Today I Will Also Be the Male Protagonist’s Rival - Chapter 53

Friday, the placement exam.

To avoid any accidents, Su Yu had been busy studying all week, consolidating the knowledge points in her mind so she wouldn’t forget them during the exam.

8:00 a.m.

Before entering the exam hall, groups of students huddled together, nervously flipping through their books.

Su Yu leaned against the wall, watching Huo Shu.

The little girl was leaning on the railing, holding a book in her hands. The somewhat glaring light refracted down onto her fair little face, making her look even quieter and more delicate.

Sensing someone’s gaze, the little girl frowned slightly and looked up.

When she saw Su Yu, she looked a bit puffed-up in anger.

That look—just like a cat with its fur bristled.

Su Yu’s eyes curved with a smile; she didn’t avoid it, instead staring straight at her until she made the little girl blush like a fiery sunset and hurriedly turn her head away in panic.

Tsk, that was her Huo Huo.

So shy.

She chuckled softly and stretched lazily—only to suddenly feel someone else’s gaze on her.

Su Yu raised her eyebrows and glanced over.

Shen Luan and a few boys were huddled in a corner, sneaking glances at her, their expressions complicated.

She clicked her tongue and stepped over.

“Sister Yu, we’ve been behaving ourselves lately, haven’t done anything bad.”

“That’s right, that’s right. Please don’t come looking for trouble with us—we haven’t done a thing.”

“Sister Yu, the exam’s about to start, let’s not make a fuss, okay?”

The tall, big boys were almost about to cry, making the people nearby chuckle quietly.

What Zhou Cheng and the others said wasn’t false—these past days they had indeed been keeping themselves in check, not causing trouble, and even the teachers said they’d turned over a new leaf.

Su Yu couldn’t help but curl her lips, her gaze falling on Shen Luan. “And you, little brother?”

“Feeling itchy and looking for a beating again?”

Shen Luan: …

He’d just looked at her once and that warranted a beating?

Was there no justice left?

He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, “Su Yu, stop provoking me. If you push me too far, you can just see what happens.”

Su Yu clicked her tongue, eyeing him with interest. “All grown up now, daring to talk back to your dad.”

“…Damn it!”

Shen Luan’s face darkened, and the people next to him quickly held him back.

“Calm down, calm down.”

“Impulse is the devil.”

A faint cough sounded, the voice clear.

“This is the new transfer student, right?”

Su Yu turned her head—standing behind her was a boy, tall and lanky. Compared to Shen Luan, he wasn’t much shorter. He had a faint smile on his face, though it didn’t reach his eyes.

This was… Xu Jincheng?

Su Yu quickly recalled him—in the original novel, the original Su Yu had fought Shen Luan, and Xu Jincheng, on his way home from school, had happened to witness it. This polite yet distant boy had been unexpectedly moved when he saw a girl like a little wildcat baring her claws and teeth, and then… the original Su Yu had fallen for him at first sight and started a passionate pursuit.

But because she hadn’t fought Shen Luan this time, Xu Jincheng hadn’t seen her after school, and everything had changed.

This top student, second only to Huo Shu in grades, had caught a cold and taken sick leave—one whole week of it.

“I’m Xu Jincheng.”

The boy nodded slightly, smiling. “I heard there’s a new transfer student in the class—so it should be you, Su Yu.”

Su Yu made a soft “Mm,” nodded at him, and didn’t show much intention of continuing the conversation.

Xu Jincheng paused but didn’t say more. He coughed lightly and lowered his head to read.

Ding ling ling—

The exam bell rang.

Everyone streamed into the exam hall.

Huo Shu had only walked a couple of steps when she turned back, hesitated, and walked over to Su Yu.

“Um…”

The girl leaned against the wall, smiling faintly. “Huo Huo, are you about to confess to me?”

Huo Shu’s face turned red instantly.

Who was confessing to her? Ridiculous!

She mustered her courage and whispered a sentence before fleeing in embarrassment.

“I just wanted to say good luck—don’t overthink it.”

Su Yu froze for a second before curling her lips.

Such a guilty conscience.

What a little fool.

She yawned and, waiting until everyone else had gone in, slowly headed for the exam hall.

With ten minutes to go before the exam, she wasn’t early but not late either. A few proctors wrinkled their noses, but turned a blind eye and waved her in.

Huo Shu was lowering her head, checking her stationery.

The chair in front of her was suddenly pulled back with a loud noise, making her look up.

The girl sitting in front of her had a straight back, wore a loose school uniform, and had clean, neat black short hair against her long, pale neck.

This person… was Su Yu?

She pressed her lips together, feeling something indescribable in her heart.

No wonder—no wonder she hadn’t told her where her seat was.

So she’d been sitting right in front of her.

“What?”

The girl suddenly turned around, smiling alluringly. “Stunned?”

Her eyebrows were long and delicate, her skin fair, her features rare in their refined sharpness. When she lifted her eyes to look at someone, they were three parts serious, seven parts lazy—just one glance could pull someone in.

The baggy, plain school uniform somehow looked different on her, making her seem even more striking and spirited, the kind of presence that made it hard to look away.

Huo Shu held her breath slightly.

It wasn’t the first time she’d realized Su Yu was beautiful. Many boys in the class mentioned her with a mix of fear and curiosity—even Shen Luan, that rude boy, sounded somewhat unnatural when talking about her.

