They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

"I don't have anything else of value! I still need to save up to pay for the school's lock... but I can give you all my snacks for the next month!"

"I don't think the lock is your problem. It was already taken by someone before... Anyway, just put your phone away. Even if the previous owner was a beautiful girl, it won't have an advantage on the secondhand market."

"I already said I'm not a pretty girl! And the phone isn't for you, it's to show you can delete the videos in front of me."

"..." You should have said so earlier. I was just checking the price of "90% new, used by a woman".

"So, can I hire you for help?" An Yu looked at me uneasily, her eyes filled with fear and nervousness.

"Is it really necessary to go to such lengths for someone else?" I didn't answer directly, but couldn't help but sigh.

“Ge Lanlan is my friend, not a stranger.”

Help! The answer was practically a standard morning drama response, making this sewer-dwelling paramecium feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Even so, why are you asking me for help? I'm the most unreliable and most hated guy in the whole school, you know?" Although it sounded a bit self-deprecating, I genuinely thought that it would be best if I could persuade this guy.

A blunt refusal will only breed rebellion, while persuading others to think "this is my own decision" is the real way to convince them.

"Wouldn't it be better to find someone else? Given your popularity, I think there would be plenty of people in the whole school, let alone the whole class, willing to go with you—if all else fails, I can contact the class monitor for you."

"No, no, don't contact the class monitor!" An Yu almost lunged at me to stop me. "This is too much trouble for others!"

"Huh? So you can bother me?" I almost couldn't hide the twitching in the corner of my eye.

"No, no, what I mean is!" An Yu seemed even more anxious. "We, we have a lot of secrets in common! Isn't that what you call comrades-in-arms? If it were you, Ning Ruoyu, you would definitely come to help me, right, right?"

She gave me a pleading look, like a puppy, holding her phone in one hand and shrimp chips in the other, staring at me expectantly.

It's truly hard to imagine that this is the same girl who shouted "Don't come near me!" just a month ago.

"...I'm not your comrade-in-arms." I shook my head, stood up, took her phone, and flipped through the photo album under her puzzled gaze.

What caught my eye were several rows of selfies in the room—the boudoir of my class idol was suddenly revealed to me.

"Ahhh!!! Don't look, don't look! This, this was taken yesterday while I was fooling around with Hu Dan and the others!!!"

Just as An Yu blushed and stood up to fight for it, I calmly deleted the promise video.

"Eh?"

"I won't always help you, so don't expect and then be disappointed next time." I gave the girl a heads-up, "But you're right about one thing."

"Although it wasn't voluntary or intentional, I still learned some secrets that you didn't want to be discovered, more or less unilaterally."

"Consider it compensation for the diary incident last time. I'll go with you, but we'll agree on three rules..."

Before I could finish speaking, I felt my hands being grabbed.

"Yay! Yay!!! I knew Ning Ruoyu was a really, really good person!"

"Wait a minute, don't be so happy handing out cards before I finish speaking..."

"If Ning Ruoyu is here, I don't feel scared at all. I heard that the fruit platter at that shop is delicious, let's go together!"

"Wait, wait a minute, we're not really going to a dinner party, and I haven't even finished speaking yet..."

Bang!

As fate would have it, the rooftop door was suddenly flung open at that moment.

"Ning Ruoyu! Are you alright...?"

The kind person I just texted for help, F class's hope and conscience are unusually showing a hint of bewilderment at this moment.

"Did I come at the wrong time?"

"Is this where your comedic talent lies?"

I pulled my hand away and shook it forcefully.

"Let me finish what I have to say!"

"Class monitor, class monitor, are you here to save us?"

"Um, you two, although I'm still very curious about your experience on the rooftop, lunch break is almost over, and we might be late if we don't come downstairs soon."

……

They even had a three-point agreement, but they haven't even had a chance to say a single one!

[Next chapter preview: Students, widows, and landmine women are the three types we hate the most, and students are especially the most troublesome.]

Am I hearing things, or have I traveled through time again? I heard someone in this world apologizing to me?!

"...But Ning Ruoyu, are you one of those delinquent teenagers who are quite knowledgeable about cigarettes and alcohol?!"

With tears welling in her eyes, An Yu quickly closed the distance and almost pounced on me.

"Junior Ning Ruoyu, what are you doing here?"

Chapter 10: Will e-cigarettes dream of cyber sheep?

“Before you go in, repeat the conditions I just mentioned.”

I said to An Yu, who was hiding behind me.

"First, don't act impulsively..."

"Stop, stop." I rubbed my forehead, looking at the girl who was obediently counting on her fingers. "I told you to remember this concisely: you're going to find the Peace Star, right?"

"What Peace Star?"

"Forget it, there's a generation gap." I glanced at the karaoke bar on the fourth floor of the shopping district. Compared to those standalone buildings, this kind of karaoke bar is actually relatively safer, but I think the other party probably wasn't considering that—it was purely to save money.

"In short, I'm only here to give you courage and to ensure your safety. I won't concern myself with or interfere in anything else, understand?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Don't make me participate in these kinds of activities again in the future, that's one of the conditions."

"Uh-huh!"

"...No lunch allowed."

"Hmm!...Eh?! Why?"

"You're not even listening to a word I'm saying!!!" If it weren't for An Yu's striking appearance making it difficult for me to act in public, I probably would have punched her right now.

