My childhood friend's favorite "innocent" flower was being accused of having her skirt peeped on by the scholarship student. To vent his anger, my friend slapped the poor guy across the face five times in the middle of the cafeteria. The student, who suffered from Hyperventilation Syndrome, collapsed on the spot, gasping for air. I was just about to call 911 when suddenly, floating text comments—like a live stream chat—scrolled across my vision. 【Is this side character even human? Just because the male lead is the only guy in class not worshipping her, she frames him for peeping? He was just crouching down to pick up a pen... That was the only black pen he owned!】 【The second male lead is a total rage-monster too. Go ahead, hit him. When the male lead falls down the stairs during his hyperventilation struggle and damages his frontal lobe, his personality will completely flip. He’ll turn dark. Forget about you and that pick-me girl—even your childhood friend's entire family won't escape his revenge. It’s going to be a total massacre!】 I froze. The comments were still scrolling. 【Actually, the childhood friend was planning to call an ambulance, but it was too late. For hyperventilation, they need to inhale carbon dioxide. Someone needs to find a paper bag...】 I didn't wait for the comment to finish. I rushed forward, grabbed the scholarship student by the collar, and smashed my lips against his. You need carbon dioxide? Then suck it out of me, you little brat! 1. Jax’s lip had split from the slap; I could taste a faint metallic tang of blood. When he realized what I was doing, his eyes widened in disbelief, and he started struggling frantically. I licked my lips, grabbed his chin, and deepened the kiss. Gasps erupted from the surrounding students. I didn't say a word. I just kept exhaling air into him. I was just trying a Hail Mary pass, but surprisingly, it actually worked. A moment later, Jax—who had been struggling for every breath, chest spasming, nearly suffocating—visibly relaxed. Seeing this, I slowly released him. 【...Bro, what just happened? Who is this girl forcing a kiss on the male lead?】 【She's not forcing a kiss; she's performing first aid! Hyperventilation Syndrome, or respiratory alkalosis, happens when you exhale too much carbon dioxide, messing up the body's pH balance. That leads to trouble breathing, chest pain, and numbness.】 【Usually, you help the patient relax and re-inhale CO2, like using a paper bag. But in an emergency without tools... mouth-to-mouth works too.】 【Wait, that's the second male lead's childhood friend and fiancée, Chloe Sterling. What the hell? Why is she saving the male lead right now?】 【Is this really first aid? Because the chemistry between them is off the charts...】 I coughed awkwardly and subconsciously wiped the corner of my mouth. Jax was panting. His hair was a mess, and he was wearing a thrifted, oversized uniform. He was tall and thin, his skin deathly pale, with a flush on his cheeks from the violent coughing earlier. His eyes were wet, but his gaze was dark. His pitch-black pupils were fixed on me. In the dead silence of the cafeteria, under his creepy, unblinking stare, I silently reached out and wiped a bit of saliva from his lip. 【LMAO... This girl is bold.】 【The male lead's eyes are 30% confusion, 50% despair... and is that 20% murderous intent?】 【Chloe: Chat, on a scale of 1 to 10, how dead am I?】 "Chloe! What the hell are you doing?!" Someone grabbed my arm from behind and yanked me back. I clicked my tongue and turned around. Austin looked furious. Sophie was cowering behind him, looking like a frightened deer. "Do you know he's a pervert who looks up girls' skirts? And you kissed him? Are you insane?" Sophie’s clear, innocent eyes darted between Jax and me. She hesitated before asking, "Chloe... are you two close? Then... tell us the truth. Does him peeping on me have anything to do with you?" "Is this because Austin didn't celebrate your birthday last time? I was sick, and I'm really sorry. Please don't be jealous. But even so, you can't do this. You're a girl, how could you... how could you..." Sophie choked up, as if she couldn't bear to continue. Veins bulged on Austin's forehead. He looked at me with unprecedented coldness. "Chloe, is what Sophie said true?" 2. Facing Austin's gaze, my heart sank. The surrounding students started whispering. "Did Chloe really put him up to it?" "It's not the first time she's targeted Sophie. Just because she grew up with Austin and calls herself his fiancée, she bullies her every day..." "That's disgusting. Using a guy to harass another girl?" Behind me, Jax’s breathing started to hitch