Chapter 5: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

The next day, at noon.

The summer was scorching hot, with blazing sunlight pouring down and cicadas buzzing endlessly among the tree branches.

Inside a milk tea shop near the school, the wall-mounted air conditioner hummed continuously, blasting cool air into every corner of the store.

Four tall boys sat at the innermost table.

Mason took a deep gulp of his icy, sweet milk tea, feeling the chilled liquid slide down his throat and cool him straight to his core. "Fuck, I'm finally back to life."

Noah squinted at him. "Are you exaggerating or what?"

"How is it an exaggeration? I walked outside for five minutes and was already dripping with sweat!"

Drenched in sweat, Mason tried in vain to wipe his hands clean. Pouting, he stood up and walked over to the neighboring table, flashing a bright smile. "Hey beauties, could I borrow a pack of tissues?"

The girls hesitated for a moment before handing him a pack.

"Thanks a lot."

Mason returned to his seat, muttering another curse under his breath. "It's so inconvenient not having a girl around—you bunch of rough guys don't even carry a single tissue."

"Always making a big fuss," Noah motioned toward Ethan, adding casually, "Look at him—not a single drop of sweat on his face."

Ethan was still wearing his black baseball cap, a cigarette dangling lazily from the corner of his lips as he leaned back against his chair, legs crossed in a relaxed pose.

He lowered his eyes, his fingers tapping rhythmically away on his handheld console with a relaxed expression.

A second later, he tossed the console over to Liam, who was watching from the side.

"Holy crap! I spent ages trying to clear this level and couldn't, but you beat it so fast?!" Liam held the console in disbelief.

Noah mocked him, "When have you ever beaten Ethan in a game?"

Refusing to back down, Liam said indignantly, "No way, I haven't surrendered yet! If you've got the guts, let's play Dota—mid lane 1v1 solo. You game?"

Mason looked surprised. "Whoa, bro, you're taking this seriously now? Bringing out your secret weapon?"

Dota was a game Liam had been playing since primary school; he had played hundreds, if not thousands, of matches by now.

Taking a drag from his cigarette, Ethan extinguished it carelessly in the ashtray. He raised an eyebrow, eyeing Liam provocatively. "Bring it on."

Noah blew a whistle. "Now this is going to be good."

He added, "Let's put something on the line, otherwise it's no fun."

Mason scanned the table with a mischievous grin. "How about a month's worth of milk tea?"

"Deal!" Liam nodded.

The boys chatted for a while.

Noah suddenly asked, "Hey, Suicide Squad, why did you pull a whole line of girls to eat with us yesterday? You know how Ethan gets."

The more Noah thought about it, the more suspicious it felt. He gave Mason a dubious look. "Don't tell me you're interested in one of them?"

Mason suddenly lost his temper. "Fuck! I told you not to call me that, or we're done as bros!"

"Hahahahahahaha! OK, OK!" Noah clutched his stomach in laughter, making a pacifying gesture.

Ethan's lips slowly curled into a smirk as well.

*Mason? Suicide Squad?*

Mason hated those nicknames more than anything, thinking they brought bad luck.

Munching on tapioca pearls, Mason mumbled incoherently around a mouthful of tea, "I wasn't doing it for myself—I was helping Ethan!"

Ethan frowned at the comment, saying impatiently, "What the fuck does that have to do with me?"

"How does it not? Let me ask you guys: who's prettier, Summer or Chloe?"

Noah: "Chloe."

Liam: "Chloe."

Noah pondered for a moment. "I always feel like Summer lacks confidence—too timid and reserved, not as open and graceful as Chloe."

Mason threw his hands up. "There you go! Since Ethan isn't interested in Summer, he's bound to find Chloe attractive, right?"

"Let me tell you, I bumped into Jiang Cheng from Class 7 this morning. He said tons of guys used to chase Chloe back then, but she rejected them all with one statement: she doesn't like guys with bad grades."

*Ah, how many classmates had burned the midnight oil studying just because of that!*

Mason clicked his tongue and added, "Tsk tsk, you really couldn't tell with that girl. She's got pretty high standards and lofty ambitions."

Liam stroked his chin. "Doesn't Ethan meet all her criteria then?"

Mason nodded. "Exactly! Who do you think I went through all that trouble for?"

Noah grinned wickedly. "Then doesn't that nerd in our class have a chance too?"

Ethan stretched lazily, completely disinterested in their topic of conversation. "Boring. I'm leaving."

