Chapter 78: Reunion
The air in the dormitory stagnated because of Qian Cheng’s harsh words. The knuckles of He Qing’s clenched fingers turned white, his cool face still devoid of expression.
Despite this, Jiang Yunian could see the unrest beneath He Qing’s calm exterior. He took a step forward, gently pressing He Qing’s tense arm, then turned to the amused Qian Cheng. Pointing at the luggage piled up like a small mountain, he said, “I can help you pack. Fifty yuan to finish all this.”
Qian Cheng looked him up and down, curling his lips in mockery. “Pauper.”
Jiang Yunian ignored his ridicule and walked directly to the luggage, beginning to organize silently. His movements weren’t fast, but they were methodical. He sorted the expensive trendy clothes, limited edition sneakers, and various electronic devices into categories—hanging what needed hanging, storing what needed storing. Xu Zhiyuan wanted to help but was glared back by Qian Cheng, so he could only sit awkwardly in his chair pretending to read a book.
He Qing stood there, watching Jiang Yunian silently work for the person who had made things difficult for him after having just defended him. His lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing and turned to leave the dormitory.
An hour and a half later, the chaotic corner had become organized. A thin layer of sweat appeared on Jiang Yunian’s forehead, which he wiped with his sleeve.
Qian Cheng finished a round of his game and looked up. Seeming relatively satisfied, he casually pulled a few red bills from his wallet and threw them on the table, acting as if bestowing charity. “Here.”
Jiang Yunian looked at the amount, which clearly exceeded their agreement, and didn’t take it. “You gave too much. I don’t have change.”
Qian Cheng frowned in disgust, thinking he really didn’t know what was good for him. He grabbed the money and stuffed it directly into Jiang Yunian’s hand. “Take it. It’s a tip. I’ll call you if I need anything else.”
After speaking, he immersed himself back into his game world, treating the desk Jiang Yunian had just organized as a gaming station, his keyboard clacking rapidly.
Jiang Yunian looked at the five hundred yuan in his hand, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately put it away silently.
That evening in the public bathhouse, Jiang Yunian ran into He Qing, who was washing clothes by the sink. The sound of rushing water echoed. He Qing saw the person walking in through the mirror, paused his movements, and remained silent for a moment.
“Thanks.”
Jiang Yunian turned on a faucet. As the cold water rushed over his hands, he tugged the corner of his mouth slightly, his voice very soft. “We’re friends.”
He Qing turned off the faucet and turned around, his wet fingers tracing the edge of the basin unconsciously. He looked at Jiang Yunian and whispered, “I thought you…” He paused, not saying “didn’t want to have any contact with me anymore” out loud. After all, as a friend, he had helped Jiang Yan hide so much.
Jiang Yunian obviously didn’t want to delve into this topic. He avoided He Qing’s gaze, turning away stiffly. “Long time no see. How are… you and Zhou Shu?”
He Qing’s face darkened visibly. He turned the faucet back on, scrubbing his clothes vigorously, his voice extremely faint. “Broken up.”
Jiang Yunian remembered what Qian Cheng had said in the dorm—Zhou Shu was not only getting engaged but had sent out invitations. Looking at He Qing’s thin back, he felt the feelings cheated out of him were just as tragic as his own. He wanted to say something comforting, opened his mouth, but found his vocabulary lacking.
It was He Qing who, amidst the sound of water, suddenly spoke in a low voice, sounding like he was talking to himself yet also speaking to Jiang Yunian: “He was badly injured. He recuperated for a few months and is mostly better now… I don’t know about the rest.”
Jiang Yunian froze, realizing He Qing was talking about Jiang Yan. A slight numbness rose in his heart, but he quickly suppressed it. He lowered his head, looking at the foam in his basin, his voice calm. “You don’t need to tell me this. As long as he’s okay, that’s fine. I don’t want to know anything else.”
He Qing turned his head and looked at him, his eyes holding an emotion that was hard to define. Finally, he just said lightly:
“That’s for the best.”
“…”
Recently, due to the influx of new students, Pingjing University’s campus forum was unusually active, and the cafeteria was overcrowded.
The queue for food winded back and forth. Qian Cheng clearly had no patience to squeeze through the crowd, so he naturally ordered Jiang Yunian, who was looking at the menu: “Hey, go line up.”
These past few days, because Jiang Yunian had a soft personality and was efficient when paid, Qian Cheng used him more and more smoothly, practically treating him as a little follower.
Jiang Yunian said “Oh” without objection and turned to walk to the end of the line.
“Wait.” Qian Cheng called him back and tossed his meal card over.
“Swipe whatever.”
Jiang Yunian took the card and went to queue at the food window. When it was finally his turn, he handed over the tray, ordered two dishes, and tapped the meal card on the reader.
“Beep—Balance: Ten thousand three hundred and fifty yuan.”
As soon as the electronic voice broadcasted, several students nearby looked over in surprise. Charging so much money in the cafeteria? How long would that take to eat through?
Jiang Yunian startled himself. Holding the lightweight meal card, he felt it burning his hand.
