Fortunately, I can still rely on my elder brother.

Feng Duo opened her mouth, about to speak, but suddenly seemed to remember something and abruptly stopped.

Her expression turned cautious as she carefully stepped into the restroom, scanning each stall one by one to confirm no one was inside. Only then did she relax and walk out.

"Shu Ning... I promise you, once the school anniversary performance is over, I’ll hand the position of Music Club president to you."

"Then you can use the president’s authority to..."

But before Feng Duo could finish, Luo Shuning softly interrupted her.

"Senior, I actually have no interest in the president’s position."

Hearing this, Feng Duo’s face instantly twisted with anxiety.

She took a step forward, hands unconsciously clenching, and hurriedly pleaded, "Shu Ning, I know you must feel wronged, but we really can’t afford to clash with Qu Meimei and her group right now."

"Please, just bear with it a little longer, okay?"

"The school anniversary is happening next week at the latest. Once it’s over, I’ll make sure to teach Qu Meimei a lesson before I leave the club."

"Shu Ning, I was the one who invited you to join the Music Club last year..."

"We’re good friends, aren’t we? Please, help me out. Okay?"

"Okay...?"

Feng Duo’s voice grew quieter, almost begging by the end.

Luo Shuning fell silent.

The reason she had never bothered responding to Qu Meimei’s provocations was partly because she genuinely didn’t care about such childish antics, and partly because Feng Duo had repeatedly urged her to endure, invoking their past friendship.

But instead of improving, things had only worsened—Qu Meimei grew bolder, while Feng Duo remained passive.

In the name of so-called "balance," Feng Duo turned a blind eye to these issues, sometimes even unwittingly enabling Qu Meimei’s behavior.

Looking at Feng Duo’s pleading expression now, Luo Shuning sighed helplessly.

This senior of hers truly wasn’t fit to be a club president—she lacked the decisiveness and responsibility the role demanded.

If not for her older brother’s sudden appearance today, Feng Duo’s so-called "balancing act" would have backfired spectacularly.

"Senior Feng Duo, let’s just leave it at that." Luo Shuning pulled a tissue from her pocket, slowly wiping the water droplets from her face as she spoke.

"Consider this my way of repaying you for your kindness back then."

At this, her thoughts drifted involuntarily to a year ago, when she first met Feng Duo.

Back then, Feng Duo had worn a high ponytail, carried a guitar, and bounced around cheerfully, beaming as she said:

—"Hey, join the Music Club! Let’s make the most amazing music together!"

—"As your senior, I’ll take care of you!"

When had she changed?

It was hard to say.

The once passionate, bright-eyed senior, full of ideals, had now lost her sincerity, swaying indecisively in the face of conflicts—all for the sake of "balance."

"Shu Ning, thank you so much! Seriously, once the anniversary is over, I’ll stand up for you immediately!"

"I’ve had enough of Qu Meimei’s nonsense!"

Feng Duo’s voice snapped Luo Shuning out of her brief, bittersweet reminiscence.

Staring at the now-unrecognizable version of Feng Duo before her, Luo Shuning felt a pang of disorientation.

So be it.

At least she still had her brother to rely on.

......

Before long, the Music Club’s activities for the day came to an end.

Gu Luo, surrounded by a flock of chattering girls, walked toward the school gates like the moon among stars.

The spectacle drew countless glances and whispers along the way.

It had to be admitted—the Music Club members were all good-looking.

And with Gu Luo being the only boy in the group—not to mention the current heartthrob of Guangya High—the attention was inevitable.

"Damn, being handsome really has its perks..." one boy muttered enviously, eyes tinged with jealousy.

"No kidding. Those Music Club girls usually act all high and mighty, but now they’re fawning over him. Pathetic," another scoffed, voice dripping with bitterness.

"I’m gonna lose weight—just you wait, once I slim down, I’ll be just as hot!" a third declared, clenching his fists in determination.

