Chapter 10
Lin Xiu was also startled by Chi Aibei’s sudden outburst. He put his hand on Chi Aibei’s shoulder to make him sit down. “What are you yelling about?”
Chi Aibei, holding his spoon, grinned at Lin Xiu…
Jiang Yu said he wouldn’t eat with the seemingly intellectually challenged student, but he still walked over with his tray. He frowned at Chi Aibei, who smiled cheerfully. “Class monitor, sit.”
Jiang Yu didn’t understand this sudden enthusiasm. He checked his surroundings, confirming there was no danger before sitting down opposite Lin Xiu.
Everyone in the cafeteria was looking at their table. Everyone had heard about the seemingly intellectually challenged student transferring to Class 1. It was already unusual for a seemingly intellectually challenged student to transfer to a top class, and now he was eating with two top students. What a strange combination!
Chi Aibei deliberately wanted to be noticeable.
Jiang Yu cared about face. The more people knew about their good relationship, the less likely he would be to aggressively pursue Lin Xiu even if they fell out later, considering his biggest fear of being called a “white-eyed wolf” later on.
Chi Aibei made small talk. “Class monitor, you’re eating here too.”
Jiang Yu didn’t want to engage with him, but for Lin Xiu’s sake, he grunted.
Jiang Yu asked Lin Xiu, “Why weren’t you in class these past two days?”
Lin Xiu: “Something came up.”
Seeing Lin Xiu’s indifferent tone, even less enthusiastic than the bowl of tomato soup with a few pieces of egg flower in front of him, Chi Aibei felt curious. Was their interaction always like this? No wonder Jiang Yu had no regrets after falling out.
He felt this wasn’t right, and used his knee to nudge Lin Xiu’s leg, wanting him to be more friendly to Jiang Yu.
Lin Xiu’s soup spilled because of the nudge. He glanced at Chi Aibei and saw the seemingly intellectually challenged student winking at him. When Chi Aibei nudged him again, Lin Xiu pressed down on his knee and pushed it away. “Behave yourself, eat your food.”
Chi Aibei scooped up a mouthful of rice and put it in his mouth, chewing while observing the two.
Strange, according to the timeline, they should already be friends. Why did Lin Xiu seem reluctant to interact with Jiang Yu? Had they quarreled?
Jiang Yu was also puzzled. Why was Lin Xiu’s attitude towards him so cold after the break? Was it because he wasn’t friendly to the seemingly intellectually challenged student?
Chi Aibei worriedly thought about how to reconcile them.
Jiang Yu hesitated. Should I try to please this seemingly intellectually challenged student?
Before Chi Aibei could figure out how to reconcile them, the person opposite suddenly placed a chopstick of eggplant on his rice.
Chi Aibei: “???”
Jiang Yu glanced at him—this is the most I can do to show goodwill!
Chi Aibei looked at the slimy eggplant on his rice, his brow furrowed. He looked up, aggrieved, at Jiang Yu. “Class monitor, I won’t sleep in class anymore. I promise to listen carefully and definitely won’t hold you back.”
Jiang Yu: “…” What is he saying?
Chi Aibei looked at the eggplant he hated the most and murmured softly, “You don’t have to eat vegetables you don’t like, don’t throw them at me, don’t bully me.”
Jiang Yu: “…” Who bullied you? That’s my favorite eggplant! I gave it all to you!
Jiang Yu looked at Lin Xiu, trying to explain, “I didn’t.”
Lin Xiu looked at Jiang Yu with a puzzled expression. He knew he didn’t, but why did he give the eggplant to Chi Aibei?
Chi Aibei looked much more aggrieved than Jiang Yu. Lin Xiu switched his food with Chi Aibei’s. “Eat mine.”
This meal was quite awkward, especially for Jiang Yu.
After leaving the cafeteria, Jiang Yu heard that Lin Xiu was sending Chi Aibei back to the dormitory. He couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you taking such good care of him? You brought him to our class, you ate with him, and now you’re sending him back to the dorm.”
Lin Xiu glanced at him. “My family isn’t well-off. His brother is sponsoring my education, on the condition that I take care of him.”
Chi Aibei didn’t expect Lin Xiu to so bluntly reveal that he was being sponsored. He froze. Oh dear, wouldn’t Jiang Yu go crazy after hearing this?
