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

The Chu family's bathroom was even bigger than his uncle's master bedroom. When Lu Mingfei opened the door, he thought he had gone to the wrong place.

He stood in front of the mirror, stripping off his soaked school uniform, not wanting to look at his skinny, monkey-like self any longer.

She quickly washed her face, dried the sweat off her body with a towel, and then changed into Chu Zihang's clothes.

Chu Zihang was a bit taller than Lu Mingfei, but he was well-proportioned, so his clothes didn't look big on him and even fit him surprisingly well.

Lu Mingfei looked at himself in the mirror. Although he was only wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, the fabric and workmanship showed that it was a custom-made item.

He was genuinely afraid that if he sweated again, he would get his senior's clothes dirty.

When I came out of the bathroom, Aunt Xiaoyan had already gone back to the yard to continue tormenting her son. The housekeeper, Aunt Tong, took Lu Mingfei's school uniform and said she would wash and dry it for him.

Lu Mingfei was flattered and thanked him, then took the gift and went into the courtyard.

At this moment, the senior student surrounded by girls had transformed from a barbecue robot into a photo-taking robot.

Aunt Xiaoyan and her best friend took turns taking photos with their senior, and other girls also mustered up the courage to go over and take photos with him, and he cooperated with each one.

The usually aloof and unapproachable senior was unusually approachable today, like a chef, like a popular tourist attraction, but definitely not like the protagonist of today's party.

Lu Mingfei was a little lost and didn't know whether to try to fit in by grabbing some food and drinks or to hide in a corner.

He had thought Chu Zihang's birthday party would be at least a dinner party, but it turned out to be a barbecue party. It can only be said that his senior brother's family has reached the pinnacle of being approachable.

In those few seconds of hesitation, Chen Wenwen walked towards him.

She wore a light blue dress, the hem swaying gently with her steps, and held the collection of books in her hands, exuding the same artistic flair as when we first met.

She walked up to Lu Mingfei, looked him up and down, lingered on his new shirt for a second longer, and then asked softly:

"Lu Mingfei, why did you change your clothes?"

Lu Mingfei answered truthfully, his voice surprisingly calm. He showed neither smugness at being treated so politely by the host nor resentment at being shut out earlier.

The excitement that had been building up in his heart for a day and a night had vanished; the 35 points of favorability had dashed all his expectations and joy.

Li Yunlong, the commander of the Independent Regiment, once said that even a stone held in one's chest should be warmed up by now.

He had kept Chen Wenwen in his heart for two years, but it didn't give him as much warmth as Aunt Xiaoyan, whom he had just met today.

Therefore, he did not intend to tell Chen Wenwen that he had actually received a personal invitation from Chu Zihang and was there to keep the appointment, just like her.

Chen Wenwen didn't think much of it, her tone carrying a hint of understanding: "Senior Brother Chu's mother is indeed a very nice person."

She's quite famous at Shilan Secondary School; many people talk about her at every parent-teacher conference.

Then she lowered her voice a little and began to explain things to Lu Mingfei:

Chu Zihang's mother was a sensation in the city when she was young. At the age of eighteen, she played the female lead in the dance drama "Silk Road Flower Rain" and became an instant star.

Later, she was exceptionally admitted to the Central Academy of Dance and became a household name in Binhai as a dancer. It is said that back then, the line of men pursuing Chu Mama stretched from the theater entrance to the train station.

When Chen Wenwen spoke of these things, there was a glimmer in her eyes, and her tone carried a longing that Lu Mingfei had never heard from her when she talked about other topics.

That longing wasn't about envying Su Xiaoyan's beauty or her wealth; it was about envying someone whose life had once blossomed so brilliantly.

In the past, Lu Mingfei would have focused intently on Chen Wenwen, memorizing every word she said.

Her voice was so beautiful, as soft as a feather, and she spoke as if reciting poetry. He couldn't help but want to etch it into his mind, and when he got home at night, he would lie in bed and savor it over and over again.

