Back at school, the terrifying incident on the sports field that afternoon quickly spread through Class 3-1.
Even though the teachers had issued strict orders to keep quiet, it didn't stop students from whispering behind closed doors.
They were all saying Second High had produced a real beast—someone who gave a live demonstration of what it meant to truly catch a blade barehanded. Rumor had it, even the would-be assassin was stunned speechless for four or five seconds.
And apparently, when security pinned the attacker to the ground, the weapon was still lodged in that beast's hand. Blood was everywhere. It was like something out of a horror movie.
Someone with sharp eyes, who had also witnessed the lunchtime drama, pointed out that this "beast" seemed to be the same guy who had been seen at the classroom door earlier—apparently confessing to Lin Jingqiu.
The moment he said that, everyone who had been there instantly backed him up.
"You know, he doesn't even look that tough. How the hell did he pull that off?"
"You don't get it. That's what love makes you do!"
"Hold on, weren't you the one who said the confession had nothing to do with him? That it was Gao Qingyang saving face by pretending?"
Gao Qingyang was a well-known figure at Second High—not exactly notorious, but not squeaky clean either.
With decent looks and a habit of hanging around the school's rougher crowd, he'd made a mess of more than a few delinquent girls. Even those who weren't in the same class had heard the name.
"Well, that's what I thought," the student admitted, "but did you see what happened out there this afternoon? Don't tell me that guy doesn't have feelings for Lin Jingqiu. I'm not buying it."
"Ah, love!"
"Found him! The guy's name is Chen An, from Class 2!"
"Chen An? That name doesn't ring a bell…"
Soon enough, the rumors surrounding Chen An had spiraled wildly out of control.
By the next morning, as soon as he stepped into class, he was met with curious, probing stares from every direction. After a whole night of retelling and speculation, there were now a dozen different versions of what had happened.
Some said Chen An had thrown himself into danger for love. Others claimed he was actually Lin Jingqiu's secret bodyguard—only revealing himself in times of crisis.
Everyone had their own story, and every version sounded oddly convincing.
But as always, rumors flared fast and faded just as quickly. It probably wouldn't last more than a couple of days.
Chen An took his seat in the back row by the window. As soon as he sat down, his deskmate Liang Bufan leaned in. With his era-clashing buzz cut, he looked like someone trying too hard to be trendy.
He jabbed Chen An with an elbow, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Chen An, what's the deal? I heard you got stabbed protecting Lin Jingqiu and ended up half-paralyzed! But you look fine—like nothing even happened!"
Liang Bufan was not only Chen An's desk mate but also his roommate in the dorm. They'd had a few casual chats, enough to be on decent terms.
His question instantly caught the attention of several nearby classmates, who all turned their ears toward them. After all, few of them ever spoke to Chen An, and Liang Bufan was their best shot at getting the inside scoop.
Chen An gave a small twitch of the lips. He clearly underestimated how fast gossip spread. In just one night, he'd gone from stopping a knife to being declared half-dead…
"What, were you getting ready to plan my funeral if I hadn't shown up this morning?" he said dryly.
Liang Bufan chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "You didn't come back to the dorm last night, so I thought maybe the rumors were true."
"Well, like you said, they're just rumors. Not as dramatic as everyone thinks."
Chen An casually picked up a book and started flipping through it.
Liang Bufan clicked his tongue and noticed the white bandage still wrapped around Chen An's right hand. His eyes lit up.
"Not that dramatic, huh… So that means you really did catch the blade barehanded?"
Chen An nodded.
Liang Bufan practically leaned back in awe, a look of utter disbelief and admiration on his face. Then he raised a big thumbs-up.
"Dude, you're insane. Chen An—no, Brother An—from now on, you're officially the toughest guy in Second High!"
Neither of them had made an effort to lower their voices, so the surrounding students heard every word.
They all stared at Chen An now with the same stunned and admiring expressions as Liang Bufan. No one had expected the usually silent Chen An to be so fearless in a moment of true danger.
He literally stopped a knife with his bare hand.
Way braver than all those PE jocks who were always going on about "grit" and "toughness."
In the corner of the classroom, Gao Qingyang looked utterly lost.
Wait a minute… did I really just accidentally pin the blame on a guy who actually likes Lin Jingqiu?
On second thought, that wouldn't be surprising at all. Someone like Lin Jingqiu—practically the school goddess—probably had at least ten guys out of ten crushing on her.
So it wasn't strange for Chen An to be one of them.
Gao Qingyang couldn't help sneering.
Chen An was in his class, so he had some idea of the guy's background. Aside from having decent grades, the guy was your typical shut-in—quiet, nerdy, totally unremarkable.
In front of someone like Lin Jingqiu, Chen An probably couldn't even form a complete sentence.
The more he thought about it, the funnier it seemed. Just picturing Chen An awkwardly stammering in front of Lin Jingqiu had Gao Qingyang holding back laughter.
If even someone like him got brutally rejected, what chance did a shut-in loser like Chen An have? Did he really think catching a knife would make her fall for him?
What a joke.
Pathetic simp.
So what if he blocked a blade? You think that's all it takes?
With that thought, Gao Qingyang felt a lot better. After half a day of hearing people gossip about Chen An and Lin Jingqiu, he'd been stewing. He'd just had his own public rejection the day before, after all.
His deskmate had also been following the chatter. "Hey, Gao Qingyang—do you think Chen An actually has something going on with Lin Jingqiu?"
Gao Qingyang scoffed. "You guys seriously need better judgment. That broke-ass nerd? You think someone like Lin Jingqiu would be into him?"
Just because his confession had flopped didn't mean Chen An had a shot either.
"What, you think he managed to stutter out a few words before freezing up and turning red like a monkey's ass?"
His deskmate looked like he wanted to argue, but had to admit Gao Qingyang kind of had a point.
Just then, a stir came from the classroom doorway. The noise quickly died down.
Gao Qingyang looked up, thinking the homeroom teacher had arrived—but instead, he saw a tall, slender girl standing there.
She wore the school's blue-and-white uniform. Her figure was graceful, her long hair tied up in a high ponytail.
She glanced around, spotted someone, and her eyes lit up. A small smile tugged at her lips.
The girl waved and called out in a clear, sweet voice—
"Chen An!"