TL: Hua
Extra 10: Campus Life 4
Qin Chaoyan looked puzzled. On WeChat earlier, it was Ye Rongxu who specifically asked him to come to the restaurant to pick him up.
He had thought Ye Rongxu wanted to introduce him to his roommates, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.
He subtly glanced at the people at the table, vaguely guessing something, but not knowing who that person was, he gently held Ye Rongxu’s hand first and said warmly, “It’s close by, so I just came directly.”
Then, he casually asked Ye Rongxu, “Are these all your roommates? Aren’t you going to introduce them?”
Ye Rongxu secretly felt helpless. Although Qin Chaoyan hadn’t interacted with his three roommates before, he had already secretly investigated and understood them quite well. Now, he was asking this just to find out who Lin Chao was.
However, his purpose in asking Qin Chaoyan to come to the restaurant was the same, so he cooperated and introduced everyone.
Qin Chaoyan also greeted each person as Ye Rongxu introduced them, pausing slightly when his gaze fell on Lin Chao before quickly moving on.
The two didn’t stay long, leaving after greetings. As they went downstairs, Ye Rongxu paid the bill.
If the Lin Chao incident hadn’t happened, it would have been fine, but now that it had, he wouldn’t use the other party’s membership card or take advantage of him.
As for his roommates, he would just say he also had a membership card and paid with it. He would let his roommates pay him back the discounted amount, splitting the bill.
The main point was that it had been agreed from the beginning that everyone would split the bill for this gathering.
—
Inside the restaurant, Xiao Pang held his chopsticks, dumbfounded, still in a daze.
He had seen Qin Chaoyan before when he went to class with Ye Rongxu. Now that he realized it, he secretly muttered, “Holy crap.”
So, “Teacher Qin,” who taught that day in the lecture hall, was their fourth roommate’s boyfriend? No wonder the other party specifically asked Ye Rongxu to help carry things after class that day—so there was this connection.
He couldn’t help but cover his face, remembering how he had warned Ye Rongxu on WeChat to be careful of this senior that day.
Although he had heard Ye Rongxu say he had a boyfriend, he had never met him and thought they were in a long-distance relationship. He never expected that the person was a graduate student at their school.
On the other side, Lin Chao also sat stunned in his seat. After a long while, he looked miserable. “He has a boyfriend, huh?”
The other three felt their hearts tighten and quickly nodded, “Yes, he does.”
Especially Tang Ying, knowing he was the one who introduced them, quickly tried to make amends. “His boyfriend is quite handsome; you saw him just now, and they have a very good relationship. They’ve been together since Rongxu first enrolled.”
He then nudged the person next to him, signaling with his eyes, “Right?”
Xiao Pang, who was nudged, quickly nodded and said, “Yes, they’ve been dating for at least four years. His boyfriend is a graduate student at our school.”
Uh, was that okay to say?
Wang Zhuo, as the dorm leader, though not the oldest, was the most mature and stable, and he thought more deeply.
He saw Lin Chao’s little intentions, coupled with the fact that the other party was a wealthy second-generation, and thought of some wealthy people’s ways of pursuing people; he couldn’t help but warn him, “Moreover, Rongxu has good family conditions; his family seems to run a company too.”
Xiao Pang also quickly chimed in, “Yes, yes, his family isn’t just ordinary rich.”
The first time he met Ye Rongxu, when they first enrolled, he saw Ye Rongxu wearing a white T-shirt, pushing a suitcase into the dorm alone. But then, four or five bodyguards followed behind him. If his grandparents, father, and other family members hadn’t been there, he would have thought it was a gangster group.
The two of them said this to tell Lin Chao that Ye Rongxu was also wealthy and had a very good relationship with his boyfriend.
To their surprise, Lin Chao listened and thought to himself: Good family background—isn’t that a good match for me?
But then he thought of the scene where Qin Chaoyan and Ye Rongxu stood together just now, and he felt a little disappointed.
It had to be said, when those two stood together, they truly were a perfect match.
—
After the gathering, Xiao Pang and the other two took a taxi back to school.
As soon as Wang Zhuo got in the car, he seriously asked Tang Ying, “Old Two, what’s the deal with that Lin Chao? He’s a rich second-generation; why is he so good to you for no reason?”
He suddenly suspected that Lin Chao might have known about Ye Rongxu beforehand and specifically approached Tang Ying.
Tang Ying looked bewildered and said, “I don’t know; I’ve never mentioned Rongxu in front of him.”
He thought hard for a moment and then said, “I remember now, he’s a rich second-generation, right? Recently, his boss dad forced him to intern at the company, but he doesn’t like doing that kind of work. I just started interning, and I’m quite diligent, and I happened to be in the same group as him, so I helped him with some tasks. After that, he became nicer to me.”
The “niceness” he referred to was actually helping Tang Ying when he was bullied by older employees, or, like this time, lending Tang Ying his membership card.
