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

Su Xiaoqiang is the richest girl at Shilan Middle School and is also considered by many boys to be the most beautiful girl on campus.

She is of mixed Chinese and Portuguese descent, and her appearance combines the deep, three-dimensional features of Europeans with the gentle and graceful beauty of Easterners, representing a perfect blend of Eastern and Western aesthetics.

She was born into a privileged family, beautiful and wealthy, and was always the center of attention wherever she went.

Unfortunately, his personality is too domineering and generous. He often slams the platinum supplementary card given to him by his father on the table and says, "I'll pay for today's expenses." He has a bit of the nouveau riche temperament of a mining boss.

So everyone privately calls her Little Fairy.

Xiao Tian's woman is actually quite nice; she has clear likes and dislikes, is straightforward, and doesn't hold grudges.

Back when the first year of high school had just started, Lu Mingfei praised Wenwen for being beautiful and elegant in front of her, and even confidently said that she must be the class beauty.

These words were no different from pointing a finger at her and saying "you are not as good as others," and naturally offended Su Xiaoqiang.

However, instead of sending someone to put Lu Mingfei into a cement bucket and sink him into Qixingtang overnight, she simply stepped on his foot and became his constant bickering nemesis for the next two years.

In some ways, Chen Wenwen's relationship with Su Xiaoqiang and Lu Mingfei is not as close.

At least if Lu Mingfei said something rude, Su Xiaoqiang could retort with three sentences, while Chen Wenwen would only remain silent, making him feel awkward with her silence and smile.

They would never argue in public like this, in the largest and most crowded shopping mall in Binhai.

"So you used your dad's platinum supplementary credit card just to buy a cup of coffee?"

Lu Mingfei, ever the sarcastic one, said, "Be careful not to drink too much iced water and get a stomachache, just like last year when you treated the whole class to Häagen-Dazs. Everyone else was fine, but you were the only one who went to the school clinic."

"None of your business!" Su Xiaoqiang's pretty face darkened instantly when she heard this person digging up her embarrassing past, and she raised her leg as if to hit him.

However, Lu Mingfei was prepared and darted backward as if his feet were greased, giving her no chance to get close.

"I'm just concerned about you!" he said confidently. "The basic proficiency test will be right after the college entrance exam. It would be troublesome if you had any health problems at that time."

"Do I need your concern?" Seeing she couldn't kick him, Su Xiaoqiang could only roll her eyes and give up.

"Why don't you worry about Chen Wenwen? She's representing the Literature Club at Chu Zihang's birthday party tomorrow. If the gift she prepares isn't presentable, it will make me lose face too."

When Chen Wenwen was mentioned, Su Xiaoqiang's tone became more resentful and indignant.

A few days ago, when the representative was being elected, dozens of members of the literary society all voted for Chen Wenwen. Her votes were so few that they couldn't even make up a single tally mark.

Especially Lu Mingfei, that annoying guy, not only gave her his full support, but also said something sarcastic like "This is well-deserved, popular, and destined by heaven."

Enraged, she kicked him without saying a word, and even now, seeing his face still makes her angry.

However, Lu Mingfei was shameless and completely failed to grasp the underlying meaning in Su Xiaoqiang's words, instead becoming smug and self-satisfied.

"The gift from the literary society is definitely presentable; it's a finished product that took me a lot of effort to make."

Su Xiaoqiang looked at him as if he were a fool, her words tinged with pity:

"You spend so much time and energy preparing gifts for others, but you can't even go yourself, what's so great about that?"

Who told you I can't go?

Lu Mingfei really wanted to reveal that Chu Zihang had personally invited him earlier, so that Su Xiaoqiang would be extremely envious.

But this is a bit outrageous. Not to mention Su Xiaoqiang, even he himself still finds it incredibly fantastical. If he said it out loud, it would almost certainly be considered a pipe dream.

So he could only give Su Xiaoqiang a meaningful look, smile and say nothing, with an expression that said, "The world laughs at me for being too crazy, but I laugh at them for not seeing through me."

