"Expert," Henry Howard sincerely praised, "this outfit looks ugly no matter how you see it, but the score can actually be so high."

Sean Parker felt the world blur for a moment, preferring to believe there was something wrong with his own taste: "Huh? Is this game fun? What's so special about it?"

Henry Howard was carefully pondering how to match the next outfit and had no time to bother with him.

Ethan Young quickly finished his homework, closed his book, and said, "Special? It's especially stupid."

Luke Carter came into the classroom directly from the back door. He stood in front of Henry Howard: "Go to the teacher's office, Ms. Shaw is looking for you."

Henry Howard casually responded, not taking it seriously at all. After a while, he looked up and found Luke Carter was still standing in front of him: "Do you have anything else?"

Luke Carter seemed to have been holding back a sentence for a long time. Finally, he mustered up the courage to say, "Don't think you can do whatever you want, Vincent Smith ended up like this because of you—"

Sean Parker heard this and quickly interrupted, "Wait. Vincent Smith? What?"

During the ten-minute break, the class was noisy, and no one noticed what they were talking about in this corner.

But Henry Howard understood. He put away his smile, put away his phone, and said thoughtfully, "Ah, I see."

Sean Parker: "See what?"

Ethan Young stayed out of it, showing no reaction.

Luke Carter was actually very scared, but in a moment of heat—he had once felt very guilty for not stepping in when he saw classmates being bullied, his first reaction was always to turn and run. Now, with old and new grudges together, he was a bit agitated.

Besides, now that Henry Howard's face had turned cold, Luke Carter was afraid he had really provoked him.

But Henry Howard just tossed his phone to Ethan Young: "Do me a favor, help me clear two more levels, I have to surpass that Sweet Pudding in my friend list today."

Ethan Young took the phone, but before he could refuse, Henry Howard had already left.

The class bell rang right then.

Sean Parker dragged his chair out, muttering in confusion before he left: "What fighting, when did Bro Henry hit Vincent Smith? He didn't, did I lose my memory?"

After that, Henry Howard didn't come back to class for the whole day.

When he came back the next day, he acted as if nothing had happened.

A teacher couldn't help but ask Chelsea Shaw, "Ms. Shaw, about that thing with Henry Howard in your class, how did it go? Is it resolved?"

Chelsea Shaw was fuming: "He refuses to admit it, what can I do with him?"

After being called over, Henry Howard kept a straight face the whole time, and even asked Vincent Smith for a hospital injury report like a prosecutor, telling him to explain clearly how each injury was caused.

That kid Vincent Smith was so scared he couldn't even speak.

Chelsea Shaw felt there was no need to investigate this at all, anyone with a brain could see what was going on. She told Henry Howard to admit his mistake, apologize, write a self-criticism, and be disciplined, then it would be over.

But Henry Howard just wouldn't do it. Although he was smiling, his tone was icy: "Apologize for what. Walter Smith, you're really good at faking it, just move your lips and say I hit you."

Chelsea Shaw couldn't recall any more, waved her hand: "Let's not talk about him, it's making my chest hurt."

"Did you surpass Sweet Pudding?" Henry Howard timed it perfectly, walked in through the back door with the class bell, stood next to Ethan Young, bent a finger and knocked on Ethan Young's desk, "Hey."

Morning self-study was always used for catching up on sleep, and Ethan Young was annoyed by the knocking: "Surpass my ass, play it yourself."

Henry Howard sat down and asked again, "Then where's my phone?"

Ethan Young felt around under the desk, found it, and tossed it over.

Henry Howard caught it one-handed, turned it on and found it was out of battery.

Yesterday, the incident between Henry Howard and Vincent Smith had caused a huge stir in the grade, with rumors flying everywhere.

It was already well known that these two school bullies liked to cause trouble, but that was usually with people outside of school. Since it hadn't happened nearby, it was just a legend to chat about after meals, with a few sighs of "awesome".

But now Henry Howard had pulled this stunt, and the one he hit was a student recognized as a good kid in the grade.

[Anonymous a]: He came to class today, talking to Ethan Young.

