[Host, the situation is now clear.]
After two class periods of discussion, the system summarized.
[There's still over a year before Ruan Qingqing turns dark because of those scumbag male leads. We'd better change her negative perception of men before then.]
Time was tight, and the task was heavy.
This concerned whether he could achieve his ultimate dream of financial freedom.
Though Ji Mu knew this task couldn't be taken lightly, he truly didn't know where to start.
After serious consideration, he decided to throw the question to the invincible AI.
"Do you have any ideas about how to proceed, System?"
The other party didn't disappoint him, quickly coming up with a plan.
[Well, actually, it's not that complicated. Just need to build a good relationship with Ruan Qingqing.]
Ji Mu was skeptical.
"? Are you sure?"
Isn't that a bit too simplistic?
[Host, the one who ties the bell must untie it.]
Sitting on an eraser, the system presented its thoughts.
[Since the main reason for the female lead's aversion to men is man-made, why don't we solve the problem from its root?]
Ji Mu rested his chin on his hand, roughly understanding its meaning.
"You mean... using one case to generalize?"
[Exactly.]
The system's eyes showed certainty.
[If the female lead develops the idea that men can also be good through her interactions with you, her negative perceptions will surely decrease gradually.]
Speaking, it crossed its legs and continued.
[As time passes, this influence will expand, and eventually, her aversion to men will be completely eliminated.]
[In short, just be good to her, best to become the kind of close friends who can talk about anything.]
Close friends? Talk about anything?
Ji Mu frowned slightly, feeling something ominous in his heart.
"Wouldn't that be a bit..."
[Oh crap, not good, Host!]
Just as he was about to question this approach, the other's exclamation interrupted him.
The system suddenly seemed to receive some information, immediately widening its eyes and jumping up from the eraser.
[The sub-system just told me Ruan Qingqing is in danger, let's go check it out!]
"Sub-system?"
[It's a program that monitors the female lead's safety, it sends alerts whenever she's in danger.]
It briefly explained before urging him on.
[Don't ask so much now, the female lead is more important.]
Hearing this, Ji Mu said no more and quickly got up to go.
After all, this was a quarter of a hundred million yuan at stake, it had to be taken seriously, couldn't be careless!
Following the system's guidance,
After spending less than a few minutes, they arrived at a bamboo grove near the north gate junction.
Stepping onto the gravel path, he saw five or six delinquent students with differently colored hair gathered together.
Among them, he could vaguely see a slender figure surrounded in the middle.
[How despicable, a bunch of men picking on a girl.]
The system clenched its fists, quite indignant.
[Host, we need to show some presence, can't let these punks look down on us!]
Ji Mu gave an OK sign.
"No problem, piece of cake."
Glancing at the security camera hanging overhead, confirming the area ahead wasn't beyond its range, he immediately felt relieved.
He stepped forward, taking a deep breath.
"Make way for the young master!"
System: [...]
Is he somewhat sick in the head?
But undeniably, this shout successfully attracted the attention of those ahead.
The thugs turned to look, very curious about which mental patient was acting up.
Taking advantage of their gap, Ji Mu could see Ruan Qingqing surrounded in the middle.
The girl had her hands clasped in front of her, her figure petite and slender.
That striking yet pure delicate face was rather pale, her whole person like a broken piece of porcelain.
Fragile and helpless.
"Classmate Ruan?"
He spoke with feigned surprise, "What are you doing here?"
At his words, the girl in his view raised her head, her beautiful eyes reflecting a layer of moisture, the slightly reddened corners threatening to spill crystal tears.
"Classmate Ji Mu..."
Her soft voice carried notes of surprise and grievance.
Wonder what these thugs did to almost make the female lead cry.
His gaze discreetly swept over the people nearby as he walked to the girl's side, asking in a gentle tone.
"Aren't you going back to class? The bell's about to ring."
"I..."
"She's not going anywhere."
A mocking voice cut into their conversation.
Ji Mu looked toward the source.
A delinquent with dyed red hair wore an arrogant expression.
"Think you can just walk away after ruining my limited edition Air Jordans? Isn't that a bit too wishful?"
The domineering attitude, along with the contemptuous expressions of his lackeys around him.
They were clearly the standard disposable villain lineup.
For these small fry who wouldn't survive a few chapters, Ji Mu couldn't even be bothered to deal with them.
Skipping unnecessary dialogue, his gaze floated to the girl, getting straight to the point.
"What happened?"
