Gou Feng blinked once before giving a polite nod.
Angela's face immediately grew even redder.
Behind her, one of her friends silently clenched both fists in encouragement, while another excitedly covered her mouth, trying not to squeal.
The poor girl looked as though she might faint from embarrassment.
Taking one last deep breath, Angela finally gathered enough courage to ask,
"Then..."
She smiled nervously.
"Would you go to prom with me?"
Silence followed, absolute silence.
Every nearby conversation seemed to fade into the background.
Even Shen Jiu and Huan Zhan exchanged knowing glances.
Neither of them looked surprised.
Instead, both wore expressions of poorly concealed pride, as though they had been expecting this to happen sooner or later.
More importantly, they were already looking forward to teasing their childhood best friend afterward.
Meanwhile, dozens of curious eyes settled on Gou Feng, quietly waiting for his answer.
Gou Feng, on the other hand, looked genuinely caught off guard.
It wasn't because of the invitation itself. Rather, he simply hadn't given the university prom much thought.
Between classes, assignments, and the occasional errands he ran for Hei Bao, the event had barely crossed his mind.
His gaze returned to Angela.
Seeing the nervousness on her face, he could tell how much courage it had taken for her to approach him in front of so many people.
For a brief moment, he carefully weighed his response.
Whatever he said next, he had to choose his words wisely.
He didn't want to embarrass Angela.
Not in front of half the cafeteria.
At the same time, he didn't want to agree to something he wasn't comfortable with simply because everyone was watching.
Caught between the two, he instinctively turned to his childhood friends for help.
Surely, one of them would save him.
His gaze landed on Huan Zhan.
The latter immediately tilted his head up and became intensely fascinated by the signage hanging above the cafeteria's ceiling, as though it contained the secrets of the universe.
"..."
Gou Feng slowly turned to Shen Jiu instead.
Shen Jiu calmly adjusted the strap of his bag before looking out the window, casually whistling as if he were contemplating the meaning of life itself.
"..."
Neither of them acknowledged his desperate look.
Not even for a second.
This… Traitors!
Gou Feng felt the beginning of a headache.
The two of them had abandoned him without the slightest shred of guilt.
So much for brothers who had sworn to stand by each other through thick and thin.
When it truly mattered, they were utterly useless.
Suppressing a sigh, Gou Feng resigned himself to facing the situation alone.
To be frank, it had been a long time since he had received this kind of attention from a girl.
Still, it was obvious what was happening.
Angela was interested in him.
If he accepted her invitation, there was a good chance she would confess her feelings on prom night.
At least, that was usually how these things went.
Honestly, Gou Feng never understood this kind of thing. In his own opinion, he was average.
His appearance had never seemed particularly special to him. Yet ever since he was young, people had always treated him differently.
Perhaps it was because of his white hair. Or maybe it was simply because he was approachable, and easy to talk to.
Whatever the reason, attention seemed to follow him wherever he went. Even when he did not want it.
Back in kindergarten and elementary school, he had already experienced it.
As he grew older, the situation only worsened.
Some people secretly snapped photos of him. Others stalked him relentlessly, forcing Cheung Qi to spend an alarming amount of time tracking those creeps down.
Depending on the severity of their actions, he would either issue a stern warning, or make sure they ended up behind bars.
Because of incidents like those, Gou Feng had transferred schools more than once.
Some cases had been even worse.
That was one of the reasons he avoided joining clubs or participating in extracurricular activities after entering university unless Shen Jiu and Huan Zhan were with him.
He also stayed away from social media entirely, with the sole exception of the private network used by the Lycan community.
While many students were busy building connections and social circles, Gou Feng had volunteered to work at the library counter.
It was quiet and a peaceful place. Most importantly, fewer people approached him there.
Even in the dormitory, he rarely went out unless necessary. If he wanted food, he often ordered takeout.
If he needed something from outside, he usually wore a cap or took less crowded routes around campus.
Unfortunately, none of it worked very well. People still found him somehow, and he became the target of jealous boyfriends or girlfriends because their partners happened to like him.
