Chapter 6: A Sudden Heroic Rescue

One thing Shen Yu knew about Zhao Rui's character was that he was supposed to be ruthless, self-centered, and willing to do anything to get Bai Xue. So, when he saw Bai Xue cornered by a group of girls whispering nasty things about her, he knew what he should do—stand aside or even smirk like the villain he was supposed to be.

Instead, he found himself stepping in front of her.

"Hey, what's your problem?" he snapped, crossing his arms as he glared at the girls.

Bai Xue blinked up at him in shock, her eyes wide as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The group of gossiping girls exchanged confused glances before one of them scoffed.

"Shouldn't you be happy about this, Zhao Rui? Everyone knows you don't like her being around Lu Zhixuan," the leader of the group, a girl with perfectly curled hair and a smug expression, sneered.

Shen Yu forced out a laugh, trying to keep up appearances. "What? Pfft. Nonsense. That's old news." He waved his hand dismissively before clearing his throat. "I just—uh—think bullying is lame."

One of the girls snorted. "Since when do you care about what's lame?"

"Since now," Shen Yu said firmly, squaring his shoulders. "And unless you all want to be known as the kind of people who gang up on one girl just because you don't like who she hangs out with, I'd suggest you walk away."

The girls scoffed, rolling their eyes, but they did disperse, whispering among themselves as they walked away. Shen Yu let out a breath of relief, feeling like he had just defused a bomb.

Bai Xue, however, was still staring at him. "Zhao Rui... you're acting strange."

"Me? Never!" Shen Yu forced a grin. "I'm the same as always."

Bai Xue tilted her head, her brows furrowing slightly. "No, you're really not."

Before she could press him further, a new voice interrupted them.

"So now you're rescuing damsels in distress?"

Shen Yu stiffened, a familiar chill running down his spine. Slowly, he turned to find Lu Zhixuan leaning against a nearby pillar, arms crossed, watching him with an amused glint in his eyes.

Shen Yu forced a cough. "I was just passing by! Not my fault if I happened to witness an injustice."

Lu Zhixuan smirked, stepping closer until he was standing right in front of Shen Yu. "You're really full of surprises lately."

Shen Yu swallowed hard, suddenly feeling like a mouse trapped by a cat. His original goal was to survive, not to entertain the male lead!

Why did it feel like he was losing control of the story?

Bai Xue looked between them, her expression unreadable. "You two have been acting weird around each other lately," she mused.

Lu Zhixuan's smirk didn't fade as he glanced at Shen Yu. "Is that so?"

Shen Yu groaned internally. This was not going the way he planned.