Because Lika was usually unpleasant to her classmates—with the sole exception of Suchen—the teacher appointed her as the school prefect, hoping this would improve her behavioral habits while also helping her manage the students, killing two birds with one stone.
Now acting as prefect, Lika was primarily responsible for maintaining school discipline, which meant she had the authority to punish students who broke the rules, and that included Suchen.
Suchen, for his part, was a notorious "bad boy," sharing a personality very similar to Lika's. Yet, whenever he was around Lika, he never showed that side of himself.
Today, Lika seemed to have discovered that Suchen had committed some disciplinary infraction at school, and she decided to do something about it. During the break, she approached him, locking her crimson eyes on his face. An invisible pressure radiated from her gaze, as if she had caught him red-handed.
Twirling a strand of her long hair, Lika curved the corners of her lips into a knowing smile. "It's still not too late to confess. This young lady might consider letting you off."
Suchen immediately folded. "All right, I confess." Seeing him give in so easily, Lika chuckled. "Since that's how it is, take your punishment like a good boy." With a flash of mischievous triumph in her eyes, she whipped out a small notebook and began writing.
"What kind of punishment are you thinking of?" Suchen asked.
A smug smile touched Lika's lips, as though she had already planned out his penalty. "It's very simple. For the next month, I want you to be my lackey."
"Fine."
Seeing him agree so readily, Lika looked slightly surprised. "You caved remarkably fast."
"What else could I do?" Suchen replied.
A flicker of sly amusement crossed Lika's eyes as she arched an eyebrow. "Looks like you know how to read the room." As Suchen followed her down the hallway, she glanced back at him every so often, a slight smile playing on her lips. "From now on, you're this young lady's lackey."
"It was like our date last time. Is being a lackey going to be any different?"
At his question, Lika stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. "Our last date?"
Suchen nodded. Memory caught up with Lika, and amusement flickered in her crimson eyes. "What, did you forget already?"
"Not at all, just wanted to ask," Suchen hurried to say.
A cunning curve touched Lika's lips. "A lackey's job is very simple: just keep this young lady company and be at my beck and call."
"Uh, got it."
Lika raised an eyebrow at him. "What, complaining about a job this easy?"
"No, I'm not complaining." Seeing how obedient he looked, she nodded in satisfaction. "That's more like it."
Suchen continued to follow her. A triumphant smile curled Lika's lips as she mentally rehearsed all the ways she could boss him around. Stopping abruptly, she turned to Suchen. "I order you to go buy a bottle of drink right now."
He went immediately.
When Suchen returned with the drink, Lika reached out and took it from him. Suchen watched as she unscrewed the cap and took a small sip. "Mmm, not bad."
Suchen stood off to the side, watching her. Lika raised her eyes and arched an eyebrow. "What, you want some too?"
Suchen gave an embarrassed smile. "Uh, a little."
Guessing what was on his mind, Lika handed the drink back to him. "Here, have some."
"Thanks."
Lika raised an eyebrow. "Don't thank me. You're this young lady's lackey, after all."
After Suchen took a few sips, Lika took the bottle back and mimicked what Suchen had done to her at the café, feeding him with her own mouth.
"Ah, this..." Suchen stammered.
"Sweet?" Lika asked.
"Sweet... the sweetest thing I've ever tasted."
"Now it's your turn to feed me."
Suchen nodded slightly in agreement, then raised the bottle to his lips. After taking a mouthful, he fixed his gaze on Lika with tender eyes.
Lika sat quietly, her crimson eyes gleaming with anticipation. Seeing Suchen prepare to feed her the drink mouth-to-mouth, a flush crept up her cheeks, and a rush of sweetness flooded her heart. She parted her lips slightly to welcome the impending sweetness.
The moment the liquid touched the tip of her tongue, her eyes lit up and a happy smile bloomed across her face—as radiant as a spring flower, as if to tell Suchen how much she was enjoying this intimate moment. Pausing for a second, Lika darted out her pink tongue to lightly lick her lips, looking as though she hadn't quite had enough of the taste.
The atmosphere grew intensely intimate and wonderful. The distance between them shrank until the only sounds in the quiet space were their intertwined breathing and heartbeats, weaving a unique melody together.
That mood, however, was abruptly shattered. Fanlin arrived. He was the person Lika despised most in the world—a mere pawn of Elena. The moment Lika caught sight of him, her expression darkened instantly, and her voice turned glacial. "What are you doing here?"
Fanlin had witnessed the scene just moments before, and a wicked grin spread across his face. "I just came to see who the great Miss Lika is bullying this time." He let out a cold snort, his tone dripping with disdain. "This young lady's business is none of your concern."
"Who is this guy?" Fanlin asked. "How come I've never seen him around before?"
Fanlin was lying; they had attended the same school through junior high, making it impossible that he had never seen Suchen before. But Suchen was rarely bullied by him, because on a dozen occasions Suchen had hauled Fanlin down to the police station. Suchen also leveraged his own social network to keep Fanlin in check everywhere, giving him ample confidence to stand his ground and reason with him.
Lika curved her lips. "He's my lackey."
"A lackey?" Fanlin scoffed. "The great Miss Lika actually keeping a lackey? More like a boyfriend, I'd say."
Panic flashed in Lika's eyes, and she flushed crimson as she raised her voice. "Nonsense! He is not my boyfriend!" Her reasons for denying it were self-explanatory to anyone with half a brain.
"Not your boyfriend? Then why are you blushing?"
"You!" Lika snapped, beside herself with fury. "It's just hot outside, that's all!"
Suchen stood up and gave a clap of his hands. A group of people emerged and hauled Fanlin away. Strictly speaking, these people were his friends. Watching Fanlin get dragged off, Lika smiled triumphantly.
"What's wrong?"
A flicker of mischief danced in Lika's crimson eyes as she raised an eyebrow. "Nothing. Just teaching some ignorant fool a lesson."
Suchen leaned in close to Lika's ear and murmured, "So, am I your boyfriend or not?"
Lika's cheeks turned even redder than before, a trace of panic flashing in her gaze. "W-What are you saying?"
"Am I, or am I not?"
Lika blushed and whispered, "Let... let me think about it."
"Alright," Suchen said smugly.
After a moment of silence, Lika looked at Suchen, mischief gleaming in her eyes. "Well then, I suppose this young lady will reluctantly agree to it."
"Mmm." Lika's lips curved into a smile, as though she were thoroughly pleased with his reaction. After all, "reluctant" was something Lika had claimed long ago.