Chapter 62

【Thank God, we’re saved—they’re classmates!!! One more happy little girl in the world!!!】

【Huh? Shen Li was the class president? His grades must’ve been pretty good at least, right?】

【Thought it was gonna be a mistress story, but nope—it’s campus power couple pure romance [wiping away grateful tears.jpg]】

【Imagining the campus drama script: These two scream top student x top student】

【Hahaha, campus ice kings power couple, low-key rivals who only admire themselves?】

【Did you hear that, Zhen the cheapskate! (yelling) They’re classmates!! (screaming wildly) Not some sugar baby setup, got it? (shoving) (shoving) (slapping) (kicking the nuts)】

The moment Qian Xingzhi finished speaking, the online viewers weren’t the only ones shocked.

Even the other guests in the garden, who had been silently munching popcorn without daring to chime in, showed some reaction.

Ke Jiujiu and Lin Xu exchanged a glance. Her cherry lips mouthed a silent “Whoa,” while Lin Xu, who had been listening to their argument drag on forever, kept his tail tucked and barely breathed.

Now, hearing Qian Xingzhi say Shen Li had been his class president, a spark lit in his gossip-loving eyes. His head whipped straight toward Shen Li.

Li Weiwei seized the chance to jump in now that there was an opening to speak.

“I knew it—coming from Shen Li, this makes total sense. He looks like a natural leader. And serving as class president for three years in high school? That means he wasn’t just popular; his grades must’ve been top-notch too, right?”

Little Zhao chimed in too. “Has to be. Brother Shen’s performance the past few days shows he really knows his stuff.”

“Yeah, Shen Li’s super competitive,” Qian Xingzhi added calmly.

He was standing right behind Shen Li and Zhen Tian’s chairs. As he lowered his gaze over Shen Li’s graceful neckline, his cool voice stuck to the facts. “Even running a 104-degree fever, Shen Li could still top the grade rankings.”

“Holy shit! That’s badass!” Lin Xu couldn’t hold back. His eyes sparkled as he looked at Shen Li, brimming with the raw awe only a slacker could have for a natural-born genius.

Yang Zhiqi’s mouth twitched into a stiff grin too. He really wanted to ask. “Oh, so how was your school? Pretty good?”

—After all, topping a top-tier school was worlds apart from a regular one.

Qian Xingzhi stayed objective and calm. “It was decent. Pretty good.”

Yao Shuang piped up. “Hey, didn’t you say before that the school was so strict you studied nonstop and wanted to drop out? Wasn’t it Municipal Key High School?”

Qian Xingzhi nodded. “Yeah.”

【Key point: Municipal Key High School】

【Whoa, so our Little Cat topped Municipal Key High School?? That’s seriously impressive!!】

【Top of the grade at Municipal Key… Can’t even imagine… God knows how much effort it takes for me to crack top ten in class orz】

【Our Little Li Cat Cat at home is gorgeous, genius-level smart, ice-cold, and doesn’t cling—pure perfection fist pump/ fist pump/】

【I watched him on The Strongest Brain yesterday and knew he earned that spot fair and square, not scripted. No proof, but vibes】

Zhen Tian’s eyes blinked rapidly. His breaths came shallow and quick, his lips licked over and over, but no words came out. He had been banking on a worst-case scenario—maybe Shen Li and Qian Xingzhi really did have a sugar daddy setup, or at least something ambiguous. That way, he’d have ammo.

But now? No chance.

Before Zhen Tian could even sigh in defeat, he felt Qian Xingzhi’s knuckles suddenly clamp down on his chair back. The leather creaked in protest.

Then the man’s grip latched onto his shoulder. Zhen Tian, already wound tight as a spring, jolted in fright. His irises quivered, his temples bulged, and his jaw clenched in spasms.

No yelp escaped before the man behind him leaned in sideways. Those downcast eyes carried an invisible pressure. Qian Xingzhi’s face stayed calm, but his gaze sliced like a razor, cold and scraping across Zhen Tian’s skin, making his face burn!

Zhen Tian wanted to bolt from the camera.

But the hand on his shoulder pinned him down. Qian Xingzhi spelled it out clearer.

“We’ve never had any sugar daddy arrangement. Can you stop slandering him?”

Qian Xingzhi phrased it as a question, like he was just asking.

But the sheer pressure made Zhen Tian nod frantically. Beyond nodding, the guy was speechless.

How could he even talk now?

He was done for.

In a knee-jerk daze, Zhen Tian looked up—and locked eyes with Qian Xingzhi’s piercing stare.

Deep in those inky pools churned a cold fury, yet they shimmered faintly with unshed tears, like a blade tempered in ice, glinting with heart-stopping shards in the dim light.

—Was Qian Xingzhi about to cry?!

Zhen Tian’s eyes bulged in disbelief!

The viewers clearly caught Qian Xingzhi’s anger and the odd emotion in his eyes too.

【Oh my God, are those little pearls in Qian Xingzhi’s eyes? [pitiful] [pitiful]】

【He’s this upset because Shen Li got smeared?】

【Waaahhh, no clue why but I’m tearing up too [teary-eyed.jpg]】

【Real talk, people these days are annoying AF. One crappy pic and they start spinning tales [shatter] [shatter] [shatter]】

【Sister Shuang, can you ask about their love story later? I wanna hear QAQ!! Did they start dating in high school? [starry eyes] If you get all the deets, no one can spread sugar daddy rumors anymore~】

【Sister Shuang, you gotta ask, or I’ll turn into Blue Sad Dreamy Glassy Heartbreak Coconut Lime Sour Bunny Sauce and nuke the world [shatter]】

Ever since Qian Xingzhi stepped over, Shen Li hadn’t said a word. He just kept watching Zhen Tian and Qian Xingzhi from the corner of his eye.