But for a girl like this… to show interest in her?

She bit her lip and let out a light breath.

“Tsk, am I really that pretty?”

Su Yu smiled again, unable to resist teasing her. “Huo Huo baby, if you really want to look, then just be my wife. You can look however you want, and you can even…”

“Stop!”

Huo Shu, both embarrassed and annoyed, pressed a pen against her lips. “Don’t talk nonsense, or I’ll really get mad.”

She honestly couldn’t understand how Su Yu could be so bold.

This was the exam hall!

And she still dared to be so shameless?

A young female proctor tapped the desk and said sternly, “The girl in the third row, you’re in the middle of an exam—what are you whispering for? Don’t want to take the test?”

“Teacher, the exam hasn’t started yet, has it?”

Su Yu turned around, leaning back lazily. “It’s not time yet—why are you in such a rush?”

The entire exam hall burst out laughing.

“Quiet! What are you laughing at? Laugh again and I’ll throw all of you out!”

The young female proctor’s pride was clearly wounded, and she barked the words with a dark face.

Bang!

Shen Luan abruptly stood up, kicked his desk, and stormed out of the room.

Su Yu raised an eyebrow and sighed. “What a silly kid.”

If it were a normal day, she might have gone out too. But this time, she had a bet with the little girl—there was no way she could afford to walk out.

The morning exam ended.

As soon as Su Yu stepped out of the hall, Shen Luan blocked her way.

“What is it?”

She lifted her eyelids, a trace of mockery in her eyes.

The boy clenched his fists, staring hard at her like he was demanding an answer. “Why didn’t you come out today?”

“Silly kid, I had to take the exam.”

Su Yu walked around him, yawning, and strolled forward at a lazy pace.

The questions were boring as hell.

If it weren’t for the bet, she wouldn’t have wasted her time sitting there.

Shen Luan’s face darkened. “After what she said, you could just sit there and take it? Su Yu, that’s not like the you I know at all.”

Su Yu stopped, a hint of helpless amusement in her eyes.

After all, he was still just a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old kid. His thinking was immature—it was no wonder. Boys his age often chased after petty pride and troublemaking.

She curled her lips into a smile and turned back. “Little brother, study hard. Stop thinking about useless things all the time.”

“A moment’s victory—what benefit does that get you?”

“Instead of playing these childish games, why not think about how your exam results will be?”

“The school tyrant of First High?”

Su Yu tilted her head, giving him a light smile. “A school tyrant who only uses his fists won’t earn respect from others. Think about it yourself.”

Shen Luan froze. This was the first time Su Yu had spoken to him so seriously.

He wanted to say something, but the girl had already walked away.

Su Yu sighed.

It was strange—rarely did she get to live without having to punish some scumbag. This kind of smooth-sailing life still felt unfamiliar to her.

Looking at the still-young boy reminded her of her own past life.

She too had been rebellious for a while, until her parents died in a car accident. Suddenly left without support, she’d pulled herself together, gotten into university, entered the entertainment industry, struggled for years, and eventually climbed to the very top.

People—no matter when they start—can still succeed as long as they’re willing to work hard and put in the effort. There will always be rewards.

Su Yu smiled at the thought, smoothed down her short hair, and headed toward the school gate.

At the gate, a slim girl with a backpack was shuffling forward at an incredibly slow pace, like she was barely moving.

Huo Shu?

Su Yu chuckled, caught up to her, and lightly tapped the little girl’s shoulder. “What are you thinking about?”

The girl slowly raised her head, a flash of joy in her eyes that quickly faded. “Nothing.”

“You looked like you were daydreaming—and walking slower than a snail.”

“No…”

Huo Shu paused, then tried to sound casual. “By the way, I saw you talking to Shen Luan earlier. What were you talking about?”

The tips of her ears turned faintly pink as she forced herself to stay calm.

Su Yu almost laughed, but seeing the little girl’s effort to disguise her feelings, she didn’t tease her. Smiling lightly, she said, “Nothing much, just a few casual words.”

Huo Shu made an “Oh” sound, a little disappointed inside.

So perfunctory.

“You and Shen Luan seem to be getting along pretty well.”

She bit her lip and said softly, “I remember last time you even beat him up, didn’t you?”

“Guess we got to know each other through fighting.”

“Oh.”

Huo Shu didn’t ask further, clutching her backpack straps and walking ahead with her head down.

Su Yu’s long legs quickly closed the distance, and she asked with a helpless smile, “What’s wrong now? Angry again?”

“No…”

“Alright then.”

The atmosphere fell silent again.

Huo Shu bit her lip. “Su—”

Vroom!

Seven or eight motorcycles suddenly pulled up in front of them.

“Sister Yu, Qi Zheng is getting beaten up.”

“We were just about to head there—are you coming?”

“Damn it, today we’ve got to break those bastards’ legs.”

Seven or eight boys chattered at once, blocking the entire street, drawing quite a bit of attention.

Su Yu jerked her chin, signaling them to clear a space for one bike. Then she swung her leg over it and looked back at Huo Shu. “Get on, I’ll take you home first.”

Huo Shu shook her head, her eyes suddenly carrying a hint of distance. “Go ahead. I can get home on my own.”