Although it wasn’t used in the end.
Wang Zhuo finally relaxed. “It seems he’s just treating you as a subordinate.” That’s acceptable, not for any other reason.
Tang Ying: “…”
“But if he tries to inquire about Rongxu through you in the future, you must stand firm and not betray your brother,” Wang Zhuo warned again.
“Of course not,” Tang Ying guaranteed. “I might not even stay at their company after the internship ends.”
Easier said than done. When he went to work on Monday, Lin Chao indeed cornered him to ask about Ye Rongxu, and he looked miserable.
Fortunately, after vaguely deflecting a few times, Lin Chao stopped asking, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
—
After Ye Rongxu left the restaurant, he kept debating whether to tell Qin Chaoyan about the incident.
If he told him, Qin Chaoyan was so prone to jealousy that he might get jealous and bother him again when they got back. But if he didn’t tell him, Qin Chaoyan was so prone to jealousy that he would be even more jealous if he found out later, wouldn’t he?
Besides, he suspected Qin Chaoyan had probably already guessed.
Indeed, that evening, Qin Chaoyan changed from his usual gentleness. On the luxurious king-sized bed in the bedroom, Ye Rongxu sobbed, clutching the sheets, trying to crawl away, but he was pulled back by his waist and could only cry harder.
He couldn’t go anywhere all weekend, just lazily lying in bed all day.
Qin Chaoyan made amends by taking meticulous care of him. In the evening, holding the pillow that had been thrown into his arms, he stood by the bed, his voice pitiful: “Xuxu, can’t I sleep in the bed tonight?”
“No, I need to rest.” Ye Rongxu rubbed his still-sore waist and threw another pillow at him.
…
On Monday afternoon, Ye Rongxu dressed warmly and went back to school for classes, specifically wearing a camel-colored turtleneck under his down jacket to cover any unwanted marks.
Although he had rested the whole Sunday, he was still a bit tired. After arriving in the classroom, he first napped at his desk until the class bell rang, then groggily sat up.
Opening his somewhat drowsy eyes, he noticed someone had sat next to him at some point.
University classes don’t have fixed seats; anyone can sit wherever they want, so this wasn’t surprising.
Ye Rongxu subconsciously turned to look and then froze—it was Lin Chao.
Lin Chao saw him looking over and immediately showed what he considered a proper smile, greeting him, “Hello, I didn’t expect you to be in this class too.”
Lin Chao actually wasn’t in this class. It was already the second semester of senior year, and all his required courses were finished. He had only found out that Ye Rongxu had chosen this class and, after some hesitation, still came. That day, when he saw Ye Rongxu had a boyfriend, he indeed abandoned the idea for a while, but lying in bed that night, tossing and turning, he recalled the scene of their meeting during the day and still felt a flutter.
So, he changed his mind and thought, It’s just a boyfriend. It’s not guaranteed they’ll stay together after graduation, and even marriages end in divorce. He could totally be friends with the other person first. If they really broke up, wouldn’t he have a chance?
Thinking this, he suddenly felt a surge of excitement and barely slept that night.
Before coming to school today, he specifically dyed his hair back to its natural black and no longer dressed extravagantly. Because he saw Qin Chaoyan dressed very formally that day, he guessed Ye Rongxu probably preferred someone more presentable.
Ye Rongxu only frowned slightly when he saw him. Because he wasn’t sure if the other party had genuinely chosen this class or had come specifically for him, he temporarily said nothing.
It wasn’t until class began and he noticed Lin Chao occasionally looking at him out of the corner of his eye and, during break, trying to strike up conversations with him in various ways that he finally couldn’t help but seriously remind the other party, “I have a boyfriend.”
Although Lin Chao was just striking up a conversation and hadn’t explicitly stated he was pursuing him, the meaning was very clear.
Lin Chao was already mentally prepared and said indifferently, “It’s okay, I just want to be friends with you.”
Ye Rongxu frowned and then said, “I’m already married.”
This time, his tone carried more of a warning.
Lin Chao’s smile froze, and then he thought to himself, this must be a polite refusal.
During the rest of that class, Ye Rongxu changed seats and left directly after class.
He thought the matter would end there, but unexpectedly, in class the next day, he saw Lin Chao again. This time, the other party wasn’t sitting next to him but in a seat not far from him. Seeing him, he even gave him a slight smile.
Ye Rongxu frowned slightly. After class, he didn’t go back to the dorm but went directly to his and Qin Chaoyan’s residence.
Qin Chaoyan returned from the company that evening and was surprised and delighted to see him at home. He gently wrapped his arms around him, resting his chin on Ye Rongxu’s slender shoulder, his voice slightly hoarse: “Why did you suddenly come back?”
Ye Rongxu turned to look at him and said sullenly, “You don’t welcome me?”
