1
The college entrance exam results had just come out. My best friend and I had both gotten into our dream school—and we were going to the same school, too.
The difference was:
He was the top scorer in the whole city, while I… after he’d dragged me through a year of practice tests, barely scraped into S University with a score just above the cutoff.
The night the scores came out, everyone in class—from the teachers to the students—was so shocked they couldn’t close their mouths.
Anyway, I was famous for being a “pretty boy with a soft heart.” Calling me a “beauty” sounded a little off since I was a guy, but it suited me perfectly—there was nothing forced about it.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say this face of mine was absurdly beautiful. Everyone loved me, from little kids to adults.
When we were kids, the boys and girls in my class used to fight over who got to be my “number one best friend.”
My mom once remarked with a heartfelt sigh:
“If you hadn’t been so cute when you were little, I’d have smacked you ages ago. You’re so stupid you’ve taken it to a whole new level!”
They say when God closes one door, He opens another. For me, the door He closed was “academics,” and the one He opened was “good looks.”
Getting into S University this time was entirely thanks to Cố Hoài, my best friend. He tutored me all semester, making me do practice tests every single day until my brain felt ready to explode.
That semester was a nightmare. If he hadn’t promised to give me his favorite limited-edition sneakers if I got into S University, I would’ve given up long ago.
The worst part was… he teamed up with my mom to keep an eye on me. The result? I… lost exactly one pound that entire semester.
I’d always been pretty lucky, and this time was no exception. With a score just one point above the cutoff, I miraculously got into S University. I stood tall in front of my parents, bursting with pride.
At our class party that night, I proudly announced that I was giving up my title of “pretty boy with a soft heart” and officially claiming the crown of “luckiest son of a bitch alive.”
It’s just… I never expected that when I woke up the next morning, I’d find Cố Hoài and me in the same bed.
My head throbbed like a hammer as I frowned and opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was a face so handsome it could make heaven and earth furious—none other than my best friend, Cố Hoài.
2
Looking at the situation in front of me, my head still fuzzy, I shook it a few times and tried to remember what had happened last night…
It seemed like…
“Trình Ngôn, I can’t believe you got into S University too. This hurts worse than getting cheated on!” My shoulder was smacked so hard it went “whap, whap,” which showed just how jealous the speaker was.
“And I’m imagining my mom’s face when she finds out my score…”
“Failing hurts, but it hurts even more when your best friend succeeds. We were all in the same dumb-kid club, and now you’ve made it—what are the rest of us supposed to do?”
I looked at my gloomy friends, their faces full of resentment, and felt my pride swell to its limit. My shoulder still ached, but I grinned:
“Luck? It’s just that I was born smart. You jealous little sourpusses can go ahead and be jealous!”
Cố Hoài gently tugged at my sleeve, signaling me to stop showing off.
Who could blame me? I got into S University! My parents were so happy, they even agreed to raise my monthly allowance by another two thousand! Hahahahaha!
“I’d love to be modest, but my talent won’t let me.” I grinned, then winked at Cố Hoài.
Cố Hoài’s eyes flickered, and his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.
Before I could think much about that look, the boys in class started making a racket. Seeing my handsome, smug face, every one of them wanted to rush over and punch me just to feel better.
But… before they could reach me, Cố Hoài blocked their way.
Well, even though we’d graduated, Class President Cố still had the same authority.
From childhood on, Cố Hoài had always been a top student—strict, stone-faced, and never one to smile or joke. As class president, when he said something, that was that. No one dared argue.
For three years of high school, I thrived under Cố Hoài’s protection. With him backing me up, I did whatever I wanted and managed to annoy quite a few people.
But I loved that feeling—the way they wanted to deal with me but didn’t dare lay a finger on me.
2
I absolutely loved that they wanted to deal with me but couldn’t do a thing about it.
Seeing how cocky I was, Cố Hoài’s equally handsome face turned serious. He shook his head, pulled me closer, and put a can of Coke in my hand:
“Don’t cause trouble. Eat more vegetables and talk less.”
I pouted, looked at the Coke in my hand, then glanced at the guys across the room holding beers. I was not happy at all:
“No way. I want beer too. I don’t want Coke.”
Cố Hoài lowered his eyes to me, his tone leaving no room for argument:
“No. You’ve never had alcohol. Drink your Coke.”
I was unconvinced and couldn’t help testing the waters:
“Just one glass, okay?”
Just then, the guys beside us started chiming in:
“Come on, Cố Hoài, you’re being way too strict! We’re men—we should drink! Let him have some. If he gets drunk, we’ll take him home.”
Cố Hoài looked up and swept his cold gaze over the cheering crowd, his expression as eternally unreadable as ever. The chill radiating from him made them all fall silent like a flock of chickens. I curled my lip in contempt. What a bunch of cowards.
