The next day, after class, everyone's chatting inside the classroom. Suddenly, a commotion breaks out just outside. A guy barges in with a group of people trailing behind him.
"Which one of you is Ethan?"
I'm absorbed in my phone, a lollipop in my mouth, when I'm abruptly interrupted. I frown, stand up, and ask, "Who are you? What do you want with me?"
Marcus looks me over several times and says, "So this is Ethan. He's got some decent looks, I'll admit, but still not as good as mine." He walks straight up to me, curls his lips into a smile, and says, "The name's Marcus. So, you're the new transfer student. But why have I never heard of someone like you in our circles?"
Hearing him say this, I raise an eyebrow. I think to myself, this is kind of interesting. He's trying to feel out my background to see if I've got some powerful backing. From what I remember, he's the later-stage antagonist in the story. Back in Baichang, he's actually a big deal too. But he's always overshadowed by Jonathan. Kind of pathetic, honestly. So here's the real question. Why exactly is he here looking for me?
A sharp-eyed girl senses things are going south and takes off running toward the classroom next door, shouting as she runs, "This is bad. Marcus brought people to confront Ethan."
Jenny is chatting with Ivy and Vera. The moment she hears this, her temper flares up and she immediately rushes back to the classroom. Nina hears the news and rushes over too, standing right by my side.
I respond with an easy, unbothered look. "Oh, my family really doesn't have money. We can only afford lollipops. Also, you're right. My family really isn't some top-tier wealthy household."
Hearing my words, his face is full of shock. Damn it. How is this guy so slippery? He says "no money" with such shameless confidence. How am I supposed to keep this act going?
He forces down his surprise, clears his throat lightly, and continues. "I heard you're trying to compete with Jonathan for the campus heartthrob title."
"Nope," I reply instantly. "I'm not worthy of that."
Hearing my answer, Marcus grumbles internally. Seriously, are you stealing my line? That's way too much. "Not worthy" is supposed to be my line to say. Why aren't you playing by the script? This is so annoying. I hate people like you who have zero self-awareness. A protagonist should act like a protagonist.
Marcus doesn't get the answer he wants, so he keeps pressing, refusing to let it go. "Let me ask you, do you know what Jonathan and Vera are like back in Baichang? The two of them have been childhood sweethearts since they were kids. Inseparable and innocent together, perfectly matched in status, practically born to be together."
Before he even finishes speaking, I jump in and cut him off. "What a coincidence. I've actually been trying to set the two of them up, too."
Vera, who's just arrived, hears this and lightly furrows her brow. She lets out a soft sigh. Inside, she feels incredibly wronged. She thinks to herself, there's absolutely nothing between me and Jonathan. Why does it come out sounding like this from Ethan?
After hearing what I say, Marcus can only stare at me, utterly speechless.
At this moment, Kyle, standing behind Marcus, sees that Marcus is losing ground and gets a bit anxious, thinking to himself, this new transfer student is no joke. He's way harder to deal with than expected. No good. I need to back Marcus up.
Kyle clears his throat, looks at me, and says, "Good. As long as you know there's no way anything could happen between you and Lady Vera."
I hear this and laugh out loud, then say self-mockingly, "Of course there's no way. I don't have much of a family background. I'm nowhere near a good match for Lady Vera in terms of status. Aside from this handsome face and a smart brain that's only good for studying, I really have nothing else going for me."
After saying this, I look at him earnestly, my gaze full of sincerity.
Everyone erupts. My deskmate Ryan secretly gives me a thumbs up. Jenny has a completely lovestruck expression on her face. I thought he was a cold, aloof heartthrob. Turns out he's a bit of a troublemaker too. I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. Amazing. I just knew nobody could get the better of him.
Vera looks at me with a resentful gaze, as if to say, there's really nothing between me and Jonathan. Ethan, please don't misunderstand me.
Marcus is a bit taken aback. Given how things stand right now, he's at a disadvantage, so he can only laugh awkwardly and say, "You don't have to talk about yourself like that. I only came here to make friends with you."
I say with an earnest expression, "Oh, really? Seeing you show up looking so aggressive, I thought you were here to settle a score with me. Your way of making friends is certainly unique."
Hearing me say this, Marcus takes a step back. He thinks to himself, this guy is seriously not simple. His level is way too high. I was a bit too hasty today. I assumed he'd be easy to deal with. Never expected his tongue to be this sharp.
Then he just curls his lips politely and says, "You're overthinking this. Class is about to start. Nice meeting you. We'll head out now."
The group arrives looking fierce and aggressive, then slinks back out in defeat.
After they leave, Ryan immediately pats me on the shoulder and says, "Wow, Ethan, you were so cool back there. How are you this good? I was actually worried he'd bully you."
Nina walks over too and says, "Not bad. I just knew you wouldn't get bullied. But why was he even giving you trouble?"
I glance at her and hand her my water cup, saying, "Please, like he could ever bully me. Go fill this up with water for me."
Jason, sitting behind us, suddenly speaks up. "I might actually know why."
Everyone turns to look at him, eyes full of anticipation. He explains, "Last night, everyone on the campus forum was praising Ethan. You guys probably don't know this, but Marcus has always been ranked second in school. He's always been overshadowed by Jonathan. He can't stand how Ethan, despite just arriving, is already getting so much admiration from everyone here, so it's been bothering Marcus. And he wanted to come challenge you and see who comes out on top."
"Wow, our school sure is lively."
"Yeah, I think so too. Marcus definitely feels like Ethan's presence is threatening him, so now he's getting anxious. He's always been steadily stuck at number two, and now he's probably worried he can't even hold on to that spot anymore."
"Haha. So there's this much drama among you guys too. This is really an eye-opener."
Ivy, from the class next door, teases Vera beside her. "Vera, your dear Ethan is even trying to set you up with Jonathan."
Vera glances at her, lets out a sigh, and thinks to herself, there's really nothing between me and Jonathan, but growing up, everyone's just always assumed we'd end up together. I never bothered explaining it before, but hearing it come out of Ethan's mouth today, it's been bothering me ever since. My family is actually very open-minded. As long as someone has good character, that's all that matters. But doesn't what Ethan said imply that I only care about a man's family status? Ethan, you're really annoying. I'm clearly not that kind of person. Why would you misunderstand me like this?