The atmosphere in the Shanghai High cafeteria was thick with the smell of braised pork and the electric tension of an impending explosion. The "Ice Queen" was missing, and in her absence, the fragile peace between the two factions had finally shattered.
At the center of the room, the two groups occupied adjacent long tables. On the left, the "Striver " sat in their worn military fatigues, the crimson "Outstanding Squad" banner draped over the back of Jiang Min's chair like a captured flag.
"Did you see the Principal's face?" Zhao Feng boasted loudly, slamming his chopsticks onto the table. "He knew exactly who did the real work. Some people just show up for the photos, but the Star Squad actually knows how to sweat."
Han Dong chimed in, leaning back with a smirk. "Exactly. Discipline isn't about how shiny your shoes are, Bo. It's about not tripping over your own feet in the relay."
Across the aisle, the "Gold Circle was bristling. Chen Bo's face turned a dangerous shade of red, his knuckles whitening as he gripped his water glass. Zhang Hao let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "A banner is just a piece of silk, Feng. At the end of the day, the Student Council still signs off on your club's budget. Maybe you should spend less time shouting and more time learning your place."
"Our place?" Xu Ling stood up, her chair screeching against the tile. "Our place is protecting the students you treat like 'merit points'! The Youth League isn't going anywhere."
"You're just a bunch of middle-class commoners playing at revolution," Bo hissed, standing up to meet her. "This school belongs to the elite. It always has."
The verbal barbs were over. The air felt heavy, as if the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. Jiang Min continued to eat, her eyes fixed on her tray, but her shoulders were hunched with a growing, cold fury. Lu Wei tried to pull Feng back, but it was useless.
Feng and Dong surged forward, and Bo and Hao met them halfway. They were chest-to-chest in the narrow aisle, faces inches apart, teeth bared. "Say that again," Feng growled, his hand balled into a fist. "I said," Bo sneered, his voice dripping with venom, "you're nothing but—"
The surrounding students panicked. Trays were abandoned, and girls shrieked as they scrambled toward the exits. The "Non-Intervention Pact" was about to be broken by a full-scale riot.
Just as Bo pulled his arm back to swing, two hands moved with lightning speed from behind him. Each hand clamped firmly onto an ear—one for Chen Bo, one for Zhang Hao.
"Ow! Ow-ow-ow!" Bo and Hao cried out in unison, their aggressive stances collapsing instantly as they were yanked backward and upward by their earlobes.
"You guys really want to fight, huh?"
The voice was cool, melodic, and dangerously calm. Gu Wei stepped into the light between the two groups, holding the two leaders of the Gold Circle like misbehaving puppies. He didn't look angry; he looked disappointed, a playful but sharp glint in his eyes.
Bo and Hao, despite their wealth and power, went limp under the pressure. "Brother Wei! Let go! It hurts!"
At the entrance of the cafeteria, Le Me and Gu Hang appeared. Mei stood frozen, her hand still tucked in the crook of Wei's arm from their walk. She looked at the chaos—her council members being held by their ears and her rival, Min, finally looking up from her food.
Wei didn't let go. He looked over at the Strivers—Feng and Dong—who were standing there with their mouths gasping. Then, his gaze shifted to Jiang Min.
Min's eyes went wide. The banner, the fight, the rivalry—it all faded into the background. There he was. The boy from the alley, holding her enemies by their ears in front of the entire school.
"A-Mei," Wei said, glancing back at the stunned Student Council President. "Is this how your 'Gold Circle' maintains high standards? By brawling over lunch?"
Mei's face flushed, half with embarrassment and half with the sheer shock of seeing Wei take control of her territory so effortlessly. The cafeteria, once a powder keg of class warfare and ideological resentment, had fallen into a heavy, suffocating silence. The only sound was the soft hum of the industrial fans and the rapid breathing of the students who had just witnessed the impossible.
Chen Bo and Zhang Hao were bent at the waist, their faces contorted in a mix of physical pain and deep, ancestral fear. "We were wrong! Let go, Brother Wei! Please!" Bo pleaded, his voice cracking.
To the side, Shanshan and Jia—the elite daughters of the Gold Circle—stood with their hands over their mouths, but their eyes weren't filled with fear. They were sparkling. "Brother Wei!" they whispered in unison.