"Sir, here is your milk tea."

The waiter politely handed a bag to Mason.

"What's that for? You're taking it back to drink in class?" Noah asked.

"Mind your own business, I'm thirsty."

"You're getting more and more sassy, aren't you?"

"Hey, hey, look over there! Something's happening!"

Liam nudged the two of them, gesturing with his chin toward Ethan, who had reached the doorway first, watching intently.

The girl who had just lent Mason the pack of tissues was standing in front of Ethan, stammering something nervously.

In fact, the girl's face was bright red as she asked Ethan for his phone number.

Ethan tightened his baseball cap, shoved his hands into his pockets, and pressed his thin lips into a straight line before unhurriedly reciting a string of numbers.

*Huh?*

*Is something actually going on this time?*

The three brothers stared with wide eyes.

---

During the noon break, the ceiling fans in the classroom hummed and rattled overhead.

A handful of scattered students were either napping at their desks or rushing to finish their morning homework.

Grace turned around and leaned over Chloe's desk, resting her chin on her hand as she asked about a math problem she hadn't understood that morning. Her pen traced out the calculations on scrap paper.

"Um, what about the next step?"

No response.

Grace looked up. "Chloe?"

"Oh..." Chloe gave the next step absentmindedly.

However, she stopped mid-sentence, her face turned toward Grace's direction.

Her eyes were unfocused, her head tilted slightly as if listening intently to something behind them.

Grace suddenly realized what was happening.

She glanced toward the back row.

Mason was pressing for answers: "Ethan, did you really give her your phone number?"

"No way... what do you even see in her?"

"Her figure and face don't seem like anything special to me."

Noah chimed in, "Ethan isn't that superficial to only care about looks."

"Holy crap, he said it himself back then—he wants a girl with a good figure and a pretty face!" Mason continued relentlessly. "Don't tell me you were touched by her act of kindness just because she gave me a pack of tissues?"

Ethan was currently occupying Liam's seat, leaning over to do his homework lazily. Whenever he encountered a trickier problem, his brow would knit together in thought while his slender, pale fingers effortlessly spun his pen.

Ethan ignored him completely.

Mason took a deep breath. "Seriously, are you really into that girl?"

Ethan finished writing a complex problem quickly and clearly before finally looking up, answering nonchalantly, "Take a guess."

Ethan and Grace were sitting diagonally opposite each other, separated by an empty seat in the middle.

The moment he raised his head, his gaze happened to meet Grace's clear, innocent eyes.

He froze for a second.

The fragile, slender girl at the desk in front of him had a slightly pale face, and a pair of jet-black, transparent eyes as quiet and deep as a clear pool, reaching straight into one's heart.

In that instant, absolute silence fell.

A stray beam of sunlight squeezed through the window, scattering dappled light across their faces. The subtle fragrance of gardenias filled the entire classroom.

Grace expressionlessly lowered her eyes, turning back to her own desk with her exercise book in hand.

Ethan stared at her slender, straight back, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a loud crash shattered the quiet.

"Holy shit, Ethan, you're so devious!" Mason pulled back his chair and leaped up, holding his phone in one hand while grabbing Ethan's shoulder in disbelief. "You actually gave her MY phone number?! You're shameless!"

Hearing this, Noah leaned in to look at the phone screen, reading aloud word for word: "'Can I buy you a cup of milk tea after school on Friday?' Hahahahaha!"

Liam slammed his hands on the desk, roaring with laughter.

Ethan's gaze was broken by Mason's tugging. Hearing the text, his thin lips parted slightly as he teased with great amusement, "What? You're not happy about it?"

"Happy my foot!" Mason slumped back into his chair, muttering, "I'm not interested in little girls who haven't even fully developed."

Chloe patted Grace's shoulder. "Don't turn back around yet—I haven't finished explaining the last problem."

Grace looked back at her sister's relaxed expression, shook her head with a smile, and said, "I've already figured it out."

---

The class bell rang.

The homeroom teacher walked into the classroom carrying a small box.

"Class is starting, class is starting! Ethan, Liam, head back to your own seats and sit properly." She clapped her hands, raising her voice.

Noah shouted out, "Isn't this period supposed to be self-study?"

Ms. Lee replied, "We're going to take up a little bit of self-study time to elect our class committee."

Ms. Lee distributed slips of white paper. "Shen Shu-jun, come up and tally the votes."

