Chapter 3: The Ex-Girlfriend Spot’s Taken, That’s No Excuse to Claim the Girlfriend Spot!

I was such an idiot, really.

I knew that when a club’s busy, everyone’s got their own tasks.
But I didn’t realize that someone with nothing to do might not even be part of the club.

I came here looking for someone free and noticed everyone staring at that girl.
I thought they were just jealous she didn’t have to work.
I didn’t realize a big reason they were working so hard was because this girl was visiting the club.

I spilled my story to her, and she listened obediently, nodding along to every word.
She was so cooperative.

In the corner, I vividly recounted the tale of how that girl named Shen Yingxu was being a total jerk.
I asked her to put it in the school paper, but she didn’t respond.

When I pressed, I found out she wasn’t even in the news club.
Panicked, I begged the real vice president senior nearby for help, but Liu Senyao just laughed and asked if I knew about the Sephirian Continent.

My heart sank—another enemy.
Sure enough…

Speaking of which.

—Who the heck is this person?!

I’d eaten too many “small breads” to remember which one she was.

But from the looks of it, she didn’t seem like someone I could get along with… or so it felt.

I took a deep breath and leaned in, whispering.

“So, are you still willing to help me—er, my friend—clear his name?”

She grinned, ignoring the stinging glares from the news club members around us, and leaned close to my ear with an overly flirty tone.

“Junior, aren’t you afraid I’ll say I’m your ex-girlfriend too~?”

Shrimp and pig’s heart.

Terrifying!

I quickly backed away and turned to the utterly baffled Senior Jiang Xiang.

“Senior, you can vouch for me, right? I just met this Liu Senyao!”

“Huh?”
Senior Jiang Xiang’s mouth dropped open, as if confused why I’d ask such a bizarre question.
“Y-Yeah, I think so. I mean, I know Senyao’s social circle pretty well…”

“He’s the kid from the neighbor’s house back then,” Liu Senyao cut in.

What’s this new backstory?

“Well, I wouldn’t know about that…”
Senior Jiang Xiang caved instantly.

“Then tell me my name!” I challenged.

“Um… Mu Ziqing, right?”

“Bzzt! Sorry, that’s the name of my buddy I used for the scoop. You got played!”

I said smugly.

Good thing I used the “I have a friend” excuse for the story.

“Ah! Sneaky!!”

The senior looked adorably annoyed, but sorry, that’s the Demon King’s caution at work.

“…It’s Zhu Hanqi, right?”

But Senior Jiang Xiang casually dropped my real name.

I’m screwed.
Revealing my true name means a weak spot.

Ugh, as expected of the news club’s vice president—her intel’s top-notch.
A strong contender in a Holy Grail War.

“Oh, Zhu Hanqi? Nice name,” Liu Senyao commented.

“No, I’m Mu Ziqing,” I insisted stubbornly.

“Pfft…”

Our childish exchange made Senior Jiang Xiang laugh.
When she saw both me and Liu Senyao turn to her, she waved her hands sheepishly.

“Sorry, sorry. I just didn’t expect Senyao to get so chummy with a junior she just met.”

What, are you some kind of butler character, Senior?
“Young master’s never brought a girl home before.”
“Young master hasn’t smiled like this in ages…”

Am I the heroine who got drunk on supplements and brought home by a CEO?!

“You call this chummy?” I twitched my lips.

“No way! I’m always super friendly!” Liu Senyao protested.

“But you only act this wild and carefree around me, don’t you?”
Senior Jiang Xiang said with a smile, glancing around.
“Like just now—you’d rather sit here bored, waiting for me, than chat with other kids.”

“W-Well, there’s a reason for that. And he came to me.”

True, the reason’s deeper than the sky and sea.

Also known as a blood feud.

Oblivious to this, Senior Jiang Xiang laughed.

“Alright, alright, just teasing. I’m done here anyway, so I was coming to tell you we can head to the school gate together—how about you, junior? Wanna come with?”

“Huh? Me? You’re asking me?”

I never expected a random passerby like me would get an invite.

Normally, wouldn’t I just get a kick to the curb?

“You kept Senyao company for so long, so as thanks, I’d love to invite you to check out an interview,” Senior Jiang Xiang said with a wink.

Unlike the only-cute-in-looks Liu Senyao, Senior Jiang Xiang’s a good person.

That’s my conclusion.

“This interview’s super rare—and after it’s done, I can hear out your scoop too.”

…

I wasn’t that interested in the interview, but Senior Jiang Xiang said she’d listen to my scoop.

A good person like that deserves to be used to death… I mean, deserves a warm response.

“You actually came along, huh? Hmph hmph hmph🎵~”

Liu Senyao’s humming some random tune was annoying, but for the sake of clearing my name school-wide with Senior Jiang Xiang’s help, I’ll endure.

Endure the bitterest of pains to crush those above.

“Hey, Little Hanqi, you really just followed us without knowing who we’re interviewing?”

“I’m just a freshman who started today, Senior.”

