Chapter 31
Just as Shi Yu had returned to the dormitory, Lin Chuan immediately caught hold of him, gripping his arm tightly. “Bro! You transferred me such a huge amount of money!”
Lin Chuan had stayed up late playing games yesterday, and when he woke up today, he found a huge sum of money had arrived in his account. At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him from staying up late, but after checking several times carefully, he realized it was real — the transfer was from Shi Yu.
“Yeah,” Shi Yu said, “just a little pocket money.”
At that time, Wen Yuwan had refused his stocks and instead tactfully only let him give Lin Chuan a bit of pocket money. That was already a huge favor.
To give up equity was equivalent to giving up a large part of the company’s market value, even the right to speak and potential for growth. Wen Yuwan truly just wanted to help him, whatever the reason, not for any worldly fame or profit.
He felt grateful deep in his heart.
“So generous,” Lin Chuan said, eyes watery, “What’s the difference between this and money falling from the sky?”
Lin Chuan wasn’t short on money, but that didn’t mean he didn’t understand the value and meaning of money. Such a large sum showed how sincere Shi Yu was toward him. Plus, he barely had to do anything—much easier than exhausting himself investing and socializing.
He thought his judgment was really good. Just by looking at Shi Yu’s face, he could tell he was destined for great wealth and success. And now, in such a short time, he had developed so fast!
“Bro, I declare that we’re bonded for life!”
“Focus on getting through this semester’s exams first, survive, then talk,” Shi Yu said.
Lin Chuan: “……”
Junior year’s major courses at Jiang University were no joke. Nearing senior year, all the courses had reached their peak in difficulty—both in workload and complexity—and required serious effort to learn and overcome. If Lin Chuan stayed as lazy as he was now, he would definitely fail miserably at finals.
“I’ll study, I’ll study,” Lin Chuan gritted his teeth, “I’m studying right now.”
His roommate Gao Ming came in without anyone knowing when. Seeing Lin Chuan unusually hugging his laptop and listening to online classes attentively, a hint of surprise showed on his face. Then, seeing that annoying bed curtain had been lowered by someone, his expression darkened.
The recent overwhelming publicity and news, of course, he had noticed it too. Why the hell?!
Why did he come from such a lowly background, yet have such good luck? How did some crappy software he made suddenly become a hit? No idea what kind of damn luck he was riding on.
He also thought of that noble woman getting close to him, a hint of sarcasm showing on his face. Probably climbed up by relying on women, right? Sure enough, a pretty boy—disgusting.
Gao Ming kicked the chair again and slammed the door as he left.
Lin Chuan frowned and curled his lips. “Gao Ming just came back. Seeing you here, his face turned really dark. Bet he dreams of stealing your spotlight.”
Shi Yu didn’t care about his reaction at all. “Let’s wait until he gets his graduate recommendation first.”
“Loser,” Lin Chuan said. “Do you know what he is? He’s the dumb minor antagonist who’s set to oppose the male protagonist in typical male-oriented wish-fulfillment novels.”
—
After Jiang Shangwan returned from a business trip, she thought about Shi Yu and deliberately made a detour to Jiang University. She hadn’t messaged him beforehand—she wanted to surprise him.
It happened to be the exchange life event between Jiang University and Peking University. Many students were being led to tour the school, classrooms, and library, with figures everywhere.
Shi Yu and Lin Chuan were lining up together in the cafeteria when the surrounding noisy chatter was all about the meals they planned to order. Only one voice seemed to be calling someone’s name, getting closer and closer.
“Shi Yu.”
The voice finally came near—a crisp female voice, sweet and soft. Looking toward the voice, a girl wore a simple white long dress, her shawl draped over her shoulders, long hair flowing, and black patent leather shoes on her feet.
Her tone was somewhat surprised, “It’s you, Shi Yu, long time no see.”
Shi Yu and Lin Chuan both turned to look. The person in front of them was Gao Lulu, who had attended Haidi High School with them. By now, she had lifted the thick bangs she once wore as a young student, revealing a smooth forehead. Dressed up, she looked pure and cute.
“Eh?” Lin Chuan hooked his arm around Shi Yu’s shoulder. “As expected of you, who’s this little beauty?”
“Long time no see,” Shi Yu nodded slightly to acknowledge her. “A high school classmate. This is my roommate Lin Chuan.”
“I saw from afar the background looked like you, and sure enough it was,” Gao Lulu’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him eagerly. “I saw you online. Didn’t expect you’d start a business, and such a successful one too. I even told our high school teachers about it—they’re all really happy for you.”
“Thank you,” Shi Yu said, thinking back to his high school days. Although many years had passed, that was his most original starting point. “I haven’t been back to Haishi for a long time. If it’s convenient when you go back, please send my regards to the teachers.”
After so many years, he was no longer the immature high school student who didn’t care about the college entrance exam. The coldness had faded, and he now carried a softness full of human warmth.
People change because of love and because they feel loved.
“Let’s eat first.”
Out of politeness, Shi Yu swiped the meal card for Gao Lulu. The three of them sat down together at a four-person table, and Gao Lulu eagerly shared her experiences at Peking University.
“I’m here this time for an exchange experience. I’ve already discussed with my teachers and plan to stay at this school for graduate studies. But employment prospects for minor languages aren’t optimistic, so I might consider switching majors.”
“Really?” Lin Chuan was curious. “What language are you studying?”
