Part 2
The specially-enrolled students outside the door heard the clangs and bangs from within, punctuated by the occasional beastly roar.
The Great Underwear Defense War had officially begun.
“Damn, Ze Ge, this kid can really fight!”
Pan Ze looked at his group of bruised lackeys and cursed, “It’s because you’re all useless trash.”
What kind of pathetic crew had he brought? An alpaca that only knew how to spit, a giraffe that just stretched its neck to stare at people’s bald spots, and a dumb roe deer that practically offered its face to be punched.
The full moon was almost upon them. They didn’t dare transform, terrified of losing their minds. In his human form, Bai Yuzhou fought with surprising ferocity, using thuggish, brawling moves that allowed him to easily handle the group attack.
Seeing that this damned specially-enrolled student was going to protect Yan He’s underwear to the death, Pan Ze—operating on the principle that a thief never leaves empty-handed—suddenly lunged. As Bai Yuzhou instinctively moved to protect the underwear, Pan Ze snatched the black uniform jacket drying beside it, vaulted over the windowsill, and vanished.
The group of junior lackeys stared at each other, then at Bai Yuzhou’s grim face, and screamed.
“Ze Ge, wait for us!”
Yelping and shouting, the lackeys fled the dorm in a pathetic scramble.
Bai Yuzhou stared at the wreckage of the room, then suddenly collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.
He had a vague, uneasy feeling. Perhaps his time as Yan He’s roommate was coming to an end.
Yan He strolled out of the exam center holding his 95-point Subject One score sheet, feeling absolutely fantastic.
Because Bestia Academy had its own complete driving test center and so few students were taking the test, there was no line, and he could take it immediately.
The instructor told him that as soon as the welcome event was over, he could start preparing for Subject Two.
When Yan He got back to the dorm, he found Bai Yuzhou had just finished cleaning up the mess. Bai Yuzhou explained succinctly that Pan Ze had been by with his crew.
Yan He was secretly amazed that he’d missed such a good show. He’d heard his female colleagues mention that the protagonist shou would have his dorm trashed by the academy’s villains. So today was the day!
The plot was truly kicking off.
“Wait a minute, where’s my uniform jacket?” Yan He stared at the lone pair of underwear hanging on the balcony, completely baffled.
Tomorrow was the welcome event, and the academy required all freshmen to wear their uniforms. He’d washed it, only for Pan Ze to just… walk off with it?
“Does professional rivalry really have to be this vicious? Is this a fight to the death?”
Yan He mentally rained curses on Pan Ze for his petty, villainous behavior. How was this any different from secretly poisoning your rival company’s lucky bamboo?
He figured Pan Ze saw him, the new lackey, earning favor with Yun Xiao and already hated his guts, so he was finding any way to mess with him. One minute, he’s stealing the 199-yuan collar he bought; the next, he’s snatching his uniform jacket.
We’re not even the main characters! Can an NPC sidekick please stop adding his own drama?
After a moment’s thought, Bai Yuzhou said guiltily, “I’ll go get it back for you.”
He hadn’t realized that shameless spotted hyena Pan Ze would use a feint to steal Yan He’s jacket.
Yan He shook his head. Now that it was stolen, his uniform jacket had probably already been sacrificed to the heavens.
Yan He’s gaze drifted to his wardrobe. He grabbed his phone, walked to the balcony, and sent He Ting a WeChat message.
[Little Sprout He: He Shao, can I borrow your jacket for one day? I have to wear a uniform for the welcome event tomorrow.]
[2: You can.]
Boss Number Two is so easygoing!
Yan He had honestly thought a germaphobic young master like He Ting would be impossible to borrow from, but he’d agreed instantly.
He paid well and didn’t look for trouble. Yan He recalled the others saying He Ting was the one F4 member you really couldn’t afford to offend. That was just ridiculous.
Yan He immediately sent several heart-eye emojis to show his gratitude.
The other side paused for a moment, then typed again.
[2: You’re attending the welcome event?]
[Little Sprout He: All freshmen are required to attend.]
[2: Be careful.]
Yan He stared at the reply in surprise, not quite understanding what He Ting meant. What danger could there possibly be at a welcome event?
On the other side of campus, Pan Ze had already finished blow-drying Yan He’s uniform jacket. He lowered his head and took a sniff. He wasn’t sure what laundry detergent Yan He used, but the jacket smelled exceptionally fresh, though not much of Yan He’s personal scent remained.
Pan Ze sat in his townhouse, waiting and waiting, but the call from Yan He begging for his uniform back never came. He’d been fantasizing about that very scenario.
He had no choice but to report to his boss first. He gloomily called Yun Xiao, making sure to add plenty of fuel to the fire.
“Yun Shao, I went to warn Bai Yuzhou, but that lowly specially-enrolled student said, ‘Even if Yun Xiao knelt in front of me, I would absolutely never move out of this dorm!'”