But at this moment, he just listened quietly, his gaze passing over her and landing on the encirclement in the distance. He looked enviously at Chu Zihang, who was being used as a tool for taking photos by his mother and the strange aunts and couldn't resist. He didn't react much to Chen Wenwen's words.

After Chen Wenwen finished speaking, Lu Mingfei did not look away, but simply echoed, "You know a lot about your senior brother."

Chen Wenwen didn't notice that Lu Mingfei's tone was somewhat perfunctory, assuming he was only surprised by Su Xiaoyan's illustrious past, and then quietly told him about another part of her past:

Last year, Chen Wenwen was hospitalized with lupus. The school called on everyone to take turns visiting her in the hospital. The first few days were very lively, with flowers and fruit baskets filling the room.

But as time went on, everyone got lazy, and in the end, only Chu Zihang, the student council president at the time, came to visit once a week.

Once Chen Wenwen recovered and returned to being the beautiful girl she once was, everyone gathered together again.

But she knew that during the days when she was at her most miserable and least willing to look in the mirror, only Chu Zihang would chat with her without any reservations.

"I haven't told anyone else about this," Chen Wenwen said softly, looking at Chu Zihang in the crowd. "In my heart, my senior brother has always been my hero."

After listening, Lu Mingfei remained silent for a long time, wanting to say that he could have been just as unwavering in visiting her as Chu Zihang was back then.

Unlike Chu Zihang, who was quite handsome, he stood by the hospital bed, unsure of what to do with himself. After a long pause, he finally managed to say, "Chen Wenwen, you look great today."

After he finished speaking, he wanted to slap himself because there were still red spots on Chen Wenwen's face that hadn't faded.

The nurse who came in to take his temperature almost couldn't help but laugh, and said to him expressionlessly, "This student, please don't disturb the patient's rest."

Chen Wenwen lay on the hospital bed, covering most of her face with the blanket, and whispered, "Lu Mingfei, you should go back first. I don't want you to see me looking bad."

And so, he lost his right to visit after only one visit.

He wanted to be a hero too, but unfortunately he was just a coward...

"Lu Mingfei, could you keep my gift safe for me a little longer?" Chen Wenwen's voice pulled him out of his reverie. "I want to take a picture with Senior Brother Chu."

Lu Mingfei looked down and saw the repackaged collection of essays she handed him, along with a greeting card that she must have written herself.

Although his mood was affected by the 35 points of favorability and the experience of being turned away earlier, Lu Mingfei had gotten used to giving unconditionally over the past two years, so he shamelessly agreed to help keep it safe, so that Chen Wenwen could go and queue up to take a photo with Chu Zihang without worry.

The latter gave him a faint smile, then turned and walked towards the encirclement.

Her steps were light and quick, and the hem of her pale blue skirt swayed gently behind her, like a butterfly flying towards the light.

The favorability rating remained unchanged, as if everything was taken for granted.

Just as Lu Mingfei was watching Chen Wenwen fly further and further away, a lively voice rang in his ear:

"Hey junior brother, is that the girl you like?"

Lu Mingfei was so startled that he almost dropped the gift in his hand. He turned his head sharply and saw that Senior Sister Xia Mi had somehow appeared beside him. Her flawless face exuded an aura of "I'm very free, I'm very gossipy, and I have plenty of time."

"Senior sister, why do you walk so quietly?" Lu Mingfei patted his chest with lingering fear.

"Don't change the subject." Xia Mi handed him a bottle of iced cola, her face full of gossip: "Tell your senior sister what your story is with that girl from earlier."

Lu Mingfei's eyes darted around and his voice was weak: "There's no story. She's the president of the literary society, and I'm a director of the literary society. It's that simple."

"Who would believe that? The way you were looking at him just now was practically drooling." Xia Mi pouted and pointed at him:

"You can't hide the look in someone's eyes when you like them, junior brother."

Lu Mingfei retorted instinctively, "What if I like two people?"

"Then you'd better hide it well."

After Xia Mi finished answering, the two smiled at each other and clinked their drinks together.

Xia Mi's affection level +10, current affection level 20 (acquaintance)