’d be one of the people hurting someone."

"Guess I’ll just find a girlfriend later. So what if people misunderstand? Let the rumors fly. I know I’m straight."

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

And so, the two men—now publicly rumored to have slept together—gulped down their bubble tea with the gusto of downing shots.

"Ugh, but seriously, I gotta hand it to you. That was... pretty badass," the P.E. monitor admitted after replaying the events in his head, a newfound respect blooming for Situ Wenyao.

This guy had basically thrown his own reputation under the bus to shield someone else.

In ancient times, they’d call that chivalry.

"Eh, I’ve got thick skin. No big deal." Situ Wenyao brushed it off casually, but internally, he was soaring.

Hell yeah. Being acknowledged felt amazing.

Especially when it came with the highest praise among guys—"You’re pretty badass."

The P.E. monitor swirled his overly sweet drink. "Next time, can we go to a bar? What’s the point of bubble tea?"

"I like it," Situ Wenyao grinned.

Right then, Feng Youqing spoke up. "He picked this place because I like bubble tea. Got a problem with that?"

"N-no, no problem."

The P.E. monitor immediately waved his hands.

"Hmph." Feng Youqing took a satisfied sip, tilting her chin up smugly. "Now you see why I like this idiot?"

"My taste? Impeccable."

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