Lu Mingfei: Don't call me a loser, call me a hero.

The sun in early June was already quite unreasonable, hanging brightly in the sky and baking the asphalt road until it gleamed.

Lu Mingfei first went to the bookstore to pick up the bound collection of literary works from the literary society, and then hurriedly went to the Peacock Mansion.

Peacock Residence, one of the top-tier luxury villa districts in the coastal area, has bus stops quite far away.

As soon as Lu Mingfei got off the bus, a wave of heat hit him. He started sweating after walking less than 200 meters, and the sweat was sticky and clinging to his back.

At the entrance of the residential compound, the security guard, dressed in a crisp uniform, stood as straight as a sentry post. When he saw Lu Mingfei approaching, his eyes immediately revealed a scrutinizing look.

Lu Mingfei felt uneasy under that gaze. He subconsciously tugged at his collar, which was already soaked with sweat, and then showed off the wrapped gift in his hand, saying in a tone that even he found timid:

"Um... I'm here to deliver a gift."

He didn't even dare to say that he was there for Chu Zihang's birthday party.

Because the security guards might ask him to show his invitation, which he obviously didn't have.

Upon hearing this, the security guard grinned and gave him a polite smile: "Excuse me, are you Lu Mingfei?"

Lu Mingfei was taken aback and asked in confusion, "It's me... How did you know my name was Lu Mingfei, brother?"

Has my bad reputation reached even a wealthy neighborhood like Peacock Residence?

The security guard opened the door for him with a smile: "Yesterday, Young Master Chu specifically told me that a classmate named Lu Mingfei would be coming today, and asked me to keep an eye out for him."

"Just come in when you arrive, no need to register."

Lu Mingfei stood there stunned. Was Senior Brother Chu really that thoughtful?

A personal invitation wasn't enough; she also specifically instructed the security guard at the door, perhaps because she was worried he wouldn't be able to get in, or that he'd be embarrassed if he was turned away at the door, or that he might back out once he got there...

You even considered my pride, you're so kind, senior!

No wonder all the girls at school are head over heels in love with him. He is indeed impeccable in his character and conduct. Even if Lu Ming were a girl, he would still like him!

From this day forward, I, Lu Mingfei, am the number one Chu fan of Shilan!

For the first time, Lu Mingfei felt such genuine respect from someone. He couldn't help but lower his head, blink hard twice, then looked up and smiled at the security guard.

"I see, thank you, brother."

"You're welcome." The security guard pointed out the location to him, "Just keep walking along the main road, the biggest building in the middle of the lake is Young Master Chu's house."

"Thank you very much."

Following the directions given by the security guard, Lu Mingfei quickly arrived at his destination.

The Chu family's residence is located on a peninsula overlooking an artificial lake. It is undoubtedly the king of the buildings in the community, surrounded by water on three sides, boasting the best views and a garden that is a full circle larger than those of other families.

The two heavy, carved bronze doors are decorated with swirling cloud patterns, ginkgo trees are planted on both sides of the doorway, and the walls are covered with blooming climbing roses. It is truly magnificent.

Several cars were parked outside, and any one of them must be several times more expensive than Uncle's BMW.

This was a level of luxury that Lu Mingfei had never seen before. He had seen houses like this on TV before, and he always felt that they were far removed from his own life, so far that he didn't even need to think about them.

But now the house was standing right in front of him, and he was holding a collection of essays that cost about a hundred yuan to print, package, and rush to finish, as well as a foreign language bestseller that retailed for only thirty-odd yuan. He stood outside the door, not daring to even ring the doorbell.

He wasted too much time at the print shop and on the street; the birthday party had already started.

He said he would be there on time, but he was still late.

The courtyard was filled with the chirping of birds, and the aroma of roasted meat wafted through the air.

Just by listening to their voices, Lu Mingfei could imagine his senior brother being surrounded by girls dressed in their finest attire.

That's really...something to be envious of.

Despite his envy, he didn't forget his mission and vigorously rubbed his face to shake off those messy thoughts.

He didn't plan to ring the doorbell and go in to face so many strangers. He would call Chen Wenwen out first, hand her the collection of essays, and then have her lead him in. This way, at least there would be a buffer period.

"Chen Wenwen, Chen Wenwen, I brought the gift!"

After jumping and shouting for a while, the heavy bronze door finally opened a crack.

Chen Wenwen peeked out from the crack in the door, revealing half her face and then half her body.

She wore a light blue dress today, and her hair was not tied in a ponytail as usual, but was left loose over her shoulders with the ends slightly curled.

She wore small pearl earrings on her earlobes, which shimmered with a warm light in the sunlight.

A strand of long hair fell beside her face, swaying gently in the cold air seeping through the crack in the door.

Lu Mingfei's eyes showed admiration, and he gave her a thumbs up: "Chen Wenwen, you look really beautiful today."

Chen Wenwen looked at Lu Mingfei, who was covered in sweat, and took the collection of articles from his hands.

"Thank you for your hard work." The girl's voice was still gentle, but she spoke much faster than usual.

"It's too hot, you should go back."

One second, two seconds, three seconds, nothing...

No "Affection +1", no "Affection +5", nothing at all...

