Urban System in America-Chapter 155 - 154: Interrogation

As for helping her? Yeah—no thanks.

Only a fool would willingly insert himself between a girl and her best friends. That was sacred, unpredictable territory. A black hole of emotions and coded language where logic went to die.

Because let’s face it: even if you’re trying to help, you will be misunderstood. At best, you’ll get side-eyed for interfering. At worst? You’ll accidentally offend the best friends.

And best friends?

They were terrifying.

They weren’t just close companions—they were emotionally armed powerhouses capable of either building a love story... or setting it on fire with alarming efficiency. One wrong move, one misunderstood gesture, and suddenly you’re the villain in a drama you didn’t even audition for.

So no, Rex was smart enough to stay out of that minefield. Daisy could fend for herself—and judging by how fast she was running, survival instincts were fully intact.

Besides, he had his own problems.

Because the second he turned around, Rex was met with a wall of suspicious stares, raised brows, and thinly veiled amusement.

Adrian and the rest of the gang stood there, arms crossed, wearing matching expressions that screamed so when were you going to tell us?

Rex sighed internally.

Here we go.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to look casual—like getting out of a car with Daisy and becoming the center of campus gossip hadn’t happened. But judging by the way Adrian’s smirk deepened and two others nudged each other with meaningful glances, there was no escaping the interrogation.

Adrian’s smirk deepened as he crossed his arms, eyes flicking toward Rex like he was watching the latest episode of a juicy reality show. "So, Rex... care to explain this sudden change in ride-share preferences?" He tilted his head. "Didn’t peg you for a morning-person-slash-campus-goddess chauffeur."

Another classmate snorted, elbowing his buddy. "Yeah, what’s the deal? You used to dodge girls like they are radioactive or something."

Another guy scoffed, almost choking on laughter. "Forget that—he’s been ghosting university for days, maybe they are just dating around.

The one beside him grit his teeth, his eyes still flicking between Rex and where Daisy had disappeared down the hallway. "No way. There’s no way. Our beauty-queen actually let him drive her? I don’t believe it. Something’s off. Did we all get transported into an alternate timeline?"

"Sigh! I didn’t expect this from you guys," Rex said, dramatically placing a hand over his heart like a wounded poet. "This world has really gone downhill. How could you all so casually smear the reputation of an innocent, upstanding guy like me?"

He looked at them with a saintly, righteous expression—like a monk betrayed by his own disciples—genuinely concerned for the moral decay of society.

That got a few chuckles, but the teasing was just getting started.

Adrian let out a bark of laughter, shaking his head. "Innocent? You? Please. That word files a restraining order every time it hears your name."

One of the guys circled around him slowly, eyes narrowed in mock scrutiny, like Rex was a rare specimen in a science lab. "So what was it, huh? The late-night talks? The mysterious aura? Or did she finally see past that smug face and spot the sensitive poet hiding underneath?"

Another classmate leaned in with a mischievous glint in his eye. "So, was it the cologne? Did you finally use that mysterious charm we don’t know about? Or did she fall for your tragic backstory and perfectly tousled hair?"

"I vote for the cologne," someone chimed in.

"I’m telling you, it’s definitely the cologne," added another with a wink.

"Now that you mention it..." A third guy stepped closer, dramatically sniffing the air near Rex’s shoulder. "Damn. He really does smell way too good for someone who’s supposedly single."

The group burst into laughter, some doubling over, others just shaking their heads with mock disbelief. Rex looked around at them—smiling, mocking, and thoroughly flabbergasted by the absurd turn of the conversation. "Alright, alright. You caught me. I kidnapped her, bribed her with coffee, and used emotional blackmail. Happy?"

The laughter that followed only made their stares more intense, more expectant. Clearly, jokes wouldn’t save him now.

He lifted both hands in surrender, leaning back slightly as if bracing for impact.

"Alright, let’s calm down, conspiracy theorists," he said, voice dry. "It’s not what you think."

Adrian arched a brow. "Oh? Then what exactly do we think?"

"It was just a coincidence," Rex said, hands now shoved back into his pockets. "I ran into her on the road—literally—and offered her a lift. That’s it. Then a couple things happened on the way—traffic, music, whatever—and we talked. Shocking, I know. Conversation between classmates. Groundbreaking stuff."

The group exchanged glances.

"Uh-huh," one of the guys said, drawing the words out with mock suspicion. "And the stars just happened to align, your car just happened to pull up beside hers, and she just happened to accept your offer out of nowhere?"

Another snorted. "And next you’ll say the emotional background music started playing all on its own too."

Rex sighed, deadpan. "Right, I forgot the part where fate scripted the whole scene."

"I mean..." Adrian drawled, smirking, "She did walk in beside you, hair catching the light like it was filtered through a drama director’s dream. You sure it wasn’t a date disguised as a coincidence?"

Rex just rolled his eyes and shrugged, clearly done trying to defend something that didn’t exist.

"Believe what you want," he said, cool and unbothered. "There’s nothing going on. We’ve been classmates for three years, barely talked, and now we’re on ’hi’ terms. That’s it."

But the way they all kept looking at him—some with teasing smirks, others with visible disbelief or the pained expression of heartbroken fanboys—made it clear: no one believed a word.

One guy muttered under his breath, half-gritting his teeth, "I refuse to believe our goddess would pick him."

Another just leaned closer to whisper, "I don’t care what he says—there’s a plot twist coming."

Rex caught all of it and fought the urge to laugh.

He shook his head, turning to leave. "You people watch too much drama."

"Or maybe we’re just watching the one unfold in real life," Adrian called after him, voice dripping with mischief.

But in between the jokes, a few expressions lingered—subtle but telling. Some guys were genuinely stunned. Daisy was the campus goddess, even though she may seem very approachable due to her kind smile, but she was the kind of girl people noticed—whether they meant to or not.

She didn’t command attention in a loud or flashy way, but there was something about her that turned heads when she walked by. Maybe it was the way she carried herself—confident, composed, always a little distant. She had that quiet, untouchable vibe that made people curious but unsure how to approach. Over the years, she’d become a bit of a campus icon, admired from afar, rarely seen up close.

And she was so high up on the social ladder she might as well be floating. And Rex? Rex was... well, Rex. Too aloof. Too unpredictable. Too untouchable.

No one had ever seen her with him.

And now that they had?

Some looked ready to drop the subject and move on. Others, especially the ones who’d once had hopeless crushes on Daisy, stared at Rex like he’d just pulled Excalibur from a stone.

Rex saw it all—the flickers behind their eyes, the curiosity, the forced laughter, the prolonged stares that lingered too long. Disbelief hovered in every tight-lipped smile. And then there was simmering competitiveness—sharpened, silent, and unmistakably present. A quiet challenge, masked as banter.

(End of Chapter)