"Hmph, don't underestimate me." An Yu looked very proud. "I know exactly when to bring my brain and when to leave it at home!"

"Now, right now, go home and get your brain back." I glared at her.

"An'an?"

A somewhat puzzled voice came from behind.

"Ah, Grandland, here, here."

An Yu turned around and waved vigorously at the figure a little distance away.

"You're here so early." The girl named Ge Lanlan walked over hesitantly, nodded slightly to me as a greeting, and then took An Yu's arm to chat.

"We came directly from the school and didn't change into our school uniforms."

"I see." Granlan clearly wanted to say something more, but seemed to stop when she saw me there.

Although wearing a school uniform can be very conspicuous outside of school, it is precisely because of this conspicuousness that it often serves as a form of protection.

School uniforms and school uniforms are different. In my old shop, the latter was usually used to add some fun, but if the former appeared, the boss would probably be so scared that he would scramble to send the person out, fearing that he had been set up by a competitor or entrapped.

Students, widows, and landmine women are the three types we hate the most, with students being the most troublesome.

Not only is there no profit to be made, but it also brings a lot of trouble. Behind the gentle persuasion of "come back when you're older" lies the industry's eagerness to get rid of this plague in a subtle way.

Dude, everyone else is just skirting the line, but you're breaking the law.

“But wearing that, doesn’t it seem disrespectful?” Ge Lanlan said to An Yu. “Well, they seem to be college students after all. Wearing school uniforms makes them look so childish. Won’t they be looked down upon?”

"Hmm, that makes sense."

"Right? Besides, wearing a school uniform makes it obvious that you're from our school. It wouldn't feel good if someone recognized you, would it?"

"Yes, that's right..."

You're so easily convinced! I thought to myself with a wry smile as I played on my phone.

"We still have some time. How about we go to the mall together to buy some clothes to change into? I happen to have a discount coupon for this mall."

"Um, Ning Ruoyu, do you want to come along?"

An Yu turned the conversation to me, which made Ge Lanlan, who was rummaging through her bag, stare wide-eyed in confusion, looking at me and then at An Yu.

"I'm not going." I shook my head as I downloaded the information on the screen into PDF format.

"Then, I won't go either."

An Yu said to Ge Lanlan shyly. Ge Lanlan opened her mouth slightly, but finally nodded.

"Okay, I think they should be here soon."

After waiting for about ten more minutes downstairs in the mall, and just as An Yu was getting bored and started eating three or four packs of shrimp chips, a text message notification finally arrived.

"Uh, sorry."

Am I hearing things, or have I traveled through time again? I heard someone in this world apologizing to me?!

Ge Lanlan looked at An Yu and me with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

“Anan and his friends went straight up from the underground parking lot and have already booked a private room. They told us to hurry over.”

"Oh, okay? Then let's hurry up and go. But why didn't they tell us sooner?"

An Yu seemed unaware of anything amiss. After earnestly stating her thoughts, she prepared to head towards the mall's elevator.

"Looks like school uniforms really are a bit disrespectful," I said sarcastically, and followed them.

"I'm sorry, I think they were planning to treat us, that's why..."

"You've got it wrong. I was just passing by, it doesn't matter to me—but what about you?"

Leaving Ge Lanlan behind, whose mood seemed to have suddenly turned gloomy, An Yu and I walked into the mall's elevator lobby together.

……

"Haha, everyone's here! Please make yourselves at home, don't be shy!"

"Wow, Anan, you're something else! Your girlfriend is so pretty, and she even has her classmates. What's your name? You're so cute! Sit here, and I'll pick out a song for you!"

"Um, I'm not Anan's..."

"Hey, don't be shy! Ladies, feel free to order whatever you want to sing or eat. It's on us today!"

Inside the karaoke bar, besides Ge Lanlan's childhood friend whom I'd met at the restaurant before, the other two were indeed familiar faces from the convenience store area. They acted as if they hadn't seen me at all, not even bothering to nod or greet me like Ge Lanlan did.

I glanced at Ge Lanlan, who was being harassed by one of them, and walked over to An Yu's side.

"You're so cute, but why are you wearing a school uniform? Are you a freshman this year? It brings back so many memories."

"Ah ha ha."

An Yu's face was filled with embarrassment and unease as he looked down at his toes.

"Don't be so nervous, how about we sing a song together later? Oh, by the way, I smoke e-cigarettes, is that alright?"

This passerby casually took the plastic cube off his neck and took a deep drag, looking quite intoxicated.

"I do mind."

Seeing that I had interrupted the passerby's self-satisfaction, An Yu seemed to have grasped a lifeline and hid behind me.

...Where did you come from, hermit crab?

"Uh, huh?"

The passerby was stunned at first, then showed his annoyance at being embarrassed.

"It's harmless to the human body, and there's no problem with secondhand smoke!"

"You're smoking a fruit-flavored one, right? The sour smell after you exhale is really unpleasant. I suggest you check if there's a problem with the e-liquid or the battery connection. I certainly can't stand it."

"And I regret to remind you that the market for various flavors of e-cigarettes has been restricted for two years now, for many reasons, including addictiveness and issues with disguise. If you get caught, it'll be quite troublesome."

"I don't think it's appropriate for underage students to smoke any kind of cigarette, right?"

"...Tch, this is so boring."