again. He was on the verge of another attack. I ripped my arm out of Austin's grip, turned around, and hugged Jax, patting his back soothingly. "He didn't peek at her." Austin sneered. " defending him even now? You're hopeless." "You say he didn't look. Do you have proof?" "Oh, so Sophie said he looked. Does she have proof?" Austin paused, then frowned deeply. "Can you stop being so unreasonable? What girl would joke about something like that? Sophie and Jax have no grudges. Why would she lie?" I laughed coldly. "That's exactly why her behavior is so despicable. False accusations like this lower public sympathy and trust for actual victims. The only ones who suffer are the innocent women who really get hurt. Her heart is rotton." "And no grudges? If I remember correctly, last semester she accused Jax of stealing her spot for the financial aid grant, didn't she?" Sophie had transferred here last semester. Her mom was the housekeeper for Austin's family. Sophie had bad grades, but got into our honors class through Austin's connections. Immediately, she applied for the poverty subsidy. But our class only had one slot, and it had always gone to Jax. When Sophie found out, she went to Jax with red, teary eyes and showed him her "old" backpack. "Jax, I'm from a single-parent home. My mom works so hard as a maid. I really need that money. Please, can't you let me have it this once?" Jax didn't say anything. He just showed her his desk. He didn't even have money for a backpack. Inside his desk, there was a single black pen. Sophie stomped her foot. "How can you be like this? You've gotten it so many times, you won't share even once?" "Jax, I heard you have great grades and get the top scholarship. Why can't you give this slot to a student in need? You're hoarding survival resources. You know that's selfish, right?" Jax ignored her and went back to studying stone-faced. Sophie bit her lip and walked away silently. In the end, the teacher gave the slot to Jax. However, the day Jax received the money, Sophie came to class early. She was carrying a luxury bag Austin had bought her—worth about twenty times the poverty subsidy. Sophie blocked Jax, her pale, delicate face full of stubbornness. "Jax, I just wanted to tell you. Things that belong to others... no matter what tricks you use, you can't steal them." Remembering this, Austin's expression shifted slightly. But soon, he doubled down. "Even if that's true..." I cut him off, enunciating every word. "No matter what, Jax would not look up her skirt. He wouldn't look at any other girl." Austin instinctively asked, "How do you know?" I looked him dead in the eye. "Because I trust his character." Jax lifted his head, looking at me with a mix of confusion and curiosity. I paused. "And... and because Jax is my boyfriend. He’s obsessed with me. He would absolutely never look at another girl." 3. Jax suddenly started coughing violently. 【Whoa, whoa! Is this canon? When did you two start dating? In your dreams?】 【Chloe, you're confused! That's the male lead! The mad dog who returns in five years to bankrupt your family, drive your parents to jump off a building, saddle you with massive debt, and sell you to a organ farm in Myanmar!】 【To be fair, he wasn't targeting her specifically. It's just that the Sterling and Song families are business partners with an arranged marriage. To take down Austin, he couldn't spare Chloe's family.】 Jax looked at me blankly, breathing fast, seemingly wanting to speak. "You..." In for a penny, in for a pound. I grabbed his collar and aggressively blocked his mouth again. Jax, the gloomy mushroom who lived in the corner, finally broke down during round two. His face turned beet red. "Mmph... mmph..." "Baby, are you having trouble breathing again? It's okay, I'm here. Don't worry, I'm your medicine!" I treated him like a balloon and blew air into him with all my might. Jax went from struggling to losing all strength. Meanwhile, Austin, face twisted, tried to pull me away, but I kicked him back. When I finally released Jax, he was completely silent. I panted, looked around the cafeteria, and shouted. "As you can see, we are a couple. So it's impossible for Jax to be peeping at girls' skirts. Please don't spread rumors. If I hear any more slander, I will take legal action." After that, I grabbed Jax and marched out. Once we were far away from the cafeteria, Jax, who had been obediently letting me drag him, suddenly stopped. He looked at me quietly, his voice very soft. "...Why did you help me?" I stared at his handsome but gaunt face. My brain was looping the words: Bankruptcy. Parents jumping. Organ farm. After a long silence, I