Wei released the ears with a final, sharp flick. He turned to the girls and offered a devastatingly handsome smile. "Long time no see, ladies," he said, his voice as smooth as silk.
Le Mei and Gu Hang rushed forward, their hands hovering as if they wanted to pull Wei away but were too afraid to touch him. "Wei, please," Mei whispered, her voice trembling. "Let them go."
Wei's expression remained stern for a heartbeat longer before he finally released his grip. Bo and Hao stumbled back, frantically rubbing their throbbing ears and grunting in pain.
Wei turned his body fully toward the Striver Alliance. His eyes landed on Jiang Min.
Min's heart was drumming a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She felt as though she were watching a ghost materialize into flesh. She stood up slowly, her legs feeling like lead, and stepped toward him.
Wei's eyes softened, a playful glint dancing in the pupils. "How are you, Madam? I forgot to take a rating for my services last night. Was the 'Robot' satisfactory?"
The Strivers gasped. The Gold Circle froze. Min, the girl who usually had a sharp retort for every bully in Shanghai, was suddenly a statue of ivory. Her face turned a deep, burning crimson. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out—only a shy, flustered silence that shocked her own teammates.
Le Mei watched this exchange, her fingers curling into the fabric of her uniform. "They know each other? How? I've never seen Min look at anyone like that..."
The silence didn't last. Zhao Feng and Han Dong, fueled by the adrenaline of the interrupted fight, stepped forward. "You guys crossed the line!" Feng shouted at the Gold Circle. "As the Communist Youth League, we won't let this go!" Lu Wei and Xu Ling tried to pull them back, but the boys were too far gone.
Wei stepped into the gap, his voice dropping into a warm, sincere tone. "I am apologizing on behalf of them. Please, let the matter rest here."
The Strivers froze. "He's apologizing?" Dong thought, exchanging a bewildered look with Feng. "Bo and Hao called him 'Brother Wei,' so he must be one of them—the elite. Why is he simply apologizing to us?"
The Gold Circle members felt a pang of guilt. They hated seeing Wei apologize for their mess. But Feng wasn't satisfied. "Who are you to apologize? We won't leave this matter alone!"
Bo moved to lash out again, his temper flaring at the insult to Wei, but Zhang Hao caught his arm firmly. "Don't," Hao hissed. "You know Brother Wei's personality. If you cause more trouble, he'll just take more of the blame to defend us. Do you want to see him suffer for your pride?" Bo gritted his teeth and stopped.
Mei tried to intervene, but Wei raised his left hand, a silent gesture that stopped everyone in their tracks. "My name is Gu Wei," he announced, his voice carrying to every corner of the room. "I am a new transfer student to the International Division, and consider me as the 'Big Brother' to the Gold Circle."
Lu Wei stepped forward, crossing her arms. "You're a transfer student in another division. You have no right to interfere in our internal school affairs."
"As a student, perhaps not," Wei countered, his eyes softening as he looked at both groups. "But as a Big Brother, I cannot let my brothers and sisters make mistakes. And I cannot let them suffer. If you are not satisfied with their apology, then punish me instead."
Then, to the absolute horror of the Gold Circle and the confusion of the Strivers, Gu Wei bowed deeply to the middle-class students. The room was hit by a wave of shock. Le Mei felt a sharp sting of guilt. She stepped forward, her regal mask crumbling as she joined Wei, bowing her head beside him. "I also apologize. My council was out of line."
The Gold Circle gasped. Chen Bo's face twisted with fury—he wanted to scream at the Strivers for making Wei bow—but Zhang Hao caught his arm with a grip like iron.
The Strivers stood in stunned silence. They expected a trick, a sneer, or a threat. They did not expect humility.
Feng and Dong were about to continue their tirade when Jiang Min suddenly moved. She raised her hand, her eyes fixed on Wei.
"We will drop the matter," Min said, her voice firm and final. "Min! What are you saying?" Feng protested. Min ignored them. She looked at Wei, her eyes filled with a mixture of regret and admiration. "I'm sorry, Wei. Because of our mess, you had to apologize to us.It shouldn't have been you.""
The cafeteria erupted in a low murmur of disbelief. The "Strict Shield" was apologizing? The girl who never backed down was surrendering?Min was calling him 'Wei'?