Su Xiaoqiang was furious when she saw him like this. This guy usually hangs around Chen Wenwen all day long, and he came to Jiuguang Shopping Mall on the weekend. It was probably related to the gift that Chen Wenwen wanted to give him. He was even acting all high and mighty with her.

"Forget it, why am I wasting my breath on you?" She ignored Lu Mingfei, waving her hand as if shooing away a fly. "Get out of the way!"

Lu Mingfei smiled like a victorious general, and was just about to step aside when suddenly a brilliant idea struck him—

Su Xiaoqiang and Chu Zihang are similar; both come from extremely wealthy families and have been accustomed to seeing good things since childhood. The gifts they receive are always of high quality and value.

If you're looking for a gift that doesn't cost a fortune but still shows your thoughtfulness, this young lady in front of you is definitely the best choice!

So not only did he not move aside, he stepped forward to block Su Xiaoqiang's path, a fawning smile plastered on his face, rubbing his hands together like a green-headed fly:

"Um, Su Xiaoqiang, could you please do me a favor?"

Su Xiaoqiang glanced at him sideways, crossed her arms, and slightly raised her chin: "Why should I help you?"

As she said this, she had already automatically filled in the blank in her mind that Lu Mingfei must be running errands for Chen Wenwen, but he couldn't make up his mind and couldn't contact Chen Wenwen, so he wanted to ask her for advice.

Thinking about it that way made me even more upset.

"Because you're beautiful inside and out!" Lu Mingfei blurted out without blushing at all.

"Please, don't hold a grudge against me. Just help me this once, and I'll consider it a favor I owe you, okay?"

Su Xiaoqiang curled her lip upon hearing this: "What use would I have for your favor?"

If treating him to snacks once counts as a favor, then the favors Lu Mingfei owes her over the past two years could be sold wholesale and retail long ago.

Lu Mingfei thought it made sense; his personal connections, like Zimbabwean coins, had questionable settlement capabilities, so he changed the terms:

"Then I'll tell you a super big secret, the kind that will shock the entire Shilan High School if it gets out!"

As soon as he said it, Lu Mingfei was taken aback.

No, after chatting with Su Xiaoqiang for so long, how come I didn't think of comparing her to Senior Sister Xia Mi at all?

One of the biggest hobbies of boys is to compare pretty girls side by side, but when he saw Su Xiaoqiang just now, he didn't have the slightest thought that "the little goddess has been outshone again".

He didn't even want to change to a more attractive offer; he couldn't even remember that he had just encountered Chu Zihang and Xia Mi.

What kind of ridiculously weak presence is this?!

I almost forgot about him in the blink of an eye!

If this ability were given to Lu Mingfei, wouldn't he be able to skip class whenever he wanted without worrying about being called out by the teacher and having chalk thrown at him? It would be a divine skill that any bad student would dream of!

Given Lu Mingfei's status on campus, Su Xiaoqiang had no reason to believe that he could know any earth-shattering secrets.

But seeing his confident demeanor, he didn't seem to be making things up, so she reluctantly agreed:

"Tell me what you need my help with first."

Lu Mingfei was overjoyed and quickly explained the situation briefly. Basically, he was preparing to give someone a gift, but his budget was limited and he didn't know where to start.

Because he was worried that Su Xiaoqiang would misunderstand that he was playing a trick on her, Lu Mingfei didn't say that he was preparing a gift for Chu Zihang.

Su Xiaoqiang regretted it as soon as she heard it. She didn't need to ask to know who Lu Mingfei was going to give the gift to; it must be Chen Wenwen.

I originally thought Lu Mingfei came to Jiuguang Department Store to run errands for Chen Wenwen, but I didn't expect there were other reasons.

This guy is being so secretive, could he be preparing a gift for a confession?

Su Xiaoqiang really wanted to turn around and leave, not wanting to get involved in this doomed mess, but what's done is done, so she could only offer her analysis while simultaneously expressing her disdain.

