TL: Hua
Extra 7: Campus Life 1
In mid-March, the weather in Jing City still carried the chill of early spring.
Ye Rongxu stepped into campus through the thin morning mist. He was wearing a short beige down jacket and loose black down pants, and carrying a drawing board. With a tense, fair jaw, he walked along the tree-lined paths of the campus.
The slightly cold morning breeze blew, and he quickly pulled his neck in, his fair and beautiful face hidden in his collar. A few branches of early cherry blossoms swayed in the wind, their petals falling into his dark hair.
Along the way, students who had woken up early walked in twos and threes, either carrying books or looking down at their phones, heading to classrooms or the cafeteria.
A few students who passed by Ye Rongxu couldn’t help but turn their heads in admiration and whisper.
“That guy is so handsome; no, he’s beautiful. Is he also from our school?”
“You don’t know? He’s a student in our school’s Academy of Fine Arts, the ‘campus beauty.’ He caused a stir on the forum when he first enrolled. Now, I think he’s in his senior year and about to graduate.”
“It’s normal not to know, actually. He seems very low-key, doesn’t talk much, and doesn’t really socialize. He just focuses on his studies. He’s known as a ‘cold beauty,’ and he’s only really close with his roommates.”
“He apparently moved out in his junior year, so you rarely see him on campus…”
“He feels a bit like a beautiful boy from a manga; even the way he walks is cool.”
“The ‘disowning relative, ruthless to anyone’ kind of walk?”
“Haha, don’t talk nonsense, but he’s kind of cute despite his cool image.”
Ye Rongxu didn’t quite catch what they were saying, only vaguely heard laughter. He thought it was because his down pants, which his roommates jokingly called “middle-aged style,” had caught attention again. He was so embarrassed that he quickly walked a few steps faster.
He couldn’t help it. Although his body had mostly recovered, he was still weaker than an average person and sensitive to cold.
In early spring weather like in the north, with temperatures fluctuating from warm to cold and not yet fully rising, he must wear down cotton pants. Although it may be bulky and not very attractive, the advantage lies in keeping the body warm.
In March, the dorms were still heated. Entering the dormitory building, he had just opened the dorm room door when he felt a rush of warmth.
The hot air in the room met the cold on his body, condensing into fine water droplets on his curled eyelashes. When the eyelashes fluttered, there was a sparkling beauty.
The dorm windows were closed, making it a bit stuffy. The other two roommates had already gone out for internships, leaving only one roommate nicknamed Xiao Pang (Xiao Pang) still sleeping.
Ye Rongxu closed the door, gently put down his drawing board and bag, and rubbed his slightly cold fingertips. As soon as he took out his phone, he saw several messages from Qin Chaoyan pop up on the screen.
Clingy Guy: Xuxu, why did you leave?
Clingy Guy: I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have been so unrestrained last night.
Clingy Guy: Please don’t be angry, okay? Next time, I’ll definitely listen to you.
Clingy Guy: Where are you now? Have you had breakfast?
Clingy Guy: Did you go back to the school dorm? I’ll come find you…
Ye Rongxu: “!”
He quickly hugged his phone, leaned against the door, and replied: I’ve had breakfast. Don’t come to the dorm to find me.
Xuxu Rusheng: If you come to find me, I won’t go back this weekend.
After replying, he couldn’t help but rub his sore waist in frustration.
Because he took the college entrance examination as an art student, after the exam, there were no suitable universities in Jiangcheng to apply to. After weighing his options, he ultimately applied to this comprehensive university in the north.
Who knew that in the first year, Qin Chaoyan would open a branch company in Jing City, and in the second year, he would take the school’s in-service postgraduate entrance exam, becoming his senior.
In the third year, he coaxed him to move out and live together, night after night…
Ye Rongxu’s face flushed slightly, and he quickly turned off his phone, letting out a soft breath.
“Hey, Rongxu, you’re back?” Xiao Pang on the opposite bed heard the movement and suddenly poked his head out from the bed, his eyes still heavy with sleep.
“Yeah.” Ye Rongxu nodded, his soft, dark hair framing his face. He turned to look at the other person and asked apologetically, “Did I wake you?”
Xiao Pang met his ink-black, jade-like eyes and exquisite features and inexplicably gasped, fully waking up. He said, “No, but seeing a handsome guy woke me up right away.”
After speaking, he couldn’t help but sigh. Even though they had known each other for almost four years, every time he saw this beautiful roommate who rarely returned to the dorm, his eyes still lit up.
It was truly pleasing to the eye.
As art students, they loved to appreciate this kind of beauty.
Ye Rongxu heard this and helplessly rolled his beautiful eyes. Then, feeling a bit hot, he took off his down jacket. He pulled out a beautifully packaged takeout box from his bag, held it up, and said, “Buns from Longji. Want some?”
