"Ian Song, I heard you're dating Fiona Xiang?"
Ian, come on, tell us—how did you win over the goddess Fiona?
Ian, you're amazing! You quietly landed the campus belle—can I become your apprentice?
......
Ian had just walked into the classroom when a group of boys surrounded him, bombarding him with questions.
"What's going on?" Ian was a bit surprised, but quickly realized that with so many people seeing Fiona Xiang talk to him in the cafeteria, it was no wonder his classmates knew about it.
"Don't make stuff up, there's nothing going on between me and Fiona Xiang. At most, we're just ordinary friends." Ian started to explain.
"Ordinary friends? Yeah, right! Everyone knows Fiona Xiang is famous for being cold and aloof. How many guys has she ever even looked at? She came up to talk to you—I'm sure your relationship isn't that simple," one boy declared seriously.
At one desk sat a handsome boy, with three other boys standing beside him.
One of the boys standing nearby said sourly, "What's there to be proud of? So you just talked to Fiona Xiang a few times."
"Yeah, Ian's gotten more and more cocky lately," another boy chimed in.
The third boy standing there glanced dismissively at Ian, who was surrounded by the crowd, then turned to the handsome boy sitting down. "That kid really is getting out of hand, Zach. Should we do something to knock him down a peg?"
Zach Zhang was not only good-looking, but also came from a wealthy family and excelled academically. He'd never ranked lower than third in class, so he was extremely popular in Class 9—most of the girls secretly had crushes on him.
But his standards were high; he'd been pursuing Zoey Su, a campus belle as famous as Fiona Xiang.
Fiona Xiang majored in music and played the guzheng with incredible skill, while Zoey Su was a literary talent. Starting in junior high, Zoey had been writing novels, essays, and poems, with many works published in city and provincial newspapers. Her novel 'Girl’s Heart is All Poetry' sold over a million copies within a year of release, rivaling professional bestselling authors.
That’s why Fiona was called the music goddess, and Zoey was known as the literary goddess.
Unlike Fiona’s cold aloofness, Zoey Su was gentle and friendly. Still, fewer people dared pursue her—most guys felt inferior around her. Zach Zhang was an exception; he’d been chasing Zoey since their first year, but she’d never given him a chance.
Though he’d always pursued Zoey Su, Zach also had some interest in Fiona Xiang. So hearing rumors about Ian and Fiona bothered him.
"So, what do you guys think we should do to knock him down a peg?" Zach asked the three boys.
"How about we hire someone to beat him up, and film the whole thing?" one boy suggested.
Zach Zhang shook his head. "That won't work. Ian's really good at fighting—if anyone knows, I do. Victor Xue spent money to hire six street thugs to teach him a lesson, but Ian ended up beating all of them instead."
Another boy thought for a moment and said, "How about we plant a wallet in Ian's desk, then 'find' it in front of everyone?"
Zach still shook his head. "That's way too obvious. Not good."
"I've got it." The third boy gave a sly grin and whispered a plan into Zach's ear.
After hearing the scheme, Zach glared at him. "That's vicious and disgusting—but fine. You'll handle it."
The boy immediately looked distressed.
"If you get it done, I'll take you to Paris Peninsula," Zach added.
At the mention of Paris Peninsula, the boy's eyes lit up. The place was a famous playground in Riverstone City, but it was members-only, and not just anyone could join—you had to be rich or powerful.
So when Zach made the promise, the boy patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Zach—I’ll get it done, no problem."
After finally dealing with the crowd, Ian felt parched—his explanation had only made things sound more suspicious.
In the blink of an eye, school was over. After cleaning the classroom and locking the door, Ian headed toward the dormitory, planning to shower and change before his dinner appointment.
He didn’t notice that after he left, a sneaky figure slipped into the classroom, walked to the teacher’s lectern, pulled out a black plastic bag, and, pinching his nose, dumped a foul-smelling lump into the lectern drawer.
In the dorm, Ian showered while checking his system interface. Thanks to the dating rumors with Fiona Xiang, his Fame Points had risen to 126. He figured that when the police precinct came to school to present his bravery award, his Fame would hit 200—he just didn’t know when they’d show up.
After his shower, Ian picked up his phone and saw a missed call.
"Could it be Fiona Xiang?"
He dialed the number back, and sure enough, Fiona Xiang’s voice came through: "Ian, I’m already at the restaurant. When will you get here?"
"Okay, I’ll head out right now."
"Alright, I’ll send you the restaurant name and address in a bit."
After hanging up, Ian quickly got dressed and left the dorm. Just a few steps outside, his phone chimed—a message from Fiona Xiang with the restaurant’s name and address.
Not wanting to keep Fiona waiting, Ian jogged ahead as soon as he left the dorm.
Five minutes later, Ian walked into the Guoguo Kitchen restaurant and saw Fiona Xiang in a white dress waving to him.
"Chinese or Western food?" Fiona asked after they sat down—the restaurant offered both.
"Let’s do Chinese. Western food portions are too small—I wouldn’t get full," Ian said honestly.
Fiona smiled at Ian’s words. "Then Chinese it is. You’re pretty straightforward—most people wouldn’t say that."
"Really?" Ian felt a bit embarrassed.
"It’s fine, I was just making conversation. Actually, I don’t like people who pretend, either," Fiona said softly.
"Mm."
Ian nodded. For some reason, he always felt a bit pressured in front of Fiona—maybe because she was just that outstanding.
"You order," Fiona said, pushing the ordering tablet to Ian.
"You go first," Ian said, pushing the tablet back.
"Alright." Fiona didn’t stand on ceremony—she tapped away on the tablet for a while, then handed it back to him.
Soon the food arrived, and Ian dug in. Compared to the cafeteria, this restaurant’s food was way better, so he ate with great appetite.
"Is it enough? If not, we can order more," Fiona asked considerately.
"It’s enough," Ian said, feeling a little embarrassed as he looked at his spotless plates.
"Then let’s order some desserts."
Ian checked his phone—it was only 7:20—so he nodded.