[Anonymous a]: Still, Ethan Young is the real badass, fearless. Scary, I don't even dare to move.

[Anonymous b]: Vincent Smith was discharged today, Sean Parker grabbed his collar and scolded him in class for being shameless, is there really some hidden story?

[Anonymous c]: What hidden story could there be, just embarrassed and angry, Sean Parker isn't a good student either.

Ethan Young slept through the morning self-study.

Henry Howard borrowed a power bank from someone, sitting on the side playing on his phone.

The first class after morning self-study was Chelsea Shaw's. As soon as Chelsea Shaw entered the classroom, she pointed at Henry Howard and said, "You, get out and have class, stand at the door, don't stay in the classroom."

Seeing Chelsea Shaw's attitude, the class became more convinced about the "fighting incident".

Pretty much, he must have hit someone.

Henry Howard didn't care, said nothing, just took his phone and power bank and walked out.

Ethan Young glanced at his back. In the school’s standard uniform, Henry Howard really managed to look like a model student, standing straight, clothes clean, not like others who messed around and wore the zipper low. Only the phone and long charging cable in his hand gave away his true nature.

Maybe Henry Howard sensed someone looking at him, because he turned his head at the door.

Before Ethan Young could turn his head back, he heard Chelsea Shaw on the podium say, "Ethan Young, are you that reluctant to part with your deskmate?"

The innocent Ethan Young: "What the hell?"

"If you can't bear to part with him, you go out too, stand with him." Chelsea Shaw added, "Go out."

At the door of Class 3, Grade 11, there were two people standing during the first class of the morning.

"You're pretty loyal," Henry Howard found a blind spot, charging his phone while playing the dress-up game, head down, "Can't bear to part with me?"

Ethan Young stood next to him, really not knowing what to say, so he replied with a meaningful monosyllable: "Heh."

Henry Howard: ""

Ethan Young just didn't want to look at Chelsea Shaw's expression, all her resentment written on her face.

He had felt it since the day they returned to school, this homeroom teacher clearly had a bias against them. Regardless of what really happened with Henry Howard, who was right or wrong, she already looked down on Ethan Young as a dangerous element who hadn't exploded yet, thinking the two of them were the same kind of people.

And seeing Chelsea Shaw constantly rolling her eyes at them, he was afraid her eyes might actually have a problem.

"Expert, look, is this plaid skirt better, or that pink one?" Henry Howard was so persistent with the dress-up game it was almost touching, "Or should I change to another outfit?"

Ethan Young watched him play for a while and managed to sum up a not-so-regular pattern: "Pick the ugly one."

Henry Howard asked, "Are you serious?"

Ethan Young: "I think if you play this game with your aesthetics reversed, you might get unexpected results."

It was clearly a jab, but Henry Howard actually took it seriously. He thought for a while and said, "Damn, I think your idea is pretty good."

""

"You've got some ideas."

------------

15. Chapter Fifteen

They stood there all the way until class ended. When Chelsea Shaw finished teaching and left with her materials, Henry Howard was still in a good mood and said, "Goodbye, teacher."

Chelsea Shaw was so stifled she didn't even respond and just kept walking.

"Do you know why she's angry?" Henry Howard was quite amused. He casually put his arm around Ethan Young's shoulder, and the two of them walked back into the classroom together. "She was planning to transfer to the Experimental Affiliated High School, a key city school, had all her connections set up, but now one of her excellent students—me—has ruined it."

Ethan Young wasn't interested in gossip: "Take your hand off."

Henry Howard felt his deskmate was really lacking in warmth.

He had only put his hand on Ethan Young's shoulder, but after hearing that, he directly put his arm around him. From another angle, it looked like they were almost hugging: "I'm not letting go."

Ethan Young wanted to kick him, but Henry Howard just buried his head in his neck and laughed: "Calm down, friend."

"Calm down your ass."

[Anonymous a]: Classmates, something's happening at three o'clock.

[Anonymous b]: Oh, I see it, what are those two doing?

[Anonymous c]: I'd rather believe they're fighting.

Still unaware of the secret internal group, Ethan Young found this new class a bit strange.