TL: Hua
Chapter 17: Meal Card
Xie Yu slept straight through until class ended.
University classrooms possessed a hypnotic magic, and with the autumn sun just right, he woke up feeling even more rested than he would in a hotel.
His neck hurt a little, though.
The bell for dismissal had just rung, and the class was over. Yet, Shen Ci was still surrounded by a group of people, all holding their exercise books, waiting for him to explain problems.
Shen Ci explained each one, his ballpoint pen leaving a beautiful script on the paper. Xie Yu rested his chin in his hand, watching him from the side, waiting for him to finish.
University students before finals always had countless questions. This dragged on for twenty minutes. Shen Ci’s pen-holding hand paused slightly, and he glanced at Xie Yu with a hint of unease, worried that he was getting impatient.
Given Young Master Xie’s temperament, only others waited for him; he never waited for others.
Xie Yu was completely unbothered. He was letting his mind wander, stuffing remote controls and similar items into his bag, quietly waiting for the final scene.
He had to forcibly drag Shen Ci out of the classroom in front of everyone.
Shen Ci was quite a prominent figure at A University in the original novel. Many people had a good impression of this aloof senior. Although he came from a poor background, working part-time to support himself while taking care of his grandmother, his grades never slipped. He earned scholarships every year, and junior students always spoke of him with admiration.
And the original owner’s goal was to destroy that admiration.
Young Master Xie himself was unlearned and unskilled, indulging in gluttony, gambling, and debauchery. He disliked good students, especially those like Shen Ci who carried themselves with self-righteous pride. When he saw Shen Ci surrounded and respected, his teeth ached with jealousy. Without waiting for the Q&A to finish, he roughly dragged Shen Ci away, his actions crude and domineering. The original text described how Shen Ci, who was still wearing something at the time, was almost pulled to his knees on the spot.
At that time, there were already many rumors circulating about Shen Ci in the school; discussions about him clinging to powerful figures and working as a male escort were rampant. The original owner’s forceful pull directly confirmed these rumors. Shen Ci’s reputation was ruined, and even his mentor heard about it.
Shen Ci’s mentor was an old-fashioned scholar who valued reputation above all else. Later, many major projects subtly avoided Shen Ci, turning him from a core member of the lab into a dispensable outsider.
As time ticked by, the crowd asking questions gradually thinned. The system popped up, nudging Xie Yu: “Aren’t you going to make your move?”
Xie Yu calmly observed, “No rush, wait a little longer.”
“In front of everyone”—it didn’t specify how many people “everyone” was. Ten people was “everyone,” and twenty people was “everyone.” So, were two or three people not “everyone”?
Xie Yu kept his attention on the podium and didn’t notice that someone in the front row had been observing him.
Han Yunyun buried her face behind her textbook, revealing only a pair of clear black-and-white eyes, secretly observing Xie Yu.
She was also a teaching assistant, responsible for grading assignments, and was there to help Shen Ci. From the moment Xie Yu stepped into the classroom, she noticed him: this tall, handsome guy with a good-looking face and long legs who drove a Bentley to school—it was hard not to notice him.
Of course, what caught Han Yunyun’s attention even more was the scarf around Xie Yu’s neck.
The scarf was made of excellent material, with fine fleece, and was from a niche luxury brand, not cheap. From Han Yunyun’s understanding, Senior Brother Shen couldn’t afford such a scarf, but now he and the handsome guy in the back row were wearing matching ones. That could only mean the handsome guy in the back row bought it.
Hidden behind her textbook, Han Yunyun’s phone was almost smoking.
“Li Yue, Li Yue! Do you remember that handsome guy in the Bentley? The one who wiped Senior Brother Shen’s hair! He’s at school today!”
“Damn, I thought he was so handsome at a fleeting glance, but he’s even more handsome in person!”
“He’s even wearing a couple’s scarf with Senior Brother Shen! And! And! He listened to Senior Brother Shen teach an entire class!!!”
“Pharmacokinetics! Such a boring class! A class I can’t even listen to! He! Listened! To! The! Whole! Thing!”
This class was notoriously boring. Even students from A University itself didn’t want to listen, and the truancy rate was persistently high, once setting a record of four hundred students enrolled but fewer than one hundred attending roll call. If it weren’t for the approaching finals, the classroom would have been completely empty.
Han Yunyun: “Everyone on the forum was talking about being kept and contract lovers, but I think it was impossible.”
Given Senior Brother Shen’s personality, how could he be kept by someone?
Although she didn’t know what a real contract agreement looked like, she had at least seen a pig run, even if she hadn’t eaten pork. There were so many contractual relationships in TV shows and movies. Which wealthy family wasn’t secretive, wishing they could be like ancient emperors, wrapping their playthings in a blanket and lifting them onto the bed? How could someone openly parade around with a couple’s scarf and waste half a day deliberately coming to a classroom to listen to a lecture?
She made a definitive judgment: “It’s definitely true love!”
At this point, most of the questions had been asked, and only a few people remained at the podium. Shen Ci was wiping the blackboard and gathering chalk. Han Yunyun’s gaze flickered over Xie Yu, seeing him resting his chin in his hand, daydreaming, and not paying attention. She took a step forward, leaned close to Shen Ci, and whispered, “Senior Brother, is that particularly handsome guy in the back row waiting for you?”
Shen Ci’s hand, holding the chalk, paused slightly: “Why do you ask?”
He didn’t deny it, which meant he tacitly admitted it.