He carried two full trays, weaving carefully through the crowded cafeteria. Because of the incident with Zhang Hao seeking trouble in the cafeteria before, he was extra cautious now, eyes fixed firmly ahead, terrified of bumping into anyone.
However, there were simply too many people, rubbing shoulders and heels. He had just avoided a boy charging blindly when suddenly, someone from the side was shoved due to a dispute over cutting in line. Jiang Yunian couldn’t dodge in time and was affected, his body swaying violently!
“Careful!”
He subconsciously protected the trays, but the soup in one of the bowls still sloshed violently and spilled out. A few drops of soup landed squarely on a pair of spotless white sneakers in front of him.
The style of the shoes was unique, and the material looked expensive. It was a brand Jiang Yunian had never seen before.
His heart skipped a beat, and panic set in instantly. He hurriedly placed the two trays on a nearby empty table and fumbled to pull tissues from his pocket. Disregarding the gazes around him, he crouched down to wipe it, apologizing repeatedly, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I’ll wipe it for you…”
The hand he reached out, however, grasped at empty air.
The owner of the sneakers took a step back, avoiding his touch.
Jiang Yunian looked up blankly, his gaze traveling up those straight, long legs.
When he saw clearly who was standing in front of him, he felt as if a freezing spell had been cast on him. He stiffened in place, his mind going blank.
A wave of suppressed gasps and whispers erupted around them.
“Oh my god… isn’t that… the one from the financial news?”
“Isn’t that the ‘Imperial Grandson’ of Qi Sheng Group? What’s his name… Qi Yan?!”
“It really is him! Why did he come to our school cafeteria?”
“But I’ve seen those shoes in a magazine. Limited edition, over a hundred thousand…”
“It’s over, that guy is done for. How long will it take to pay that back…”
Jiang Yunian’s ears were filled with noise. He couldn’t hear the discussions clearly, only catching the words “over a hundred thousand.” His heart, which had stopped because of meeting an old acquaintance, was instantly filled with panic. He lowered his head to look at the limited-edition sneakers that could cost him his life, his fingers tightly clutching the pathetic ball of tissue. Like a prisoner awaiting judgment, he stood there in unease.
Qi Yan just stood there silently, looking down from above. His gaze had substance, locking tightly onto the other person—from his slightly trembling fingertips to his lowered brows, to the top of his head revealing a small section of fair neck. He took in all of his panic without missing a second.
Before he could speak, a voice laced with teasing cut in.
“Yo, how many times is this? Why is it that if you’re not hitting someone, you’re spilling things on them? Do people not watch the road when they walk these days, just aiming to fall into your arms?”
Zhou Shu sauntered over. Seeing Jiang Yunian crouching on the ground, his voice clearly paused. He raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting back and forth between Qi Yan and Jiang Yunian. A playful expression of “so that’s how it is” appeared on his face as he mouthed to Qi Yan: I finally know why you insisted on coming to this crappy cafeteria.
Qi Yan ignored Zhou Shu’s teasing. His face was calm, his eyes deep. Under the watchful eyes of the increasingly curious crowd, he finally spoke, with a faint tone of command:
“Wipe it clean.”
Jiang Yunian’s body trembled, thinking he was speaking to him. He squeezed the tissue in his hand, his lips pressed white, and slowly crouched down again, preparing to wipe the expensive shoe.
However, Qi Yan’s slender finger lifted, bypassing him to point at a boy shrinking back nearby.
“You.”
This person was the culprit who had shoved and bumped into Jiang Yunian at the start, currently shrinking his neck trying to lower his presence and slip away.
Jiang Yunian froze halfway through crouching and straightened up in astonishment.
The named boy turned pale with fright, waving his hands repeatedly, incoherent. “No, not me! I really didn’t mean to! Someone behind me pushed, that’s why I…”
Qi Yan didn’t listen to the nonsense. He tapped the stain on his shoe impatiently. “Wipe.”
Everyone around held their breath. This development… seemed different from what they imagined?
Looking at Qi Yan’s expressionless yet oppressive face, and glancing at the crowd watching the drama, the boy didn’t dare argue further. With a mourning face, he walked over trembling and used his own sleeve to carefully wipe the valuable sneaker, meticulously, afraid to leave even a single trace. After wiping, he looked at Qi Yan ingratiatingly, his eyes full of pleading, as if asking: Is this okay? Can I go now?
Qi Yan didn’t give him another look, waving his hand casually.
The boy felt as if he had been granted amnesty, scrambling to squeeze through the crowd and run, not even caring about eating.
The surroundings were quiet for a moment before low discussions erupted.
“Holy crap… you can do that?”
“Having money really makes you the boss…”
“But… why didn’t he make the student who spilled the soup wipe it?”
“Who knows… maybe he saw he was easy to bully? No wait, clearly he was the one who…”
Zhou Shu looked at Jiang Yunian, who was still dazed in place, and at Qi Yan, whose gaze was still fixed on him. Lazily, he smoothed things over: “Why are you still stunned? Not eating? Break it up, break it up, everyone go eat.”
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