Ryan Bennett sat in her seat, with Brian Carter standing beside her, one hand raised to hold the overhead strap. As long as she looked up, she could see him.

Because Brian Carter was blocking her side, even though more and more people were getting on the bus, no one squeezed over to her.

—Like a natural barrier.

During the ride, she took out her phone, wanting to see if Grace Bennett had messaged her.

But instead of seeing a message from Grace Bennett, she saw a message from a newly added friend.

Emily Brooks: [link]

Emily Brooks: This is it.

Emily Brooks: He’s the one who made a splash on the forum on the first day of school. For a whole day, the forum homepage was all about him, and the most discussed thread has already gone over ten pages.

Emily Brooks: I told you about it today, but I knew you were too busy with your homework to listen at all [○??‘Д???? ○]

On the bumpy bus, Ryan Bennett tapped open the link. A moment later, a somewhat blurry candid photo suddenly appeared.

The photo was probably taken that afternoon.

In the photo, sunlight poured in through the window, bold and unrestrained.

Though the shot was hasty and included many people, among the crowd, there was someone impossible to ignore.

A boy sitting in the back row wore the No. 2 High School uniform, the collar slightly open, revealing sharp collarbones. He sat among a group of boys, seemingly popular, but there was a strong sense of distance about him.

The same uniform looked somehow different on him. His light-colored eyes were lit up by the sun, their sharpness dazzling.

But none of that was the most important thing.

The most important thing was—this person in the photo was the same person standing next to her right now.

The one she could recognize even if he turned to ashes.

Brian Carter.

"……"

Ryan Bennett's expression shifted from confusion to wanting to say something but stopping.

Then from wanting to speak, to speechless.

Finally, she looked just like an old man on the subway staring at his phone.

Below the photo, the replies were packed.

1L: [/image].

2L: [Who is this, someone from our school?]

3L: [Whose heart is beating so loudly? Oh, it's mine.]

4L: [I want all the info on this person within ten minutes.]

After a while, someone actually started sharing information.

133L: [Before I clicked in, I was wondering who caused such a stir. After clicking in... Brian Carter? Oh, never mind then.]

Having finally caught someone in the know, everyone in the thread told 133 not to leave.

So 133L stayed and added a few more lines:

[Class 1, Grade 10, Brian Carter.]

[He was my classmate at my old school, and he was already famous back then.]

[Does he have a girlfriend? No idea.]

[But I advise you not to get close, because you'll be rejected—badly.]

The more Ryan Bennett read, the more complicated her expression became.

She had gone to a different school than Brian Carter before, and had no idea he was so high-profile at school.

She felt as if she was seeing

a

stranger.

This person had the same name and face as Brian Carter.

And this Brian Carter seemed to be quite famous at school.

……

Ryan Bennett stared at the photo for a while, then looked up at the Brian Carter standing beside her.

Compared to the “Brian Carter” in the photo, who seemed a bit out of reach, the current Brian Carter was clearly more down-to-earth. The setting sun cast its glow on him, and he was enveloped by the noise inside the bus.

He was tall, standing out even in the crowded carriage, and at this moment, he was looking down at his phone.

Sensing her gaze, he shifted his eyes slightly and looked down at her. “My face isn’t free to look at. Fifty per glance.”

Ryan Bennett was dumbfounded.

She was about to say, “Are you extorting me—”

But then she heard Brian Carter add,

“After all, some people charge eight yuan for running errands. My price is pretty reasonable.”

Author’s note:

Chi Dog is starting to dominate the scene (not really)

Chapter 6

Ryan Bennett was so choked by his shamelessness that she couldn’t speak.

But she couldn’t even refute him.

Because, honestly, she had tricked him before PE class.

Ryan Bennett: “I just forgot to bring money today. I’ll pay you back when we get home.”

As she spoke, she closed the phone page.

“And who wants to look at you anyway,” she said. “You’re just average, at best.”

As soon as she finished speaking,

the bus happened to reach the next stop, and jolted violently as it braked.

At the same time, Brian Carter, who had been standing beside her and looking down, suddenly bent down, closing the distance between them and bringing his face close to hers.

He curled his lips, looking at her up close, and said with a cold smile, “I’m just average?”

“……”

Ryan Bennett kept her head tilted up, looked at him seriously again, and then said honestly, “Getting closer won’t help. No matter how I look, you still seem pretty ordinary.”

Brian Carter tugged at the corner of his mouth. “So who was it that messaged me during break, calling me a handsome guy?”

Ryan Bennett: “You said it yourself, I was just having a moment of insanity.”