Scheming BOY?

Liu Shang laughed as he clasped Jiang Ruolin's two cute little fists in his hands. "All right, all right, I was joking... just joking..."

"For the appetite and healthy development of all our fellow students, you'd better not eat with me."

"Otherwise, half the people from our major and dorm would come over to tease us. That'd be annoying enough."

Naturally, Liu Shang would have loved nothing more than to eat with Jiang Ruolin.

But he still had many things to do and would probably have to skip classes often and be away from school. Not wanting Jiang Ruolin to worry about him, he could only turn down her suggestion.

Jiang Ruolin, however, abruptly changed the subject. A sly smile flickered in her eyes as she asked, "You don't want me eating with you because you're afraid other pretty girls will see us, aren't you?"

"Girls as gorgeous as Song Sha from our dorm, for example?"

Liu Shang could not help laughing when he heard that.

"Haha, I've already won over the most popular, prettiest, most perfect, and kindest girl in the school. Why would I pay attention to anyone else?"

As he said this, Liu Shang gently drew Jiang Ruolin into his arms. Then his tone suddenly changed, and he stared into her eyes with utter seriousness.

"Ruolin, in my life, no other girl can ever take your place."

"Not in the future. Not ever."

There it was again—that feeling of incomparably pure, intense emotion, tinged with a hint of sorrow.

It moved Jiang Ruolin, but it also made her heart ache for him.

Her eyes slightly moist, Jiang Ruolin leaned forward and tightly wrapped her arms around Liu Shang.

Then she rested her head against his chest and said nothing more.

After a long while, Jiang Ruolin, still in Liu Shang's arms, softly asked, "Liu Shang, I heard you left the Student Union?"

"Did someone, or one of the teachers, say something to you?"

When Jiang Ruolin said this, Liu Shang did not notice the chill and sharpness that flashed through the eyes of the girl who had always been gentle and kind.

At this stage, Jiang Ruolin regarded the love between herself and Liu Shang as her most precious treasure.

She would never allow anyone to come and destroy it!

Liu Shang smiled. "After I parted with you this morning, I went to the Student Union and completed the withdrawal procedures."

"Actually, I found the Student Union pretty boring."

"And you know I've always been a selfish person. My limited time and energy are better spent with you, so I won't be serving the masses."

After hearing Liu Shang's explanation, the exceptionally perceptive Jiang Ruolin was only half convinced, but she immediately changed the subject.

"Liu Shang, I'm going home for the weekend to stay with my parents for two days."

"I'll come back Sunday afternoon to be with you. Be good and stay at school by yourself these two days, okay?"

As she spoke, Jiang Ruolin coquettishly linked her arm through Liu Shang's and gave it a gentle shake.

Liu Shang was amused by her playful manner. He affectionately pinched her little nose and nodded.

Afterward, Liu Shang saw Jiang Ruolin into a taxi, then returned to the dorm alone.

Meanwhile, Song Sha, Dong Hong, Yang Dandan, and the others returned to their own dormitory after parting ways earlier.

As expected, Dong Hong and Yang Dandan had both bought plenty of snacks on the way back.

The sight made Song Sha frown and cry out.

"Hey! You two!"

"Didn't we just finish eating? Why did you buy so many snacks again?"

"Aren't you afraid of gaining weight?"

Yang Dandan sighed when she heard this and sat heavily on her bed.

"Isn't it all because you insisted on choosing Western food and barbecue?"

"Dong Hong and I aren't familiar with Western food, and we can't even use knives and forks properly."

"You all used them so elegantly and refinedly that we could only sit there slowly, watching and worrying!"

Dong Hong immediately chimed in from the side. "Exactly, exactly!"

"Actually, if everyone had been like you and Ruolin, we wouldn't have felt there was anything wrong."

"But Liu Shang gave off way too much pressure. Why did he look as natural eating Western food as we do eating in the cafeteria?"

"That only made Dandan and me even more cautious with our knives and forks!"

Yang Dandan complained tearfully, "Waaah, and the worst part was that Liu Shang's choice of dishes really was a great combination. Just looking at them made you hungry."

"Poor me, I didn't get full at all!!!"

"By the way, Song Sha, what do you think of Liu Shang?"

"I think he's actually pretty good, and Ruolin has great taste."

Hearing Yang Dandan's words, Song Sha gave a meaningful chuckle.

"I admit that judging by Liu Shang's performance today, there isn't much to criticize."

"Whether it was the way he spoke or the composure he displayed, he was fairly impressive."

"Even I was surprised by how he selected dishes at the Western restaurant and how familiar he was with that kind of setting."

"But so what? That doesn't prove anything."

"Maybe he's a little more outstanding than other boys, but because of his upbringing and family background, there's still a massive gap between him and Jiang Ruolin."

"That enormous difference can't be changed by a little bit of excellence."

"So I still hold the same view: Jiang Ruolin choosing a poor boy like Liu Shang is fundamentally a mistake."

"They're not of equal standing!"

At that, Song Sha deliberately paused, then smiled mysteriously at Dong Hong and Yang Dandan.

"Besides, I have an even bolder theory."

"Do you two want to hear it?"

Girls their age were extremely curious and loved gossip.

Seeing Song Sha like this, Dong Hong and Yang Dandan became interested as well. They both moved closer, waiting for her to continue.

Song Sha smiled and said in a mysterious tone, "I learned about Liu Shang's family background through a good friend before."

"His parents are both very ordinary employees, and the benefits at their workplaces are nothing special."

"With their family circumstances, there's no way he could be so relaxed and natural about Western dining environments and etiquette."

"So there's a strong possibility that Liu Shang's parents had high hopes for their son and carefully groomed him all along, hoping he could latch onto a better platform and change his fate."

"Judging from the current result, they succeeded."

"Liu Shang got into this university, gained this platform and opportunity, and then really caught Jiang Ruolin's eye and became her boyfriend."

"If—just if—the two of them really end up together, then with Jiang Ruolin's family background, Liu Shang would have to struggle at least thirty years less than everyone else."

"He could go directly from a poor boy to rising through the ranks and marrying into wealth."

"Of course, the two of them are destined not to last. Most people, including me, don't think highly of their relationship."

After hearing Song Sha's analysis, Dong Hong and Yang Dandan suddenly understood.

"So that's why Liu Shang's behavior today didn't seem anything like that of a freshman student around us."

"Exactly, exactly! After hearing Song Sha put it that way, I suddenly feel like Liu Shang is incredibly calculating!"

"That's really scary!"