More than once, he had been dragged into trouble he had nothing to do with. It was utterly quite exhausting.
He had long considered proposing a homeschooling program toward Cheung Qi and Hei Bao.
But in this day and age, he knew better than to place complete trust in outsiders.
With social media and technology advancing at such an alarming pace, a single careless mistake could spread across the internet in an instant.
Besides, he didn't want to leave Shen Jiu and Huan Zhan behind.
They had been by his side for years, and university would likely be the last chance for the three of them to experience a somewhat normal life together before they were fully consumed by their responsibilities within the pact.
So, in the end, he chose to stay. He simply became more cautious, keeping a low profile and avoiding unnecessary attention whenever possible.
However, no matter how carefully you planned, things would not always unfold the way you hoped it would be.
What confused him most though was that many people who claimed to like him barely knew him at all.
Some praised his appearance, others mentioned his personality.
Yet most of them had never even spoken to him for more than a few minutes.
How could someone genuinely like a person they hardly knew?
Wasn't liking someone supposed to involve understanding them?
Knowing their habits, flaws, fears, and dreams? Or perhaps he was the weird one for thinking that way.
Either way, he had never cared enough to find out. Romantic relationships had never been part of his plans.
Ever since Hei Bao had taken him in, Gou Feng had already decided what he wanted to do.
He would study, work hard, repay Hei Bao's kindness, and remain by his side for as long as he was needed.
That was enough. More than enough, at least for him.
The thought of dating someone simply because they found him attractive is almost unsettling for him.
Taking a slow breath, Gou Feng looked at Angela and offered her a polite smile.
It was warm enough to soften the rejection he was about to give.
"I'm sorry..."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Could I give you my answer some other time?"
Angela's hopeful expression faltered for just a moment.
Gou Feng noticed it, but he continued speaking calmly.
"It's not that I don't appreciate your invitation."
He smiled apologetically.
"It's just that I don't usually attend events like prom, and I…"
Angela remained silent, quietly listening.
"My family has already made plans for that day," Gou Feng explained.
"We'll be leaving on a trip, and I informed the principal some time ago that I wouldn't be attending the prom."
For a brief moment, disappointment flashed across Angela's face. It was clear she hadn't expected that answer. Even so, she quickly composed herself.
The very fact that she had found the courage to confess in front of so many people was admirable.
"I see."
She forced a small smile.
"That's okay."
Gou Feng inclined his head apologetically.
"I'm sorry."
"No, it's all right." Angela gently shook her head.
"Thank you... for answering me honestly."
One of her friends immediately stepped forward and slipped an arm around her shoulders.
Another reached over and gently squeezed her hand in silent comfort.
"Come on," one of them said softly.
"Let's go."
Angela nodded before looking back at Gou Feng one last time.
"Have a nice day, Gou Feng."
"You too."
With that, the five young women disappeared into the crowd.
As they left, the curious onlookers gradually lost interest, and the cafeteria slowly returned to its usual lively atmosphere.
Gou Feng quietly released a breath. Problem solved, or so he thought.
The moment Angela was out of earshot, Huan Zhan immediately hurried over, slung an arm around his shoulders, and whispered,
"You rejected her?!"
Gou Feng rolled his eyes and promptly shrugged his arm off.
"What did you expect me to do? Neither of you helped me."
Huan Zhan simply shrugged.
"Sorry about that," Shen Jiu said apologetically.
"Neither of us has any experience with this sort of thing, so we honestly didn't know how to help."
"More importantly..." Huan Zhan interrupted.
"We have a family trip? How come I didn't know about it?"
Gou Feng looked at him before letting out a helpless sigh.
"That was just an excuse."
"What?" Huan Zhan stared at him in genuine disbelief.
"So it wasn't true?"
Shen Jiu rolled his eyes so hard he nearly saw the back of his own head.
"If there were ever a survival game," he muttered,
"I wouldn't want to be on your team. I'd die on the first day."
Huan Zhan scoffed.
"As if I'd want to team up with you either."