Lu Mingfei stared blankly at the exclamation mark above her head, a huge sense of loss welling up in his heart, as if he had stepped into thin air and fallen from heaven into an abyss.

He thought about it all night last night, and on his way here today he was still thinking about how much Chen Wenwen liked him, and how much more she would like him if he gave her the gift.

Su Xiaoqiang has been arguing with him for two years and his mouth is already over 40. Chen Wenwen has smiled at him so many times, asked him for help with so many things, and even ran 5,000 meters with him. She should be over 50, and 60 is not impossible.

Why did I come all this way under the scorching sun and not get a single thank you, and why didn't my impression of them change at all?

"System, check Chen Wenwen's favorability rating."

[Character Chen Wenwen, current affinity level 35 (Friendly)]

Upon receiving the game's reply, Lu Mingfei felt as if he had been punched in the face, frozen in place with his mouth slightly agape and his eyes fixed on the pale blue figure that had retreated back into the doorway.

He thought he had a chance to sound the charge for victory, but he didn't expect that he was just standing still at the starting line.

Favorability 35.

He was nearly 10 points behind Su Xiaoqiang, and only 5 points higher than Chu Zihang.

He treated Chen Wenwen like a goddess, idolizing her, but in her eyes he was only worth 35 points of favorability.

Even raising a dog, after two years of living together day and night, would take more than that, right?

Lu Mingfei couldn't quite describe how he felt.

It felt as if someone was pouring ice water into his heart; the chill spread from his chest to his limbs, freezing all the way down his blood vessels to his fingertips.

Yes, from Chen Wenwen's perspective, he was just a gofer and had no right to participate in such a grand event.

It's normal for her to tell him to go back, after all, she's just a guest. How could she presume to tell him to come in for a drink of water and some air conditioning?

Lu Mingfei's initial excitement at seeing Chen Wenwen vanished as he watched her head retract and the bronze gate slowly closed.

Before the door was even closed, a voice that made Lu Mingfei's legs go weak came from inside—it was the Dean of Academic Affairs:

"Chen Wenwen, is anyone else missing?"

Chen Wenwen's gentle voice rang out again: "It's Lu Mingfei. He's here to help deliver things."

The academic affairs director casually replied with an "Oh," and said, "Then go home early after you've delivered it. It's hot, don't get heatstroke."

The door closed, and Lu Mingfei stood there, a profound sense of loss replacing the heatwave that surrounded him.

Just as I thought, this is a party for the elite and influential people. What does it have to do with a loser like him?

It's normal for Chen Wenwen to ask him to go back, and it's also normal for the dean of academic affairs to ask him to go back.

No one deliberately made things difficult for him, and no one said anything unpleasant to his face.

They simply closed the door politely, refusing entry to unauthorized personnel.

Lu Mingfei turned around, his steps unsteady, like a stray dog ​​with its spine broken, fleeing in panic, wanting to find a secluded place to lick its wounds in silence.

The sun beat down on his head, and sweat dripped from his brow, stinging his eyes.

He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes. His hand was covered in sweat and became more and more sore the more he rubbed it.

They didn't even notice that a certain value on the attribute panel had quietly changed.

[Status: Awakened 10%]

There's something I can't explain stuck in my throat, something I can't swallow or swallow.

He wanted to find someone to blame, but he didn't know who to blame.

Can he blame Chen Wenwen?

No, Chen Wenwen was the only girl who was willing to lend him a helping hand when everyone else thought he was a fool.

Can we blame the dean of academic affairs?

No, the academic affairs director didn't make things difficult for him; he just told him to go home early.

Can he blame Chu Zihang?

No way, my senior brother has already been more than kind. Standing at the top of the pyramid, he's willing to go to such lengths for a loser.

If Lu Mingfei still complains about him, he'll look down on himself.

So he could only blame himself, blame himself for being incompetent, for not being qualified, and for lacking backbone.

He didn't even have the courage to ring the doorbell and loudly say, "Senior brother, I'm late," amidst everyone's astonished gazes.

Chu Zihang cleared all the obstacles for him, but he was still blocked by the door in his own heart.

Why didn't he just walk in when Chen Wenwen opened the door?

When the dean of academic affairs told him to go home, why didn't he explain?

He usually spouts nonsense without batting an eye, so why can't he open his mouth when it really matters?

If he were as capable as Zhao Menghua, or even half as brilliant as his senior brother, perhaps he wouldn't have shut himself out and wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state, like a stray dog.

[Status: Awakened 20%]

But it's alright, he's used to it, this level of grievance is nothing.

I'll go to the convenience store later to buy a small pudding, and then go to the rooftop to get some fresh air tonight. This little bit of grievance will be over soon.

He took a deep sniff and quickened his pace, wanting to get away from this noise that didn't belong to him.

Just then, the bronze door behind them was pushed open.

The high heels clicked and clacked on the marble floor, fast and hurried.

Before Lu Mingfei could turn around, a hand had already grabbed his sweaty wrist.

The hand was slightly cool and soft, with a light grip, yet it firmly caught him as he fell.

"You child, now that you're here, how can you not come in and have something to eat?"

Lu Mingfei looked up against the strong light and saw a beautiful woman in a black fitted long dress, her soft features gilded in the sunlight.