Chapter 345: Rules

Awesome, the cafeteria here is much bigger than my previous school.

Ruyue Xian Tairan watched the bustling cafeteria, filled with people coming and going and slightly excited shouts, then proactively walked toward those who were chatting.

Hello, my name is Ruyue.

He skillfully greeted his classmates here, even if they had just met for the first time.

Ruyue Xian Tairan felt the lively atmosphere here, his face full of vigor and enthusiasm.

His dream was to befriend everyone at this school, and he greatly enjoyed the feeling of gathering with friends.

And those students who had originally been chatting or eating were also infected by Ruyue Xian Tairan's enthusiasm, and in response to his outstretched hand, they each gave their own reply.

They responded with clapping, bumping shoulders, or comparing strength.

That social‑bandit‑like way of interacting quickly meant most people in the cafeteria had a brief contact with Ruyue Xian Tairan.

Ruyue Xian Tairan, seeing the cheers here, showed a smile.

If Jiang Xia saw this scene, he might also sigh: 'Maybe this is what youth is like for young people.'

A young adult in his twenties and a teenager of seventeen or eighteen still have a considerable difference, not just in age but also in mindset and perception.

After feeling that he had become friends with the classmates he had just met here, Ruyue Xian Tairan casually found a seat he liked and sat down.

He had to admit, his taste was still pretty good; this seat was quite soft and comfortable.

Just as Ruyue Xian Tairan was enjoying this pleasantness and planning how to keep making friends, he suddenly sensed that the atmosphere here had turned unpleasant.

He turned his head, and suddenly the surroundings fell silent, a huge sense of quiet enveloping him.

Little Xian, you can't sit here.

At that moment, a girl in a school uniform with long black hair passed by outside the transparent window.

Seeing Xian Tairan sitting in a seat he shouldn't have, she jumped in fright.

Youmu, come over and eat too.

Ruyue Xian Tairan saw Chengdao Youmu running toward him at full speed, seemingly unaware of the tense atmosphere here, and casually waved at Chengdao Youmu.

Chengdao Youmu, a third‑year high school student, was a good friend of Ruyue Xian Tairan from elementary school.

He was also the original recipient of that friendship‑gesture set, and Chengdao Youmu happened to be in the same class as Ruyue Xian Tairan.

His relationship with Ruyue Xian Tairan was very close, and he dreamed of becoming an astronaut.

What's wrong? Why can't I sit here?

Ruyue Xian Tairan stood up, following Chengdao Youmu's hand.

It's not that he didn't notice; on the contrary, he clearly understood what the atmosphere was about, and he was still very good at reading the room.

But being able to read the air and understand a friend's true feelings, and choosing to avoid unreasonable rules, are two different things.

This is the students' cafeteria; any seat can be freely chosen.

There were no special seat‑reservation notices above, so according to the usual surface rules, this best spot is first‑come, first‑served.

But once he sat down, the atmosphere instantly turned solemn, and even among the classmates who had just been cheering, there were schadenfreude expressions, indicating he had violated this place's unspoken rules.

However, Ruyue Xian Tairan completely ignored it; having risen through his previous high school by fighting, any means of bullying other classmates would not work here.

But since his good friend Chengdao Youmu was here, for safety's sake Ruyue Xian Tairan did not seize the seat; instead, he stood up following Chengdao Youmu's hand.

Little Xian, you just transferred here and don't know the rules; seats are divided according to different groups.

Chengdao Youmu gently held Ruyue Xian Tairan's hand, teaching him how to distinguish the different areas—for example, the nerd zone, the delinquent zone, the otaku zone, and so on.

These are the academy's hidden rules, like dividing territory to huddle for warmth. Being alone is tantamount to being bullied, so when Jiang Xia understood this, he said the school has a problem.

The seat you just sat in belongs to the Queen. Chengdao Youmu looked tense, as if the Queen were some terrifying person, "In short, get out of here quickly, or else when Senior Fengcheng finds out, you're done."

Perhaps heaven also heard Chengdao Youmu's words, and so the acclaimed Queen, Fengcheng Meiyu, really arrived, accompanied by gasps from the cafeteria.

At the far end of the cafeteria, three high‑school girls wearing red short‑sleeve autumn tops and black short skirts walked out amid cheers.

The girl leading the way had short hair, a lovely face, and her pretty visage carried a hint of arrogance.

She was Fengcheng Meiyu, the Queen of this school.

At that moment, after hearing the surrounding people's account of the situation, she furrowed her brows at Ruyue Xian Tairan, who stood beside the seat.

"You're really handsome." Seeing Fengcheng Meiyu, Ruyue Xian Tairan felt his heart struck, his whole body becoming slightly excited.

However, Fengcheng Meiyu was clearly accustomed to men's admiring gazes, and she spoke with a slightly questioning tone to the two: "Why are a tech otaku and trash showing up here?"

Tech otaku are still otaku; at this school, tech otaku, manga otaku, and game otaku are the same kind.

Chengdao Youmu is a tech otaku, and Ruyue Xian Tairan was, unsurprisingly, defined by Fengcheng Meiyu as trash.

"Pull extreme?"

Could it just mean a man who's cool to the extreme?" Ruyue Xian Tairan thought.

"It's trash, you're trash among trash." Fengcheng Meiyu corrected Ruyue Xian Tairan's mistake.

But Ruyue Xian Tairan himself seemed not to have realized it yet.

In Fengcheng Meiyu's eyes, anyone who doesn't understand the rules is all trash, because she is the school's Queen.

Then she stepped back a few steps, because trash will have someone designated to clean it up.

Just as Ruyue Xian Tairan was about to speak, a strange hand suddenly grabbed his collar.

If we judge by the usual scuffles among classmates, this should be a sign that a fight is about to start; yanking someone's collar is tantamount to provocation.

And as someone who often fights, Ruyue Xian Tairan has experienced this before; as long as he isn't pinned to the ground and loses mobility, he can win with his skills.

So at the moment his collar was grabbed, relying on his prior fighting experience, Ruyue Xian Tairan immediately tried to shift sideways to break free of that hand and look for a chance to counterattack.

These movements are almost instinctive, like a knee‑jerk reflex; the more you fight, the more you can train such bodily reactions.

But before his body could escape that hand gripping his collar, Ruyue Xian Tairan felt a tremendous force transmitted from the collar, flinging his body straight away.

Clang!

In almost an instant, Ruyue Xian Tairan was flung toward a distant table, the force so great that the table toppled over.

The juice placed above was knocked over and spilled, the five colors mixing on the floor like an abstract painting done by a high art student.

"Thanks, Shun."

Fengcheng Meiyu saw this scene and revealed a smile; soon after, the arrogance on her face vanished instantly. She grabbed the hand that had just flung Ruyue Xian Tairan away, and affectionately held it in her arms.

"It's nothing; as long as it's something you ask me to do, I'll do it without holding back."

The man called Shun smiled, seemingly enjoying Fengcheng Meiyu's admiring gaze.

"Shun" is just his name; his full name is Da Wen Yushun, and he is the club president of this school's Rugby Club.

If we say Fengcheng Meiyu is the school's Queen (Empress), then Da Wen Yushun is the school's King (King).

Whether in academics or sports, he is exceptionally tough; he is one of the outstanding students of this school.

(End of chapter)