Urban System in America
Chapter 163 - 162: Baseless Slander

Chapter 163: Chapter 162: Baseless Slander

"Hey, hey! Not fair—we should chase him too!" someone shouted from the back.

There was a beat of silence... and then chaos.

The idea caught on instantly.

"Yeah!"

"Let’s get him!"

"Why should only they have all the fun?"

Everyone nodded in agreement—especially the girls, who now looked at Rex with the kind of hungry eyes usually reserved for free dessert samples and celebrity sightings.

Rex immediately sensed the danger.

"Guys... c-calm down," he said, backing away slowly with both hands raised in peace. But his pleas only seemed to energize them more. Students were already getting out of their seats, cracking knuckles, rolling up their sleeves with evil grins, while others cracked their knuckles like they were getting ready for a brawl. The atmosphere shifted from playful to downright dangerous in record time.

Seeing the storm brewing, Rex backed toward the wall, raising both hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay! I yield!" he announced dramatically. "Lunch. Today. On me. For the whole class!"

The room froze.

Then—explosion.

Cheers erupted. Desks shook. Someone even high-fived the guy next to them.

Rex forced a smile, swallowing his pride like a bitter pill. "Now can everyone please sit down? And—especially you—stop looking at me like that," he pointed to a particularly intense girl in the front row, "or else... I-I might get shy."

He added the last line with a meek, pitiful expression, clasping his hands like a bashful prince.

There was a pause—and then the room exploded with laughter. The students clapped, whistled, and cheered as if they’d just scored the ultimate victory.

"Free food! Rex is the best!"

"He’s blushing, look!"

"Our humble class grass, sacrificed for our stomachs!"

Rex sighed and muttered under his breath, "At this rate, I’m going to be bankrupt before the semester even starts..."

And just like that, the classroom was filled with noise, joy, and mischief again—exactly the kind of lively chaos he had missed in the system space.

Coming back down to his friends, Rex wrapped his arm around Max’s neck, a familiar buddy—one of the few genuine friendships the previous Rex had managed to maintain. Max didn’t resist, just gave him a tired side-eye that clearly said, here we go again.

With a casual grin, he pulled him in and asked, "Okay, now that mob has calmed down and no one’s trying to murder me—for now ... mind telling me what’s going on? Why was everyone looking at me like I had discovered another continent.

Max gave him a look. "Wait... you seriously don’t know?"

Rex blinked, genuinely puzzled. "Know what? What should I know?" What exactly am I being blamed for this time?

Max leaned in and whispered, "Dude, there’s a rumor flying around that you and Daisy—our class beauty Daisy—are a thing now."

Rex blinked. "Wait, what?! Me and... Daisy?"

"Yeah, bro," another friend chimed in. "Someone saw you two arriving at school together this morning, the entire class thinks you’re already picking wedding dates."

Rex nearly choked on air. "What kind of hyperspeed fan fiction are you all writing in your heads?"

Max threw his hands up dramatically. "Man, how could you?! How could you betray us like this and not even tell your bros?"

"C’mon, man," another friend added dramatically. "Spill the secret. Bro, when did that happen? And how? I’m not aiming for class beauty level. I’d settle for just ’ordinary cute. Teach us your ways, Sensei!"

"Oh, for that," Rex replied smugly, almost instinctively, "Well, what can I say? You gotta be handsome like me—"

The moment the words left his mouth, he felt the atmosphere turn murderous, with everyone glaring at him like they were about to send him straight to the afterlife.

Realizing his mistake (that he had spoken too much truth), he stopped mid sentence, Rex coughed awkwardly. "Wait, wait, that came out wrong! That’s not what I meant! What I meant... uh...when I hook up, I mean if, it’ll be pure and wholesome, sincere relationship based on mutual respect and good character! "

He spoke righteously, with his hand knocking on his chest in indignation. "This rumor? Lies! Baseless slander! Blasphemy! Someone’s clearly trying to tarnish my noble, gentlemanly reputation."

The group exchanged doubtful glances. Max crossed his arms. "Really? That’s all? "So... you’re saying you and Daisy aren’t a thing?"

"Absolutely not!" Rex replied firmly. "Like I said, just gave her a ride. Nothing happened. No sparks, no stolen glances, no violin music in the background."

Max stared at him, momentarily swayed by Rex’s dramatic righteousness.

He seemed to relax a little, nodding. "Alright, alright. Guess that makes sense. Can’t imagine the ice queen warming up to anyone, honestly."

But still he had some doubts, "...Then why were you two together this morning?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Oh, that," Rex said casually. "Just coincidence. I ran into her on the way and offered a ride. That’s it. Coincidence, nothing more."

Max looked at him suspiciously. "You sure?"

"Positive," Rex said with a confident nod.

"...At least not yet," he muttered under his breath, recalling the incident in the car, and quickly turned his face away so no one could read it.

"Alright," Max sighed dramatically, slapping him on the back.

"You’re lucky you bribed us with food. That saved you—for now. But next time, keep us updated before casually walking in with the class queen like it’s no big deal."

"Sure, sure," Rex replied with a chuckle, trying to play it cool. He returned the slap with one of his own—harder, of course.

"Ouch!" Max straightened like he’d been electrocuted. "Dude! I think you just cracked my shoulder blade!"

Rex just chuckled, waved him off, and turned toward his seat.

He knew that the whole farce today was just them playing around, so he didn’t take it too seriously.

But just as he was about to make his way to his seat when a student suddenly darted in front of him.

It was Samuel —a skinny, hyper-energetic, self proclaimed fashion expert.

Rex immediately took a cautious step back and raised his hands in defense and stepped back "What now?" he asked warily. Don’t tell me you’re here to accuse me too. I’m innocent, I swear!"

(End of Chapter)