"There are two types of gift-giving. One is to give expensive gifts, which is simple and straightforward, but of course, you, a penniless guy, have no chance."

Lu Mingfei nodded vigorously. His fortune of a thousand was nothing compared to what he could make in a place like Jiuguang Shopping Mall.

"Another way is to give the right gift, something that suits their taste. Surely you don't not know what they like, right?"

Su Xiaoqiang didn't know why Lu Mingfei was so conflicted about preparing a gift for Chen Wenwen.

To deal with an artsy young woman, just send her a book or some flowers; there's no need to put in so much thought.

But Lu Mingfei hesitated even more after hearing this. What was Chu Zihang's hobby?

He studied and played basketball, and there were rumors that he had been practicing kendo.

Sending them mock college entrance exam papers now would be too late, and it might even disrupt their study schedule.

Should we send a basketball or basketball shoes?

But how can I present this thing in a presentable way?

Bringing a basketball and sneakers to someone's luxury villa is the same as bringing two cabbages into a five-star hotel.

As for kendo, he doesn't know where to buy controlled knives, and he simply can't afford them.

Su Xiaoqiang was almost speechless at his clueless look: "How can you be so stupid? Just buy a foreign classic."

Translations create a barrier; only by reading the original can one directly grasp what the author intended to express.

It's presentable enough to give as a gift, and it's not expensive, perfect for someone as frugal as you.

Since they were all in the literature club, she knew that Chen Wenwen liked to read those cold and sad European and American literary works, and that she would hold Marguerite Duras's "The Lover" all day long and pretend to be profound.

Instead of worrying about which books she hasn't read, it's better to just give her an original English version and let her read it, so she won't be acting all sentimental and childish all day long!

Lu Mingfei thought to himself, "That makes sense!"

The collection of essays that Chen Wenwen sent included works by students from the literary society, and their quality was only so-so.

His gift of a foreign language classic not only suited his status as a director of the literary society, but also complemented Chen Wenwen's collection of writings, creating a fusion of Chinese and Western styles—a win-win situation!

"How could I not have thought of that? Su Xiaoqiang, you're a genius!"

Lu Mingfei clapped his hands vigorously, thanked Xiaotiannu profusely, and rushed out of Jiuguang Department Store, running excitedly towards the largest bookstore in the CBD.

Su Xiaoqiang watched as the man verbally thanked her twice and then ran off. She was stunned for a second, then subconsciously raised her foot to chase after him.

"Hey, wait a minute, stop right there! You haven't told me the big secret you promised!!"

However, someone called out to her from behind, their voice gentle yet inquisitive: "Honey, who are you talking to?"

Su Xiaoqiang turned around and saw that it was her mother who had gone to the restroom. Not wanting to expose the embarrassing fact that she had been tricked, she could only grit her teeth and say fiercely:

"It's nothing, I just ran into a classmate."

Mrs. Su glanced at the bodyguard standing not far away, so inconspicuous he was almost invisible. Seeing him nod, she smiled and took her daughter's hand.

"Who is this classmate? Should we introduce them to Mom?"

"No way, he's so annoying!" Su Xiaoqiang sipped her coffee angrily, then dragged her mother upstairs, secretly vowing to give Lu Mingfei a piece of her mind when she got to school on Monday!

This isn't over until he's kicked to the ground and is crawling on the floor with his teeth knocked out!

Mrs. Su smiled and didn't press further, letting her daughter lead her upstairs.

……

Meanwhile, Lu Mingfei had already sprinted all the way to the bookstore.

He headed straight for the foreign language section, wondering which foreign language classics would be suitable, when suddenly a game notification popped into his mind—

[Character Su Xiaoqiang's favorability -1]

[Character Su Xiaoqiang's favorability -1]

[Character Su Xiaoqiang's favorability -1]

[Current Affection Level: 41 (Familiar)]

A series of notifications about declining favorability almost made Lu Mingfei slip and crash into a bookshelf. While regaining his balance, he finally remembered that he hadn't told Su Xiaoqiang that earth-shattering secret yet.