"Okay," he said warmly. "No one is sorry to anyone anymore. Let's just drop it."
Wei stood up, his smile returning like the sun breaking through clouds. He reached out and, in front of the entire school, gently tapped Min on the head. Min's anger vanished instantly, replaced by a shy, radiant smile.
"From now on," Wei added, his voice loud enough for the whole room to hear, "you can also call me Brother Wei."
Min looked at him, her eyes shining. "Okay... Brother Wei." The Strivers look at each other in total disbelief.
"Okay, now," Gu Hang announced, breaking the lingering spell of the confrontation. "Let's disperse and actually finish lunch before the bell rings."
The Striver retreated to their long table, sitting in a heavy, contemplative silence. Jiang Min sat at the head, her movements slow as she picked up her chopsticks. Across the aisle, the Gold Circle reclaimed their territory, and Gu Wei sat right in the middle of them, like a king returning to a familiar court.
Zhang Hao leaned in immediately, his eyes bright with curiosity. "Wei-ge, when did you even get back? And how did you end up at SHS so suddenly? We thought you were staying in London for your A-levels."
Wang Shanshan, Jia, and Bo stopped eating entirely, their spoons suspended in mid-air as they waited for his answer.
Hang and Le Mei returned from the counter, carrying three laden food trays. They placed them on the table with a synchronized clatter. Hang sat down with a huff. "Yeah, Brother. Why the sudden decision? You didn't give us any warning."
Mei sat directly across from Wei. She didn't start eating. She simply looked at him, her gaze tracing the lines of his face as if trying to bridge the three-year gap. "You haven't returned to Shanghai for a single summer in three years," she said softly, a hint of old hurt beneath her calm exterior.
At the next table, Min's ears perked up. She poked at her rice, but her entire focus was locked on the conversation behind her. The "Strivers" watched their leader, confused by her sudden lack of appetite.
Wei looked around the table, his smile turning nostalgic and warm. "I missed you guys," he admitted, his voice carrying clearly in the quiet room. "I missed my life here. Before those three years, I came back every summer to spend it with you. But because of my father's business expansion, we were stuck. I couldn't breathe over there anymore."
He took a bite of rice, then looked at Mei. "I had to convince my parents for months to let me move back permanently." "Wait—permanently?" Chen Bo asked, his eyes widening.
Wei nodded. "My father had actually already pulled strings and secured my admission to a top school in Beijing. But I changed it. I told him I wouldn't go unless it was Shanghai High. I wanted to be where you guys are."
The table went silent. Even the hot-headed Bo looked touched, a rare softness appearing in his expression. Hang wiped a mock tear from his eye, leaning back dramatically. "Brother, your loyalty is enough to make a grown man cry. We're like the stars finally reunited with the moon."
"Shut up, Hang," Wei laughed, throwing a napkin at him. "You're getting sentimental. Focus on your food."
Wei reached over with his chopsticks and placed a tender piece of braised meat onto Mei's tray. "Eat," he said gently. "I remember this was always your favorite."
A chorus of "Oohs" and teasing whistles erupted from the Gold Circle. "Special treatment for our President!" Hao joked, nudging Bo. Jia giggled, leaning her chin on her hand. "Why wouldn't he? After all, Mei is Wei's fiancée. It's only natural."
The word "fiancée" cut through the air like a blade.
At the Striver table, Jiang Min snapped. The wooden chopsticks in her hand slammed against the plastic tray with a violent CRACK. Her jaw was set so tight it looked like it might break, and her eyes were fixed glassily on her soup. Her group stared at her, finally understanding the source of the storm brewing in their leader's chest.
Wei's smile faltered for a fraction of a second. He noticed the tension in the room and the way Mei had turned a shade of shy crimson.
"It's not like that," Wei said, his voice calm but firm, intended to de-escalate the weight of the word. "A childhood pact isn't a valid contract. It hasn't been decided by us yet, so let's just forget about that label and eat."
Mei's shy smile dimmed slightly at his words, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her eyes, while Min's grip on her spoon relaxed just a fraction.
The Gold Circle laughed it off, returning to their chatter, but the peace was shallow. Between the "Goddess" who held his hand and the "Warrior" who held his umbrella, Gu Wei had just realized that moving back to Shanghai was going to be much more complicated than a simple transfer.