“Japanese.” Gao Lulu fluently and clearly spoke a string of Japanese. Her voice was soft and gentle, like a voice actress in a Japanese anime. Language is truly amazing—when she spoke Chinese, it felt normal, but when she switched to Japanese with its different pronunciation, her voice took on a different charm.
“Wow.”
Lin Chuan was impressed, while Shi Yu felt nothing special.
“Interesting, teach me a couple of phrases. Like, how do you say ‘idiot’?”
Shi Yu immediately slapped him mercilessly.
Gao Lulu awkwardly cleared her throat and whispered, “アホ (Aho).”
Lin Chuan memorized her pronunciation and repeated it several times. “Okay, I got it. When Gao Ming comes back and throws things again, I’ll say ‘Aho, Aho!’“
Childish.
Shi Yu silently stuffed a big mouthful of rice into his mouth, watching Lin Chuan flail his arms around.
Gao Lulu looked at the small part of Shi Yu’s chin visible when he lowered his head, and at his hand holding the chopsticks. The familiar fluttering feeling slowly rose in her heart. He was still so clean and upright, even more attractive than in high school.
Gao Lulu suppressed a blush and carefully picked up a piece of chicken leg meat for Shi Yu, softly saying, “Try this, it’s really delicious.”
Before he could refuse, she had already placed it on his plate. Shi Yu paused silently, not wanting to embarrass her by picking it back up in front of her, so he pretended not to notice and let it quietly sit on his plate without touching it at all.
Jiang Shangwan quietly watched for a while. When she saw the piece of chicken leg being placed onto Shi Yu’s plate, she slightly raised her eyebrows.
As expected, her little puppy was still so charming.
Jiang Shangwan had a class schedule that Shi Yu had specially sent her. She knew he wasn’t in class and was either in the dorm or the cafeteria. It was just mealtime now. She casually entered the cafeteria closest to his dorm and sure enough, spotted his outstanding figure in the crowd.
Just as she was about to greet him, she saw a delicate young girl approaching him and quietly stood in the corner watching.
Only then did she slowly walk over and sit down at the only empty seat, “What are you eating?”
The young girl sat across from Shi Yu, so Jiang Shangwan could only sit opposite Lin Chuan, but she was looking toward Shi Yu.
As soon as Jiang Shangwan’s voice came out, Shi Yu immediately lifted his head from his plate, his expression joyful: “You came?”
Lin Chuan instantly recognized who she was and quickly pinched Shi Yu’s arm, “Oh wow, what a coincidence today.”
“Passing by on a business trip, thought I’d stop by to see you,” Jiang Shangwan said casually, about to ask who the girl in front of him was. A glance sideways made her feel somewhat familiar.
“This is…? Gao Lulu?” Jiang Shangwan hesitated. Not long ago, her assistant had specifically reported Gao Lulu’s recent situation to her, saying she had good grades and secured graduate admission, doing well. She had also seen some of her life photos posted on her social media, so she had a vague impression.
“Ah?” Gao Lulu was surprised, “President Jiang, is that you? I even wrote you a letter some time ago. Didn’t expect to meet you here.”
“What a coincidence,” Jiang Shangwan said, hiding her face behind sunglasses, but her distinct facial features and aura made her unforgettable. Even though she had only met Gao Lulu once in senior year, Gao Lulu still clearly remembered her face, figure, and temperament.
“Are you here to see Shi Yu as well?” Gao Lulu asked.
Shi Yu’s gaze remained almost fixed on Jiang Shangwan, from the moment she sat down, he had no intention of focusing on his meal anymore.
Lin Chuan noticed this and deliberately said, “Yeah, you came all the way to find Shi Yu? You know each other? What’s your relationship?”
Jiang Shangwan paused and looked at Gao Lulu beside her. It was really hard to admit in front of another student she was sponsoring that she had actually hooked up with the student she was supporting.
She said, “One of the students I used to sponsor, I heard he recently started a business and is doing pretty well. How is it going with wanting to come learn from him?”
Shi Yu’s thin lips pressed tightly together, his expression instantly turning cold. The knuckles gripping his chopsticks whitened slightly from the tension.
“Oh,” Lin Chuan dragged the last syllable, “so he’s just a student after all.”
Gao Lulu seemed unaware of the awkward atmosphere and, still in a good mood, picked up another piece of chicken leg meat and put it on Shi Yu’s plate.
“Eat more,” Jiang Shangwan said with a smile to Shi Yu, “You’re too thin, you need to nourish yourself while studying.”
Shi Yu stiffly took a bite of rice but didn’t touch the two pieces of meat at all, expressionless as he said, “Thanks, but I’m allergic to chicken.”
Lin Chuan: “…?” Who is the person that eats spicy KFC chicken burgers almost every week?
“Ah, sorry, I didn’t know,” Gao Lulu said awkwardly, realizing too late that her actions had been a bit impulsive and boundary-crossing. She hadn’t seen him for a long time and got a little too excited.
“No worries, no worries,” Lin Chuan eased the tension, “He’s just that fragile. He’s allergic to a lot of things.”
“His allergies are many, especially to women’s cosmetics, like lipstick and stuff, right, Shi Yu?” Lin Chuan said lazily, “When he went back to the dorm this morning, wow, his lips were all swollen. Must be because he went out last night and secretly put on lipstick trying to look good.”
Shi Yu: “………”
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