They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

"Haha, I do think there are still some similarities."

Chen Di recognized me the moment we met, his smile carrying a hint of composure.

"You're still laughing? Class monitor, you're so oblivious! At this rate, your title as the most handsome guy in Class F will be stolen!!!"

"Take it away, take it away! Whoever wants this kind of status can have it. It's too shameful."

"Then don't push me into a fire pit."

I shook my head with a wry smile. "This kind of undesirable position should be given to Xu Xingxin."

"...I'd like to, but girls wouldn't vote for me."

Xu Xingxin said dejectedly, looking genuinely hurt.

"This is too much of a cheat; there's no such outrageous hidden handsome guy setting in real life."

I smiled and didn't respond.

In my past life, due to my work, many of the top male escorts and even celebrities I met presented themselves with unremarkable appearances in their daily lives.

Makeup and dressing up are skills in themselves, and for those of us who sell our looks to provide emotional value, it is the foundation of our livelihood.

For regular fitness and skincare, a basic foundation is sufficient. Depending on the occasion, we need to switch effortlessly between glamorous and understated looks. As a former star of the shop, I can dress in at least a dozen different styles.

My first summer vacation in high school was a rare and novel experience for me. To avoid being implicated by the identity of "Ning Ruoyu," I specially tidied up my usual clothes and participated in many interesting activities as Chen Di's friend from another school.

It's not because if I don't do this, no one but Chen Di and Xu Xingxin will want to play with me.

...Absolutely not.

"Appearances are really important. This senior used to look down on me... When he came over with his teammates, I almost thought I was going to get beaten up."

I looked at the rugged guy chatting with his teammates on the other side and felt quite emotional.

"Oh, is he the senior who made you delete all your friends from your phone?"

"It's not that dramatic, he just deleted his girlfriend's contact information."

"...It's illogical, but it's very reasonable." - Xu Xingxin's sharp comment.

"His girlfriend is Ling Qingxue from Class C of the first year of high school, right? She's quite famous in school. And I remember that name..."

"Yeah, it's that girl who posted my confession on the wall—I think she's the one who made me eat pickled vegetables and porridge for a week."

I replied.

Speak of the devil, and he appears. At the entrance of the basketball court, a girl in a black dress carrying a bag of drinks was greeted with applause and a welcome from the boys on the opposite basketball team as soon as she entered.

The burly senior immediately ran over, picked up the bag, and started talking to the girl somewhat shyly—he seemed to have a tender side despite his tough exterior.

"As expected of a second-tier beauty in the school, even with a boyfriend, she's still the idol of the basketball team, right?"

"The second step?"

I asked it casually.

"Yes, there are differences between beautiful girls. Actually, someone like Ling Qingxue is already considered very good, but unfortunately there are senior Chu Guyin, president Wu Yuehua, and An Yu from our class above her, who are like three mountains with absolute dominance."

"Compared to a beauty of that caliber, Ling Qingxue can only be ranked second... Ah, but her personality is a big plus, so I still have high hopes for her."

"A strange ranking. An Yu has become dominant?"

"This ranking was supposedly first created by Lucheng High School... but you have no idea how well An Yu can handle everything."

"There are millions of girls from Linwai, and half of them are female fans of Anyu. Her innocent and naive nature, like a little animal, makes her a very popular girl among the same sex."

Xu Xingxin answered earnestly while drinking water.

"Your reputation at school is so bad right now. Besides the confession wall incident, An Yu's public declaration is also a big problem—many girls have a natural aversion to you because of this."

Is she the abbot of Shaolin Temple? The kind of person who would be impossible to escape if you offended her.

I shook my head.

"Never mind, I didn't realize—so, which step is Grand Lanlan on?"

"Don't bring up things you don't want to talk about..."

Xu Xingxin lowered his head in frustration.

"You haven't given up yet?" Even Chen Di was surprised.

"She's given up, she's given up. What she cares about now is clearly..."

Xu Xingxin and I made eye contact, and I tilted my head.

"...Forget it, as a guy who once had feelings for her, I refuse to answer any of Grandan's questions."

Xu Xingxin spoke righteously, while muttering something under his breath.

"And I feel like it's even harder for her to achieve it than for me."

"To achieve what?"

"What are you talking about?"

A question, somewhat abrupt but perfectly timed, interrupted our conversation.

"Did I disturb you? You must be tired from playing. I bought some sports drinks, please~"

Ling Qingxue, the person involved in the previous topic, appeared before us with a friendly smile.

Chen Di smiled and shook her head, "No, I don't drink beverages after exercising."

"I've already drunk some water," Xu Xingxin said, raising his cup with a hint of regret.

Her eyes met mine.

"How much? I'll transfer it to you."

I asked, and Xu Xingxin looked at me with an incredulous expression.

"No need, no need, why be so polite?"

"Because we're not familiar with each other, right?" I said, taking out my phone. "Can I use a QR code to pay?"

A hint of displeasure flashed across Ling Qingxue's face, but it vanished in an instant, as if it were just an illusion.

