Shijō Shiori held out the envelope to Lin Du.
The envelope was pale pink, with gold edging and a small dried flower attached to the seal.
It was clearly a specially customized item that had taken a lot of effort.
“The location is at my family’s villa,”
Shijō Shiori said, tilting her head slightly.
Her long hair slid off her shoulder, revealing her slender neck.
“You won’t refuse me, right?”
Her lips curled up with the confidence of someone who had been the center of attention since childhood.
Her amber eyes stared straight at Lin Du, as if expecting an obvious answer.
The two girls behind her started clapping, softly and rhythmically, like stage actors.
clap, clap, clap—
“Wow, Shiori-chan is so brave~”
“Lin Du definitely won’t refuse, right?”
clap, clap, clap—clap, clap, clap—
A few more students joined in, some genuinely enjoying the commotion, some trying to get on the Shijō family’s good side, and others just following the crowd.
For a moment, scattered applause filled the classroom, mixed with whispers.
Outside the classroom, people crowded around, craning their necks to see what was happening, as if watching some rare event.
“Oh my god, the Shijō heiress personally invited him?”
“Who is Lin Du? I’ve never heard of him before.”
“He’s good-looking, I guess?”
“What use is good looks? The Shijō family is…”
Bai Li stared at the gold-edged envelope.
Her fingers unconsciously gripped the edge of the desk.
She began to wonder what kind of world she had transmigrated into.
Wasn’t this supposed to be a Strange Person vs. Knight fighting scene?
How did it suddenly turn into a rom-com light novel?
Lin Du really had the protagonist setup: seat by the window, decent looks, few words, good grades.
And now a rich heiress personally delivering a love letter?
No, it was an invitation, but what difference did it make?
Bai Li’s mind felt like a pot of water boiling over, bubbling and steaming.
An indescribable emotion surged from her chest, stuck in her throat, impossible to swallow or spit out.
What was this?
Anger?
Resentment?
Or… jealousy?
Jealous of who?
Jealous of Lin Du?
Jealous that a rich heiress was confessing to him?
But she didn’t even know this person—what was her name, thirty-four or something?—and she couldn’t care less about having some beautiful girl deliver a letter.
She had seen this kind of thing too many times.
So what if the rich girl had her eye on someone?
What did it have to do with her?
And why should she be jealous?
What did it matter to her whether Lin Du went to a birthday party?
She wasn’t anything to him.
She was just… just a regular classmate, or a regular friend who walked to school together.
Bai Li took a deep breath, trying to suppress the boiling pot in her chest.
No use.
It wouldn’t go down.
“Lin Du?”
Shijō Shiori held the envelope out again, her voice even gentler.
“Is it okay?”
Lin Du silently looked at the envelope, frowned, and didn’t reach out.
A thought suddenly flashed through Bai Li’s mind: if Lin Du agreed, he would go to that heiress’s birthday party.
He would wear a suit?
Dance with her?
He would… would…
Screech—!
Bai Li stood up, the chair legs scraping loudly against the floor.
For a moment, everyone in the classroom turned to look at her.
Shijō Shiori also turned, raising an eyebrow slightly as she looked at the “male student” who had stood up with a dark expression.
Bai Li strode over, each step as if she wanted to stomp a hole in the floor.
She stopped in front of Lin Du’s desk, side-stepping to block him from Shijō Shiori.
“Shi… Shijō,”
Bai Li said, her voice a little tense.
She cleared her throat, trying to sound steady.
“Don’t you think you’re forcing him a bit?”
She glanced at Lin Du.
He was looking at her, his brown eyes showing a hint of surprise.
Bai Li quickly looked away.
“Who are you?”
Shijō Shiori tilted her head, her amber eyes showing bewilderment.
“My name is Bai Li. That’s not the point,”
Bai Li paused, then added,
“Don’t you think your tone just now was a bit coercive?”
“Was it?”
Shijō Shiori turned to look at the two girls behind her, her tone innocent.
“Was my tone coercive?”
The two followers shook their heads in unison.
One of them stepped forward half a step, crossed her arms, and looked down at Bai Li.
“The young lady has always been polite,”
her voice was sharp.
“It’s just that sissy over there misunderstood. Hahaha—”
“You!”
Bai Li glared at the follower who had spoken.
The follower was immediately intimidated, stepping back and looking away.
As the two sides were about to clash, Lin Du stood up.
“She’s right.”
His voice cut through the tension like a stone thrown into water, breaking the deadlock.
“I do have plans next Saturday. Something very important.”
He walked over to Bai Li, standing shoulder to shoulder with her.
“I was just thinking about something and couldn’t reply in time.”
He looked down at Shijō Shiori, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.
“Sorry.”
Shijō Shiori blinked.
She wasn’t angry or disappointed.
Instead, she tilted her head, and the curve of her lips deepened a little.
“I see…”
She looked down in thought for a moment, then raised her head and held out the envelope again.
“Then what about Saturday evening? Do you have time? It’s okay to just come for dinner.”
Bai Li watched the pink envelope reach out again like a pink snake, its tongue flicking, slithering toward Lin Du.
A fire of rage ignited in her heart.
She grabbed the letter.
Rip—!
The envelope tore in half in her hand, gold-edged fragments fluttering to the floor.
The small dried flower spun in the air twice before landing on Lin Du’s textbook.
The classroom inside and outside fell silent.
Dead silence.
Bai Li panted heavily, fragments of the envelope still clutched in her hand.
Shijō Shiori’s eyes widened.
Her expression changed from surprise to confusion, then from confusion to hurt.
Her long eyelashes trembled.
“You—”
“Didn’t you hear? Lin Du has plans.”
Bai Li’s words seemed to be squeezed through her teeth.
“Next Saturday he’s busy. He—can’t—go—”
She emphasized the last three words, as if declaring ownership.
Outside the classroom, the onlookers began whispering, buzzing like a swarm of flies.
“Who is that person?”
“A transfer student from Class 4? Name’s Bai, I think?”
“What right does he have to decide for Lin Du?”
“Isn’t it that…”
“What?”
“You know…”
“Enough, enigmas, go away!”
Bai Li’s mind went completely blank.
She didn’t know why she stood up, why she snatched the invitation, why she tore it up.
She just didn’t want Lin Du to go.
She didn’t want him to stand next to that heiress.
Was that reason enough?
Not really.
But she had no other reason.
“That’s so mean…”
Shijō Shiori’s voice trembled.
She bit her lip, glanced at Lin Du, then at Bai Li, then turned and quickly walked out of the classroom.
“You’re dead for offending the Shijō Zaibatsu!”
One follower spat out the threat, then dragged the other follower after her.
Footsteps faded.
The hallway returned to silence.
The classroom erupted in louder discussion, like a pot boiling over.
Bai Li stood frozen, unable to hear the chatter around her.
Her body trembled slightly.
Her heart pounded so fast it felt like it would jump out of her throat.
She didn’t dare look at Lin Du.
She didn’t dare look at anyone.
She walked back to her seat, sat down, and buried her face in her arms.
Xiao Yu asked cautiously beside her,
“Bai Li… are you okay?”
Bai Li didn’t answer.
She didn’t want to answer.
‘It’s over. All over.’
‘What did I just do?’
‘I snatched a girl’s invitation, tore it up in front of the whole class, and said Lin Du had plans.’
‘What right did I have to decide for him?’
‘Who am I to him? A regular friend? Do regular friends do things like this?’
‘How… did I become like this?’
Bai Li buried her face deeper, wishing she could cram herself into the desk drawer.