BUWAH CH1

Chapter 1 Heartthrob’s First Boyfriend

Class 3-3.

A long leg was draped across a desk. The dark blue uniform trouser creased with fine wrinkles where it rested, but its owner paid it no mind.

The teenage boy with unruly blond hair seemed immersed in some inexplicable irritation, and the source of that emotion appeared to be… him.

Him, Xie Ning.

Xie Ning, the ‘other people’s child,’ an exemplary student of Huajiang City for five consecutive years, with outstanding character, excellent academic performance, a pleasant appearance, and a trouble-free record since childhood.

“I heard you’re the nouveau riche who managed to cling onto Duan Ling’s leg? You little sissy, where the hell did you pop up from?!”

Compared to the aggressive accusation, the long-legged boy’s tone could barely be considered tough. Within that toughness, there was a hint of imperceptible grievance, as if he were saying ‘I was clearly here first.’

Xie Ning slowly lifted his head, frame by frame like a skipping disc, meeting the gaze of the long-legged boy and the wave of palpable, bitter resentment emanating from behind him. Deep down, Xie Ning felt they must have mistaken him for someone else.

If they hadn’t, then he must be dreaming a really weird dream, which seemed somehow mixed up with the melodramatic novel he was reading before bed.

“May I ask… who are you?” he replied politely, swallowing.

Bang!

With a loud crash, the desk was kicked half a meter away. Xie Ning’s little soul trembled from the shock, and he immediately shut his mouth tight.

“This little sissy is playing dumb! Duan Ling is just toying with you. You fricking think we wouldn’t dare to touch you?”

The long-legged boy’s words sounded like a threat, if one could ignore the overly aggrieved tone in his voice.

You dare! Is there anything you wouldn’t dare do! Xie Ning buried his head, muttering crazily to himself.

His calf throbbed with pain, likely bruised from the desk. Outnumbered ten to one, all he could do now was hug his leg and play the meek loser, not daring to make any rash moves.

The worst part was, he had no idea what was going on. Was he dreaming, or was he dreaming?!

In his memory, a school should be a place with a wholesome atmosphere, solemn and dignified, where students were friendly, kind, and ready to stand up for justice.

But now, during the evening self-study period, he was surrounded by a group of students in the classroom. Many of his classmates sat scattered around, but they all ignored his pleading looks for help.

What the hell was happening?!

Since his classmates were unreliable, Xie Ning secretly took out his phone, intending to ask someone for help or even call the police. Just then, a loud shout came from the door.

“He Manjuan! What are you guys doing?!“

Xie Ning’s finger froze mid-dial.

He Manjuan, the long-legged boy, rubbed the corner of his reddened eyes. When he turned towards the door, his once delicate face was now a mask of fierceness. “Gu Zizhen, stop pretending to be a good guy!”

Xie Ning’s finger cramped.

This wasn’t a dream. He could feel the pain.

He Manjuan? Gu Zizhen? And…… Duan Ling?!

This had to be a joke……

The corner of his mouth twitched along with his fingers, the last glimmer of hope in his heart utterly extinguished.

As a superstitious person, Xie Ning always read novels that had nothing to do with his name, just to avoid the unlikely scenario of accidentally transmigrating into a book and suffering.

He was a thousand and one percent sure that none of the characters in the melodramatic novel, ‘The Heartthrob Just Wants to Throw Punches,’ that he read last night were named Xie Ning!

“This is a school, not a place for you to act out.”

Gu Zizhen had a gentle appearance and a gentle voice, so gentle that no one could tell he was being dismissive. “Don’t you feel ashamed, bringing all these people to bully a girl?”

Xie Ning’s heart sank even further.

Yes, it was definitely Gu Zizhen. On the surface, he looked as gentle and refined as jade, but inside, he was full of evil intentions. Knowing full well that Xie Ning was a guy, Gu Zizhen was now pretending to be a white knight, while in reality, he was just maliciously mocking him.

“Girl my fart! He’s the one dating Duan Ling… th-that whoever!”

He Manjuan’s mind hit a snag. In his frustration, he kicked Xie Ning’s desk again. “You little sissy, what’s your name again?!”

Xie Ning: “…?”

