Chapter 51: Brother, You Smell So Good~

The principal, seeing that Young Master Ji was really going through with it, could only keep signaling urgently to Pan Shuai, the homeroom teacher who had rushed over, to quickly persuade Young Master Ji to step down. He didn’t even know how to explain this to Director Ji.

What a mess!

He wasn’t unaware that this incident had a slight upside—Young Master Ji might lose some interest in racing, which would please Director Ji as a father.

But that small benefit couldn’t possibly outweigh the risk of Young Master Ji’s parents becoming angry or upset over their son’s embarrassment and potential bullying.

The benefits and risks were completely disproportionate.

He truly did not want this!

After Pan Shuai’s intervention, Ji Yangyang reluctantly stepped down.

What needed to be said had been said; standing there any longer was pointless.

He had thought he could bear everything, but now that he had fulfilled the bet, losing without losing face, he felt little joy.

Instead, as he met the varied gazes of the crowd, regret crept in.

Had he been too impulsive...?

He could only mask his true feelings with a cold aloofness, and the bitterness of that pretense was unbearable.

Especially after hearing the quick spread from Class Seven of the chant, “Don’t bow your head, or the crown will fall! Don’t shed a tear, He Chen will laugh!” he nearly lost even that cold composure.

Damn it!

Which drama was this cliché line from?

And He Chen had used it to mock him—just like all the other classic lines he’d quoted before, perfectly fitting the situation!

The chant echoed incessantly, drowning out any praise for his courage or responsibility.

The pride he had nurtured in stepping up, losing without losing face, was completely dismantled by this mocking rhyme.

At that thought, his nose tingled, on the verge of tears.

Hold it in!

He absolutely could not let He Chen laugh!

Ji Yangyang’s final stubbornness went unnoticed by He Chen, who, after the impromptu event ended, followed the main group back to their classroom with Du Tiantian.

He didn’t mean any harm.

It was just that in his past life, he knew countless rhymes like that, and given the moment, he naturally let one slip out.

During the morning break, He Chen was dodging curious classmates eager to learn about the racing bet when Qiao Yingzi and Huang Zitao came to call him away.

Huang Zitao said nothing about Ji Yangyang’s incident.

After all, she had already pleaded on Ji Yangyang’s behalf, and He Chen had agreed. It was Ji Yangyang who couldn’t overcome his own inner struggles and insisted on acting as he did.

At this point, there was nothing more to discuss.

She glanced at her close friend, who had been fine earlier but now seemed hesitant and embarrassed to speak up, so Huang Zitao stepped in: “He Chen, Yingzi told me about the planetarium incident. Thanks a lot!”

“No need to thank me,” He Chen smiled. “Just don’t take things too far. Life has no insurmountable obstacles; there’s no need to be so impulsive.”

Huang Zitao’s mouth twitched.

There was truth in that, but coming from him, it sounded so awkward.

At Spring Breeze High, He Chen, the school heartthrob known for relentless teasing, was the very definition of ‘extreme.’

Before, it was his extreme handsomeness.

Now, it was his extreme love of roasting people, and his unmatched skill at it.

“He Chen, I’m sorry,” Qiao Yingzi, encouraged by He Chen’s easy smile, swallowed her shyness and apologized openly. “My mom drove me crazy that day, and I acted recklessly. I never meant to trouble you or cause misunderstandings with your parents.”

“It’s okay,” He Chen looked at her. “You know I don’t mind your mom’s misunderstanding. As for Uncle Qiao, he’s not that extreme; he’ll understand. I’m not bothered at all.”

“Really?” Huang Zitao blurted out.

Qiao Yingzi’s eyes flickered strangely.

Could it really be that he was completely unbothered by such things? Did he like her?

Or was he some old hand, indifferent to such matters?

But no one had ever heard of this school heartthrob being in a relationship or having been won over by anyone. Both of them were probably still virgins; now that she had made things so messy with no experience, how could he not care?

Could it be that before he transferred here...

“Of course it’s true!” He Chen said candidly. “I believe if Fang Yifan had been there, he would have done the same. I just happened to be the tool you used to retaliate against your mom’s extreme pressure!”

“Fang Yifan? No way!” Qiao Yingzi couldn’t accept it and instinctively objected.

“Impossible?” He Chen stared at her in surprise. “This isn’t a math problem. When pushed, no one just stays powerless.

You two have been childhood playmates, always close, supporting each other. Helping you out would be more natural than it is for me, wouldn’t it?”

Qiao Yingzi’s face paled.

So in He Chen’s eyes, I am that kind of girl, and that’s why he thinks neither of us needs to care about this?

Huang Zitao felt a pang for her friend and, setting aside her earlier unease of ‘I was first,’ took the initiative to explain to He Chen on Qiao Yingzi’s behalf: “Yingzi treats Fang Yifan like a childhood brother, and he feels the same.”

“Brother, huh!” He Chen nodded. “Brothers are great. But has Fang Yifan ever said one thing?”

“What?” Huang Zitao asked.

Qiao Yingzi pricked up her ears.

He Chen said meaningfully, “Brother, you smell so good~”

Qiao Yingzi’s face flushed red and then turned pale.

Red because Fang Yifan never said that and wouldn’t say such things, yet He Chen had the privilege to tease like that.

Pale because Fang Yifan hadn’t said it, but from He Chen’s perspective, he seemed like someone who could easily say such things.

What did He Chen think I was?

Huang Zitao naturally caught the implication and sighed silently at her emotionally stirred friend. She had long sensed this was problematic.

But since her friend and Fang Yifan were childhood playmates, and since her friend was so carefree, always under intense pressure from her mother to study hard, she needed Fang Yifan’s comfort.

Even though Huang Zitao, also a childhood companion, was nearby, her friend preferred Fang Yifan’s comforting presence.

The recent Lego Star Wars giant model incident was a perfect example.

She admitted that Fang Yifan’s subtle attentiveness was somewhat like Jia Baoyu—better at cheering up their friend than she was.

She had privately warned her friend that as an adult, they should maintain boundaries, no more shoulder-to-shoulder closeness like when they were kids.

But her friend didn’t mind and joked that this era wasn’t the feudal old times of Dream of the Red Chamber. Fang Yifan wasn’t Jia Baoyu, and she wasn’t Lin Daiyu.

It was just brotherly affection. How could that harm her reputation or doom her future marriage prospects?

Since her friend said that, Huang Zitao didn’t press further. After all, Fang Yifan often joked about liking her, and if she pushed too much, people might misunderstand her feelings for him.

She definitely didn’t want to be the scheming Xue Baochai in her parents’ eyes, the one who caused the tragic demise of the orphaned Lin Daiyu.

Besides, Jia Baoyu loved pestering pretty sisters, clinging like a sweet candy, pressing kisses on their lips.

Now that her friend clung to He Chen like that, who could blame him for suspecting she was imitating Jia Baoyu and Fang Yifan’s antics?

Those pretty maids plagued by Jia Baoyu never had happy endings. Even their own sisters’ reputations were ruined. At their age, few marriage proposals came.

In the end, the proud daughter of a noble house was either sold for a few thousand taels, adopted as a dry-niece and sold to an enemy state, or became a nun.

Now, however, this brotherly affection, regardless of gender, might not ruin marriage prospects or sell someone cheaply, nor block all paths.

But when faced with an exceptional suitor who truly stirs your heart, such ‘brotherhood’ becomes a direct obstacle, disqualifying you even before you enter the race.