So this is what Hua Jian looks like?

The painting soon disappeared from the screen.

Along with Hua Jian.

Bo Lin stared darkly at the screen, which had switched off after being idle too long, but ultimately did not message Hua Jian.

A few days later, just as Hua Jian was getting ready to leave school, he received a call.

It was an unfamiliar number from another province.

"Hello?"

"It's me, Zhao Kai."

Hua Jian slowly raised his eyes. "Zhao."

"I've done what you told me to. It's already been reported on the news. What about what you promised me?"

"Zhao, I saved your life. The day after you left, Jiang Yueming traced it back to you."

Zhao Kai's voice was tense. "Are you going back on your word?"

"Of course not." Hua Jian sighed. "I just didn't expect you to move so quickly. Give me two days, and I'll hand over what you want."

After hanging up, Hua Jian had no choice but to call Xue Pan.

"Buddy, did you find what I asked you to look for?"

Xue Pan was probably in the campus cafeteria; it sounded noisy around him.

"Security at Cui Zhao's place is tight. Getting in to retrieve something will take some work."

"Okay. Which cafeteria are you in? I'll head over now. Let's talk in person."

Hua Jian hung up quickly.

The classmate beside Xue Pan had not heard what he said, but he had seen the name on his phone.

He asked curiously, "That nerd with the black-framed glasses? Since when were you two so close?"

Xue Pan shot him a glare. "His name is Hua Jian!"

Just then, an indignant voice suddenly rose behind them, coincidentally mentioning Hua Jian.

"You have no idea how stuck-up he is. Young Master Feng went to see him himself, and he wouldn't even give him the time of day."

"You mean Hua Jian? No way! He's Young Master Feng's lapdog."

Xue Pan and his classmate immediately stopped eating and pricked up their ears.

"But when Hua Jian turned Young Master Feng down that day, loads of people saw this incredibly handsome man pick him up. He was driving a Rolls, too."

"Tch, a Rolls? Driving a Rolls doesn't mean shit in the Imperial Capital!"

"Do you think Hua Jian hooked himself some rich guy?"

"Tch, isn't that perfect for him? He likes men, so now he's some man's kept boy."

Xue Pan's expression darkened. Just as he was about to stand up, a commotion suddenly broke out by the cafeteria stairs.

"Holy shit, who's that? He's so hot!"

"Where? Let me see!"

"The guy coming over from the entrance. Holy shit, he's got to be six-three, right? That face is god-tier. Fuck, he's so damn hot."

"Those gold-rimmed glasses are seriously sexy. Look at his nose."

"Tch, got a crush already?"

Hua Jian scanned the cafeteria from the entrance before his gaze settled on Xue Pan.

His eyes lit up, a smile spread across his face, and he strode toward Xue Pan.

"Xue Pan!"

Xue Pan looked up at him. "Why are you being so flashy today?"

Hua Jian looked puzzled. "How am I being flashy?"

Xue Pan's gaze shifted, and he pointed at Hua Jian's glasses. "You're not wearing the black-framed pair."

Hua Jian paused. "I won't be wearing them anymore."

The classmate beside Xue Pan looked between them and asked, "Come on, Xue Pan, introduce us. Who is this?"

"Hua Jian." Xue Pan casually gestured at the other boy. "He's in my department. His name's Wang Zhi."

"What? He's Hua Jian? No, wait." Wang Zhi's eyes widened in disbelief. "I've seen Hua Jian. He doesn't look like this."

Hua Jian smiled. "You remembered wrong, buddy. This is what I look like."

Every movement of the extraordinarily handsome man tugged at the hearts of everyone in the cafeteria.

When the group behind them heard Wang Zhi's rather loud voice, their eyes all widened in shock.

"Hua Jian? This is Hua Jian? How could Hua Jian look like this?"

"They must just have the same name. Hua Jian's a creepy freak. Get close enough, and you can smell that sour stink on him."

They spoke without any restraint, and Hua Jian frowned as he looked over.

The speaker seemed to catch himself immediately. Blushing, he apologized, "Sorry, we were talking about someone named Hua Jian in our department. We didn't mean to offend you."

Hua Jian recognized his face and said impatiently, "I am that Hua Jian. Get lost!"

Everyone sucked in a breath.

"He's Hua Jian?"

The boys from the art department went pale. How had Hua Jian become a completely different person?

Before long, photos of Hua Jian in the cafeteria began appearing in numerous group chats.

When Shu Yao saw those photos, he was getting ready for his first class.

"Shu Yao, look, this is Hua Jian. Wasn't he the one Shu Yan and Feng Qian hired people to set up in that honey trap?"

The smile on Shu Yao's face faltered slightly. He said softly, "It was all a misunderstanding."

But the friend beside him seemed not to hear him and marveled, "I never knew Hua Jian was this handsome!"

Shu Yao cast a casual glance at the photo, then froze.

It was him?

Up's star bartender.

The man who called Xie Zhiyan Third Brother.

And the man who had appeared alongside the head of the Bo Family, Bo Lin, and Qin Ci at the Bo Family's birthday banquet a few days earlier.

An almost imperceptible flicker of jealousy crossed his eyes.

His classmates' excited exclamations over Hua Jian's looks grated on his ears.

He abruptly stood up, startling the classmate beside him. "What's wrong?"

"I just remembered I have something to do. I'll head off."

"Hey, Shu Yao..."

Shu Yao walked quickly. It was lunchtime, and the campus was crowded.

He walked from the classroom to the school gates, and almost everyone he passed was discussing Hua Jian.

He could not hide the darkness in his eyes.

That man had left a bad impression on him. Perhaps it was because his looks stood out too much, or perhaps it was because several men beyond Shu Yao's reach were all connected to him.

As he reached the west gate, a dazzling figure immediately filled Shu Yao's vision.

It was Bo Lin!

The Shu Family had not received an invitation to the birthday banquet that day.

Shu Yao had sneaked in by following Tan Xilin's car.

That night, he had learned what true high society looked like.

Politicians who often appeared in the news and tycoons from various industries had shown the utmost deference to Old Master Bo.

That had drawn Shu Yao's gaze to Bo Lin, the imposing, aristocratic man at the helm of the Bo Family.

But he had been too timid that day, and there had been too many people around Bo Lin for him to approach.

Still, if even a bartender like Hua Jian could chat so happily with him, Bo Lin must be approachable.

Without time to think further, he hurried toward Bo Lin.

"President Bo, what a coincidence! I didn't expect to see you here. We met at Old Master Bo's birthday banquet."

The boy's shy yet eager voice interrupted Bo Lin's thoughts.

He turned to look. It was a boy he did not recognize.

"Hello," he said evenly.

Delighted, Shu Yao immediately stepped forward. "Are you here on business at Imperial University, President Bo? I'm a student here. My name is Shu Yao. I can show you inside."

Shu Yao?

The name was all too familiar. It had come up many times in Hua Jian's inner thoughts.

He looked at Shu Yao with an unreadable expression. Shu Yao's heart skipped a beat, then his face flushed as he shyly waited for Bo Lin's answer.

This was the scene Hua Jian saw when he came through the school gates.

Shu Yao was gazing at Bo Lin with affection brimming in his eyes.

One was tall and handsome; the other, delicate and pretty.

[Tsk, tsk. Shu Yao's expanding his business fast. He's even going after the only asexual man in the book.]

Hearing his thoughts, Bo Lin raised his eyes and looked over.

"Hua Jian, get in. We're leaving."

Startled, Shu Yao turned his head in disbelief.