Cố Hoài, my best friend, the top scholar in all of Đồng Nhân, the principal and teachers’ golden boy, the legendary “other people’s kid” every parent wished they had, the nightmare of the academic strugglers—and the most popular guy in school.
From elementary school through high school, he’d always topped the academic rankings. I looked at his tall, straight-backed figure sitting right beside me and still thought… he’d been cuter as a kid.
I sighed and accepted my fate, picking up the can of Coke—Cố Hoài had already opened it for me at some point.
I was just about to take a sip when everything went dark before my eyes, and a faint fragrance drifted by.
“Cố Hoài, could you step outside for a moment?”
I looked up—it was the prettiest girl in our class. Her face was flushed as she stood there, nervously looking at Cố Hoài, her hands clutching the hem of her white skirt.
The room immediately erupted into commotion.
“Is she about to confess? I can’t believe the prettiest girl in class likes a straight guy like Cố Hoài!”
“Why go outside? You can say it here. Just pretend we’re not around.”
“You two look pretty good together. The class beauty and the class brain—what a perfect match.”
The class beauty’s already-flushed face turned even redder, her ears bright red as if they were about to bleed. One of her friends gave her a gentle push from behind. Seeing that Cố Hoài didn’t react at all, she seemed a little hesitant, but then lifted her head again, her eyes still timid:
“Cố Hoài, could you step outside for a moment?”
With his classmates egging them on, Cố Hoài frowned slightly, looking impatient. He gazed at the girl before him with cool detachment:
“I’m afraid… I’m not interested in what you want to say.”
His blunt rejection cut like a knife.
The entire room fell dead silent.
Everyone glared at Cố Hoài as if he’d just crushed a young woman’s heart.
The poor girl nearly burst into tears. She looked so pitiful that even the boys felt for her—and so did I.
Seeing the class beauty stranded there with no way to save face, I felt bad for her. I shifted closer and nudged Cố Hoài beside me with my elbow:
“Go talk to her for a bit! Don’t embarrass a girl like that. Where’s your gentlemanly charm?”
Cố Hoài kept his expression unchanged as he looked at me, his tone a little strange:
“You want me to go with her?”
I didn’t get it. The class beauty wanted to confess to him—someone who was still a total F0 even now. Shouldn’t he be happy?
I said:
“Go on. Even if you’re not interested, don’t humiliate her.”
As soon as Cố Hoài heard that, his gaze darkened. He stared at me, his eyes so deep they gave me goose bumps.
His stare gave me the creeps, so I hurried him along:
“Go already. Don’t keep her waiting.”
I watched Cố Hoài and the class beauty walk out together and let out a small sigh of relief—only to feel a little uneasy afterward.
That guy had actually moved faster than me… and made the first move. I was seriously jealous.
I glanced at the glass of beer in front of Cố Hoài, picked it up, and took a big gulp—so bitter! Thud!
I don’t remember anything after that. Looks like I really drank myself into a blackout.
My parents had always kept a close eye on me, so I’d never touched alcohol. When I got a little older, Cố Hoài kept an even closer watch on me… Who knew I’d be a one-drink lightweight? How embarrassing.
I was so embarrassed I couldn’t even imagine what my friends would say about me.
But… I touched my lips. They stung. My knees ached a little, too.
3
“Headache?”
A low, hoarse voice sounded right above my head.
I looked up, and the first thing I saw was Cố Hoài’s bare chest, his muscles clearly defined…
I suddenly felt a little awkward.
“Mm, it hurts like hell!”
I coughed and quickly looked away, but out of the corner of my eye I still caught sight of something—was there a scratch at the corner of Cố Hoài’s mouth, too?
And… he seemed to be in a very good mood.
A large hand reached over, felt my forehead, then gently pressed my temples and rubbed them a few times before beginning to massage them in firm circles:
“Serves you right. Who told you to sneak a drink? I looked away for one second and you were already causing trouble.”
The atmosphere suddenly turned a little charged, so I quickly changed the subject:
“You get to go on a date with your goddess, but I’m not allowed to drink?”
The hand on my head paused for a moment.
Cố Hoài said casually, his voice coming from above my head:
“Didn’t someone personally send me off?”
I was at a loss for words, but still curious, I asked:
“So… did you say yes yesterday?”
“Do you want me to say yes?”
Cố Hoài stopped, then lifted my chin. His gaze lowered, and his pupils held an emotion I couldn’t read.
His gaze made my heart flutter, and my ears suddenly grew hot.
I quickly pushed his hand away and snapped:
“Whether you have a girlfriend or not has nothing to do with me!”
An arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer. Cố Hoài nearly crushed me in his embrace, lazily resting his chin on my shoulder as he murmured:
“A Ngôn, didn’t you say you wanted to marry me someday? I’m keeping myself chaste for you, aren’t I?”
Me: “…”