The Cutting Edge

After busying himself for a while and finally forming a rough idea in his mind, Liu Shang suddenly noticed Jiang Ruolin beside him watching him with curiosity and a smile.

"Liu Shang, I never expected you to be so good with computers and English!"

"And I've never even seen some of the international websites you logged into just now."

"A lot of those English petroleum engineering terms were things I'd barely even heard of, like Fracture network fracturing, Slick water, Coiled tubing..."

What Liu Shang possessed was the world's most cutting-edge petroleum technology from more than a decade in the future. Looking at the present, many of those technologies were still in the theoretical exploration stage, so it was perfectly normal for Jiang Ruolin not to have heard of them.

"Haha, let me tell you, never underestimate boys who've made it through puberty."

"You simply can't imagine how many internet technology subjects they researched, how many walls they ran into, and what bitter technical journeys they endured in order to uncover certain ultimate secrets of life. That was how they reached such a level of internet expertise and English proficiency."

At Liu Shang's mischievous laugh, Jiang Ruolin lightly punched him. "Pervert! Are you finally starting to show your true colors?"

Seeing that Liu Shang seemingly did not want to directly answer her question, Jiang Ruolin did not press him any further.

Still, she was quite happy inside.

The more outstanding the boyfriend she had personally chosen by following her heart was, the better her judgment proved to be, didn't it?

However, Jiang Ruolin still had all sorts of slight worries in her heart at that moment.

"Liu Shang, some people around me in the future, classmates or friends, might cause you some trouble."

"When that happens, don't blame them. Leave it to me to handle, okay?"

Liu Shang quietly looked at her, then shook his head with immense confidence. "Don't worry. They won't."

"As long as I can be with you, even if the whole world turns against me, I'll defeat them all."

About forty or fifty minutes later, when Liu Shang and Jiang Ruolin walked out of the private room with smiles on their faces, the internet café immediately fell into another uproar.

Some people hurriedly shifted their gazes away, while others who had just heard the commotion immediately turned to look.

In any case, whenever a pretty girl entered one of those cramped private rooms alone with her boyfriend, it was bound to stir up everyone's gossiping curiosity.

Under such an atmosphere, Jiang Ruolin still felt slightly uncomfortable.

As for Liu Shang, because of his completely different mindset, he did not feel especially smug.

Escorted by countless gazes along the way, the two finally arrived at their destination: beneath Jiang Ruolin's dormitory building.

"Then I'll head back first. We can text and talk later."

As she spoke, Jiang Ruolin prepared to return to her dormitory and face an interrogation and shockwave no less intense than a raging storm.

But Liu Shang showed no intention of turning around to say goodbye. Instead, he remained where he was, a faint smile in his eyes.

"What, you're just leaving like that? No sign of affection?"

Facing Liu Shang's sly gaze, Jiang Ruolin immediately shot him an incredibly resentful look.

At the same time, she protested indignantly in her heart: When did this guy become so bold and shameless?

Wasn't the commotion he caused today already enough?

Just then, Liu Shang opened his arms and gave her an even clearer hint.

That action also drew instinctive cries of surprise from quite a few people watching nearby.

What a joke. That was Jiang Ruolin, one of the most popular freshmen. How could she possibly throw herself into someone's arms and act like a delicate little bird in public on campus?

And who was this kid? Was he some kind of idiot? Had he gone crazy?!

Yet, to everyone's surprise, beneath all those watching eyes, Jiang Ruolin—whose face had already turned red—obediently stepped forward and hurriedly gave Liu Shang a little "friendly" hug.

"Big pervert! Remember to text me when you get back."

After saying that, Jiang Ruolin hurried away. Liu Shang, meanwhile, left with a smile, calm and composed as he headed back to his own dormitory.

He left behind only stunned, dumbfounded people scattered everywhere, as though they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

As for Jiang Ruolin, the moment she returned to her dormitory, her roommates immediately surrounded her.

"No way, Ruolin. You actually chose to be with Liu Shang?"

"I heard that guy's conditions are pretty average in every respect. How could he possibly be worthy of you?"

"Hey, Ruolin, don't even think about denying it. We saw that scene downstairs between you two perfectly clearly!"

"This is too unbelievable! In TV dramas, rich girls and poor boys never get a perfect ending!"

"Exactly, Ruolin. Aren't you being too impulsive? With your qualifications, you could totally find a better boyfriend..."

Amid their overlapping chatter, Jiang Ruolin hesitated for a moment before deciding to surrender.

"Fine, I'll confess. I really did choose Liu Shang as my boyfriend."

"But you guys have to keep this a secret, okay?"

Jiang Ruolin did not particularly care about the opposition and doubts of those around her over choosing Liu Shang as her boyfriend.

Ever since she was young, under her father's guidance, Jiang Ruolin had always been independent, possessed strong opinions, and had an excellent ability to judge people and situations.

What worried her more was that certain influential people in their circle might go looking for trouble with Liu Shang.

At the same time, in an upscale bar outside the university, a group of young people dressed in high-end brands and carrying themselves with considerable presence were arguing about something.

"Gao Tianyu, Zhu Bin! Cut the fucking bullshit!"

"You two know exactly what kind of person Jiang Ruolin is! How could she possibly hug a guy at the entrance to campus?"

"And she even went into a VIP private room at an internet café with him?!!!"

The speaker was named Tan Feng. His father was a relatively high-ranking city official, and his family was extremely prominent.

Within their little circle, Tan Feng had always occupied the central position.

It was no secret within the circle that he had always liked and pursued Jiang Ruolin.

If it had not been for Jiang Ruolin, he would never have followed her to Fengcheng Oil University. He would have gone elsewhere long ago to enjoy himself and live his carefree life.