“How could that be?” Qin Chaoyan quickly denied it, then turned his face, his gentle gaze carefully scrutinizing him. After a moment, he asked, “Something on your mind?”
Ye Rongxu frowned and shook his head, saying, “Not really, it’s just… that Lin Chao is a bit annoying.”
Qin Chaoyan listened seriously, his eyes visibly darkening by a few shades.
After a moment, he stroked Ye Rongxu’s slightly messy hair, his voice returning to gentle: “It’s okay; you go to class as usual tomorrow.”
Ye Rongxu wasn’t too affected to begin with; he just felt it was necessary to tell Qin Chaoyan, and he was indeed a bit annoyed.
—
The next day, Qin Chaoyan went to school with him.
However, he went to the main teaching building, while Qin Chaoyan went to Professor Li’s office.
Ye Rongxu thought Professor Li had something for Qin Chaoyan, so he didn’t ask much and went straight to the classroom.
However, when the class bell rang and he saw a familiar, handsome figure walk to the podium, he was stunned and suddenly understood something, unable to help but smile.
And in the seat diagonally behind Ye Rongxu, Lin Chao was also momentarily stunned when he saw the person on the podium.
Qin Chaoyan plugged his USB drive into the computer, turned the textbook to the part Professor Li had taught in the last class, and looked up, scanning the students below.
When his gaze fell on Ye Rongxu, it was slightly warm, but then it swept to Lin Chao not far behind him, and that warmth instantly vanished.
Lin Chao inexplicably felt a chill, shrinking his neck, and inwardly groaned.
He had never expected that Ye Rongxu’s boyfriend would be Professor Li’s graduate student, coming directly to teach their class.
He had a premonition that this class would be difficult to endure. Indeed, Qin Chaoyan asked questions frequently throughout the class, and whenever he asked a question, he would call on Lin Chao to answer.
When Lin Chao took this elective course back then, he relied entirely on last-minute cramming and rote memorization to pass. Now, he had long forgotten all the knowledge points; how could he answer?
So, he stood there awkwardly throughout, feeling exceptionally embarrassed.
He felt that Ye Rongxu’s boyfriend was too cunning. Making him look bad in front of everyone, wasn’t that affecting his image?
Originally, he had only intended to be a backup, waiting for them to break up before making his move. Now, provoked by this, his blood rushed, and he thought: As long as the hoe is wielded well, no corner cannot be dug up! I’m really going to dig it.
Besides, he only heard that Ye Rongxu’s family was wealthy, but he hadn’t heard that his boyfriend’s family was also wealthy. Furthermore, the other party was Professor Li’s graduate student, and he heard that Professor Li had a graduate student with not-so-good family conditions who often helped Professor Li with work to earn more money.
Could it be that the graduate student with not-so-good financial conditions was Ye Rongxu’s boyfriend? As for the high-end suit the other party wore to the restaurant that day, perhaps Ye Rongxu had bought it for him.
Thinking this, he suddenly gained some confidence. After class, he directly approached Qin Chaoyan and openly challenged him: “Qin… Senior, although you and Student Ye are currently dating, very few couples who date in college actually stay together after graduation. Also, you’re substituting for Professor Li, so you must be…”
“Hey, Xiao Qin, you’re still here.” Professor Li passed by the classroom, saw Qin Chaoyan standing coldly at the podium, and couldn’t help but greet him, strolling in.
Students had already left in twos and threes, and only Qin Chaoyan and Lin Chao remained in the classroom. Ye Rongxu had gone to the restroom right after class and hadn’t returned yet.
The old professor first spoke to Qin Chaoyan about research topics, then brought up several projects. After finishing all that, he finally noticed Lin Chao standing nearby.
Professor Li had collaborated with Lin Chao’s father’s company and happened to know him. He thought Lin Chao was there to ask Qin Chaoyan questions and couldn’t help but feel pleased: “Oh, Xiao Lin is humble and eager to learn today? You’re really lucky, young man. This is President Qin of Rongchao. Your father tried to collaborate with him before but couldn’t find a way in. If he knew you could get his guidance, he’d probably be so happy.”
Lin Chao was completely stunned, his mind not processing it for a moment due to the shock. When he finally came to his senses and thought about how he had just tried to provoke Qin Chaoyan by saying his family wasn’t well-off and that he wouldn’t last long with Ye Rongxu, his face instantly burned.
Professor Li was completely oblivious. After speaking, he suddenly remembered that Qin Chaoyan had always kept a low-key profile as an in-service graduate student under him, perhaps because he didn’t want too many people to know.
But he had just… The old professor immediately looked embarrassed, coughed, and asked, “Cough, this, can this be said?”
Qin Chaoyan said calmly, “It can.”
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BAHAJAHAHAHAHAHAAA 😂😂😂 definitely got his face slapped 🤭
He hasn’t even finished his taunt and he already lost 😂😂