Chapter 2I Made It

“Yeah, over by the basketball court. Looks like a fight’s about to break out.”

“Let’s go, let’s go! We can’t miss this!”

I grabbed a classmate’s arm and asked what was happening. It turned out that right after rejecting Ace, Alice had started dating a notorious rich kid. Ace, furious, had gone to confront him.

The pop-up screens had already given me the gist of the plot. Ace was the second male lead. He would only get his chance with the heroine after the main male lead had broken her heart. According to the current timeline, that was a long way off.

Still, he had helped me. Worried he might get into trouble, I followed the crowd.

From a distance, I could see Ace facing off against another guy. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife; a fight could start at any second.

And, of course, that’s when Alice arrived.

Without a word, she walked straight up to Ace and stood between him and the other boy. “Can you just stop it? I told you, I don’t like you.”

A dark cloud passed over Ace’s eyes.

Just as everyone was waiting to see him make a fool of himself, he looked up, and his gaze met mine.

“Come here.” He crooked a finger at me.

I didn't understand, but I did as he said.

He slung an arm around my shoulders and raised an eyebrow at Alice. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’ve already got someone I like.”

Then he leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Just play along. I’ll treat you to a feast later.”

The word “feast” made my eyes light up. I could already see roast chicken, Peking duck, and grilled steak waving at me. Lost in a daydream of food, I completely missed the strange looks on everyone else’s faces.

Seeing how close Ace and I were, Alice took the rich kid’s hand. “I hope so.”

After the crowd dispersed, Ace let go of me, looking a little dejected. But I was too preoccupied with the unfinished bowl of noodles waiting for me in the cafeteria to notice. My stomach chose that moment to let out a loud, embarrassing grumble.

Ace’s gaze dropped to my stomach, and he scratched his head. “Come on. Let’s go eat.”

He was true to his word. He treated me to a real feast. I was so hungry that I stuffed my face, my cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s.

Ace stared at me, his eyes wide with shock. “Lily, how long has it been since you’ve eaten?”

I counted on my fingers. “Not that long. I’ve only skipped lunch for about twenty days.”

He looked even more shocked. “How are you still alive?”

I swallowed the food in my mouth and sniffled. “You don’t actually need that much food to survive. Sometimes, a little porridge or just water is enough.”

Ace suddenly fell silent.