Halfway through the process, the results came in: Chloe was elected Class President, Shen Shu-jun as Academic Secretary, Ji Kang as League Branch Secretary, and Xia Ji as Sports Committeeperson...

Ms. Lee glanced at the list and read, "Next, we have two candidates running for Arts Committeeperson."

Shen Jiawen and Yuni both went up to the podium to give their campaign speeches.

Liam asked, "Which one are we voting for?"

Mason answered without hesitation, "Whichever one is prettier!"

"Isn't that a bit too superficial?"

"Superficial my ass! The Arts Committeeperson is supposed to be the prettiest girl in class. Look at Summer back in our freshman year—wasn't she?"

"Then let's write down Yuni. Her skin might be a bit dark, but she's got a great figure—pretty hot."

Leaning sideways while playing on his console, Ethan's fingers paused for a fraction of a second.

Shen Shu-jun walked over carrying the ballot box. Just as he was about to pass Ethan, he was stopped.

Ethan held a piece of paper in his fingers, tossing it into the ballot slot in an unhurried manner.

Shen Shu-jun paused for a moment before moving on to the next person.

Ethan lowered his eyes, continuing to play his game as if no one else were around.

After tossing in his own vote, Mason leaned forward. "Ethan, who did you vote for? You clearly abstained earlier."

Having cleared another level, Ethan spat out two plain words.

"Take a guess."

"Fuck! I don't want to hear those two words ever again today!"

Ms. Lee frowned. "Mason, why are you shouting so loud?"

---

Shen Shu-jun read out each vote one by one as Ms. Lee tallied them on the blackboard with chalk.

Halfway through the counting, the two candidates were neck and neck.

Shen Shu-jun pulled out another ballot, but suddenly froze.

After a brief, hesitant pause, he called out the name:

"Grace."

The entire class broke into a commotion.

Grace was even more bewildered than anyone else. She hadn't even run for the position—why would someone vote for her?

*Was it a prank? How childish.*

In the end, Yuni was elected as the Arts Committeeperson.

Chapter 6: The Blackboard

In the blink of an eye, Friday arrived.

Early in the morning, inside the classroom, some students bent down to sneak a bite of breakfast, while others quietly recited vocabulary at their desks.

Everyone was busily engaged in their own routine in an orderly fashion, with occasional, scattered murmurs of conversation floating through the room.

Gradually, the classroom filled to capacity, followed by a sudden *slam* from the back door.

The entire class turned their eyes toward the back.

Mason, Noah, and a few others walked into the classroom with cheerful, mischievous grins.

Ethan walked in last, looking drowsy with sleep still in his eyes. The early morning sunlight bathed half his body in a warm, golden glow. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days, showing no interest or concern for anything going on around him.

He sat down lazily, slung his backpack into his desk, pulled a black baseball cap over his head, and immediately slumped over his desk to sleep.

Grace let out a soft sigh.

Stacked on her desk were the homework assignments for every subject from their row.

When the teacher had held the elections for the class committee last time, row leaders had also been chosen to collect homework, count and verify the assignments, and hand them over to the subject representatives.

For some reason, when the homeroom teacher arrived at their row, her eyes scanned the group and she casually pointed at Grace to take the role.

Even though the second and third top students in the grade sat in her row.

Passing over Chloe made sense, as she was the Class President and already busy enough.

Passing over Ethan was also expected.

Truth be told, Grace genuinely disliked these roles. Ever since she was young, she had avoided being a row leader or class officer whenever possible. She disliked causing trouble for others, and she disliked trouble finding her.

Seeing that there were only ten minutes left before class started, she turned around.

Ethan was sprawled casually across his desk. A few strands of his messy black hair stubborn kicked out at odd angles.

Grace recalled what Guo Jiao had mentioned—that Ethan hated being disturbed while sleeping.

She pressed her lips together, opening her mouth hesitantly. "Excuse me."

No response.

She called out again: "Excuse me?"

Grace suddenly realized he had black earphones plugged into his ears.

Extending her arm, she gently and softly nudged his shoulder.

The person in front of her still didn't budge.

Just as she was about to push him again, a hand abruptly grabbed her wrist with firm strength. Grace gasped, nearly crying out in surprise.

The person who had been resting on the desk slowly raised his head. His brows were lightly furrowed, and his eyes were angled upward slightly, dark and shadowy with clear annoyance and a trace of hostility.

