You are all bad women! Don't come over!

"Mhm, I know," Shen Mochen said, grinning.

"Good that you know…" Xia Qingrou reluctantly withdrew the spatula she was waving around.

Shen Mochen nodded. "Then I'll head back first."

Xia Qingrou fluttered her eyelashes and pushed up her glasses, just watching him leave.

"Hey!" Xia Qingrou called out.

"What is it?" Shen Mochen turned his head back.

"Give me back my bracelet!" Xia Qingrou reached out her hand, her voice harsh.

Shen Mochen touched the bracelet on his wrist but did not respond.

Xia Qingrou's hand awkwardly hung in mid-air, and the two of them ended up in a standoff.

"Forget it then, just throw it away yourself!" Xia Qingrou pursed her lips, huffed, and turned around to resume cooking.

Shen Mochen silently walked away.

Back in his bedroom, he thought for a moment, silently took off the bracelet, and put it away in the cabinet along with the previously stored cross.

At lunch, everyone ate as usual; Xia Qingrou's eyes constantly darted to Shen Mochen's wrist. It was Liu Chaoyan's turn for duty today, and Xia Qingrou found an opportunity to pull Shen Mochen into a corner.

"Did you throw it away?" Xia Qingrou asked coldly.

"Why would I throw it away? I just put it away," said Shen Mochen.

"You're quick to act," Xia Qingrou sneered and stepped on Shen Mochen's foot.

The cross that my ex-girlfriend gave me took so long to put away, and we just broke up a few days ago, yet the gift I gave you was put away so quickly!

Such a jerk!

"Xuexue is supposed to protect you every day, you better treat her well from now on!" Xia Qingrou left, fuming.

Shen Mochen clenched his toes, feeling a bit of pain, so he went back to his room to put the bracelet back on.

Time drifted by at an easy pace, and half a month passed, leading into the full swing of summer.

The scorching sun wilted the leaves, and the cicadas buzzed tirelessly. Shen Mochen sat in his room, blasting the air conditioning, and played games, wearing only a pair of boxers.

He had ordered the computer online a while ago, and after it got delivered to Sentinel Station, he drove the pick-up truck himself to move it.

These days, he'd completely become a homebody, staying in his room playing on his computer every day except for meals and duties.

Actually, Shen Mochen didn't want to be like this, but it was summer, after all, the season when girls wear shirts and short skirts, flaunting their youthful bodies.

And unfortunately, the girls at 0819, without exception, were stunning beauties... Just a few glances could make a guy's heart race and body heat up.

Speaking of which, isn't the school about to go on summer break? Shen Mochen opened the class group chat and looked. His classmates were discussing where to go during the vacation, but since it was the last summer break of high school, some were talking about preparing for the TAST national exams.

Maybe I should study a bit these coming days, take the test in the spring?

Shen Mochen had checked the dates for the national exams, which happened to fall in separation month; he had time. Moreover, he had consulted with his superiors, and Buque could not only take the national exams but also keep their scores, and use them to enter university after their discharge, with the added benefit of extra points.

While thinking about it, Shen Mochen browsed the school forum. The forum was mostly anonymous; the information was not very nutritious, consisting mostly of complaints about jerks, school activities, idiotic teachers, foolish students, or those lamenting single life and seeking relationships.

The Goddess List on campus still updated weekly, and Catherine remained at the top, but she was far from the dominant lead she had before, with the votes for Yuncui, who ranked second, closing in tightly and even showing signs of overtaking.

The naturally dopey and tender beauty of a teacher was every student's favorite, not to mention that even Yuncui's scolding was gentle.

In fact, the decline in Catherine's popularity was not solely due to Yuncui, her "rival". Another reason was her impending engagement.

Just as the announcement of a relationship could lead to an idol's drop in popularity, the news of Catherine's upcoming engagement had a significant impact on her popularity.

Last month, Catherine's coming-of-age ceremony was extraordinarily grand, and many families of the students from First Middle School received invitations. Everyone knew that on her birthday according to the Roman Calendar, Catherine would officially announce her fiancé.

Some even opened betting pools on the forum, wagering on who Catherine would choose as her fiancé. Marrying Catherine was not just about marrying a future Countess, but possibly about joining the entire Alexandrov Family.

Currently, the two most popular candidates were the young talents from the Kirikorov and Vorotensky families. Rumor had it that the Count of Alexandrov and his older brother, Marquis Glanjin, approved of the two.

Shen Mochen looked down at the date; it was less than two weeks away.

He had also been chatting with Catherine these past days but never brought up the subject.

He didn't want to ask, nor did he want to know.

"Damn, the Scum Men List..." Shen Mochen, bored out of his mind browsing the forum, was suddenly shocked by a brand-new post.

In addition to the traditional Goddess and Idol Lists, there was now a Scum Men List. And judging by the number of votes, it wasn't unpopular.

But the top of the Scum Men List was none other than Shen Mochen.

Ever since news of Shen Mochen's breakup spread, his popularity had a resurgence, but it wasn't long before rumors circulated in forums and various groups that Shen Mochen was dropped in a jiffy for cheating on his girlfriend.

And as students tend to have the most free time, to this day, the rumors had evolved to state that Shen Mochen had pursued a mother and daughter trio and even tried to make a move on his girlfriend's mother, and even harassed other team members...

"I knew it..." Shen Mochen massaged his forehead. Before he clicked open the link, he had already guessed that he might earn a place on the Scum Men List, but he didn't expect it to be so thorough.

Shen Mochen casually opened the Idol List, hmm, also at the top.

Top of both the Scum Men and Idol Lists, Shen Mochen chuckled softly.

But his place on the Idol List wasn't so secure anymore, with Zhao Yuji's votes nearly matching his, even surpassing him for a while last week.

Shen Mochen closed the forum.

"The separation month is coming up in a few days, do you want to take a break?" Liu Chaoyan sent him a message.

Shen Mochen thought about it. Indeed, he hadn't taken a break for a while and Yuncui always said she missed him, so he confirmed his intention positively.

Thinking of Yuncui's tender smiling face, Shen Mochen couldn't help but feel a longing. Although going back would inevitably mean enduring a lecture – "why did you break up with Qingrou", "do you want me to help you reconcile" – he couldn't help but want to see her.

The feeling that someone was always waiting for him was really nice, as if he had found his roots.

"Big Brother, Big Brother, help!"

Suddenly, a message from Liu Bo interrupted Shen Mochen's thoughts.

"Is it your parents inviting me for a meal? Didn't I already agree?" Shen Mochen replied lazily.

"No, it's Fei Yumo who wants to meet you!"

Fei Yumo? Shen Mochen was first stunned, not understanding why that popular idol would have anything to do with him, but then he finally caught on, feeling speechless.

"You indeed used my name to chat nonsense with her, didn't you!"