said firmly. "Because I like you. I want to date you. Jax, please like me back, just like I said earlier!" Jax was silent for a moment. "I think we..." "$15,000 a month." "?" My eyes were resolute, my words powerful. "$30,000. I'll open a bank account for you. Tax-free." "No handling fees." Jax looked bewildered and opened his mouth. "Wait a second..." "$70,000." "......" He stopped talking. I pressed the attack. "Not only that, I'll take care of you. I won't disturb your studies. And if you hyperventilate again, I'll give you artificial..." Jax’s face flushed. He interrupted me. "Stop, stop! I get it!" He clenched his fists and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Chloe. But before that, I want to ask you... what exactly do you want? Aren't you engaged to Austin? I heard you arguing once; he said your parents arranged it." "If you're using me to make him jealous or win him back, I..." He paused, looking grim, but continued. "You helped me, so I..." I said frankly, "It's not like that. It's just a verbal agreement between elders, a joke really. It doesn't count. I don't like him. As for my purpose..." I looked him in the eye. "I like you. I'm serious." "Jax, please be my boyfriend, and then marry me." "......" Jax lowered his eyes, his bangs covering the emotion in them. He was silent for a long time, then slowly nodded. ...... As I walked away, his gaze followed my back tightly. After a long while, he whispered something. His voice was barely audible. "...You said it, Chloe." I didn't hear that last sentence. 4. Once I was alone, I finally started analyzing the bullet comments. The chat was already boiling over. 【The childhood friend is quick-witted. I didn't know you could treat respiratory alkalosis like that.】 【The key is that the plot has changed. The crucial turning point for the male lead's villain arc just got erased?】 【It's useless. Avoiding the first time won't stop the countless times that follow. The second male lead is the heir to the city's richest family. It's too easy for him to target the male lead. Even with the childhood friend...】 【Don't mention it. Chloe can barely save herself. She and Austin really are childhood friends, engaged by their parents. But ever since the female lead moved into Austin's house with her mom, Austin's heart strayed. He makes Chloe yield to her in everything, and accuses Chloe of bullying her out of jealousy. No matter how much she likes him, her heart has been broken. She just can't fall out with him because of family pressure.】 【Sob... both babies are so pitiful...】 I scratched my head awkwardly. Even though the comments said that, I still had to help Jax. First, I don't want to go bankrupt. Nobody can separate me from my money. I have a balance with that many zeros, and a huge, beautiful villa. Second, speaking of huge... Jax seems... ...Getting off track. Anyway, I already have a rough plan for my future with Jax. The next day, I asked the teacher to switch my seat so I could sit next to Jax. Jax was brilliant but silent and socially isolated. The guys thought he was arrogant, so he was unpopular. Combined with his refusal to talk to girls, his presence in class was like a mushroom growing in a dark corner. After class, I sat next to him, spinning my pen into a blur while staring at his pale lips. Then again, even if he is a mushroom, he's a beautiful, poisonous mushroom. Thinking this, I asked, "Baby, are you thirsty? Want some water?" I pulled out my Crayon Shin-chan "kissy face" tumbler (500ml). Jax, whose gaze had been drawn to me, suddenly froze. "......" A question mark slowly floated up from the dark mushroom's head. I shoved the cup toward him. "Come on, baby, your lips are dry. Take a sip. Ahhh—" As the Crayon Shin-chan on the lid slowly approached, Jax went stiff, staring deathly at the giant, puckered "O" shaped lips. "......" "Hahahahahaha!" I couldn't help slamming the desk and laughing. The comments were having a field day. 【I can't breathe. The male lead's face!】 【Anti-social Mad Dog ✗ Poor Puppy Defeated by Abstract Art ✔】 【Am I the only one wondering? Chloe, do you usually bring your pretty face close to that cursed cup...】 After teasing him enough, I finally poked the straw into the cup. "Just kidding. It has a straw. Drink up." Jax still hesitated. I poked him with my finger. "I washed it right before coming to school. No cooties." "I wasn't..." "Besides, we've kissed like eight hundred times. Do you still care about this? Drink, your lips are cracking." Jax's pupils trembled. "Eight hundred times???" LMAO. This little thing is so fun to play with.
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