Today I Will Also Be the Male Protagonist’s Rival - Chapter 50

“You…”

Huo Shu was annoyed and turned to leave.

This person—how could she never act properly?

“Huo Huo baby, are you mad?”

The girl’s cheerful laughter echoed through the alley.

She ignored her and quickened her pace.

Just as she was about to go upstairs, she couldn’t help but stop and urge softly, “Su Yu, you should go home now, it’s really late.”

“Aren’t you going to invite me in for a bit?”

Su Yu raised her brow and asked, dragging out her final syllables as she clicked her tongue lightly. “Cold-hearted woman.”

Huo Shu’s ears turned red, and she tightened her grip on her backpack straps.

If she… If she didn’t act like such a scoundrel, she might have invited her in.

But she…

“Huo Huo, is this your classmate?”

Huo Shu’s mother approached with a handbag in hand, giving Su Yu a once-over.

The girl looked quite young, tall and slender, with short cropped hair that was both neat and stylish. Her eyes curved gently when she smiled, softening the cold sharpness of her features—she was undeniably beautiful.

Huo Huo had a classmate like this?

“Good evening, Auntie. I’m Su Yu.”

Before Huo Shu could speak, Su Yu took the initiative, smiling lightly. “You can just call me Yuyu. I just transferred to First High and live not far from your place. Since Huo Huo and I happen to walk the same route, we can go home together from now on.”

Huo Shu’s mother was slightly taken aback, but then smiled warmly. “That’s wonderful. I always worry that when I’m too busy to pick her up, it’s not safe for her to go home alone. It’s great that you can accompany her.”

Huo Shu’s eyes widened.

This person… how could she lie so brazenly with a straight face?

When did she transfer to First High? This—this…

She stomped her foot angrily and couldn’t help but yell, “Mom!”

“And you too. Why didn’t you invite your classmate up for a visit?”

Huo Shu’s mother turned to scold her before smiling again. “Yuyu, would you like to come upstairs for a bit? I’ll send you home later.”

“Sure.”

Su Yu curved her lips meaningfully and glanced at Huo Shu. “I wanted to ask Huo Huo for some help with my homework anyway.”

Just as Huo Shu was about to speak, she heard her mom laugh and say, “That works. You two go over the homework first. I’ll make you some late-night snacks.”

Huo Shu: ………

Mom, you’ve been fooled by her!

Once inside, Huo Shu’s mom turned on the lights and headed straight for the kitchen. She peeked her head out and reminded them, “Huo Huo, take Yuyu to your room. I’ll bring your snacks up later.”

Huo Shu didn’t want to move and called out, “Mom…”

“You child, why are you so inconsiderate today?”

She patted them both on the back and pushed them into the room.

Bang!

The bedroom door shut. Su Yu glanced around.

It wasn’t very big, but it was cozy and tastefully decorated. The entire room had a pink theme—from the curtains to the bedsheets, everything screamed a girly vibe.

Su Yu smiled and leaned against the desk. “I didn’t expect my dear Huo Huo to be so into pink.”

Her tone was teasing, and her gaze held a deeper meaning.

Huo Shu’s face flushed bright red. “You… You get out! You’re not allowed to look!”

“Then I’ll go tell Auntie.”

“You…”

She held it in for a long time before finally blurting out, “Y-you shameless!”

“Shameless?”

Su Yu raised her brow and leaned in a little closer. “Huo Huo baby, want to see what real shameless looks like?”

The girl was more than half a head taller than her, and her breath landed lightly on Huo Shu’s skin, carrying a faint fragrance that made Huo Shu’s ears burn.

“Back off.”

She threatened softly, her face red. “If you don’t back off, I’m going to ignore you.”

Su Yu smiled and reached out to pinch her cheek. “Huo Huo baby, why are you so easily embarrassed?”

“D-don’t call me that!”

Huo Shu stomped her foot and shoved her away, then sat down at her desk with a red face. “Weren’t you going to ask me questions? Well? Ask!”

Su Yu stopped teasing her, sat down, and rested her head on her hand. “Give me a textbook.”

Huo Shu held onto her backpack with a small huff. “Where’s your own?”

“I don’t attend evening study hall. Why would I bring a textbook?”

Huo Shu: ………

“Here.”

Su Yu flipped through it, then casually picked a question and shrugged innocently. “Huo Huo baby, I don’t know how to solve this one.”

Huo Shu glanced over and frowned. “You don’t even know this? It’s so simple.”

As soon as she said it, she bit her lip, a bit regretful. That kind of comment… might be a little discouraging.

She opened her mouth, wanting to explain. “Um…”

But the girl didn’t seem to mind at all. She leaned in a bit closer and said with a soft smile, “It’s because I’m too dumb. That’s why I need Huo Huo to teach me.”

Huo Shu blushed, embarrassed and annoyed, and knocked on the desk sternly. “Focus!”

“Okay.”

Su Yu responded softly.

Seeing she wasn’t goofing around anymore, Huo Shu finally relaxed and started explaining carefully.

Su Yu stared at her.

The girl was slender, wearing the blue-and-white school uniform that looked a bit loose on her. Her fair, slender neck was exposed.

She looked down, focused and serious, her voice soft and gentle as she explained.

Su Yu clenched her fists and took a deep breath.

It’s so nice… to see her again in this world.

In this unfamiliar world, having her here made everything feel worth it—like she finally had something to look forward to. A place to belong.

“What are you staring at?”

Huo Shu frowned seriously. “Is there a flower on my face?”

“There is.”

The girl smiled sweetly, reaching out to trace the outline of her brows and eyes, her eyes full of laughter.

“See, isn’t this a flower?”