This isn't just a deduction in favorability, it's a deduction in Lu Mingfei's reputation score.

But that's not the point. The point is, how come he has such a high level of favorability with Su Xiaoqiang?

If Chu Zihang's initial favorability rating was as high as 25, it could be loosely categorized as the strong's sympathy and pity for the weak.

How do we explain Su Xiaoqiang's initial favorability rating of 44?

For the past two years, he has been freeloading off her to an outrageous degree, and he is always arguing with her and making her angry at the drop of a hat. The number of times he has made mistakes could fill an entire corridor.

How can this have a favorability rating of 40+?

The little fairy is so kind and compassionate, she has the heart of a bodhisattva!

Or is this what they call a bickering couple, where the more they argue, the better their relationship becomes?

But isn't that a scene from a comic book?

What? It's a visual novel now?

That's alright then.

Lu Mingfei thought about it carefully and realized that there were indeed not many people who could easily stir up Xiaotiannv's emotions.

She wasn't very popular at school. She didn't like the admirers who surrounded her, and she looked down on those who hung around Chen Wenwen and Liu Miaomiao, and she wouldn't get too close to them.

Lu Mingfei is rather annoying. Despite being a loyal fan of Chen Wenwen, he always manages to provoke her and is more eager than anyone else to freeload off her.

Whenever Su Xiaoqiang treats everyone to snacks, although she might say a few words to Lu Mingfei, she never excludes him.

"When I get to school, Little Fairy is going to kick me to death." Lu Mingfei shrank his neck, feeling that he couldn't dodge Little Fairy's long legs this time.

Whether I live or die can wait; the most important thing right now is to buy the gift, and then the PS2…

wrong!

Now is not the time to think about the PS2!

Lu Mingfei stood rooted to the spot, his breathing suddenly becoming heavier, his heart pumping out gurgling hot currents that flowed throughout his body, and he felt his brain frantically secreting dopamine.

It seems he's found the right way to play the Dragon Raja game!

If Su Xiaoqiang, who has been his enemy for two years, has already raised his affection level to over 40, what about Chen Wenwen, who lives under the same roof with him every day, does, participate in activities together after school, and chat with him on QQ until late at night?

Wouldn't the favorability rating skyrocket?!

Lu Mingfei clenched his fists tightly, a surge of joy welling up in his heart. He had been so busy complaining that he hadn't thought of using this bond system to check Chen Wenwen's affection level!

Put the PS2 aside for now; his savings are now going to be used as dating funds.

From this moment forward, Lu Mingfei will put aside StarCraft and devote all his energy to researching Dragon Raja visual novels!

After buying the gift, he'll go to the internet cafe and download ten bishoujo games. He's determined to become a master of them all!

Thinking of this, Lu Mingfei felt full of energy and quickened his pace.

In the foreign language section, a sign stands there proudly, which reads: "The Road, the 2007 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, is a global bestseller. Domestic publishers are translating and introducing it to China, and the original work has already been adapted into a film and television series."

Thanks to the literary society, Lu Mingfei was aware of the significance of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature.

It's practically the Oscars of the film industry; a book that wins this award is absolutely amazing.

"I'm so lucky, I didn't even have to rack my brains to choose!"

He picked up a hardcover copy of "The Road" from the booth. The cover featured a silhouette of a man and a child walking on a desolate road. The colors were somber, and the setting sun was cropped into the shape of a torch, conveying a sense of apocalyptic desolation.

A quick glance at the price at the bottom of the book revealed it was less than a fraction of my budget.

Let's look at the recommendation:

The father has finished his journey, and the son has taken up the torch and will continue on—the road will never end.

Wow, that's a brilliant meaning!

The reason Chu Zihang threw this birthday party was simply because his father wanted to celebrate it properly for him.

So, by giving him this book, isn't he encouraging him to follow in his father's footsteps and take over his father's business empire?

Simply perfect!

Lu Mingfei was already imagining what kind of smile Chu Zihang would have after receiving the gift.