Since he had run into his girlfriend at the cafeteria entrance, they naturally had to share a table and eat together.
The purpose, of course, was to show off their affection.
Some said showing off your love meant dying young.
But Xue Tao didn't see it that way. Wasn't finding a girlfriend in college all about enjoying the spotlight and basking in the envious looks of single dogs?
Xue Tao shamelessly sidled up to Liu Yuanyuan and tried to take her hand, only for her to dodge away in disgust.
"Yuanyuan..."
"Don't get handsy. We've only been together for a few days. Do you actually like me, or do you just want to take advantage of me?"
"Of course I like you, Liu Yuanyuan! I even held a grand confession ceremony for you! It was at the Hongyun State Banquet, a Michelin-starred place. The private room alone cost several thousand, and I only got the contract price because I pulled some strings through my uncle. Ordinary people don't even have a way to make a reservation. As a local, I've got a few connections..."
Whenever Xue Tao got the chance, he switched straight into bragging mode.
Chu Mingzhe beside him wore a look of utter disdain.
Liu Yuanyuan kept smiling on the outside while cursing up a storm inside.
Seriously, bro, who asked you?
You're talking about connections just because you booked a Michelin private room? Isn't this the kind of thing you can get just by paying?
She had seen related posts on Xiaohongshu several times and knew perfectly well how it worked, but to satisfy Xue Tao's urge to show off, she still said with a sweet smile:
"Xue Tao, you know so much. I didn't know any of this."
"See? Hahaha, I'll introduce you to even more new knowledge you don't know in the future."
Xue Tao waggled his eyebrows.
Wang Haoran launched Bēng Tiě. Even while lining up to buy food, he didn't forget his account-grinding duties. Truly an immortal of gacha games.
Chen Yusheng kept a blank expression as she secretly messaged Su Bai.
Yu Xie: Your roommate is so annoying.
Crispy Big White Goose: A little, but compared to annoying, I think he's more entertaining. Don't you think a pair like that—uh, nemeses—is pretty rare?
Yu Xie: It really is! [Dong Xuelian_Who Are You Calling Rare]
Yu Xie: Can we ignore them and find somewhere to eat together by ourselves?
Yu Xie retracted a message.
Oh no, I got a little carried away... Chen Yusheng guiltily glanced around, the fair skin around her ears flushing red.
If she ate alone with Su Bai in front of his roommates, all sorts of weird rumors would definitely start spreading.
Though she didn't exactly dislike the idea...
She was still embarrassed, anyway.
So Chen Yusheng could only secretly chat with Su Bai on her phone.
To stop Liu Yuanyuan from fawning over Su Bai again, Xue Tao brought Liu Yuanyuan to sit at the far end of the long table, away from Su Bai.
Wang Haoran was basically an NPC. He casually found a spot, ate, and ground away at his game.
That left the other three: Chu Mingzhe, Su Bai, and Chen Yusheng.
Logically speaking, Chu Mingzhe wanted to sit across from Chen Yusheng, or beside her. But he was too thin-skinned and embarrassed, so he sat diagonally opposite her instead.
That left Su Bai and Chen Yusheng sitting face-to-face.
But since Chen Yusheng was shy, they had to communicate by typing on their phones beneath the table.
Crispy Big White Goose: [Sweating Bean][Sweating Bean]
Crispy Big White Goose: Why does it feel like we're undercover agents making contact? This is so surreal.
Yu Xie: I have social anxiety.
Yu Xie: [Cat Peeking Out]
Crispy Big White Goose: Social anxiety is normal. Geniuses usually have social anxiety. I don't, so I'm bad at studying.
Yu Xie: ..
Yu Xie: You've got the causality backward.
Yu Xie: Besides, we got into the same school. How are you bad at studying?
Crispy Big White Goose: Don't mention it. I got in by some insane stroke of luck. I'm not in the same league as a big shot like you, who was already working on projects in high school. I feel like I'll just coast my way to a degree and graduate, while you have an unlimited future ahead of you.
Yu Xie: Mm.
Yu Xie: It doesn't matter. You're rich, anyway.
Crispy Big White Goose: Who told you that?