"That's fine, but there's really no need to be so polite."

"All done, thank you."

I took a bottle of drink from her bag.

"Well then, we should be considered familiar next time, right? Don't scan the code again next time, okay?"

Seeing me open it and drink it, Ling Qingxue said with a smile.

"My name is Ling Qingxue. I study at Linwai High School. I'm a first-year high school student now, but I'll be a second-year high school student after the summer vacation."

"Lü Ning is studying in another city. She will be a junior in high school after the summer vacation."

I gave myself a fake name.

"Oh, I see. We're in the same grade." Ling Qingxue said with a happy smile.

Is that something we can have in common? That's great, we're all Earthlings after all.

Seeing that I simply nodded and hummed in agreement, Ling Qingxue continued.

"My sister and I were watching you guys play a match, and all three of you played really well."

"No."

"It's mainly those two, I'm just a noob," Xu Xingxin interjected guiltily.

"No, I think your rebound in the middle was crucial, it's just a pity that the angle wasn't good and you couldn't make up for it," Ling Qingxue said regretfully.

"I had several three-pointers, but was my shooting touch off? I felt like I was just a little off."

"Let me tell you something, this!..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xingxin immediately began to complain incessantly to Ling Qingxue about the limitations and targeting he faced on the field. Chen Di and I exchanged a helpless glance and didn't say much.

Ling Qingxue listened attentively to Xu Xingxin's speech, occasionally saying things like "Wow, that's amazing," "Really?" and "Haha, what a pity," showing that she was very engrossed in the conversation.

Occasionally, I could sense a slightly probing gaze coming from her.

...Did they realize my lie, or do they have other motives? Although I look different now than my usual bespectacled, shut-in self, I still felt a sense of unease.

"Qingxue, are we planning to go back?"

The burly senior shouted across the court.

"Okay, I'm coming!"

Ling Qingxue turned around and answered, then gave us a somewhat apologetic look.

"Excuse me, I have to go now. I'll come to watch the next match too, and I'll prepare drinks for you guys in advance—for Chen Di, is bottled water okay?"

"I'll bring my own water. Thank you for your kindness, but I appreciate it," Chen Di said with a smile, declining the offer.

"Okay, I'm off then. See you all, okay?"

She smiled and waved, then quickly ran to her senior's side. The girl who had just greeted me seemed to be in the crowd as well.

After exchanging a few words with the girl, Ling Qingxue followed them out of the basketball court.

"In my personal ranking, Ling Qingxue has now risen to the first tier!"

Xu Xingxin said impatiently.

"She really is a girl who's good at compromising with those below her station," Chen Di said to me. "Did she figure something out about you, or is she just genuinely interested in you?"

"What? Why Ning Ruoyu? Wasn't she just chatting with me?"

Xu Xingxin protested. "Although it's not nice to say it like that, my senior's girlfriend should appreciate me more, right? Although you shouldn't mess with your friend's wife, I won this time! I'm the one who got the beautiful girl's attention!!"

"I had a water bottle hanging on my bag, and you were drinking water. Guess why she came over with a beverage—who looks like someone who needs a drink?"

Chen Di glanced helplessly at Xu Xingxin, who was still excited.

"Whatever the situation, as long as it doesn't affect my next game." I put the unfinished drink into my bag.

"...I still think Ling Qingxue appreciates me, she must really appreciate me!"

"Hey guys, don't be so unconvinced. Now that I think about those rebounds and three-pointers I made, holy crap, they were amazing... Even though they didn't go in, they were really cool."

Leaving Xu Xingxin still stubbornly clinging to his beliefs, Chen Di and I, carrying our bags, shook our heads and left the stadium.

"beep--"

A message came through my phone.

"My parents will be away on a business trip for two months. I have summer tutoring at school, which is relatively close to your place. Can I stay at your apartment?"

The message was signed by my dear sister, whom I hadn't seen in a long time and with whom I had a long-standing estrangement.

[Next chapter preview: "...You won't die if you lie to me, Ning Ruoyu, that's your weakness."]

"As an older brother, you make your younger sister do all the housework. I really misjudged you!"

"My name is Lü Ning. I knew An Yu before. I studied in another province and just came back for summer vacation."

"Why bother with that annoying piece of trash! He's always dragging your bastard into this mess, he'd be better off starving to death!!"

Chapter Twenty-Two: My Sister's Friend

Hey, Ning Ruoyu!

Someone gently patted my back.

"Why are you dressed like this? — It actually looks quite nice!"

"I find it strange that you can still recognize me even though I'm dressed like this."

I rubbed my back and sighed as I looked at the girl in front of me.

"After all, we agreed to meet here. And although it's different from usual, it still gives me that 'Ah, this is Ning Ruoyu' feeling, right?"

"Don't mistake your almost animalistic intuition for universal values."

"That's really hurtful to say something like that. Even I would be angry!"

The person who would speak in this tone is naturally my troublesome original client.