Just as he was thinking about how to salvage the situation, he saw Jiang Yu only pause slightly. “I see, no wonder.”
Lin Xiu: “…”
Chi Aibei: “…”
What does “no wonder” mean?
Both were surprised by Jiang Yu’s reaction. Shouldn’t he have gone crazy, turned around and left, never to speak to them again after hearing that?
Chi Aibei turned to look at Lin Xiu, raising an eyebrow, as if saying: He probably really likes you, right?
Lin Xiu glared at him: Don’t talk nonsense!
Chi Aibei wasn’t talking nonsense. If Jiang Yu wasn’t angry because Lin Xiu accepted sponsorship, then it was because Lin Xiu “sold” himself to He Chenjiang. Wasn’t that jealousy? And wasn’t that liking someone?
Was this the legendary “hate born from love”?
Wow~
He Chenjiang and Qin Wanpeng’s academic performance was mediocre; attending evening self-study was inconsequential to them. They were currently having dinner outside.
After ordering, Qin Wanpeng refreshed his Moments. “Whoa, Lao He, look at this.”
Someone had taken a set of photos in the school cafeteria. The cafeteria was crowded, but the focus of the photo was clear, as the three people sitting at the same table were all prominent figures in the school.
In the photo, Chi Aibei was smiling cheerfully, seemingly saying something. Lin Xiu sitting next to him and Jiang Yu sitting opposite him both stopped eating and looked at him intently.
[The feeling of a family of three, anyone?]
The comments below were lively—
[This killing looks!]
[I didn’t realize before, the seemingly intellectually challenged student is quite handsome.]
[I don’t understand, are these still the two aloof top students?]
[Wasn’t the seemingly intellectually challenged student always with He Chenjiang? When did he start hanging out with the top students?]
Judging from the photo alone, the two top students’ expressions were indeed quite doting, and the seemingly intellectually challenged student’s smile was beautiful. His eyes no longer held the same vacant look as before. Especially with Lin Xiu and Jiang Yu both looking at him; the scene looked harmonious.
He Chenjiang remembered Chi Aibei’s disdainful look from the afternoon, and his heart burned. He threw his phone to Qin Wanpeng. “What are you showing me that fool for?”
Qin Wanpeng caught the phone, almost dropped on the floor. “Someone saw that today the top student came to school with Chi Aibei’s brother. They seem to know each other.”
He Chenjiang knew that Lin Xiu wasn’t from their circle. Hearing that he knew Chi Wendong, He Chenjiang was somewhat surprised. Chi Wendong wasn’t someone who was easily befriended. Although he was a foster son of the Chi family, sometimes even He Chenjiang felt apprehensive about him.
He Chenjiang said he didn’t care, but he was wondering about Chi Aibei’s changes these past two days. “What’s up with this Jiang Yu?”
The Jiang family wasn’t an insignificant family; Jiang family members were always present at various banquets in Nancheng. Qin Wanpeng had a good relationship with Jiang Yu’s second brother, Jiang Wenyu. Jiang Wenyu and Jiang Wenyu’s older brother were in the class next to theirs. However, Jiang Yu was notoriously solitary and never greeted them at school.
Qin Wanpeng was also curious. Why was the usually solitary person hanging out with the seemingly intellectually challenged student?
“I’ll ask Jiang Wenyu later.” Saying that, Qin Wanpeng looked at He Chenjiang. “Lao He, are you interested in the top student?”
He Chenjiang glared at him. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Qin Wanpeng wasn’t just talking nonsense. He said, “No? Then why do you always pretend to be very calm whenever you see him?”
There were only a few top students in the school, and Lin Xiu was the only one who looked pleasing to the eye. To say that He Chenjiang had no interest in Lin Xiu was false, but to say he liked him was an exaggeration; at most, he admired his intelligence.
As the only son of the He family, He Chenjiang would inevitably inherit the family business. However, he struggled with exams, let alone managing a large company in the future. He was afraid he would bankrupt his family. If he had Lin Xiu’s intelligence, he wouldn’t worry about inheriting the family business.
He Chenjiang said, “I just thought, if there’s a way to recruit him, I won’t worry about lacking an assistant in the future.”
Qin Wanpeng understood after a few seconds and was immediately impressed by his foresight. “Damn, Lao He, I didn’t realize you were so far-sighted.”
He Chenjiang: “It’s not too late to discover it now.”