In the parking lot of a courtyard hot pot restaurant somewhere in Rongcheng.

Wu Yun had just finished parking at the security guard’s direction when Wen Meng spotted some of their classmates outside. She also saw the man who was Wu Yun’s main rival for the day, who happened to be parking his car at that very moment.

"Look," Wen Meng said, pointing Wu Yun toward a white BMW M4 that was parking across from them. "The guy driving that sports coupe is the one who’s been pursuing me. He’s a student, in the same year as me. He goes through girlfriends really fast, which is why I don’t like him!"

Wu Yun recognized the white BMW M4. He recalled how in his past life, right after he’d started university, he would often see that same car driving around campus with a different beautiful woman in it each time.

"I’ll get the door for you!"

Drawing the attention of others in the parking lot, Wu Yun first swung open the scissor door. He walked around to the passenger side and opened it for Wen Meng. He expertly took her right hand, helped her out of the seat, then closed the door and led her by the hand toward their meeting spot.

Wen Meng’s 173cm height was a little intimidating to Wu Yun. Luckily, she wasn’t wearing high heels today, just a pair of flat sandals, which kept him from looking too short beside her.

Inside the BMW M4, Luo Heng was in the middle of sending a photo he’d just snapped of the Big Black Bull to his car enthusiast group chat. Just then, he saw a familiar beauty step out of the passenger seat—it was Wen Meng, the very woman he’d started pursuing last semester.

He just never expected Wen Meng to be so difficult to win over. His usual methods—spending a little money to get a girl—had failed completely. She wasn’t moved by money in the slightest.

Seeing this, Luo Heng couldn’t help but curse, slamming his hand hard on the steering wheel. He knew he had no chance now. A top-tier goddess like Wen Meng... even if she and that guy weren’t a couple yet, the man in the Lamborghini wouldn’t let a catch like that get away—unless there was something wrong with him.

The BMW M4’s headlights stayed on for several minutes before the engine’s roar finally died. Only then did Luo Heng step out of the car.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to go to Yang Shasha’s birthday party anyway. ’I’m already here,’ he thought. ’My original plan is shot, so I’ll just treat it like a normal birthday party. Who knows, maybe I’ll even meet some new people.’

......

"Sasha! This is my boyfriend, Wu Yun! He’s about to become one of our underclassmen!" Wen Meng said, holding Wu Yun’s hand and giving Sasha a wink.

Yang Shasha was Wen Meng’s best friend in college, so she knew the whole story. In fact, this whole ’fake boyfriend’ plan had been her idea in the first place.

However, Yang Shasha hadn’t expected Wen Meng to find a handsome guy who was a full two years younger than them. ’Is he her brother or something?’ she wondered. ’I’ll have to interrogate her later. How dare she make a move on an underclassman! Such a cradle robber!’

Wen Meng handed the gift she’d prepared to Yang Shasha and said, "We ran into Luo Heng on our way in!"

Yang Shasha asked, "Is everything okay? He didn’t pester you, did he?"

Wen Meng covered her mouth and giggled. "After seeing us together, he probably won’t be bothering me again, as long as he isn’t a complete idiot!"

This made Yang Shasha even more curious about what had happened. But with other classmates and friends around, it wasn’t a good time to ask out loud. Instead, she flashed her phone, and Wen Meng nodded, instantly understanding.

Feeling a bit bored, Wu Yun watched Wen Meng and her friend whispering to each other. The other guests were also gathered in small groups, chatting away.

This was the worst kind of situation at a party—not knowing anyone and having to awkwardly stare at your phone to hide it. Fortunately, Wen Meng didn’t forget about her temporary boyfriend. While holding his hand, she turned and began quietly introducing him to the people there.

Wu Yun first sized up Yang Shasha. ’An 85/85/80 rating,’ he noted. ’To the average person, she’d definitely be considered a beauty.’

Just as Wu Yun was observing the other guests, a voice sounded from behind him.

"Hey, man! I’m Luo Heng!" Luo Heng said with a smile, walking up to Wu Yun and extending his hand.

As the saying goes, you don’t hit a man who’s smiling. Wu Yun stood up, shook Luo Heng’s hand, and said, "I’m Wu Yun."

Yang Shasha and Wen Meng watched the two men, looking like they wanted to say something but holding back. Everyone else knew Luo Heng had been pursuing Wen Meng, so they all sat up, ready to watch a good show unfold.

"I’m seriously envious of your Big Black Bull. I wonder if we could race sometime, so I can feel the difference between an M4 and a real supercar." Luo Heng had given up on Wen Meng and decided to befriend Wu Yun instead. As a passionate sports car enthusiast, meeting more friends to race with wasn’t just for fun; it also helped expand his network for the future.

’So those plotlines in novels where rivals serve themselves up on a silver platter just to get humiliated by the protagonist really only happen in novels,’ Wu Yun thought. ’In reality, truly brain-dead rich kids are rare. They’re definitely smarter and more knowledgeable than the average person.’

Seeing that there wouldn’t be a conflict, Yang Shasha and Wen Meng breathed a sigh of relief. Wen Meng stood up, linked her arm through Wu Yun’s, and said, "Luo Heng, this is my boyfriend. Starting this semester, he’ll be our underclassman!"

The classmates who had been watching the drama unfold looked at Wu Yun in astonishment. They couldn’t believe he had managed to land the belle of the dance department before he had even started university.

Luo Heng laughed. "Wen Meng, I won’t bother you anymore. And congratulations, man, on winning the fair lady. Hey, let’s add each other on WeChat. I’ll pull you into our car group. The people in there are great to talk to, a real talented bunch!"

After saying this, Luo Heng gave Wu Yun a playful wiggle of his eyebrows.

Wen Meng knew Luo Heng had given up. He used to shamelessly call her Meng Meng, but now he was using her full name, a sign that he was ready to treat her as just a regular friend. It made all her preparations for the evening feel like punching a fist into a wad of cotton.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Wen Meng pulled Wu Yun to sit back down and went back to chatting with Yang Shasha.

"So, where do you guys usually race?" Wu Yun had been itching to unleash the Big Black Bull’s potential, but he could never find a good place. He didn’t dare push it too hard on the highway; the fastest he’d gone was 220, a far cry from the Lamborghini’s top speed.

"The guys in our group usually just find a deserted stretch of road for straight-line races. We don’t do much mountain driving; too afraid of getting into an accident," Luo Heng explained as he pulled out his phone and started flipping through photos to show Wu Yun.

"I thought you guys would race on a proper track," Wu Yun said, a little disappointed.

"I’ve only been to a track once, and that was just to watch some of the veteran guys in the group race their supercars. But if you want to race on a track, I can introduce you to them." Luo Heng rubbed his nose, slightly embarrassed. The fact that Wu Yun owned a car like this before even starting university made him even more determined to befriend him.

"We actually have a meet-up tonight. I don’t know if you’d be interested in joining?" Luo Heng asked casually after adding Wu Yun on WeChat.

"I’ll have to pass. I’ve been pretty busy lately, and I have to get up early tomorrow. But I’ll definitely come check things out with you after school starts. And of course, if there’s ever a track race, you have to let me know."

As they ate hot pot, Wu Yun continued chatting with Luo Heng, asking about the social scene at the university. There were some things he didn’t feel comfortable asking Wen Meng, so this was a good chance to learn about a world he’d never been exposed to before—even if Luo Heng’s circle was, in the grand scheme of things, a relatively low-tier one.