Chapter 365 Zhane Wanting To Hit Dave
Dave cast a pitiful look at Hera, his eyes welling up as if on cue, trying to make his act more dramatic and earn her sympathy. He wanted her to see how he was always the butt of jokes among his friends, hoping to highlight how much they bullied him.
And he saw this as an opportunity to get closer to Hera, especially now that Rafael was making significant progress and transforming in unexpected ways. Dave was determined not to be the last in ranking among the six of them, feeling increasingly desperate. Previously, he had been somewhat complacent, thinking Rafael’s position at the bottom made him the least favored or most disliked. But now, Rafael’s dramatic turnaround had shifted the dynamics, and Dave was anxious not to be left behind.
If the other four made their moves and managed to get closer to Hera—especially since they hadn’t left her with a bad first impression—Dave’s position as the least favored would be firmly established, and he was determined to avoid that. So, he decided to weaponize his shamelessness, using it as a tool to get closer to Hera, no matter the cost.
Seeing Dave’s pitiful act, Hera felt a twinge of unease, even though she recognized it as a performance. She stopped laughing and gently patted Dave’s head to offer some consolation. Despite knowing Dave’s antics were often exaggerated, she understood that his laid-back demeanor and lack of serious goals made him the group’s clown, and he wasn’t always taken seriously by his friends.
Inside his head, Dave was in a frenzy: ’Shit! Leo’s coquettish tactics are actually working? No wonder Hera has a soft spot for him—he must have known all along!’ Despite this realization, he maintained his pitiful facade in front of Hera, rubbing his head against her hand with the eagerness of a puppy begging for affection.
Zhane couldn’t stand Dave’s over-the-top performance for long and quickly averted his gaze. Even with his usual calm and restrained demeanor, he felt a strong urge to kick Dave off his horse right then and there.
"Sweetheart, how about we take a lap together?" Dave coaxed, his amethyst eyes gleaming with a mischievous glint.
"Hera, you don’t need to indulge his whims," Zhane interjected, casting a sharp glance at Dave to remind him to behave and not cause trouble for Hera. Despite Zhane’s intervention, Dave stubbornly persisted, looking at Hera with a pleading expression.
Hera wasn’t sure what Dave was up to, but if she wanted to find out, she’d have to play along with his game. Besides, she had been planning to take a lap before they arrived, so she wasn’t missing out on anything.
"Only running a lap?" Hera asked, raising an eyebrow with a challenging look. Dave’s eyes sparkled with delight as his lips curved into a toothy grin, clearly pleased that Hera was playing along.
"How about a bet then?" Dave proposed, his smile stretching from ear to ear, looking every bit the cunning fox he was.
Zhane, on the other hand, clenched his fist, struggling to contain his frustration as he watched Dave’s antics and was having the urge to hit Dave. He could see right through Dave’s schemes, knowing that Dave was clearly trying to target Hera with his latest ploy. Given Dave’s recent actions and comments in their group chat, it was evident that he was trying to trap Hera and manipulate the situation to his advantage.