Ke Xue Lu Ren Wang

On a summer evening in Tokyo, the heat lingers, and crowds of young men and women throng the streets.

At the agreed-upon spot beneath Tokyo Tower, a small group of people stood out conspicuously.

Two boys and four girls, plus a primary school student wearing glasses.

Two of the couples were dressed in trendy clothes and behaving intimately. The men wore the latest trendy brands, and the women beside them had sexy and alluring makeup.

The other two girls, however, seemed somewhat out of place.

Sonoko Suzuki was dressed casually, carrying a stylish small bag and wearing a headband. Although she was not flamboyant, her beautiful face and tall figure still made her stand out.

Ran Mouri, who was dressed even more innocently and beautifully beside her, was only brought along by Sonoko to bolster her courage.

Sonoko Suzuki felt that even if that guy named Tetsu Hanyu stood her up, at least she still had her best friend by her side.

As for the child with glasses, he was looking around, appearing quite bored.

Passersby couldn't help but take a second look.

"Is that group short-handed?"

"Two men and four women, that seems like a lot of people."

"I wonder if those two pretty girls are with someone? Should we go up and ask?"

Of course, they were just thinking about it.

It was obvious that they were waiting for someone on the other side, so naturally no one wanted to go up and make a fool of themselves. However, these restless boys still stood by, seemingly looking for the right opportunity.

Sonoko Suzuki swiped her phone screen impatiently, glancing around every now and then.

"Sonoko, it's already 5:50, hasn't your boyfriend arrived yet?" A girl with long, wavy blonde hair and her school uniform jacket tied around her waist asked. She was being intimately linked arm-in-arm with a boy next to her.

Sonoko Suzuki's expression froze.

This girl's name is Shimizu Chizuru, and she was Sonoko's deskmate in junior high school. This girl loves to brag about how many boyfriends she's had, and whenever Sonoko shows interest in a boy in the class, Shimizu Chizuru always tries to steal him away, and behind her back, she goes around saying that Sonoko is a hopeless, unwanted girl.

What's even more infuriating is that the boy she's currently arm-in-arm with is the same person she liked in middle school.

"It's not even six o'clock yet, what's the rush?" Sonoko Suzuki retorted irritably, glancing down at her Line chat interface.

Yuzuru just replied to my message saying he'll be there soon.

Seeing the reply, Sonoko's frustration subsided a little.

But then, new concerns emerged.

What will he look like? The person who sold the account only said he was a handsome guy; I hope he's not lying to me.

The group had been quiet for less than a minute when Chizuru Shimizu's boyfriend spoke up: "Sonoko, your boyfriend didn't stand you up, did he?"

The girl in another couple chimed in, "Chizuru said Sonoko's boyfriend is handsome and talented; I'd really like to see him for myself." Before she could finish, her boyfriend glared at her, then grinned mischievously, "You already have him, why would you want to see someone else?"

Hearing these words, Sonoko Suzuki felt an indescribable sense of annoyance.

Of course, she also blamed herself for exaggerating the qualities of this "boyfriend" she had never met, all for the sake of saving face.

"Sonoko, if you really can't find anyone, I can introduce you to a few handsome guys," Shimizu Chizuru "kindly" suggested again.

"No need," Sonoko Suzuki interrupted her. "You'd better not say these things in front of my boyfriend, or he'll get angry if he hears you!"

Seeing this, Ran Mouri leaned closer and whispered, "Sonoko, are you sure that guy named Tetsu Hanyu will come?"

"I don't know... I'm actually not sure myself..." Sonoko Suzuki answered softly, lowering her voice.

To be honest, Sonoko Suzuki regretted attending this friend's gathering; if it weren't for saving face, she definitely wouldn't have come.

Time passed by, second by second.

There are only five minutes left until six o'clock.

If she hasn't shown up by 6 o'clock sharp, it will confirm everyone's guess—Sonoko Suzuki doesn't have any handsome boyfriend at all.

Just thinking about that scene made Sonoko wish she had never come today.

She opened the chat window again, her fingers hovering over the keyboard.

How much longer until you arrive?

The message was sent but disappeared without a trace, remaining unread.

This feeling of not getting a response was pure torture for Sonoko Suzuki.

Although she was the eldest daughter of the Suzuki family, she had never been in a serious relationship.

She doesn't know when it started, but Suzuki Sonoko realized that no matter whether Shimizu Chizuru interfered or not, she seemed to be under a curse, and sweet romance was forever out of her reach.

The same applies to high school.

Even if someone pursues her, they're mostly after her family's money, and don't seem interested in her personally.

That's why she made this deal online with a complete stranger.

Because Yuzuru didn't know her, their transaction was just a deal, and neither party had any other intentions.

Even so, Sonoko was still very flustered.

Thinking about it carefully, her acquaintance with Toru Hanyu was based on the premise that he had been dumped, or even sold as a commodity by his ex-girlfriend.

She bought a batch of "goods" that she could choose from, and she was naturally in a good mood.

But how must Yuzuru have felt about this? It must have been unpleasant.

At 5:57, the phone screen suddenly lit up.

We're almost there.

It's news from Toru Hanyu.

Upon seeing these words, Sonoko Suzuki's heart, which had been pounding in her throat, finally calmed down a bit. She immediately looked up and glanced around in the crowd.

Five fifty-nine.

She was still searching, but in the vast sea of ​​people, she still couldn't find the figure she was looking forward to.

The heart that had just settled back down sank to the bottom once again.

It’s over.

Could it be that he pretended to agree to come but actually ran away?

It's all my fault. I insisted on making him look handsome. Was I asking too much?

Fine, I just need someone to come, even if they're not handsome, I'll accept it! Please come quickly!

"Six o'clock sharp, looks like I'm not too late. Sorry to keep you waiting, Sonoko."

Just then, a deep and magnetic voice rang out from not far away.

That voice… Suzuki Sonoko recognized it all too well; she had listened to it all night last night.

She looked up abruptly, feeling the nerve that had been taut and about to snap finally relax.

Just two meters away on the side of the road, a sleek Porsche 718 sports car had stopped there at some point, its window slowly rolled down.

A boy was sitting in the driver's seat.

With black, tousled hair and a small silver cross earring in his right ear, he had deep, handsome features and calm, dark eyes, quietly watching them.

His words also signaled something.

He arrived as Sonoko Suzuki's boyfriend.