"Talk about living the dream. Who knows what kind of wild stuff Gu Luo gets up to at night? Handsome guys are always players."

The murmurs were a mix of admiration, envy, baseless assumptions, and outright malice.

Gu Luo, with his staggering charm score of 9, had become the talk of the school within just two days of transferring.

After all, he was that good-looking.

Enough to make hearts explode at a glance.

At the moment, Qu Meimei had positioned herself firmly at Gu Luo’s side, clinging to him so possessively that they might as well have been a couple.

The other girls weren’t thrilled, but they couldn’t exactly protest—Gu Luo had been brought in by Qu Meimei.

Except for one girl with large, expressive eyes, who completely ignored Qu Meimei’s glares and chatted animatedly with Gu Luo the entire time.

She was utterly smitten with his looks.

Since he was single, fair game, right?

Noticing Qu Meimei’s darkening expression—like a storm about to break—Gu Luo deliberately amped up his engagement with the big-eyed girl.

Their back-and-forth grew livelier, laughter ringing out as if they were the only two people in the world.

The girl was over the moon, convinced of one thing: The school heartthrob is into me.

By the time they reached the school gates, the group began dispersing with waves and goodbyes.

The big-eyed girl, however, lingered, eager to continue their conversation.

Qu Meimei cut in bluntly, "Gu Luo and I have plans. The rest of you can scram."

With that, she grabbed Gu Luo’s sleeve and pulled him away, her grip borderline domineering.

Gu Luo instantly adopted a clueless, doe-eyed expression, playing the part of someone oblivious to the tension—innocent and utterly baffled.

The big-eyed girl caught on immediately and nearly stomped her foot in frustration.

How dare she break the rules?

So underhanded.

Qu Meimei, triumphant, whisked Gu Luo away alone.

As they walked, Qu Meimei kept inching closer, her body nearly brushing against his, while Gu Luo "accidentally" sidestepped or quickened his pace each time.

What could he do? He was undercover, after all.

After a while, Qu Meimei glanced back to ensure no one was following before turning to Gu Luo. "Listen, you should stay away from that girl earlier."

"Huh? Why?" Gu Luo feigned confusion.

"She’s... kind of messed up. She tortures stray cats in the park, and back in middle school, she bullied other girls all the time."

"I just don’t want you getting tricked, so I’m telling you privately."

Birds of a feather... Gu Luo mused inwardly.

Truly, like attracts like. No wonder they’re in the same circle.

On the surface, he still feigned surprise and said, "Oh really... Then I should probably keep my distance from her."

"Yeah, yeah. It's best not to engage with her at all." A smug smile bloomed on Qu Meimei's face, laced with a hint of triumph.

Heh, she really couldn’t help herself.

After walking together for a while longer, Gu Luo declined yet another invitation to drink and made up an excuse to part ways with Qu Meimei.

Tsk tsk.

That walk had been quite enlightening.

Qu Meimei really would say anything to undermine the other girls.

From the looks of it, his act of playing innocent had been a resounding success.

Sigh.

Honestly, who could understand?

They were all just a bunch of creeps lusting after him.

Protecting men’s safety was an urgent matter.

Gu Luo turned in a different direction and headed toward a nearby supermarket.

While waiting at a traffic light, he heard a familiar voice behind him.

He didn’t turn around immediately, instead casually fiddling with his phone.

Then came a light tap on his shoulder.

Turning his head with a 'confused' expression, he was met with the sight of the big-eyed girl.

He hadn’t bothered to remember her name, so he mentally dubbed her "Big Eyes."

Big Eyes grinned and asked cheerfully, "What a coincidence, Gu Luo! Are you heading to the supermarket too?"

However, Gu Luo promptly took a step to the side, eyeing her with a 'guarded' expression.

"...What’s wrong?" Big Eyes froze, her smile stiffening as confusion flickered in her eyes.

Hadn’t they been getting along just fine earlier?

Why the sudden change in attitude?

............