Yun Xiao was stunned for a second, then his eyes instantly blazed with fire. He kicked the chair at his feet, and it immediately splintered into pieces.
Excellent! It’s been far too long since I met a real troublemaker at Bestia Academy!
“Yun Shao… um… if you don’t want that specially-enrolled student living with Yan He, why not just have Yan He move out? If you tell him to move, Yan He will definitely obey,” Pan Ze stared at the uniform jacket on his lap and suddenly, stammeringly, proposed.
Seeing Yun Xiao’s silence, Pan Ze summoned his courage to continue his proposal. “It just so happens I live in a townhouse. I’m in the upper unit, and the lower unit is still empty…”
“Yan He and I are both lackeys for the young masters. Living in the same building would make it convenient for us to run errands for you, Yun Shao.”
If the F4 just pulled a few strings, Yan He could be living in a townhouse!
This was a townhouse that specially-enrolled students couldn’t even get near!
The line was silent for a long time. Pan Ze guiltily rubbed his nose.
Yun Xiao finally spoke. “No.”
In the academy, dorms were a symbol of class. A specially-enrolled student with a dark red nameplate living in a townhouse would be far too conspicuous.
Besides… Yun Xiao thought of that dream again. He had become an inhuman golden eagle, yet he had willingly allowed himself to be tamed by Yan He.
Therefore, he couldn’t give Yan He too much special treatment and let him get cocky. Yan He could only be his lackey.
For now, giving him a single dorm room was enough.
Pan Ze was slightly disappointed by the answer and waited for Yun Xiao’s plan.
As a member of the noble F4, Yun Xiao hadn’t yet been reduced to getting his own hands dirty.
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, finally landing on a way to deal with Bai Yuzhou. He gave Pan Ze a few instructions.
Pan Ze nodded eagerly. After hanging up, he let out a peculiar, hyena-like cackle.
You’re finished, Bai Yuzhou.
The next morning, their dorm room door was knocked on by a specially-enrolled student from across the hall.
Yan He remembered this student. He was from the same batch—small and cute, but timid as a rabbit.
“What’s wrong?”
The student’s face was deathly pale, as if he’d seen something terrifying. He couldn’t seem to form a coherent sentence, only stammering, “You… go… go look at the storage room.”
The “storage room” was just a large room full of lockers. Every student was assigned one to store their belongings.
Yan He felt a strange premonition. He quickly washed up, and he and Bai Yuzhou left the dorm, heading toward the locker building.
Today was the welcome event, which meant a full day of activities. There was a club fair during the day, and at night, the upperclassmen were hosting a welcome party for the new students. The entire academy was buzzing with excitement.
The students around them were whispering, some looking exceptionally thrilled, as if they were about to witness a once-in-a-century spectacle.
As Yan He and Bai Yuzhou walked in, they noticed students repeatedly glancing their way, their faces alight with an almost festive excitement.
There were even a few high-and-mighty rich kids in the crowd!
Yan He grew wary. This was definitely not the kind of attention an NPC sidekick like him should be receiving.
They walked all the way to the row of lockers for this year’s specially-enrolled students. The student who had knocked on their door was already there, his eyes red and trembling.
Yan He and Bai Yuzhou’s gazes simultaneously landed on the lockers. Taped to one of the locker doors was a large red card, upon which “F4” was written in a flourishing, steel-pen script.
“Oh my god, school just started and we already get this drama! The F4 issued a red card!”
“The last person to get this treatment was that bald peacock-chicken, right? He failed to seduce He Shao and then had the nerve to go after Yun Shao!”
“What unforgivable crime did this specially-enrolled student commit to get carded by the F4?”
“A red card means… we can freely tear this specially-enrolled student apart, right?”
“What’s the poor thing going to do? Our academy doesn’t exactly allow you to drop out.”
“…”
A red card!
The most classic, iconic trope in a noble academy novel—the issuing of a red card!
Except…
Yan He stared at the number printed on the top-right corner of the locker door with the red card: 106.
The locker number was the last three digits of the student ID. But 106 was his number! Holy shit!
When had he offended the F4? This made no sense! He had been the perfect, bootlicking suck-up!
Bai Yuzhou’s cold, aloof expression also cracked with boundless astonishment. Yan He got a red card from the F4?
He immediately looked over at Yan He, who was staring at the ground, muttering to himself.
“This shouldn’t be happening… I’m an iron-willed, straight-as-an-arrow, true straight man!”
Getting a red card was supposed to be the main shou‘s plotline! How could an NPC sidekick like him steal the protagonist’s spotlight? Or… did this mean he had somehow replaced Bai Yuzhou as the protagonist shou?
Yan He couldn’t accept it. He couldn’t bear the thought that one day in the future, he would turn gay!
Bai Yuzhou: “…”
Wait. His roommate… this is what he’s worried about right now?
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