Huo Shu’s face flushed red in an instant.

In all her years of living, she had never met anyone like Su Yu.

She was flamboyant, hot-tempered, yet she could chase off the bad guys for her, take her home safely, and… and still be such a flirt.

Huo Shu turned her face away, not wanting to pay her any attention.

“Huo Huo baby, keep talking.”

Su Yu cupped her cheeks, tilting her head innocently as she looked at her. “I didn’t understand it yet.”

“I’ve already finished explaining.”

At the mention of the question, Huo Shu finally turned her head and said angrily, “Can’t you focus a little? If you keep this up, I’m not going to help you with your homework anymore.”

Su Yu knew when to stop. She leaned in again, “Then… I don’t know how to do this one.”

Huo Shu smacked the table and asked, “Did you understand the last one?”

“Mhm.”

She straightened her face, acting strict. “Then show me.”

Su Yu’s eyes twinkled with amusement. The little girl acting all stern like that was kind of cute.

“Be serious. Write it down. Now.”

“Alright,” Su Yu replied and lowered her head, glanced at the question, and quickly scribbled an answer on the scratch paper before handing it over.

That fast?

Huo Shu scrunched her nose and took the paper.

Her handwriting was surprisingly beautiful, but each character had a sharp edge to it—just like her.

She pursed her lips and kept reading. It was… it was actually correct?

But the method was completely different from what she had just explained.

A suspicion crept up in her heart. She looked up, “You already knew how to solve this?”

Su Yu blinked and spread her hands innocently. “Nope.”

“You liar!”

“You obviously knew how to do it. Were you even paying attention?”

“I really didn’t.”

Frustrated, Huo Shu turned away, unwilling to deal with her anymore. “Do it yourself. I’m reviewing my own notes.”

“Okay, okay, I admit it. I knew how to do it. Don’t be mad.”

Seeing that the girl was genuinely annoyed, Su Yu leaned in to coax her. “Don’t be mad, okay?”

Huo Shu’s voice carried a rare note of grievance. “You knew the answer, but you lied to me.”

“I just wanted to chat with you more.”

She scooted closer and took her hand. “Don’t ignore me, Huo Huo. I won’t lie to you ever again, okay?”

“Go away!”

The more Su Yu tried to coax her, the more annoyed Huo Shu got, her little temper flaring up completely.

“I was seriously helping you, and you weren’t even paying attention.”

“My bad, my bad.”

Su Yu gently squeezed her hand, smiling as if to plead for forgiveness. “Huo Huo, don’t hate me, okay?”

Her demeanor had completely softened; there wasn’t a trace of the coldness from earlier that afternoon. Someone so strong-willed, once they softened, it was really hard to stay mad at them.

Huo Shu could only stay serious for three seconds before relenting.

In the end, she wasn’t someone with a cold or hardened heart.

“Next time you pull that again, I won’t talk to you anymore.”

“Okay.”

Huo Shu pointed to the question Su Yu had just asked. “Do you know how to do this one?”

“Yes.”

“You…”

Su Yu’s lips curved in a smile so charming, it made it impossible to stay angry. “I had promised you earlier, remember?”

Huo Shu took a deep breath.

Hold it in!

“What about this one?”

“I know it.”

“And this one?”

“I know it too.”

One after another, she asked several questions. Su Yu answered each with “I know,” which made Huo Shu start to doubt.

“You really know them?”

“Of course.”

Su Yu replied lazily, “These are just high school-level questions. Why wouldn’t I know how to solve them?”

No matter her previous life or the worlds she had been through before, she was never someone bad at studying.
What’s more, with every world she experienced, her soul became stronger. Her memory was naturally sharp. Those problems—just one glance—and they were printed in her mind.

Huo Shu raised an eyebrow and set down her pen with a snap. “Write it down and show me.”

“Sure.”

Su Yu nodded and lowered her head, swiftly writing down multiple methods to solve the problem.

Huo Shu widened her eyes, leaning in to watch.

“Huo Huo baby, am I good-looking?”

The girl suddenly turned her head, eyes narrowing slightly, carrying a hint of lazy, captivating sharpness—like a predator catching its prey.

Huo Shu felt awkward under her gaze and turned away.

“Here, it’s solved. Huo Huo wifey, please review it.”

Su Yu pushed the scratch paper toward her.

Huo Shu was too focused on checking the solution to remember to correct her wording.

Knock knock knock.

Huo’s mother knocked, then opened the door. “I brought you two a late-night snack.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

Su Yu stood up and took the bowl, finishing the tangyuan cleanly before smiling. “Auntie, it’s getting late. I should head back now.”

Hearing this, Huo’s mother turned around. “I’ll walk you out.”

“No need. My uncle is waiting for me outside.”

Huo’s mother was briefly surprised, then nodded. “Alright, be safe.”

“Mhm.” Su Yu nodded and turned to smile at Huo Shu.

“Huo Huo, see you tomorrow.”

Huo Shu turned her face away.

Who wants to see her again tomorrow?

She was way too forward.

“Bye, Auntie.”

The voice faded into the distance.

Huo Shu went back to her desk to continue reviewing, but after a moment’s thought, she pushed open the window.

Su Yu’s place wasn’t even in the same direction.

Where’d this “uncle” of hers come from?

Under the warm glow of the streetlights, the tall girl slowly walked into the night.

She really was alone.

Huo Shu bit her lip, hesitated for just a second, then stuffed the family flashlight into her pocket and dashed downstairs.

“Su Yu.”

The girl turned around. “Hmm?”

“This is for you.”

Huo Shu shoved the flashlight into her hands, face flushing red.

“Um… be careful on the road.”