Yu Xie: You use such expensive electronics, and you spent over ten thousand on an escort. Are you really going to say you're not rich?
Crispy Big White Goose: That's true.
Yu Xie: Being rich is nice. If you're rich, you don't have to toil away just to make a living.
Crispy Big White Goose: [Big White Goose_Dazed]
Crispy Big White Goose: You seem really short on money.
Crispy Big White Goose: How about this? If you really need to make money, I'll send you more escort orders.
Crispy Big White Goose: League of Legends is fine. Other games are fine too.
Yu Xie: I don't need pity.
Crispy Big White Goose: On the contrary, it's not pity! I genuinely have fun playing with you. I'm paying for emotional value.
Yu Xie: Oh.
Chen Yusheng wore a slightly conflicted expression across the table.
She secretly glanced at Su Bai, then was immediately convinced by his wholesome, sunny big-boy aura.
Yeah, he really doesn't have any improper thoughts about me.
And he really is rich!
A pretty girl like Chen Yusheng had encountered plenty of men who flaunted their wealth in front of her, trying to pick her up.
She could see through them easily.
Her elders at home said she was naive and clueless when it came to dealing with people, but she wasn't stupid at all. She was sharp as hell.
A little logical analysis was all it took for her to see through things.
Someone like Su Bai was the truly rich kind.
He spent freely on his hobbies, yet didn't flaunt his food, clothing, or daily expenses, nor did he show off in front of his classmates.
He was the clear-headed type, someone who had life figured out.
It was a little embarrassing to admit, but Chen Yusheng really needed to earn Su Bai's money!
Even she hadn't realized that a subtle fondness for Su Bai had begun to grow in her heart.
Mostly because she felt especially relaxed when talking to Su Bai. After all, Su Bai already knew her little secret about working as an escort, and their interests overlapped heavily. Talking with him gave her a carefree sense of exhilaration.
Before Su Bai, Chen Yusheng had never made a single true friend.
Never.
As the two of them sat face-to-face, communicating on their phones like undercover agents making contact...
Chu Mingzhe, seated diagonally across from Chen Yusheng, had been lowering his head and fidgeting for ages. He had barely touched the rice topped with sauce in front of him.
Then he suddenly sprang to his feet.
"Chen!"
"?"
Chen Yusheng looked up from her phone in confusion.
"...Never mind."
Chu Mingzhe sat back down.
He was still too much of a coward. He had rehearsed what to say in his head for the entire meal but never dared to open his mouth.
Su Bai watched from the side and wanted to laugh. Seriously, bro, are you wrestling with thin air over there?
Show some of that Hu Ye swagger, brother!
Yu Xie: Su Bai, your roommates are all so strange...
Crispy Big White Goose: They're okay. Only those two are weird. Wang Haoran is pretty normal.
Yu Xie: Who's Wang Haoran?
Crispy Big White Goose: The one playing mobile games.
Yu Xie: Does he really like mobile games?
Crispy Big White Goose: I let him play my account, and in exchange, he grinds for me.
Yu Xie: Oh, your account must have had a lot spent on it, right?
Crispy Big White Goose: I spent over fifty thousand on this banner.
Yu Xie: So you'll spend another fifty thousand on the next one?
Yu Xie: [Shocked Cat]
Yu Xie: I really don't understand you rich people...
Chen Yusheng gave Su Bai a meaningful look.
After working up her courage for a long while, she finally sent a message.
Yu Xie: To be honest, I really do need money recently.
Yu Xie: So please don't hold back. Use me as much as you want!
Yu Xie retracted a message.
Once the other person had already seen a message, retracting it became completely meaningless.
Instead, it only made things more embarrassing.
Chen Yusheng's beautiful black eyes darted everywhere. Her elegant neck, which easily brought a white swan to mind, was now flushed bright red.
Looks like her neck is pretty sensitive. If I kissed her there during, uh, that kind of thing, the effect would definitely be great.
—For some reason, that terrible thought popped into Su Bai's head.
He swallowed, unable to stop his face from heating up a little too.
Oh, terrible thoughts, you're really terrible!
Before you continue