I said solemnly to the senior who kept leaning in to talk to me.

“Oh.”

She nodded, then leaned close to my ear again.

“Wanna know who it is?”

“Nope.”

She nodded again, looked up at the sky for a bit, then leaned in once more.

“I looked up that girl who slandered you—Shen Yingxu, right? She seems so sweet and cute. Sure you didn’t get it wrong?”

I finally snapped.

“—Senior, can you bother someone else? I get nervous every time you lean in.”

“Wow~ Is it my charm?”

“It’s because I’m scared you’ll stab me.”

By the way, I still couldn’t recall what grudge this girl had against me, but she definitely seemed to know me from that world.

“Haha, even if I am mad at you, I wouldn’t just stab you in a place like this. It’s a law-abiding society now, right?”
Liu Senyao laughed like she found my humor hilarious, dramatically wiping tears.
“Who’d stab someone in broad daylight?”

Someone would. Not just stab, but throw flying knives. Super scary.

Yup, that sweet, cute girl you mentioned.

The deadly knife-thrower.

“Don’t worry, I’m super forgiving. That past is like a dream to me now,” she said, waving dismissively.
“I’m just bored. Chat with me!”

“Go find someone else…”

“Others get all shy, and I might upset them if I say something weird.”

“And I won’t get upset?” I was dumbfounded.

“I don’t care. You owe me from that world, don’t you?”

She answered like it was obvious.

What happened to being forgiving?! You’re still holding a grudge!

Seeing my face like I’d eaten slime cuisine, Liu Senyao shook her head and kept talking.

“Speaking of, the person we’re interviewing today is a freshman like you.
But they’re late because of an official exhibition.”

I noticed the crowd getting restless.
The student council and disciplinary committee stepped in to maintain order, keeping most of the curious onlookers outside the inner circle.

Among them, I even spotted Ye Qingshu and Mu Ziqing.

Oh, right, I think Mu Ziqing texted me earlier asking if I wanted to check something out, but I was too busy with the news club to reply.

“That freshman’s only fifteen—a specially admitted genius.
Her talent and achievements in painting are insane.
She’s practically a treasure of Jiang City, if not the whole country.”

A girl stepped out of a car, surrounded by teachers and students, and approached the school gate for the interview with Senior Jiang Xiang.

From my spot, I could only vaguely tell it was a girl, but her face was mostly blocked by Senior Jiang Xiang and the crowd.

“So, getting this close to her is a big deal.
Plus, those of us in the inner circle get to ask questions live!”

“…Sure, but I can’t see anything.
Hey, junior, you’re taller—jump up and take a look?”

“Too dumb. No way.”

I said this, but as Senior Jiang Xiang moved, the girl gradually came closer to us.

“Now, for the much-anticipated Q&A, let’s have—oh, this student ask a question!”

When I saw who was picked, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Got it.
I wasn’t wrong about Liu Senyao.
She’s not a “model anchor,” but definitely a plant.

The chosen senior lowered her raised hand, flashing a smile as stunning as the early September autumn scenery.

“Alright~ My biggest question for Zhu Lubing is!”

“Does Junior have someone you like? Like, romantically!! I’m super curious!!!”

…

The scene fell into a hopeless silence, followed by a stampede like a herd of alpacas racing across a prairie.

I saw Senior Jiang Xiang’s eye twitch as she pressed her forehead, looking utterly defeated.
“Here we go again… Senyao, really…”

Looks like Liu Senyao’s question was totally her own idea.

Asking something that embarrassing on the first day of high school, in front of teachers, school leaders, and even Jiang City officials?

This plant is straight-up hell-level.

“Haha, this student’s such a joker. Can we get another question…”

Some official—maybe the dean—tried to laugh it off, smoothing over the awkward moment.

But.

As the official moved, the interviewee, Zhu Lubing, shifted slightly, locking eyes with me.

Seeing her striking white hair and ruby-red eyes, I opened my mouth slightly, giving a bitter smile.

Of all people, it had to be her…

“I do.”

After meeting my gaze, her expression didn’t change, but she answered the question voluntarily.

This caused an even bigger uproar among the adults and students trying to smooth things over.

“Wha—?!”
“No way!”
“Seriously…?”

I suddenly had a bad feeling.

“It’s him.”

The girl named Zhu Lubing walked toward me, pointed right at me, and said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Thud thud thud.

If the earlier scene was alpacas on a prairie, now it was a herd of elephants.

“He’s my ex—”

“The ex-girlfriend spot’s already taken! You can’t use that to frame me!”

I hurriedly cut off her buildup, speaking quickly and quietly so only we could hear.

“?”

The girl tilted her head, nodding as if she half-understood.

Then she declared seriously.

“He’s my boyfriend.”

…

I admit.

Back in that other world, on a whim, I adopted you as my foster daughter, then casually sacrificed you.
That was my bad as your Demon King dad.

But.

The ex-girlfriend spot’s taken!
That’s no excuse to claim the girlfriend spot, my former foster daughter!!