Judging by He Manjuan and Gu Zizhen’s ages, the plot of ‘The Heartthrob Just Wants to Throw Punches’ should have just begun.

Nowadays, webnovels were under strict censorship. Authors were forced to make their characters adults before allowing them to start a romantic relationship. Third-year high school students were usually considered old enough to be considered adults.

At the beginning of the story, specifically in the first chapter, the author briefly mentioned in about two lines that the protagonist, Duan Ling, casually started dating a boyfriend around the beginning of third year.

Well, it couldn’t really be called casual. Duan Ling was just annoyed by the constant harassment, so he had randomly grabbed an unlucky guy to divert attention. In the entire novel, ‘The Heartthrob Just Wants to Throw Punches,’ this unlucky guy was only mentioned in those two lines. The author didn’t even bother giving him a name.

So, it turned out that sharing a name with a character in the novel wasn’t even a prerequisite for transmigration? Instead, they just drag this unlucky guy over and make him name himself?

Was this how transmigrations worked these days?!

Caught completely off guard, Xie Ning was momentarily stunned. He instinctively covered his mouth, terrified that if he spoke his name, he would truly become a character in the book.

“I’m asking you a question!”

Perhaps knowing he had long legs, He Manjuan flaunted his advantage by kicking the desk again.

When reading the novel, Xie Ning had briefly rooted for He Manjuan to be the main gong. But seeing him in person, the little bit of fondness he had as a bystander completely disappeared, leaving only a belly full of resentment and annoyance.

He didn’t want to answer, but one of his classmates, who had been playing dead until now, suddenly sprang into action.

“Xie Ning.”

The classmate in front of him, wearing thick black-framed glasses and pretending to be absorbed in his math homework, spoke without turning around. “……His name is Xie Ning.”

As those words echoed, Xie Ning’s heart sank to the bottom.

It wasn’t just his imagination. Just then, memories that didn’t belong to him surged into his mind like a tidal wave.

His senses sharpened. He Manjuan’s amber cat-like eyes seemed more vivid, and the whispers in the classroom suddenly became louder. It was as if an invisible barrier had been pierced, as if he had completely integrated into this world.

“…Xie Ning, Xie Ning.”

He Manjuan repeated the name several times, his expression looking as though he wanted to chew him up and spit him out.

At 5:40 PM, the evening self-study period was still in progress.

Suddenly, two rowdy boys with closely shaved heads stumbled into the doorway, grabbing the doorframe to stop themselves, and shouted at the top of their lungs, loud enough to be heard across the entire floor.

“Maojuan! Ling-ge is surrounded by those South High punks at the school gate!”

“What?!”

He Manjuan jumped up immediately, forgetting all about Xie Ning. He dashed towards the door, only to slam his knee into the front desk, making him double over in pain.

“Sss…… fu-fudge! Are those South High thugs tired of living? Is that bastard Meng Qijiu among them?”

“No, just a few small fry, that red-haired guy and his crew.”

As the two exchanged words, Gu Zizhen had already rushed out. Not just him, but the entire class crowded to the corridor windows, looking down with far more enthusiasm than they ever shown towards Xie Ning.

Xie Ning let out a deep sigh of relief, slumping back into his chair, his face pale.

With strange memories invading his mind, and still unable to come to terms with the fact that he had transmigrated, he opened the textbook on his desk, hoping to prove it was all just a dream.

Dreams are abstract, so the textbook should be a blurry mess. But to his despair, not only was the book filled with clear and precise math problems, but they were also ones he couldn’t solve.

He Manjuan had almost reached the classroom door when he caught sight of Xie Ning still flipping through his textbook. He was so angry his voice cracked.

“Darn it! Your boyfriend is being surrounded, and you still have the mind to study?!”

The word ‘boyfriend’ was too foreign to Xie Ning. His mind short-circuited, and he pointed to himself, asking, “Me…?”

He Manjuan leaped over the podium with agile movements, cleared a desk in a few strides, and grabbed Xie Ning by the collar, dragging him out.

“Ling-ge must be blind to have picked a little sissy like you! Hurry up and get over there!”

“Wait, wait a minute!”

“Wait my butt! Those bastards are starting a brawl!”

