Chapter 17

"Hahahaha..."

Ruan Miao awkwardly listened to Xi You laughing uncontrollably after they left the music classroom. He held back but eventually couldn't help it. "Can you keep it down? I have some dignity to maintain."

"I've known Jian Fanyu for so many years, and this is the first time I've seen him get thrown off rhythm by someone else. Hahaha..."

Ruan Miao regretted it immensely. He should have known better than to hold on to a shred of hope. Jian Fanyu had just started to treat him a bit more kindly, and now he'd surely hate him again for making him look bad in front of everyone, tarnishing his reputation as a musical genius.

As he was silently fretting over it, Jian Fanyu happened to walk by. Ruan Miao quickly called out to him.

"Jian Fanyu!"

Jian Fanyu stopped and turned around, his expression showing neither impatience nor anger. He calmly looked at Ruan Miao and asked, "What's up?"

Ruan Miao hesitated for a moment, then walked up to Jian Fanyu amidst Xi You's laughter. His ears were slightly red with shame as he carefully apologized, "About earlier, I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" Jian Fanyu's eyes were deep and he seemed genuinely confused about why Ruan Miao was apologizing.

Seeing that Jian Fanyu wasn't angry, Ruan Miao earnestly explained, "Because I can't carry a tune and I made you mess up. I ruined your reputation."

"Reputation?" Jian Fanyu let out a cold laugh. "What reputation?"

"I played terribly on my own. What does it have to do with you?"

Ruan Miao was stunned as he watched Jian Fanyu walk away without any expression on his face. Despite the bright sunshine outside, it seemed that no light could reach Jian Fanyu's heart. He seemed like he was in a different world entirely.

He couldn't describe the feeling, but... Jian Fanyu didn't seem like the gentle, noble, elegant, and melancholic prince from the original story. Instead, he exuded a discordant gloom and coldness, more like a dark lord than a prince.

"That's just his personality now. Don't mind him." Xi You patted Ruan Miao's shoulder, offering rare words of comfort. "I don't think he's mad at you."

Ruan Miao stood there in a daze, unconsciously blurting out, "He shouldn't be like this."

Xi You raised an eyebrow, amused. "Then how should he be?"

Ruan Miao said nothing. Although Jian Fanyu's behavior didn't have much to do with him, he still felt a bit guilty. He couldn't shake the feeling that maybe his presence as a butterfly had caused Jian Fanyu's character to crumble, but he genuinely didn't know what to do.

Back in the classroom, Ruan Miao's mind was still preoccupied with this. According to the original storyline, this was the point where Yan Yang would fully bring the original Ruan Miao into his life. Jian Fanyu would have to cope with the pressure from a rival in love while trying not to show it to avoid embarrassing Yan Yang. His mental state would become increasingly sensitive and fragile, evoking sympathy from readers.

Even though the storyline had long stalled, Jian Fanyu still displayed the same issues as described in the book. Was there some irresistible force driving the plot?

This thought lingered in his mind, almost causing him to lose focus during the afternoon classes. He had to push these puzzling thoughts aside; after all, he had his own issues to deal with.

After school, there was a campus-wide cleanup. Each class was assigned tasks, and Ruan Miao was designated to clean the restroom because no one else wanted to do it. Only he complied with the arrangement.

The hygiene monitor, Fang Zhi, was reportedly the only one in the class who got in purely on his own merits. Coming from a poor rural background, he had a tough life. Ruan Miao's willingness to take on the task earned Fang Zhi's high regard, so he grabbed a mop and joined Ruan Miao.

"You really don't need to thank me. The school's restrooms are usually kept clean by the janitors, so it's not a tough job," Ruan Miao reassured the apologetic monitor. "I can handle this on my own."

Fang Zhi, a straightforward person, awkwardly said, "You're not like what the rumors say."

Ruan Miao laughed, "Rumors? What do the rumors say about me?"

"Uh…" Fang Zhi hesitated, probably because most of the rumors weren't flattering and he didn't want to upset Ruan Miao.

Ruan Miao waved it off, unconcerned. "You don't have to say it. I can guess. Something like I'm vain, a scheming social climber, evil, and shameless, right?"

Fang Zhi blushed. "That's what others say."

"It's okay." Ruan Miao put the mop in the sink, then turned on the faucet to wash it, his tone light. "I used to be a bit bad, but there's a saying: 'To err is human, to correct is divine.' I've changed now and won't be like that anymore."

Fang Zhi's eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly in agreement. "Yes, yes, changing for the better is good. You can still be a straightforward person!"

They were responsible for cleaning the restrooms on that floor. Ruan Miao estimated they could finish before evening self-study, so he washed the mop and prepared to start. The last stall door opened, and someone leisurely walked out. Ruan Miao stepped aside to let him pass but the person didn't leave.

