After Harper issued her challenge to me with utmost seriousness, she arrogantly called her two best friends and walked away.
Bucktooth looked at me and said, "Andrew, this is a great opportunity."
As I packed up my textbooks, I glanced at him and asked, "What opportunity?"
Bucktooth grinned excitedly. "Harper barely acknowledges any of the guys in our class, but today she actually spoke to you first. Doesn't that mean she sees you as special? If you let her win in future exams and keep her happy, you might just end up dating her!"
"Cut the nonsense. Let's hurry to the cafeteria before they run out of food, or we'll really be stuck eating instant noodles."
I thought to myself that I was already the Zhang family's live-in son-in-law. Even though the situation was humiliating, there was nothing I could do about it. If I got even slightly involved with any girl at school, I didn't know how Linda would react, but my father-in-law, Zhang Dagui, would definitely be the first to kill me.
When we reached the cafeteria entrance, we ran into John and his gang.
John hadn't forgotten about extorting me. When he saw me, he didn't hesitate to remind me, "Andrew, today's already Wednesday. Don't forget about compensating me for my medical expenses, or don't blame me for what happens next."
Bucktooth shrank back like a mouse spotting a cat, not daring to make a sound. Though I wasn't as cowardly as him, my expression wasn't much better.
"John, are you picking a fight?"
A crisp voice rang out beside us. It was Harper, who had just finished getting her food with her two friends.
John usually acted arrogantly toward everyone, but he seemed a little afraid of Harper. He forced an awkward laugh and said, "Class President, we were just messing around. No big deal, we're leaving now."
With that, he shot me a fierce glare and left with his lackeys.
Harper glanced at me and asked, "You okay?"
I shook my head. "I'm fine."
Harper simply replied with an "Oh," then ignored me and sat down at a table with her friends to eat.
Bucktooth and I lined up to get our food. Unable to hold back my curiosity, I quietly asked him, "What's Harper's deal? Even John seems scared of her."
Bucktooth shook his head. "No idea. I've just heard her family's pretty wealthy."
I had a feeling Harper wasn't as simple as she seemed. Otherwise, someone as domineering as John wouldn't show any fear toward a girl.
I got a bowl of rice with two side dishes—one meat, one vegetable—and looked around for a place to sit. The school cafeteria was packed, and after searching for a while, I still couldn't find an empty table.
Just as Bucktooth and I were about to take our food back to the dorm, Harper called out to me, "Hey, Andrew, Mia, are you two looking for seats? If you don't mind, you can sit with us."
"Don't mind at all!"
Before I could even refuse, Bucktooth eagerly agreed, happily plopping down with his food. I was naturally introverted and didn't like interacting with others, but since Bucktooth had already sat down, leaving would make it seem like I was snubbing Harper. So, I had no choice but to sit down as well.
Half an hour later, the cafeteria gradually emptied as everyone headed back to their dorms for nap time.
Bucktooth and the others left, leaving only Harper and me. Seeing that she still hadn't gotten up to leave, I asked, "Class President, haven't you finished eating yet?"
"No, I… I…" She lifted her head, and I noticed something was off—she looked like she was on the verge of tears.
Confused, I asked, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Her face flushed red as she squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. "I… I can't stand up…"
I frowned. "Why not?"
I instinctively glanced down at her chair, but Harper immediately waved her hands frantically, her voice trembling. "Don't look! You're not allowed to look!"
But I'd already caught a glimpse—there was a red stain on the seat. I gasped. "Ah, you're bleeding?!"
Harper's face turned even redder. She shot me an embarrassed, angry glare. "Keep your voice down!"
I paused, taking in her flustered expression, and suddenly understood. Tentatively, I asked, "Uh… is it that time of the month?"
Harper, usually so proud and composed, looked like she was about to cry from embarrassment. "You idiot, if you know, why are you asking?"
I scratched my head. "Class President, what do we do now? Should I call Xu Jie and Li Jianmin to help you?"
"No, you can't call them."
"Why not? Aren't they your best friends?"
Harper lowered her voice. "They can't keep secrets. If word gets out, I'll never be able to face anyone at school again."
I sighed. "If we don't get another girl to help, this is going to be hard to handle."
Harper was on the verge of tears, looking at me pleadingly. "Andrew, please think of something. I'll owe you one. If the cafeteria lady comes to clean and sees this, I'm done for."
After a moment of thought, I said, "Alright, here's the plan. Take my school jacket and tie it around your waist to hide the stain. Then go to the girls' restroom. I'll buy you some pads and bring them to you. Sound good?"
Harper nodded. "And… can you get me a new pair of pants too? I can't wear these anymore."
"Got it." I took off my jacket and handed it to her.
She accepted it sheepishly, then quickly wrapped it around her waist, tying the sleeves in front to cover the stain on her pants.
I noticed the obvious bloodstain on the chair. Harper saw it too, her face burning red as she whispered, "Get rid of it."
Easy enough. I simply swapped her chair with one from the next table. Even if someone noticed the stain later, they'd assume it belonged to another girl, not Harper.
Once everything was settled, Harper whispered, "Hurry back. I'll be waiting."
Then, forcing herself to stay composed, she left the cafeteria and headed straight for the nearby restroom.
I climbed over the school wall and ran to a nearby supermarket, buying a pack of Sofy pads and a pair of blue capri pants. It took me about twenty minutes before I rushed back, panting. By then, it was already nap time, and the area around the cafeteria was deserted.
Sneaking up to the girls' restroom, I called out softly, "Tang Anning… Harper…"
Her faint voice came from inside. "What took you so long? Hurry up and come in—don't let anyone see you."
I hadn't planned on going inside, but just then, I heard footsteps approaching from a distance. Afraid of being seen and mistaken for a pervert, I had no choice but to slip in quickly.
Harper peeked out from a stall, her face bright red. "Give me the stuff."
I handed her the bag, but the footsteps outside grew louder. I could even hear voices. Realizing someone was coming, Harper panicked. If we were caught alone in the girls' restroom, there'd be no explaining it.
In a flash, she yanked me into the stall and shut the door.
No sooner had we hidden than two people entered—a man and a woman. The woman spoke in a coquettish tone, "Ah, Director David, don't be so impatient. First, check if anyone's in here."
Director David? As in *our* school's director?
And the woman's voice sounded like Li Chunping, the female teacher from Class 161. She always seemed so proper—who knew she was involved with David?
Harper and I exchanged terrified glances. If David checked the stalls and found us, we were doomed.
Then, David's sleazy chuckle echoed outside. "Relax, it's nap time. No one's around here."
Li Chunping still sounded uneasy. "But what if someone comes? Director David, why don't we just go to your place? You can do whatever you want there. It's too risky here."
Harper and I didn't dare breathe too loudly, silently praying they'd leave. If they discovered us, we'd be in deep trouble.
But David refused. "That's what makes it exciting. If someone comes, we'll just stay quiet."