Ruan Qingqing was slightly stunned.
From this angle, she could clearly see the young man's clean jawline as he turned his head.
Though it was just a simple question, her previously anxious and uneasy heart suddenly settled down.
Realizing her behavior was somewhat offensive, her ears instantly turned red, and she quickly averted her eyes as if burned.
"I was taking out the trash this afternoon, and when I passed by them, I tripped over a suddenly extended foot, and then..."
Listening to the girl's soft voice, Ji Mu understood the whole situation.
It could be summarized in two words.
Scam.
"I thought the school's garbage collection isn't on the north side, why come here?"
"Because... he said if I came here to apologize, I wouldn't need to pay compensation."
Well! Case solved.
Ji Mu was speechless.
Call her stupid? At least she knew to stay within range of surveillance cameras.
Call her smart? Yet she foolishly dared to come alone to such a secluded place.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I never said you wouldn't need to pay compensation."
On the other side, the villain cannon fodder red-hair came back online after about half a minute of silence.
He smiled, his eyes revealing a hint of playfulness.
"These sneakers are limited edition foreign goods, original price 100,000. When do you plan to compensate me?"
Anyone could see he was being unreasonable, but there was nothing they could do about it.
Ruan Qingqing's hands clasped tightly together, "That's not... that's not what you said before."
"Oh really? What did I say? Do you have any proof?"
Red-hair asked exaggeratedly, his smirking expression looking extremely punchable.
"Like I said, either pay up, or... be my maid for two days."
After saying this, he deliberately looked the girl up and down.
Especially lingering for several breaths on her ample chest, intentionally licking his lips.
"You!!"
As a lowlife, Red-hair undoubtedly played his part successfully.
This thuggish behavior was truly too much.
Noticing Ruan Qingqing's discomfort at being leered at, Ji Mu stepped in front of the girl.
While blocking that explicit gaze, he walked step by step toward Red-hair.
Seeing this, the shrimp head looked at him provocatively, "What's wrong, Four-eyes, got a problem with my compensation terms?"
Ji Mu couldn't even be bothered to lift his eyelids, raising his size 42 Xtep and stepping directly on the other's expensive sneakers.
"Your foreign goods are out of fashion, domestic brands are the way now."
Red-hair's nasty expression froze for a few seconds.
"How dare you!"
Before he could react, a lackey who had been eager to show off hurriedly came forward barking.
"Who gave you the courage to be so presumptuous?"
The lackey put his hands on his hips, perfectly demonstrating what it means to be a bully's dog.
"Even the school teachers have to be polite to our boss, don't you know our boss runs in the streets?"
Do you understand what a school bully means?
Just asking if you're scared or not.
Ji Mu showed no reaction, giving him a cold glance, "Got it, now go play."
His extremely perfunctory attitude made Red-hair's face as ugly as if he'd eaten ten pounds of shit.
And most crucially...
This guy's foot was still stepping on his shoe.
In all his time running things at school, this was the first time someone dared to be so arrogant to his face.
He truly has a death wish!
Red-hair took a deep breath, a vicious light flashing in his eyes.
"I'll give you three seconds to move your foot and apologize to my shoe!"
Ji Mu raised his eyebrows, not only did his Xtep not move from the Jordan, but he ground it back and forth several times on the shoe's surface.
That classic line ingrained in his bones naturally came out, "This is how my shoe apologizes to your shoe."
Born with pride, don't try to put on airs in front of your boy Mu.
This attitude, even more cocky than the delinquents, made the watching system turn its head in admiration.
Damn! He's really cool!
As for Red-hair standing opposite, he was, unsurprisingly, completely enraged.
"Not all animals can bear the consequences of provoking a lion."
His whole face twisted as he growled through gritted teeth, "Looks like you want to learn a hard lesson!"
With that, he raised his arm ready to strike.
"Boss, wait."
A lackey standing nearby seemed to recognize Ji Mu's identity and hurriedly whispered something in his ear.
During their conversation, they occasionally pointed to the security camera not far ahead.
The furious expression on Red-hair's face gradually faded with these few words, his eyes showing traces of wariness.
"Hmph, Four-eyes, don't think being first in the six-school exam means you can rest easy."
He made a sinister throat-slitting gesture.
"Just pray you don't run into me, because outside school, you're nothing!"
After making his threats, Red-hair, like a movie villain who talks tough but lacks conviction, slunk away with his gang of lackeys.
"Let's go."
The system at his side smiled and waved.