“Screw you! You heartless, vicious woman!”

Under the flashing neon lights of bustling Hudu, Ernest Coleman—once the poster boy of academic excellence—finally lost it and yelled something he’d never thought he’d say in public.

The college entrance exam? Completely tanked.

Just fifteen minutes ago, he got the devastating results.

Ernest, the dude who had always ranked first in every mock exam, the local legend in Hudu schools... ended up failing so badly it was almost laughable. He didn’t even make it past the minimum cutoff for the third-tier colleges.

And sure, it wasn’t entirely his fault.

The day before the exam, he jumped into the Huangpu River to save a drowning girl. A selfless move—but he caught a raging fever because of it.

Seriously, who can focus on a test while burning up with a 39.5°C fever? The fact he even managed to finish the paper was kind of a miracle already.

But even that wasn’t enough to make him explode like this.

What really broke him?

Ten minutes ago, he called his girlfriend for some comfort.

Actually, scratch that—his ex.

“Hello? Who is this?”

...

“Oh? You failed? That’s too bad. But what’s that got to do with me? I did great! Honestly, I feel amazing!”

...

"Are you serious right now? Ernest, listen up—this is the end of the line for us!"

...

"You thought I dated you because I liked you? Please. Don’t flatter yourself. Look at you—broke, no connections, with country boy written all over you. A farmer’s kid like you? You’re lucky I even looked at you. Even blind, I wouldn't choose someone like you.”

"Let me be real with you. I only dated you 'cause I needed a free tutor. That’s it. Nothing else. I figured I might have to give something in return, but turns out you were such a coward you never even tried to touch me! Hahaha!"

"But hey, thanks for that. Without you, I wouldn’t have gotten into a top college! So, thanks, country bumpkin. Hope I never see your face again. Bye!"

“Bitch.”

Ernest clenched his fists so tight his nails dug into his palms. Blood started to drip between his fingers.

Then a soft, sweet voice came from behind him.

“Hey, why are you yelling at me, mister?”

The tone was sweet like birdsong in the early morning—clear and gentle, full of innocence.

Ernest spun around.

Standing in front of him was a girl in a white lacey Lolita dress, playful grin on her face.

Her skin was fair and glowing, with no makeup. Her dress ended just above the knees, revealing smooth, fair thighs encased in black knee-high socks and rounded shoes.

She looked around eighteen or nineteen, ridiculously pretty and insanely cute—like some mischievous sprite who wandered out of a fairytale by mistake.

Her rosy lips were slightly pouted, as if she’d just been unfairly scolded. A single tear clung to the tip of her long lashes, so delicate it made people want to wipe it away for her.“Sorry, I wasn’t cursing at you…”

Ernest froze for a moment, a little dazed.

As the girl got a clear look at his face, her eyes lit up with surprise and joy.

“Ernest! It’s really you! I thought it looked like you—didn’t expect to actually bump into you!”

Before he could react, she threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

Her head rested on his chest, rubbing against him like a clingy kitten.

“I’ve been trying so hard to find you, Ernest~”

Tears fell from her eyes in an instant, dripping down her cheeks like pearls, her rain-soaked look tugging at the heartstrings.

“...”

Ernest stood there, completely stiff. He had never been this close to a girl before.

Just like that green tea Tina said—he didn’t even dare to hold her hand while they were together.

Now, his brain was blank. A million questions flashing in his head.

She looked familiar, but he just couldn't place her.

“You don’t remember me? It was last month, by the Huangpu River! You pulled me out when I fell in!

And… when I wasn’t breathing, you gave me CPR… You really don’t remember?”

“...”

Looking at her red face and shy little movements, it finally clicked for Ernest. He slapped his thigh in realization.

“Oh—right! That was you!”

The memory rushed back. Because of that, he got sick and bombed the exam… and then got dumped.

Still, thinking again, he couldn’t really blame her for all that.

His bad score had something to do with that incident, but the breakup? That was all that two-faced Tina’s doing.

“So… what do you need from me?”

Was she here to thank him with some grand gesture?

“Ernest, would you… maybe pretend to be my boyfriend?”

She blushed hard, words stumbling out of her mouth.

Ernest’s jaw nearly hit the ground.

What kind of rom-com development was this? Was she seriously going the “repay with romance” route?

“Wait, wait, don’t get me wrong—it’s just for one day, I swear! My parents are forcing me to go on a blind date with this guy I seriously can’t stand… I just need some help.”

“You’re that young and already getting pushed into blind dates? You haven’t even graduated high school yet!”

Hearing it wasn’t about actually dating him, a strange sense of disappointment crept into Ernest's heart.

Honestly, she was cute—really, really cute. If she were his actual girlfriend, now that’d be something.

Way better than someone like Tina. Not even close.

“Don’t ask so many questions, okay? So... will you help me out?”

She hugged his arm, giving it a little shake, her voice full of sweetness.

Ernest, a pure guy who hadn’t even brushed a girl’s hand before, stood no chance.

“Alright, alright, I’ll help, just—stop shaking me.”

“Yay!”

She practically jumped with joy. “I knew you were the best, Ernest! Mwah~”

Before he could react, she stood on tiptoe and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

A faint, sugary scent lingered.

Soft and cool, like cotton candy brushing against his face.

And just like that, Ernest’s heart skipped a beat.