"So, it's you."

Ruan Miao froze. He knew this voice too well. After getting beaten up last time, he was sore for days and couldn't forget it soon.

"Hello, Brother Ling!"

Ye Ling stood there with a playful smirk, arms crossed, watching Ruan Miao busily working. After a while, he finally spoke up, reminding Ruan Miao, whose face showed a look of shock.

"Oh, you remember me this time?" Ye Ling's hair color had changed again. Last time it was gold; now it was silver-gray, matching his roguishly handsome face that was particularly attractive. Ruan Miao thought this type of guy, apart from He Shanglu, could only be matched by Ye Ling.

However, He Shanglu was a bit more wild, and when he cursed, it was always with colorful and imposing language.

Subconsciously, Ruan Miao compared the two of them in his mind and concluded that He Shanglu was more pleasing to the eye.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Ye Ling, relying on his height, deliberately cornered Ruan Miao like a tiger toying with a cat.

Fang Zhi was too timid to step forward, but seeing Ruan Miao about to be bullied, he mustered the courage to intervene. Ruan Miao discreetly signaled with his eyes for Fang Zhi to leave. Fang Zhi looked even weaker than Ruan Miao; if Ye Ling beat him up, he'd probably end up in the hospital for days.

"You can't even protect yourself and yet you want to protect him?" Ye Ling mocked. He was about to make another snide remark when he looked closer and frowned, "Have you gained weight?"

"The last time I saw you, your face wasn't this chubby."

"Actually, it's kind of cute."

Ruan Miao was speechless as Ye Ling's dog-like hands pinched his cheeks. He wanted to muster the courage to resist but feared getting hit. After struggling internally for a while, Ye Ling finally let go, leaving a large red handprint on Ruan Miao's face. The perpetrator showed no remorse, casually saying, "Oops, sorry."

"It's okay," Ruan Miao replied nervously. After a moment of hesitation, he couldn't help but ask, "Brother Ling, did you wash your hands after using the bathroom?"

Ye Ling: "..."

He angrily marched over to the sink and meticulously washed his hands with soap, then walked back and arrogantly showed his clean hands. "See, I washed them!"

"You're the first person to dare to look down on me!"

Ruan Miao thought the dialogue sounded familiar, like something out of a cliché bossy romance novel. "I wasn't looking down on you, Brother Ling."

In fact, he really did find it distasteful. Touching someone's face without washing hands was very rude.

Originally, Ye Ling intended to bully Ruan Miao. A few days ago, He Shanglu had beaten him up. Although Ye Ling couldn't win in a fight against He Shanglu, beating up his little brother would have the same effect. But Ruan Miao now acted so well-behaved and respectful, calling him "Brother Ling" obediently, leaving Ye Ling without a reason to strike.

"Is there anything else, Brother Ling? We still have to finish cleaning," Ruan Miao cautiously asked, afraid that Ye Ling would vent his frustrations on him.

Ye Ling snorted dismissively, "Boring." He stepped back a couple of steps and added, "Tell that bastard He Shanglu not to think I've backed down. Tell him to watch his back tonight!"

"I'll deal with him sooner or later!"

After saying this, Ye Ling swaggered out. Ruan Miao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly checked on Fang Zhi. "Are you okay?"

Fang Zhi shook his head. "He's really scary."

"Yes, so we shouldn't confront him head-on." Ruan Miao sighed. "I got beaten up by him last time and was sore for days. Good thing you didn't speak up too much. If he got mad, one of us would surely end up in the hospital."

Fang Zhi's eyes sparkled as he looked at Ruan Miao as if he were a saint. "You're really nice."

"You protected me just now. No one at school has been this nice to me."

Ruan Miao felt a bit uncomfortable being idolized. Fang Zhi, thin and small, possibly due to past malnutrition, made Ruan Miao feel a burst of heroism. He immediately forgot his own earlier timidity and boasted, "It's nothing. A real man knows when to be flexible. As long as we don't get beaten up, it's okay to back down a bit. That's called strategy!"

"You're right," Fang Zhi earnestly agreed. He was even more socially awkward than Ruan Miao, having few friends at school. Apart from studying, he struggled with social interactions. This was the most he had ever spoken to anyone at school.

Jian Fanyu walked in from outside to see the two fools enthusiastically mopping the floor. One of them he recognized well. He even overheard Ruan Miao bragging shamelessly to Fang Zhi about how to deal with people, leaving Fang Zhi in awe.

Even though it was the same face that made him want to crush him in the past, a different soul inside made it a completely different person. It was truly mysterious.

Over time, he found that face kind of cute.

Jian Fanyu continued his silent observations.