I accidentally step on a banana peel lying on the ground. Then I slip and fall, and everyone assumes my sudden fall is just an excuse to grab the goddess and pull her into my arms. I twist my body hard and crash into the sweet, soft childhood friend standing next to the goddess — but at the critical moment, the childhood friend lifts up the watermelon in her hands.
The two of us fall to the ground. After a couple of seconds of shock, she quickly pushes me off to check on the watermelon. Once she confirms the watermelon is fine, she turns and gives me an awkward smile.
"Haha. Ethan, are you okay?"
Right now, I'm speechless. Nina only cares about the watermelon in her hands and doesn't even help me up.
Annoyed, I say, "Nina, is your stupid watermelon really that important?"
Uh-oh. This is bad. Ethan just called me by my full name. I'm in real trouble now.
At this moment, the goddess Vera and all the onlookers are stunned too. They all take a step back. Their survival instinct tells them this is a question with no right answer.
"You matter. Of course you matter more."
The onlookers silently give her a mental thumbs up. But then she keeps going.
"I panicked in the moment, too. That was completely a subconscious reaction."
Oh no. This is really over. Some fearless soul actually says out loud what everyone is thinking.
I stand up and say, "So it was just a reflex, huh?" I look her up and down with a smile that doesn't reach my eyes. Then I reach out and pinch her soft cheek. I say casually, "Your body sure is honest."
The moment I finish speaking, I snatch the watermelon out of her hands and walk out of the cafeteria without looking back.
Nina is left alone in the cafeteria. This is so unfair. I really didn't mean it just now. My brain just short-circuited for a second.
Chloe walks over and pats her on the shoulder, saying, "Girl, your first answer was actually pretty good. That second line was completely unnecessary."
Back in the dorm, I think helplessly. If it weren't for that damn dream last night, if I didn't know I was living inside a novel, if I weren't that universally hated villain second male lead, today's incident would have just been a small accident.
But in the dream, the one I hugged was Vera. There's no escaping it. The dream is bleeding into reality. The plot has already begun.
But I'm certain I'm not the Ethan from the book. I will never be like him, leeching off women to get ahead. I'll only rely on myself.
Tomorrow is the first day of school.
That evening, Nina asks me out to the snack street. The moment I get downstairs, I see she's already waiting outside the dorm. She looks like a walking snack shelf. The outfit is so ugly it hurts my eyes.
"Ethan, my dear Ethan, I really know I was wrong. Please don't be mad anymore. Smile for me, okay?"
Watching the students passing by stare at us, and glancing at her embarrassing outfit, I really wish I could disappear on the spot. Forget it. Arguing with this little fool isn't worth my dignity.
I clear my throat and say, "Since you're apologizing so sincerely, I'll forgive you. But as punishment, you'll get up early every day for the next month and bring me breakfast. Got it?"
"My dear Ethan, I'd be more than happy to." Nina flashes an exaggeratedly bright smile.
I continue. "Also, go run two laps around the track first, then do twenty sit-ups."
It's not a lot, but for this girl, it's already punishment enough.
"Ah, there's a physical punishment too? How about we skip the physical punishment? I'll buy you breakfast for a month and a half instead. Deal?" Nina starts trying to negotiate. She even looks up at me with a pitiful expression.
I admit she's cute, but paired with that outfit covered in snacks, it's honestly a bit hard to look at.
"Are you telling me what to do?"
"I wouldn't dare. Absolutely wouldn't dare." Nina backs down instantly. She shrinks her neck. She immediately hands all her snacks over to the dorm supervisor, then stands up straight.
I can tell there's a ton of hidden grievance in what Nina's saying. I'm determined to finish my mission.
The two of us buy a bunch of delicious food at the snack street. Then we head back to school, completely satisfied.
I quickly wash up and lie down comfortably on my bed. I try hard to recall last night's dream. I start reviewing the plotline of the novel. First, bumping into the female lead. Second, a chance meeting at the library. Third, an encounter on the sports field and a pursuit that could basically count as harassment.
The dream is chaotic. The number of times I run into the female lead is absurdly high. In short, every coincidental meeting was carefully planned.
Once I realize this, I actually feel relieved. The version of me in the book is twisted. He tracked the female lead's entire schedule. As long as I don't deliberately arrange anything, the female lead, who's in a different class, and I have no overlap at all. The odds of running into her are pitifully small.
Thinking this through, I instantly feel at ease. I sleep straight through until morning.
The next morning passes in a blink. The first class in the afternoon is PE. Before class, everyone's gathered in the shade discussing the class officer election happening tonight. I'm chatting with Ryan when someone suddenly taps my shoulder. I turn around and see Nina grinning at me, flashing her cute little teeth.
"Haha, Ethan, what a coincidence. Our two classes actually have PE together."
I introduce her to Ryan. "This is my childhood friend, Nina." Ryan grins goofily and waves hello.
Nina pulls me aside and says, "Ethan, we already ran during PE today. Can that count toward this morning's laps?"
"Sure, but the sit-ups go up to thirty."
"Okay, I'll head back to my group. I'll do the sit-ups when I get a chance, and if not, I'll make them up tonight."
The moment Nina leaves, a girl named Ivy walks over. "Is that girl from class four your girlfriend?"
"What girlfriend? We haven't even thought that far."
Ivy gives a light smile. The way she looks at me is completely unguarded. Not a couple, huh? That makes things a lot simpler.