After finishing her self-introduction, Pu Rui was ready to be assigned a seat. It was the traditional desk-sharing setup, and only the last two rows of the classroom had empty seats. As Zhang Chuxin was still pondering the best arrangement, she was distracted by a hand raised by the boy sitting in front of Xie Haoyang.
"Teacher, I'd like to be the new classmate's deskmate," Mo Haohong said, sitting up straight with his right hand raised high, a gentle smile playing on his lips—it was no exaggeration to describe his demeanor as a breath of fresh air.
Pu Rui figured he must be a nice person, but she was still rather reluctant to have close contact with a stranger so soon.
Terrified that she might actually end up sharing a desk with him, Pu Rui looked anxiously at Zhang Chuxin. Seeing that Zhang Chuxin was about to nod in agreement, Pu Rui broke out in a cold sweat, her hands clutched tightly at her school uniform as she hung by her sides, not knowing what to do.
"Buzz off, she doesn't want to share a desk with you." Xie Haoyang reached out with a long arm and slapped Mo Haohong's hand down, raising his own hand high instead. "Teacher, I'd also like to be the new classmate's deskmate."
Knowing that Pu Rui already knew Xie Haoyang, Zhang Chuxin figured it would be nice for the new student to have a familiar face looking out for her. Besides, although Xie Haoyang could be a bit rash and overbearing at times, he was actually a good kid at heart. With that, she nodded in agreement.
Pu Rui was delighted too, and with a happy smile, she shouldered her schoolbag and sat down right next to him.
"Thank you," Pu Rui said, knowing he was helping her out.
"Don't mention it. Who else's boss is Brother Yi if not mine?" He wouldn't dare offend his boss's girl, no matter who else he offended.
Watching Pu Rui take her seat, Mo Haohong didn't mind in the least that she hadn't chosen him just now. He turned around, smiled at her, and said, "Hello there, I'm Mo Haohong. Can we be friends?"
Xie Haoyang felt like his life was too hard. The task Gao Yi had given him was simply too difficult. Pu Rui was as pretty as a flower—how could she possibly have few admirers? Lu Chisen had barely left, and now another Mo Haohong had shown up.
"Buzz off, don't bother her studies." Lacking any proper justification to chase them away—he certainly couldn't blurt out right in front of Pu Rui, "Don't touch my Brother Yi's woman," since Brother Yi hadn't even won her heart yet—Xie Haoyang could only fall back on using her studies as an excuse.
Worried that the two boys might start arguing in the classroom, Pu Rui had no choice but to give Mo Haohong a stiff nod and offer some polite pleasantries. "Hello, nice to meet you."
The more nervous she got, the more adorable her little expressions became. Deciding not to tease her anymore, Mo Haohong said, "If you ever need help with anything, just look me up." Knowing she was a transfer student and must have plenty of things to take care of on her first day, he decided not to disturb her further.
Pu Rui let out a soft sigh of relief. Leaning in close to her, Xie Haoyang lowered his voice and said, "Don't hang out with him. He's not a good guy." Anyway, as far as Xie Haoyang was concerned, anyone other than Brother Yi who harbored romantic designs on her was no good.
She took his words to heart, her pretty eyes opening wide as she nodded earnestly at him. She figured that Xie Haoyang and Mo Haohong had known each other for a long time and understood each other better, and since she was much more familiar with Xie Haoyang, she naturally trusted the latter.
Who would have thought that someone who looked like an upstanding gentleman wasn't a good person at all?
A refined scoundrel was truly the most terrifying kind.
Pu Rui glanced at the distance between her desk and Mo Haohong's chair, swallowed hard, and stealthily yet carefully nudged her desk toward herself, instantly turning the five or six-centimeter gap into a distance of at least fifteen centimeters.
Watching this from the side, Xie Haoyang almost burst out laughing.
Just like what Brother Yi had said, she was ridiculously cute.