Xiao Pang’s eyes lit up, and he quickly scrambled out of bed, grinning, “Yes, yes! Wait a minute, I’ll brush my teeth first.”
Ye Rongxu placed the buns on his desk and took out his phone again.
Qin Chaoyan’s messages quickly came again, with a sad little rabbit emoji. Ye Rongxu suppressed a laugh and typed a reply: President Qin, do your employees know you’re so good at acting cute?
Clingy Guy: No idea; I haven’t been to the company in days. Which company are you referring to?
Ye Rongxu’s mouth twitched slightly. Three years ago, Grandma Qin passed away and completely entrusted Qin Group to Qin Chaoyan. Plus, with Qin Chaoyan’s own Rongchao Group and the shares of Xie Group he inherited from his mother, he really had quite a few companies under his name now.
However, he had never managed Xie Group. He had even tried to sell the shares to Xie Yi several times, but Xie Yi said he couldn’t afford them for the time being and asked him to hold onto them and not to sell them to other shareholders to avoid changes in Xie Group’s senior management.
As for the Qin Group, it was now managed by Lou Xinyu, whom Qin Chaoyan had supported. He himself had long since become a hands-off boss. Only the Rongchao Group, which he founded, was still managed by him.
However, ever since he became a permanent resident of the Jing City branch and also enrolled as an in-service postgraduate, he had recently shown a tendency to become a hands-off boss for that company too.
“Are you really sure you don’t need me to bring you breakfast?” A message quickly came from the contact labeled “Clingy Guy.”
Ye Rongxu quickly replied: No need.
Xiao Pang returned after washing up, opened the packaging box, and said, “I won’t be polite then.”
He picked up a hot bun, took a bite, and the rich, savory soup spilled into his mouth.
“Mmm, mmm, it really lives up to its name,” Xiao Pang said, giving a thumbs-up while eating. Then he pushed the box towards Ye Rongxu and asked, “Aren’t you eating?”
Ye Rongxu shook his head: “No need, I’ve eaten. These are all for you.”
“Oh, okay.” Xiao Pang immediately looked blissful, hugging the box and saying, “It’s so lucky to have a tycoon roommate.”
He chatted while eating the buns: “By the way, why are you back so early? Aren’t you living outside?”
Ye Rongxu’s expression stiffened for a moment, and he spoke vaguely: “It’s not convenient living outside, so I’m back for a few days. Besides, I have class this morning.”
Xiao Pang was surprised: “It’s already the second semester of senior year, and you still have classes?”
Most of the students in the same grade had gone out for internships; even Xiao Pang himself was looking for an internship recently.
Ye Rongxu frowned and sighed: “My minor in my second degree is still short some credits, and I took two elective courses this semester.”
Although he applied for an art major in the college entrance examination, this school is a comprehensive university, famous for its Academy of Fine Arts but even more famous for its Finance Department.
After Ye Rongxu entered the school, he minored in finance for his second degree. Mainly, Ye Boxuan felt that since his health had improved, there was no harm in learning more if he had the ability.
When his health was poor, Ye Boxuan didn’t demand much from him, only hoping he’d live a happy life.
As for the group, Ye Boxuan had planned that after he retired, he would hire professional managers to help Ye Rongxu and also have Ji Qingyu’s assistance. He himself would also try to live longer and look after his son more.
But now that Ye Rongxu’s health had improved, Ye Boxuan inevitably developed higher expectations. He thought that even if Ye Rongxu became a hands-off boss, he shouldn’t be completely ignorant; otherwise, what if he got cheated?
Although he had Qin Chaoyan and Ji Qingyu by his side, no matter how capable others were, they weren’t as capable as oneself.
So, when Ye Rongxu first entered university, Ye Boxuan suggested he minor in finance.
However, studying two majors was indeed tiring. It was already senior year, and Ye Rongxu still hadn’t accumulated enough credits for his second major. While others went for internships or vacation, he still had to slog through classes.
“So you don’t have time to intern? What about the tripartite agreement?” Xiao Pang asked, surprised.
“Tripartite agreement?” Ye Rongxu paused, then said, “That should be easy to handle, right?”
He could just get a stamp from his family’s company or Qin Chaoyan’s company.
Xiao Pang, belatedly realizing, said enviously, “I almost forgot, your family owns a company, so you don’t have to worry about this. Sigh.”
Seeing this, Ye Rongxu asked curiously, “You haven’t found an internship yet?”
“Not yet,” Xiao Pang sighed. “It’s my fault too; I aimed too high and wanted to go to a big company. I’ve dragged it out this long.”
Ye Rongxu remembered that Xiao Pang was very good at original painting and couldn’t help but comfort him, “Your skill level is good; you’ll definitely get into the company you want.”
“Thanks.” Xiao Pang quickly finished his buns, stood up, and said, “So, when’s your class? I’ll go with you.”
“No need,” Ye Rongxu refused.
