Chapter 19: Looks Are Justice!

So you’re a rich second-generation kid!

Su Ze, Sister didn’t know you were so loaded before, but now Sister will give you a chance, find your own way to pursue me…

The female class president sitting in the front passenger seat chirped away, joking with Su Ze.

By comparison, the two accounting majors in the back seat were much quieter.

They were both playing with their phones.

They seemed uninterested in the wealth Su Ze had just displayed…

However.

The inner voices Su Ze heard told a different story.

『No wonder they call him the face of their class, this guy…』

『He looks good and he’s rich…』

『Sigh, he probably wouldn’t like me; damn, if I had such a rich boyfriend I’d make him pay for all my makeup…』

That was the inner voice of one of the girls in the back seat.

Credit where it’s due, society has taught most people one thing… self-awareness.

That accounting girl clearly understood that principle.

Just like the female class president up front, her coveting of Su Ze was blatant.

If Su Ze showed even the slightest hint of initiative, he could probably make the class president writhe in bed like a maggot.

Yet Su Ze had no intention of making a move at all…

So people exercised self-restraint, jokes stayed superficial, and no one dared go too far for fear of embarrassing themselves.

『Hmph, it’s just a lousy car, why show off…』

『It’s all from his parents anyway, like he could earn enough for a single tire himself…』

『Heh, after I graduate, give me 5 years and I’ll buy a car this nice too…』

That was the inner voice of the other accounting guy in the back seat.

Su Ze felt no urge to assess such thoughts.

They were too ordinary, too normal.

This was also one reason he kept a low profile in college and hid his family background.

Shine too brightly and you attract envy.

He was handsome enough to cause jealousy already; he didn’t need to add a “rich” label on top…

That said.

With doomsday around the corner, there was no need to maintain such low-key behavior anymore.

Besides, he was laying the groundwork for the upcoming mixer.

Simply put, he hoped the beauty Prince Xin mentioned, whom he had never met, would possess that excellent gold-digging quality, and then… she would climb right onto him.

…

Su City lay in the south.

Sometimes it stayed misty with drizzling rain all day, and in winter night fell early.

By the time high schoolers were just starting dinner, a hint of darkness had already crept across the city sky.

Chen Keqing, who had agreed to meet Su Ze, had just left the gate of No. 3 High School and was now standing at the corner holding a cake she had baked herself, waiting for him.

『I’m a bit hungry; if I sneak a bite of the cake, will he notice…』

Su Ze arrived on time as well, and before he even got close he had already heard Chen Keqing’s jumbled inner monologue.

“It’s your high-school dinner time, right? Want something to eat?”

He was being rather economical with words.

Su Ze met up with Chen Keqing.

All the small-talk formalities of society were skipped.

He took the gift from her hands and then pointed to the hot-pot restaurant not far away.

“Sit for a while.”

“…” Chen Keqing blinked and, after a few seconds of silence, finally nodded.

『Wow, overbearing president vibe… he tells me to sit and I sit…』

『Annoying guy, but fine, I’ll reluctantly agree since he looked so handsome last night…』

What are you, some tsundere monster from an anime?

Your inner drama is so rich.

Only after entering the hot-pot place did Chen Keqing realize Su Ze had booked the table in advance.

Even the broth was already boiling, and he dumped a heap of ingredients from the table straight into the pot.

“I know you don’t have much time to eat, so I’m trying to save you as much as possible.”

As he spoke, Su Ze looked up and saw hesitation on Chen Keqing’s face.

In their agreement she was only supposed to deliver the cake; there was no plan to have a meal together.

『Is he treating me to dinner…?』

『Oh no, what if this is a black shop; will I pass out while eating and wake up missing a kidney…』

『I can’t eat; my kidneys matter…』

Your vigilance is commendable!

Especially after losing your parents, that alertness is even more necessary!

But…

“Relax, I’m not interested in your kidneys.” Su Ze pointed to the seat beside him and reasoned kindly, “This place is so close to your school; you should know it better than I do.”

『Whoa…』

『How does he know I’m afraid of getting my kidney taken; scary guy…』

『But he has a point; isn’t the owner of this place Xiaolin’s mom…』

After some careful thought, Chen Keqing finally sat down first and asked, “So what’s up?”

“A little something.” Su Ze nodded, then took out his phone and handed it to her. “Could you fill this out? Don’t worry, it’s not a scam; you’ll see once you look.”

“What is it, a questionnaire?” Chen Keqing blinked and read the screen carefully.

It was a survey Su Ze had prepared specially for her.

While Chen Keqing filled it out, Su Ze kept eavesdropping on her thoughts.

『Hobbies? Does doing housework count? Hmm… can’t be too honest, better write something refined… listening to music and reading it is…』

She likes doing housework?

No wonder in the simulations he often saw her show off her cooking skills; she really knew her way around a kitchen.

『Specialty? Does gaming count? I’m great at PUBG; sigh, if I studied half as well as I game I’d have gotten into Su University long ago…』

So she’s a gamer girl too…

『Self-assessment? What is this, a job résumé? Self-assessment is that, aside from not studying well, I’m an all-round beautiful girl… hmm, better write that I’m diligent.』

“Finished.” Chen Keqing returned the phone to Su Ze and looked at him with clear, sincere eyes, asking if he needed anything else.

“That’s all.” Now that he had his answers, Su Ze saw no need to keep her, though he still offered politely, “Really don’t want something to eat? You haven’t eaten yet.”

“Mm…” Chen Keqing stared at the mutton floating up in the pot. “Then I’ll have a little, thanks.”

The lure of food was only the surface reason.

The real reason she lowered her guard and started eating lay with Su Ze himself.

Looks are justice.

If Su Ze weren’t handsome and harmless from every angle, Chen Keqing wouldn’t have indulged her appetite.

Furthermore, if last night’s protector had been an average-looking guy instead of Su Ze, she probably wouldn’t even have asked for his contact…

At this moment.

Chen Keqing was fully aware of the ambiguity of sitting alone with a male college student for dinner…

『Does he like me…?』

『Should I refuse him with the excuse of not dating before the college entrance exam…?』

『So awkward, whatever, just eat first…』

While her mind stormed, Chen Keqing kept searching for the food she wanted.

Soon she got into full hot-pot mode.

Heat spread through her body.

She straightened her back and unzipped her school uniform, revealing another uniform underneath…

『Huh? Why am I wearing two? Oh right, it was chilly during second period…』

“Tss…”

She took off the second uniform as well.

Underneath was her own clothing, a white woolen blouse that pushed up a proud curve.

The figure that her uniform had sealed away now revealed the tip of an iceberg…