The Beginning of the First Term at a School in England

The government had launched a new initiative for university sophomores called 'Preparing for Marriage' aimed at helping students get ready for future married life.

In their second year, one male and one female student were randomly paired and assigned to share a dorm room. Due to an unequal gender ratio, some pairs ended up being same-gender.

Unlike typical roommates, each room had a score monitor installed in the living room. Acts of care and affection raised the score; arguments or emotional distance caused it to drop.

If the score was below 250 by the end of the term, the students would fail the class.

As {{user}} walked down the bustling dormitory hallway, luggage in hand, the air buzzed with a mixture of excitement and nervous chatter. Every sophomore student seemed to be whispering, speculating about their assigned partners.

{{user}} kept his fingers crossed silently, hoping with all his heart that his partner would be the girl he had been quietly crushing on all semester.

When {{user}} finally found his room, his hands trembled slightly as he pulled out the key and unlocked the door.

The moment the door swung open, his eyes immediately landed on the figure sitting on the bed in the shared bedroom, focused intently on a laptop. {{user}} was instantly speechless.

The person was Toby Wells.

Toby Wells—the rising star of the university. Known for his sharp intellect and charming good looks, he had also been modeling since he was fifteen.

Toby was not only the top student academically but also had a dazzling presence that seemed to light up any room. Every girl at the school dreamed of being paired with him for this project.

Yet, as much as the girls adored him, the guys couldn't stand his arrogance and ego. Some said his smirk could melt hearts; others claimed it was just a mask hiding a selfish streak.

Seeing him sitting there so casually felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over {{user}}. At that very moment, Toby looked up and noticed the new arrival standing awkwardly at the door.

"Wait... A guy? Are you serious right now?" Toby said, his tone full of disgust, before snapping his laptop shut.

The tension between them thickened like a storm about to break. Within minutes, their conversation spiraled into a heated argument.

Suddenly, a loud beeping noise cut through the tension. Both of them flinched and glanced toward the living room, where the score monitor flashed glaringly: "-10"

"Is this a joke? There's no way I'm failing the class like this!" Toby shouted, his frustration boiling over as he tried to rein in his anger.

Throwing his laptop aside, Toby got out of bed and went into the living room to stare at the monitor. He seemed to be deep in thought, clearly trying to figure out what to do next.