Truth be told, Shen Li had nothing to add. He even wished Qian Xingzhi would say less—most of their high school classmates, relatives, and friends could see this show. Bringing up the past felt awkward to Shen Li.

So he neither responded nor interrupted. Ever since that rumor post two days ago, they’d pursued accountability right away. But for the handful of viewers who’d seen it and now felt muzzled, they did need to clear up the “sugar daddy” nonsense.

That’s when the director switched to head director Li Zhiming. He wandered over with a goofy grin to lighten the mood—and drop an announcement.

“Alright, alright! Everyone divorces because of little conflicts like this. That’s what our show’s for—sorting ’em out. No need to get heated, chill! Haha, and here’s some good news: Shen Li just nailed his hidden task and scored 100,000 in personal funds. Congrats, congrats! Come on, everyone—give our Brother Shen a big round of applause!”

Clap clap clap clap—!

Off-camera, Li Zhiming led the applause, loud and hearty.

Yang Zhiqi, Lin Xu, and the others joined in enthusiastically, clapping away. Zhen Tian’s throat bobbed as he clapped along too.

As the applause petered out, Zhen Tian suddenly stood. He filled a glass to the brim, held it up with both hands—first to the left, then right—cleared his throat with exaggerated sincerity.

“I’m sorry. Let me apologize. Sorry, cough cough, Shen Li, and, uh, your wife—I mean spouse. I’ll make it up to you both. I got too heated and impulsive during the fight. I’ll down three glasses as penance. Forgive me. I’m sorry—I’m trash! Really sorry! Whether you forgive me or not, these three shots are going down!”

A string of apologies spilled out, but no one stopped him.

Zhen Tian shakily raised the glass. His jaw and the muscles around his eyes twitched in sync as he threw it back.

Three shots, one after another.

【Clown alert [laugh-cry] total joke】

【Drinking fixes what? Rep’s in the toilet now [smirk]】

【Lol just checked his Weibo—5 minutes flat! Dropped 80k live fans from his already tiny count. All that’s left are bots [heehee]】

The dinner rolled on.

Shen Li said nothing, just glanced back at Qian Xingzhi standing behind him.

Qian Xingzhi’s handsome face stayed frosty, the tears gone from his eyes. He leaned down, ear to Shen Li’s mouth, heard whatever was said, then turned and left without a word of explanation.

Shen Li got up from Yao Shuang’s old spot. He eyed Yao Shuang, who was draped over Li Weiwei chatting away, unsure if he should wave her over.

In the end, he didn’t interrupt and returned to his own seat.

【Wtf did they just say?】

【Shen Li, stop chatting with Qian Xingzhi solo—pull me into the group chat, let’s make it a trio】

【Kinda intimate, kinda distant vibes】

【Where’d Qian Xingzhi go?】

Li Zhiming said, “You all keep eating. Teacher Yao, you’ve got 20% left on your task, just a heads-up.”

Yao Shuang drawled back. “No rushing~ Working on it~”

Dinner talk shifted to the other guests. Shen Li sat alone in his corner for a bit, ate a little more, then quietly blended into the background like a mushroom.

His gaze lingered on the area near Zhen Tian and Kris, lost in thought.

Time slipped by. Shen Li’s eyes narrowed slightly—he was on the verge of dozing off.

Meanwhile, the impatient viewers were blowing up the barrages and real-time forum threads.

【Our little kitty’s nodding off—Yao Shuang sis, tag him!!】

【Cat Cat’s gone full slacker fish [muah.jpg] [sneak kiss.jpg]】

【Where tf did Qian Xingzhi vanish to at the clutch?】

【I’m losing it—time to complain to the show [shatter]】

Shen Li knew Qian Xingzhi had tipped off Yao Shuang yesterday. He didn’t like these privacy-probing segments, so Yao Shuang prioritized others—especially with Qian Xingzhi gone, she’d avoid asking him until Qian Xingzhi returned.

As for sending Qian Xingzhi away now…

Shen Li’s eyes narrowed again, flicking back to Zhen Tian.

—No matter how forgiving others might be, for a guy like Zhen Tian,

a few soft words and shots weren’t wiping the slate clean.

Not a chance.

Public opinion waited for no one. Worried Zhen Tian’s PR team might spin things, Shen Li had whispered to Qian Xingzhi: Best to get someone checking the photocopy of the Marriage Certificate Zhen Tian turned in for the show—verify it’s fake, pronto.

The rest could wait.

Bored with waiting, Shen Li chatted quietly with nearby Zhao Yunzhi—the closest person. Mostly about which dishes were still good, which weren’t.

They talked softly for a while until Shen Li yawned, a tear squeezing from the corner of his eye.

Then Zhen Tian’s grating voice wafted over, like he was sucking up to everyone.

“Wow, Teacher Li, you’re way too tough. I seriously admire you.”

“Wow, Brother Yang, you’re too awesome! It must’ve taken a ton of effort to win over Sister Zhao, huh!”

“Jiujiu, you and Little Lin were so madly in love back then? Hahaha, I really didn’t expect that!”

Ke Jiujiu’s crisp laughter lingered for a moment longer as she continued to brush it off: “Aiya, we’re really fine! We’re just the type of people whose romance is super intense—our emotions run pretty high~”

Zhen Tian, as if trying to flatter and make amends, hurriedly chimed in with a string of questions: “Teacher Shen, I’m really curious how you and Teacher Qian, two such stoic people, ended up together?”

Shen Li’s beautiful eye corner hooked up slightly as he lightly lowered his gaze.

Pondering how to respond gracefully.

……Two bland people?

Maybe.

Dog bland? Dog egg, right? [Trash dog]

Shen Li: [propping cheek]

Little Dog: [kiss][kiss][kiss][kiss]