Against his will, Xie Ning was dragged the whole way as He Manjuan, with his long legs and light frame, effortlessly leaped up four steps at a time. The few hundred meters from the teaching building to the school gate felt like a death march for Xie Ning.

Evening self-study hadn’t ended, but already a dozen people had gathered near the gold-plated gates of Yangcheng High School.

Watching from afar were a bunch of rich students of Yangcheng High, dressed in their understated yet stylish school uniforms. In the middle stood five South High students, dressed in loose tracksuits modified and graffitied, their hair dyed in various bright colors.

The two groups were clearly divided. While one person was outnumbered in the inner circle, the outer circle was entirely surrounded by Yangcheng students. After all, this was their turf.

Even without the circle of surrounding students, the five tall and burly boys facing the person with hands in his pockets seemed to shrink in stature.

From Xie Ning’s position, he could only see Duan Ling’s back. He couldn’t make out his features, but his arrogance and protagonist halo was palpable.

He Manjuan dragged Xie Ning into the center of the crowd. The young master, who looked like he might burst into tears at any moment, showed surprising boldness.

“Holy cow! Did the mutts of South High get lost? How dare you come to pee at your grandpa’s doorstep?!”

If a burly man had said that, Xie Ning wouldn’t have thought the other party was overestimating themselves.

Hearing this shout, Duan Ling glanced at He Manjuan. When his eyes landed on Xie Ning, who was being roughly held, his eyes flickered slightly.

Seeing that the speaker was He Manjuan, the red-haired guy opposite instantly puffed up. “He Manjuan, you son of a bitch! Didn’t get enough of an ass-whooping last time? Daddy’s gonna break your damn legs next time!”

“You’re a joke! Grandpa could take on ten of you one-on-one. Did the Meng family loosen your leash today?”

“Fuck you! Don’t bring Meng-ge into this. Daddy doesn’t have time to deal with you today!”

Teenagers of seventeen or eighteen are naturally impulsive and hot-blooded. Even the smallest spark can ignite a full-blown conflict. The group quickly fell into a heated exchange of insults.

In the center of it all, Duan Ling clicked his tongue in annoyance. It wasn’t loud, but it was enough to stop the insults hurling back and forth.

The red-haired guy from South High hesitated, then softened his tone. “Duan Ling, Xiao Mao hasn’t spoken for three days. We’re not here to cause trouble this time. It’s fine if you don’t like him, but did you have to be so mean to him?”

The onlookers finally understood the reason for the confrontation. He Manjuan, who had been shouting insults most enthusiastically moments before, was stunned for a few seconds. Then his mouth split into a wide, suddenly blossoming grin.

“Heh, the dogskin cap has become a hermit.”

Gu Zizhen, who had somehow moved closer, also cracked a small smile. “Good news.”

Xie Ning had no idea who Xiao Mao was, or why these two were suddenly so pleased. He only felt a chill run down his back and a strange, unsettling premonition.

Duan Ling looked quite sick by the topic. “I don’t give a damn. Your old man already has a partner, and you’re still going on about this shit.”

This statement sounded awkward, as if he had taken on a partner just to fend off a persistent pursuer. However, no one had the energy to analyze it in detail at the moment.

Duan Ling and Xie Ning had been dating for only a few days. Not only was South High unaware, but even most students from Yangcheng High hadn’t heard the news. When Duan Ling made his remark, the area around the school gate fell silent for two seconds before erupting into chaos.

The red-haired guy stared blankly for a moment, then a sly grin spread across his face as if he’d caught Duan Ling in a lie.

“Our two schools are only separated by a street. No need to bullshit us like that. Come with me to see Xiao Mao, and we’ll keep our distance from now on.”

“Bullshit, my ass!”

Duan Ling’s figure swayed slightly for a moment, his anger visibly affecting his breathing.

Without any warning, Xie Ning suddenly heard an angry shout.

“Xie Ning! Come here.”

The sullen boy turned his head. A spotlight, seemingly directed by some unseen hand, fell onto his snow-white face, instantly making him the focus of dozens of people’s attention.

And that was the first time Xie Ning clearly saw the face of his ‘boyfriend.’