Han Yunyun’s gossip-loving heart burned fiercely. She leaned even closer, shielding her face with her textbook to avoid Xie Yu’s sight, and whispered, “Senior Brother, look, aren’t your and his scarves the same style? What a coincidence that you both bought the same one…”
Before she finished speaking, Xie Yu’s gaze slowly turned her way.
System: “Quick, quick, host, there are only a few people left.”
Xie Yu’s gaze fell on Han Yunyun, and his brow couldn’t help but twitch.
Undeniably, a feeling of displeasure rose within him. This emotion came without reason. Prompted by the system, he suddenly stood up.
After all, a contract agreement was not something presentable. At the podium, facing his junior’s slightly curious inquiry, Shen Ci subtly lowered his gaze, avoiding eye contact, and merely masked it by saying, “Is that so? Perhaps it’s just a coincidence…”
The word “coincidence” was still on his lips when a sudden strong pull came from his wrist.
Xie Yu’s slightly displeased expression appeared in his line of sight. His hair was messy from sleep, and his expression was sullen, like a lion woken from its slumber. He grabbed Shen Ci and dragged him away forcibly.
Shen Ci had no time to react. His legs were already moving with Xie Yu. He stumbled two steps, hurrying to keep up with Xie Yu, his expression one of helpless bewilderment.
“Wow.” The system applauded. “Well acted, host. All the key points from the original text are there. I can give this scene full marks.”
Look at that sullen expression, those slightly rough movements, that arrogant rich second-generation behavior, and Shen Ci’s stumbling steps, his helpless expression…
The system evaluated, “Perfect!”
Han Yunyun was dumbfounded.
She watched her senior brother being dragged away by the handsome stranger, and after her bewilderment, she couldn’t help but click her tongue and disdainfully say, “Tugging and pulling, utterly improper.”
And in the classroom! In front of a junior! No restraint at all!
Truly, the world’s morals are declining, and people’s hearts are no longer what they used to be!
On this side, Shen Ci was yanked by Xie Yu and dragged all the way out of the teaching building. After a brief thought, he realized what had happened. There had actually been some distance between him and Han Yunyun, but from Xie Yu’s angle, part of his vision was blocked by the textbook, making it unclear exactly what had transpired.
“Xie Yu…” Shen Ci used his free hand to tug Xie Yu’s sleeve, “I’m not…”
He looked at Young Master Xie’s handsome profile, with mottled tree shadows falling on the bridge of his nose, creating flickering patches of light. Shen Ci rarely felt an emotion called panic.
Whether according to the terms of the contract or from any other perspective, it was his mistake.
Xie Yu, of course, knew he wasn’t. Han Yunyun was a relatively important female supporting character in the novel. When Shen Ci was hospitalized by the original owner, Han Yunyun paid a lot of his medical bills. And the text clearly stated that she liked bright, cheerful, big boys, which was completely opposite to Shen Ci’s style and utterly unrelated.
“I know,” Xie Yu stopped and looked at Shen Ci unhappily, “but you dragged on for too long, and I’m hungry.”
It had been over forty minutes since class ended, enough time for another class.
His tone was clearly one of dissatisfaction.
If it were before, Shen Ci might have tensed up, waiting for Young Master Xie’s upcoming reprimands. But now, he merely paused, pulled out a campus card from his trench coat pocket, and said with a hint of helplessness, “I, I’ll treat you to a meal?”
Xie Yu put his hands in his pockets: “Alright.”
He hadn’t studied much in high school, and his university experience was average. The entire campus had only one cafeteria, with passable food. He was still a little curious about the cafeteria of a top university like A University.
A University was Jiangcheng’s highest institution of learning, and its cafeterias enjoyed a good reputation among all universities in Jiangcheng. There were a total of four cafeterias on campus, and one was right next to the main academic building: a three-story building, covered in fair-faced concrete and patterned bricks, with glass curtain walls, bright and spacious, serving students after class.
This cafeteria had good food, but it was expensive. Even fried rice cost around twenty yuan, so Shen Ci didn’t come here often.
He led Xie Yu inside, scanning all the counters, feeling a bit awkward: “What do you want to eat?”
It was already past mealtime, and only a few scattered people remained in the cafeteria. Many counters were closed. Xie Yu scanned around: “Grilled fish.”
There was a grilled fish counter in the center of the cafeteria.
Shen Ci’s gaze swept over the menu, estimating the approximate price, and nodded: “Okay.”
He treated Xie Yu to a meal, and Xie Yu ordered. He stood in front of the counter and chose a meal for two. Shen Ci calculated the balance on his card, slightly relieved, and handed him the card: “Swipe it.”
Xie Yu: “Is this enough for the two of us? Is there anything else you want to eat?”
Shen Ci naturally shook his head.
Xie Yu estimated their appetites and still said, “Let’s add some macaroni.”
Shen Ci’s face turned pale: “Wait…”
The next second, the card touched the machine, and a harsh prompt sounded: “Sorry, insufficient card balance. Please recharge in time.”
Shen Ci gripped the corner of his clothes, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
He and Xie Yu were originally from two different worlds. Young Master Xie never ate in the cafeteria. It was rare for him to come even once, but Shen Ci couldn’t even afford the meal.
The cafeteria aunt pushed the card back: “Not enough money. Go recharge and then come back to buy.”
In her eyes, it was simply that Shen Ci had forgotten to top up his card. Only Shen Ci himself knew that the balance on his meal card was never enough for that counter’s set meal plus macaroni.
Shen Ci took the card and turned around: “Sorry, I’ll go recharge first…”
But he couldn’t move.
Xie Yu pressed his shoulder, easily pulling the card from his hand. He looked at Shen Ci: “Where are you going? I’ll do it.”
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Hmm, cute lol.