At first, Yu Huiyin had really thought Su Yi was full of lies, that his claims about coming out of the mountains were just grandstanding to pique her interest.
But as they walked, the questions Su Yi asked were simply too idiotic.
If Su Yi really was trying to hit on her, this performance was costing him far too many points.
Then she thought of the new ID card her grandfather had arranged for him, and she began to half believe him.
When Yu Huiyin and Su Yi reached a phone shop in the university district, she still couldn't help asking, "Do you... want to buy a phone?"
Su Yi had already returned her phone. When Yu Huiyin asked him that, he said forlornly, "I don't have any money. These must be expensive, right?"
Ha! Yu Huiyin laughed. Of course she knew Su Yi had no money. Did he think she would actually make him pay after asking whether he wanted a phone?
"They're not that expensive," Yu Huiyin teased. "At worst, I'll lend you the money, and you can pay me back when you have some."
"All right!" Su Yi said seriously. "Keep track of everything you spend on me today. I'll pay you back when I have money."
"Okay, okay! Hurry up and pick a phone. I've arranged to go to the museum with someone." Yu Huiyin had more or less completed the task her grandfather had entrusted to her today. Su Yi had plenty of questions, but at least he wasn't too annoying yet.
Yu Huiyin was also planning to go take care of her own business.
"Museum?" A string of question marks was practically visible in Su Yi's eyes.
Hiss-
Yu Huiyin couldn't help sucking in a breath. This guy had only just learned what a phone was, so of course he wouldn't know what a museum was.
"A museum is a place where cultural artifacts are displayed," Yu Huiyin explained patiently. "Cultural artifacts are objects and sites left behind by humans through social activities that have historical, artistic, or scientific value... Do you know what antiques are?"
Yu Huiyin noticed that Su Yi was looking at her rather strangely.
"I know what antiques are. You don't need to go to so much trouble explaining."
Yu Huiyin nearly choked. Why did she feel as though Su Yi had just been looking at her like she was mentally deficient?
Oh, please! Who was the one who knew nothing, like some idiot?
Su Yi asked, "I'd like to visit the museum too. I wouldn't be disturbing you, would I?"
"Of course not!" The smile on Yu Huiyin's face couldn't have been more awkward.
She really had cast aside all her dignity today.
After personally picking Su Yi up, she had waited outside the men's dormitory for so long that everyone at school knew about it.
Then she had walked around campus with Su Yi for ages. To everyone else, they must have looked like a young couple taking a stroll.
And now what? She had to take him to the museum too?
If her best friend saw this, she would probably have to spend ages explaining again.
Still, what had happened today would probably spread throughout the school soon anyway.
Misunderstandings were inevitable.
Yu Huiyin couldn't explain it all away, and she couldn't be bothered to try.
After Su Yi and Yu Huiyin entered the phone shop, a sales assistant quickly came over.
With Yu Huiyin's bearing and outfit, even the sales assistant couldn't help giving her a few extra looks.
"Are you two looking to buy a phone or top up your credit?"
"Could you please pick out a phone for him?" Yu Huiyin paused, then said, "Never mind, there's no need to choose. Get him a 256 GB iPhone 11 Pro Max."
The sales assistant immediately perked up upon hearing that. A big spender had come along!
"What color would you like?" The sales assistant's eyes brimmed with excitement. Judging by Yu Huiyin's tone, she definitely wouldn't haggle. Selling it at full price would mean three hundred in commission. That would feel wonderful.
Yu Huiyin turned to ask Su Yi, "What color do you want?"
Su Yi had asked plenty of questions along the way and had roughly learned what money could buy these days. He hesitated, then said, "Wait. How much is that phone you mentioned?"
The sales assistant quickly said, "Handsome, the 256 GB iPhone 11 Pro Max this beauty mentioned is Apple's latest model. If you buy it today, it's only 10,998."
"That expensive?" Without a second thought, Su Yi said, "Pick one under five hundred for me."
"..." The excited smile froze on the sales assistant's face.
Wasn't that a bit too big a drop?
A phone worth over ten thousand had been about to sell, and now this guy was saying he wanted one under five hundred?
Five hundred?!
Could five hundred yuan buy a smartphone these days?
The sales assistant really wanted to ask whether he wanted a senior phone.
Yu Huiyin also stood there awkwardly, staring at Su Yi. "Then consider this phone a gift from me. You won't have to pay me back. Will that do?"
"No!" Su Yi shook his head. "We don't seem to know each other very well. I can't accept a gift like that from you. As I said earlier, whatever you spend today counts as money I'm borrowing from you. I applied for a job yesterday, and the boss said it paid eighteen hundred a month. If I really bought this phone, I'd have to go months without eating or drinking."
Yu Huiyin felt her chest tighten. So you do know we barely know each other?
"Then suit yourself!" Yu Huiyin was thoroughly frustrated too.
The sales assistant could only say, "Handsome, since this beauty has already said the phone is a gift, why not accept it?"
Su Yi shook his head. "Get me one under five hundred."
At that moment, he was like a rigid old man.
"But we don't have any smartphones under five hundred yuan!" Even the sales assistant was getting anxious. What kind of person was this?
A beauty like Yu Huiyin was giving him a phone, and he actually refused to accept it.
He insisted on a phone under five hundred, but where were they supposed to find one?
Wasn't he just making things difficult?
"How much is the cheapest one?" Su Yi wasted no words and went straight for the cheapest option.
The sales assistant's feelings were incredibly complicated now, but there was nothing to do except bite the bullet and ask, "The cheapest is this Redmi 8A for 699. Would you like it?"
"I'll take it."
Plenty of students from the university also witnessed this visit to the phone shop.
After all, a girl like Yu Huiyin was the brightest star wherever she went.
Yu Huiyin had wanted to buy someone the latest iPhone, only for the guy to say he barely knew her and then choose a Redmi costing 699.
That was quite a reversal.
Another key point was that the guy had actually said his monthly salary was eighteen hundred.
A poor loser like that actually dared to stand beside Yu Huiyin, and he even seemed so unyielding about it.
Could the fairy tale of a wealthy young lady falling in love with a poor boy really have come true?
For a while, some of the melon-eating spectators started posting on their Moments, declaring in all sorts of ways that they believed in love again.
In less than ten minutes, this little episode between Su Yi and Yu Huiyin had spread throughout the entire university and even made it onto the university forum.
It was downright terrifying.
And yet, the two people at the center of it all remained completely unaware.