His grip was remarkably strong, his knuckles well-defined. His slender fingers easily wrapped around Grace's delicate, soft wrist.

Having his sleep disturbed, Ethan was just about to lose his temper when he raised his eyes and caught sight of Grace's fair, clear face. The harsh words stuck in his throat.

He sluggishly pulled out one earphone, frowning slightly. "What?"

Grace pressed her lips together, shifting her gaze down to her hand.

Ethan followed her glance and realized he was still holding onto her wrist.

Bored out of his mind, Liam poked his head over to observe the situation for a moment, then nudged Mason's elbow.

Mason was desperately copying homework: "What do you want? Don't bother me!"

Liam: "Bro, something's happening up front."

Mason: "The hell with your 'something'! Right now, nothing in the world matters more than my homework, got it?"

Liam: "Tsk, look! This time something's *really* happening—Ethan's holding onto her hand and won't let go!"

"Holy crap, what is Ethan doing?!"

Ethan unhurriedly released his grip, his dark, deep eyes remaining fixed on her with a scrutinizing look.

Grace lowered her gaze and rubbed her wrist, her voice gentle. "Turn in your homework."

Ethan caught sight of her wrist and winced slightly.

A distinct red mark had appeared on a patch of her fair, delicate skin.

*How is she so delicate?* He hadn't even used much force. His palm subtly recalled the fleeting warmth of her skin from a moment ago.

He didn't move, his gaze resting on her without pretense.

After a moment, he slowly turned around, pulled several of his own workbooks out from beside Mason's hand, and handed them to her.

Grace took the workbooks, stood up, walked past him, and stopped in front of Mason.

"Excuse me, turn in your homework."

"Oh, right, give me a second!" Mason snapped out of his trance, only to realize Ethan had taken his own workbooks back. He blurted out, "Ethan, why'd you take them back? I haven't finished copying your English worksheet yet!"

"How are you copying so slowly? I'm already done," Liam handed over his own sheet, adding, "Hey, remember to change some answers, don't copy word for word."

Mason handed his other assignments to Grace, offering an apologetic smile. "Hold on a bit longer for the English worksheet—I'll give it to you real soon, five minutes!"

Grace nodded and returned to her seat.

She stacked the workbooks neatly at the edge of her desk and counted them carefully, noticing that only two English worksheets were missing.

Then, Grace opened her Chinese textbook to memorize the classical poem scheduled for dictation that day.

Chloe, who had been called away by the homeroom teacher, finally returned to the classroom. She found Grace and said, "Ms. Lee mentioned that the blackboard newspaper needs to be finished by next Friday. Go coordinate with Ji Yuan about it."

Grace nodded.

Ji Yuan was the classmate assigned to work on the blackboard newspaper alongside her—Ji Yuan would handle the writing, while Grace would focus on the illustrations.

Grace continued silently reciting the poem.

Suddenly, her chair vibrated slightly.

She looked down and noticed a pair of long legs stretched out behind her, his toes casually tapping against the legs of her chair.

She glanced backward.

Ethan expressionlessly handed two worksheets to her, saying flatly, "Homework."

Grace pinched the corner of the worksheets to take them.

She tugged, but they didn't budge.

Ethan hadn't let go.

Grace looked at him, and their eyes locked squarely for a few seconds.

Until Grace frowned slightly.

Ethan was the first to drop his gaze, letting out a faint scoff before carelessly releasing his grip.

After turning back around, Grace paused for a moment and pressed her lips together.

A moment later, she gathered the assignments, stood up, and handed them over to the respective subject representatives.

---

By the time school ended in the afternoon, the classroom had emptied out group by group.

At the very back of the classroom, various pieces of colored chalk were arranged on a desk.

Grace had already outlined the main layout for the blackboard newspaper. She had agreed with Ji Yuan that she would draw the artwork first, after which Ji Yuan would find empty spots to write the text.

Ethan returned to the second floor around this time, realizing halfway there that he had forgotten his phone in the classroom.

He entered the room through the front door. The lights were only turned on in the back half of the room. A slender, delicate girl stood on a wooden stool, facing the blackboard.

Ethan knew who it was the moment he caught sight of her back.

Her shoulder-length black hair was loosely tied behind her head, soft and dark. Holding her phone in one hand, she held a piece of chalk in the other, sketching on the blackboard while occasionally referencing her phone screen.

Her delicate, porcelain wrist stood out in stark contrast against the jet-black board.

Driven by some strange impulse, Ethan stood there watching her for a moment.