Xiao Pang insisted, “Don’t be like that! I’ll help you save a seat, and also, I want to draw a good piece to submit to a big company recently. I urgently need you, my muse, to give me inspiration.”
When Ye Rongxu first entered the dorm, Xiao Pang was holding his tablet, drawing a character design order he received online from a patron, and was suffering from a creative block.
Coincidentally, Ye Rongxu, wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt, pushed his suitcase into the dorm, looking indifferent. In the hot summer, there wasn’t a trace of sweat on his fair, beautiful face, like a beauty who had just walked out of a world of ice and snow.
Xiao Pang’s inspiration immediately exploded. He finished the drawing requested by the patron in less than half a day, earning much praise from the patron. From then on, he also called Ye Rongxu his “inspiration muse.”
Ye Rongxu was helpless: “Then let’s go together.”
Xiao Pang quickly said, “Okay,” scrambled up, and went to get dressed.
The two went downstairs together. When they arrived at the large lecture hall, the classroom was almost full.
Xiao Pang clicked his tongue: “What kind of class did you choose? Why are there so many people?”
Ye Rongxu was also surprised; there usually weren’t this many people in class.
As he wondered, Xiao Pang had already pulled him to find a seat.
Ye Rongxu sat down with him. There was still some time before class. He took out his phone and opened Weibo, just in time to see a trending topic related to Rongchao Group.
He hesitated for a moment, then clicked on it—it was a trending topic about a game developed by the group’s game department.
As an old fan of ACG (animation, comics, games), Ye Rongxu naturally knew this game. In fact, because it was developed by Qin Chaoyan’s company, he had even drawn fan art for several characters in the game, becoming a somewhat well-known “content creator” in the community.
This trending topic was about an official fan art contest. Ye Rongxu’s drawing happened to be among the shortlisted works, and many fans were tagging him in the comments.
Xiao Pang accidentally glanced at his phone and asked in surprise, “Oh, you know this game too?”
Ye Rongxu inexplicably panicked, quickly turned off his phone, and said, “Not really.”
“Oh,” Xiao Pang didn’t think much of it, then continued, “The company I want to apply to is this one. They’re part of Rongchao Group and have very high requirements. But the game recently had an original character design contest. If the character design can stand out in the submissions, maybe I can get into the company. I’ve been struggling with design inspiration recently.”
Ye Rongxu had heard about this, but it was different from the fan art contest he submitted to. He could only awkwardly comfort him. “Good luck.”
Just as they were speaking, the class bell suddenly rang, and then a cold, handsome figure walked into the classroom.
The person was tall with long legs, wearing a slim-fit black trench coat, and had a tall, straight posture as he stopped in front of the podium.
The large classroom fell silent, and scattered gasps could be heard.
Ye Rongxu looked up with the sound, and when he saw the cold and handsome face on the podium, he couldn’t help but be stunned; then his mouth twitched slightly, because the person on the podium was… damn familiar.
That face, that deeply sculpted, clear, and handsome face that made it impossible to look away, was clearly the face of the guy he saw as soon as he opened his eyes that morning.
Xiao Pang next to him was clearly also a little excited, tugging at Ye Rongxu’s sleeve and saying, “Hiss, the teacher for your class is so young? And a huge hottie.”
Ye Rongxu: “…”
“But why do I feel like he looks a little familiar?” Xiao Pang said again.
Ye Rongxu: “!”
“It’s just a feeling,” he quickly interjected.
Qin Chaoyan has been very low-key in recent years, hardly appearing in the media except for the news about him serving as the president of Zhaoyu Group in his early years. However, as old news from several years ago, those photos were now in the obscure corners of the internet.
Later, Rongchao Group underwent a major overhaul and had almost no connection with Zhaoyu Group. Qin Chaoyan also never accepted media interviews, so very few outsiders knew what the CEO of Rongchao looked like. Xiao Pang, wanting to apply to Rongchao Group, had specifically researched it and seen early news reports, so he had a slight impression. But being led astray by Ye Rongxu, he didn’t recall it at that moment.
Qin Chaoyan stood steady on the podium, his gaze sweeping over the students below. He quickly spotted Ye Rongxu, and a faint hint of a smile seemed to appear in his eyes, but it vanished so quickly it might have been a trick of the light.
His expression remained cool as he inserted a USB drive into the computer. His voice, like the clash of gold and jade, resonated through the classroom: “Professor Li has something to attend to. I’m his postgraduate student, my surname is Qin, and I’ll be teaching this session for him.”
As he spoke, he took out the attendance roster and said flatly, “I’ll begin calling attendance now.”
Ye Rongxu: “…” He certainly seemed to be playing the part well.
And he wondered if it was just his imagination, but when his name was called, the other party’s tone seemed to pause intentionally.
If you like what I’m doing, consider supporting me on ko-fi for bonus chapters!!