"What are you drawing?"

A deep, pleasant voice suddenly echoed across the empty classroom.

Caught completely off guard, Grace gasped in surprise, bracing her hand against the blackboard and nearly losing her balance.

She turned her head.

Ethan leaned casually against the doorframe, standing in the shadows with his hands shoved in his pockets, gazing at her lazily. His black baseball cap cast a shadow over his face, obscuring his expression.

He repeated his question: "What are you drawing?"

"Luffy." Her soft voice sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

Ethan nodded. "Why him?"

"Because he is..."

Grace spoke very slowly and softly.

Ethan showed a rare patience, waiting for her to finish.

"...brave, free, and pursues his dreams."

Ethan nodded, gesturing for her to carry on drawing.

Grace turned back around, composed herself, and resumed tracing the outline with her chalk as if no one were there.

As she drew, her mind wandered slightly. The person behind her showed no sign of leaving, nor did he make another sound.

She could feel his intent gaze locked firmly onto her back.

Outside the window, the golden sunset of moments ago had given way to a light, drizzling rain.

Summer weather was unpredictable, bringing rain without warning or hesitation.

After an unknown amount of time passed, Ethan finally took an unhurried step forward, walked over to his desk, and bent down to retrieve his phone from inside.

He clicked it open and glanced at the screen.

There were several missed calls, all from Mason.

Ethan locked the screen nonchalantly.

At this moment, he was standing much closer to Grace—close enough to catch sight of a small patch of fair, luminous skin on the back of her slender neck, like a piece of fine jade waiting to be uncovered.

He casually shifted his gaze away.

Being tall, Ethan could easily catch a glimpse of the reference image on her phone screen. After a moment, he remarked lazily, "You drew it wrong."

Grace had just finished Luffy and was about to draw Nami. As she was outlining Nami's body, his voice cut in without warning.

She turned her head and realized he was standing right behind her at some point. He was so tall that even standing on the stool, she was only slightly taller than him.

She looked at her phone suspiciously, then back at the Nami on the blackboard.

Grace said softly, "It's not wrong."

The corner of Ethan's lips curled into a faint smile as he stepped up beside her.

At such close proximity, their shoulders almost brushed, and she could faint catch the fresh, subtle scent of mint on him.

Feeling uneasy, she shifted slightly and took two steps to the side. Unexpectedly, her weight shifted all to one side, causing the stool beneath her feet to tip dangerously on one corner.

Grace wobbled violently, nearly tumbling off.

"Watch out."

Accompanied by a low voice, a hand caught Grace firmly by the waist, steadying her completely before letting go and slipping casually back into his pocket.

"Right here—you drew it wrong," Ethan said with a straight face, pointing his slender finger at the blackboard.

Grace steadied her breathing and shifted her gaze over, swallowing back the words of thanks she hadn't yet spoken.

Ethan was pointing directly at Nami's chest.

Grace stared at Ethan expressionlessly.

*This guy is definitely here to mess with me,* she decided.

Ethan tilted his head, remarking nonchalantly, "You drew it a bit too small."

Grace ignored him, continuing to outline the rest of the drawing while saying calmly, "I don't think it's too small."

Ethan shrugged.

*Buzz... buzz...*

The phone in Ethan's pocket vibrated continuously.

He pulled it out.

It was Mason again, so Ethan declined the call directly.

He cast one last glance at the girl focusing intently on the blackboard before turning to leave. Spotting the light rain outside the window, he frowned slightly. "Did you bring an umbrella?"

Grace pressed her lips together, her eyes flickering. After a long pause, she looked up at the light drizzle falling outside the window.

Suppressing all her emotions, she lowered her eyes, her thick, curled eyelashes trembling slightly as she whispered, "No."

Grace kept her back turned to Ethan the entire time.

Ethan pressed his tongue against the corner of his mouth and let out an annoyed click of his tongue.

He abruptly raised his hand, took off the black baseball cap from his head, and pressed it directly onto her head. Then, without saying a word, he turned and walked out of the classroom.

Grace only caught a fleeting glimpse of his tall, lean back as he disappeared into the hallway.

Chapter 7: The Unspoken Returned Favor

Several expensive, brand-name bicycles were parked haphazardly outside the milk tea shop.

Inside, Noah took a drag from his cigarette and asked, "How many times is that now?"

Liam tapped away on his PSP. "Seventeen times. I've been keeping count."

Mason tos